It's been such a long time since I welcomed the start of the month. All slates wiped clean, everything resets to zero and we're all ready to go again.
Last day(s) of the month are always crazy days for me. The tension has been building up for quite a while and I'm so glad we're out of it. I've been telling myself that I really needed to get thru these 2 difficult months (Feb/Mar). What more, today was the last day of the quarter, so it was madness.
I have not gotten a proper break/holiday since end Jan (CNY). And when I say break, I don't mean the kind where you go overseas and walk around non-stop with no rest. That was what my HK trip in Feb was all about, walking around non-stop and I felt totally exhausted when I returned.
It's very difficult for anyone to step in my shoes to understand the kind of pressure and stress I go thru at work every single day. I worry about my own business targets, I worry about my job, I worry about market levels, I worry about positions for other people, and yet I don't worry about my own positions. Now I have a baby to worry about.
Sometimes when I hear traders earning alot of money, I don't begrudge them because I can just imagine the tremendous stress they go through. I'm not a trader, I don't earn that kind of moolah, but I'm not complaining because I'm seriously not sure if I can withstand that level of stress.
All these are reasons why I love BC so much. It's the only programme for me where I can unleash all my frustrations and relieve all my stress. It's quite difficult to do BA or BJ without a smile on your face. Seriously, how can anyone smile at the end of a rotten day at work when markets go against you and you get screwed by your clients. Not one, not two, but many many!
One reason why I look forward to Apr - two breaks. First up, I'll be going to BKK with my colleagues on the Good Friday weekend. My team has been talking about going for holidays but we always have to stagger our leave to make sure we've covered. It is so rare that we have a PH on Fri where many of us can take leave together. It was rather expensive because we booked late. This time round, I'm definitely going to chill out and just relax.
I'll actually be flying out later than the rest because I committed myself to a 2hr BC class on Good Friday at Parkway. I could have turned down the class, but I thought I wanted to do the class then take a night flight out. Dedications welcome (pls either sms me or leave me a msg at LM or here) but restricted to BC21-39. I plan to do an 'old school' class sometime soon, so leave it for that.
My second trip, needless to say - Auckland. This is the holiday that I'm so so so looking forward to. NZ is really my idea of a holiday. The pace there is much slower, I get positive vibes when I'm there, I don't need sightseeing, I'd rather stay in a hotel/apt, and go gym or casino whenever I feel like it.
Just checked my mileage, I've got enough miles to go for 2 more SIN-AKL return trips, so I don't think Apr will be my last time, subject to leave.
At the moment, I think I could do with a break.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Sunday, March 29, 2009
To Someone
To 'someone' who left a comment in my previous post - Yes, I did play 'Shooting Star' in that cover class at Vivo City, covering Elaine on a Monday evening.
04 December 2006. That's over 2 years ago. I am amazed how anyone could have remembered that.
04 December 2006. That's over 2 years ago. I am amazed how anyone could have remembered that.
Sauna Combat
Haven't done BC at Vivo in ages, and today decided to go attend class at Vivo. Was half hoping that Sue would do BC39 for the very last time before everybody starts mixing. And she really did, so I was quite happy to do BC39 again.
Some asked me if I was sian doing the same release (on top of teaching), well all I can say is teaching and doing is different. I haven't gotten sick of teaching the release yet, and I still wanted to do it before everything starts mixing. But I really can't imagine dong the release for 4 or even 6 weeks.
The studio was damn hot, like a sauna. Barely half a track, sweat was already dripping down my forehead. I'm already a hamburger (han bao bao)and put me in that studio, it's madness.
I used to take 5 classes a week, 1 each at 5 of PF's 6 outlets. The only one I don't have a perm class is Vivo. Location played a part too. I remembered the first time I covered a class there, I was so dehydrated after the class that I actually had to recharge with a few bottles of Gatorade.
The only thing hotter than this 'Sauna Combat' is Mega Combat. It's going to be on again this year during one of the hottest months of the year. Stay tuned...
Some asked me if I was sian doing the same release (on top of teaching), well all I can say is teaching and doing is different. I haven't gotten sick of teaching the release yet, and I still wanted to do it before everything starts mixing. But I really can't imagine dong the release for 4 or even 6 weeks.
The studio was damn hot, like a sauna. Barely half a track, sweat was already dripping down my forehead. I'm already a hamburger (han bao bao)and put me in that studio, it's madness.
I used to take 5 classes a week, 1 each at 5 of PF's 6 outlets. The only one I don't have a perm class is Vivo. Location played a part too. I remembered the first time I covered a class there, I was so dehydrated after the class that I actually had to recharge with a few bottles of Gatorade.
The only thing hotter than this 'Sauna Combat' is Mega Combat. It's going to be on again this year during one of the hottest months of the year. Stay tuned...
Love At First Sight
Last night I was watching England vs Slovakia, and what really captured my attention was the spanking new home kit. All white. Damn chio!
Too bad my birthday is not here yet and I'm not in the habit of receiving (and giving) Christmas presents, otherwise that would have been the no 1 on my list.
The design is retro, very very retro. It's like they've been making progressive modifications to make the kit appear more modern, all of a sudden they run out of ideas and decide to go back to a plain all-white jersey with a collar. But I love it! Love at first sight.
It's available... pre-order before 1 Apr 2009, and I've half a mind to actually order it online! The top only cost like £43.47 (Ex VAT), and after adding the freight charges, I'm sure it will cost a bomb. If I add another ROONEY 10 on it, it will cost another £10.39 (Ex VAT). How? Should I buy or not? Been spending alot recently...
Too bad my birthday is not here yet and I'm not in the habit of receiving (and giving) Christmas presents, otherwise that would have been the no 1 on my list.
The design is retro, very very retro. It's like they've been making progressive modifications to make the kit appear more modern, all of a sudden they run out of ideas and decide to go back to a plain all-white jersey with a collar. But I love it! Love at first sight.
It's available... pre-order before 1 Apr 2009, and I've half a mind to actually order it online! The top only cost like £43.47 (Ex VAT), and after adding the freight charges, I'm sure it will cost a bomb. If I add another ROONEY 10 on it, it will cost another £10.39 (Ex VAT). How? Should I buy or not? Been spending alot recently...
Friday, March 27, 2009
Craving Satisfied
I'm sure anyone who reads this blog knows that I love crabs.
Since I got my car last week, I've already had 2 opportunities to eat crabs, but somehow my craving wasn't satisfied.
The first was Fri evening, meeting my ex-colleagues and we drove all the way to Dempsey. 5 of us ordered 2 crabs and some dishes, and while the crabs were very fresh and deliciously cooked, it was rather small and I didn't quite get my craving satisfied. The bill came up to over $200 too!
Then Sat - Le Fei, Chris, Vivi, Jean, Lynn, Eric and myself were supposed to have a dinner gathering eating crabs but somehow it became a la carte Japanese buffet instead. Akira at Tiong Bahru (Link Hotel).
The food is acceptable, no wow factor. It is decent and I shouldn't be too harsh considering its a $30+++ buffet! I guess after becoming accustomed to eating at Jap restaurants, buffets no longer do the trick for me.
I'd much rather spend $80-100 eating delicious yakitori at Kazu, and for decent food, I'd rather go kopitiam or hawker centre. But the rest seemed to like it, so majority rules.
And the only crab I had during the buffet was half a stick of imitation crabstick! Haiz.
Today, one colleague of mine suggested we go for crabs at Melben (AMK branch) so a few of us were 'on'. I've only been to TPY branch before, haven't had the chance to try AMK.
The rest went off first while I waited for my boss, who happened not to drive today. I guess he wanted to sit in my new car. We was an interesting conversation during the journey, he kept talking about cars. He absolutely loves cars. He owns a Merc S-class and a Mini Cooper. He is such a fan of continental cars that I reckoned that had I bought a Japanese car, I would probably hear him grumble at me for the longest time.
I know it's my own car and I shouldn't be influenced by other people's thoughts. In fact I'm not. I bought it because I truly like it. I didn't buy the Golf because I wanted a big boot to put all my barang barang. But my boot is really really big.
After we parked at AMK, I was about to leave the car without placing the parking coupon when I suddenly changed my mind at the last minute and placed one. Lucky I did otherwise I would have gotten a parking offence!
When we joined our colleagues (we left office 20mins later) they were still in the queue! It's amazing how crowded it is even on a normal weekday evening.
We ordered 2 LARGE CRABS and some other dishes. One was the butter cream and the other one is the famous bee hoon soup. I love the crabs so much. They are really really good. And the ones we got today were fresh, it was just so succulent.
Halfway through our meal, we heard a shrill whistle. There was a commotion and many people suddenly left their seats. 'Fatimah' was here, and I am so glad that I placed a parking coupon and avoided a fine.
The bill tonight certainly wasn't cheap, over $200 for the 6 of us, but I felt extremely satisfied. I guess I can wait another month before I have another seafood feast with my colleagues again, this time overseas. And it's not NZ...
And talking about NZ, I'm so glad I changed a few thousand of NZD a few weeks back when it was rock bottom. NZD is rallying like crazy now, I just saved myself quite a fair bit in exchange, and I'm so gonna enjoy myself...
Since I got my car last week, I've already had 2 opportunities to eat crabs, but somehow my craving wasn't satisfied.
The first was Fri evening, meeting my ex-colleagues and we drove all the way to Dempsey. 5 of us ordered 2 crabs and some dishes, and while the crabs were very fresh and deliciously cooked, it was rather small and I didn't quite get my craving satisfied. The bill came up to over $200 too!
Then Sat - Le Fei, Chris, Vivi, Jean, Lynn, Eric and myself were supposed to have a dinner gathering eating crabs but somehow it became a la carte Japanese buffet instead. Akira at Tiong Bahru (Link Hotel).
The food is acceptable, no wow factor. It is decent and I shouldn't be too harsh considering its a $30+++ buffet! I guess after becoming accustomed to eating at Jap restaurants, buffets no longer do the trick for me.
I'd much rather spend $80-100 eating delicious yakitori at Kazu, and for decent food, I'd rather go kopitiam or hawker centre. But the rest seemed to like it, so majority rules.
And the only crab I had during the buffet was half a stick of imitation crabstick! Haiz.
Today, one colleague of mine suggested we go for crabs at Melben (AMK branch) so a few of us were 'on'. I've only been to TPY branch before, haven't had the chance to try AMK.
The rest went off first while I waited for my boss, who happened not to drive today. I guess he wanted to sit in my new car. We was an interesting conversation during the journey, he kept talking about cars. He absolutely loves cars. He owns a Merc S-class and a Mini Cooper. He is such a fan of continental cars that I reckoned that had I bought a Japanese car, I would probably hear him grumble at me for the longest time.
I know it's my own car and I shouldn't be influenced by other people's thoughts. In fact I'm not. I bought it because I truly like it. I didn't buy the Golf because I wanted a big boot to put all my barang barang. But my boot is really really big.
After we parked at AMK, I was about to leave the car without placing the parking coupon when I suddenly changed my mind at the last minute and placed one. Lucky I did otherwise I would have gotten a parking offence!
When we joined our colleagues (we left office 20mins later) they were still in the queue! It's amazing how crowded it is even on a normal weekday evening.
We ordered 2 LARGE CRABS and some other dishes. One was the butter cream and the other one is the famous bee hoon soup. I love the crabs so much. They are really really good. And the ones we got today were fresh, it was just so succulent.
Halfway through our meal, we heard a shrill whistle. There was a commotion and many people suddenly left their seats. 'Fatimah' was here, and I am so glad that I placed a parking coupon and avoided a fine.
The bill tonight certainly wasn't cheap, over $200 for the 6 of us, but I felt extremely satisfied. I guess I can wait another month before I have another seafood feast with my colleagues again, this time overseas. And it's not NZ...
And talking about NZ, I'm so glad I changed a few thousand of NZD a few weeks back when it was rock bottom. NZD is rallying like crazy now, I just saved myself quite a fair bit in exchange, and I'm so gonna enjoy myself...
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Playlist (30 Jan 2008)
Wow someone brought up my class for 30 Jan 2008, so I went to dig out my Excel spreadsheet to see what were the tracks I played...
1611 - Nessaja (Bonus warm up from BC16)
1103* - We're Not Gonna Take It (the old version)
0804* - Baby I'm On Fire
1704 - Rhythm Is A Dancer
0606* - Rofo's Theme (superman!)
0707* - Jump (Not the MT, but the jump jab cross)
1607 - Jump (MT)
1808 - Razzia
Add Ons
1104* - Lady Marmalade
1807 - Don't Stop
* denotes slightly different numbering system. Prior to BC14, there was no MT track, and 2 warm up tracks separately.
Usually when I select tracks, I refrain from choosing those before BC21, those were the old school tracks, slightly slower in tempo and easier. Mixing old and new tracks I find it quite disruptive cos the heart-rate can suddenly drop quite fast when I mix an old track into a playlist of mainly new tracks.
But once in a while, I do mix an entire playlist of old tracks. It was fun! I actually remembered how I felt for that class. So who says I don't do old tracks?
1611 - Nessaja (Bonus warm up from BC16)
1103* - We're Not Gonna Take It (the old version)
0804* - Baby I'm On Fire
1704 - Rhythm Is A Dancer
0606* - Rofo's Theme (superman!)
0707* - Jump (Not the MT, but the jump jab cross)
1607 - Jump (MT)
1808 - Razzia
Add Ons
1104* - Lady Marmalade
1807 - Don't Stop
* denotes slightly different numbering system. Prior to BC14, there was no MT track, and 2 warm up tracks separately.
Usually when I select tracks, I refrain from choosing those before BC21, those were the old school tracks, slightly slower in tempo and easier. Mixing old and new tracks I find it quite disruptive cos the heart-rate can suddenly drop quite fast when I mix an old track into a playlist of mainly new tracks.
But once in a while, I do mix an entire playlist of old tracks. It was fun! I actually remembered how I felt for that class. So who says I don't do old tracks?
Monday, March 23, 2009
BC39
The more I do BC39, the more I like it! For this release, there is not one single track which I dislike.
My 2 favs - the Muay Thai 'Hardcore Angel' and Power 3 'Cry For You' never fail to get me high each time.
I love the warm up more and more, especially the lower body warm up - Calling All Lovers. And surprisingly, when I did the filming in Auckland, it was the only track which I didn't think much of.
For me, music plays a great part, so I just loved the track selection for this release. Enjoyed it over BC38 by far.
My 2 favs - the Muay Thai 'Hardcore Angel' and Power 3 'Cry For You' never fail to get me high each time.
I love the warm up more and more, especially the lower body warm up - Calling All Lovers. And surprisingly, when I did the filming in Auckland, it was the only track which I didn't think much of.
For me, music plays a great part, so I just loved the track selection for this release. Enjoyed it over BC38 by far.
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