Listen to yourself....

Yes, I take day off anytime I feel I need it, with little regard to what's happening around me.  Since the day I decided to put my wellness as my top priority, I started to take less heed of others' perception and expectations, towards me.  I need to be fit, healthy and strong for the people I am taking care of, therefore negative vibes are not welcomed in my life.

Reading too many posts, status updates on people whining and on the brink of depression.  Can I not be part of that?  Yes, it seems like I am leading a dual life. During the day I am an auditor, a chartered accountant whose image and independence are carefully tread on. After work, I am a fitness coach, bodybuilding to be specific.  This is my passion.  Granted, I am tired, but passion fueled my body and I manage to find my way through and around irons and bars in our humble gym. I have a personal chant I said in my mind over and over again, that accounting and finance is a passion for my mind, while fitness and bodybuilding is the passion for my body and heart. In terms of works, yes I may not be perfect, there are lots of things I still have to learn, but I am willing to learn.  Lately, I am trying my best not to put off works, finishing them the soonest I can, even if it means I have to burn the midnight oil, again and again. 

As a human, I do have my limit.  My patience is not to be tested beyond its max capacity.  I stepped into the new year (this year) with a vow that I will try my best in everything that I do, in my spiritual life, in my professional work, in my family and in my passion.  The vow includes keeping my promises, every single one.  If it happens that I would not be able to fulfill my promise, I make it a habit to let the other party know. 

Since towards the end of last week I was bombarded with work, unnecessary and redundant even,and it was carried forward to Monday.  Finally last night, I had enough.  Yes, I had chores to do today, but I am seizing the opportunity to have a real rest day today. I listen to my body and mind enough that I know when to push, and when to stop and rest.  Today is my day.  

I am having a real ME day.  Not a me day spending with friends.  It's me and myself.  I am a pro in ME Day department.  I love being alone.  Never feel lonely when I am alone.  Treating myself to any place, view, food, music, entertainment, relaxation in my own way, my own preference. It is a luxury for me these days, as being involved in fitness industry and business, I had to step out of my comfort zone, as a born introvert, into the limelight and trying my best to get noticed, so that I can bring people attention to our gym.  It is a hard work for me, the way that an extrovert will never understand.  Being the center of attention is not my cup of tea, I dreaded crowd and parties (or any resemblance to both). Hence the reason why I only have less than a handful close friends I can comfortably hang out with. Well, actually....when it comes to really, really close friend, I am 'monogamous'. Trust is a priceless commodity for me.  I don't share it with many people, and those who lost it once, lost it forever.

So, back to ME day....I am signing off for now.  Ciao....

Calcium Supplementation - Cute Looking Replacement

Looking very cute, indeed.  Advancing age, of course, increase the need for calcium, more than ever.  Considering increasing requirement due to active life and age, I need to put in extra effort to ensure my body is, at least, sufficiently supplemented.

Protein supplementation through diet is not much of a problem to me, it's the calcium that I need to focus on.  So, here's part of the effort.  I drink milk, but not everyday, and it is limited to fresh or full cream milk, in cartoons, which is quite an expensive choice for daily intake.  Milk powder is cheaper, but I can't really take it, gag me if to be taken daily.  Pills, well, it will be my last choice.  

So, dairy product like cheese is more preferable, for its convenience and and flexibility, and above all, it tastes good (hence the love of Italian dish, i.e pizza, lasagna and cheese pastries and cakes).  Of course, it is the most expensive alternative, but once fortnightly would be good enough for me.  This is my favorite.  Belcube, The Laughing Cow.  Here in KK you can find it in stores that sell imported food, but I think I saw it in Giant.  Well, just browse through the cold storage, I am sure you can find it.  Tastes great, my favorite is Nature Plain.  Used to love the smoked cheese flavor, but I guess even our taste changes over time.  Give it a try, if you haven't already.

Fitness Lesson For Today

Don't skip your workout for too long.

For two straight years, I had managed to reach my fitness goal/resolution.  For 2013, my goal was to keep my weight around 45 - 46 kg, which by the end of the year, I managed to reach it. My weight was 45.3 kg. This was made possible by change in diet and exercise, where I depended on my badminton and futsal training.

 

 Then in 2014, my fitness resolution upped to the next level, to get a toned and fit body, which means, my workout should be more intense than ever.  So, as part of my effort to realize the goal, I made a small investment, less than RM200, setting up my very humble home gym. I started small, from a 20 minutes daily workout to 45 minutes - an hour session by the end of 2014.  Result, very satisfactory.  Added bonus, I feel increased stamina, strength and endurance too.

However, the holiday season got into me a bit farther than it should, so, starting Christmas 2014, I rested from my daily routine, down to just a fraction of the routine (5 minutes) to none at all.  Of course I still play badminton and futsal, not much change in what I can see, but my strength and stamina reduced to a noticeable low.

So, after weeks of holding off, yesterday I decided to pick up from where I left last year. With an extra kilo, I sweat my pants off, literally drenched in sweat, and managed to finish the complete routine.  My muscles ached a bit, but it was very satisfactory.  It proved to be harder than it used to, so, now I learned my lesson, never skip your workout for too long that your body almost forgot about it.  It will need to readjust, and that includes muscle cramps and aches.

What's in the bag for 2015 fitness resolution?  Of course I have one, but let's keep it shut off until the end of this year, when I finally able to reach it.  All I can say is, it takes more than the previous years' effort, and I pray I can do it.  God wills.

Too Protective or Just Being Extra Cautious?

Been wanting to write about this, after reading so many news, incidents and complaints from parents or teachers alike.  Are we being irrationally protective of our children or is there any good explanation for this?

Let me summarize what is happening to the world today, well, at least here in Malaysia.  Everyday, when sending my kid to school, I will have to go through annoying traffic jam at school.  Why, it is like 1 car for every 1 or 2 pupils.  It wasn't like this during my time.  Lines of school buses was the regular sight.  Only 1 or 2 private cars parked amidst the long lines of school buses.  The distance between my apartment to the school is actually not that far, it is in comfortable walking distance, still I insist on sending her to the front of her classroom, or at least to the school gate.  Nicole asked once, 'Can I walk to school when I am bigger?' Well, the answer is still, 90% no.  

Then, there are cases where parents lodged a police report or even sued teachers for punishing their children, regardless whose fault it was.  Back to my school years, we were afraid to tell our parents that we were canned or punished at school, because we would be punished, again, or at least scolded, for the same mistake or fault.  When going out, I remembered our parents only hold our hands when crossing streets.  My dad, on the other hand, only guided me, no holding hands.  Now, even when walking around, in shopping mall, we will hold our kids' hands, as frequently as possible, afraid of the possibility of them wandering around, get lost, or, heavens forbid, kidnapped.

That's not even mentioning about how we control our kids' food, what they can eat or can't, places where we let out children play, no playing with dirt or under the rain, drink only filtered water, no excessive climbing of trees and such, and so many more.  Looking at my own childhood, I think our children nowadays are missing so many things, fun in their lives.  I remember eating whatever edible food I could find, even did the outdoor cooking myself, we played with dirt, dust or even mud, under heavy rain, searching tadpoles in puddles, drinking straight from water tap (from water tank which I knew housed mosquito larvae), climbing tall trees and did our acrobatic stunts from the high branches, head down, and so many more.

Are we robbing fun and freedom from our children?  I personally wish that I can allow the same fun-filled life to be enjoyed by my kid, but I am afraid it is just not possible in today's world.  The world I lived then was a lot safer than now.  Now, dangers and crime are everywhere.  One mishap, you'll lose your loved ones.  Let go of your child once in a shopping mall, someone could take the chance and kidnap your children, and do horrible things to them.  Food poisoning, diseases in water and in almost everything we enjoy, touch, eat and drink, even in the air, accidents in parking place including schools and home, so many unheard of illness and diseases, all these are happening every day in our community.  Life is more fragile than ever.  You can't even guarantee biological parents won't hurt their own children.  Have we heard of all these back then, 20 years ago?  No, even if there was, it was an isolated case.  Children could go out to streets, to their friends' house to gather and play together, and back home safely, without leaving their parents worried over their safety.

So, just think for yourself.  Are we being too protective, or we are just surviving?  We let our natural instinct to act upon changes in our world today.  The nastier the world becomes, the more protective and extra cautious we'll all be.  

One thing to remember, though, too much protection will leave our children helpless should someday they will have to face the world on their own.  Be protective, by all means, but don't forget to nurture and teach your kids life's lesson, help them to grow and be tough and ready to someday face the grueling world on their own. 

Hello, real friends

Oh yeah, almost a month now, right?  Despite my so-called personal resolution to keep this blog very updated, not that anyone care, anyway.  I was pretty occupied lately, just like almost everyday of my life since then until now.  Maybe this 'busyness' is a bit overboard, since there are few FB PM that I couldn't reply, left hanging for almost a week now.  Sorry dear friends, I have no good explanation for that except this.  I couldn't commit to any conversation right now, will come back to all of you later.

By the way, this time I would love to address a problem that seems to inflict injury on our social interactions.  Picture this. Few persons, sitting around the same table, or just sitting anywhere together where it is normal to expect conversations to take place.  But instead of talking to each other, each and everyone of them is so engrossed with his/her smartphones, not a word exchanged between those few people.  Instead of laughing with each other, each locked their sight to his/her phones, smiles every once in a while, or maybe annoyed, or laugh, all with the phones, not the real person. It's soooo 2013'ish, so normal that almost nobody gives a heck about it.  It's normal, right?

Well, I personally, prefer to have that old fashion conversation.  Call me conservative, call me old timer, but I do love hanging out, laughing and talking with my friends, not with my phone.  Okay, I am not totally innocent, I do commit this once in a while, but I am trying my best to keep my hands to myself, and minimize my contact with my phone, as much as possible, in other people's presence.  It is rude to actually ignore the persons in front of you, choosing phone over them to converse with.  I have been in that situation, I am being the ignored person, and to tell you the truth, it is really, really annoying.  I'd rather go away and do my own thing than be with the busy person and....do nothing.

This is not Social 101 class, but I do hope we take real life company for serious, for once.  If you must keep yourself updated with your friends' news online, or to entertain yourself, please, do it when you are accompanied by only yourself.  Be considerate, be respectful.

For those friends I ignored this way, please forgive me. I am working on minimizing it, hope you can bear with me.

Let's work together for a healthier social interaction.

Book a badminton court in Kota Kinabalu

When the spirit is up, and the urge is extra strong to splurge the extra energy into a competitive activity, I always have badminton in mind.  I know these days are not the best time to do just that, but when the adrenaline is ready, I am ready to do whatever it takes to sweat my shirt off.

My perpetual problem is, finding a court for me and my friends to get into action.  Yesterday, I finally realized how much effort I needed to put into raking the internet to find contact numbers to book a court, any where in around KK.  The exasperation led me to compile at least a few couples of numbers you can call, in order to book a badminton court.  Really hope this will help, at anytime you need it.  Rates ranged from RM7 to RM20  (exclusive GST where applicable).  

1.   SM All Saints (Romanus) - 012-8340371 / 088-428610

2.   Beverly Hills Apartment Ph. 2 - 088-727522

3.   Blue 7 - 088-723137

4.   Country Heights Apartments - 016-8305015

5.   Cyber City Apartments 1 - 015-4817 1002

6.   Cyber City Apartments 2 - 015-4817 1006

7.   All DBKK Halls (Damai/Luyang/Bandaran/Menggatal Community Hall) - 088-521741

8.   Foo Chow Hall - 088-240028

9.   KK High School - 088-262578

10. SM La Salle - 088-224326

11. Maktab Sabah - 012-8694042

12. Taman BDC - 088-435657

13. Venitian - 088-728188
14. Regency Park, Penampang - 088-710100
15. Likas Sports Complex - 088-259466
16. Mont Elkay Clubhouse, Lok Kawi Heights - 088- 736085
17. Tun Adnan Sports Complex, Yayasan Sabah - 088-326425
18. Hongkod Koisaan Hall KDCA (Penampang) - 088-713696 / 088-713337
19. Juara Badminton Arena, Putatan - 088-769868
20. Beverly Hills Phase 5 - 088-726755
21. Beverly Hills Phase 1 - 088-713118
22. Beverly Hills Phase 3 - 088-720877

Good luck.

Minestrone soup and food poisoning

Minestrone Soup

Yup....after a bout (more than just a bout...actually...had it on Sunday and Monday), I felt too weak to be a normal me in sport, not even in my daily life. It's upsetting to be weak when I have set in my mind that this week would mark the beginning of my rigorous sports again. 

The doctor I saw the other day  told me that it was food poisoning. I don't think  I have ever experienced food poisoning this painful before. It had me rolling in bed and whining...audibly. Every single attempt to restore my strength by trying to eat however little food was sabotaged by violent grilling and pounding in my stomach, causing me to throw out all the food that I have eaten.  The whole night my body kept jerking every few minutes, trying to get through the pain and get on with my rest, which of course, I couldn't have at all.

So I took a day off yesterday, at first, but I had to continue until today.  That's 2 days in a row.  Great victory to food poisoning for restraining me in my own home to 2 days in a row.  The medication I took caused more diarrhea and uncomfortable tummy.  To curb my hunger, the only thing I dared to put inside my mouth yesterday afternoon was that food in the picture, the minestrone soup...or better known as...vegetable soup in tomato broth. That is more like it. It tasted good, and soothing to my 'on-strike' stomach.  So, that was my lunch.  As for dinner, a simple chicken porridge did the trick.  At least I could take my medication without worry it would worsen my condition.

I am on my way to recovery. I pray this would be an uninterrupted journey. 

God be with us all.

Smokers will be shot!

That was the exact words that immediately caught my attention last week.  The sticker on one of the mini vans cum  shuttle for us during the WCOA.  The full sentence is even more interesting, funny yet aimed straight to the point.

Smokers will be shot! Survivors will be shot again!

If only the targeted people take this warning a lot more seriously, there will be a great reduction to numbers of fatalities caused by smoking.  Smoking in public places should be considered RUDE.  It causes great discomfort to many people, and that is not taking health issues into consideration yet.  Well, please, if you really have to smoke, limit it to just within your house/compound, or in lounge or smoking room, where it belongs.

I am writing this because, I personally suffer from being (be it involuntarily) a secondary smoker.  The smoke's instant effect on me is flu (a long and hard-to-recover one), headache and breathing problem.

Just be considerate, will you?

Health Supplements - How's That Related To Me?

WARNING! This is not an advertisement. Just my own personal opinion. No intention to offend anyone.

Just like everybody else, I was an anti-health supplements, especially when they come in pills. Even when I was sick, I prefer injection shot rather than swallowing pills, no matter how small they were. The only pill that I would want to take was the one that tasted sweet from beginning till the end. :p

So, that was me. But I was pretty ignorant then, ignorant about almost everything but myself (pretty self-centered, couldn't help it, I was a lone ranger). But then years gone by, one by one, my friends, relatives, and people around me...the number keep increasing every day, struck by health problems, diseases. Cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke, your name it. They attack without warning. And I became so afraid, of living because of that. Everyday I imagine it was the last day of my life, try to imagine how would my families and friends react, just to fall on my knees and pray, "Lord, let me live for another xx years, I want to see my family happy and I want to repay their kindness, even though I know it'll just a fraction of what they'd sacrificed for me."

Why? Because I was told, you can't avoid that. Of course it may not be so for diabetes, stroke or heart diseases, because they are not only inherited, but also as a result of one's lifestyle. But cancer...now who can avoid that?

To cut the story short, I opened my mind wider, and absorb all information on health I could find. And thank God, there are ways to avoid those diseases, and yes, that includes cancer. You see, we are created as a very powerful creature. Our body defense system is the most advance and most powerful ever, to fight diseases and any harmful element. But, we have to really, really take good care of it. Provide healthy environment to live in, feed it with essential nutritions, both to body and mind, exercise, drink a lot of water, temperance, rest...and above all, trust in God.

Now, everything but getting enough essential nutrition is possible for us. Why, because we are living in 'artificial' and 'chemical' world. Everything we eat, always contains artificial contents, preservatives, even our vege always have chemical, to avoid pests. Organic food, cost us our neck and not to mention how rare it is. The only solution, grow our food ourselves. But for those like me, living in birdhouse (apartment), I wonder if growing them in pots will be sufficient.

That's one. Ever thought how much food is sufficient for our optimum daily nutrition need? I don't say minimum, because that won't enable our defense system to be at its best. We want it at its best because the threats now are so overwhelming. We need the best and strongest weapon to fight it. Please don't mention anything about using drugs, they do you more harm than good, in the long run. Always spills some side effects. But that's drugs, a short term solution.

So, the modern solution that most nutritionist recommend? Get yourself a good health supplement. Don't have to be the most expensive or well-known brand in the market. Look at the content, do some comparison, some research. According to books that I read, the best nutrition supplement should provide you with ALL the nutritions you need, at optimum level, contains no harmful chemical or preservative, can easily absorb by your body. All nutritions is very, very important because no one single nutrition can perform its function well without the existence of other nutrition/mineral. If I were to explain this here, this entry will be too long. Please do own research. You may try this link: www.comparativeguide.com

If you know how each disease work, you'll at least have an idea how to avoid it. I have few articles on those diseases and more. If anyone wants to know about certain diseases, how it works and which vitamins, or mineral will be useful to treat or prevent it, email me. I will share the article with you, provided I have the one that you need.

Now, my life is a lot calmer, a lot more peaceful. At least I know I have provided my body with all the nutrition it need to be strong and at its best. Of course once in a while I get sick, but who to blame when I suffer from indigestion, or food poisoning..? Me, of course, not my health supplements. :p Pills is not my nightmare anymore, especially when my migrain, very bad migrain disappear once I started taking my supplement.

Health supplements - How's That Related To Me? Everything. My life, my mind, my family, and my all, my being.