Lousy Xmas Eve Dinner

Met up with 2 'irritating' friends of mine for Xmas Steamboat Dinner last evening @ Clementi, Sunset Way to be exact. We all agree that it sounds kind of weird to be having steamboat for Xmas but who cares since we all enjoy steamboat-ing.

We choose this place because we want to be away from the mad crowds in town. 'Older' folks like us prefer somewhere quieter and less havoc :) Based on a colleague's good review of the place, I suggested giving it a try. At the end of the dinner, I must say I've made a wrong recommendation, and its a pretty bad one :(

We had a reservation @ 7pm but we arrived around 715pm. The table's still there for us, in front of the ventilating fan outside in the alfresco area. Great! At least they took note of my request during my reservation call. The place is about 80% occupied as we arrived and were seated promptly.

They offered 4 choices of soup bases; Chicken, Tom Yum, Ma La & Seafood (basically seaweed soup) from which we are supposed to select 2. My 2 'irritating' friends made their way inside the premises to get the ingredients but they took nearly 10mins to come back with 2 barely full plates of veges and some meat. From experience, they're not those who would take so little, not especially on the first trip. Anyway, as they come back with the food items, I proceeded inside to grab more stuffs.

The first thing that greeted me as I stepped in were no sumptuous spread like what you'd see in a typical steamboat buffet-line but EMPTY trays lying there on the line!! "Ok", I tell myself... "they needed time to refill due to the crowd tonight..."

Making my way around the line, I saw a huge tray of neatly cut-up chicken-looking meat which I presumed was turkey. I wasn't firmed on this until I saw a BADLY HAND-WRITTEN label beside the tray that says "Turkey". Turning to my right, I saw a NEAR EMPTY vegetable, meatballs and non-marinated meat section! This is terrible!! Looking to my left now, there is this lady rolling up some sushi but instead of cutting them up when it was rolled up, she placed the un-cut, rolled-up sushi to one side and proceeded to roll the next one.

Moving further down the line, there stands yet another lady, 'fishing' some tempura out from the container with the mix and dipping it into the deep fryer. Next to her were some 3 trays which were filled only with crispy batter, NO tempura of any sort at all. Turning to my right once more, I finally caught sight of something decent, a pretty filled BBQ meat section. However, my relief was to be shortlived as again I spotted NEAR EMPTY TRAYS in the cooked-food section.

Making a left turn at the end of the line, there lies the dessert section which looks adequately filled for the moment but I was seriously doubting its presence later on in the evening as most of the patrons would have been done with the 'main course' and am proceeding with 'desserts'. The seafood section, somehow, is right next to the dessert section. I found this arrangement to be a little weird but am unable to pin-point the weird-ness. Anyway, as usual, there were barely any seafood left in the trays there, only ice....

No doubt we were able to fill ourselves up last evening, but the sight of 'emptiness' seriously TURNED US OFF big time! It seems to us that everything is empty most of the time. Are you under-staffed that you have delays topping up the food? Or are you simply trying to 'save cost' by putting out lesser food? Either way, they've just lost 3 potential repeat customers.

Oh, I forgot to mention that they do BBQ the meat from the BBQ section for patrons. However, it takes a damn long time to arrive. Our's were picked and handed over to them for queueing when my 2 'irritating' friends first went inside. The items arrived only 45mins later...

This terrible place, is Fortune Cuisine @ Sunset Way..... Patronise @ your own peril. Don't say I didn't warn you....

Census...

According to Wikipedia, a census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population.

In the case of Uncle Law's Cubicle here, I would like to conduct a census of whoever is reading this blog. As such, if you are reading this post as of now, I would appreciate it very much if you could just drop me a comment to indicate your presence. If you do not mind, do include your name (or nickname) and how do you come across my little cubicle in the world wide web.

Thank you very much.

谢谢.

Terima Kasih.

Merci.

My 1st Les Mills Quarterly Workshop

As promised in my previous post, I'd be dedicating this entire post to the ins & outs of my first Les Mills Quarterly Workshop in KL on 6th Dec 2009.

If you've been reading my entries all along (which I assumed you do), I was over in KL 2 weekends ago and the major reason why I was even there is to attend the series of LM Workshops (specifically BodyCombat) which are held every 3 months in the various cities. These workshops are the platforms by which LM uses to launch their new releases for the various programs in their stable (eg. BodyCombat, BodyPump, BodyStep, etc).

This time around, the workshops are held @ Twin Towers Fitness which is located in the basement of KLCC, right at the ticket booth whereby you can obtain tickets to the Petronas Twin Towers Skybridge. The reception area of this gym isn't fantastic to begin with, in fact, the worst of True Fitness's reception is easily 2 notches above that of Twin Towers Fitness. However, what really awed me is the existence of an indoor basketball court, full-sized, @ basement 2 within the confines of the gym. I supposed most of the GX Classes are held here except for maybe the RPM Classes since I did not spot any other rooms within the gym that looks like a studio. Not surprising, they had setup a stage in the middle of the court for the workshop.

This workshop is based on the upcoming BodyCombat Release 42, a pretty much Muay Thai-themed release. There were 6 presenters on stage, including the 2 Program Directors for Body Combat, Rachael & Dan Cohen (yes, they're husband and wife) from NZ. With the 'dress-code' of the day being white top with Muay-Thai bottom, it's not at all surprising to see many fellow 'Combatants' dressed in white tops and Muay-Thai bottoms of various colours. Others, like me, who didn't stick to the dress code, turned out in various colours and gears but generally tried to stick to the 'official colours' of the day. I spotted at least 1 dude in Muay-Thai gears, complete with 'Pra-Jead', an arm-band worn on the biceps. I later heard from Irene that this guy's the Head of BC, from FF Malaysia.

BC is the 2nd workshop of the day. BodyVive's the first @ 830am. BC's coming up next at 10am. By the time we got changed and went down to B2, there were already many other folks already hanging around on the sides of the court, looking on and waiting for the BC Workshop to commence. As the clock ticks closer to 10, more folks poured in, amongst them quite a few of TF's Instructors. The scene sorts of reminded me of TF's Mega Combat held @ Suntec's Fountain of Wealth.

Everyone got on their feet, all ready to run towards the centre of the court so as to get a 'prime' spot in front of the stage. I'm sure the objective for doing this is not to be able to catch the action on stage, but more to catch Dan & Rach instead. At least my objective for being in a prime location is such. The participants of the BV workshop barely occupied half the available space on the courts but the participants of BC, had they spread themselves out, would have easily fill the ENTIRE court. But it was not to be as everyone tried to squeeze towards the centre, resulting in very little space around us. I can barely straighten my kicks without hitting the fellow in front, not to mention that I got kicked TWICE by this lady at my 5 o'clock direction!

BC 42's not that difficult to do, but to instruct would be a bit challenging for there were some rather complicated moves such as the 4-directional Ginga and a new move called The Sweep. I quite like Tracks 1A, 3, 7 and 8. I've always been a fan of power tracks and its no surprise that Tracks 3 and 8, again, are 2 of my favourites from the new release. I especially love the Muay Thai track of the new release, it's a 'recycled' track from the past but had been remixed for use this time around. There were 2 rounds to go for this track, 1 round for each side of the body, totaling about 8mins in all. In the beginning of each round, there is a traditional ritual dance for Muay Thai fighters before the fight called the Wai Kru which I really enjoyed. The accompanying music in the background during this choreography sticks in my mind all the time! For the sake of those still in the dark about the upcoming release, I shall not comment too much herein.

Attending the Workshop this time is very meaningful to me because its my VERY FIRST Les Mills Workshop and to be able to meet Dan & Rach makes it even more special. I've always been wanting to meet them ever since I got hooked on BC and by attending the KL Workshops, my little dream came true. :) The icing on the cake would have been able to get a picture with them both but it was not to be. I've only to get some pictures with Rach and also her autograph on my BC 40's Choreography Booklet. Perhaps my objective for the next Workshop with them in attendance would be to get some pictures with Dan.

New Zealand filming anyone?

A Unique KL Experience

This is a long overdue post which should have gone up long ago but due to laziness.... here is it now....

Well, I hopped over to KL over the 04-06 Dec weekend for the Les Mills Quarterlies taking place on Sunday. Although I signed up for Body Combat and Body Pump, I participated only in the BC42 Workshop due to time constraints, plus abit of laziness too. :p

I arrived on Friday morning on an uneventful flight together with G & V, his partner. Prior to the trip, we both knew we're on the same flight but probably different rows/sides of the plane. As it turned out, their seats are actually right next to my window seat! Talk about coincidence....

Something 'dramatic' happened the moment we landed. I was trying to switch on my phone but it simply wouldn't power on. I then tried using a pen's pointed end to 'poke' the power button, it still wouldn't start.... I've by now started to panic for without my phone, I'm unable to link up with Ms Ang, my very kind course-mate who offered to play host to the few of us from SG and showed us around KL. I'm supposed to link up with Ms Ang @ KLIA for she had come all the way to the airport to drive GV & me our accomodation @ Concorde Hotel. Desperate, i borrowed G's phone and plucked in my SIM Card. To my great relief, I received an SMS from Ms Ang the moment G's phone powered up. Had she not SMSed me, I've no idea how to reach her.... Anyway, all ends well regarding the linking up part once we're able to reach each other. Much credit must go to G for helping me out of the 'crisis'.

After checking in, Irene brought us to this street market where she recommended us some very delicious chicken/beef rendang. I particularly like the rice for its kinda sticky, unlike those we have in SG which is non-stick. The hawker must have added quite some spices to the rendang for the smell and taste is fantastic. I could have eaten it for dinner too if not for us going elsewhere in the evening!

We proceeded to Mid-Valley Mall post-lunch for some shopping before returning to attend a BC class at the Menara MBF Fitness First which is about 300m from Concorde while Ms Ang's office is, can you actually BELIEVE it, right next door!!

The highlight of the day comes in the evening post-dinner where Ms Ang, GV, G's coursemate B & wifey, Ms Ang's 2 friends from FF and myself drove up to a place in Ampang called Look Out Point. I've always a soft-spot for great scenaries be it urban or natural landscapes. It sort of like a ritual of mine to ascend up the local viewing tower for a look around the city during my first visit. I've been up KL Tower and also the Petronas Tower, but to look 'down' onto KL City from its outskirts is something totally new to me and I love it very much! The view up there is stupendous while the roads leading up is horrendous. Can you imagine driving up an unlit, winding road with pretty faint road markings at 10pm? If you thought the roads up Genting is bad enough, wait till you try this!!

The atmosphere here is very conducive for a good chill out session with friends, with your significant other and maybe even a good location to propose! :p If could be adventurous enough, I might have brought my SO up too (if I have one). The drinks and food is pretty ordinary, nothing fantastic to boast about. But like I've mentioned earlier, the atmosphere is second to none (Jewel Box @ Mt Faber is WAY OFF!!).

Day 2 was an interesting day for Ms Ang's Team-Teaching and G, B and I decided we just had to attend it to give her our utmost support. Her mentor was this petit lady called Peggy whereby she gives you the kind of impression that she's just like any other BC Instructor we have in TF. The moment she gets on stage and started rattling off the standard Class-Intro, the way she explains the various techniques in BC and some of those safety points to take note of, you'd know she's not a mentor for nothing. I'm really glad Ms Ang had been assigned Peggy for mentorship for I know she'd be in good (in fact, very good) hands.

More folks are arriving from SG on day 2, eg. MF, Grace and Mich @ 2pm via coach. Ms Ang and I met up with them at Corus Hotel where they're staying before we hit the road for 1-Utama. This mall seemed like a hell-of-a distance away from KLCC! A rough estimation of the trip time goes like 1hr? We drove past a Nandos signage and Grace went crazy... no prizes for guessing what's our lunch that day. The plan of the afternoon is to have lunch, then hit the mall for shopping before proceeding to meetup with more folks for dinner at Bubba Gump @ The Curve. The Curve's a nice dining spot, it sort of reminds me of The Grove back in LA. There wasn't much activity post-dinner as we all wanted to retire early for the next day, the HIGHLIGHT of our trip up north, the Les Mills Quarterlies!

It was rise and shine real early on day 3 of my KL Trip. Met up with Ms Ang for breakfast at the lobby just like the previous day as I'm staying alone in my twin room. Rather than waste one breakfast each day, why not invite Ms Ang to join me? We had a light breakfast before heading out to the gym @ KLCC where the Quarterlies are held. Body Combat is the 2nd programme of the day @ 10am while Body Vive was the first. The event was conducted on this indoor basketball court within the gym where they had setup the stage on one facet of the court. Anyway, we finished the workshop, did some cam-whoring, snap pictures with Rachel (one of the BC Programme Directors) and then left the gym for our hotel to pack up and check out. G had hired a cab to take us to KLIA for our flight back.

I've actually sooooooo much to share with regard to my very first LM Quarterlies that I'd be dedicating one entire blog post to it instead of mixing it in with this post. Do stay tuned to my next post, ok?

As the 4 of us, Ms Ang, GV and me sat drinking in Hard Rock Cafe waiting for the cab to arrive, I can't help but felt abit sad that the weekend's coming to an end so quickly and we'd have to leave. Thank goodness KL isn't too far away from SG and we can always drop by whenever possible. This trip had been one of my best ever trip for it was the first time that I've done things which are not  'tourisy' and this is all thanks to Ms Ang for playing host to us and showing us the nooks and corners of KL. On behalf of GV, Grace, MF and Mich, I would like to express my heartfelt appreciation for all that you've done for us during our visit.

Hope January comes around faster so that we can once again meet up and have a helluva good time :)

Exercising in the MRT

REALLY? Yes, I'm not kidding you. Read on......

Exercise 1 : Strong Core

How? By simply being free-standing whilst in the train and not holding onto any grab poles. By being 'support-less', you'd be forced to balance yourself as the train runs along, thus strengthening your core muscles along the way. The 'connecting' space between 2 carriages is the best.....

Exercise 2 : Strong Forearm Muscles

How? Whenever you grip onto the vertical/horizontal grab-poles. You'd adjust your grip accordingly as the train runs along, over time, the muscles should build up.

Exercise 3 : Strong Obliques

How? When sitting down and dozing off, one tended to lean to one side or the other. That's where the obliques gets trained up.

Exercise 4 : Strong Abs

How? Same as above, but leaning forward as you doze off, 'crunching' your abs in the process.

Exercise 5 : Strong Biceps

How? Using the horizontal grab-poles, stretch up your hands either in an over/under hand grip. Pull yourself up. Do not use your legs to propel yourself upwards.

Exercise 6 : Strong Triceps

How? Place both hands over the edge of the seat and push your butt off the seat towards the floor, using the arms as support. Lift yourself in an up/down motion using the hands as the driving force.

Exercise 7 : Building Stamina

How? While waiting for the train, run along the platform... Do take extra caution to stay behind the yellow line. 'nuff said....

Who needs a gym membership when you can get so much benefits just by taking the MRT?

KL in another 12hrs....

In about another 12hrs, I'd be in KL for my 2nd last trip out of Singapore in 2009, ending an uneventful travel season for me...

Let's see my travels this year :

• KL in Jan
• BKK in Jun
• Malacca in Nov
• KL in Dec
• Cambodia in Dec

Compare the above to my trips last year :

• Shanghai & Suzhou in Mar
• Bintan in May
• US West Coast in Sept
• Batam in Nov
• Hainan in Dec
  

Back to the topic proper.... My main purpose in hopping over to KL is to attend a Les Mills Body Combat Workshop on Sunday but am arriving 2 days early to go around KL properly despite having been there earlier this year. In that trip, Mr L and I went around mainly around the Bukit Bintang area as we're not too familar with KL and didn't want to get lost. However, this time, with Ms Ang being my guide, I'm hopeful of seeing more of KL....

Ms Ang : See ya tomorrow!!