Motivation in numbers.

I have a box of cds & dvds covering a whole spectrum of 'movement' - from yoga to pilates to belly dancing to samba to hip hop to heart pounding aerobics. and usually i end up only partially involved, somewhat distracted, nowhere near the sweaty, smelly animal that i become at the end of my sessions at the studio lol.

Right.

Like most other meaningful stuff in our lives, the mind over matter thingy, well its easier said than done. it only works if you have a will of steel. sadly, mine is closer to wood lol, put too much pressure and it'll more than likely bend & break.

Maybe its the age.  i find myself needing motivation more and more these days. probably thats why i find myself spending so much time at the gym.  the interaction with others equally committed to sustaining a healthy lifestyle is both comforting and motivating.

Or, maybe i'm just lonely lol.

Anyway, exercising is more interesting with friends.  we eventually carry each other thru... thru the sweat, the aches, the pain, and on certain days, the lethargy hehehe.  there really is motivation in numbers.

But having said all that, i still find it easier to run alone. i'm too comfortable with my own pace and trying to match somebody else's, especially if they're faster, just creates tension.  i bet by now you've noticed that i avoid pushing myself.. not unless its absolutely necessary.

I'm more wood than steel remember lol.

Gawd, i'm rambling. i always turn loco the last few days prior to golfman's return.  i go thru months without him with my sanity intact but the nearer it is to seeing him, the more unbearable it gets.  its as if all the feelings that i suppress is rushing up to the surface all at once.

I'm getting too old for this la yang.

The Chosen One

12 rabiul-awal marks the birth of our beloved prophet.  the  maulidur rasul.. a few are of the opinion that its celebration is bida'ah but for me personally, it has always served as a wake up call, a reminder.

He is Allah's beloved, the chosen one and I am guilty of not knowing him as well as i should, even after all this time.

Join me. lets get to know him better.

1. Al-Raheeq Al-Makhthum, the sealed nectar.

2. The Life Of Prophet Muhammad

3. The Characteristics Of  Prophet Muhammed

4. A Blessing to Mankind.

5. Muhammad PBUH in the Bible

6. The Prophet from A - Z

7. The Guidance of Muhammad PBUH











(E-books: courtesy of Islam Future)

The Replacement

I am ecstatic. truly.

I have finally found a replacement for 'wak maimon'  the lady with the fingers of steel. my bidan & favourite masseuse.

Yay yay.

I like moving my body parts and sweating like a hog till it drips hehehe.  but such activities aint too good for creaky joints & shrinking muscle so i counter it all by getting myself a good massage every once in a while.

But its been quite a while now,  a rather long while.

Its unfortunate that wak mon has lost much of her hearing, turning communication into quite a problem.  she's also not as active as she used to be and have been known to turn people away.  maybe she's slowly winding down, maybe its time for her to stop.  she is after all already into her 80s.

Which leaves me in a quandary.  wak mon spoilt it for me by setting a certain standard.. a session with her would leave me a little bruised (she really has fingers of steel), a little battered (she doesnt hold back on the kneading & pummelling lol) but otherwise very rejuvenated.

How the hell was i going to find someone like her?

And cutting the story short, i did... and right behind my backyard no less hehehe.

At the place that we (me, the daughter, golfman) usually go for everything & anything to do with hair, theres also other services like facial, massage, sauna & spa related stuff.  but i've never really paid much attention to any of it. not until recently that is.

I found out that the young masseuse came from a long lineage of masseuses/masseurs.. her mommy's a mak bidan and her daddy's a retired tukang urut.  now that immediately caught my interest bcos it means that she's not just a young lady armed with modern techniques (which i care squat about). she also has know how thats been passed down thru the years.  and that made me more than willing to give her a try lol.

So yesterday i treated myself to a 40 min sauna followed by 2 hour full body massage.  and finished it off with a 2 hr treatment facial today.

Tucked in the little corner, the sauna

Yours truly chillin' sweating it out 

Where the 'dough' gets rolled & kneaded ekekeke

Heh, i feel great!!

Like i said, i've finally found myself a replacement ;D

Never give up

An upgrade's been long overdue, i've been doing the same old same old for far too long.  with my new gym membership i'm now able to establish a new schedule for my running & cross training.  and its starting to look a whole lot more interesting these days lol.

And my maintenance run is now 8km instead of the usual 4.  after a month's trial, i'm happy to see that is doable,  at least 3x a week.  and i'm hoping to stick with it until it becomes the new norm for me.

Jom, join me, lets eat better and be more active this year. lets be fitter, happier & healthier.

Tucking into a yummylicious plate of sotong kangkong... after putting in 8k, i refuse to feel guilty hehehe.

At least, lets try to lol  :D

Taking stock

1961 marks the year i was born, which makes me 50 come september.  half a century under my belt, with husband, children & a good life, alhamdulillah i am so blessed.

But where did the years go? i dont want to sound like a person in denial but really, it just doesnt feel as if 50 years have passed me by. wasnt it only yesterday i was pulling prank after prank on my classmates.. only yesterday that i left family & friends to start my married life in a strange land, only yesterday we were clueless parents raising kids with medical problems, only yesterday my body was free of aches & pain lol.  oh and lets not forget the stranger that stares back at me each time i pass by a mirror.  sca-ry i tell ya.

With my mates back in semsas circa 1976

With golfman in new hampshire circa 1984

With kiddoes in melbourne circa 1995

Still it would be stupid of me NOT to take stock of all the changes that have occured through the years.  knowledge is power and the same applies to self awareness.  we empower ourselves with self knowledge.. to at least maximise strengths, minimise weaknesses.  as the age pile up,  we'd need all the help we can get lol.

In trying to keep myself fit & healthy,  i've remained 'connected' or should i say, very much in tune with my body and it helps to keep track of the changes. what was easy peasy before could take quite a toll on us now. these days i dont skip warm ups and cool downs bcos i know i'd have to pay for it later.. trust me aching muscles, crick necks, tender knees arent fun at all.

Everyone who knows me know that i love running & jumping about like a mad monkey lol but i do have to be mindful of the impact i put on my creaky joints.  it would be irresponsible of us not to respect the years that we have put on. i keep telling friends, we need to push ourselves so as not to stagnate but we dont need to punish ourselves either. finding a balance is crucial but thats easier said than done lol.

With the 'weekend warriors' in genting last year.

Yours truly right there in the middle hehehe.

Theres much we can do to help with our bodies' predisposition to the diseases programmed by our genetic codes....  even if we cant do away with it altogether, we can at the very least delay it.  my late father and each of his siblings suffer the fate of diabetes, and my maternal side has a strong tendency towards rheumatoid athritis.  so far i've managed to sidestep the primary list of modern day afflictions - diabetes, hypertension, high cholestrol, the big c.  alhamdulillah the comprehensive health screening i did last year came back with better results than i'd expected.

Still, when i wake up every morning i have proof that my joints are working against me. that rheumatoid athritis thingy is already rearing its ugly head.  and with menopause just round the corner, the going will only be getting tougher. but, it helps that my body's still functioning as it should be.  not that we can totally escape what mother nature intended but we shouldnt leave too much to chance.

So friends.. lets keep moving our butts k hehehe.  being physically active not only keeps us fit & healthy, it helps spiritually too.  nothing like an alert mind to help us decipher the message of the Lord.

Its january february (already?) and i'm setting up a base reference for the year. you do the same ;p

Age - 50 yrs
Height - 157 cm
Weight - 48 kg 
BMI - 19.5

Keeping busy

I cant begin to tell you how liberating it feels NOT to have to go to work in the mornings.  after almost 27 yrs of following the beat of somebody else's drums, i'm now dancing to my own.  and its pure bliss ;p

In between chores, catching up with my reading, ferrying AH to classes (its been ages since she last went back to casa), i've been sneaking short, romantic interludes with golfman heh heh heh.

We've been meeting up in istanbul.

Taking a ferry to Kadikoy over on the asian side.

Meet the 'blind' couple hehehe

Catching a snooze @ attaturk aeroport.

And apart from running, i've also been frequenting the gym.  its generally a young crowd there but they're a friendly bunch and i've become 'the aunty' who always seem to be popping in & out whenever she pleases lol.  i've joined almost all the classes - bootcamp, aerobics, dance, yoga... with the exception of muai thai.  actually i almost signed up even for that one but i realised i didnt quite fancy all the punching & kicking (ouch) necessary to turn my knuckles & shin into numb zones hehehe.  but the true blue thai instructors are really cool, they make it seem so easy.

Guess who's on the extreme right 

Xclusive fitnesz rawks no doubt about it.. but i guess i'll just stick with what i can do ;p