I'm (Not Quite) Famous... in the Sunday Herald Sun!

I was greeted by my boss this morning with, "Did you see your picture in the paper yesterday?"

No... I hadn't!

Several of my clients greet me in a similar way... it felt strange that everyone had seen a photo that I had not yet seen myself. I am not in the habit of reading newspapers - largely because I don't have time, but also because I don't like the smell or the way the ink gets all over my fingers. James thinks this is really weird, but I have real trouble eating when there is a newspaper within smelling distance of me, it's just really off-putting.

Upon discovering the news via sms from me, James - wonderful husband that he is - headed straight to his parents' house to see if they had a copy of yesterday's Sunday Herald Sun, and then when they didn't he went to the newsagent and got a copy. Speaking of which, I never knew that newsagents kept copies of previous days' newspapers for sale. But I'm thankful that they do.
So here's to my first ever photo in a newspaper. Mind you, I am most definitely the least famous person in the section, but it was still nice to have my photo in there. And my name, too. :) I've scanned the newspaper clipping - below - found in the "Snaparazzi" section of yesterday's Sunday Herald Sun, page 125.


P.S. I know I've been off the blog scene for a while now. Been working 6 days and attending a Group Fitness Instructor course on the 7th, which has left little room for much else, let alone surfing the net. But I'll be back and regular someday... I love it too much.

"I knew you were going to say that!"

This is a phrase James and I often say to each other. Another common one is, "I was just thinking that too!"

I find it fascinating that after 3 years of marriage (we celebrate our 3rd anniversary a week from today) we often think the same thing at the same time. This phenomenon becomes particularly apparent when travelling in the car or during ad breaks on TV, when one of us will make a particular observation, to which the other will respond, "that's what I was just thinking!"

Even less coincidental is when an event or observation reminds both of us of the same thing that needed doing or discussing. The two may be mildly related but are unrelated enough to still generate surprise that the other was thinking the same thing.

And then there's that ability we seem to possess to accurately predict the other person's reaction to an event, comment or joke.

Is it just us or does it happen to you too?

You MUST check out this site!

http://www.ropeartist.com/

My boss showed it to me at work today. The amount of control Aaron has over his body is amazing - in his own words, he "performs ballet on a rope".

My boss is having an official launch party for our new studio and this guy will be performing at it. Cool!

Another thing - I now feel like an official part of the team. My profile is on the website and everything! If you want to check it out, send me a message or email and I'll email you the link. I just don't want to put it here for the world to see cos it's got my work address and everything on it.

Been Offline A While... here's why

Sorry, friends. I know I've barely been around in Multiply/BlogSpot/Facebook world. I've been at work. As of late my average waking time is 4:30am (for a 6am start at work). I've transformed from "I'm not a morning person" to "7am is a major sleep-in for me"!

... and I'm often in bed by 8:30pm.

Oh, and I now work 6 days a week.

Most other people would find this tiring. Apart from often being well and truly ready to go to bed by dinnertime, I am loving my current situation.

At one point in my life, I wanted to study to become a doctor. But now I'm glad I didn't. I wanted to do it to "help people". But what I'm doing now helps people too! I believe that what I am doing is saving lives... Sure, I'm no heart surgeon. But I'm playing my part in helping to reduce the number of people who need a heart surgeon - one life at a time.

And this is what wakes me up and pulls me out of bed on a cold, frosty Saturday morning at 4:30am (that and my husband, who is so dedicated to supporting me that he also gets up with me!)

What does it take to get YOU out of bed?

Something to Do

It's 2:30 in the afternoon and I am stuck with a problem so extraordinary that I don't remember the last time I encountered it.

I have nothing to do.

It feels weird. And yet, I feel like there should be heaps to do - only a month ago I felt like 24 hours was not enough in a day and yet I am sitting here, blogging, for lack of something to do. Usually I blog when I should be doing something else (probably sleeping, studying or reading a book).

And I haven't been lazy. Really! I mean, I was up this morning, bright and early (okay, more like DARK and early cos it was 4:30am). Did my first shift at the new studio - as of today my boss opened a second studio which is now my new workplace... more on that in the future. Finished work at 1pm, came home, lunched, and now here I am.

I acutally did have all these grand plans to work on our home budget but the laptop is nowhere to be found - I think James has nicked off with it. So I'm sitting here blogging. And probably boring you to bits.

I supposed some of you have read this far and are still stuck on learning that new fact about me getting up at 4:30am on an average morning. Well, it's not every morning - on Saturdays I don't have to be up til 5:30am (yes, to answer your question this will probably kill off what little Friday night social life I once had), and Wednesdays may become a sleep in day because I work evenings. And who knows? If I am somehow able to acquire that elusive skill of being able to put an entire face of makeup on in 10 minutes like some people claim they can (how the HECK do you do it? and it always looks so great. *sigh*) I may be able to push all these wake up times forward by 10-15 minutes.

Now I've just got to think hard - what was on that seemingly endless list of tasks that I had to do?

Oh yes... I could clean out my closet. You know, finally sort through and chuck out those clothes that I haven't worn for almost 2 years because they're two sizes too big (yay) for me. Except that I actually really like some of them... and given that an average healthy weight gain for pregnancy is about 10-12 kgs... I could find those clothes useful. Only, will they be out of fashion by the time I even think about having babies?

Gosh, I CANNOT believe that I am planning ahead for pregnancy. What is wrong with me? I really do have nothing to do.

I think I'll just go now and clean out that closet.

Super-Sized Ambulances for Super-Sized People?

I can't believe it.

On my way to work this morning one of the news reports on the radio was that of customised extra-large ambulances being built. There is a growing need for these as the percentage of morbidly obese people in our population rises.

These ambulances will be able to transport people to a maximum weight of over 400kg. This includes the installation of a custom-made lift on the side of the ambulance to help paramedics get patients into the ambulance.

The cost of one of these babies is estimated at about 200, 000 per contraption - and that's just the lift, not the entire ambulance!

I wish someone out there would take that same amount of money and put it into the health and fitness industry so we could better equip Personal Trainers, Fitness Instructors, Life Coaches and others to do their job properly.

There are too many radio ads stating "become a Personal Trainer in 8 weeks and be your own boss." Stupid ads! They attract people who do it for the money, or for themselves. Where are the people who are doing it for their clients?

Balut - Delicious Delicacy or Disgusting Duck?

Responses to some of the comments on my Balut photo album:

*****

Brave? I wish I had a video - James ate his with ease, instantly recognising that this was "simply" a test of mental strength. It took me 5-10 minutes of staring at mine and making funny noises before I could bring myself to eat it. The funny thing is, I've eaten this stuff once before so I already knew how it tasted... but the little baby ducky looked so sad, so forlorn, so... dead.

*****

It tasted quite nice - like the yolk part of a hard boiled egg, only softer and creamier. I know... just the word "creamy" in relation to an embryo is making some of you grimace. In fact, it even tasted healthy, especially after having eaten out so much and feeling like I've had at least 2 years' worth of my fried food allowance in the space of 2 weeks!

*****

But... who came up with the idea in the first place? Does anyone know? Did someone hard boil an egg only to crack it open to discover it had an embryo in it, but then being Asian didn't want to waste good food so they ate it anyway? This question shall be added to my list of food questions (e.g. who thought of putting chicken together with avocado?) until I find an answer.

*****

Regarding the Fear Factor comment - somehow I don't think Balut is anywhere near as bad as drinking an entire raw Ostrich egg (or some other large bird - it looked like about 2 litres of the stuff!). Did you happen to see that episode? I also think I'd much rather eat Balut than live worms... or coackroches. Ugh.

*****

Filipinos - you will be pleased to know that your national delicacy does have international fame. Balut-eating was featured as a challenge in one season of Survivor, although I forget which one. And they didn't just eat one, they ate up to four or more... the person who ate the most won.

*****

Stay tuned for a Balut-eating tutorial video... coming soon to a Multiply site near you!

My Dad & Mum - random thoughts

My Mum is working in a kindergarten teaching cute little kiddies. I never knew my Mum was so great with kids. On Saturday mornings she gives small group private tuition to three of the kids in her class. Can you believe that kindergarten aged kids in Malaysia need tuition? That's how early Asians instill the "workaholic" mindset into their children. And by kindergarten I mean 2 to 4 year olds!

According to my Dad, within weeks of my Mum tutoring these three girls, their performance in school improved dramatically. So much so that there are other kindergarten parents who want my Mum to tutor their kids! However she wants to maintain a high level of service to her students so she refuses to take more than the three she currently has. My Mum, in high demand! Wow - I'm so proud of her.

***

Every time we go back to Malaysia there is always that inevitable list of items we are requested to bring over from Australia. Things that either cannot be purchased in Malaysia or are of a much better quality in Australia. Without fail, on that list is a 500g bag of jelly beans - the kind that can only be found at your local Amcal pharmacy. My Mum uses these to "bribe" some of her children to behave. I shudder to think that one day my children's grandmother could be bribing them with jelly beans... or that they would prefer to stay at my parents' house because they get access to junk food there that their Mum wouldn't allow them to have at home. Haha. Perhaps that will be a funny story for a day in the future.

***

For the last 4 years or so, my Dad has put his heart and soul into working to turn around the family business in Malaysia. Just like any other type of change, it has involved a lot of negotiating, conflict, and heartache. All this time, I thought my Dad was doing it mainly as a service to my grandmother. As a part-owner, it forms a large part of her livelihood and therefore essential to a comfortable living particularly as she gets older.

It never occurred to me that the business also employs dozens of locals, therefore in turning the business around my Dad is not only trying to do what he considers his duty as the oldest son to look after my grandma, he also recognizes that if the business closes down, literally hundreds - all the employees plus their families - could be left with nowhere to turn. Some of the employees have worked for the business for 25-30 years, ever since their teenage hood. They would definitely have nowhere else to go for employment! This has given me an even more profound respect for my Dad.

My Dad hopes that when the employees realize how much he cares for them and how willing he is to be loyal to them, this will generate loyalty amongst them. He's the sort of person, however, who will never tell them that a large part of the reason he's making some of the changes is to keep the business going and therefore to benefit them in proving them jobs. I hope, for his sake, and for theirs, that they do find out one day. If I could speak the language, I'd tell them myself.

***

No one is perfect. Sure, I have my disagreements with my parents. But my love, admiration and respect for them reaches far beyond any irks I might have with them. Compared to how much they have given and sacrificed for me, my brother and my sister, compared to how much they clearly love me, compared to what a wonderful example they have set for me with their lives... the rest is most definitely inconsequential. I hope one days my kids will say the same things about James and me.

Filipino Food Adventures

I must admit, I had a challenging time finding food that I was willing to eat for lunch and dinner in Manila. I suppose I could have just made life easier and settled for fast food, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. Thankfully, from 15 July we will be staying with some Filipino friends so will have the advantage of insiders' advice on food, but in the meantime I am left subject to the food on offer at the malls.

My first dinner experience was at Megamall food court: I ordered a pork steak grilled on a hot plate and an additional plate of vegetables. They were my favourite veggies - “tung choi”, also known as “morning glory”. However, they arrived swimming - no, drowning - in oyster sauce. The pork steak was also drenched, covered by some sort of gravy thickened up with a mound of corn flour. Nothing like what the picture displayed - a nice, clean pork steak - no sauce - sitting next to very neat pile of rice. I did manage to rescue my dinner out of their sauces as much as possible… the sauce on the pork was so thick that I could just scrape it off with a fork.

For lunch the next day, we found a lovely Asian store where I ordered a delicious piece of steamed fish fillet, complete with an Asian-style dressing of coriander, soy sauce, ginger and probably fish sauce. Ordered my favourite tung choi again. This time it had soy sauce instead of oyster, a much preferred option to the previous evening.

For dinner that evening, I discovered a Mongolian store in my search for fabulous food. I purchased a bowl which I then filled with whatever I wanted. This gave me complete control over exactly what and how much veggies, meat and sauce went into my meal. A fabulous feed for a fabulous fee.

So concludes part 1 of my Filipino Food adventures. Now it's on to Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia - home of my parents, sister, grandma and other extended family. I'm looking forward to some good, familir home-cooked food after 3 days of eating out.

Filipinos seem to love their Fast Food

I have never seen so many fast food outlets in one single place in my entire life. Megamall, one of many shopping centres, boasts a huge array of fast food outlets. Yes it certainly lives up to its name - it is massive - yet it can’t be more than about 2 ½ times the size of Chadstone shopping centre, and it definitely has more than 2½ times as many fast food outlets.

The following is but a small sample of what I saw at Megamall, and by no means extensive: McDonalds, KFC, Pizza Hut, Burger King, Donut King, Krispy Kreme, Mrs Fields, Wendys, Jollibee, Greenwich, Gonuts Donuts, BreadTalk. I can’t keep going because I don’t even remember the names of half the stores.

Do humour me and allow me add to the picture being painted:

• A number of stores had more than one outlet – I saw two outlets for McDonalds, KFC, Krispy Kreme, Pizza Hut, Donut King, a store that sells Brownies… and three Jollibees!! Jollibee seems to be the premier fast food joint in Manila, as opposed to the traditional McDonalds in most countries.
  

• Not only were there multiple stores for many fast food outlets, the stores themselves boasted a floor space of double, sometimes triple that of the average clothing store. And they were always filled with people.

• It seemed to me that 50% of Megamall's occupancy was food stores, of which 50% or more were fast food.
  

• There was a vast array of non-franchise fast food stores too, including at least half a dozen different donut stores, multiple bakeries (Asian bakeries often stock a lot of sweet breads and are more like fast food than what you might find at a bakery in Australia), brownie shops, ice cream vendours, bubble milk tea, “fruit juice” stores, fried chicken, all-you-can-eat buffets, Mexican food, pizza stores… the list just goes on.

• Even James thought there was a huge amount of fast food on offer - if that isn't telling you something, then I don't know what will!
  

• There seemed to be deep fried versions of just about any food you could possibly name.

The thingis - they're all so little.... where does all that food go?

Kids

I'm not clucky. Never have been. I can appreciate a cute baby but I have never, and will never, use the phrase "you're so cute I want to eat you!". I enjoy holding the odd baby here and there but will never join the crowd surrounding one for hours on end cooing at him/her.

I think I prefer kids when they're just a bit older, starting to learn a bit of independence, and can communicate with me using words.

Why am I sharing this? It was really just an excuse to send you to a link - click here for a video of Nathan Staggers displaying his newfound reading skills. The conversation he has with his Dad before and after the reading portion of the video is a demonstration of his intelligence. Enjoy!

Gyms in Manila?

James and I depart for Manila on Saturday 7 July. My first ever visit... finally! I've been wanting to go there since I was 17. It only took me 8 years to finally get around to it.

We'll be there until 24 July. Which means that if you are reading this and you know your way around Manila, you can help me. Is there a local gym you can recommend I check out whilst I'm there? I'd just love to see how another country does stuff and how it differs from Australia.

Gosh... if I have to, I might even pop into a Fitness First. But what I'd really prefer is a true blue Filipino-branded gym, if indeed this does exist.

If you currently live in Manila, any chance you can find out whether your local gym accepts day visits or guest passes (e.g. do they sell a one or two week guest pass)?

Get it right... please!

I have been spending every spare moment of my time studying, studying, studying to get this Certificate III & IV done once and for all. My final exam is booked for Tuesday 26 June ~ I can't wait til it's all over and I can be let loose to blast the fat of Australia out of bodies and into oblivion.

Which leads me on to a minor... complaint, if that's what you want to call it.

There have been errors scattered throughout some the text books I've been studying. Typos I can handle. Even the occasional incorrectly spelled word that is clearly not a typo. The odd wrong formatting... pushing it, but still bearable.

But incorrect usage of words? Forget it. It peeves me that whoever wrote the texts cannot tell the difference between AFFECT and EFFECT.

A child's development is not effected by their participation in physical ability, it is AFFECTED!

Affect is a verb, effect is a noun. Learn the difference and get it right... please!

Once in a while I see this misuse and I can let it go, but it's been sprinkled so liberally throughout my texts that I just had to vent and let it out somewhere.

Am I the only person in the world who has issues with stuff like this?

Currently Loving...

*Being a Personal Trainer!!!
*Smith machines, single leg dead lifts, swiss ball pikes and L sits
*Going to the gym on Tuesdays (props to Shane & Dave)
*Vanilla Creme Protein Supreme, flax seed oil, Donna's vanilla cherry power shakes, Emma's 'legal' muesli, raw nuts & winter-warming soups
*My new boots and my new pyjama pants (but not worn together!) and my new lip gloss (finally found the perfect colour!)
*Big Girls Don't Cry by Fergie (hear it on my MySpace profile) and Leave Me Alone (I'm Lonely) by Pink
*The electric blanket on my bed

Always aim for the moon...

...you may not make it, but you just might grab a star on the way by!

I love this quote. I love that recently, despite my own fears and self-doubts, I aimed for the moon. That I had friends and a husband who encouraged me to go for it, reminding me I had nothing to lose.

I am into week 3 of my job. I think it's my dream job, I really do. I wanted to work as a personal trainer, and I am being given the opportunity to. I wanted to be in a place where I could learn, learn, learn... this is the place for me.

I have learnt a lot in the short two and a half weeks that I've been at the studio, and what excites me is that I know there is so much more to learn!

New stuff that I am intrigued by:
- Single leg dead lifts using a Smith machine
- L sits
- Swiss ball pikes
- Swiss ball ab braces with the added challenge of touching my knees to the ball

Favourite Gym Equipment

Currently, my favourite piece of equipment is the Smith Machine. It's so versatile! So much so that James and I have plans to purchase one. Admittedly, it's a cheap version from Kmart but we tested it out tonight and it does the job okay, i.e. it won't kill us by unexpectedly dropping a heavy weight on our necks.

Looks like the "Poker Room" might be transformed into a mini home gym before the month is out.

Now all I want to do is get my hands on a Gymstick!

Trapeze Workshop

I'm a trapeze artist! Okay, not quite ~ I don't think professional trapeze artists actually squeal whilst they're swinging on the trapeze.

At my new job (which I love... lots!), every Friday afternoon we are invited to participate in something educational as part of an informal staff learning & development program. Today's activity ~ trapeze lessons! I asked if I could bring James along because there were extra spaces available in the class, which my boss kindly agreed to.

James pretty much nailed his challenges first time through everything, which makes for impressive but not necessarily funny videos. Mine are a bit funnier. Unfortunately we didn't catch some of our funniest moments on video, but here are a selection of some of our antics.

Video #1 - my first ever swing on a trapeze:


Video #2 - my first attempt at somersaulting off a trapeze:


Video #3 - a catch! Got it on my second attempt:
(James nailed it on his first attempt, of course)

For more videos, click here to go to my Trapeze playlist on YouTube. The above 3 videos are showcased there, as are 4 more, including several of James in action, and they are listed in chronological order.

P.S. James did so well that my workmates were asking me if by any chance I found him in a circus. I thought that was pretty funny.

P.P.S. Apologies to those of you with terrible bandwidth and can't watch the videos, we tried to take photos but they are all way too blurry to be worth posting!

Wrandom Writings

My love and gratitude to you family and friends who have offered your congratulations and support to me regarding my recent career update announcement. I love you and wouldn't be where I am today without you!

***

James has been laughing at me for the last two weeks because it suddenly occurred to him that pursuing my new career path will require me to be out of bed every morning earlier than he! James has always been a morning person. When we first got married, I definitely was not a morning person! Now, by default, I am.

***

I have only been to work for one day (yesterday) and I love it already. I love the atmosphere, the work environment, the clients and most of all, the team that works there! Everyone has been so friendly and welcoming. Can I see myself in this place for years to come? Yes!

***

It is easier to get out of bed at 5am then at 8am. It was decidedly warmer at 5am yesterday morning than any other morning that I've woken up in winter! I know that sounds weird, but Matt, one of the trainers at the studio, confirmed it - he told me that it's usually warmer at 5am in the morning and then it cools down by 8am. That's a very comforting fact for me to hold on to.

***

Getting this new job has given me a new motivation to complete my studies and do them well. There came a point during the course when I had just had enough of assignments. The first few study topics were fantastic, but when I discovered that one of my most recent assignments was to write up a business plan, I felt this was a bit of a waste of my time, simply because at this point in my career I am not thinking about business, and whatever business plan I come up with now will probably have changed once I've gained some experience. Now, I have a new drive to complete the task at hand, even though, secretly, I would rather be reading more books on exercise and nutrition instead.

***

I unexpectedly ran into my new friends at the gym today. I met them about 3 weeks ago, and usually see them on Thursdays but discovered today that they also train on Tuesdays. This turned out to be a good thing because one of them spotted my bench presses for me. I haven't done bench presses for 2 weeks so I really needed that extra assurance. Thanks, Dave!

***

If you're sick and tired of the same old push ups, try something new - put your feet on a Swiss ball and it won't be long before you notice the increase in difficulty. The closer you put your feet together, the more challenging the exercise. This is my new favourite exercise.

***

It just started raining like cats and dogs outside. Definitely heavier than I've seen in a while. This could be a fantastic opportunity to test out how well my spunky new Nike+ running jacket protects my iPod, but I just don't feel like getting wet right now. Plus, I have to go write up that business plan.

Reflections on a Sudden Career Move

If you read my post on May 16, followed by the email I sent tonight, you may be wondering - what happened to the job at the gym? All this time, that's the job I've been talking about, so where did this seemingly out-of-the-blue change spring out from?

The studio where I start next week is indeed different to the gym. The opportunity had presented itself quite suddenly. It was announced in one of my lectures last week ~ my immediate reaction was that there was no way I would be considered for, let alone offered, the job that was being advertised. It just sounded too good for me. And yet there were butterflies in my stomach when I read the job description and requirements. It sounded like it was describing me!

My thoughts turned to the gym ~ wouldn't it be unfaithful to send in an application for a different job? Didn't Glen tell me several months ago that faithful staff were difficult to find?

I expressed my fears and doubts to James and Daniela ~ they both encouraged me to go for it. After all, what did I have to lose? So I decided to give it a go. But then, on May 16, I was given my gym uniform! Doubts re-presented themselves. But James and Dan's encouragements echoed in my head, along with that gut-wrenching feeling that this was just something I was supposed to do!

So, the same night that I received my gym uniform, I submitted my resume to the studio.

I felt a bit guilty, but then appeased myself with thoughts that nothing would probably come of my submission. How wrong was I!

The very next morning, I received a call from the studio - they wanted an interview with me. I accepted, still thinking that the competition for the job was probably quite high, and glad for at least the opportunity to meet and talk to an industry leader and expert in person.

Five days later, I went to the interview. I was invited back the following morning to observe what the work environment was like during one of their busiest operation times. At the end of that observation time, I was asked if I wanted the job. Was she serious? Was she REALLY offering me this job? Was I awake or dreaming? Of course I wanted it!

I was excited about this opportunity. But you know what blessed me so much? She and her team were excited to have me... wow!

In the five days between the phone call and the interview, I visited several libraries to try and borrow as many books as possible that had been written by the woman who owns the studio. I thought that I could gain some insight into how she thinks and what her values and philosophies are by reading some of her books.

The more I read, the more I liked. Every impression of her that her books were giving me was positive. She was someone I wanted to emulate, a role model I wanted to learn from.

At the gym, I knew that with time, I would settle into the job, even though my first impressions were a little uneasy (for no particular reason and at no personal reflection upon anyone who works there - maybe it was simply how my personality meshed with the work environment). However, in the studio, I just felt that the working environment would be one in which I would not just grow, but flourish. For me, the job at the gym was a good offer. But the studio offer was a great one.

At a personal level, the choice was easy. The logistics were not - yesterday I went to the gym and told the manager of the job I had been offered. He wasn't very happy. Who would be? I felt terrible. I felt that I had given him the impression I would be working there, and then didn't follow through. The truth was that my full intention had been to work there. I hadn't been looking elsewhere, I had never considered looking elsewhere and giving myself a list of options. But "elsewhere" literally placed itself in my lap.

So whilst there is a small ache in my heart because I feel that I have set up someone's expectations at the gym only to let him down, I know that the job at the studio is the path that I am meant to take. I just know it in my heart.

And if I am to follow my dreams and make them into reality, there is nothing more I can do at this point in time other than to follow my heart. Even though, sometimes, that can hurt in some places.

Instant Gratification

I love the internet!

Where else can you instantly send an email to all your friends and family telling them about the great new job you just got? Where else can you do it faster, more efficiently, to as large an audience?

Where else can you receive multiple responses within minutes offering their love and congratulations?

And where else can you have your online guestbook signed by a friend a mere 12 minutes after sending your announcement email, because your email had your Multiply website listed in the signature, which, unbeknownst to you, your friend was also a member of, so now you are both connected through such a great site?

Announcement (Career Update)

An email that I sent out to everyone in my address book tonight:

Dear Friends and Family,

Apologies for the impersonal nature of this mass email but I knew of no other way to spread my great news as quickly as effectively as this. Some of you may be receiving this "out of the blue" because we haven't been in touch for months or maybe years... if so, I miss you and hope you are doing well! You're on my email list because you're still important to me even though I've done a terrible job of keeping in touch.

Most of you will already know that early this year I commenced part-time study to become a qualified Fitness Instructor and Personal Trainer. Most of you will also be aware that I would be finishing the course around this time of year. In actual fact, I attended my final class just this past Monday! I still have a few assignments and exams to complete in order to receive my official qualification, but I'm almost there!

The purpose of this email is to let you know about my next career move. Early this week I was given the opportunity of attending an interview for a position as a Personal Trainer in a private studio based in Toorak. When I first heard that they were seeking a Trainer, my initial reaction was, "there's no way I would get a job like that!". I had in my heart settled for a "normal gym job" in one or maybe two different local gyms. However, I decided to give it a go - Thank you to the friends and family members who encouraged me to take a shot at it.

I am sure you can guess the outcome seeing as I am sending this email: I got the job! I will be working part-time to begin with for several months during which I will be a "trainee trainer" - i.e. I won't yet train clients but I will be trained in how the studio operates and their style of training people. If all goes well, after this training period I will be unleashed as a full-time trainer.

I am extremely excited about this opportunity that I have been given. My passion for promoting health and wellness in individual lifestyles has only grown with time. The woman who owns and operates the studio has at least 20 years' experience in the fitness industry and is widely known to many as a leader and expert in the field. What I am most excited about is the opportunity to learn anything and everything that I can from the wealth of knowledge that she and the rest of her training team are offering me as a new employee - I want to be great at what I do, so who better to learn from than other great people who have gone way before me.

Thank you for your love, encouragement and support. Without you backing me, I wouldn't have had this opportunity to step into doing something I am passionate about and will thoroughly enjoy.

much love,
Fiona

My First Half-Marathon (+2km) !

After months of anticipation, the Great Ocean Road Marathon weekend came and went... just like that!

In the 4 weeks leading up to the big event, James and I faithfully trained every Saturday morning with a long run (with of course shorter runs in the days between each session). By the event day the furthest we'd run was 18km.

5:45am ~ pre-race preparations:

6:15am on Sunday 20 May found Daniela, Rehana, James and I standing at a petrol station in Apollo Bay, near the race finish line, with over 100 other competitors, waiting to catch a bus to the start line, a mere 23km away. Brett had already gone on ahead ~ he had further to travel to get to his start line 45km away.

When asked if I was nervous, I said I wasn't. Perhaps I was feeling too cold to be nervous. But as we boarded the bus and it drove us further and further away from the finish line, the butterflies in my stomach were awakened. 15 minutes later, we were still driving, and I began to wonder if we would ever stop ~ given that the bus was driving along the exact route we were about to run, I knew that the further the bus drove, the further we had to run.

"James... why on earth did you agree to do this with me, and why didn't you talk me out of it?"
He just laughed.

The starting area was filled with hundreds of people, all waiting to do the same thing as us. The pre-race lines to the toilets were devastatingly long... I was about to give up and head to the start line, but decided to give it one last try, and made it in with a mere 2-3 minutes to spare! Mind you, I did end up going in the mens' toilet, as the ladies' line was still at least double the mens'... you gotta do what you gotta do!

Despite fears of possible showers during the race, the weather was lovely - except for the odd strong, bitey "breeze" threatening to freeze my fingers off and blow me back up the hill that I'd just run down.

In the end, I completed the 23km in 2:21:36.2, placing me 672 overall. James placed in at 600 with a race time of 2:13:38.6 - good on you, James!

I am not sure how many people competed overall, but on the results page I am about halfway down page 4 out of 5, so I shall make it my goal to advance a page by next year, or something like that. :)

Immediately after the race, my legs were aching all over. You name it, it was hurting! My feet were complaining about being pounded against the road for so long. I have never felt that sort of pain in my quads before. My glutes were rejoicing because I had finally stopped working them into the ground.

James lovingly offered to stretch the hammies for me ~ what a wonderful guy!

One thing is for sure - if you have a certain base level of endurance fitness, the main thing you need to build is your mental strength, because for most of us average Aussie citizens, a race of this proportion is truly a case of mind over matter.

The victorious runners brandishing their "completion" medals:

"Graduation" - !!!

Glen sat me down tonight and asked if I would be willing to do a permanent roster shift - every second Saturday morning, commencing two weekends from tonight. Of course I said yes! Minutes later, he declared that he was putting me through my graduation ceremony. He opened a cupboard which was filled with boxes...

I thought to myself, "Oh, right, he's inducting me in as a newbie by getting me to clean out and organize this cupboard."

But actually it was much nicer than that - I got to rummage through the boxes and pick out my uniform!

Wanna see pics? Here they are!

1. With my jacket on:


2. Without my jacket on:


3. James and I were so impressed with the apparent growth in size of my bicep since the last time I took bicep-flexing pics, that we had to take another, more revealing photo:

4. And finally, my favourite ~ the don't-I-look-cool-with-my-jacket-over-my-shoulder pose:

Bee Stings? Forget it!

Did my First Aid course today which is a requirement to be registered as a Fitness Instructor. I guess they must automatically expect us to pass because I received my certificate, hand-delivered to me by my instructor, before I'd even packed my bag ready to leave at the end of the day.

The exam consisted of 50 multiple choice questions. I got 49 correct. So if you choke, or need CPR, or have an embedded object in your arm and lots of blood pouring out of the wound, according to my test results I should be competent enough to give you First Aid.

...but if you get stung by a bee, watch out! That was the question I got wrong.

My New Favourite Shopping Street

Smith Street, Fitzroy.

Home of the sports outlet stores. James, Ash & I spent a couple of hours there yesterday. The Nike outlet store... I love it! I love Nike's running attire. I wanted a Nike running jacket. Not only did I find myself a spunky jacket but it is rain-proof and from the Nike+ range, which means it's got a cool hidden sleeve for my iPod and protects it from a downpour! It also has little elastic hooks that travel up one arm towards my ears, especially made for the headphones.

The jacket was outlet-priced AND had an additional 30% off because of a store-wide sale. I just love a bargain.

Work Experience

I just got back from my first shift at the gym. You've been wondering when I was finally going to start, so there's your answer. I haven't finished my classes yet though - these next three weeks I will work a total of 6 shifts as a part of my training to complete my course.

The Group Fitness Instructor course didn't end up going ahead. Instead, I'll probably be signing up for a course that commences in September. Maybe it was a God-send, because I had a chat tonight with a fitness instructor ~ his opinion was that the September course is the best one around and he had very high recommendations for it.

Think... then Act

Ever had one of those moments where you did something, and in a split second right after acting, you realized how stupid it was, but by then it was too late to do anything about it, so all you could do was stare in horror as the consequences of your actions unfolded before your very eyes?

On Monday night, we had to take turns leading our classmates in a short group fitness class. Somehow I ended up being the last one to have my turn. And for reasons beyond my control, my turn started at 10:15pm, 15 minutes past the end of class time.

Needless to say, I felt the urgency of the matter.

In trying to pass Swiss balls to people at the other end of the room, for some reason I decided to throw one in that general direction. Of course I didn't think to take note of the height of the ceiling. And of course it was too low. So of course it bounced straight back off the ceiling and hit the girl next to me in the head.

What was I thinking? Clearly, I wasn't. Thank God it wasn't a medicine ball!

Footy Tipping

The last time I joined a footy tipping competition was at Whitley College, when I lived there. I was given two options:

1. Put in all my tips for the entire season
2. Tip each week, round-by-round

Knowing that I would probably forget to submit my tips each week, I chose option #1.

Having no knowledge whatsoever of which teams were good and which weren't, I asked a friend to tell me the top four teams and bottom four teams from the previous year's season ladder. I then created a "fool-proof" system for my tips choices - for each game, if one team was top four the previous year, I chose that team and if one team was bottom four, I chose the other team. If neither team was top or bottom, I guessed. Simple.

And it took me less than 10 minutes to complete.

My system proved to be more fool-proof than I would every have imagine, because at the end of the season, they announced the winner... me!

So this year, when I was approached to join the footy tipping competition at my gym, I thought, why not? I have a little more of an idea of the teams' performance, and this time around I am actually committed to a team - Go Sainters!! Besides, James could always help me. So I entered.

My results so far (i.e. number of tips I got correct):

• Round 1 - 4/8 - tipped with James' help
• Round 2 - 2/8 - tipped without James' help so you can see how hopeless I am at it
• Round 3 - 7/8 - tipped with James' help
• Round 4 - 4/8 - forgot to submit tips, allocated "away" teams as my tips
  

Based on the above results and my past, I have made the following observations:

1. Ignorance isn't just bliss. It also helps me to tip better.
2. People who don't support a particular team will probably tip better - if James and I can't decide between our beloved Saints and the team they are playing, we tend to tip our team.
3. If James wasn't available to help me with this, I would probably get better results from not submitting any tips at all.

Deal or No Deal?

James and I made a Deal today. It was actually a pretty important one, which will have a huge impact on our future together. What were we thinking?

Before I go on, let me give you the background on this one.

In our two and a half years of marriage so far, there are two major topics which have been points of disagreement between James and I. We haven't argued about these topics, we have simply had different life experiences which have contributed and influenced our differing opinions.

What are these topics and what are our views?

TOPIC #1: PETS
James has always grown up with dogs and cats as a part of his family. It therefore follows that James would love at the very minimum for us to get a dog one day. At least. Maybe two, and a cat too whilst we're at it.

I, on the other hand, never grew up with pets (except for the kind you keep contained such as goldfish, hamsters and birds). So I don't want a dog... or a cat. Dogs leave hair everywhere. Sometimes they chew or scratch important things or furniture. Dogs don't smell nice, especially when they're wet. You can't have a two-way conversation with a dog. Dogs are great to pet and to play with, as long as they belong to someone else, because then you reap the benefits without having to bear the burden. And when you go on vacation, you can't always bring your dog, so you have to find a pet-sitter or pay $$$ to put him in some form of doggy accommodation.

TOPIC #2: CHILDREN
I am happy with THREE. THREE children plus TWO parents equals FIVE people, which is the number of seats in a standard car. I have one sister and one brother, so three worked just fine in my family.

James wants FOUR - at least. More if possible. I think his absolute ideal would be FIVE, but he toned it down to four for my sake.

James believes that the more we are able to have, the better. I feel that less is more - with less children, I can devote more of myself to each one.

THE DEAL (you're gonna love this one)
James and I went for a run this week and the topic of pets came up... again. After our run, as I was getting ready for work I started thinking about having pets, or more precisely how much I didn't want to have them - ever. Just before leaving for work, I said to James - more jokingly than seriously - "James, I'll cut you a deal. If I agree to willingly and cheerfully have four kids, would you agree to willingly and cheerfully not have a dog or cat or any sort of pet that I am not okay with... ever?"

The response I got was more intense than I could have anticipated. James' eyes immediately lit up, he jumped out of his seat, came running over to me, hand outstretched, ready to shake on it. Just like that.

I was taken aback by how quickly and excitedly James responded. I told him I'd have to put some serious thought into this Deal before shaking on it, because I had meant it more as a joke than seriously.

Well, we went for another run today. We discussed the Deal, and we shook on it.

So, blogosphere, you are now witnesses to The Deal - ten years from now you will find James and Fiona with FOUR KIDS in tow, and NO DOGS.

Group Fitness Instruction

Today, I faxed my enrollment for the Group Fitness Instructor part of my course, which is the final stage of my learning.

However I was disappointed to learn that there is a possibility the course will not go ahead because there are not enough people enrolled for the course at this point in time. There are still 3 weeks to go before the course is schedule to begin, so maybe there will be a bunch of last minute enrollments.

I really hope so!!!

I am just so disappointed. The reason for the growing lack of interest in this course is due to recent changes in the industry, in particular the growth in popularity of Les Mills classes. Les Mills is a company that pre-choreographs group fitness classes to pre-determined music tracks and sells the music with accompanying choreography to group fitness instructors. This means that in this day and age, the average group fitness instructor no longer needs to employ his/her personal skills and creativity to choreograph a unique class. Instead, ANYONE can teach the class if they buy the instruction manual and matching music tracks.

If you have been to any class labeled BODY-something (e.g. BODYpump or BODYstep) you have been to a Les Mills class. I have been to BODYpump classes and I do think they are great. But in the end, it is mass-produced fitness that does not involve individual and unique creativity.

Pros: an average or even not-very-good group fitness instructor can take one of these programs, teach a class and be great at it. I guess the level of choreography in every class becomes more standardized because someone else out there is doing all the choreography for everyone. You're much less likely to go to a "bad" class.

Cons: less individuality (e.g. I have favourite instructors who have their own style of choreography and teaching - if these instructors had limited themselves to Les Mills I would never have experienced their wonderful creativity in one of their classes).

I guess it's like the difference between James and I at a restaurant. James will try new things, but he is more likely to find his favourites on the menu and stick to them most visits. I, on the other hand, will always want to try new menu items. Sometimes I will get a complete dud of a meal, but when I stumble across that never-to-be-forgotten dish, it makes all the duds well worth finding that delectable gem.

In my opinion, pre-choreographed classes are mass-produced fitness. They are the convenience of this day and age - convenience for instructors who want great results (an excellently choreographed class) without putting in the study and preparation required to create their own classes.

It disappoints me, because I feel it makes it more difficult to distinguish truly excellent instructors from the "good" or the "average". Yes, at the end of the day, group fitness instruction is a job for many - a way to put food on the table. But it can also be so much more than that!

A Tribute to Damien

Tonight on The Biggest Loser, Damien was eliminated.

Damien is easily everyone's favourite contestant on The Biggest Loser. Not just viewers and fans, but also the other contestants on the show.

Why? Because he is a natural leader amongst the contestants, leading not by force or manipulation, but rather through encouragement and by setting an example that inspired others to follow. Where other people would irritate one another due clashing personality types and character traits, Damien was loved by all. He always had an encouraging word - a genuine one too - for the black sheep in the house. He was always able to see things from other peoples' perspective.

And my favourite quote of his: "I am not saying I deserve to be in this house more than the others, but I do feel that I need to be here more" - in other words, Damien never once had an inflated view of himself. He recognized what an honour and privilege it was to have the opportunity to learn how to lose the weight he needed to lose.

Damien was not just the greatest guy on the show. He was also the biggest. He started the show weighing 216kg, which is the most anyone in the history of the entire show (all countries, not just Australia) has weighed. Up to this point he has lost over 68kg, which still puts him at 148kg. But his weight loss journey has been amazing. He was especially inspiring because typically in past seasons, the biggest contestant has often been the first one to be voted out of the show because he is the weakest player on the team, but Damien's determination allowed him to continue in the show well past any other over 200kg contestant.

Damien has been an inspiration to thousands of Australians - contestants, non-contestants, other people struggling with their weight, and even those who don't. James, Asher I absolutely love the guy and we were devastated to witness his elimination tonight.

I really hope Damien achieves his goal of a healthy weight, and that he goes on to live a long life so that he can continue to be an inspiration and hope to others who struggle to control their weight.

Half Marathon? Or 14km?

All this week I was torn between whether to run the half marathon (actually 23km) or 14km event at the Great Ocean Road Marathon weekend.

I have finally made my decision - the half marathon it is.

Why?

1. This week I have been suffering from a mild case of post-race apathy, i.e. the attitude that says, "Fi, you just ran 15.2km! You can take it easy for a week... or two". I have learnt in my recent studies that for every week of training you miss, you need 2 weeks to get back to the same level as before. So in order to avoid this happening, I need that extra challenged to keep me training.

2. On Thursday I found a running partner for the event in Niro.

Running 15.2km for the Kids - report back

9:00 - 10:30am, Sunday 1 April 2007
We had a blast! "We" being Daniela, Pete & Katie, Brett & Rehana and me! Devi ran it too, but unfortunately we did not see her all morning. I am hoping to get some piccys from Pete & Katie to post here... soon!

Run for the Kids is probably one of - if not THE - biggest running events in Victoria. This year, the event boasted an attendance of about 26000 people. Furthermore, $21 out of our $34 race entry free went to The Royal Childrens Hospital Good Friday Appeal. That is an impressive proportion - my commendations to all the race coordinators for managing funds so well to enable such a massive proportion to be given to charity!

For me, the race was yet another stepping-stone in an effort to continue to challenge myself onward and upward in my fitness levels. To achieve this was a milestone! Three years ago I couldn't even run 5 minutes without stopping, and on Sunday 1 April 2007 I ran for 90 minutes! 15.2km is now officially the furthest I have ever run without stopping.

Running with Katie was such a pleasure - Dan & Pete ran with us too, but they could easily have run faster and at different points in the race they were ahead but then would pull back to stay with us. Katie and I run at about the same pace - although I suspect she is faster than I - and we took it at a pretty easy pace, chatting about all sorts of things along the way. Our main goal was to complete the full course without walking; speed was not of concern that day.

This race was quite an amazing experience. The route was one which you would not normally be able to run because it included major roadways such as the Domain Tunnel, a portion of the Westgate Freeway and the Bolte Bridge. All these roads were closed down for several hours to allow us to run them. It was also an amazing sight at particular points along the way to look ahead of myself and see just thousands upon thousands of other people running in the same direction as me.

I will try to post some pictures soon, but they probably will not do justice to the atmosphere and feeling that accompanies those photos.

P.S. HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE

BOB AND JILLIAN ARE BACK!

I just saw the ad on TV which confirmed my suspicions. YAYAYAYAYAY.

I do love Shannan and Michelle, they are great. But Bob and Jillian are the originals.

New Purchases

I haven't been shopping in ages! But today I made a few purchases that I am particularly excited about:

• My first pair of proper running leggings. I tested them out today too, because didn't want to wear them for the first time on race day next week. Went for a 12km run with Katie - you can read about it in TRAINING bLOG.

• Two books entitled "Exercise Analysis Made Simple" and "The Exercise Guide to Resistance Training". One of my tasks before this coming Friday is to learn all the names, actions, origins and insertions of the muscles in the human body. These two books will prove not only helpful in my study, but useful in future as I begin learning to write programs for people.

Now on my wish list: a pair of Skins (size: XS, style: 3/4 length leggings). Skins are a brand of compression garment. In laymen's terms... they are really tight! I tried a pair on today - they felt really good. You would have laughed to see me testing them out by jogging on the spot in the change room.

According to scientific research, one of the benefits of compression garments is that the support reduces the amount of muscle movement (or "wobble") which therefore reduces muscle damage due to prolonged exercise.

So, yes, I would LOVE to have a pair of Skins! But not right now I guess... they're $140 a pair! Too much of a chunk out of my purse for now.

Some Fi-Nominal Websites

If you want to see what I've been up to in my fitness course in the last week or so, check out getbodysmart.com. Choose "muscular system" and then any tutorial listed that tickles your fancy. That's what I have been memorising - every muscle's name, origin and insertion (i.e. where on the skeleton it joins to) and action. My next exam is two weeks from yesterday.

I haven't yet checked out the skeletal, physiology, circulatory or respiratory tutorials yet but this is also all a part of this module of my course... meaning I have to also know all that in two weeks' time. Thankfully I am already familiar with it from uni, I just have to re-learn the memory-related stuff.

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Hoctro's Place is an awesome blog I recently came across in my Google search for a unique Blogger template. I didn't end up finding one, however this awesome blog had tutorials which taught me to change The Snarchives into a 3-column layout, as well as put a photo collage banner across the top. Check out our spunky new layout if you haven't seen it already.

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You will think I am an absolute doofus for recommending this website - but I will anyway: The Australian Government Bureau of Meteorology - in particular, the official Melbourne Weather Forecast. I hate that sometimes when I check the weather online that some forecasts can be off by several degrees (there's a big difference between 18 and 23!) or predict a fine, sunny day when it's really drizzly and overcast. The official site is way more reliable, for sure!

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One of these days James and I will finally get around to having our own website - at jamesandfi.com! For now, we simply own the domain license for the next 5 years, which my brother bought us for Christmas. What a clever gift!

For now... don't bother going there, you won't see anything of interest. In fact, right now i think it just redirects you to some sort of advertising site or credit card site or something that's not worth me looking into to find out what it is just so I can blog about what site it is.

Don't Dehydrate. Rehydrate!

Wonderful James came running with me yesterday. You can read about that run in my TRAINING bLOG if you're curious.

The day before yesterday I learnt about dehydration and heat stress. One of the things I learnt was that after exercise we should aim to replace our fluid loss through sweating by 150%.

Naturally, I was curious to see how much fluid James and I would sweat out during a 10km run. So we weighed ourselves before and after the run (note: 1L water weighs 1kg, hence weight loss is a good estimate of amount of fluid lost from the body during exercise).

I was so surprised to find out the results! I lost 0.9L of water, and James lost a whopping 1.2L. I was expecting much less - maybe, oh I don't know... 0.4L for me?

Therefore, to adequately rehydrate post-exercise, James and I needed to drink 1.8 and 1.4L of water respectively.

Now I know for a fact that I am a person who doesn't sweat very much - not only am I female, I also don't seem to work up much of a sweat, even compared to other females. So if not-very-sweaty me can sweat almost 1L of water during a 10km run in cool-to-warm conditions, you can see how easily many of us can become dehydrated due to prolonged exercise and not enough fluid intake during and after, especially in warmer conditions.

Dehydration is not good. You cannot train your body to tolerate dehydration better. With training, other aspects of your bodily functions will improve, e.g. your body might sweat less. But you will never tolerate dehydration better.

So be sure to adequately hydrate your body before, during and after exercise.

The Butcher, The Mousse and The Butterscotch Sauce

I love working at Meal Magic. I just love it. I have learnt so many new things about food in the short weeks I have worked there. Here are some of them...

New butchering knowledge:

• I now know how to take an entire beef rump (i.e. cow's bottom), cut off all the fat and sinew, and make it into steaks and/or diced bits. One month ago if you'd slapped a beef rump down on a kitchen bench in front of me, I would have had absolutely no idea where to begin, apart from pick up a knife and stare at the thing.
  
• On a chicken breast there is a bit that tears off quite easily known as a chicken tender. When I excitedly told James about this new piece of knowledge as soon as I got home, he informed me he already knew this. I was crushed.
• Cutting a hole in a chicken breast so it can be stuffed with filling... okay it's not a big deal to do this at all but I never would have known that if I hadn't tried doing it myself.
  
• Chicken thighs are definitely my least favourite cut of chicken to work with. Yes they are nice and tender in stir-fries but they are so annoying to try and cut the fat out off and there are just so many tendons everywhere. Give me chicken breasts or tenders any day.
• I can (sort of) tell the difference between lamb and beef mince. I can't do it with my eyes closed like Dan (j/k!) but if I stare at them long enough I think I can almost spot which one is redder (and therefore the lamb)
  

New dessert skills:

• In the last two or three weeks, I have made litres (and litres!) of chocolate mousse, raspberry mousse and tiramisu. I was up to my elbows in the stuff... literally! I know they probably cost hundreds or maybe even thousands of $$$ but I would love to have one of those giant mixers in my kitchen that can whip up 5L of cream in minutes! For now I will just settle for wishing for one of my own home-sized cake mixers one day.
  
• Butterscotch sauce! Yum, yum, yum!

Overall, I am way more confident in the kitchen. I used to think I didn't like cooking, but actually I tend to like things I think I'm good at or dislike things I think I'm not good at. And at this point in time, I think I could actually one day be good at cooking... all I need is practise and the opportunity to continue to pick Daniela's brain.

After all, I love eating... so why not learn to make all that yummy stuff too!

Precious, Precious Tickets

I guess I'm just trying to make up for not blogging so regularly as of late. I am excited to announce that today James and I purchased tickets to see Miss Saigon.

I AM SO EXCITED, I have wanted to see this musical since I was 16! I used to know most of the words to all the songs despite never having seen the stage production.

I just wanted to announce my excitement to the entire world. Two weeks from now I will be walking out of Her Majesty's Theatre, with a sigh in my heart and a smile on my face.

Training bLog!

I have started a new blog - my TRAINING bLOG. I don't really expect anyone to read it regularly because it's more for myself, but I just thought you might like to know.

The website is http://fitnessfi.blogspot.com.

The people I can think of who would want to read this blog are people who are curious about what I get up to on a daily or weekly basis, people who want to keep me accountable, or people who want to check out what I do and give me feedback.

Running to Race

I subscribe to and love reading Ultra-FIT magazine.

My friend Daniela introduced me to it - she cleverly did it only a few weeks before my birthday party last year, which I later discovered was so she could suss out whether or not to get me a subscription for my birthday. Isn't she a star?

Better yet, a part of my personal trainer course is a compulsory membership to FitNation which includes a year subscription to Ultra-FIT, so I am pretty much set until mid-2008! Woo hoo!

Being me, of course I couldn't help but notice that every issue has a "letters" section, and they award a heart rate monitor to the "star letter". Well I have been contemplating what to write for my "star letter" for the last few months, and finally wrote and emailed it off today.

If this doesn't win me the much-desired award, I don't know what will! Save for the fact that this letter is possibly several months too late because I've just been too busy to write it (we're on issue $102 now).

Oh well... if it doesn't, I will just continue to save up for one.

Before I show you the letter I wrote, I also just want to thank Daniela: without you I would never have had the opportunity to read the below-mentioned article. It was also you who encouraged me to act upon my inspiration after I told you about the article, and you who came and ran the race with me (and made me run for my life for the entire last km!). So thank you!

Dear Ultra-FIT,

I want to thank and commend the entire team for the awesome work you do each and every issue. I have been a subscriber and avid reader since August 2006. In particular I want to thank you for your feature article "Running to Race" (issue #99).

As a teenager, I was not very active. I had definitely never run before, couldn't run, and wouldn't ever dream of running. In mid-2005 I decided to give running on the treadmill a go, simply because I'd tried every other cardio machine in the gym except for that dreaded treadmill! One year later, I was regularly running 2-3 times a week. Up to that point I had never run more than about 5km.

Then Issue #99 was released. Your article inspired me to give racing a try. Before reading it, I thought racing was only for professional or amateur athletes, and definitely not for people like me!

I ran - and completed! - my first race in Nov 2006... 8km long! I had never, EVER run that far before! In the short months leading up to that race I ran distances well past 5km, because I had to prepare for an 8km distance!

Since then, it's been nothing but onwards and upwards for me. Next month (April), I will run my second race, a whopping 15.2km long. I am even considering a half marathon in May!

When I first started in 2005, running for more than 5 minutes was a huge challenge! If you had told me back then that I would be contemplating a half-marathon in 2007, there is no way I would have believed you.

Thank you, Ultra-FIT, for the inspiration you gave me through "Running to Race". In it, you wrote that "racing is one of the best ways to help improve your running". I am living proof that you were right!

Running to Race,
Fiona

Pinch and a Punch ... and a 15.2km run

Ah yes, the old "first day of the month" poem.

Well I can't write too much today. I am actually supposed to be finishing off my assignment for my first subject right now ~ Nutrition and Body Fat Management. Shh! Don't tell James ~ he's in the living room with me right now happily playing on his Nintendo Wii. We shall soon learn if he has been diligently reading my blog or not, depending on if he ever reads this. :)

I recently realized that I forgot to blog about something very important: in January I signed up for my second race. It is exactly a month away now ~ Run for the Kids on 1 April 2007. This one is a huge step up from my first ever 8km race. In fact, 8km seems like nothing compared to... wait for it... 15.2km! That's almost double!

Another cool thing about this race - I have at least 7 friends running it too. Half of us regularly train together once a week as a Running Group, and the others have all joined our Running Group at least once.

I am looking forward to this race with a little anticipation and a little more fear. It's kept me running regularly when probably nothing else could. However, I am probably not running enough, currently averaging approx. 3 times a week. The furthest I've run so far is about 9km, so I've got a little work to do to up my km in time for race day.

At least, thanks to what I have learnt on my course so far, I know what I'm supposed to be eating now! Speaking of which, I'd better get back to my assignment.

My FitNation Course... the saga begins!

Ah, yes, the anticipated post that is going to tell you all about how my FitNation course is going. Well, I've had two lectures now. The course consists of 5 modules, and every module comprises 1 to 6 lectures. To complete every module I need to submit assignments and also sit exams.

My first module is already 2/3 of the way through, i.e. I've attended 2 of the 3 lectures. My first assignment deadline and exam is a week from tomorrow... can you believe it?!

So this is shaping up to be a pretty fast-paced 14 weeks, with lots of information to learn and process in my brain within a relatively short period of time. I'm only into my first week and already I'm quite tired between balancing course attendance, study (which I've not had a chance to do much of) and also part-time work at Meal Magic.

Thankfully, this first module is relatively easy for me because of my science background. The module topic: Nutrition and Body Fat Management. Most of the nutrition stuff I've either already learnt in high school and university biology classes, and anything additional I've probably already read around the place because it's a topic of interest to me.

My next module however will not be so easy - Anatomy!

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Here's a story from my first night's attendance which I know you will enjoy:

One of our classroom activities was to pair up and interview our partners regarding what we'd consumed in the past 24 hours. I interviewed my partner first, and was astounded by the amount of food he consumed!

As for me... well, it is here that I have a confession to make: I lied... just a little! But a lie, no matter how small, is still a lie. *sigh*

Let me explain myself...

After interviewing my partner and learning how much he'd eaten, I began to feel insecure about what I'd eaten, and worried that he would think I ate too little. You see, our lectures start at 6pm on Mondays, so to get there on time I had to leave home by 5pm, which meant a really early dinner at 4:40pm! Lectures don't end until 10pm which would be too late to eat dinner.

So at lunchtime that day, I didn't really eat much, just a hot cross bun. I wasn't really hungry and I knew I'd be eating again in only a few hours. So what did I lie about? Well, when I was interviewed I added an extra sandwich for good measure - a salmon sandwich with cream cheese, to be exact. I just felt I had to... I mean, my partner ate 3 ham sandwiches with salad plus a muesli bar and an apple! What was I to do?

Yes, yes, I know. I'm a bad person. What can I say? But I have now appeased my conscience a little by confessing this lie in public. Actually, I appeased it as soon as I confessed my sin to James the next morning.

Go ahead, have a laugh. James certainly did.

The Countdown is Over!

It says zero! But there's still 6 1/2 hours to go before my course officially starts at 6pm. In the meantime I have a bunch of errands to run today so it should pass the time rather quickly.

ARGH!!! This is so exciting!!!!!!!!!!!!

Meal Magic

This week I started part-time work at Meal Magic. You may remember me blogging about it last October.

The main purposes of my getting a part-time job were:
a) generate a part-time income prior to attaining my fitness qualifications
b) prevent me from going crazy out of boredom and un-productivity during my non-study hours

What a bonus to get a job that isn't just for the sake of income and boredom-prevention, but allows me the privilege of working for and selling a product that I believe in ~ meals that are convenient and well-priced, yet healthy and delicious! It is important to me to believe in the product I sell, one of the many reasons why I want to join the fitness industry.

If you haven't visited Meal Magic yet, do stop by. I'm not just doing a sales job here... my October blog proves that I already loved what they do long before I became an employee there.

Meal Magic also has a strong emphasis on excellent customer service. As the daughter of a man who once worked as the Asian Director of Quality and Customer Service for Motorola, I grew up learning to notice all aspects of customer service at every restaurant and store in town, because on our visits Dad would provide a running commentary on what was excellent, what could be improved, and what was downright terrible.

So even if you stop by for a visit, and are not entirely sold on the concept (highly unlikely), you will definitely experience a pleasant visit. You will also be given the opportunity to try some of Daniela's delicious concoctions.

And if you want to see me in action, then Tuesdays and Saturdays are the days to come! :)