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! :)

Happy Valentine's Day!

James was so sweet. He gave me 3 single roses, each one to represent a Valentine's Day that we have celebrated together since being married, each one accompanied by a card.

I especially loved the final card, which read:

For my wife on Valentine's Day
Whether we're home or out on the town
Fussing, discussing, or clowning around
Whether we're loafing or have lots to do
There's no one I want beside ME besides YOU
Happy Valentine's Day

We had a lovely Valentine's lunch together at Miss Marples Tearoom in Sassafras (Mount Dandenong). I highly recommend a visit to them for lunch or afternoon tea.

If you like scones, theirs are absolutely heavenly! For the non-scone people, they also have some delicious-looking sundaes and other treats. We haven't tried them ourselves ~ we always opt for the scones when we visit ~ but they also look quite stunning and appear to be popular.

Just a Blog Post

I haven't blogged in almost two weeks. That's not like me. It's because I've been a little uninspired lately. Most of the time I have so many things swimming around in my head that I want to post about, and I have to focus myself and pick one topic at a time only.

But lately I've been uninspired because I've been... unemployed. I've been in between jobs (waiting for the right time to start a part-time job). And, more importantly, I've been waiting for my fitness course to start!

As of right now the countdown says 4 days, 2 hours, 11 minutes, 58 seconds. It's so far away! Ugh.

But it's getting nearer even as I type. Now it says 4 days, 2 hours, 8 minutes, 42 seconds.

Actually, the countdown is 18 hours fast, because it will hit zero as soon as the clock ticks past midnight on Sunday night/Monday morning.

The correct starting time is 6pm. Monday 19 February. I can't wait!

Running Group

We're now one month into it, and going strong! This week we had 3 new participants.

On Sunday we did Speed Work ~ instead of going on a longer, moderately-paced run, we did a series of short sprints, both on flat ground as well as up a hill. The purpose of Speed Work, according to Brett, is to increase the anaerobic capacity of your muscles. Click here for an explanation of anaerobic exercise.

This training session was difficult! Probably one of the more difficult running sessions I have done since I began running almost 2 years ago. But my sense of satisfaction after completing the speed work was immense. And my muscles boasted evidence of hard work on Monday morning ~ I had sore hamstrings... so did James!

After discussing with Brett, it looks like we may schedule speed work sessions for once a month. Whilst they will only get more and more difficult as each individual in the group seeks to push him/herself further with each session, I think the results will speak for themselves. Even on my run yesterday I felt an improvement since Sunday ~ I was able to push myself to run a bit faster than normal without my need of oxygen giving in on me as soon.

Here are some of photos of our training session from two weeks ago:

I really love this next photo:

This one's for Neli!

Neli, I am so proud of you! Friends and readers ~ this is why.

It is by no means an easy thing to make a lifestyle change. But then again, anything that is worthwhile is not easy. Neli, you've counted the cost, you're making your stand, and you are publicly declaring it to the world so that we can encourage you and keep you accountable.

YOU STRONG, NELI!

As someone who has experienced and learnt from the same journey you are embarking on, I am behind you all the way! There will be many things that you will learn, just as I did. Not only was I made aware of my own weaknesses ~ especially regarding the unnecessary desires of my stomach, LOL ~ I also learnt just how much I am capable of!

Neli, and everyone else out there, you are capable of so much! And for those of you who have the privilege of following after the God that I follow, even more so with His strength behind you!

Did Moses actually part the Red Sea?

I read in my Bible today and yesterday about Moses and the ten plagues God sent to Egypt because Pharaoh was too stubborn to let the Israelites go.

Even if you haven't read this story directly from the Bible, you will most likely be familiar with it, thanks to classic feature films such as The Ten Commandments starring Yule Brynner as Pharaoh and Charlton Heston as Moses, and The Prince of Egypt animated film.

Well, these last two days, I discovered something that I had never noticed before. I even pointed it out to my intelligent, Bible-scholar-type-and-also-a-history-buff husband James, and he, too, had not noticed it.

Funnily enough, these last two days he had also read the same Bible passages that I had, but somehow hadn't noticed what I did. LOL.

So, what is this interesting news? It is this: Moses was not the person who threw his staff down to the ground where it became a snake. Moses was also not the person who raised his staff and initiated the first three plagues (water turning to blood, frogs, lice).

It was Aaron, Moses' older brother!

Aaron was the one who threw his staff down (Ex 7:10b), who lifted up his rod and struck the waters of the Nile (Ex 7:19-20), who stretched out his staff over the waters of Egypt to cause frogs to come out of them (Ex 8:6), and who struck the dust of the land with his staff so that it turned into lice (Ex 8:17).

It was Aaron!

As for the remaining 7 plagues, the Bible does not specify who performed the initiating move to cause the plagues, only that Moses confronted Pharaoh and declared that if he didn't let the Israelites go, then ______ (fill in the blank) would happen.

I find it so interesting that I never noticed this before. I don't know if this was because I have been influenced by movies made about this very story, so that prior to this week, I hadn't read what actually happened, but instead read what I thought happened. It just goes to show that we all view our world, read books and hear what people say through our own individual set of filters.

Of course, James asked the clever question and we immediately looked it up: did Moses actually part the Red Sea?

Answer: Yes, he did (Ex 14:21). Well, at least we all got that part right!

Philosophical side note: yes, yes, you could be pedantic and say, no Moses didn't, God did, etc, etc, and I would agree with you on this point, but please remember the purpose of this post is to point out that Aaron was the one who followed God's instructions in order for God to do what God did. ;)

Wongs Have a Wright to Have Fun

Looking back over my collection of 2006 photos, I have come to the realisation that one thing my brother and I have in common is that we both have this love for taking silly photos of ourselves:

Jan/Feb 2006
Brian: in Kota Kinabalu ~ stuffing around with the straws from our drinks
Me: at a friend's wedding ~ I felt the need to make our photo more interesting

Dec 2006
Brian: fooling around at his birthday dinner
Me: after taking my hair out of a hairdo

I am proud to say that James has truly become a part of the Wong family.
He is not simply a recruit to this essential family practise, he is a willing participant!
The second of the following two photos is a particular favourite of mine - James' expression makes me laugh. He's so into it!

Edit: I found a couple more photos that I just had to share. These also include my sister Stephanie, proving that all three of us gladly participate in this essential Wong practise. I have a really old sticker photo somewhere too of my mum, me and Steph with matching silly faces... if I ever find it, I'll scan it and post it if you like!

Job Opportunities

Next week, I have an appointment to see the manager of the gym where I work out. We're going to talk about job opportunities.

I have no idea whether I can get a job at a gym before I have gained my qualifications or whether I need to wait til after my course ends (which is not until June). The fact that he's willing to meet with me next week, with my course still a few weeks away from commencing (see countdown above!), suggests that I may be able to get something before I'm qualified and thus work my way towards actually instructing and training after I've finished my course.

I hope so!

Going Bananas!

Bananas were priced at only $1.95 per kilo at Safeway today!! I was so excited that I bought four. Yay!!!

Movies on my "To Watch" List

Here's my list, at the request of Dave - it's not all the movies on my list, rather just whatever I can think of right now off the top of my head, in no particular order:

• Il Mare ~ see note at bottom of post
  
• Blood Diamond
• The Pursuit of Happyness
• Mission Impossible II and III
  
• Pride & Prejudice (BBC version)
  
• Material Girls ~ yes, that's right, I am a fan of teeny-boppy Hilary Duff movies. They're no-brain movies that one can watch with some light-hearted fun in them.
• Being John Malkovich
• Castaway
  
• Chariots of Fire
• Carousel
• The World's Fastest Indian
• It's a Wonderful Life
  
• LA Confidential
• Walk the Line
• Cinderella Man
• United 93
• World Trade Center
  

Actually, my movies-to-watch list is so long that I usually can't remember most of the list. I really should start a proper list. James has a notebook somewhere with a list of movies in it too... all movies he's watched that I haven't, of course.

Whilst I'm at it, some movies on my favourites list, again in no particular order:

• The Lake House ~ my most recent addition!
  
• Suddenly 30
• Pride & Prejudice (Keira Knightly version)
• The Sound of Music
• Singin' in the Rain
• The Shawshank Redemption
• Schindler's List
• Hero
• Beauty and the Beast
• Monsters Inc
  

Movies that lots of people love but I don't particularly enjoy ~ just so some of you can bag me in public if you dare(!):

• Napolean Dynamite
• Ferris Bueller's Day Off
• Wayne's World
• Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure
• Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle

I'm beginning to see a bit of a trend in this last category.

A quick follow-up on my Lake House post:
I am currently about halfway through Jane Austen's Persuasion. The Lake House is definitely not based on this book, or at least not as far as I can tell. But Dave has since informed me that The Lake House is actually based on a Korean film called Il Mare, which he recommends.

To Dave: I am impressed that you have seen the Korean version but not the American. It is things like this that make you truly unique (good-unique, not bad-unique). Also, you know how highly I regard your opinion on these matters which is why it's now on my to-watch list.

Yet another one...

I know, I know, I am so easily influenced. My brother has introduced me to another networking toy - Facebook. Multiply is still my favourite by far, but Maven-Me had to try out Facebook to prove at least to myself that Multiply was the best, if nothing else.

One good feature of Facebook that sets it aside from the others is the mini-feed. It tells you all the activities within Facebook that your contacts have been engaging in, including new connections they've made since you've logged on. Thanks to the mini-feed, I only had to hook up with a couple of friends and others that I knew found out I'd joined the crew, so I now have almost 20 connections with people I know with very little effort on my part.

One day after trying out all these sites I will post my ultimate site featuring the best bits of every other site. Then maybe I'll email Multiply to read my post and see if they can work some of those winning features into their site! If they know that I am a Maven, they will be sure to take my ideas onboard. :)

MySpace does have its usefulness... occasionally

If you know my opinion on friendship sites, you will know that I fully support Multiply for its functionality, and mainly have a MySpace because that's where I have been able to connect with the most friends online. MySpace does hold the highest percentage of the online networking market at the moment, according to some newspaper article James read to me a few months ago.

Thanks to Multiply I am more in touch with some of my overseas friends than ever (only some, because not many use Multiply... yet!).

For example, if it wasn't for Multiply I would not know that one of my Filipino friends who currently lives and works in Malaysia is currently going through a series of job interviews whereby he could be offered a position in New Jersey, USA by the end of the year. I would also have missed out on friends' Christmas and New Years celebrations, all of which I was able to feel a small part in through seeing their photos online.

However, I have a small admission to make - MySpace has its benefits too, mainly due to the larger percentage of the online networking market that it commands. I was finally convinced of this yesterday, when I received a hand-delivered note from my Senior Pastor, who had just returned from a visit to South Africa. The note was from one of my online MySpace friends. I don't just make random online friends ~ the 4 or 5 that I have are specifically members of other Every Nation churches around the world.

Thanks for the note, Chandre! It made a little bit of cyberspace into reality. I'm still hoping we can hook up at World Conference!

The Lake House

I watched The Lake House last night. I absolutely loved it.

Ladies, if you have not seen it, check it out. Assuming you enjoy a classic romance movie of course. If you prefer blood and guts, I have heard that Blood Diamond is quite a good film (it's on my "to watch" list too).

I will not divulge the plot here. Instead, you can check out the trailer to get a feel for what it's about. It was well put together, enough to leave you in a bit of suspense, as a good romance movie should do. However I am fully aware that Keanu Reeves is not the most well-liked actor around, although his acting has never bothered me personally. But then again, I have never been the sort of person to analyze a movie or its actors. It's normally entertainment value that I go for. Plenty of that here for any lovers of a classic romance story.

Sandra Bullock's character had a favourite book - Persuasion, written by Jane Austen. So of course I borrowed it from the library today and will begin reading it this week, partly because the movie left me wanting to read this book, and partly because I wanted to see if this movie is somehow a modern version of Persuasion, because it certainly seems to me that it was inspired by this book at some level. Jane Austen writes good books, so I'm looking forward to reading it.

P.S. Gentlemen, I highly recommend that you read at least one Jane Austen novel in your lifetime. A great way to delve into the female mind and her romantic desires. I suppose if you can't bring yourself to read the book, you could always watch a movie version, but as they say, the book is always better than the movie. If you're stuck for a starting place, here's a list of titles to get you started: Pride & Prejudice, Sense & Sensibility, Emma, Persuasion. Or you could just look up "Jane Austen" at the library. :)

A Berry Fruitful Day

If you have never been to a Strawberry Farm, you have to go sometime... my parents used to take us kids regularly during the summer months and I loved it. For the last 6 years, I have been wanting to visit, but I just never got around to it. Yesterday, James took me. We had so much fun!

On our way there, we stopped in Dromana for my favourite kind of fish n' chips lunch ~ the kind that you eat by the ocean:

Sunny Ridge strawberry farm:

Various berry-picking activities:

They never said we couldn't eat whilst picking!

My first BIG strawberry:

James was wonderful, because he took all the photos, which means we don't have photographic evidence that he was actually at the strawberry farm with me. But here is a picture of him afterwards trying their home-made vanilla bean ice cream (which tastes quites different from normal vanilla ice cream):

Lots of strawberries in our fridge!

And of course I had to have strawberries in my breakfast this morning!

25 Degrees

Isn't it funny how 25 degrees (Celsius) is an absolutely beautiful temperature during the day, but at night it's considered too hot? We slept in the living room again last night. Thank God for air-conditioning!

I've decided to store my chocolate in the fridge for the rest of the summer - it just doesn't taste the same when it's been melted by hot weather and re-set. It also takes on a funny colour and texture. So I'm protecting it... and my taste-buds.

Congratulations!

To Devi, for completing your first official race! You can read all about it here.

Report back on Running Group

We had fun! Five people showed up - Brett, James, Daniela, Devi & me. We had a good talk together about what this group means to us and what we want it to be. Personally, I am excited about what this year will bring, specifically within this group.

If you are considering joining us and feeling unsure about whether you can keep up, or feeling intimidated, don't be. Come join us! We want to make this group a warm, friendly environment in which each individual can train at his/her own pace.

I know for sure that I am in a great position to encourage you to join us, because on Sunday we subjected ourselves to a series of fitness tests, and I came out with the smallest numbers for most of the tests. But that doesn't bother me, because whilst some people (James...) were competing with the rest of us, most of us were competing with ourselves.

So take it from the slowest, weakest person to show up on Sunday (that's me, in case you still didn't get that) ~ if you have a New Year's Resolution to get fitter and more active, we are here to work with you to achieve your goals.

If you've never run before, but want to try, then this group is certainly for you - we've got a couple of first timers joining us in the weeks to come so you will not be alone!

Leave a comment if you'd like to be added to our weekly email list. Brett & I will be putting a training schedule together at some point which will be released through the email list too.

A Quick Response

Today is the first day of the rest of my life. Heh heh.

By that, I mean this week is my first week not working full-time in the office, which I can now officially call my previous job!

Spent most of today organising stuff for the year ahead. If I told you what I've been doing you'd either be astounded that I did it, disgusted that someone can be that organised, or not at all surprised because it's exactly the sort of thing you would expect me to do.

Running Group went well yesterday. That deserves its own post, which I will take care of either tonight or later this week.

One of the things I did today was update my Birthday Alarm. All I had to do was send a mass email out to anyone who was not on my alarm list. They click on a link in the email, enter their details and it's done. It took me about 5 minutes.

I received my first response 3 minutes after sending out the email, whilst I was still checking other emails in my inbox. Right now it is about an hour later and 8 people have responded already! I just re-checked my inbox again and whilst typing this, yet another response came through.

Talk about a good return on your investment of time.