My 45th Birthday Present from Laogong : Jan-2020

With our recent pursuit of a more active and healthier lifestyle, I made Victor buy me an iPhone app for my birthday present last year!

It’s a pretty expensive app which I’ve been eyeing for a while but unwilling to pay for it.. it’s an annual subscription of $168.98!! 🤪🤪 But since Laogong would like to give me a birthday present which I don’t really need anything, I asked him if he’ll get the app for me, and he so willingly agreed!! 😊😊😊

What’s this app about, u may ask..

Well, it’s a lil’ awkward to explain come to think of it.. but when I first got my Apple Watch which comes with 3 activity rings to complete each day, somehow I’ll try my best to complete each of the Move, Exercise and Stand rings, as well as the tracked 10,000 steps everyday. Similarly when I first installed the MyFitnessPal app, I also tried to keep my calories input balanced with my calories output, and overeat too much without the corresponding exercise to offset it. 

This Sweat app enrols me into a workout program & connects me to an entire online community of women also on the app. The app has some weekly goals and different kinds of workouts to complete each week.

Each workout comes with specific exercises and detailed instructions & illustrations on how to execute the exercises.

Trying to achieve the weekly goals give me the reason to visit the gym!! In fact, in my attempt to do the exercises as given, I’ve thickened my skin in the gym and juz proceeded to try out the different machines totally ignoring how other gym-goers would view this 菜鸟 gym-goer!! Indeed, pulling out the exercise mat and laying it right in front of the mirror in the gym took quite a lot of courage for me!! 😓😓 Anyway, today’s post wasn’t quite abt that part; I’ve more or less overcome that.

Browsing through the posts from the online Sweat community, I was fascinated and thoroughly inspired by the workout clips some members posted. And seeing there were not many people at the gym this morning, i gathered some courage and recorded some of my workout exercises too. I believe this could be a way to track my own progress too.😜

New Friday Routine : Jan-2020

It is almost three years since I’ve started going for exercise class at hougang ActiveSG, and specifically the body sculpt. All thanks to some mummies I’ve got to know from the PSG at En’s school who’s in that class, I decided to join them. Prior to that, I only attended the zumba at sengkang cc, and that’s also bcoz my Sunshine Aunty buddies jio me. Whoa.. and that was more than seven years ago!! 😄😄

Shortly after I started on body sculpt, I thought the hougang sports centre was nearer and much more convenient than venturing to sengkang cc, and stopped my zumba there. I replaced my zumba with another class at hougang.

On days I have class, I would quickly finish up my morning chores and head for class. After class, I would feel strangely more energetic and proceed to do some housework before taking my bath, then fetch En.

On days I have no class, I would dilly-dally at home & keep putting off household chores. Sometimes, even when it’s time to fetch En, I would have done nothing at home, not even my morning gongyo!😱

Therefore in an attempt to be more productive in an enjoyable way, I enrolled for more exercise classes. And unexpectedly, I’ve became a rather active person!!

Last year, this girl whom I got to know from one class, suddenly suggested that I join her in another class at sengkang ActiveSG. Jokingly she said I would probably enjoy that class too since I enjoy sweating so much!! 🤣 That sparked my curiosity and I went to find out more about her suggested class. Well, that class works on something I loathed—mid and lower body!! 🤔🤔 and bcoz I hate it, that’s also my weakest areas. Should I challenge myself? 

Well, I sat on it for months, then thought I’ll juz give it a try! At the same time, I signed up for a second piloxing class again, after stopping for almost half a year. Which means my two sengkang ActiveSG classes are almost back-to-back with only half an hour rest in-between.. Gosh, what did I juz set myself up for???! 😓😓

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Sat, 18 January 2020 — 1 day after my first piloxing and power agt back-to-back, I’m almost disabled as my lower back is sooo sore that I could not toss in bed last night!! In fact it was so bad that I even needed efforts to straighten both my legs last night!! Almost thought I’ve injured myself until Victor said I moved the same way as Xuan, whom I’ve brought to the gym with me to do a sweat lower body workout on Thursday night!! 🤣🤣 I think this is DOM & not an injury.. phew!!

Sun, 19 January 2020 — recalling my earlier days & the reason why I bought 2xu tights, I put on a pair the night before to accelerate my recovery. Well, my lower body felt a lil’ more mobile, especially my some warming up. But squatting down & bending over still felt like Frankenstein.. I think I’ll need a couple more days to fully recover ) :

Mon, 20 January 2020 — struggled out of bed not bcoz I’ve got exercise, but bcoz En needs to go to school. Surprisingly, I’m almost agile again!! Yaaay!! I should have no problem attending today’s class again, and I should have put on my magical 2xu tights the moment I felt my legs weren’t quite mine to order about!! 😂😂

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Okay, I’ve gotten over the first of my new Friday routine of 2 siong classes. I shall persevere and see if I become a stronger person as a result of this new routine!!

NYJC Pugilistic gathering (batch 10) : Jan-2020

After connecting with a few members recently, the Pugilistic folks (mainly batch 10) gathered at Si Jack place for a feast in the beginning of 2020.  Such fantastic friendship of 30 years or more!

First Time En Takes Bus to School All by Herself : Jan-2020

13 January 2020 — this is En’s 3rd week in secondary school, but only today, she would officially start her class lessons. The 1st week was an extremely short week with only 2 days; the entire 2nd week was Orientation, and all fun & play!!

Bcoz En’s school was quite near home, everyone has been telling her how quick and easy it was to take a direct bus to school. Although she has been returning home from school on her own, she still asked me to send her to school every morning for the past more than one week, and I gladly obliged!

This week however, she’s finally decided that she’ll go to school by herself. She had confidently replied nonchalantly that she knows she knows, when Victor and I tried to make sure she knows exactly which bus stop from which to take the bus..

A while after En left the house, I suddenly received a call from her!! She asked me which buses would bring her to school, and wondered why she ended up at the Hougang Bus Interchange!!?? 😱😱 

Hahahaaa.. apparently, En’s taken the bus from the wrong direction!!🤣🤣

First Angsana mission for 2020 : Jan-2020

This year SGI focus is "The year of advancement and capable people".  As our youths are our hope for our future, I am glad to be able to shoot during our SSA Youth Leaders Training, which kick off 2020 with a blast with the youths.

Our Chapter Youths

Hit swimming target for this year?! : Jan-2020

For the entire 2019, i was unable to swim below 24 mins and thus had set a target to achieved below 24 this year.  My exercise year started well this year by hitting this target so early and I was thrilled, hopefully this year would drive me further to go below 23mins. :-)

Enen starts Secondary School journey : Jan-2020

I remembered starting this blog just when Enen was just born and now she is coming 13 yo and has started her secondary school journey.  We are still very grateful that she is able to enter Xin Min Secondary, which the cut off points has reduced by 1 point this year, just nice for her to be accepted, such good fortune.

Beginning of 2020 : Jan-2020

On New Year day, this was great to start off 2020 with the family visiting our Kaikan for our New Year Prayer meeting, a fresh start with a renew set of objectives.  For myself, there was not much shifted in the areas of focus, just to excel and improve in them and have another victorious year!

We then went to our favourite dining place to have a family dinner before heading back home to cut my favourite cake!  Simple but heart-warming celebration.