Still Around...

I'm still around for anyone who is still reading... I have files of images and stories to tell and 2011 is coming to an end.. I will try to find time these coming weeks to update the many posts what I've missed over the past couple of months since July and wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year meanwhile... 

Zumba Christmas Party!!

Come for Halloween Zumba!!

RSVP required at honeymeow@gmail.com with your attendance confirmation, additional guests plus your food contribution for the party. Single class fees apply at $17.12 (GST incl.) for all guests. Open to public - no need to be a member of the club to attend. Gym/Bath towels + locker provided with luxurious shower/steam facilities & complimentary parking. Limited space left!

Candylicious Dating

The hubster and I go dating at least once every week or two for time alone in between classes or just when the kids are out doing their own stuff. Sometime in July, we went to Resorts World just for a stroll about the shops there. Nope, didn't gamble nor go to Universal studios but we had a fun time roaming the Candylicious shop there at RWS for the afternoon after some food & ice-cream.

I thought it would be a great time to feature the hubster here as he was at one of his heaviest to date at 135kg in July. He had since returned to training since then and today, he stands at 112kg and more to go before he reaches his target of his previous 86kg size HERE. Watch this space to see the transformation in 3 months time! 

Fooling around with the Hershey and Reese men... Haha! And introducing our new extended family!! M&Ms yello, gween, bru and rad. Hhahaah! Btw, do you know what M&Ms stand for? Check out M&M's Wikipedia HERE to find out!

FISAF Personal Trainer & Fitness Leader Course

June 2011 was a busy training month for me with various fitness trainings from Zumba to Skipping (Oh yeah! Btw, I'm also a National Heart Foundation skipping instructor!) to taking up the FISAF Fitness Leader &  Personal Trainer certification which I've put off for some years now.. I'm proud to say that I have every single internationally recognised FISAF certifications there are available under my belt from the Core program to Group Aerobics to Fitball & Core Stabilisation to Aqua Aerobics to Personal Training to Working with Seniors. 

This June saw me taking time off from my classes and PT sessions for further education to complete this round of training where I had taken the time to lecture again at the Group Aerobic course and to assist during the Group Aerobic practicals.

Not alot of pictures during the time that I was out of action during this time as training saw me at our usual training venue at Ngee Ann Alumni building from 730am till 6pm for PT training and continuing to stay back for more during the Group Aerobic course till 1030am each night. It was a gruelling 2 weeks with ended with a final "Working with Seniors" instructor certification. I zombied my way home each night, worked till 3am planning my personal training prescription for my "mock client" which we did each morning with a new "client" course mate, slept for 3 hours and woke up early again for a whole host of information bombardment complete with physical boot camping.

Yeah, the things we instructors and personal trainers go through to ensure we are always up to date and of quality standard before we lead the way for our students and clients. This course was one of the tougher ones for me as it was not only physically challenging, it was mentally & emotionally challenging for me too.. plus I had to contend with some injuries along the way too. 

Day 1 saw us doing circuit work in the muddy fields and running then to adjourn to lecture to learn about ATP and nutrition. Then I went off to lecture, train and drill the Aerobic instructors for the night.

Day 2 saw us practicing assessing blood pressure, caliper fat testing, functional movement, core work, VipR, battling ropes, balance discs, bosu, swiss balls, sandbags and my favourite "torture" of any of the courses which never fails to be done was the uphill slope run with a partner with the elastic band wrapped around your waist while you pull your partner up run... *kill me now but I survived*

Day 3 started off with our first PT prescription with our first mock client, assessments, lecture about proteins then a kettlebell segment which I ended up with a shockingly sprained wrist that we had to ice for the rest of the day.

Day 4 started again with yet another PT prescription (which we had to plan, rehearse, print and present at 730am before we began our "training"), learning about minerals, doing Yoga which I found seriously challenging as I was already so physically tired with my muscles bunching up, it was hard to stretch out fully then we went on to various stretching techniques, PNF and then took some time to do some group study (yes, we had a long 4 hour written exam at the end of it all - Imagine after all that we still needed to study the super thick textbook amidst all this)

Day 5 was a final PT prescription, learning about nutritional programming, functional movement testing, dynamic stretching, track work with sprints and Fitness business 101.

Day 6 saw us doing the Bukit Timah Hill explosion plus our 4 hour written exam in the evening. Yes, I call it an explosion simply because it was an insane blitz through what I would consider a very challenging area to be physically tearing & sprinting through in such a short period of time. Picture above was pre-BT hill where everyone was still relatively fresh before boarding the bus.. the 2nd picture was us just beyond the first major incline (which is one of the more challenging areas of the hill because if the steep incline).

At the top of the hill after we took our group photograph to commemorate the first part of the run, we did even more ground work on the mini hill. Crawling up on all 4s like spiderman up the muddy hill side, sprinting up and down, waddling about, squatting and so many other physical combinations that I really cannot remember but it was completely exhausting!!!

Some of my coursemates, Adeline, Hester and Evelyn managed to take a group picture during this time and we were so poofed already!! However, I understand the need for the physical push. If we, the instructors don't know the limits to how hard we can push ourselves, how can we expect our students and clients to do like-wise? So push on we must...

And of course since we're supposed to be the fit fitness trainers that we are, after all that mud work, we must still run through the remaining of the whole course and run like mad we did, through the scary vines & trees of the forest, squishy mud paths with fallen leaves and concrete slab stairways. For awhile there, we were all going so fast (like we were running away from some rabid animal that I was totally in The Zone...my ears could only hear my own heartbeat as we flew through the trail - I couldn't believe how fast we were going!!).... until a point where I hit a mental wall 3/4 way through the trail. BAM!!!!

The days of minimal sleep, physical taxing routines, brain draining lectures, late night crash studying and the lack of really good food all took its toll on me....

At one point, course mate running right behind me yelled "you can do it Pam! keep on running!!" and I suddenly felt an overwhelming huge burst of emotion - I burst out crying while running with the group and continued to sob as we moved along. My tears flowed un-abandoned as the experience seemed so un-real at that point. Everyone chanting encouraging words to one another because we could see that we were all so drained but we were all determined to finish the trail.

One by one, we slowed abit to catch each others hands and pulled each other up the concrete steps, shouting out "we can do it! we can do it!!" and at the end of it all, we finally all met again at the end of base of the hill once more. Accomplished. We had conquered the hill.. in breakneck *plus crying* speed.

I am thankful that I had such an amazing group of course mates for this training. Everyone was very encouraging. There were awesome people and I am looking forward to crossing paths again with every one of them one day... Keep the spirit and power to all of you... Thank you for an experience of a lifetime.. FISAF rocks!! If you ever had thoughts of becoming a fitness trainer, this is the place to go to be trained amongst the best.. :)

Deconstruction Workshop II

Earlier this year, I had a period of time where I was completely fascinated with deconstructing my shirts and held a couple of workshops with my students on how to recreate their own gear and transform them into new interesting pieces. I held one earlier workshop in March with my girlfriend Jo Lim which combined a mineral makeup segment before we went into crafting our shirts. More about it HERE. 

I've since run this Deconstructed Shirt "From Old to Sexy" workshop at the American club and the response for that workshop was good too! If you're keen on running this workshop with me for your office or school, please feel free to email me at honeymeow@gmail.com for more details. :) It will take 3 hours from start to end. Materials not provided as everyone will need to bring their own tshirts and scissors.

Pictures on this post here comes from my 2nd workshop held at the Raffles Town club in April and it was an interesting evening after one of my dance classes. We covered 3 designs. The Ribbon Tie Back. The Weaved Back and the Corset Back. Everyone left with 3 deconstructed tops of their own creation after learning how to slice, dice n' weave their shirts and I've seen several of them wearing them when they've come for class after! Nice!!

Click on the images here to enlarge to have a better look at the pictures. Giving the instructions above on how to prep your shirt. Below, a shirt completely deconstructed and ready for tying.

Modelling one of the samples that were used for demonstration for the ribbon tie back design to show the  participants how it would look when worn. This design is created on a plain tank top.

The process of creating the weave on their shirts.. some decide to use their legs to prop their shirts... some use the back of the chairs... with the chairs on the floor and some on the table...

And some get the assistance of friends while wearing their tops while they're weaved on their bodies... what a good idea!

Everyone had a fun time exchanging fabric scraps, trying out the various designs and learning how to create the various patterns on their tops... I had a great time with alot of laughter amongst all participants, seeing the determination in their faces while they worked on their tops and experiencing the creativity of everyone who came... one more deconstruction workshop coming up in the coming months! If you're keen on participating, drop me an email and I'll keep you on the mailing list.

Zumba By the Park!!

My girlfriend, Charlotte organised an awesome Zumba Fitness event on the 14th of May 2011 at the Hort Park, Alexandra in Singapore. The 2.5hr event comprised of a full team of 9 Zumba instructors, 100 people, 30 dance tracks including an introductory Samba performance by Gali, a combined group dance battle and a final surprise birthday song with cake for some very special birthday celebrants. There was catered food, professional photography, a fashion contest, a lucky draw and sale of Zumbawear at the event too!  The event was a complete success!!! Great job Charlotte! 

My team consisted of Angela Grosse and Manthony Gerald and I think we rocked the stage that night too! It was extremely sweaty and everyone was coordinated with their deconstructed Zumbawear for each set. I presented 2 tracks of my own, was in action for a total of 11 tracks that evening either shadowing my team when I wasn't instructing or pushing the dance battle on the dance floor. The 9 instructors for the night were made up of Shannon, Zuri, Rhomeiny, Siew Siew, Angela G, Manthony Gerald, Vanessa, Gali and myself.

One of my favourite tracks "Baby come Back"... done for the evening...

Part of the dance battle below where we have as much crowd interaction with each side dance battling and grooving to the beat. Plus the final part where Charlotte & friends made a surprise entrance with a huge chocolate banana cake for birthday celebrants Shannon (pink pants), Gali (dark orange pants) and Siew Siew (light orange pants, 2nd from the right) for the evening.

One of my best Zumba instructors in training, Pek Gan also came to give her support. Pek's style is extremely high impact and is something truely to look out for if you need that cardio kick. :) If you ever see her name on a Zumba class schedule, do check her out!! You'll really love it. 

Group picture with some of the instructors that we managed to grab before everyone left to mingle and eat for the night. It was awesome!! More Zumba Fitness events to come!!

ZES Masterclasses - May/Jun/Jul 11

Zumba Fitness ZES (Zumba Education Specialist) Masterclasses over the past 3 months! Marta Formoso (ZES Spain) on the 31st of May. David Velez (ZES Singapore/China) on the 14th of June. Michael Thomas (ZES Australia/S.E.A) on the 17th of July. I've been busy busy busy with my classes and these 3 classes have been a wonderful highlight for inspiration over the past 3 months... 

Marta Formoso is an absolute firecracker! Her classes always shockingly high energy and there are always so much style techniques to learn from her each time we meet. Love it!!!  Marta gave 2 back to back masterclasses in May and I attended both. :)

Picture of Marta and me... and another picture together with the sexy ladies from the American club (love u chicas!!)

As always when we get together, its picture taking time and we tried some dark shadowy profile pictures by the glass window by the studio for fun... and a picture of Angela Aiken and me all hot & sweaty after 2 hours of Zumba...

Then there was Davids' Masterclass. He came back to Singapore again for a few days from China and held another masterclass on the 14th of June... theres another one coming up in September 2011 where he'll be back for a very short trip again... If you haven't already registered for it, its probably already fully booked by now. Alas, its good to catch up with him from time to time since he was the one who trained me from knowing absolutely ZILCH in dance to training me in my certifications for Zumba till who I progressed to be today...

With years of all his group X experience under his belt, his classes are always energy packed and the sense of familiarity is welcoming to me whenever he returns for a masterclass in Singapore... his style is so definitive so its hard to achieve that kind of style essence with any other instructor here in Singapore... who else can teach a cumbia and a bachata with such style like Senor Velez? I haven't seen one yet. Have you?

As you can tell, its always a sold out event. 

And my Zumba chicas, Angela (orange), Hang (blue) and Alida (Pink) will never miss a masterclass if we could help it... Viva La Zumba! Picture below of my friend & "mummy", Jenny who also has a daughter named Pamela so I'm now her adopted "Zumba baby", Grace who helps to organise events and coordinates classes at Zumba Scape, David just fresh off the airplane and another instructor girlfriend, Airin who also teaches freelance in Singapore. 

And then there was Michael Thomas's Xtravaganza Masterclass and Zumba ZIN 32/33 training on the 17th of July. Unfortunately we all realised too late that we didn't take a group shot for this training so we only have action shots for this day. It was still amazing as usual. All Zumba ZES are of the highest quality so any class with them are always an awesome experience.

I found this picture amusing because the perspective made it seem like I was a toy that Mike was carrying around the studio but we were in the midst of a dance move here. Grace caught me skipping into the studio with my "I'm so happy to be here pose" as we entered before class started.

And again, it was packed from wall to wall! Picture below of my fellow instructor girlfriends - Pek Gan, Charlotte and Yvonne while we rested outside in between ZIN training and the Xtravaganza class to begin... Taking the time to breathe... breathe... breathe...

And a final shot from ZIN training earlier that day with my girlfriend and fellow Zumba instructor, Angela Grosse... her style is very high energy,  tribal + hiphop and her smile is always on her face just like mine simply because we love what we do... :) You'll find classes with any one of the instructors you have seen here in this post all over Singapore and with each instructor, you'll find a different style but in the midst of it all, you'll find that we all have a passion for Zumba... we all love what we do and thats all that matters...

PEACE LOVE ZUMBA ZUMBA ZUMBA!!

Nestlé Health & You 2011 Exhibition

Take some time out today or tomorrow to check out the Nestle Health & You 2011 exhibition over at Suntec Convention Hall 402 from 10am to 8pm! 27th and 28th August only! Yes, go get changed, grab the kids and head down now.. shut down your computer and go go go! Now.. yes.. right now... and yeah, thats me with Koko (Koko Krunch Bear)...

Another great branding and marketing effort by a trusted household brand, Nestle which my family and I had the invited opportunity to preview with other media yesterday. Upon arriving, we were graciously greeted by the wonderful team Nestle people who was in the midst of conducting an entertaining interactive mass dance session which my youngest, Eirian happily participated in. Hosted by Michelle Chia and Bryan Wong.

Expect food demos, a wide range of product sampling, health topic discussions, interactive exhibits, toddlers gym, instant photography, games & prizes and an opportunity to purchase Nestle products in their walk through supermarket which offers great deals on your favorite products! Each $25 purchase in a single receipt allows you to participate in an instant spin the wheel game with attractive prizes.

Some 2 weeks back, the corporate communications team hand delivered a specially packed gift to my home that absolutely delighted everyone at home. Image on the left with the Milo balloons, we received packs of Milo, Mocha Coffee, Kitkats, a funky Kitkat pillow, Soup concentrate, a notebook, colour pencils that went together with a colouring contest kit, recipe cards, cans and a pack of cat food, cereal packs and the most impressive were the specially customised bowls that had both my daughters names individually printed on them plus a cup that says "Mum's Coffee" for me. 

Right image is the goody pack we received after we left the event. The first 100 participants each day who collects 6 stamps at the event with a completed Quest card (available in flyers distributed onsite) can receive a goody bag above worth $20. (goody bag items may vary). Love love love Nestle products!!!

There are many booths there to check out and explore, I have put some in here but you have got to go to the exhibition to check them all out! We were particularly intruiged by the Nutren range of products as we took some time to find out more of what it contained.. over 50% whey protein in their drink. This would make for an excellent recovery and build drink for those who work out as much as we do! It tasted great and my girls were raving lyrical over their Nutren Jr drink.. they love it too.. we'll definitely look into checking out more of this product... check it out when you're there! 

And of course, whats Nestle without Milo!! There was a milo truck and a milo exhibit where there were games and also a special event only Milo Orange Burst drink... pretty yummy for those who love fruity kind of chocolate combinations... and yes, generous samples are free... Milo up!!! *burp!*

And did you know that Pro-plan canine food and Fancy Feast feline food are under the Nestle brand too? We only recently realised that they were and had a great time snuggling up with the dog at the Pro-plan counter.. he was really tame and really cute too!

And of course, everyone knows Maggi. Now that they've endeavored to work on less sodium products which are a healthier choice for those who make such instant food their dietary staple, their products still remain tasty even with a change in recipe... definitely not something to eat all the time but everyone definitely craves occasionally so you can eat it now without so much guilt that you're piling on the salt. Curry noodle sample anyone? 

Yeah, eat well of course! Thats the purpose about finding out more about our food choices yea? Theres also a booth where they provide a free medical checkup to assess your cholesterol levels so the hubster CJ and I took the plunge and got our fingers pricked to check out our Fatty levels.. and apparently my total cholesterol (LDL/HDL) is on a borderline high... However, it doesn't indicate whether my healthier lipids are higher or the unhealthier ones are higher but its a good general guage just to see where you're standing cholesterol wise if you haven't done a cholesterol check before. 

Other booths like the instant photo KitKat booth where you can indulge in Kitkat bars and take a picture with your family for rememberance can be fun... other products for kids like Nan or Cerelac can be checked out there too! If you have babies and toddlers, go check out the deals there! 

Still even more food and drinks... Sjora fruit juices were absolutely wonderful, tropical pineapple and mango drinks had us walking back repeatedly for more... my girls indulged in the complimentary Chili crab sauce cups with mini mantou buns for several rounds... "spicy but gooood" says Eirian... while we held her juice to help her cool down when the heat started to warm her palate.

The entertaining line-dancers at the event all in full costume just before their debut dance and of course, Nestle has Nescafe Coffee.. and we tried so many different types, we left the exhibition hall buzzing in the head with all that coffee... LOVE COFFEE!! and of course, the booth had a fun instant print with props where we got to pose and were presented with our collage after... So fun... Good Job Nestle! So there you go, go get changed and go go go! Its on till tomorrow.. go vote and then head down to Suntec... its really quite an experience. :)

National Day Zumba Party!!

Please click above to enlarge to read for more details. RSVP Required. Please email me at honeymeow@gmail.com. Let me know how many attending by Wednesday 3rd August. Limited to 50 pax attending. Thanks! 


The specially tailored menu for the party will be as such... *yummy!!*
Assorted Open-Faced Sandwiches - Smoked Salmon w/ Capers & Roast Beef & Chicken Roll.
Appetizers & Salads - "Gado Gado" w/ Peanut Sauce, Salad Nicoise, Thai Seafood Salad w/ Glass Noodles and Charred Mixed Vegetables with Aged Balsamic.
Yummilicious Main Courses - "Sze Chuan" Style Wok-Fried Fish Fillet, Stir Fried Beef w/ Onion & Ginger, Balinese Grilled Chicken with Condiments, Wok Fried Mixed Vegetables, Steamed Jasmine Rice and Braised "Ee Fu" Noodles with Yellow Chives.
Desserts - Fresh Fruit Platter, Warm Bread & Butter Pudding w/Raisins & Vanilla sauce, Mini Fruit Tartlets, Honeydew Sago and Orange Cordial.

Sunflower Surprise!

On Saturday, 11th of June, a group of Zumba instructors and myself took part in a dance competition to feature Zumba as our presentation. More about that in another upcoming post but that day itself was crazy crazy with the many classes I ran earlier in the day and having all 10 instructors in my Zumba class rocking the dance floor before we all adjourned to the locker for a makeup-dressup frenzy. And in the course of all that chaos. I lost my ipod and didn't realise it. 

It was only the next day when I was prepping for another dance class where I realized that it was missing and had to use my daughter's ipod temporarily. It was a flurry of calls to everyone and to places where it could have been lost and I spent the day moping for my lost ipod who seemed like it could never be found. I suppose I was really depressed over the loss and something came via delivery to cheer me up! Imagine my surprise when the doorbell rang...

My girlfriend, Charlotte was being a darling and decided to send me a little ray of sunshine to pass me a smile and lift my spirits. It was such a lovely surprise! 

Excuse the non-makeup, I was trolling about the house whining about my lost ipod and then this came! Thank you Charlotte, it was very thoughtful and sweet to have thought of sending this to me. :) Even Misty - my kitteh thought the green foliage was tasty too! *munch munch munch*

Thank you for the flowers and thank you to those who offered to chip in to buy me another ipod!! Eventually 3 days later, it was recovered and is now safely back in my possession. Whats an aerobic instructor without her music right? Tools of trade for sure. (hugging my red ipod now with a big label w my contact number on it)