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. :)