I have a strong urge to throw this in...

For better or for worse, I will show how I truly feel.

Today a colleague of mine commented that I really look fed up with another co-worker and it shows very obviously.  Well, I just want to say that my action is justifiable.  In my so many years of working in different companies, I have never experienced having to deal with a co-worker who is lazy, ignorant, blur, has attitude problem and has no common sense with work matters. Worse of all, despite numerous guidance and reminders, this person continues to make the same mistake and I have to frequently correct them.  Well, enough is enough!  To me, this person does not deserves any of my respect.  I would rather reserve that for somebody who is deserving, not someone who is making me "vomit blood" on a daily basis

It was shocking to me, at first, when I found out recently that I wasn't the only person in the office having problems with this person.  Seriously...what more needs to be said about such person then? 

I can have the words "fed up with...." printed on my forehead and it will still be totally justifiable.

Are new instructors really ready?

I am not sure what is with the gym lately.  It seems to me that there is a bunch of new and upcoming instructors, which is always a good thing, but then I noticed that new instructors are given more and more opportunities to lead classes during special events or during new release launch programs.  In a way, this will be considered good because these instructors will get all the exposures that they need to advance and be successful in their own programs. 

However, from a member's standpoint, not all of these instructors are ready for the limelight, not especially those who have just passed their clearance test. Nothing is more frustrating to members than instructors who fail to do proper cue-ing, often forgetting choreos or who simply fail to motivate the class. I understand that instructors need to go through a learning curve, pretty much as we all do in real life...however, I just feel that there needs to be a better instructor selection especially during special launch events. 

I'll speak for myself.  There was a time when I look up to certain instructors in the programs that I join because of their finesse, their fitness levels, the energy that they projected during class and their abilities to lead the class well.  It is these factors that kept me going back to their classes again and again.  Sadly, most of these instructors have either left the fitness industry, or are no longer teaching at the outlet that I go to or their slots have been replaced by new instructors.  It is no wonder that my trips to the gym has reduced significantly too...of course, the class schedule is the other factor.  

I now hear that one of my regular class for Body Pump may be replaced by some other class.  As a dutiful member, I have wrote in to complain but it remains to be seen how effective my feedback will be.  And oh ya, I made 2 of my friends submit feedbacks too. 

I am self praising today...

Who has been the one to come to the company's rescue EVERY TIME  someone from the Tender Commercial Bid Team resigns or is away on maternity leave?

ME! That's right....ME! 

and guess what.........that is not even my job scope but the fact that I am able to handle it speaks volume.  I am being look upon as the savior when there is no one to handle that job. 

Do I enjoy doing it? No.
Do I have a choice not to do it? Doesn't look like it.
Am I being appreciated? I highly doubt so.

You know what...despite all this, I am extremely proud of the fact that I am able to handle many different areas of job responsibilities reliably & independently and most important of all, do them well with common sense and quality.

Even though I am not rewarded well enough now, I hope some day someone out there appreciate my hardwork, values and trustworthiness...and reward me accordingly. For now, I will do my work quietly....

Tea break?

The last time I drank tea daily, I went thru 2 weeks of excruciating stomach upset and pain. I swore never to repeat this mistake but for the past few weeks, I have been drinking ice lemon tea quite frequently. I think it was partly due to the hot weather and partly because I was simply craving for caffeine, considering that I was off soda for quite awhile now.

I have a feeling that I am about to go thru another round of this unpleasant experience. I have been having slight stomach upset since last nite...the bloating, the discomfort, the cramps....resulting in the all too familiar sleepless nite and trips to the bathroom. And oh ya...I have just experienced a slight sharp pain few minutes ago.

I thought the first horrible incident was coincidence but now I really learn the hard way....

Cooking Project - Fettucine veggie pasta

Dinner last nite was fettucine with chicken pasta sauce + veggies. 

I don't think there's any need to go into recipe details since the picture itself is self explanatory. Besides, you  can use whatever veggies that suit your taste.

Verdict:  The pasta could use a little more salt but since I'm mindful of sodium intake, I didn't mind the bland taste. Veggies was nice with a little twang to it cos I added lemon juice.

Is it that difficult to read instructions?

I remember back during school days when we were sitting for examinations, teachers were always reminding and advising students to read and understand the instructions on the exam papers.  I may not remember all the things that were taught in school but that piece of advice has stuck with me long after I left school.

An instruction need not be something that is on paper alone.  In our daily lives, we are dealt with countless instructions, whether in college, at work, at home, etc etc.  An instruction can tell guide you towards doing something the right way and it is important that one listens or reads instructions. Some people simply do not understand the importance of reading instructions or they just do not bother to read them. 

I am dealing with one such subordinate at work and I find it extremely annoying, not to mention frustrating. Oral instructions given have to be reiterated many times.  Written instructions were not read or comprehended, resulting in work not done properly and me having to check this person's work.  I'm not dealing with a fresh grad or a junior level staff...this is someone who has several years of working experience and is paid senior level scale salary but yet make tons of mistakes each time and has to be constantly prompted to finish off a given task.  It is just pure hell dealing with this type of person but thank god, this person is leaving the company soon and the replacement is someone who is more reliable and more importantly, can understand instructions.  Can't wait..........

Mindless blabbing....

My thoughts seem to be everywhere and I can never gather them together enough to write a decent blog.  When I'm not ready to write, all thoughts and ideas come in a rush.  When I'm actually sitting down to write, my mind goes blank.  No difference today...so I thot I'll just jot down what comes to mind as I'm typing.

First of all, the office aircond airflow is insufficient to the point that I am ready to pass out daily.  No joke.  Highlighted the problem to the big boss but no conclusive action taken.  No worries boss, we'll just pass out quietly...

Isn't it frustrating when subordinates are not efficient in their work? I'm not talking about lack of creativity or not working smart.  It kills me when I have to constantly remind, monitor and check subordinates' work despite clear and simple instructions given. They will either not do it, take their own sweet time to finish the work, left the job half hanging or do it wrongly.  I'm vomitting blood dealing with this type of people.  Worse still, these people do not report to me but I have been asked to monitor & delegate work to them, otherwise I would have just fired them straightaway.  I am amazed at the lack of common sense around here

I watched Kelly Ripa appeared on Late Show With David Letterman last nite and damnit...her arms are ripped.  Needless to say, I was envious.  No amount of Body Pump sessions will ever get me those killer arms. If only I can have Jillian Michaels as my trainer....

I was very much distracted by a member in last nite's BP class.  She had her game face on the entire class, loading on heavy weights for every tracks.  I wasn't in the least bit impressed considering that she wasn't able to follow the timing and cue-ing of all the tracks, mainly because the weights were too heavy for her...it was that obvious.  Sigh.....some people just love to show off.

The Body Combat class went 10 tracks without rest last nite but I was hardly sweating much at all. I wasn't gasping for air even, like usual.  No thrills at all.  My sports bra wasn't even wet either.....

Caught a rerun of SYTYCD Season 2 finale last nite.  Favorite judge Mia Michaels was on....yeah! I hope there will be a rerun of Season 3 too cos I want to see more of Mia and her work.  Isn't it interesting that the 2 persons that I admire a lot (ie. Jillian Michaels, Mia Michaels) have the same last name.  I think it's so super cool..

OK, looks like the babbling train has come to a grounding halt.  No more thoughts coming out....

Need to re-evaluate my diet

Sigh....face looks a little gaunt.  Always the first sign of weight loss.  It shouldn't come as a surprise, I guess, considering that I haven't been eating as much as I should. The extreme hot weather outside and the lack of cold aircond air inside the office are a contributor to appetite loss.   Thank goodness I haven't been exercising that much.

Gym wise...am slowly returning to usual workout regimen, though am taking it easy on the cardio part.  I did turn up at the gym on Sunday for usual Body Pump only to find the class being replaced with some other class for that day, due to some special event.  Pissed me off that the schedule board isn't updated and I wasted my time and effort turning up.....which reminds me...I haven't submitted a complain feedback yet.

On  a different note, was paying my bills online yestesrday and realised that there were a couple of bills previously which were not paid...and I didn't even remember getting those bills in the post...otherwise I would have paid already.  A bit of a bummer cos that means all budget for this month completely went out of whack. I just hope there are still some balance left after settling the overdues...

Sure feels great to be back

Resuming workouts after a long break is usually something that I fear, a little. What was once easy became challenging.  In a way, that is good because then, I get to feel the burn all over again and that is where the growth is.  However, being someone  who is a self critic, I always walk out from the comeback workout feeling less satisfied.  

This week's fitball pilates and Body Pump workouts were pure hell for me.  I was half beat, half dead, very much struggling and extremely exhausted. Of course, it didn't help that I was very busy, stressed and tired from office work and found myself eating less than normal.  Not enough calories = not enough fuel = less energy.  On top of that, I have been having headache for days.  Stubborn me still insist on returning to the gym though.  Skipping it much longer will probably make it harder to come back. 

Having said that, I think the best part of resuming workouts after a long break is feeling the soreness of the body.  I just love that feeling, as miserable as it might get.  It gives me a sense of satisfaction, that I have pushed my body to the limit and I am reaping the benefits of the workout.

Now that I have gotten the initial post holiday workout struggle out the way, I am looking forward to my normal workout routines.  Stay strong, stay fit, stay healthy.

How's this for hilarious?

After a class workout at the gym recently, I was told that I was very good.  As much as I wanted to burst out laughing,  I decided to bask in the glory of the compliment instead.  Afterall, it isn't everyday that I get such remark from an instructor, let alone a dance instructor. Now..............if only I can be more coordinated and less stiff.

I must admit though.... it did feel good to be praised.  I think we all need that from time to time, regardless of how we grade ourselves. 

Speaking of dance, what is it with me and dancing? Having watched a few episodes of SYTYCD (So You Think You Can Dance) recently, suddenly I became a fan of dancing? Sadly, just as I have become a huge fan of Mia Michaels, she left the show in 2009.  What a bummer. I knew nothing about contemporary dance until I saw Mia's amazing routines.  And I gotta say, it was her wild haircut that got me hooked in the first place....

Mia Michaels, Emmy award winning contemporary choreographer,

who was also guest judge & choreographer in SYTYCD.