Sunday, August 31, 2008

TARGET SET - WEEK 8

STATUS
Weight: 102Kg
CP for week 7: 90%
Reflection: Nothing much to reflect this week. I was rather consistent with the training program. I signed up for another 2 years of gym membership @ SGD$70 a month. I was asking myself if I had the discipline to jog around my neighbourhood instead of gymimng. Nah...I thought it would be much easier to motivate myself to workout when there is a TV in front of the treadmill.
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WEEK 8
1st September (Monday) - RT
2nd September (Tuesday) - Exercise 90 mins in the Gym
3rd September (Wednesday) - Exercise 90 mins in the Gym
4th September (Thursday) - Exercise 90 mins in the Gym
5th September (Friday) - Rest
6th September (Saturday) - RT
7th September (Sunday) - Exercise 90 mins in the Gym

Friday, August 29, 2008

29 AUGUST 2008 (FRIDAY)

I thought this post would be a start of something new in this blog. I will give a brief (this is rather subjective) account of my day. I got inspired by a conversation from SEINFELD.
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Seinfeld: So what will the show be about?
George: Nothing.
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  1. got up at 6am. was sleepy because I slept at 2310 the night before.
  2. i thought to myself "I do not feel like going to work, so many things to do."
  3. went to work anyway.
  4. went to buy 2 curry buns for breakfast. i discovered a new delightful snack. savory, a little sweet, and a tad spicy. it went down well with a cup of tea.
  5. went for meetings after meetings. and a few more meetings after those meetings.
  6. had a quick chat with my staff. tried hard to convince them (yes them) to remain with the project. had a thought "why do the good ones always leave, leaving behind the ... jerks. gave my proposition to them. will hear their decision soon.
  7. was told i had to come in on the weekends.
  8. nothing constructive will be done, have to prepare a meeting room to wow some folks come Monday morning.
  9. I feel that i've been bitching too much lately. not that i have been vocal to people, more like i have been bitching to myself, internally, grumbling.
  10. made a decision not to buy too many comics. i have so many comic books i have yet to complete reading. i will not buy any new titles until i have enjoyed reading the ones i have with me.
  11. had a quick lunch. rice with bittergourd, stingray, fishcake and tofu. drank some tea.
  12. decided that i will only attend meetings that are actually useful. most of them are a waste of time. talk talk talk no action.
  13. i was arrowed to write an article regarding the project i was actively involved in. that suck big time. simply means i have to come up with heaps of self praise. and those people at corporate section pretty much wants it all nice and squared up. i thought, if i am doing all the PR stuff then what the hell are you hired for.
  14. i keep telling my peers, manager and bosses, if you are in a position, please remind other divisions that we are the revenue earners for this company. all the rest of them are to SUPPORT this revenue churning division, not to add additional bloody unnecessary workload.
  15. yes i am stressed.
  16. so now i give up trying to justify anything. i just prioritize my work accordingly. if it does not meet the deadline, the whole world knows why and i won't give a damn. as long i give it my 100%, i will leave my stress behind the moment i step out of the office. i do not owe the company anything.
  17. i actually sneaked out of the office this evening to go home.
  18. anyways. i have accepted that this is just the way it is with work. i just feel my entire life must not be fully centered on work. life is so much more than work. although it does take a lot of your time. i guess that's why advise is constantly given to the tune of "find work that does not feel like work" or more often put as "passion" . whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaatever
  19. i resisted buying many purchases. like DVDs and CDs and comics. i am in saving mode. i am now asking myself constantly, do i need it? how badly do i want it? do i really have to have it? is it really that good?
  20. i am tired. it is 2317hrs.
  21. sleep.
  22. one final thought. i like prime numbers.
  23. sleep
  24. one final final thought. yawn... i forgot what it was.

Sunday, August 24, 2008

TARGET SET - WEEK 7

STATUS
Weight: 103Kg
CP for week 6: 100%
Reflection: Haha... as you can tell, it was not very hard to stick to last week's program. I am going to step it up a notch for this week's training, especially since I am well rested. I am going into week 7 of the 12 week program. I am still 103Kg. I have 6 weeks left to lose 4 Kg. I am determined to meet this goal. You know there are several psychological barriers in any quest to lose weight. I have singled out one of them to be crossing the 100Kg mark. I somehow feel that I am sort of climbing this very steep mountain at the moment. 100Kg is the peak. Anything after that would be the slope down - i.e. I feel that losing weight for me would still be a challenge but it would be much easier after I've conquered the 100Kg mark.
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WEEK 7
25th August (Monday) - RT
26th July (Tuesday) - Exercise 90 mins in the Gym
27th July (Wednesday) - Exercise 90 mins in the Gym
28th July (Thursday) - Exercise 90 mins in the Gym
29th July (Friday) - Exercise 90 mins in the Gym
30th July (Saturday) - RT
31th July (Sunday) - REST

Sunday, August 17, 2008

TARGET SET - WEEK 6

STATUS
Weight: 103Kg
CP for week 5: 85%
Reflection: Although the CP for week 5 is high, it is simply because the bar that I've set for myself during that week was incredibly low. I was supposed exercise on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, but I did not do so.

I was hit with intermittent feverish spells starting on Thursday night but I brushed it off and went to the gym anyway. Big mistake, come Friday morning, I knew I was sick. Despite that, I went to the office because I loaded myself with heaps of panadol the night before and my fever went away. But it came back on Friday morning. It did not help that I had to run some errands which require going to several hangars under the heat of the unforgiving sun.

I finally called it quits, told my boss that I was down for the day and made a bee line to the doctor. The doctor suspected I had dengue because I had all the symptoms sans the red dots that's supposed to appear on my inner thighs. I got some antibiotics and pills for the muscle ache. The fever went away but the killer splitting headache remained - due to the inconsistent sleep. The whole night, I tried so hard to sleep BUT (I am SO not kidding here) my mind seem to be fixated on the up-coming Malaysian Bi-Election. I keep thinking about nonsensical stuff which has got absolutely nothing to do with me. the image of - what's his name - um... Najib Tun Razak (current Malaysian Deputy PM) kept popping into my head and I kept trying to shut him up because I hate to listen to all these politicians talk just before the elections.

Anyway, after some solid rest this weekend, I am still not fully recovered, I feel about 50% because my tummy is acting up. That was when I realized I might have the intestinal flu all along. Because of this ordeal, I lost 2 Kg in 3 days. I guess that is the only positive thing that came out of this sickness. I know I am going to lose a whole lot more because I foresee that this coming week will be a week for soups, plain porridge and nothing else.

Having said this, I am being wise and declaring week 6 to be a rest and recovery week. Now will all of you please form a straight line behind my back and take turns to pat it. And for the occasional FEMALE who is feeling puckish, I will even allow you to smack my bum... purely for encouragement you see... purely. hehe...
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WEEK 6
18th August (Monday) - REST
19th July (Tuesday) - REST
20th July (Wednesday) - REST
21th July (Thursday) - REST
22th July (Friday) - REST
23th July (Saturday) - REST
24th July (Sunday) - REST

Monday, August 11, 2008

A Fleeting Moment of Clarity

I had several deep thoughts recently - those about life, love, death, money, purpose, happiness, all those pieces that make up a lifetime. These thoughts are fleeting so it may seem very incoherent when I put those thoughts down in words but the gist of it is there.
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Of Life: I only have one life to live. Just one. Just one life to live to the fullest. Do I want to live a mediocre life or an amazing life. An amazing life need not be one which involves amazing feats like climbing Mt Everest or stepping onto the moon. An amazing life - to me at this very moment - is one where I am happy and contented every single day. I tell myself that I have to be grateful to be able to rise in the morning, for many lives are snuffed out that same morning.

Of Love: I have one life to live. The clock is ticking. I am not getting any younger. The problem with me is a whole heap of crazy. Low self esteem + shyness + fear of failure. I ask myself - how many more seasons do I have? When will I finally muster enough courage to take the plunge? How many more years can I stay silent? If it is my decision to stay single, then that is a whole different matter, but I do feel that - for now at least - I would like to begin a relationship.

Of Death: It is still scary to me. My parents aren't young anymore? They have many more good years to go but their time will come. Death comes to all, but centuries on and humans are not getting used to it, we are in fact fighting to prolong the inevitable. I wonder when it is my turn to die, will I be happy with the life that I have lead. Will my kids be proud of me? Will I have accomplished all I had set out to do? Will I have closure?

Of Money: In this one life, many strive to make as much money as they possibly can. Thousands, millions of dollars. This will no doubt bring material gratification but will it satisfy all the needs of a person? No. We spend such a big chunk of our lives working to feed ourselves, to clothe ourselves, to give our families, to bring joy, to buy things that make us happy. But in the end, money really is just money. You cannot bring it anywhere beyond this life. I gave the analogy of the taxi cab once. I would say, as reluctant as I may be to spend on expensive cab rides, I rather treat it as buying time. I am not so much paying money for a cab ride, but more so spending money to buy more time to do more important things - even if it is for a mere 30 mins. Those 30 mins will never return back to you. For me I think 30 mins of my life is worth $5 whenever I can afford it. And those 30mins that I save could very well be for me to go home and chill out. Relaxing at home can be very important to a person.

Of Purpose: I still do not know what purpose I have to speak of. All I know now is to be a good worker, get those monthly checks, get those yearly promotions, get those periodic fulfillments. I think of working hard now, climb the corporate ladder and perhaps one day when I retire, I will open up my dream cafe and be my own boss. Will I live to see that day? Does God have bigger plans for me? No one knows what tomorrow will bring. So not everyone has a tomorrow to go to, a tomorrow to procastinate to.

Of Happiness: I want to be happy. I do not want to be sad. This is all I thought about this subject.

Of Kids: I want kids. Despite how much costs are rising and all, I still feel I want to have kids. If I am fortunate enough to have my own, that would be good, if not I am very open to the idea of adoption as well. I am thinking 2 or 3 or maybe.. maybe even 4. It also depends if I can afford it. Seriously, there is such a thing as the economics of scales or in Singaporean lingo " NO MONEY NO TALK"
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All these thoughts are fragmented now. I hope that God will one day show me the big picture. One day, perhaps He will show me where all these pieces fit.

Sunday, August 10, 2008

TARGET SET - WEEK 5

STATUS
Weight: 105Kg
CP for week 4: 20%
Reflection: This weeks' CP is incredibly low. I have decided to give myself an honest assessment. I stuck with the training program, but I slacked with the food intake.

We celebrated my mum's upcoming birthday by taking her to a Penang Seafood Buffet. FOOD GLORIOUS FOOD. I had fish after fish, clam after clam, crab after crab, before I knew it I was stuffed, thus breaking rule#4, 5 and 6 all at once. I ate but 2 mouthfuls of carbo (honest!) but I broke the rule nevertheless.

Another infraction came in the form of chocolate. NOT JUST ANY CHOCOLATE! It was one of those extreme epicurean epiphanic experiences (E4). [I stole this term from this blog. Have a look, it is about a foodie who goes about Singapore searching for excellent food and posts pictures of his conquests] Back to the chocolate: My colleague came back from France and brought along this unassuming nugget of chocolate. He gave it to me and I find it VERY hard to turn down, this little nugget crossed several continents to reach moi, so I thought it is best to honor it by eating it! [i know, i am so full of crap] But seriously, ROYCE Chocolates and GODIVA Chocolates are PALE in comparison compared to [drum roll please] EQUADOR Chocolates. One bite and I was caught in a gastronomic rapture which propelled me to chocolate heaven - tiny chocolate angels were playing their tiny chocolate harps as I was savoring every tiny morsel of this heavenly cocoa manna. With the last bite, I was thus pulled back into realty, this cruel cruel reality - a reality without another chocolate nugget to savor.

With each bite, the experience was so good I am convinced I had consumed a million calories because something that tastes this good has to be laden with a million calories. Thus, I deducted 50% off my CP immediately..... but by golly, it sure was worth it.

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WEEK 5
11th August (Monday) - Rest (Hooi's in Singapore)
12th July (Tuesday) - Rest (Hooi's in Singapore)
13th July (Wednesday) - Rest (Hooi's in Singapore)
14th July (Thursday) - Exercise 90 mins
15th July (Friday) - Exercise 90 mins
16th July (Saturday) - Exercise 90 mins
17th July (Sunday) - Exercise 90 mins

Saturday, August 09, 2008

The First Week of Decaf

I started to drastically reduce my caffeine intake some time ago.
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I found a comic strip that gives you a visual of that first week.
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Sunday, August 03, 2008

TARGET SET - WEEK 4

STATUS

Weight: 106Kg
CP for week 3: 75%
Reflection: I would like to think I have gone down another kilogram or so. Well because I weighed myself right after I had dinner. I should not concern myself with this too much, Just continue with the program, eat right and trust that all my efforts will come to fruition.

Also, I tried doing one chin up today. I only managed to do half, I think this is rather significant because just a week ago, I could only hang on the chin up bar because I did not have enough strength to jerk myself up even half way. I'm not too sure why I could go half way this time. I guess it might be because I lost a wee bit of weight or gained a wee bit of strength. I would like to think it is a little of both.

Also, I noticed that I've gotten used to having a light dinner. It was rather a struggle in the beginning because rice was a staple, but now I would feel uncomfortable if I had to much to eat. I believe my body is starting to accept this. This is important because most magazines/ television/ newspapers with weight loss articles agree that exercise contributes perhaps 30% towards weight loss, it is the control of food intake (70%) that has the most impact on one's overall weight loss success.
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WEEK 4
4th August (Monday) - Exercise 90 mins
5th July (Tuesday) - Remedial Training
6th July (Wednesday) - Exercise 90 mins
7th July (Thursday) - Remedial Training
8th July (Friday) - Exercise 90 mins
9th July (Saturday) - REST
10th July (Sunday) - REST