Welcome back to Blogger!

I am back! I came back to blogger because wordpress doesn't allow me to put ads unless I have my own domain. Lame!

Anyway, blogger is easier to use and less complicated. Who knows, maybe I will continue using blogger permanently.

Sorry Blogger!

I now blog here .

Transferred only selected blog posts from both xanga and blogspot to my new blog. Apparently, wordpress is the in thing right now and I need to use it for job prospects.

Sorry blogger, you've been serving me amazingly for the past 8 years.

How to choose a gym/fitness centre

As promised, this marks my first post about the fitness world. I'm not an expert in it, but this is my personal opinion and it might come in handy especially to those who've never step in a gym before. I've worked in the fitness industry for 3 years both as a Membership Consultant and Customer Service and throughout my tenure there, I'd the opportunity to workout for free and learnt about the business in depth.

Here are 4 things to consider before signing up to any gym.

#1 What is your number 1 fitness goal?

This is the 1st  question every commercial gym would ask when you first step in their premise. Some say it's a sales gimmick and some say they're just concern about you. But in my opinion just be honest about it whether you want to lose weight, gain weight, tone up, etc. If you're lucky, you'll get a consultant who's knowledgeable and might help you achieve your fitness goal.

For example if you're goal is to lose weight, the consultant will explain to you on the types of workout you can do to lose weight and classes that focuses on loosing weight. Also, take note of the cardio area when the consultant takes you on a tour, because when it comes to loosing weight you need to do lots of cardio and make sure that they have ample space and not over crowded.

#2 Is it expensive?

First I'd like to introduce you to 2 types of gyms.

Commercial gym - A gym that's fully furnished with all the equipments, air-conditioned, cafe, kids centre, classes (dance, martial arts, Les Mills, yoga, spinning, aerobics, crossfit), certified personal trainers, lockers, steam/sauna, one set of towels and upon joining they'll provide you with their own merchandise (bag, bottle, towel).

Non commercial gym - A gym with only basic equipments for your fitness needs.

Honestly, it depends on how much you're willing to pay to achieve your fitness goal. If you're willing to pay for less than RM80 per month then, a commercial gym isn't for you. You might as well just join a non commercial gym that allows you to only pay when you need to use the gym.

But if you want a commercial gym experience, then I suggest you to pay for the price, be it RM150 or RM200 per month. But bear in mind that they'll lock you in a contract for 3,6 months or 1-2 years. And, if your only purpose is to join the classes then they are centres that solely provide yoga classes, aerobics, etc which is cheaper. But commercial gyms only provides all in one, even if you just want to attend the classes.

#3 Should I get a personal trainer?

It all depends on YOU. Most gyms provide at least 3 free sessions upon joining but honestly, all they teach you is just the basic stuffs. Personally, personal training is like an investment to your body and I'm not going to lie to you, but it's expensive. But think about the amount of money you'll be spending once you get sick and hospitalised. It's more than what you pay for a personal training package itself.

All personal trainers had undergo training and obtained a certificate before they can professionally train the members. However, some trainers specialises in different training than the usual like, bodybuilding, martial arts, physiotherapy, nutrition, female fitness, etc. You can also choose a trainer that can help accommodate your needs. Eg. If you have an injury, get a physiotherapy trainer who can still help you achieve your goals despite your health condition.

#4 What if I don't have time to get myself to the gym?

Most gyms opened as early as 6am and closes at 12am. Choose a gym that opens longer hours for your convenience. Unfortunately, we don't have 24 hour gyms in Malaysia yet. Most of you might wonder, do people really go the gym as early as 6am? During my tenure as a Customer Service, I've to get up as early as 4.30am to open the gym at 5.30am because the gym opens at 6am. And trust me, people actually workout as early as that as I sometimes wonder why don't they just stay at home and sleep? 

If you're travelling overseas and can't seem to focus on your workout and training, then get a passport membership. Some gyms have branches worldwide and you can easily access to it with your passport membership provided they have it in the area you're located. If there's no gym at your area, I'll cover it next time on how you can workout with whatever tools you have while travelling.

The new year is coming and I hope changing one of your lifestyles is one your resolutions. I also hope that you'll find this post useful. 

HAPPY NEW YEAR AND ALL THE BEST ACHIEVING YOUR FITNESS GOALS!

Breaking Dawn Part 2 Review and Spoilers

I've been anticipating the last half of the Twilight saga since last year, and I finally got to watched it yesterday. I've been a twihard fan and have read all four of their books before the first movie even came out, and I can testify that it doesn't hurt to read the book. Everything you need to know about the vampires and their histories are all in the book, because most people I know that haven't read the book had a hard time understanding the characters and the story itself. The movie can only do much portraying everything according to the book.

From my own personal opinion, the last movie was the best compared to the first four movies. But contrary to the books, the last one suck. Why? This may contains some spoilers, but in the book the Volturi and the Cullens had an argument and almost fought about the whole situation pertaining Renesmee, but changed their minds after realising how powerful Bella's shield power are. And the next thing you know, Renesmee didn't get to run away with Jacob as planned and the entire Cullen clan lived happily ever after.

In the movie, it was very similar to the book except the part where they added Alice's vision of the future if they were to start a fight. In the vision that Alice showed Aro, they were in war together with the werewolves and everybody was trying to rip each other's head off, and it's evident that the Cullens and the other vampire clans were stronger than the Volturi. A lot of blood, venom and sacrifice was shed and the Volturi was at the losing end. Terrified by Alice's vision, Aro called off the fight. That scene in the movie completely compensate the book and it made everyone watching it gripping on to their seats. It's doesn't even matter if you haven't read the book because it's exhilarating.

But one thing that is similar in all five Twilight movies is, their cheesy dialogues which I believe is used for comedic purposes. For example when Edward was unbuttoning Bella's shirt, Bella said "I remember how to unbutton myself." I mean of course you do, but Edward was just trying to get into the sex mood. I saw this movie with my sisters and cousins and we're the only ones laughing our asses off in the cinema. Malaysians sure have poor sense of humour.

And if you're team Jacob, you'll love that he gets to strip all the way down to his boxers revealing his tone figure. That part wasn't even in the book, and in that particular scene Jacob revealed his secret to Charlie by shape-shifting to his werewolf form. Jacob did that basically to let Charlie know that Bella too is different after informing him that he could visit her after such a long time since her wedding.

The acting however was better compared to the previous movies, probably because everyone had a special part in it and the supporting characters was given more than just one liners. Kristin Steward however played a better vampire Bella than human Bella, probably because Kristin has a tough chick exterior and could portrayed vampire Bella in a better light.

It was no surprise that it had a happy ending except Stephanie Meyer left some loose ends with Jacob and Renesmee's story. Some says that there will be another book about them, but we'll just wait and see. Overall, I'd give Breaking Dawn Part Two a 8/10. I was actually amazed at the ranking in the box office despite many haters and I also have some friends who hated the franchise but anticipate to watch the movie. The irony.

Girls vs Guys

The different conversations between with girls and guys. Well, at least for me.

This is how my conversation with girls goes..

Girls: *me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me......*

An hour later.

Girls: Ok. Enough about me, how's your week?

Me: My week was........ great!

And this is how my conversation with guys goes..

Guys: *girls, sex, cars, video games, gadgets, workout...*

Off and on throughout the conversation, they'll start checking out every girl that passes us.

Me: Hey, look at that girl! She's hot! She has a pretty face but she needs to work out more on her body.

Boys: You call that pretty? 

Me: Yeah.. Don't you?

Boys: Nah.. You're prettier.

Sometimes, it's therapeutic talking with guys.