Let's start working out

Last weekend, during the workshop, a 1 hour session was slotted in for aerobics exercise. I started the session thinking "I won't be able to get through the 1 hour", "I'm not at all fit" and "It's been ages since I've done any form of exercise". Even so I was psyched and willing to have a go. The fact that the session was done next the beach on a breezy morning was an added bonus.

As usual, the session started with warm ups which was not that bad. Got through it quite easily. Then things started to pick up speed. Full body workout which made our heart pump faster and faster. But I was still able to keep up with the instructor even with the rapid change in steps. Suffice to say, half way through the session I was still standing. However, 20 mins later, when the instructor asked if we wanted to have another round of the current routine, I was one of the people who shouted 'No'. The last 10 mins was spent with cooling down routines.

So, as you can gather, I did survive the session. And to my surprise, I may not be as unfit as I initially thought. Maybe it's due to the fact that I've been using the staircase instead of the lifts quite frequently at work in the last couple of months (ever since a few of my colleagues got stuck in the lifts).

After the aerobics exercise, I felt invigorated although slightly out of breath. This has certainly renewed my intent to start working out more often. I know the Uni has weekly aerobics sessions on Thursday evenings. But I won't be able to go this semester due to work commitments. Maybe next semester. I'm just hoping that my motivation to exercise won't fizzle out by then.

Or, maybe I should go digging for my Pilates DVD and give it a try (for the first time since I bought it ages ago).

Working Weekend Ahead

Originally uploaded by ABumbleBee.

I knew few weeks ago that both Shah and I will be working this weekend. We were told that both of us will be managing the students Sepak Takraw team in our Uni's students' sports carnival at the Uni's 2nd branch in Pahang. Even though we did not have the option to decline this assignment, we eventually were looking forward to the trip. We've even made all the necessary arangements to drive to and back from the event.

Then came last Tuesday. Around noon, I received a phone call informing that Shah and I are required to help facilitate a worshop for the Uni's top management staff including the newly appointed Vice Chancellor in Port Dickson. Hmm...what do I say to this person? Obviously, we can't decline facilitating the workshop due to the high-profile participants. So, we had to reschedule our weekend and make all the necessary arrangements to find a replacement for the students' sports carnival.

Luckily everything has been sorted out. Either way both of us will be working this long weekend (Monday is a replacement public holiday since Awal Muharram, the Islamic New Year, falls on Saturday). What a bummer!

Anyway, Happy New Year to all Muslims.

Hijrah itu itu pengorbanan...
Hijrah itu perjuangan...
Hijrah itu persaudaraan...umat Islam
Hijrah membentuk perpaduan...

P/S: Picture above is (the neat) part of my office desk. You should see how messy the rest of the table is.

P/P/S: We finally bought the iSqueeze from Osim and it has been our saviour at the end of a tiring workday. We also bought the uPapa from the same shop to ease my shoulder and back pains. So far, it too has worked wonders to both Shah and I.

Baby BumbleBee

Originally uploaded by ABumbleBee.

This is a picture of me when I was a baby. The poor quality is because it is a picture of a picture that has aged 27 years. Mum told me that people used to think I was a boy when I was an infant. I don't know, what do you think?

Bee d cat

Originally uploaded by ABumbleBee.

This is Bee. My sister's persian cat.

P/S: I was just testing out the 'uploaded to flickr and blog via mms' feature and it works. So from now on, I'll be posting more pics from my phone on this blog. Stay tuned!

Aching feet begone...I hope!

I'm on duty in I*mu this weekend. So Shah and I will just be lazing around in Unit*n and paying lots of visits to Putrajaya and Alam*nda. Tomorrow morning, as usual, we'll head there for Shah's all-time favourite breakfast (roti canai with kari kambing) and then we're going to the Os*m shop to try out their iSqueeze. I've tested it and immediately fell in love. So I've got to get Shah to try it out tomorrow and hopefully by tomorrow we'll be going home with one. Why I fell in love with it? A few weeks back, during a shopping trip to OU with my sister, we decided to tryout the machine. After only 10 mins of my aching feet (we'll u gals must know this happens during a girls-only shopping trip) being squeezed and massaged by the machine, my feet immediately felt lighter and the aching disappeared. So imagine what wonders it will do to our feet (both Shah's and mine) after a whole day of standing and lecturing, what more when its done in high heels in my case. Well, let's just hope Shah loves it too. If not, owning an iSqueeze will just be a dream.

Anyway, thats' what we hope to do tomorrow. Earlier today, Shah's dad came over. He's here on a meeting and as usual, a trip to KL for him is incomplete is he doesn't pay a visit to his beloved granddaughter (Shah's niece) Sofea. So we took him over to my brother-in-law's house and grandad and granddaughter were inseparable. Everytime we go over to see Sofea, she is usually very shy and would always stay by either her father, mother or grandad's side. But lately, she is getting iver her shyness with both Shah and I. Today she sat down with Shah and I and we played with her. And she was talking away, laughing and clapping happily. I hope as she gets bigger we'll be able to spend more time with her, maybe even take her out with her parent's permission of course. That was what my aunty and her husband used to do with me. They'd always take out, even bring we away on weekend trips. And this continued even after they had their own kids. Of course they became my favourite aunt and uncle. So I'm kinda hoping Shah and I will be Sofea's favourite aunty and uncle, or Mak Ngah and Pak Ngah in her case.

Wishes for 2-0-0-7

Truthfully speaking, I have never bothered with New Year's resolutions. I don't know why. Maybe because in previous years, when ever I set them, I never see it through. Have never achieved them (or maybe I did without realising). This year, however, I do have some things in mind that I'm hoping I'll be able to achieve:

• Buy a weighing scale, start monitoring my weight and start losing those excess kg's. I have to admit that I rarely weighed myself in 2006 coz I was afraid to know my true weight. But now I have to face the music and do something to get back into shape.
  
  
• Be brave, get behind the steering wheel and start driving more. I need to as I can't be relying on dear hubby to drive me around (even though it's much nicer to just get in and out of the car without having to do anything). Maybe even buy myself my own set of wheels?
  
  
• Lastly and most importantly, read more of the Quran, do more sunat prayers, improve myself as a Muslim, be a better wife and perhaps even a mother.
  

Now, apart from that, my other (more materialistic) wishes for 2-0-07 are:

• a new gold bracelet or bangle
  
  
• a car of my own
  
  
• a wardrobe full of baju kurungs and kebayas for work and formal functions
  
  
• more handbags and shoes (preferably with one, two or more of them coming from designer labels)
  
  
• a holiday any where (literally) this year as long as we get more than 1 week's break from work
  

Well, let's pull on the wishbone and see who's wishes will come true. Yours or mine?

photo obtained from sxc.hu

Whatever is... here's to wishful thinking!

Happy New Year

This is my first post for the new year 2007. Shah and I didn't do anything last night. Shah is unwell and I was pretty beat up from clearing up our kitchen and house. Yes, I still am in the process of arranging our stuff in the new house. Last night I was opening up our boxes from the UK and unpacking our kitchen stuff that we brought over from there. I've finally (after 1 year and 4 months) got out the dining set that we used to use in Nottingham. So now we do not just have 2 plates and 3 mugs in our kitchen. There are still lots more stuff to uppack and most of them are at my mother's house. So we'll be slowly bringing all those stuf here. Hopefully by 1-2 weeks time we'll have a complete kitchen to use.

Yesterday was also Eid-ul-Adha. I went for prayers with my family and then had breakfast of my favourite laksa Johor made by my mum. Then at around 11-ish, Shah and I headed to Shah's brother's place o visit his mum, dad and brothers. By 1-ish in the afternoon we're back in Un*ten as Shah's flu got worst. So that was when I started putting up new curtains and clearing stuff in the house.

Anyway, our start to 2007 wasn't that exciting but here's to hoping that this year will bring lots of excitement to both of us and to all of you too!