Despite my busy period of renovating and moving to my new home, I still managed to gym on average 3 times a week.
My body weight went down to all-time low of 57.4 KG since the last update as of December 2012. I haven’t weighed myself recently but my body weight should be anywhere between 58 and 60 KG right now.
I shrunk so much it was noticeable, no matter I am on the way filling up the gaps between my arm pits and my shirt 🙂
Here’s the format of the training I am going through right now: unlike before when each day training is dedicated to a specific body part, this time a session includes squats, dead lifts, wide grip bench press, and an ab work out.
The cycle I’ve been through so far:
CYCLE #1 (has 3 sessions)
5 sets x 5 reps per work out on Session #1
4 sets x 6 reps per work out on Session #2
3 sets x 8 reps per work out on Session #3
Squats – 95 lbs
Dead Lifts – 106 lbs
Bench Press – 73 lbs
Ab Work out
CYCLE #2 (has 3 sessions)
5 sets x 5 reps per work out on Session #1
4 sets x 6 reps per work out on Session #2
3 sets x 8 reps per work out on Session #3
Squats – 106 lbs
Dead Lifts – 117 lbs
Bench Press – 84 lbs
Ab Work out
CYCLE #3 (has 3 sessions)
5 sets x 5 reps per work out on Session #1
4 sets x 6 reps per work out on Session #2
3 sets x 8 reps per work out on Session #3
Squats – 117 lbs
Dead Lifts – 128 lbs
Bench Press – 95 lbs
Ab Work out
Just today I started CYCLE #4 – did 5 sets x 5 reps of the following:
Squats – 128 lbs
Dead Lifts – 139 lbs
Bench Press – still at 95 lbs; was struggling with this as of last week
Ab Work out
After this cycle is done, I will be doing an RM (Rep Maths) to find out what’s the heaviest weight I can lift in one rep.
After a whole year void of skydiving activity, I finally got the chance to do the static line jumps again in Segamat. The last time I did was two years ago.
Last year, I wanted to go for the AFF (Accelerated FreeFall) in Thailand; the planes were under maintenance in June so I called off the trip down and due to unpredictable schedule I couldn’t get any other friends to join me.
I was going to go back to static line skydiving but the hangar at Segamat was occupied by Singaporeans for many weekends.
You would think I went through quite some obstacles for another skydiving adventure but the hurdle didn’t stop there.
It was pouring for most of Saturday that fewer sorties got to make the jump that day. In fact, the first trip up was called down before the jumps could be made due to bad weather!
So most of the time we hang around at the hangar / rest area hoping for the skies to clear. We passed time with Azlan’s lecture for the new would-be skydivers, quite some paranoid practices and listened in on their stories from past skydiving experiences – both hilarious and horror ones.
If you’re going to go skydiving, be prepared to free your entire days for this especially when things don’t go your way and they’re out of your control – the weather being one example.
This time, there were both static line jumpers and students also going for free fall. The first time static line jumpers wore the same anxious look I had when I first jumped two years ago. The free fall jumpers just as anxious if not more – it truly is another level above, and riskier.
I had to come back to Segamat the next day to continue the static line jumps so on Saturday evening itself, I went back to PJ for Delia and Dulcie‘s farewell party before they go to New Zealand again to resume their studies.
Yep, I went through quite some trouble just to ‘make a suicidal attempt’ – as what some of my friends call it. Haha.
But in my opinion and feelings, it just made it all worthwhile when I made the jumps successfully. 🙂
Since I was lined up behind queue, I got to see many other jumpers make their landing. Many did good even for the first time!
One wasn’t so lucky though – he dislocated his shoulder on hard impact; he didn’t toggle to full brakes in the last second that mattered.
When it was my turn to go up there… I wasn’t thinking about what product to launch next. I wasn’t thinking about the problems I have. The faces I hate.
I was thinking of only getting back down to the ground safely.
I also felt a strange feeling not experienced before, how would I describe it? I was afraid… that I was not afraid.
Haha.
I made two static line jumps in this trip, bringing my total to 4 static line jumps + 1 tandem in my experience belt thus far.
Here’s a short video clip of me landing in one of the jumps I did:
So was it worth it? In spite of all the troubles I went through just to get to jump… Yes!
And from the looks of it, I want to do more static line jumps first before I attempt the free fall. Movies make it look too easy and the free fall students performance just show that I am far from mentally ready actually.
My exit from the aircraft still needs working on. Tumbling in 3 seconds might be okay for static-line jumping but it can mean serious panic or even death in free fall.
Static-Line Jump #3 – exit OK (but face down); landed on ass
Static-Line Jump #4 – exit had twist (rectified in seconds); landed by running (Good!)
ADDED 8th APRIL 2013:
This is long overdue. Finally here’s a longer video footage of my experience when doing the 4th static line jump 🙂
So yep, it was an amazing weekend! I could also feel the two round things between my legs had grown bigger. 😛
Attend a seminar and maybe you’ll be enlightened for a few days. But conquer several thousands of feet in a few minutes and you will come back to Earth renewed.
It’s nearly a month since I moved in! Ah, the trouble I went through…
Turned out that the paperwork and legalities were the least of my problems. Even after the loan was approved after a painstakingly long wait, the contractors I hired were behind schedule in spite of the basic renovation works.
Originally I was to move out of the Puncak Damansara apartment on the 8th of January but I had to postpone it by another two more days, seeing that the contractors were slow.
When I moved out of Puncak Damansara, the apartment was undergoing renovations and new painting works. A small shame actually, since the place looked mediocre throughout the entire time I stayed there.
Even so, I didn’t miss the place; the monthly rent was affordable for a convenient place in PJ but I would later find out that the surrounding area is riddled with domestic fights, family quarrels, and suspicious activities by Pakistani and Nigerian foreigners that would warrant a visit from the police from time to time.
So on the 10th I moved into my new place at Cascadia; it was a rush and I spent the first night with my mother in a half-functional house. Not every room had lights on, and the master toilet had no water and water heater.
Rushing my contractor to complete his works was a frustrating and upsetting ordeal – eventually I fired him and his guys just several days ago and since last week, I’ve been sorting out other options to get other things done in the house.
As mentioned earlier, going through the pains for the new house was like going through the pains I went through 10 years ago – only in reverse.
The house is nearly complete now; one of my uncles and his contacts will be helping with the remainder of the renovation after the Chinese New Year festival.
Here are some photos on my new crib – more to be added later on. 🙂 While this is my second house, I consider it a milestone achievement.
On the first day of moving in.
My work station and idea incubator.
Bachelor’s kitchen. Haha
Wonder Woman in my DETOLF Awesomeness Display
Captain America in my DETOLF Awesomeness Display.
The Awesomeness Display. More heroes to be added!
Then we have the DETOLF Hall of Darkness 😛
Photos at the mini lounge on the first floor.
One of the tablets of wisdom at my work studio.
One of the tablets at my work studio.
One of the tablets at my work studio.
Now that all these are done and dusted with, what’s next? Time to catch up on what I’ve been stalling for the longest time: finding a good, lovely wife. 🙂
Btw Property #3 onwards is going to be strictly for investment!
I was in Uptown to run a quick errand when a fair-skinned lady donned in hijab approached me, asking if I were the guy who stayed at a corner house around here before. I cannot remember her name but I recognized her quickly…
In late 2007 when I was about to leave the rented room for another location, this lady from the opposite room greeted me. I have not met the other room tenants until now. She asked if she could use the powerpoint in my room to boil water for her baby boy. I said no problem but I was actually moving out already. That was when she told me her story.
She married a Morrocan man and after the child was conceived, he duped her into renting that room – claiming to be a temporary place before they can all move to Morocco – only to disappear for several months without reach.
She was out of money, and the condition of the house was deplorable. The fact that the landlady is a crazed woman didn’t help matters either. The now single mother had nowhere to go.
I encouraged her to take the first few steps: move to a better room elsewhere and get a job. It was a scary prospect for her (and I know it very well) so I gave my phone number and after I left, for the next couple of weeks we exchanged SMSes on guiding her out of that dreaded house + accept that her husband has left and her child. At this point, I offered minor financial assistance so she could buy food for her several months old baby and get a job after moving to a new room.
We stopped contacting after she successfully moved out of that dreaded house (she also got her deposit back from the crazed landlady!) and then got a job.
That was nearly 6 years ago.
Today she’s working an office job for a company, her boy is in good condition and is schooling now. While it may not seem much by the standards of other people, but it makes me happy to see a single parent pull it through in spite of the seemingly impossible odds and not being at the mercy of an undependable husband, and just as happy that I got to play even a small part in it.
Finally… I’ve got Internet connection at my new home office!
For the past several weeks, I have been busy with the new house renovation and shifting details. The dust is not quite settled even now, but it was a disaster when I moved in on the 10th.
Originally I planned to move in on the 8th of the month but I had to push it back by two more days because the essential renovations were falling behind schedule.
On the day we moved in, everything was a mess.
Half of the house wasn’t operational just yet – there was no water going to some of the areas in the house, and only some parts of the house had working lights – in spite of giving the contractors ample time to do the essential renovations. I hated to do this, but finally I had to yell at them to work faster.
There was a problem setting up the kitchen cabinets so that set me back by another week and a half. I couldn’t use my Master Bedroom Toilet just yet.
Worse, I found out my area is out of coverage thus UNIFI would not extend their Internet and phone service here until there’s at least 60% demand in the neighborhood. I was so desperate for Internet connection that I talked to nearly every neighbor I saw in my area on my morning or evening walks, to get them to pressure for Internet access in the area. That was when I learned some of my neighbors had been here for the last 5 to 7 months before I moved in and they had been without Internet and phone access. 🙁
But hey… just when I thought all hope is lost, my sister Ashley suggested I give P1 Max a try. I kept my fingers crossed and ordered for a modem right away; it arrived the next day and voila… it worked! That’s why I am able to blog here now 🙂 The monthly cost isn’t cheap when compared to UNIFI but this will have to do for the time being.
Fortunately I thought ahead earlier and prepared a contingency plan to automate my online business’ mailing schedule for most of the month in case of the unexpected such as this!
As I am writing this, problems are getting solved around the house day by day that it is almost done. I feel more relieved today than I was just a few days ago… when absolutely nothing was working out my way. But I can’t relax now – there is still some more work to be done.
