Indonesia Trip '08 – Day 01 Part 1: Getting There

Having discussed it earlier, we decided to depart for LCCT from my apartment in Sunway instead of staying overnight at the place that I slept near KL Sentral during my trip to Manila last year. It made more sense to do that this time since our departure time for Indonesia was scheduled for 0950 which was much later than my Manila flight departure time last year. The night before the trip was used to repack our stuff to see if we could get more free space in our luggage for the items that we were expecting to bring back from our travels. On top of that, everyone was still wired with excitement at the prospect of finally starting on the journey that has been months in the planning.

We finally went to bed at 2:30am but woke up 3 hrs later to get ready to leave since the airport limo that we reserved was scheduled to arrive at 7am. Considering the early hour, we did not run into any problems during the trip to the LCCT and arrived quite early after the smooth drive in the Perdana airport limo that cost us RM60 per trip from my apartment. Once we arrived at the airport, we went to check in our bags and made a beeline to the local McDonalds for breakfast. At the time we didn’t know that there was a new food garden (found out much later when we arrived back) just outside of the terminal or else we would have tried something else then the tired McD breakfast set.

The plane departed on time at 0950 from LCCT and promptly run into some turbulence during assent. Thankfully, the rough patch was quite short and the flight was smooth from that point on. The flight took about 2 hours which I mostly fill up with fiddling with my new iPod. Time definitely flew by and we touched down at Sukarnoe-Hatta International Airport at 1050 local time (Jakarta was 1 hour behind KUL) safely. Learning for my mistake last time, I double checked to make sure that I had everything with me before leaving the plane. I did not want to have a repeat of losing my phone again as I did during my Manila trip last year. I am glad to say that I did not lose or break anything during this trip (yay!)

We cleared Immigration with no problems and soon we were on our way to the Arrival Hall. Having arranged transportation to the hotel in Jakarta through the net, I was not sure how I would be able to find the driver. I was expecting to see someone holding a card with my name at the Arrival Hall but when we first reached there, I could not see anyone there. Before I had time to panic (I know .. so DQ!), I heard my name called out and we were soon at the GoldenBird limo service counter to sign for our Avanza car to drive us to the hotel. The cost of the hotel pickup was not included in the room charges so we had to pay 130,000 Rupiah (Rph) for it. This was our first official encounter with the many zeroes used in Indonesia currency which would continue to confound some of us for the next few days.

The drive from the airport to the hotel took us through a highway that cut through swamp marshes and fresh water breeding ponds. For the most part the drive was smooth going with occasionally slow downs when we hit the infamous Jakarta traffic jams. It took us about 1 hour drive before we reached our hotel which was located in the Central Jakarta area. I had booked our family room at Hotel Atlantic through the internet and hoped that it would meet our needs in Jakarta which thankfully it did … barely. (More details about the hotel in a separate blog entry coming soon). Once we checked in and rested for a bit, our first item on the checklist was to check out what was available around the area of the hotel in terms of eating places.

We saw some street side warong selling local food just outside of the hotel but we decided to let our stomachs acclimatize with the local bacterial fauna before risking eating at warongs. Finding nothing much on the hotel side of the road, we crossed the road using the Busway pedestrian crossing (Selamba Carolus stop) to the other side where we decided to have lunch at a nearby Nasi Padang restaurant. I have had Nasi Padang before so I was already expecting them to bring out all the dishes that they have in the shop to our table. This came as a surprise to my travel companions who were not used to the way they serve Nasi Padang here. After the obligatory foodie picture taking session, we dug into a fairly tasty meal that cost us 80,000 Rph for the 3 of us. Once we had our lunch, we decided to go back to the hotel to rest for a bit and plan our next destination.

Indonesia Trip '08 – All and So Much More

(MONAS, Jakarta - Indonesia, Apr 2008)

Arrived home from our Indonesia trip late last night after having our Air Asia flight cancelled and our reservations bumped to a later evening flight instead. With tones of notes and pics to go through, I would definitely have a lot of blogworthy items to update the blog with in the following weeks if not months (hopefully not!). Till the first of the series of updates, here’s some of the trip highlights that would be detailed in later blog entries.

Stay tuned!

Trip Highlights :

• “Oh crap! Did I just gave him 10,000 or 100,000 rupiah?” – dealing with the zeroes on the money.
• There is no tempe in Jakarta! Help!
• Trawling the docks after sunset.
• “Whatever happens in Jakarta, stays in Jakarta"
• Starbucks closes at 9:30pm in Jakarta! Help .. again!
• Lost among the masses at Taman Mini Indonesia Indah.
• “Quick lah! I’m melting here!” – dealing with the heat and humidity
• Breaking the bank in cool Bandung.
• Train from Bandung to Jogja – “Are we there yet???”
• Bandung After Dark – where they don’t use street lights!
• Kawah Putih – Surreal meets Stinky
• Adventures of eating in Indonesia – “Just order the strangest sounding item on the menu lah” aka trying not to giggle when ordering Nasi Liwet
• Surviving the souvenir touts at Borobudur and Parambanan.
• Jogja - Temples and Stupas and Ruins .. Oh My
• The most expensive cup of coffee I’ve ever drunk
• Chilling out listening to live jazz performance at a backpackers pub
• A Supernatural Encounter in Jogja
• Walking where no tourists have been before
• Batik and Wayang Kulit and T-Shirts .. Oh My
• Fortunate circumstances in Solo

Indonesia Trip '08 – All Packed Up

After months of planning, I’m just a few hours away from starting my Indonesia trip. All the hotels except for the one in Solo has been confirmed and we are all packed up. Most of the travel plans have been more or so fixed by now and more importantly we are all looking forward for the trip.

For me personally, this will be actually the first time traveling for more than 4 days straight. The whole day today at work was spent making sure that all that I needed to get done has been completed. I also had to advise both my subordinates and my boss on what to do in case something that I would usually handle at the office comes up. Hopefully I left sufficient instructions behind for them since it turns out I may not get my mobile’s international roaming turned out in time before I leave on my flight. Knowing them though, I expect a whole boatload of pending action items waiting for me when I get back.

At this point, work is the last thing on my mind. I’m looking forward to enjoy the trip with my buddies. Indonesia has always been a place that I want to go to and Java is especially significant as it’s almost like a homecoming for me since part of my heritage comes originally from there. I’m looking forward to reconnect to that part of who I am.

Accordingly, the blog would probably go without updates for the one week while I’m on the road. If I do get a chance to get on the internet, I would definitely try to post some updates but if then doesn’t happen that I’ll be back updating once I get back at the end of next week.

Be back soon.

In Heavy Rotation

Having a slow week blog-wise with very little blogworthy items to write about. Still I did promise myself to have at least 1 entry per week minimum so here it goes.

I finally joined the dark side of the force and bought myself an iPod this past weekend. I was delaying the purchase for until after my trip since I was suppose to borrow one from my friend but that plan didn’t pan out. Given that I get motion sickness very easily, reading while traveling on a plane, taxi, bus or train is out of the question for me so having the iPod would definitely be a welcomed distraction to help me pass the time. Of course the other use of the iPod is to help me zone out while doing my workouts at the gym. Other than my Micheal Buble and Stacey Kent playlist, my gym playlist was one of the ones that I made on the iPod right after bringing it home.

Guess what you put on your playlist is a matter of personal preference but I wonder what else is there that I can add to my playlist to give it that extra punch to help me push the limits. If you have any recommendations, you’re welcomed to leave the title in the comments and I’ll definitely go look it up.

• Jaleo [Spanglish] - Ricky Martin
• If That's OK With You - Shayne Ward
• You Make Me Wish - Shayne Ward
• What I Want - Chris Daughtry
• There And Back Again - Chris Daughtry
• Stranger - Hilary Duff
• Don't Stop the Music (The Wideboys Club Mix) - Rihanna
• Tokyo Drift - Teriyaki Boyz
• Can't Get You out of My Head - Kylie Minogue
• SexyBack - Justin Timberlake
• Gimme More (Kaskade Remix) - Britney Spears
• Girlfriend - Avril Lavigne
• I Don't Wanna Be In Love (Dance Floor Anthem) - Good Charlotte
• The River - Good Charlotte
• Turn the Beat Around - Gloria Estefan
• You Oughta Know - Alanis Morissette
• Jump [Extended] - Madonna
• Can't Fight the Moonlight (Hard Main Mix) - Saint Etien
• I Will Survive (Remix 2001) - T-Zone
• Never Again (Dave Audé Club Mix) - Kelly Clarkson
• Now You're Gone (DJ Alex Extended Mix) - Basshunter
• Proud (Peter Presta QAF V Mix) - Heather Small
• Umbrella [Jody den Broeder Lush Club Remix] - Rihanna
• Vogue (Club Mix) - Paffendorf
• Por Arriba Por Abajo - Ricky Martin
• La Bomba - Ricky Martin
• Maria (Spanglish Radio Edit) - Ricky Martin
• The Cup of Life (Remix - Long Version) - Ricky Martin
• 4 Minutes (feat. Justin Timberlake & Timbaland) - Madonna

Total playlist duration : 2.3 hrs

Bukit Gasing Needs Your Help!

I wrote about going hiking with friends at Bukit Gasing back in January of this year. Unfortunately, I have not had a chance to go back and revisit the trail again since then due to other commitment. Now it seems that I may not have much longer before there will no longer be a Bukit Gasing hiking trail to come back to!

A blog reader left me a comment on that particular entry to inform me that the development work I noted earlier on my hike has already commence on the KL side of Bukit Gasing as of 27th March 2008 apparently in violation of a court order by the High Court granting Judicial Review on the matter of the development. More on this case and other information about the threat looming over Bukit Gasing can be found at their Save Bukit Gasing website which is open for public review.

From their website.

We seek your urgent support and actions as follows:

• We need the support of residents and the general public to stop this development before it is too late.
• We need financial funding to pay our lawyers and court expenses. Our long term battle includes getting a public hearing with DBKL, getting a stop work order, then proving the site is too dangerous for any development, reversing the approval for development, and finally gazetting the site as a permanent green lung.
• We also need petition support, meaning your signatures and presence in our public petitions and activities.
• We need voluntary workers to volunteer their time and effort to organize efforts to campaign our cause.
• We need resources such as information and expertise that will support our cause - engineers, geologists, experts, politicians (we already got Hee Loy Sian, Edward Lee, Sivarasa and Elizabeth Wong and Nurul, to support our cause and bring it up to higher authorities).
• We also need contacts with various organizations, bodies and societies that can help support our cause.

The group is also organizing a “Save Bukit Gasing Family Day” this weekend. Unfortunately it looks like that I would not be able to be there but it will not stop me from spreading the info about that event to those who come and read my blog. They could use all the exposure on the event that they can get.

If you like, you are more than welcomed to go and download their event poster from the Save Bukit Gasing website and put it up as an entry on your own blog. The more people know about what is happening in the Bukit Gasing area, the higher the possibility that some change will come out of this show of concern.

Workout Journal – 2008 Personal Training Program Day 22

Program Day 22 (muscle group: Total Body – duration 1 hrs)

Warm up – Cross Trainer (20 minutes - 180 kcal target burn)

Total Body Endurance Circuit Training – EZ Barbell

Set 1
Squats (reps – 15, weight - 30 lbs)
Shoulder Press (reps – 15, weight – 30 lbs)
Upright Row (reps – 15, weight – 30 lbs)
Deadlift (reps – 15, weight – 30 lbs)
Bicep Curls (reps – 15, weight – 30 lbs)
Triceps Extension (reps – 15, weight 30 lbs)

Set 2
Squats (reps – 20, weight - 30 lbs)
Shoulder Press (reps – 20, weight – 30 lbs)
Static Lunges (reps – 20, weight – 30 lbs)
Upright Row (reps – 20, weight – 30 lbs)
Deadlift (reps – 20, weight – 30 lbs)
Bicep Curls (reps – 20, weight – 30 lbs)
Triceps Extension (reps – 20, weight 30 lbs)

Set 3
Squats (reps – 25, weight - 30 lbs)
Shoulder Press (reps – 25, weight – 30 lbs)
Power Lunges (reps – 25, weight – 30 lbs)
Upright Row (reps – 25, weight – 30 lbs)
Deadlift (reps – 25, weight – 30 lbs)
Bicep Curls (reps – 25, weight – 30 lbs)
Triceps Extension (reps – 25, weight - 30 lbs)

Push Ups (reps – 10/20/30/40, weight – body weight)

Abs
Abs Crunch Bench (reps – 30/30/30, weight – body weight)

Surprisingly I was able to complete the first set within 15 minutes and transitioned into the second set after 1 minute resting time. I was able to keep up the pace up to halfway into my static lunges when I started to lose balance holding up the barbell. This was definitely a big improvement from my last attempt when I had to rest quite a few times even during the first set.

Being able to do that is definitely an achievement that I can mark down as progress regardless of how small it seems.

Sappy Thoughts

To Make You Feel My Love - Garth Brooks

When the rain is blowing in your face
And the whole world is on your case
I would offer you a warm embrace
To make you feel my love

When evening shadows and the stars appear
And there is no one there to dry your tears
I could hold you for a million years
To make you feel my love

I know you haven't made your mind up yet
But I would never do you wrong
I've known it from the moment that we met
No doubt in my mind where you belong

I'd go hungry, I'd go black and blue
I'd go crawling down the avenue
There ain't nothing that I wouldn't do
To make you feel my love

The storms are raging on the rollin' sea
And on the highway of regret
The winds of change are blowing wild and free
You ain't seen nothing like me yet

There ain't nothing that I wouldn't do
Go to the ends of the earth for you
Make you happy, make your dreams come true
To make you feel my love

To Make You Feel My Love (video)

Workout Journal – 2008 Personal Training Program Day 21

Program Day 21 (muscle group: Back, Triceps, Forearms & Abs – duration 1 hr excluding warm up)

Warm up
Cross Trainer (10 minutes, 80 kcal target burn)

Back
Assisted Chin Up (reps - 15/15/15, weight – 33% of body weight)
Isolinear Front Lateral Pull (reps – 15/12/10, weight – 25/50/60 lbs)
EZ Barbell Upright Row (reps – 15/15/15, weight – 40/40/40 lbs)
EZ Barbell Deadlift (reps – 15/15/15, weight – 40/40/40 lbs)

Triceps
Cable Triceps Pulldown (reps – 15/15/15, weight – 30/40/50 lbs)
Seated Dips - Bench (reps – 15/15/15, weight – body weight)

Forearms
Cable Forearm Pulldown (reps – 20/20/20, weight – 50/60/70 lbs)
Cable Reverse Forearm Pulldown (reps – 20/20/20, weight – 40/50/60 lbs)

Abs
Abs Crunch Bench (reps – 30/30/30, weight – body weight)

I’m planning to skip doing cardio as my workout cool down to reduce muscle loss so instead I will be going to the abs bench and do crunches instead. It doesn’t burn off as much calories but if done properly will definitely help in toning up my flabby tummy. That’s always a good thing to have happen!

InBody Check Progress – March '08

I’ve gained weight this month (shoot!) but on the upside it seems that the weight increase is due to the increase in my overall lean body mass (yay!). It this point I’m not so worried about gaining overall weight as long as I know that it’s healthy weight (lean/muscle mass) instead of fat mass.

Having said that, the muscle mass increase seemed to be a little bit on the low side compared to what I was expecting having going through the new PT program. I guess I should try to find out what would be the expected gains baseline that I can use to compare my progress for this. If I look at the month to month increase then there is definitely improvements after following the new PT plan since I gained 0.8kgs for muscle mass compared to 0.1kgs in the Jan-Feb timeframe when I just started on the PT program.

Fat mass loss seems to be stagnant this month (boo!) but percentage wise it is still on the right downward track. Still a ways to go before I hit my 18% fat percentage for this year though. I definitely could lose more by doing more cardio but my PT advised me to cut down on my cardio to reduce the risk of reducing the gains I made with muscle mass total. Guess I just have to watch my fat intake more closely this coming months.

I still have about a month’s worth of PT sessions left which I would be using mainly to correct any lingering form mistakes so that by the time I will be doing them myself, I would be able to fully gain from what I learned from my PT. Taking my PT’s advice, I’m cutting down my cardio sessions down to a max of 2 x 40-minute spinning (RPM) sessions a week and 3 x 10 minute workout warm-ups on the cross trainer. Those sessions should be sufficient to fulfill my cardio needs for the moment.

The journey continues.

Workout Progress – March ‘08

March was another good workout month for me. To avoid my muscles from retaining muscle memory from repetitive exercises, PT and I decided to vary the type of exercises that I had to do per PT session. By doing it this way, my muscles are forced to adapt faster to the changes and mentally I would not have mental barriers set up because I don't know what to expect my limits for that day was. We also ventured into more total body endurance training as one of my goals is also to build up a more balanced body tone instead of just a particular body group. Endurance training is good for that as you get to work out a lot more muscles groups per set compared to isolated muscle trainings.

I am also proud to say that I have been fairly consistent with my attendance in the spinning (RPM) classes at my gym. I was finally able to find a timeslot that worked best for me and have been attending at least once a week. I try to get 2 classes per week but it’s hard to go to the Sunday class without me sacrificing my social life (as if!). Once I got used to the extremely hard bicycle seat and the fact that my fat bum would be bouncing around in public (the fly wheel studio is practically an aquarium at my gym) when I cycle, the classes were actually an enjoyable way to burn off calories. Strange that a few months ago I was so self conscious to join in the class but now I’m arguing with my friend on whether or nor should we cycle to the beat of the provided music instead of just increasing the level intensities when the instructor calls it out. He says no but I say yes … anyone can settle this argument? For me it’s a whole other level of enjoyment to challenge your paddling to be in sync with the downbeat.

Diet plan in March

Breakfast (8 am)
- 1 sachet of Quaker Oats Flavored instant oatmeal
- 1 serving of low fat yogurt
- 1 serving of protein shake

Brunch (10 am)
- 1/2 serving of plan fried rice with tempeh goreng or greens
- 1 hardboiled egg (alternate working days
– 2 whole eggs total per week)
- 1 serving of fruits

Lunch (12 pm)
- 1 Spirulina cereal 3 in 1 mix.

Snacks (4 pm)
- 1 Nature Valley Granola bar (Apple Crisps, Almond and Pecan have lowest calories)
- Japanese Green Tea

Dinner (7 pm)
– non workout days (Tues/Sat)
- 1 serving of protein shake
- buy something roughly less than 300kcal

Workout Days (M/W/Thurs/F: 8:30 – 11:30 pm, Sun: 4 – 8pm)
Pre workout
- 1 serving of protein shake
- buy something roughly less than 300kcal

Post workout
- 1 serving of protein shake

Supplements :
MuscleTech Nitro-Tech Hardcore Protein Shake – 3 servings per day
GNC Pro Performance Creatine Monohydrate – 3 servings per day
21st Century’s HerbalLipo Tea – 1 serving per week day
GNC MegaMen Dietary Supplement – 1 tablet per day
GNC Big 50 Vit B Complex – 1 tablet per day
GNC Fish Oils – 1 tablet per day

Thanks to my birthday discount at GNC, I added a few new supplements in my daily consume list. The Big 50 Vit B Complex is to help with mental alertness as well as for metabolic processes and the Fish Oils capsules for overall health maintenance. Since I’m looking to bulk up a bit in the next few months, I’ve also added Creatine Monohydrate to my supplements list. My past experience with it showed that I was able to push myself further when I take creatine on top of my usual protein shakes. The new MuscleTech protein shake that I am taking now does have creatine in it so I’m actually doubling my intake of creatine for the moment.

For the coming April, I will be cutting down my PT session to 2 times a week considering that I only have 7 sessions left with will last me till the end of the month. I have been offered PT renewal at RM85 per session for 18 sessions but I think I want to go on by myself for a bit to see how much progress that I can get by myself. I’ve already documented my current exercise plans so I can reuse the same plan when I’m not training with my PT. I will miss being able with a PT but thanks to him, I feel more assured that what I can do on my own would be able to give me the results that I want. The only thing that I would definitely have to figure out is how to work the free weights without a spotter. I guess that I could do lesser weights with higher reps since I won’t be too confident of lifting heavy weights on my own.

If anyone works out at California Fitness, Sunway Pyramid and might be looking for a workout partner in May, do drop me a line to my email or the comments box.

Workout Journal – 2008 Personal Training Program Day 20

Program Day 20 (muscle group: Total Body – duration 1.5 hrs)

Warm up
Cross Trainer (10 minutes, 80 kcal target burn)

Total Body Endurance Workout (3 supersets with minimum rest in between)
Dumbbell Side Raise (reps – 10/15/20, weight – 15/15/15 lbs)
Dumbbell Front Raise (reps – 10/15/20, weight – 15/15/15 lbs)
Dumbbell Lateral Raise (reps – 10/15/20, weight – 15/15/15 lbs)
Dumbbell Shoulder Press (reps – 10/15/20, weight – 15/15/15 lbs)
Dumbbell Bicep Curl (reps – 10/15/20, weight – 15/15/15 lbs)
Dumbbell Triceps Extension (reps – 10/15/20, weight – 15/15/15 lbs)
Static Lunges (reps – 20/20/20, weight – body weight)
Raised Knee Upper Abs Crunches (reps – 20/20/20, weight – body weight)
Push-Up (reps – 10/20/30, weight – body weight)

Chest
Chest Press (reps – 15/15/15/12, weight – 35/55/85/100 lbs)

Back
Vertical Row (reps – 15/15/15/12, weight – 55/100/130/145 lbs)

Abs
Isolated Lower Abs Crunches (reps – 30/30/30, weight – bodyweight)

Cool down – None

Indonesia Trip '08 – Tentative Travel Plans

Took some time these past days to do some research on the places that we will be going on our Indonesia trip to flesh out the proposed travel itinerary. I think that I’ve got a fairly varied list of attractions types to visit but I would definitely welcome any additional recommendations of things to see/do/visit while were are there.

Day 01
- Departure from KUL - Jakarta, arrival mid morning
- Hotel check-in and rest
- MONAS/Museum + Sunset at Sunda Kelapa Harbor
- night : free and easy
- overnight Jakarta

Day 02
- Full day Jakarta
- Taman Mini Indonesia Indah
- afternoon + night : free and easy
- overnight Jakarta

Day 03
- Exit Jakarta - Puncak via overland travel
- Stopover at Sari Ater Hot Springs Resort, Puncak
- Arrival in Bandung mid afternoon
- Hotel check-in and rest
- night : free and easy

Day 04
- Full day Bandung
- Mt. Tangkuban Perahu Crater hiking trip
- Shopping at Bandung
- overnight Bandung

Day 05
- Exit Bandung - Yogyakarta train trip (early morning)
- Arrival in Yogyakarta mid afternoon
- Hotel check-in and rest
- Taman Sari Water Castle & Ngasem Bird Market tour
- night : free and easy
- overnight Yogyakarta

Day 06
- Full day Yogyakarta
- Borobudur temple tour
- Parambanan temple tour
- Kotagade Palace tour
- overnight Yogyakarta

Day 07
- Full day Yogyakarta
- Sultan’s Palace/Kraton tour
- afternoon + night: free and easy
- overnight Yogyakarta

Day 08
- Exit Yogyakarta - Solo train or bus trip (early morning)
- Arrival in Solo early morning
- Hotel check in and rest
- Javanese Spa and Message relaxation treat
- night : free and easy
- overnight Solo

Day 09
- Departure from Solo – KUL (early morning)
- Arrival KUL in afternoon
- Rest and recovery

Workout Journal – 2008 Personal Training Program Day 19

Program Day 19 (muscle group: Legs, Shoulders – duration 1 hrs)

Warm up – Cross Trainer (10 minutes - 90 kcal target burn)

Legs
Seated Leg Press (reps – 15/15/15/12/12/12, weight – 100/190/230/275/320/360 lbs)
Leg Extensions (reps – 15/15/12, weight – 100/120/140 lbs)
Leg Curl (reps – 15/15/12, weight – 55/77/88 lbs)
One-Leg Standing Calf Raise (reps – 15/15/15, weight – body weight)
Rotary Calf Extension (reps – 15/15/15, weight 45/45/45 lbs)

Shoulders
Shoulder Press (reps – 15/15/12, weight – 55/66/77 lbs)
Overhead Shoulder Press (reps – 15/15/15, weight – 35/35/35 lbs)
Lateral Shoulder Raise (reps – 15/15/15, weight – 20/20/20 lbs)

Cool down – none

Workout Journal – 2008 Personal Training Program Day 18

Program Day 18 (muscle group: Total Body – duration 1 hrs)

Warm up – Cross Trainer (10 minutes - 90 kcal target burn)

Total Body Endurance Circuit Training – EZ Barbell

Set 1

Squats (reps – 12, weight - 30 lbs)
Shoulder Press (reps – 12, weight – 30 lbs)
Upright Row (reps – 12, weight – 30 lbs)
Deadlift (reps – 12, weight – 30 lbs)
Bicep Curls (reps – 12, weight – 30 lbs)
Triceps Extension (reps – 12, weight 30 lbs)

Set 2

Squats (reps – 15, weight - 30 lbs)
Shoulder Press (reps – 15, weight – 30 lbs)
Power Lunges (reps – 15, weight – 30 lbs)
Upright Row (reps – 15, weight – 30 lbs)
Deadlift (reps – 15, weight – 30 lbs)
Bicep Curls (reps – 15, weight – 30 lbs)
Triceps Extension (reps – 15, weight 30 lbs)

Set 3

Squats (reps – 20, weight - 30 lbs)
Shoulder Press (reps – 20, weight – 30 lbs)
Power Lunges (reps – 20, weight – 30 lbs)
Upright Row (reps – 20, weight – 30 lbs)
Deadlift (reps – 20, weight – 30 lbs)
Bicep Curls (reps – 20, weight – 30 lbs)
Triceps Extension (reps – 20, weight - 30 lbs)
Upper Body Push Ups (reps – 20/30/40, weight – body weight)

Abs
Abs Crunch Bench (reps – 30/30/30, weight – body weight)

Cool down – none

The workout for Day 18 was a diversion from my normal workout schedule. Since I can’t make it to the PT session on Friday, we decided that the last PT session for this week would be something that hit all major muscle groups that I’ve been working on. I’m sure there is an official term for it but for the time being I’m calling it the “Total Body Endurance Circuit Training” for easy reference.

Like the “Total Body Endurance Workout” that I went through on day 15 of my PT program, I had to complete all the exercises in one set before I could stop to rest before going to the next set. Given that I have to almost immediately start the next movement once the preceding it finishes, the exercises were actually tougher than they look. For the moment, we will keep to using only one weight for all the exercises but eventually I would build the endurance to increase weights for each set. Of course that is dependent on whether I could go to the next set. For Day 18, I was ok for the first 2 sets but was really struggling in the last set.

The exercises are quite easy to execute so I would definitely put them in my personal program once my sessions with PT has been completed. It feels like something that I can use when I’m working out by myself and has the advantage to training the full body instead of individual muscles. Hopefully that would give me a more balanced muscle development and not look like I was focusing on a particular part of the body.

Having more stamina and greater endurance would also be a major plus for me.

Indonesia Trip '08 – Time To Dust Off Those Traveling Shoes

After my successful Manila trip last year, I’ve been looking forward to repeat the experience with a new destination. Earlier in the year, I’ve decided to select Indonesia as the next ASEAN country that I would like to visit this year. As fate would have it, a few friends that I recently known were also planning to visit Indonesia this year so it was easier for me to find traveling buddies to go on the trip with. Unlike the previous Manila trip, my traveling companions this time around would be closer to my age and share more common interests with me. While it was a blast traveling with the guys I went with last time to Manila, there were more than a few occasions that I wished that I had someone more alike to share the moments that I was experiencing with.

There would definitely be a lot of difference between this upcoming trip, planned in April, with the Manila trip I went on last year. For one, we would be away for much longer than before and will cover more cities during our trip. Given that situation, we agreed to try and follow the more frugal backpackers route but staying at guesthouses and arranging our ground tours ourselves. I have always dreamed of going on a trip the way a backpacker would do but was always been unsure if I can do it alone. Having traveling companion nearer to my age and interest meant that we could consider the plan to rough it out while traveling since we would have each other to look out for the other.

We went to the Matta fair at PWTC last weekend but it seems that a lot of the packages were not really catered for the backpacker’s budget. There were not many choices of accommodations that were rated any lower that 3 stars and almost no one had listings for hostels or guest houses. A lot of the ground tour packages also seemed a bit on the pricey side considering a lot of the activities that they offer were things that we can arrange ourselves easily enough when we get there. So instead of booking our packages during the Matta fair, we decided to shop around for ideas of what to do and use that in our internet searches to see if there are any better deals that we can find online.

To date, we have already listed a few activities that we would want to plan to while we’re there. Visits to museums and monuments in Jakarta, watch schooners at Sunda Kelapa harbor, Taman Mini Indonesia, a spa day at Sari Ater Hot Spring in Puncak, shopping in Bandung are among the activities that we already have in mind. But chief among the sites that we would be visiting for our trip will have to be a day trip to experience the wonder of the Borobudur and other relics available in Yogyakarta. A visit to Borobudur has been something that I wanted to do for a long time and I am definitely looking forward to do it in April.

We’ve already booked out flights and now focused on finding affordable accommodations in Jakarta, Bandung and Solo. We pretty much have a nice place to stay in while in Yogyakarta which I’m just waiting for their confirmation. We’re also currently looking at few options for ground tours if there are to places that we need permits/entrance fees or if they are a bit out of the way to travel with our backpacks. We may want to rough it out but not break our backs while doing it! The other thing that I’m also looking forward to is to travel across Java on trains which for me has always been my favorite method of transportation. There is just something about the idea of taking a train ride that is still quite romantic for me.

There is still a lot of work to be done and I would welcome any suggestions especially on where to find cheap accommodations in Jakarta, Bandung and Solo. Pointers of what to do, see and eat while in Jakarta/Puncak/Bandung/Yogyakarta/Solo would definitely be helpful for us to plan our trip as well. We’re not looking to splurge on a lot of items but definitely want to be able to immerse ourselves in the travel experience and culture during the 9 days we will be there. Being able to do it cheaply would definitely be a bonus.

Tentative travel schedule
Day 01 - Departure from KUL - Jakarta, overnight Jakarta
Day 02 - Full day Jakarta, overnight Jakarta
Day 03 - Exit Jakarta - Puncak - Bandung, overnight Bandung
Day 04 - Full day Bandung, overnight Bandung
Day 05 - Exit Bandung - Yogyakarta train trip, overnight Yogyakarta
Day 06 - Full day Yogyakarta, overnight Yogyakarta
Day 07 - Full day Yogyakarta, overnight Yogyakarta
Day 08 - Exit Yogyakarta - Solo train trip, overnight Solo
Day 09 - Departure from Solo - KUL

Workout Journal – 2008 Personal Training Program Day 17

Program Day 17 (muscle group: Chest, Abs, Biceps, Back – duration 1.5 hrs)

Warm up – Cross Trainer (20 minutes - 180 kcal target burn)

Chest
Pec Fly (reps – 15/12/10, weight – 50/65/80 lbs)
Incline Push Up (reps – 15/15/15, weight – body weight)
Bench Press (reps – 12/10/10, weight – 10/25/35 lbs)
Iso Bench Press (reps – 12/10/10, weight – 10/25/35 lbs)

Abs
Abs Crunch Bench (reps – 30/30/30, weight – body weight)

Biceps
Free weight Preacher Curl (reps – 15/15/15, weight – 40/40/40 lbs)
Single Arm Bicep Curl (reps – 15/25/35 – each arm, weight – 25/15/10 lbs)
Bicep Curl (reps – 15/25/35, weight – 50/35/20 lbs)

Back
Low Row (reps – 12/10/08, weight – 55/77/99 lbs)

Cool down – none

Workout Journal – 2008 Personal Training Program Day 16

Program Day 16 (muscle group: Back and Triceps – duration 1 hr excluding warm up)

Warm up
Cross Trainer (10 minutes, 80 kcal target burn)

Back
Assisted Chin Up (reps - 15/15/15, weight – 33% of body weight)
Isolinear Front Lateral Pull (reps – 12/12/12, weight – 45/45/45 lbs)
Upper Back (reps – 15/15/15, weight – 35/35/35 lbs)
Low Row (reps - 12/12/12, weight – 45/45/45 lbs)

Triceps
Barbell Close Grip (reps – 15/15/15, weight – 20/20/20 lbs)
Seated Dips - Bench (reps – 15/15/15, weight – body weight)
Triceps Pushdown (reps – 15/12/12/10, weight – 30/40/50/60 lbs)

Cool down
None

Workout Journal – 2008 Personal Training Program Day 15

Program Day 15 (muscle group: Total Body – duration 1.5 hrs)

Warm up
Cross Trainer (10 minutes, 60 kcal target burn)

Total Body Endurance Workout (3 circuits with minimum rest in between)
Dumbbell Side Raise (reps – 12/12/12, weight – 10/15/20 lbs)
Dumbbell Front Raise (reps – 12/12/12, weight – 10/15/20 lbs)
Dumbbell Lateral Raise (reps – 12/12/12, weight – 10/15/20 lbs)
Dumbbell Shoulder Press (reps – 12/12/12, weight – 10/15/20 lbs)
Dumbbell Bicep Curl (reps – 12/12/12, weight – 10/15/20 lbs)
Dumbbell Triceps Extension (reps – 12/12/12, weight – 10/15/20 lbs)
Static Lunges (reps – 20/20/20, weight – body weight)
Raised Knee Upper Abs Crunches (reps – 20/20/20, weight – body weight)
Push-Up (reps – 10/20/30, weight – body weight)

Chest
Isolinear Chest Bench Press (reps – 12/12/12, weight – 20/30/45 lbs)

Back
Isolinear Front Lateral Pull (reps – 12/12/12, weight – 25/35/60 lbs)

Abs
Isolated Lower Abs Crunches (reps – 20/20/20, weight – bodyweight)

Lower Back
Back Extensions (reps – 12/10/10/08, weight – 80/95/110/125 lbs)

Cool down – None

My PT surprised me today by springing a new workout that he created for his clients. Instead of the normal back and triceps workout scheduled today, he put me through a total body endurance circuit workout that used weight training exercise. The goal was to build muscle mass, increase endurance and reduce recovery time. Unlike the other weight exercises that I’ve gone through, the goal of this workout is to go through all the exercise in sequence as a superset before increasing the dumbbell weight for the next superset.

I have to say that I was doing well up to the end of the second circuit. Once I hit the 3rd circuit using the 20 lbs dumbbell, every muscle in my body started to scream bloody murder. It was still a good workout though as I now know that I need build up more endurance to reach the goal of doing 4 supersets.

I’m really worn out after the PT session but it was an exciting night of testing my own limits.

Breath And Reflect

It was truly a political tsunami.

The bloodiest general election this country has seen since independence has left casualties in it’s wake. Long standing political figures suddenly found their fortunes sour in the blink of an eye. Sure bets turned out to be anything but. In the race to recapture one, four have been lost in the wayside and the one still prove to be elusive.

Uncertainties abound. Will campaign promises made be fulfill in the coming term? Will there be any major changes that will impact the individual person on the street? Will there be any impact on how outsiders view our country’s recent political development? Will it impact the markets and foreign exchanges?

In the aftermath of great upheavals, it is normal to find oneself in a state of daze and confusion. In this case, it is no different. We have seen how the people have exercise their right as citizens to vote for change in how our country is being administered. Now we are looking for what will happen next.

To the victors goes the spoils of victory but also the responsibility to make right what has been fought for all these years. The sentiment that voters want to vote for change will only go so far if the status quo is maintained. Voters will be expecting to see the plans for change and measurable milestones to look forward to.

To the losers goes the responsibility to review and reflect on the bloody defeat. Arrogance, complacency and hubris have conspired to set the stage for the fall from grace. This time will be best spent to recoup losses, reconsolidate and reassess where things went wrong and what is needed to rebuild the tattered reputation.

Breath and reflect.

That is what the rest of us need to do. Whether we voted for the victors or the losers, the outcome has already been made certain. We will need to give them time to organize and plan for their next move. Till then we continue to live our lives as if nothing has changed and not make plans based on things that we can never be certain will happen.

Breath and reflect.

Time To Stand And Deliver

Most (hopefully) Malaysian eligible voters will be out tomorrow to vote in their choice of representative to administer our country for the next term. I count myself as one of them since this will be the second time that I will be voting for the future of my country. Hopefully I can figure out when I am suppose to go to cast my vote since they have changed the polling station I’m suppose to go to since the last general election. I don’t think that there will be much problems trying to figure that out since there bound to be a lot of party volunteers stationed around the area near my place who would be more than happy to ferry me to the polling station as they did in the last general election.

I am apolitical by choice. I despise participating in any political discussion and have know to leave the table if anyone starts a discussion on politics during meal times which I have always found highly distasteful. Despite professing my apolitical stance, it does not mean that I have no awareness of the political situation that we live in. I actually do know what is happening politic-wise and what is more important is that I make my own personal choice about it. I do not need blatantly desperate TV spots (the product of a whole PR team that will deserve to be fired for the over exuberance use of heavy handed messages) to sway me nor do I need empty rhetoric from people who really wish that they were in power instead of the other person. The more either side try to shove their message forcefully down my throat, the faster the bitter bile within me threatens to spill over.

I do not believe in voting in change for change sake. We need a clear vision and reasonable goals to strive to especially in the face of the global uncertainties surrounding us today. We need track records of achievements and not just people with the potential to do better but later never deliver them after they are elected. We need doers who actually come down to the ground level to do what is necessary to make sure that we continue to prosper as a nation. We do not need sayers who talk the talk but fail to walk the walk when they have received their responsibilities. We do not need leaders who says one thing when they were in the winning side then says the exact opposite when they find themselves out of favor and stranded in the opposite camp.

“With great power, comes great responsibility” - fan’s of the Spiderman comics knows this philosophy by heart. This statement is especially true in light of certain changes made by people in power who sometimes seems to forget who put them in power. You (the powers that be) are responsible for the running of the country to benefit the people and not your individual persons and cronies. Long have we seen how the benefits are not so equally distributed down the food chain down to the level of the people on the street and definite grumblings have already been voiced out in hopes that it would only be heard but also took notice of. We would definitely be watching if those voices have been heard and if those complaints will be addressed.

My dad gave me this gem when I first became aware of politics and their implications on my future. He told me,

“All politicians are pirates. The older pirates have already amassed their
plunder throughout the years, feel complacent and would be less likely to tax
heavily to increase their wealth. New pirates on the other hand would be hungry,
greedy for bounty and would only have gold in their eyes when they see you.
Think about who would you rather have around you and use that to decide who to
vote for”

No doubt it is not hard to figure out who he votes for in every general election! Regardless, I have taken that lesson to heart and have always used that idea when deciding on who I would vote for.

We need balance in our next administration.

We need a strong government who will have to navigate use safely in the uncertain waters of the current world economic and political seas. We do not need an inward looking government with policies that would see the nation contract from it’s position in the world both economically and politically.

We need a strong opposition front who would act as a check and balance mechanism to ensure continued transparency and accountability. We do not need an opposition front more interested in getting personal payback and loudly criticizing without offering rational constructive alternatives to be considered.

We need a stronger sense of ourselves as a united multicultural nation whose differences are recognized and celebrated equally. We do not need to have our nation to become more Arab than Arab just to prove that we are better than other people.

I will not be voting in change for change sake. Nor will I be voting for the continuation of status quo.

I will be voting for balance and moderation.

This is my choice.

Have you made yours?