I'm due for another trip again!!
Okay, didn't plan to go back so soon but since i had to clear my leave, well wny not?!
Jacelyn will be joining me this time...Hahaha managed to convince her, let's just hope she won't regret it!
Counting down the days...only 3 more to go.
Sunday, December 2, 2007
Friday, August 3, 2007
Take 2... Day 16/16
TRIP RECAP:
Learned to wrap hands another way.
Watched The Godfather I & II.
Watched Harry Potter 5!
Read Nora Roberts’ Birthright, James Patterson’s Jack and Jill.
Improved my technique on knees.
Watched Ratatouille!!
Bought another pair of army pants ;)
Read Jack Du Brul’s Vulcan’s Forge… A book from the school.
Watched Casino… You know that show which stars Sharon Stone and Robert Deniro. Not bad actually.
Bought more DVDs!
Kicking technique was better.
Finally learned how to get a nice tan.
Learned a few more pump tracks.
Got my voice back.
I sucked at sparring.
Learned to wrap hands another way.
Watched The Godfather I & II.
Watched Harry Potter 5!
Read Nora Roberts’ Birthright, James Patterson’s Jack and Jill.
Improved my technique on knees.
Watched Ratatouille!!
Bought another pair of army pants ;)
Read Jack Du Brul’s Vulcan’s Forge… A book from the school.
Watched Casino… You know that show which stars Sharon Stone and Robert Deniro. Not bad actually.
Bought more DVDs!
Kicking technique was better.
Finally learned how to get a nice tan.
Learned a few more pump tracks.
Got my voice back.
I sucked at sparring.
Take 2... Day 15/16
Going home tomorrow!
Training still sucked today. Think body’s pretty burnt out cos I couldn’t sustain my stamina, panted like hell after every combo and needed to rest every few seconds. Very frustrating.
Thank goodness it’s my last day tomorrow. Actually didn’t even feel like training today, let alone tomorrow. Like I mentioned before, two weeks is tops for me. Let’s hope I’ll be able to recover some strength by skipping pump today…
Training still sucked today. Think body’s pretty burnt out cos I couldn’t sustain my stamina, panted like hell after every combo and needed to rest every few seconds. Very frustrating.
Thank goodness it’s my last day tomorrow. Actually didn’t even feel like training today, let alone tomorrow. Like I mentioned before, two weeks is tops for me. Let’s hope I’ll be able to recover some strength by skipping pump today…
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Take 2... Day 14/16
Blur pic of Mitt in middle
Tuesday, which means 2 days left.
Actually am already kinda looking forward to going home. Hmm I think 2 weeks is just the right length of time to train here. Not too long to get burnt and just long enough to see results.
Not sure if I’m falling sick or something but today I was totally out of fuel. Maybe I’m just tired from pump yesterday… I hope. Had to like break after every combo, every few seconds. More 6-min rounders, that certainly didn’t help things. Hah, think my stamina’s definitely improved with these killer rounds.
Take 2... Day 13/16
AHHH!! Overslept!!
Woke up at 7.05am. Usually I’d have finish like 20mins of warm-up by 7.15am. It was a mad dash to the treadmill and only did like 10mins of quick jogging. That’s hardly enough to get my muscles sufficiently warmed for training.
Went into the ring with eyes still half closed. Trained with Samang, heng ah… Not the best training but under the circumstances, it was alright.
I think it must be Monday blues or something. Somehow trainings on Mondays always seemed less productive or ‘smooth’. Sucks.
Woke up at 7.05am. Usually I’d have finish like 20mins of warm-up by 7.15am. It was a mad dash to the treadmill and only did like 10mins of quick jogging. That’s hardly enough to get my muscles sufficiently warmed for training.
Went into the ring with eyes still half closed. Trained with Samang, heng ah… Not the best training but under the circumstances, it was alright.
I think it must be Monday blues or something. Somehow trainings on Mondays always seemed less productive or ‘smooth’. Sucks.
Take 2... Day 12/16
Som Tum and Beef Noodles at MBK
Sunday again!
This is my last Sunday here which means I gotta get all my shopping done. Usual dose of sun worshipping then it’s off to MBK!
Caught Ratatouille this time. It was really good! Bought more DVDs too hehe! Finally had the Som Tum I was craving for. So far, I still think the best one I’ve had is at MBK. Other places somehow just tasted a little too fishy for me. For beef noodles wise, MBK’s pretty good but I think the best one is still at the stall behind Asia Hotel.
Managed to buy another pair of army pants, another Doraemon top and some stuff for the rest. All in all, good shopping trip.
Monday, July 30, 2007
Take 2... Day 11/16
Garden behind the school
Jakrit (left) and Son (right)
Saturday ahhh…
Training on Saturdays almost always feels less stressful. Probably because you know the next day is Sunday so you can go all out and not worry about holding back for tomorrow.
More 6-min rounds again. That’s seems to be the fav number these few days. I don’t have to repeat how tiring it can get but have been training with Boon Ma more and long rounds with him is not as bad. He doesn’t work so much on speed so I can mostly manage to catch my breath. Did more sparring today hehe. Sigh, keep getting hit… Am just lousy. Period.
Take 2... Day 10/16
Yawn…
Neck sore and stiff. So much for praying…
Didn’t sleep at all last night. Seriously considered skipping training but remembered the cleaning aunty will come in anyway so I dragged my ass out of bed. Needless to say training sucked, made worse with 6min rounders.
Trained with Boon Ma on last 2 rounds! Finally gotta train with him again but I seemed to have lost the flow of his style. Think I’m now more used to the Trio’s pattern and actually kinda prefer their way of holding the pads and speed. It’s still fun to train with Boon Ma cos there’s an element of sparring with him so I do have to stay very alert.
Did real sparring with him in the afternoon, hehe! Was a little hesitant at first since I haven’t done it for so long but somehow I just got right into it. It was great! Even tripped him a couple times hah!
OH OH! Finally got my muay thai shorts!! Got them to put my name on it too. Couldn’t decide between red or blue, finally got Tick (the salesgirl) to pick for me. So excited! Gonna wear it next week!
Take 2... Day 9/16
Som tum and beef noodles
More Nam Daeng
Burnt fish stall. Those fishes are still alive and flapping!
6 minutes rounders.
Enough said.
Shit, one round of that is more tiring than an hour of bodycombat. Seriously!
Starting to feel my back now. Almost forgot how straining the kicks can get for my lower back, especially my left. Hmm I think it could partly be due to how Apedej holds the pads though. Have been training with him for past couple days and sometimes I just don’t like how he holds the pads and some of his fav moves.
He got me to do clinching with Boon Ma after! Hah it was fun and I’m just praying my neck won’t be sore tomorrow.
Didn’t really eat the dinner at school again today. Nope, wasn’t because I was late. It was sort of their version of Hor Fun but with instant noodles instead. Another dish was pasta in like ketchup. Eeeeeew… Decided to go Big C for some real food while getting some groceries. Managed to order som tum and meatball noodles, all for the price of 60baht. That’s like less than S$3 ladies and gentlemen!
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
take 2... Day 8/16
Traditional ice cream! Only 7baht which is like 35cents!! Tastes great too!
This is like their 'Mix Veggie Rice' stall. Very interesting ;)
Had to see a doctor today so headed down to Nam Daeng Market. Rash is getting worse so better nip it before it gets bad.
Always love walking along local markets and streets. This is where you get to see the ‘real’ lifestyle of a country’s people. Loads of interesting stuff here but unfortunately I can’t speak thai so have no idea what many of the things are. Did finally buy the burnt fish I wanted to last round! Hopefully it’ll taste good!
Take 2... Day 7/16
This is the stall outside the school which i get food sometimes
This is the roadside stall i was talking about
Muscles still not recovered from Sunday’s pump so gonna skip it today and save it for tomorrow.
Have been dutifully suntanning everyday, hopefully I’ll manage to get a decent shade before the end of this trip. So far so good I guess, still looking too fair for my taste but can see a bit of difference. I stress the word, A BIT, again.
I was late for dinner today, yet again. Either they didn’t knock the doors to announce it’s ready or I was in the shower when they did. Damn, the ppl here are pigs! Food was totally gone by the time I got in. You can’t be late here cos everything gets wiped in like 2 mins. Went to the roadside stall at the back to grab some food, had their stew pork and rice this time. I think one of the reasons the people here are generally small and petite is that their portions are small. Actually it’s wrong to say that. We’ve been so used to American sizing that we’ve forgotten we don’t need that much food per meal.
You don’t see many overweight people here cos they simply don’t over eat! Now that’s food for thought ;)
Monday, July 23, 2007
Take 2... Day 6/16
Monday.
It all starts again.
Could barely get up for training this morning. Got back around 11ish late last night and slept pretty late. So sluggish at training. Had a little more energy in the afternoon but was interrupted by a guy from UK or something filming for his network. Did a little interview haha!
One interesting thing that I noted in my trips here is that when you are starved for entertainment, you’ll watch just about any DVDs available. Which was what happened and that is how I’ve seen Raging Bull and The Godfather. I mean, back home I’ll probably watch those movies if there’s NOTHING else to see or if someone else wanted to watch it. I know Raging Bull is critically acclaimed etc etc but it’s not something I would’ve picked. Turned out to be a pretty interesting show, Robert Deniro was great. Now as for the super-hyped Godfather… I don’t know. Wasn’t a bad show but I thought I’ve seen better. Hmm guess it’s considered a classic, something extraordinary in its time.
It all starts again.
Could barely get up for training this morning. Got back around 11ish late last night and slept pretty late. So sluggish at training. Had a little more energy in the afternoon but was interrupted by a guy from UK or something filming for his network. Did a little interview haha!
One interesting thing that I noted in my trips here is that when you are starved for entertainment, you’ll watch just about any DVDs available. Which was what happened and that is how I’ve seen Raging Bull and The Godfather. I mean, back home I’ll probably watch those movies if there’s NOTHING else to see or if someone else wanted to watch it. I know Raging Bull is critically acclaimed etc etc but it’s not something I would’ve picked. Turned out to be a pretty interesting show, Robert Deniro was great. Now as for the super-hyped Godfather… I don’t know. Wasn’t a bad show but I thought I’ve seen better. Hmm guess it’s considered a classic, something extraordinary in its time.
Take 2... Day 5/16
Lake behind schoolSUNDAY!!
That means, no training and shopping in town!
Suntanned in the morning then headed to Cali-Wow at Sala Daeng, PatPong branch. Went to combat and pump, and I have to say both were much better than the ones I attended in Siam Paragon. Hmm I’ve noticed that so far, all the combat instructors have pretty good techniques. Quite impressed.
Usual, had no idea what they were talking about but since I know most/all the tracks for both the classes, could follow pretty well. Haha, pump class was funny. The instructor’s timing was off a couple of times and best part was he forgot some of his chorey too and since I happened to stand somewhere in middle – class was not crowded – he saw I did the right chorey and quickly changed. Would’ve followed his cues but like I said, no idea what he was talking about most of the time so wasn’t exactly listening 100%.
Oh! Oh! Caught Harry Potter 5! Much prefer this one to no. 4. Best part in this installment, Dumbledore’s much more like his character than the crazy loo-loo back in 3 and 4. Haha, bought Dunkin’ Donuts too! This is in the name of research. Serious. Must sacrifice self to find out what’s with all the hype about it. Sigh… the things I do for humanity.
take 2... Day 4/16
Haha! The air-con breaking down turned out to be a good thing! They had to move me to another room and it was a private room!! Woo-hoo! Big space, bigger toilet, basically way better than previous room. Gonna sleep like a baby tonight!
Darn knuckles are stinging like a bitch everytime I shower. I’m not being a pussy, it’s just really irritating cos they don’t get a chance to heal at all. Getting rashes again like last time. Hah, I’m well prepared though, brought along my cream for it cos I had a feeling it’s something I can’t avoid over here, what’s with the heat, used-by-everyone pads and mitts. Just hope it doesn’t get too bad.
Still training with Mitt and Peng. Haven’t got a chance to train with Boon Ma yet which is kinda disappointing. Mitt likes to go much faster which is great and Peng is very predictable. I’ve figured out his favourite pattern by now which is not a good thing.
Missed dinner as I was busy shifting room, by the time I got to the dining room, all the food have pretty much gone. Thank goodness it was their version of spaghetti so I didn’t miss out much. Went to this roadside stall at the back to have beef noodles. A must-have everytime I come to Thailand.
Friday, July 20, 2007
Take 2... Day 3/16
ARRRGH!!
Stupid air-con broke down again! Why does it always happen to me? Same thing last round! Dammit! Bloody stuffy and uncomfortable. Thank goodness I was tired enough to actually fall asleep last night.
The guys here are just having fun killing me. Trained with the trio again, Peng was like, pointing to Mitt and Samang “He two rounds, he two round, I two rounds, okay?” Hahaha I didn’t mind at all. Everyone has their style so it wasn’t too taxing on a particular part/move. Starting to feel my hip flexors though, all those kicks are pretty hard on your pelvic/hip area. Oh wait, there’s the ankles too. Oh oh, there’s the knees too. Hmm well your entire lower body lah. Fortunately I’ve more or less gotten the basic kicking technique last round so am not killing my ankles… at least not yet.
First ‘injury’ of this trip: Knuckles.
Middle one… Raw…
Wrap doesn’t help much. I mean, when you are punching hard, it’s still skin to cloth and abrasion is inevitable. Hah, at least I know I’m punching the right way since it’s my first 2 knuckles.
Stupid air-con broke down again! Why does it always happen to me? Same thing last round! Dammit! Bloody stuffy and uncomfortable. Thank goodness I was tired enough to actually fall asleep last night.
The guys here are just having fun killing me. Trained with the trio again, Peng was like, pointing to Mitt and Samang “He two rounds, he two round, I two rounds, okay?” Hahaha I didn’t mind at all. Everyone has their style so it wasn’t too taxing on a particular part/move. Starting to feel my hip flexors though, all those kicks are pretty hard on your pelvic/hip area. Oh wait, there’s the ankles too. Oh oh, there’s the knees too. Hmm well your entire lower body lah. Fortunately I’ve more or less gotten the basic kicking technique last round so am not killing my ankles… at least not yet.
First ‘injury’ of this trip: Knuckles.
Middle one… Raw…
Wrap doesn’t help much. I mean, when you are punching hard, it’s still skin to cloth and abrasion is inevitable. Hah, at least I know I’m punching the right way since it’s my first 2 knuckles.
Take 2... Day 2/16
Aching a little from pump yesterday… Actually slept not too badly last night which was a great relief – didn’t sleep properly for 2 weeks last round – and woke up on time on my own!
Trained with Apedej for first few rounds. Thank god for that cos each round seemed to go on forever. Only realized it was 6-min rounder when I peeked up at end of round 3. 6 MINUTES ROUND!!! Was almost K.O-ed by round 2! If I had been with other trainers, I would’ve not made it to round 4. He seemed pretty happy with me, other guys also don’t patronize me just cos I’m a girl. Hmm actually I’m the only girl training this time.
Afternoon training was just as tiring. 5-min round wasn’t a joke either. Whatever happened to good old 4-min rounders?! Apedej’s legs wasn’t feeling too good so I trained with others. It was so funny, he got me to the ring and Mitt, Samang and Peng, all 3 of them said I’ll train with them. Everyone has been trying to K.O me since yesterday! Hahaha! And yes I did train with all of them, a few rounds each.
Exhausted.
Trained with Apedej for first few rounds. Thank god for that cos each round seemed to go on forever. Only realized it was 6-min rounder when I peeked up at end of round 3. 6 MINUTES ROUND!!! Was almost K.O-ed by round 2! If I had been with other trainers, I would’ve not made it to round 4. He seemed pretty happy with me, other guys also don’t patronize me just cos I’m a girl. Hmm actually I’m the only girl training this time.
Afternoon training was just as tiring. 5-min round wasn’t a joke either. Whatever happened to good old 4-min rounders?! Apedej’s legs wasn’t feeling too good so I trained with others. It was so funny, he got me to the ring and Mitt, Samang and Peng, all 3 of them said I’ll train with them. Everyone has been trying to K.O me since yesterday! Hahaha! And yes I did train with all of them, a few rounds each.
Exhausted.
Take 2... Day 1/16
Yes I’m back!! Had to wake up at an ungodly hour of 4am to catch the super early flight at 6.30am but it was worth it. Reached the school around 10plus morning and it was straight into workout.
Hit the tiny gym to do pump, had to adjust to the weights there again. Not much have changed since I was last here but quite a bit of the punching bags and stuff have been changed. That was excellent! New and cleaner pads and bags are always welcomed.
It almost felt like I’ve never left. Everyone here still remembered me! Even the little kids! Warm greetings, surprised looks and smiles just made me feel really at home here.
I dived into my training straight away in the afternoon. It was great. Didn’t have clumsy coordination problem this time round, no need to worry about getting body orientated. I won’t have to waste time getting into ‘the mode’ this time, which means I’ll be able to get the most out of my 16 days here. Only lousy thing was my stamina. Let me tell you, no matter how good you are in other sports or martial arts, once u stop something and pick it up again, its almost back to square one. It’s like if you are a marathon runner with excellent stamina, you’ll still be huffing and puffing like crazy when I put you in bodycombat. Different activity just works your system differently. Footwork was complete trash too. Have to get used to it again. Dance like a butterfly baby!
Hit the tiny gym to do pump, had to adjust to the weights there again. Not much have changed since I was last here but quite a bit of the punching bags and stuff have been changed. That was excellent! New and cleaner pads and bags are always welcomed.
It almost felt like I’ve never left. Everyone here still remembered me! Even the little kids! Warm greetings, surprised looks and smiles just made me feel really at home here.
I dived into my training straight away in the afternoon. It was great. Didn’t have clumsy coordination problem this time round, no need to worry about getting body orientated. I won’t have to waste time getting into ‘the mode’ this time, which means I’ll be able to get the most out of my 16 days here. Only lousy thing was my stamina. Let me tell you, no matter how good you are in other sports or martial arts, once u stop something and pick it up again, its almost back to square one. It’s like if you are a marathon runner with excellent stamina, you’ll still be huffing and puffing like crazy when I put you in bodycombat. Different activity just works your system differently. Footwork was complete trash too. Have to get used to it again. Dance like a butterfly baby!
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
Another Trip!
I'm going back!!
Yep, only 4 months and already planning to go back. Will be there mid-july..so i'll escape Sister's 'confinement' back home. Only 2 weeks this time. One month was a little crazy hehe...
Yep, only 4 months and already planning to go back. Will be there mid-july..so i'll escape Sister's 'confinement' back home. Only 2 weeks this time. One month was a little crazy hehe...
Sunday, May 6, 2007
Withdrawal Syndrome
It's been almost a month since i've been back. Totally and i mean totally, lost my tan. Idiot. I really really miss training there. Am suffering huge withdrawal symptoms...mainly getting fatter ;p
Planning to go back soon...end of year. Must plan must plan!
Planning to go back soon...end of year. Must plan must plan!
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Day 29
I’m going home tomorrow. Boy, it definitely doesn’t feel like I’ve been here for a month. Will still get to train both morning and afternoon since my flight is in the evening. Planning to kick the shit out of my trainers and probably get kicked just as bad.
Had Jakrit again this morning. It was 4-min rounds and as I predicted, I could barely catch my breath after 2nd round. God knows how I made it to round 5 and normally I would ask for another one or two but not with Jakrit. Totally whacked by then, plus have to save a bit of energy for pump in the afternoon.
Had Jakrit again this morning. It was 4-min rounds and as I predicted, I could barely catch my breath after 2nd round. God knows how I made it to round 5 and normally I would ask for another one or two but not with Jakrit. Totally whacked by then, plus have to save a bit of energy for pump in the afternoon.
Day 28
Yikes! Only 2 days left. Almost dreading going back home cos I know it’ll be right back to being swarmed by work and after a month of just training, I feel like I’ve forgotten how to teach. Hah, got my voice back though!
Over the past weeks I’ve bought like 7 or 8 dvds to kill time. Think I’ve watched Apocalypto 5 times at least. Pretty good show I must say. Got The Devil Wears Prada too and it’s good hehe. Let’s just hope I’ll pass through customs without problem!
Over the past weeks I’ve bought like 7 or 8 dvds to kill time. Think I’ve watched Apocalypto 5 times at least. Pretty good show I must say. Got The Devil Wears Prada too and it’s good hehe. Let’s just hope I’ll pass through customs without problem!
Day 27
Boon Ma and NungMonday.
Final 4 days here and time is passing at light speed now. Can’t believe it’s almost a month and while I’m definitely ready to go home, I’m feeling kinda sad too. I know I’ll miss the people here, the training and basically just the lifestyle. It’s absolute heaven for exercise freaks like me cos everything just revolves around working out, from the moment you wake to the moment you sleep.
I’m thinking of taking Boon Ma, Apidej and Nung out for dinner but unfortunately I’ve run out of Thai baht. Shoot, should have brought my wallet with me on Sunday to change more currency. Hmm guess I’ll just buy them stuff from Singapore next time I’m here and you know what? It won’t be long before I’m back!
Day 26
Sunday! No training! Think I may just give up on getting a tan, seriously. It seems no matter how many hours I stay under the sun, my skin simply refuses to get any darker than it is now, which is barely hinting a bit of brown. Damn it.
Did all my shopping today and you can guess how much I spent. Definitely overshot my budget for this trip and I didn’t even buy a lot of things. But at least I did get my pants for combat and casual. Kinda regretted one of the pants I got but it’s too late for that now.
Did all my shopping today and you can guess how much I spent. Definitely overshot my budget for this trip and I didn’t even buy a lot of things. But at least I did get my pants for combat and casual. Kinda regretted one of the pants I got but it’s too late for that now.
Day 25
Okay, i'm not showing off, just wanted to have a pic to know that i had some definition once upon a time hehe!Only five more days left.
It actually rained today. I mean really rained. Have been to Bangkok so many times and it has never rained before. Was pretty surprised and pissed when it did cos that meant my suntanning plans were ruined. Managed to catch about an hour of good rays only, still looking way too fair for my taste. I think my skin is not capable of darkening…sigh.
Training has been good today. Trained with Jakrit again in the morning and thanked my super duper lucky stars, it was 3-mins rounds. Like I said, training with him takes all your energy. Have to be hyper alert and it’s no joke when you were just in bed 30mins ago. Had tons of fun in the afternoon with Boon Ma. I’ve finally figured out how to gain some time to recover during rounds hehe! By…ATTACKING! Yup, snuck in quite a few kicks, kept him on his toes and this way I got to rest when I’m faking attacks. Hah I’m so smart hehehe!
Went to get my first ever thai massage with Anna in the evening. We couldn’t find the place her BF recommended her, ended up changing a couple of cabs and being driven around. Finally was brought to this pretty high-end looking health spa, they charged 350baht which was just a little steeper but it was pretty good. Helped my ankles big time. Hmm think now I’ll probably get a thai massage every time I’m in Bangkok hehe. It’s Sunday tomorrow which means more sun worshipping and shopping big time!
Saturday, April 7, 2007
Day 24
Yawn…
Got back around one-ish last night. Long drive from Pattaya. Barely had 4 hours of sleep. Had to drag my ass out of bed to train, took like a 2-second delay for every kick and punch. Felt like a total retard. Fell asleep again in the afternoon then had to use up every ounce of will power for the rest of the month to get up again to do pump. Absolutely smashed by the time I finished afternoon training.
Did not weight myself for a while but I definitely like what I’m seeing. My muscle definition is getting better, whoo-hoo!! YAY!!!!!! So happy!!! Now, let’s just pray I’ll be able to maintain it for a while when I’m back home. Don’t think it’ll be easy to be pushed as I’m pushed here. Nothing like one-on-one muay thai training.
Got back around one-ish last night. Long drive from Pattaya. Barely had 4 hours of sleep. Had to drag my ass out of bed to train, took like a 2-second delay for every kick and punch. Felt like a total retard. Fell asleep again in the afternoon then had to use up every ounce of will power for the rest of the month to get up again to do pump. Absolutely smashed by the time I finished afternoon training.
Did not weight myself for a while but I definitely like what I’m seeing. My muscle definition is getting better, whoo-hoo!! YAY!!!!!! So happy!!! Now, let’s just pray I’ll be able to maintain it for a while when I’m back home. Don’t think it’ll be easy to be pushed as I’m pushed here. Nothing like one-on-one muay thai training.
Day 23
Yay!! Cute Guy won the fight!
In fact, it was grand sweep for our camp. All our fighters, Cute Guy a.k.a Coke and two little boys won their matches. It was absolutely awesome!
Me and roommate, Anna, decided to take a bus to Pattaya instead of following the camp cos we wanted to reach there earlier so we could train. Man, the bus ride took forever. Barely made it in time to train and it was interesting to check out the facilities there. It was like a huge club with pool, good gym, studio etc. Honestly preferred Bangpleeyai cos it feels more cosy, like a big family and the training is more hardcore, more authentic feel. Pattaya would be great if you want to just chill, relax and maybe learn a bit of muay thai while you’re at it. That’s how I feel anyway.
The fights were so much more fun and exciting to watch than those at the muay thai event back in day 3. I knew watching Thais fight would be an experience on its own. Wasn’t least bit disappointed, I’ll tell you that. All the side bettings and shouts at every good hit just buzzed the atmosphere big time.
In fact, it was grand sweep for our camp. All our fighters, Cute Guy a.k.a Coke and two little boys won their matches. It was absolutely awesome!
Me and roommate, Anna, decided to take a bus to Pattaya instead of following the camp cos we wanted to reach there earlier so we could train. Man, the bus ride took forever. Barely made it in time to train and it was interesting to check out the facilities there. It was like a huge club with pool, good gym, studio etc. Honestly preferred Bangpleeyai cos it feels more cosy, like a big family and the training is more hardcore, more authentic feel. Pattaya would be great if you want to just chill, relax and maybe learn a bit of muay thai while you’re at it. That’s how I feel anyway.
The fights were so much more fun and exciting to watch than those at the muay thai event back in day 3. I knew watching Thais fight would be an experience on its own. Wasn’t least bit disappointed, I’ll tell you that. All the side bettings and shouts at every good hit just buzzed the atmosphere big time.
Day 22
Some of the girls here. Roommate not in it and most of the girls have already left.Only 8 days left! Time is passing by really fast now. My predictions were right. It took me one week to orientate and let my body get used to the new movements, one week to break old habits and learn new ones, one week to get into the groove of things and now finally, my last week, I feel I know what I’m doing. Thus the 1 month stint.
Ankles holding, kicks are finally gaining power though unfortunately punches are impeded by my left wrist. Overall I’m happy to see my progress so far.
Okay, listen to this…They have BODYCOMBAT classes in the evenings!!!! What the hell?! It was so funny! I knew there was classes held in the evenings and decided to check it out. They told me “Boxing! Boxing!” so I naturally assumed it was like freestyle boxercise class. I stood outside the studio. Saw some pretty familiar moves. Moved closer and…
Heard ‘Listen To Your Heart’.
Believe me, my jaw dropped. Oh my gosh. There were like 5 ladies, all locals. The instructor’s technique was good but he was super bouncy, choreo mistakes, tracks totally out of sequence…okie, I’m being bitchy and snotty again. Guess I’m just missing combat.
Wednesday, April 4, 2007
Day 21
Here's Cute Guy from the left and his trainer Rambo in the centreThe usual.
Training, pump and training again.
Biting through pain on my left fist/wrist. At least ankles are holding so I still got a good workout.
Hahaha! Apparently all the girls here are drooling over Cute Guy! But it seems the local girls don’t find him attractive, only us, the foreigners. Guess they don’t like solid, and I mean solid, six-packs.
Tuesday, April 3, 2007
Day 20
Hah, I’ve survived the miserable middle stage. Am feeling geared up to training and pushing beyond limits for my last 10 days. No kicking on Sat and no training on Sun definitely allowed my ankles to recover. It’s gonna be an all out effort be it pump, training or suntanning. C’mon sing with me! “It’s the final countdown! Dadada-da! Dadadadada!”
Day 19
Another round of baking under the sun. Must get tan…must get tan.
Found out that Cute Guy is fighting this Thursday. No wonder I saw him trained this morning, I mean it’s Sunday! Still have no idea what his name is, so embarrassing hehe. Anyhow, the match is gonna be at Pattaya and am definitely trying to see if I can make it. From what I’ve seen of his training, I think he’s really good. His ‘Kia’ can easily put all our instructors back home to shame.
Went window-shopping crazy. Trying to see where I can get the cheapest pair of pants that I want and I was so tempted to buy them all! Found this brand ‘Abercombe’, think that’s the spelling, anyhow I love their stuff! It’s all so cool! I think I saw them back in Far East before and they were pretty expensive, not that they are much cheaper here. Most long ones are about 990-1250 baht which is around S$45-55. Will do all my shopping next Sunday, have tons to buy. Puma shoes, army pants, souvenirs etc.
Found out that Cute Guy is fighting this Thursday. No wonder I saw him trained this morning, I mean it’s Sunday! Still have no idea what his name is, so embarrassing hehe. Anyhow, the match is gonna be at Pattaya and am definitely trying to see if I can make it. From what I’ve seen of his training, I think he’s really good. His ‘Kia’ can easily put all our instructors back home to shame.
Went window-shopping crazy. Trying to see where I can get the cheapest pair of pants that I want and I was so tempted to buy them all! Found this brand ‘Abercombe’, think that’s the spelling, anyhow I love their stuff! It’s all so cool! I think I saw them back in Far East before and they were pretty expensive, not that they are much cheaper here. Most long ones are about 990-1250 baht which is around S$45-55. Will do all my shopping next Sunday, have tons to buy. Puma shoes, army pants, souvenirs etc.
Day 18
Yippee!! My AC is working! Should be able to sleep comfortably tonight…I hope.
No kicking at all in training today. Still have 10 more training days to go and I want to train at better capacity than just scraping through the rounds. Can’t learn anything that way. Did pump again. If you wondering why I’m pushing so hard on pump, one reason is I’ve gotta start teaching it when I’m back and secondly, just to make up for not kicking in trainings. Burn baby burn! Ripped I say, RIPPED!
Neck’s killing me. After the clinching lesson yesterday, I have to turn my whole body to look left or right. Tomorrow’s Sunday, heng ah! Can rest and do a bit more tanning…come to think of it, I still look as fair as before. Shit, what does it take to get a nice chocolate color?!
No kicking at all in training today. Still have 10 more training days to go and I want to train at better capacity than just scraping through the rounds. Can’t learn anything that way. Did pump again. If you wondering why I’m pushing so hard on pump, one reason is I’ve gotta start teaching it when I’m back and secondly, just to make up for not kicking in trainings. Burn baby burn! Ripped I say, RIPPED!
Neck’s killing me. After the clinching lesson yesterday, I have to turn my whole body to look left or right. Tomorrow’s Sunday, heng ah! Can rest and do a bit more tanning…come to think of it, I still look as fair as before. Shit, what does it take to get a nice chocolate color?!
Day 17
Okie, forgot to mention this but I weighed myself yesterday. I wasn’t too concerned about dropping lots of weight but the guys kept asking how much I’ve lost. Apparently according to them, I’ve lost quite a bit. Haha one of them said “When you come, you pui pui! Now you slender!”. It was just funny. Didn’t weigh myself before I came so it’s just a rough guess that I’ve lost about 2kg, maybe 3? And no, no six-pack yet. Still only one-pack hehe.
Went to see a doctor today, couldn’t find the damn clinic so ended up going to one of their hospitals. I felt as if I had sprouted another head cos everyone was like looking at me like they’ve never seen a foreigner before. Guess they don’t see much tourist strolling into their local hospitals. Nothing serious, just heat rash. Doc said it was ‘contact dermatitis’ whatever that was. Haha, tried to score some sleeping pills from him too since I haven’t had a decent night’s sleep at all these past 2 weeks. He actually gave me Xanax, which according to my roommate, is to calm and sedate anxiety-prone people. We’ll see how effective it is tonight.
Did something new in training today. Clinching. It’s basically like wrestling standing up where you try to grab a good hold on your opponent’s head/neck while you pummel him with knees. Objective is to of course keep getting into a good position by pulling him to either direction and then swing you knee into the kidney or ribs, finally maybe tripping him. Think Bodycombat 31’s Roundhouse Knee in track 7.
Now pop quiz! Which is the next body part to go wrong after the legs? Tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock! Time’s up! Did you guess it? It’s my left fist and wrist!! By the way, remember the bump under my wrist? It’s still there. No chance to heal since it’s the same spot where my glove is and where I block. Hurts to punch now. Sigh, if I can’t kick, then now I can’t punch, how to train?!!!!! Tell me! Tell me!!
Went to see a doctor today, couldn’t find the damn clinic so ended up going to one of their hospitals. I felt as if I had sprouted another head cos everyone was like looking at me like they’ve never seen a foreigner before. Guess they don’t see much tourist strolling into their local hospitals. Nothing serious, just heat rash. Doc said it was ‘contact dermatitis’ whatever that was. Haha, tried to score some sleeping pills from him too since I haven’t had a decent night’s sleep at all these past 2 weeks. He actually gave me Xanax, which according to my roommate, is to calm and sedate anxiety-prone people. We’ll see how effective it is tonight.
Did something new in training today. Clinching. It’s basically like wrestling standing up where you try to grab a good hold on your opponent’s head/neck while you pummel him with knees. Objective is to of course keep getting into a good position by pulling him to either direction and then swing you knee into the kidney or ribs, finally maybe tripping him. Think Bodycombat 31’s Roundhouse Knee in track 7.
Now pop quiz! Which is the next body part to go wrong after the legs? Tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock! Time’s up! Did you guess it? It’s my left fist and wrist!! By the way, remember the bump under my wrist? It’s still there. No chance to heal since it’s the same spot where my glove is and where I block. Hurts to punch now. Sigh, if I can’t kick, then now I can’t punch, how to train?!!!!! Tell me! Tell me!!
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Day 16
Didn’t think this would happen but I skipped morning training today. Had to give my ankles a break. Many more days to go, don’t wanna kill them by being headstrong.
Haha did pump instead. Yup, giving ankles a break doesn’t mean giving body a break! Went for a bit of sun baking too…getting there but still a few more shades to go. I’m crazy, I wanna looked burned.
Kept an eagle eye on my ankles during afternoon training. Not too bad luckily, survived. Mostly. Something happened during training, was sparring with Boon Ma again and it was going pretty well. Then during one of the breaks, another trainer showed me something about knees. Guess I was too intent listening and wasn’t looking where I kicked but I knee-ed right into Boon Ma’s groin.
I didn’t know whether to laugh or die of embarrassment. The guys were all hooting, laughing and giving me hi-fives.
I couldn’t help it.
I laughed my head off.
Well I was mortified too, did try saying sorry in between breaths. Damn, it was funny.
Haha did pump instead. Yup, giving ankles a break doesn’t mean giving body a break! Went for a bit of sun baking too…getting there but still a few more shades to go. I’m crazy, I wanna looked burned.
Kept an eagle eye on my ankles during afternoon training. Not too bad luckily, survived. Mostly. Something happened during training, was sparring with Boon Ma again and it was going pretty well. Then during one of the breaks, another trainer showed me something about knees. Guess I was too intent listening and wasn’t looking where I kicked but I knee-ed right into Boon Ma’s groin.
I didn’t know whether to laugh or die of embarrassment. The guys were all hooting, laughing and giving me hi-fives.
I couldn’t help it.
I laughed my head off.
Well I was mortified too, did try saying sorry in between breaths. Damn, it was funny.
Day 15
Halfway there! Damn…only halfway there. I’m being grumpy lately because my body seems to be falling apart bit by bit. Guess I’ve found out how long it can stand intensive training day in day out.
You are not gonna believe this but I’ve busted my left foot too. What happened was I kicked right into Boon Ma’s elbow. Hurts like shit, big bruise on top of my foot. One of the guys was really nice, helped me rubbed medicated oil on it. Haha he happens to be one of the cute ones here, tried like hell not to cuss my head off cos the pain was worse than getting hit. Now I officially walk like an 80 year-old woman everytime I get up.
You are not gonna believe this but I’ve busted my left foot too. What happened was I kicked right into Boon Ma’s elbow. Hurts like shit, big bruise on top of my foot. One of the guys was really nice, helped me rubbed medicated oil on it. Haha he happens to be one of the cute ones here, tried like hell not to cuss my head off cos the pain was worse than getting hit. Now I officially walk like an 80 year-old woman everytime I get up.
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Day 14
Nung, Apidej's son. It was great to train with him. He's more into techniques which was just what i needed.
Wow, the baby leopard was just gorgeous. Girl by the way, couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw her. Have no idea how old she is and pretty feisty hehe. Managed to pet her while she restlessly paced about the studio.
Another long day.
Did pump again in the afternoon, if the weights are what I think they are, I’m making good progress. Right ankle hurting, think may have to lay off it during training tomorrow.
Day 13
I think I had the Monday blues. Training in the morning was total crap. Didn’t sleep a wink last night, almost didn’t wake up in time for training.
Sparred with Boon Ma again today. I got socked like a hundred times. It was considered light but it still felt like a small concussion every time I got hit. You’d have thought after being hit a few times that I’d guard better but NOooo…arms weren’t listening. Legs weren’t too for that matter. Him being a seasoned fighter, his aim was dead on. I kept getting kicked in the same spot, big bruises tomorrow I’m sure. Took a few kicks to my trunk too. Let me tell you, it feels like your whole ribcage vibrates along with the organs and for a split second, you can’t breathe. And it was a light kick mind you. I can’t imagine what would’ve happened if it was a real kick or punch. God, I really have no idea how those people fight in the ring. Million Dollar Baby?? I feel more like One Dollar Baby.
Afternoon session was better, body’s awake by then. Busted my right ankle. Shit. Best part is my left’s just barely holding, so this is not good news. I have to really watch out.
I know that the middle of every journey or anything we do is the toughest stage to sustain. I’m heading into my 3rd week here and honestly, I’m ready to go home. I’m not sure how I’m gonna make it through the next 2 weeks. I’m not giving up, not this easily, that’s not who I am. Just feeling a little frustrated with my progress or rather lack of and not getting enough quality sleep.
Sparred with Boon Ma again today. I got socked like a hundred times. It was considered light but it still felt like a small concussion every time I got hit. You’d have thought after being hit a few times that I’d guard better but NOooo…arms weren’t listening. Legs weren’t too for that matter. Him being a seasoned fighter, his aim was dead on. I kept getting kicked in the same spot, big bruises tomorrow I’m sure. Took a few kicks to my trunk too. Let me tell you, it feels like your whole ribcage vibrates along with the organs and for a split second, you can’t breathe. And it was a light kick mind you. I can’t imagine what would’ve happened if it was a real kick or punch. God, I really have no idea how those people fight in the ring. Million Dollar Baby?? I feel more like One Dollar Baby.
Afternoon session was better, body’s awake by then. Busted my right ankle. Shit. Best part is my left’s just barely holding, so this is not good news. I have to really watch out.
I know that the middle of every journey or anything we do is the toughest stage to sustain. I’m heading into my 3rd week here and honestly, I’m ready to go home. I’m not sure how I’m gonna make it through the next 2 weeks. I’m not giving up, not this easily, that’s not who I am. Just feeling a little frustrated with my progress or rather lack of and not getting enough quality sleep.
Day 11
Morning training.
Pump.
Afternoon training.
‘K.O-ed’…
Had Boon Ma again today. Apparently he felt I did well during the afternoon session. Said my kicks had a lot more power, getting the swing better. I think it must be the doughnut I had before training haha. Thank god it’s Sunday tomorrow…
Pump.
Afternoon training.
‘K.O-ed’…
Had Boon Ma again today. Apparently he felt I did well during the afternoon session. Said my kicks had a lot more power, getting the swing better. I think it must be the doughnut I had before training haha. Thank god it’s Sunday tomorrow…
Friday, March 23, 2007
Another trainer I always train with
Name: Boonma Prathan
Fight name: Machai Fairtex
Nick name "Boonma"
45 fights, 37 wins, 1 draw
Kick and knee specialist
Day 10
Where I train everyday. There's 4 rings in total.
The bags area.
Weights section of the gym. Small but adequate.
See the bump right under my wrist? Big bruise.
Here's the pool. Small but not too bad.
Badge of honor hehe! Added a few more after this pic was taken
Here's my gloves! Cool eh!One third into my stay here, time really flies. Honestly, what I’ve learned is not really applicable to the gym. It’s totally different, nothing like what we are teaching or what I’ve learned back home. I hope I can somehow use it but it’s doubtful. It would be great if I’m allowed to teach a special class using what I’ve learned. I’m thinking it’ll be in the same vein as JC Boxercise, almost like an extension of it. There would be elbows and knees of course. Hmm no kicks though… Mike would probably kick me first before I allow kicks in the class.
Wanted to do pump again today. Muscles were feeling pretty okay but after the morning session, decided to suntan instead hehe. Man, I was kicking and punching like a girl! Absolutely no power, very frustrating. So off I went to use their pool for the first time. I am not, I repeat, I am not going back without a tan. After the failed attempt at Krabi, I don’t care if I look ugly with a tan or end up like a burned cookie, I gotta have it. It was super hot. Stayed for an hour but wow, I could see the difference! Hah, guess I used the right suntan lotion this time!
Day 9
Yay! Congratulations to me! I’ve finally overcome the urge to ‘Queixada’ everytime I’m being attacked and graduated to just ‘Bencáo’ haha! It’s actually alright cos it’s very similar to one of their moves called ‘foot jab’, except of course you really kick to push the guy away and you also run the risk of him catching hold of your leg.
Training today was awesome! I think it’s the best training day to date. Had Boon Ma in the morning and I feel I’ve made progress with him. I’ve finally figured out the footwork a little more and it made my reaction faster. Float like a butterfly and sting like a bee baby!! He threw me great combos and we worked a little faster. Kept testing my guards too with kicks and swipes. Really got to work on my reaction skills. Totally exhausted after.
Trained with this guy called Jakrit in the afternoon. He has only corrected my techniques when I’m on the bags before so had no idea what his teaching style would be. Man, absolute challenge which was right when I needed it! Training with him is almost like sparring. Thank god it was 3-minute rounds that session else I would’ve have die by round 2. He corrected a few of my techniques and taught me a few new moves. It was fantastic! I’m having lots of problem using my legs to block, meaning I ended up getting kicked pretty often.
Then after, Boon Ma got me to spar with him. I was wiped after the 7 rounder with Jakrit but hey, not gonna miss a chance to spar! Yes, I’m getting a little more violent hehe. This time he got a little bit more serious and kicked more, kicked harder. Like I said, I kept forgetting to use my legs to guard/block. So bloody used to ‘esquiva-ing’ and ‘role’. The end result? Added a few more bruises to my already colorful legs and arms. It was fun though.
Training today was awesome! I think it’s the best training day to date. Had Boon Ma in the morning and I feel I’ve made progress with him. I’ve finally figured out the footwork a little more and it made my reaction faster. Float like a butterfly and sting like a bee baby!! He threw me great combos and we worked a little faster. Kept testing my guards too with kicks and swipes. Really got to work on my reaction skills. Totally exhausted after.
Trained with this guy called Jakrit in the afternoon. He has only corrected my techniques when I’m on the bags before so had no idea what his teaching style would be. Man, absolute challenge which was right when I needed it! Training with him is almost like sparring. Thank god it was 3-minute rounds that session else I would’ve have die by round 2. He corrected a few of my techniques and taught me a few new moves. It was fantastic! I’m having lots of problem using my legs to block, meaning I ended up getting kicked pretty often.
Then after, Boon Ma got me to spar with him. I was wiped after the 7 rounder with Jakrit but hey, not gonna miss a chance to spar! Yes, I’m getting a little more violent hehe. This time he got a little bit more serious and kicked more, kicked harder. Like I said, I kept forgetting to use my legs to guard/block. So bloody used to ‘esquiva-ing’ and ‘role’. The end result? Added a few more bruises to my already colorful legs and arms. It was fun though.
Day 8
7am – Training.
1pm – Pump.
3pm – Training.
Totally exhausted.
Thank god I brought my tapes with me. Taped up my toes so I can move around without shoes. Train better that way.
Ankles in trouble, especially left. Shit, I feel so useless! Every part seems to be crapping up! Did I mention my knuckles too? Okay June. STOP COMPLAINING!!!
Gonna head into Big C to get my groceries. Their supermarkets here are gigantic. Most easily the size of Carrefour. It’s already day 8, how time flies eh? Can’t believe I’m here more than a week already. Sigh, better buck up.
1pm – Pump.
3pm – Training.
Totally exhausted.
Thank god I brought my tapes with me. Taped up my toes so I can move around without shoes. Train better that way.
Ankles in trouble, especially left. Shit, I feel so useless! Every part seems to be crapping up! Did I mention my knuckles too? Okay June. STOP COMPLAINING!!!
Gonna head into Big C to get my groceries. Their supermarkets here are gigantic. Most easily the size of Carrefour. It’s already day 8, how time flies eh? Can’t believe I’m here more than a week already. Sigh, better buck up.
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Day 7
Trained with shoes today. Had to let my blisters heal. Thought it would offer more protection for my feet but totally killed my ankles. Well, at least top of my feet doesn’t hurt.
Hah, after so many days my gloves are finally ready! I’m so happy! Why? Mostly cos I won’t have to wear their smelly ones anymore! Got a black one with flames, cool leh!
Man, I’m burnt out…
Hah, after so many days my gloves are finally ready! I’m so happy! Why? Mostly cos I won’t have to wear their smelly ones anymore! Got a black one with flames, cool leh!
Man, I’m burnt out…
Day 6
Shit.
Blisters.
Fuck. Fuck. FUCK!
Didn’t get any the first couple days and I was totally ecstatic my feet were holding. Guess my happiness was premature. It’s just irritating more than anything. Right at my big toes and it makes it harder for me to move. Don’t even talk about kicks now, have to pivot on the balls of my feet to do that and that’s where the blisters are. Hmm maybe I’ll just have to get those Puma shoes earlier than I thought. They are just 399 baht! That’s like S$17, way cheaper than those in KL. Quality wise, won’t know till I’ve worn them. Not expecting a lot though. But I mean, c’mon, it’s only $17 and they have brazilian colors too! So tempted to get those but it’ll be weird wearing it other than for Taka roda.
Hah, Boon Ma asked me to spar with him again this morning. Did slightly better this time, starting to get into the groove of it. I’m finding it hard to break my capoeira training of ducking and escaping. Have to keep reminding myself to block and hit. Starting to prefer training with him cos I don’t have to worry about holding back. I get a better workout but honestly, I’m a little burned out. Can’t generate much power with my kicks especially left. My strong side has become weak instead. Geeze, it’s only day 6 and worse, Monday, which means I have 5 more days till Sunday.
Blisters.
Fuck. Fuck. FUCK!
Didn’t get any the first couple days and I was totally ecstatic my feet were holding. Guess my happiness was premature. It’s just irritating more than anything. Right at my big toes and it makes it harder for me to move. Don’t even talk about kicks now, have to pivot on the balls of my feet to do that and that’s where the blisters are. Hmm maybe I’ll just have to get those Puma shoes earlier than I thought. They are just 399 baht! That’s like S$17, way cheaper than those in KL. Quality wise, won’t know till I’ve worn them. Not expecting a lot though. But I mean, c’mon, it’s only $17 and they have brazilian colors too! So tempted to get those but it’ll be weird wearing it other than for Taka roda.
Hah, Boon Ma asked me to spar with him again this morning. Did slightly better this time, starting to get into the groove of it. I’m finding it hard to break my capoeira training of ducking and escaping. Have to keep reminding myself to block and hit. Starting to prefer training with him cos I don’t have to worry about holding back. I get a better workout but honestly, I’m a little burned out. Can’t generate much power with my kicks especially left. My strong side has become weak instead. Geeze, it’s only day 6 and worse, Monday, which means I have 5 more days till Sunday.
Day 5
Sunday! No trainings on Sunday. Hmm I’m not sure if I’m happy or pissed at this since I’ve paid for the day too. Well, decided to check out California Wow gym in Siam instead. Not too hard to get into town from the school… Heng ah!
Yesterday joined Vince to town and he showed me where it was. He’s a really nice guy. An American-thai who is visiting relatives cum training here. He has this really really cute Shitzu puppy called Brownie at his uncle’s house. She was absolutely adorable! Like a soft toy and just pure playfulness.
So off I went to the new Siam Paragon shopping centre. Was not completed last time I came. It’s huge and mostly high-end shops. The gym was actually pretty cool. All new stuff, 2 studios, a spinning room and even a separate area for yoga and pilates studio. Did combat and pump haha! They were taught in thai so had absolutely no idea what the instructors were saying. Hmm, not that I’m being snotty or anything but Singapore definitely has a much higher standard. They don’t wear LM tops, cueing has a lot a lot of room for improvement. The guy who taught pump even like stop a few times during tracks! Breaks in between were long n naggy. Guess maybe it’s because most are pretty new to classes. Their freestyle classes are pretty popular though from what I’ve seen. Like steps…Geeze, is it the same everywhere?
Can’t believe they charged me like 150baht for 1hr on the net. Stupid Starbucks. That’s like S$6!! Much cheaper back at school but I wanted to use my computer. I need to seriously control my spending. Have already used up more than half my budget for the month and its only like day 5! Cannot cannot. Will have to eat air if this continues.
Yesterday joined Vince to town and he showed me where it was. He’s a really nice guy. An American-thai who is visiting relatives cum training here. He has this really really cute Shitzu puppy called Brownie at his uncle’s house. She was absolutely adorable! Like a soft toy and just pure playfulness.
So off I went to the new Siam Paragon shopping centre. Was not completed last time I came. It’s huge and mostly high-end shops. The gym was actually pretty cool. All new stuff, 2 studios, a spinning room and even a separate area for yoga and pilates studio. Did combat and pump haha! They were taught in thai so had absolutely no idea what the instructors were saying. Hmm, not that I’m being snotty or anything but Singapore definitely has a much higher standard. They don’t wear LM tops, cueing has a lot a lot of room for improvement. The guy who taught pump even like stop a few times during tracks! Breaks in between were long n naggy. Guess maybe it’s because most are pretty new to classes. Their freestyle classes are pretty popular though from what I’ve seen. Like steps…Geeze, is it the same everywhere?
Can’t believe they charged me like 150baht for 1hr on the net. Stupid Starbucks. That’s like S$6!! Much cheaper back at school but I wanted to use my computer. I need to seriously control my spending. Have already used up more than half my budget for the month and its only like day 5! Cannot cannot. Will have to eat air if this continues.
Sunday, March 18, 2007
My Trainer!
Apidej Sit-Hirun
Over 400 fights and the undefeated, undisputed champion of champions during the 50's and 60's. The muaythai grand master, doyen, living legend and head trainer at Fairtex Muaythai Fitness. Brilliant is all respects Apidej was most famous for his rapid fire powerhouse kicks that could be heard cracking onto opponents from the back seats of Lumpinee stadium.
Day 4
I’m just getting more bruises before others get healed. Man, my shins are in bad shape after training today. Top of my feet aren’t faring any better. Had to stop using left leg for kicks cos it just got so painful.
Did I mention it’s actually not easy jumping on tires? It’s so funny cos you see it on TV and you’d think it shouldn’t be too tough, even fun maybe. But let me tell you, it’s tough. It’s a killer on the calves. Have to really watch out on my hip flexors, well my bottom half really. Don’t want to get injured and the kicks really put a huge strain on my hips and legs.
I’ve been training with a couple of other trainers and it’s great to get a variety of styles. Everyone has their favorite combos so I got to play around a bit more. Only setback is I get so confused on certain techniques. It’s getting pretty frustrating to have to change my style everytime I change a trainer. Got this guy called Boon Ma today. He’s pretty fun and I like the combos he threw at me. He got me to spar with him too! I mean, I was like “What? Me spar? You sure??” and he just nodded, smiled and said “Yes, you heavy, me light light. Okay?” So I had my first pseudo sparring! Well if it was a playstation game, I would’ve been ‘K.O-ed’ a quite few times. Goodness…Now I look at the matches yesterday a little differently than before. Muay thai is no joke ladies and gentlemen.
Did I mention it’s actually not easy jumping on tires? It’s so funny cos you see it on TV and you’d think it shouldn’t be too tough, even fun maybe. But let me tell you, it’s tough. It’s a killer on the calves. Have to really watch out on my hip flexors, well my bottom half really. Don’t want to get injured and the kicks really put a huge strain on my hips and legs.
I’ve been training with a couple of other trainers and it’s great to get a variety of styles. Everyone has their favorite combos so I got to play around a bit more. Only setback is I get so confused on certain techniques. It’s getting pretty frustrating to have to change my style everytime I change a trainer. Got this guy called Boon Ma today. He’s pretty fun and I like the combos he threw at me. He got me to spar with him too! I mean, I was like “What? Me spar? You sure??” and he just nodded, smiled and said “Yes, you heavy, me light light. Okay?” So I had my first pseudo sparring! Well if it was a playstation game, I would’ve been ‘K.O-ed’ a quite few times. Goodness…Now I look at the matches yesterday a little differently than before. Muay thai is no joke ladies and gentlemen.
Day 3
Went for a light jog warm up and practiced a bit of capoeira this morning. Reason I did this even though I’m feeling aches from yesterday is partly cos the cleaning lady needs to tidy my room at 7ish training or no training, and of course to keep my momentum going.
Had brown rice, veggies, egg and chicken for breakfast. My first meal here was fried rice and pat thai…Not exactly healthy I was thinking. But fortunately, subsequent meals seemed more well-rounded. I’m stocking up on groceries anyways. Yogurt, bananas, more fruits, milk etc. Stuff are just dirt cheap here.
So we went to the muay thai event after breakfast. Man, it took like 3hrs just to get there! Don’t even ask how much time the trip back took. It was definitely interesting. Saw my first muay thai matches ever and I have to say I’m looking forward to seeing thais fight. You see, all the fighters today we saw was from other countries. The first match was probably the best and it just went mostly downhill from there. Most of them were fighting more like boxers who use legs.
I thought a lot of us at the camp was going but it turned out only 6 of us did. Apedej, Vince, Tony, Steven, Rema and me. It’s just great to meet these people here. Apedej really took care of us, insisted to pay for everything. Felt quite bad about it. He even got this police guy to take us to a really old temple which was just awesome. It’s so much better than the ones I saw in Bangkok city. This one seems more real, less commercialized if you know what I mean. Overall, tired but interesting day. Not something you’ll get to experience as a tourist tourist.
Had brown rice, veggies, egg and chicken for breakfast. My first meal here was fried rice and pat thai…Not exactly healthy I was thinking. But fortunately, subsequent meals seemed more well-rounded. I’m stocking up on groceries anyways. Yogurt, bananas, more fruits, milk etc. Stuff are just dirt cheap here.
So we went to the muay thai event after breakfast. Man, it took like 3hrs just to get there! Don’t even ask how much time the trip back took. It was definitely interesting. Saw my first muay thai matches ever and I have to say I’m looking forward to seeing thais fight. You see, all the fighters today we saw was from other countries. The first match was probably the best and it just went mostly downhill from there. Most of them were fighting more like boxers who use legs.
I thought a lot of us at the camp was going but it turned out only 6 of us did. Apedej, Vince, Tony, Steven, Rema and me. It’s just great to meet these people here. Apedej really took care of us, insisted to pay for everything. Felt quite bad about it. He even got this police guy to take us to a really old temple which was just awesome. It’s so much better than the ones I saw in Bangkok city. This one seems more real, less commercialized if you know what I mean. Overall, tired but interesting day. Not something you’ll get to experience as a tourist tourist.
Day 2
Did I say the training was easy?? What the hell was I thinking?! Man, I’m like covered in bruises now. My knee, thigh, elbow, forearms, feet, the list goes on.
There was so much more kicks in training today. We were rotated between 2 trainers so in my morning session, I got this guy called Mitt. He really made me work and since he’s younger, I gave a bit more. Hah, best part was during the afternoon session, I was rotated between like 3 trainers! 3 strapping men who were obviously having fun making me work. It was definitely tiring. Guess being one of the only 3 females here made me more conspicuous. Quite a few of them came up to me, asked loads of questions, teased and corrected my techniques (which was really helpful except I got confused when everyone taught me different stuff).
My main trainer, Apedej asked all of us to go to this huge muay thai festival tomorrow so no training. Decided to do pump at noon since if I’m to suffer any muscle soreness, I’ll have tomorrow to recover hehehe! Can’t wait to check it out! Apparently its to celebrate the first ever muay thai champion/king and there’s gonna be matches. Was told the fighters would be hailing from countries like Vietnam, Laos and many more. Missed watching muay thai matches during last few trips here so this is definitely gonna be fun.
My pump session was definitely interesting. Had to do lots of improvisation. Skipped lunges and abs, partly from lack of time and a lot on saving energy for training after hehe. The only bar they have are those big weighted ones. It was 10kg so I almost died during biceps. Did release 61 for shoulders since it didn’t need bar else I won’t be able to lift my arms anymore tonight. Overall, pretty pleased that I managed to work on my pump. Won’t have to worry too much about losing my endurance during this period liao!
There was so much more kicks in training today. We were rotated between 2 trainers so in my morning session, I got this guy called Mitt. He really made me work and since he’s younger, I gave a bit more. Hah, best part was during the afternoon session, I was rotated between like 3 trainers! 3 strapping men who were obviously having fun making me work. It was definitely tiring. Guess being one of the only 3 females here made me more conspicuous. Quite a few of them came up to me, asked loads of questions, teased and corrected my techniques (which was really helpful except I got confused when everyone taught me different stuff).
My main trainer, Apedej asked all of us to go to this huge muay thai festival tomorrow so no training. Decided to do pump at noon since if I’m to suffer any muscle soreness, I’ll have tomorrow to recover hehehe! Can’t wait to check it out! Apparently its to celebrate the first ever muay thai champion/king and there’s gonna be matches. Was told the fighters would be hailing from countries like Vietnam, Laos and many more. Missed watching muay thai matches during last few trips here so this is definitely gonna be fun.
My pump session was definitely interesting. Had to do lots of improvisation. Skipped lunges and abs, partly from lack of time and a lot on saving energy for training after hehe. The only bar they have are those big weighted ones. It was 10kg so I almost died during biceps. Did release 61 for shoulders since it didn’t need bar else I won’t be able to lift my arms anymore tonight. Overall, pretty pleased that I managed to work on my pump. Won’t have to worry too much about losing my endurance during this period liao!
Day 1
I let out my breath in a whoosh…I’ve finally reached the camp and it ain’t looking too bad. Took about an hour to get there from the airport but that’s mostly due to the infamous jam.
Got a tour of the place and surprisingly, they have quite a collection of animals. I mean, it was like a mini zoo! Humongous fishes, monkeys, snakes, birds, greens and etc. Boy was I glad their gym is adequately equipped! Hah, it’ll be interesting to practise pump with free weights though! Sigh, no combat for a month…
Did I mention I was a little nervous about who my trainer was gonna be? I mean, this is the guy who I’ll be spending a month training one-on-one with. What if I don’t like him or vice versa? What if I can’t get a single word or worse, dislike his style? BUT GUESS WHAT?! My lucky stars must be shining on me cos my trainer is none other than their top honcho! His name is…hmm…I still can’t remember it correctly…gonna have to check the website to get it hehehe. He is like the most senior/master trainer here. Can’t speak English except for a couple of phrases like “One! Two!”, “Jab! Jab!”, “I cue! I cue!”. It was really hard to get techniques right. I can only learn by watching him and I couldn’t really ask any questions cos I’ll end up looking like a contestant on Pictionary instead.
On the whole, let’s just say I’m a little surprised the training wasn’t as tough as I thought it’ll be. Maybe because it’s only my first session and he couldn’t do much with my level – okay I admit I only did a super-light warm up session on my own in the gym – so went a little easy on me. But most of the people training here are pretty hardcore, staying like 10 weeks etc. Siao! Think there’s only like 3 or 4 girls here. Most trainees are Caucasians which is not surprising.
Gonna try to get some sleep in the super hot room with a useless AC. Works more like a fan… It’s training 6.30am, let’s pray it’ll roll out as smooth as today.
Got a tour of the place and surprisingly, they have quite a collection of animals. I mean, it was like a mini zoo! Humongous fishes, monkeys, snakes, birds, greens and etc. Boy was I glad their gym is adequately equipped! Hah, it’ll be interesting to practise pump with free weights though! Sigh, no combat for a month…
Did I mention I was a little nervous about who my trainer was gonna be? I mean, this is the guy who I’ll be spending a month training one-on-one with. What if I don’t like him or vice versa? What if I can’t get a single word or worse, dislike his style? BUT GUESS WHAT?! My lucky stars must be shining on me cos my trainer is none other than their top honcho! His name is…hmm…I still can’t remember it correctly…gonna have to check the website to get it hehehe. He is like the most senior/master trainer here. Can’t speak English except for a couple of phrases like “One! Two!”, “Jab! Jab!”, “I cue! I cue!”. It was really hard to get techniques right. I can only learn by watching him and I couldn’t really ask any questions cos I’ll end up looking like a contestant on Pictionary instead.
On the whole, let’s just say I’m a little surprised the training wasn’t as tough as I thought it’ll be. Maybe because it’s only my first session and he couldn’t do much with my level – okay I admit I only did a super-light warm up session on my own in the gym – so went a little easy on me. But most of the people training here are pretty hardcore, staying like 10 weeks etc. Siao! Think there’s only like 3 or 4 girls here. Most trainees are Caucasians which is not surprising.
Gonna try to get some sleep in the super hot room with a useless AC. Works more like a fan… It’s training 6.30am, let’s pray it’ll roll out as smooth as today.
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