Annoying Habits in the Gym

Published by simon on September 30, 2009

I’m not the complaining type, but certain things really take the cake. Like in the gym, for example. See, i spend a lot of time in the gym. After home and work, there’s the place I spend the most time (driving in my car doesn’t count in the list). And like any other place with lots of people, certain things peeve certain other people.

So here goes.

Using the hairdryer in the locker room to dry other things than your hair.
My gym has hairdryers at the dressing table in the locker rooms, see. Obviously, for drying for hair. But some guys use it for drying other things – armpits, privates, toes, slippers. I mean, eeeeew man. And that, is the one reason i don’t ever touch them hairdryers.

Chatting while on the machines.
Every gym has them. These people sit on the weight machines, do one set, spend 10 mins talking with their friends / trainers / on the phone. Then do another set, continue talking. If you want to talk, go to the juice bar and don’t hog the machines.

The Staring Guy in the Locker Room
See, there’s this cleaning guy in the locker room. When he’s not cleaning, he likes to sit on the benches facing the lockers, and… stare. At other guys. Changing. If that is not creepy enough, he has this disturbing slow smirk when he looks at you.

The Loud Guy.
Everything about him screams ‘look at me!’. He grunts while lifting, drops weights on the floor and talks loudly. Even his protein farts are loud.

The Naked Gym in the Locker Room
The highlight of the day for the staring guy above. Guys that strip naked and walk around the locker room. I’m not discriminating, but its ALWAYS the gwailou!

The Auntie Fellowship at the Juice Bar
See there are big groups of aunties and si-lai’s that congregate at the juice bar after their workouts (if walking 10 mins on the treadmill at 4.0 actually counts as a workout). That’s fine but NOT when they start chattering like they are in the coffeeshop. While eating popiahs and McDonald’s.

Wonderful Tonight by Eric Clapton

Published by simon on September 16, 2009

One day during my Form Five school holidays, I was at a youth camp when i heard this guy from Kuantan play this fantastic riff on the acoustic guitar. When he saw me watching, he just smiled and said, “Clapton”.

The only Eric Clapton fan i knew back then was my own brother. He was a HUGE fan, had all his tapes and posters. So when i got home from the youth camp, I dug out my brother’s Clapton greatest hits cassette (he was on holiday in KL at the time) and played it until I found that riff again.

Didn’t take me long – I found out that it was the opening riff of a song Wonderful Tonight, which I later my brother told me was a ‘very famous song’. Later I learnt the story about the song, Clapton wrote for his then wife Pattie Boyd, while waiting for her to get ready for a dinner appointment.

Clapton has always been known as a guitar virtuoso, especially during his time with Cream and Derek and the Dominoes, but for me this song really personifies Clapton’s gift for songwriting. Listening to his sublime lyrics about Clapton’s love for his woman never fails to amaze me.

Wonderful Tonight
Its late in the evening
Shes wondering what clothes to wear
She puts on her make up
And brushes her long blonde hair
And then she asks me
Do I look alright
And I say yes, you look wonderful tonight

We go a party
And everyone turns to see
This beautiful lady
Thats walking around with me
And then she asks me
Do you feel alright
And I say yes, I feel wonderful tonight

I feel wonderful
Because I see the love light in your eyes
And the wonder of it all
Is that you just dont realize
How much I love you

Its time to go home now
And Ive got an aching head
So I give her the car keys
She helps me to bed
And then I tell her
As I turn out the light
I say my darling, you were wonderful tonight
Oh my darling, you were wonderful tonight

My New Saltwater Aquarium!

Published by simon on September 9, 2009

Here’s what I’ve been up to recently.

I set up a marine aquarium, for saltwater fish. Here’s the tank – it’s been cycling without fish for the past 1 month. It’s a 2 feet open top 20 gallon tank, with a hang-on filter, carbon filter, wave pump, protein skimmer, and light. In the saltwater is 1.5″ of crushed coral substrate, 2kg of live rock (4 pieces), and some seashells my wife kept from many years ago.

The set up also comes with a beautiful wooden cabinet stand, very nice.

So anyway after a month of patiently cycling the water to build up the bacteria, we went to bought some fish!

The fish came in an oxygen pack bag. I had to balance the water from my tank with the shop’s water for half an hour.

After that, in they go!

For starters, I got 4 fish – 2 clownfish (also known as anemonefish, popularly known as Nemo!) and two different types of damsel fish. In a few months time i hope to have a max of 6 fish and maybe one or two invertebrates.

These are the two damsel fish. The larger one at the top is a blue damsel, the yellow/purple one is a Fiji Blue Devil Damsel.

These are the two clownfish. Very beautiful, yes?

Anyway, as i kind of expected, one of the clownfish didn’t survive the first night at home so i’m down to 3 fish now. Hopefully they settle in and the water can stabilize as soon as possible.

One Weekend in Muar

Published by simon on September 2, 2009

Took a long weekend holiday back home.

Going home is always a bittersweet experience for me – i love the town, its where i lived and grew up for the first 18 years of my life. But home wasn’t always a happy place. So i don’t really go home that often since.

This time round, spent some time going round my old haunts, taking photos. Maybe to remind me of the past.

This was my primary school, Ismail One. Finest in town.

This entrance wasn’t there back then. There was an old fence with a narrow gate. Outside there was always an Indian man selling ‘kacang puteh’ for 20 sen.

The hall looks exactly the same as it did then. Save the new coat of paint.

The old classrooms. “Take a pic of the standard 2 classrooms!” i said. “WHICH is the standard 2 classroom?!” my wife replied.

This was my sister’s school, Convent Muar. If it looks small, it actually is. Most of the girls i knew went to this school (except the ones in my school).

This is the view from the padang side. The building there was the old Convent kindergarten, not sure if it still exists.

I didn’t take any pics of MY secondary school, coz it was a pain to stop on the busy main road and snap pics. Plus the gate was locked.

I did however take pics of High School Muar (Sekolah Tinggi Muar), my brother’s school. A lot of my friends went to this place, too.

This is the beautiful government office across the school field where my dad worked for a few years.

I went round the back to take pics of Sri Muar School (Sekolah Menengah Sri Muar), where my brother spent his lower secondary. I was shocked to find it gone! High School had taken over its premise! I wonder if Sri Muar had moved or merged with High School?

Next to the government office is this beautiful house beside the river, still in immaculate condition after more than 40 years. Someone one told me it belonged to the Johor royal family.

The other thing we did during the weekend (other than eat a lot) was go to a farm owned by my mom’s friend. They plant a lot (and I do mean a lot) of different fruits there, but this time only the duku and duku langsat were in fruit.

That’s mom and friend starting the harvest.

For the uninitiated, THIS is DUKU…

…and THIS is the hybrid DUKU LANGSAT. The former is bigger, orange in colour and has thicker skin. The latter is yellow and much smaller.

There was too much fruit to harvest, most of it was left on the trees coz this year they were too small to sell.

Hawaiian papaya, the tree is less than 7′ tall. Easy to pluck.

Guava, a.k.a. jambu batu.

No trip to Muar is complete without a visit to Tanjung Emas and Tanjung Ketapang, known collectively as ‘tanjung’. This is the road leading to Tg. Ketapang, with the public golf course on both sides. Due to global warming, you can see the drain water has risen dramatically in the last 20 years…

…caused by the rising river water level. In a few decades, my town will be submerged underwater.

And of course the infamous monkey park next to the mangrove. Trust me, there are hundreds more around.

A visit to Lim Brothers, to see fish and birds for sale.

Muar has changed a lot in the intervening years i have been away, for better and for worse. But its still my hometown.