UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL WITH RIENNA CHOO

Rienna Choo is not just the ordinary women next door but she is a great mother, a wonderful wife and a pioneer at the Chief's Original Bootcamp. Being a mother is a blessing but it is also physically and mentally challenging especially to maintain the same physique after giving birth and to have the extra energy to care for the expansion in the family and maintain her household chores as well as the family's welfare. Many years ago, Rienna Choo barely weigh 60kg before giving birth but after 6 months, the wife to a general surgeon at Ampang Puteri Specialist Hospital weight more than 65kg and the weight continued to grow bigger and better than most investment's unit trust and stock market irregardless of whatever the economic climax was.

The biggest challenge was after Rienna gave birth to her second child and that was the point of no return... where everything from dieting to endless visits at slimming centres and workout program had all failed. Being positive, Rienna had to always joke with her husband that the surgeon had invested well in her as she continued to grow stronger, broader and bigger even when the financial market crashed but when Rienna Choo could not fit into size 'L' clothing, she knew she had to take a drastic action. Rienna being the smallest and shortest in her family could not accept her bigger than her usual size and was so desperate to lose weight that she wished there was a military-form of exercise without having to enroll as a military personnel. Her dream came true when she saw a small advert in the Star that reads "Chief's Original Bootcamp (formerly known as Original Bootcamp) from Australia" at Padang Merbok.

LSD 10: PUTRAJAYA & THE GUNGHO LADIES

I was in Penang and had missed the long slow distance run at Putrajaya for our 10th COBC weekly running session but with or without me, our COBC celebrity runner Ilyanna Aylin Ayob, Rose Emini Pahamin and Abdul Adzim Zaharudin had never failed to get the best route and distance. The target for this run was for 13km and there were at least two dozens recruits that attended the session.

UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL WITH MR & MRS BAAKE

If there is one most talked-about couple at the Chief's Original Bootcamp Damansara Heights, then it must the Baakes!! Mr & Mrs Baake is  one of those many couples at the Chief's Original Bootcamp that inspired many others to take charge of their health and fitness. Thomas Baake and Stella Baake met in 1993 and after 5 years of courting, they took their relationship a step further into marriage. Their wedding was held in Germany. When others would be honeymooning romantically by the beach with beautiful sunrise or up the mountains with stupendous scenic, the newlywed Baakes, went for the Hash-run instead... I mean.. they both participated in a running event in Bangladesh!!! 19 Years later, Stella is still waiting for a nice Honeymoon but that did not stop them from expanding their family!! The Baakes are blessed with 6 children and 7 grand children.. even without the nice honeymoon.

Before coming down to Malaysia, the Baake was in Thailand for 3 years and 6 months. In Thailand, they adopted a healthy lifestyle by going to the gym daily and even participated in various 10km and 21km runs. They both experimented various physical exercises and even tried different gym club membership to find the mojo for a continuous aspiration to workout. The now Chief Executive Officer at the ERL Maintenance Support Sdn Bhd (E-MAS) was a member at the Clark hatch and Stella at the Fitness First for several years. They were never exhausted of effort and an active 5 times a week gym-goer but they gained more weight during this period than before. Both of them simply love the local cuisine and pubs at the amazing Thailand.

LSD 9: 25KM RUNNING GETTING LOST IN BUKIT AMAN

Stephanie, Mas, Rose, Evonne, Baba

25 March 2012. Inspired by last week's runner's heaven with two drinking stations serving freezing Glucozade while doing LSD, today I conveniently and happily assumed the Pacesetters drink station will also be there for our 25km run at Bukit Aman and left all monies, and drink bottles at home. Although today, we had similar number of crowd with more than thirty pax but today was extra special because Ali Rahimi Ferdosinezhad was five-fingered!!! Eww.. that sounds wrong, lets rephrased that, Ali Rahimi Ferdosinezhad was Vibram-atised!! Red Vibram Five Finger!!!  We started out abut delayed with Stephanie Choong, Maslina Ahmad Ismail, Rose Emini Pahamin, Evonne, Bahariah Bahadom, Wennice Chai, Tan Wee Liam, Sarah Tan, Ali Rahimi Ferdosinezhad, Ilyanna Aylin Ayob, Abdul Adzim Zaharudin and Taj Mahal but along the way, other late-comers appeared.

Our 25km route is as per the map below (note the mileage in the map is in Mile and not kilometer).

CYCLIST BEWARE!!

On behalf of all bootcampers and all outdoor sports enthusiasts, we extend our deepest condolence and our prayer to Rafizi Hamdan, a 37 years old cyclist that was killed in a hit and run accident in Taman Melawati. What happen to Rafizi was tragic and could have happen to any one of us whom are very much into outdoor activities and sports. Infact, a few years ago before we start bootcamping, we were an avid cyclists too and had participated in various dualthon and triathlon series. Our Chief's Original Bootcamp community had just planned to began our training for the Port Dickson triathlon and we are disturbed with Rafizi Hamdan's misfortune.

The accident was recorded by a cctv from a nearby petrol station.

UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL WITH AFIZA ABDUL HALIN

Afiza Abdul Halin was born a Virgo some 29 years ago to a family of lecturers. Her father was a lecturer, mom was a lecturer, her two other siblings are both lecturers and so are their wives but the blacksheep of the family chose to be in the corporate sector instead. Afiza is also the youngest, the only daughter and probably the most stubborn in the Halin family. To top them all, Afiza owned a strong handsome Spanish Stallion that is popularly known as Jorge, the husband. Jorge was one lucky catch for not many can tolerate the only princess of Halin being too manja, spoiled and pampered.. Jorge is the world to Afiza.

The sweet tanned skin lady known to her comrade at the Chief's Original Bootcamp by her trademark pink-short was brought up in a little town in Bandar Baru Bangi and spend most of her childhood venturing into sewers and forest. She was born hyper-active and spend most of her free time picking on boys by throwing stones on them and when there are no boys, she would climb up rooftops and trees to steal her neighbor's rambutan fruits. That became the foundation of her solid upper body and she did make the most of that lengthy leg from the early age by chasing chicken and at time, be chased by dogs.. As she grew up older, she stopped climbing trees and stopped chasing chicken but started cycling, blading and even reading!! 

With that childhood foundation working out with trees, rooftops, chicken and dogs, Afiza quickly became good at long jumps, high jumps, hurdles, sprinting and disc throwing at school and later in college. She loved team sport the most and was active with Handball, volleyball and netball. With that super-hyper lifestyle, Afiza was blessed with a fit body during her teens and college although her regular meals includes endless kuey teow goreng, nasi goreng and sambal petai.

AY YARIBBA YARIBA!! COBC MEXICANO PARTY...

Ya know...  these people partied again over the weekend.. With them.. its either party, eating, running or exercising... and this time its another graduation. Graduation from what? yaa.. you are right... Graduated from another successful month of consistent, hardwork and teamwork towards training to achieve our own personal goal. But WHY must graduate? because for us to move forward, we must acknowledge however much we have improve this month compared to previous and what will be our next target for the next month. This month, we party in Mexico!!! err.. I mean Mexico theme rather...

Ay Yariba yaribaaa..... In line with our theme, we held our party at the Las Carretas, Mexican Restaurant at Damansara Heights and it was organised for High-tea because with our healthy lifestyle now, bedtime is at 9pm? So we gathered to Mexico and arrived there in time for a feast at 5pm... As always there were almost a hundred that came.

UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL WITH WAN HAZRIQ ABDULLAH

Wan Hazriq Abdullah or more fondly known as Corporal (COBC) (P) Wan was born in Kelantan when all other love birds were celebrating the Valentines on 14 February. The strict, firm and no non-nonsence lead instructor is far from the military figure portrayed at the basecamp. Corporal Wan is not your ordinary Corporal. He may not look friendly but he will take care of you and make sure you get what you paid for and achieve your target even if you feel like giving up and rather do without the goal. He wont let you give up and with him.. its either do or die (so far no one die yet)!! but you will thank him when you see your benchmark time is faster and when you had to shop for new pair of cloth when the current became too big for your shrunk and improved body.

In person, Corporal Wan is not only friendly but hilarious and humble in nature. There is nothing else more important to Corporal Wan than his family and the CHIEF'S ORIGINAL BOOTCAMP. He will drop any other errand for that two most important factors in his life. Family values and his passion in his work, made him an outstanding person that only grew stronger and better with every feedback received from anyone and anybody.

BROOKS HALF MARATHON 2012 AT STADIUM BUKIT JALIL

More than 30 of us from the Chief's Original Bootcamp ran the BROOKS HALF MARATHON 2012 and I almost missed it but arrived just-in-time when the traffic to Bukit Jalil from Damansara was smooth. The weather was also good but we were disappointed when we had to waste more than 10 minutes to enter the Stadium. There was only one small lane to enter the Stadium for the flag-off and people were climbing up the gates when the queue was terribly bad.

I had retired from running more than 10km distance since the Melbourne St George full marathon on 10.10.10 in Australia. My knees were too painful and I refused to agree on the knee surgery. After almost 2 years of staying celibate from running, I was more than excited to run today. Upon my arrival at the Stadium, I saw many recruits from the Chief's Original Bootcamp.

The runners from the Chief's Original Bootcamp that ran today were Colin Chong Wern Loong, Lorrine C. Xavier, Dixon Thum, Tan Mein Mein, Advance Tan, May Lyn Wong, Adam Heng, Patricia Lim, Dalyn Nunis, Sarah Tan, Abdul Fattah Mokhtar, Affiq Zakie, Shazni Az, Ali Rahimi Ferdosinezhad, Jadite Liew, Kenny Lock Heng Weng, Afiza Abdul Halin, Tan Wee Liam, Maslina Ahmad Ismail, Jeffery Wong, Viki Lim, Lick Hau Loo, Sabrina, Jorge Arena, Ilyanna Aylin Ayob,  Luyen Ow, Noor A. Othman, Anis Ramli, Janice Wee, Eric Chang, Freda Liu, Faizul Zainol, Syamala Pillay, Yalin GM, Loo Lick Wei .. (who else did I miss?). Sorry I was only able to take this picture with my blackberry but I had also search and find some pictures from Tey Eng Tiong Facebook (our pro papparazzi) but will continue to update the blog as and when I discover more pictures.

The Brooks was also the maiden 21km race.. aka Half Virgin for Dixon Thum, Ali Rahimi Ferdosinezhad, Sarah Tan, Kenny Lock Heng Weng, May Lyn Wong, Freda Liu... and also the maiden 10km run aka semi virgin for Patricia Lim Poh Kam, Jorge Arena, Lorrine C Xavier.... Soon, there will be no semi and half virgins at COBC and all will be a qualified runner.

MUCH ADO ABOUT EVERYTHING

First it was the running and seriously, the runner's fraternity within the Chief's Original Bootcamp community is rapidly growing. Tomorrow, a few dozens will be running the Brooks run, then in about a month, a dozen of us will be running the Bali International Marathon which was organised by our Malaysian bank Maybank!!! Naturally, we support our local companies abroad.

Second, bunch by bunch of those within the Chief's Original Bootcamp Community successfully conquered the highest peak in Malaysia, Mount Kinabalu. They are non-stoppable. Third, more and more recruits at the Chief's Original Bootcamp are turning into Divers!! The diving community within our community is also expanding and in April next month, they are going to Mabul/ Sipandan in Sabah.. that was after an orgasmic dive at Puerto Galera in Philippines!!!

Fourth, a new activity within our group would be the Triathlon!!! 

CHILD ABUSE AT TASKA PERMATA 2, KOTA MASAI

I received an email from an ex-colleague in Bangkok whom viewed a disturbing news in Thailand Channel 5 news and in various media including their local newspaper about the abuse of children in Malaysia which is damaging to our Country's good name. A copy of the video was widely circulated even in Thai cyber space such as HERE.  I felt embarrass and replied stating that it was not common in Malaysia but when he sent the link and I saw the Youtube video clip, I could not help but to totally feel disgraced and disturbed!!

WHEN DREAM BECAME A LIFESTYLE

Taj Mahal Aquino born in Mandaluyong, Phillipines is an expatriate in Malaysia attached to the Partnership Management and Market Development department for the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) side of VADS. Taj Mahal Aquino was head hunted for the job before she even graduated from her Bachelor in Art major in Asian Study at the University Santo Tomas, Phillipines in 2008. Beside being good in her studies, Taj Mahal Acquino had also excelled well as an athlete during her school days having competed and won medals in both local and regional competition for swimming (breast stroke and free style) until she graduated. Swimming was a sport that Taj Mahal had acquired since pre-school when she was only 4 years old.

Taj Mahal Acquino is also the jacks of all trade with other sports having being active and game to sweat out anytime for volleyball, basketball, flag football, badminton, ultimate frisbee or in any other sports and when there is no sports to play, Taj Mahal Aquino would literally climb up walls and trees or just run under the sun being hyper active with excessive energy. Naturally, when Taj Mahal arrived in Malaysia, she quickly became restless in search for some activities and challenges. 

INSPIRATIONAL MOMENT

This morning I received a disturbing news. A friend lost his father at 3am due a heart failure.  I befriended the father Lt Col (R) Affandi  formely the Director at Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club and my friend Razman Affandi way back in the mid 1990s where I was courting Nawal Aini Zulkifl.  My regret and deepest condolence to Razman Affandi @ Gmey and his family for the lost.

I was a fortunate subject whom was given the privilege to experience the worst emotional roller-coaster when I was diagnosed with terminal cancer during my mid-teens. That privilege had given me a different insight into life and especially to experience the love from my parent, from each and every family members and as well as from relatives and friends. To see the sacrifices made by my parent and siblings whom we sometimes (maybe always) took for granted was heartfelt.. a moment that is still fresh in mind although it was more than two decades ago.

The video below depicted the unequivocal love from a father, the same way I received and the same that I would do for my son.

We would only know the true meaning of love when we have been tested with great obstacles and especially during the most trying moment in our life but please do not wait until a downturn to appreciate those that have been there for us since birth.. our father.

MY LIFE IS JUST A PAIR OF JEANS

Vimalendran Shanmuganathan, aged 30, is a graduate from the University College of Technology and Innovation (UCTI) and the co-founder of www.gottagrabit.com, an online e-commerce specializing in toys, gadgets and collectibles (action figures) that was established in 2009 as a hobby, and it still is. Vimalendran is also currently attached to Hewlett Packard and whatever balance time he has, he sing as the lead singer and guitarist for a band that was founded in 2001 called the Qings & Kueens.

Vimalendran's life is at his primest being a successful singer, guitarist and an e-commerce entrepreneur over and above the career at Hewlett Packard. He even recorded his own album in 2004 and received various invitations to perform at weddings, Corporate events and private functions. In 2008, Vimalendran traveled to Singapore for a performance, a shopping trip and an apparent holiday with his girlfriend then. The performance was well received and went smooth, Vima bought himself a pair of jean and wore it for a nice romantic dinner before departing out of Singapore but the planned romance was short lived. Vima's love life ended that night when both Vima and his girlfriend decided to be separated and chased each other's dream.

1 VISION, 1 PB, 1 RUN & 1 HECKUVATIME!!!

4 March 2012, we ran the 1Vision run in conjunction with Nawal Aini Zulkifli's birthday today at Padang Merbuk Kuala Lumpur. It was not planned but coincidentally it falls on the same date as Nawal Aini Zulkifli's birthday. A whole bunch of us from the CHIEF'S ORIGINAL BOOTCAMP participated in the run but we were split with some of us running the World Kidney Day Run 5 minutes away at Dataran Merdeka. Rose Emini Pahamin were suppose to run with us but she went err..  her ankle became err... err see for your self in the picture below.

Rose Emini Pahamin then became our De facto papparazzi. We arrived at the starting point late when we incidentally went to the Kidney Foundation run at Padang Merdeka but was rescued by Shazni Az whom drove us to the starting line a few hundred meters away.

Rose Emini Pahamin's ankle 1 day before the 10km 1 Vision run

 Our run was flagged off at 7:21am from the supposedly 7am? But of course, Chief's Original Bootcamp recruits  will never fail to first camwhore.....

LSD 6: THE BIRTHDAY LSD!!!!

Long Slow Distance run training went abit farther to Putrajaya on LSD 6! In an effort to promote running society on the backdrop of healthy living, community at the CHIEF'S ORIGINAL BOOTCAMP organised a weekly running together-gether. The LSD was planned and organised by our Chief's original Bootcamp celebrity runner Ilyanna Aylin Ayob and Chief's Original Bootcamp Admin Rose Emini Pahamin. After exhausting their ideas to run in Klang Valley, they chose Putrajaya which is a safer place to run in the evening!! Why in the evening? Yes, because to give opportunity for many to run after their working hours. Why in the middle of the week from the usual weekend runs... it was because this weekend is the 1Vision run which many of us are running at Padang Merbuk but actually, I think Nana & Rosey purposely planned for me to run to end the day I was born on 1 March!!! Grrrr..

The meeting point is infront of the Palace of Justice and after being stuck in heavy traffic, Rose Emini Pahamin, Nawal Aini Zulkifli and me arrived shortly before 8:45pm. Our organiser Ilyanna Aylin Ayob arrived way before the expected time of running (ETR) 8:30pm. At 9pm, we began our running!! it was our first time running in the evening at Putrajaya!! Putrajaya at night was breathtaking!! It was an awe!! I thought I was in Paris!! Stupendous view and romantic landscape. The wind that constantly blew while we were running perfected the whole ambiance.

The whole town was lit up with amazing colours! This is Malaysia.. I could not feel more proud that now. The buildings, the sky crapers, the township architecture, the reflection of all the colourful lights in the lake was mesmerizing. I was lost in deep thought feeling so peaceful while Ali Rahimi Ferdosinezhad sharing some historic Persian stories. At one juncture, I wanted to just stop.. stop and stood still while admiring the beauty of Malaysia. This was my dream true.. to run and admire a beautiful scenery. I was overwhelmed with such a wonderful sight.

SERIOUS RESULT, SERIOUSLY FAST!!

There is no better way than to measure our own fitness improvement against how we perform each and every month and that was the principal behind the Chief's Original Bootcamp benchmark assessment. Every month for the past 21 years in Australia, the benchmark assessment circuit was never changed. The main and ultimate objective of the benchmark assessment was for us to gauge our own improvement and for the instructor to place us in a category according to our fitness level to enable them to get the best result out from what our body can give, whether our target is body conditioning, fat or weight lost, speed and/or agility. To assist us to monitor our past performances, Chief's Original Bootcamp online system recorded all our past benchmark timing. That is why, it is important for us to be registered online. Why? because if we are really serious about improvement, then we have to move forward from where we were.

A kopi chat with a few recruits at Pappa Rich yesterday, re-emphasized our belief in improvement. I was overwhelmed to hear the training-addiction felt by Dayang Suhana aka Jojo and May Chong Abdullah. It was akin of listening to my own story on how I fell in love at first sight with Chief's Original Bootcamp. Beside the training addiction, Jojo had to buy a new bootcamp Tee too... when she err felt that she shrunk smaller? Chief's Original Bootcamp tagline has always been "Serious Result, Seriously Fast" within as little as two weeks or your money back (For MC12 only). Coincidentally, another recruit Taj Mahal Aquino (pic below) posted her result on Chief Original Bootcamp Facebook wall.

ITS ALL ABOUT ME!!! ME AND ME!!!

Yes Armin... of course it is all about you.. its your blog.. but actually, since the birth of this blog, it has never been about me. It is all about those surrounding me except only in this one article posted in Feb 2009 - 25 RANDOM THINGS ABOUT ME. This is for those that wanted to know me in person. That was because I was tagged once too many on Facebook.

Yes true too, that every year I would take only 1 day Annual Leave and that is on my birthday. When I was young, I kind of.. err sort of excited at how the whole Malaysian in Malaysia and in foreign land would be on holiday on His Majesty the Sultan or the Agong's birthday (yes we are a very loyal subject to our Majesty) and so I reckon, I should be on holiday too on my birthday and in the future, I hope my children and grandchildren will take a holiday on my birthday and spend quality time with me when they are old. There is no other holier day than the day we were born to this blissful world.

For a start, I do not know if I will even see another birthday. Such is life but the uncertainties for people with my past medical history is exponentially higher. Even without any past medical history, we should always express ourselves to everyone that is important to us, as if we are leaving tomorrow and that is actually my birthday blog on every birthday. My cousin of the same age, Noor Arman Putra Mahadi once said to me that his biggest regret was the distance built between him and his dad before his father's departure when we were just 26 years old. Alhamdulillah, my dad is not just a father but he is also my best friend, a business partner and my pillar of strength.