Weekend PHEW!

Its been a busy week. I served my last day at work on Wednesday, 30 May. It was a sad goodbye but at the same time I felt excited with the prospect of working in Singapore. Thursday and Friday were spent packing my clothes. Saturday and Sunday was a no-go as far as packing is concerned because I had to attend RPM instructor training on both days. It is amazing the amount one accumulates in a very short period of time. You don't realize it until the time comes for you to pack. I managed to fit most of my clothes into 2 large bags. But, the packing ain't over as yet- the things in the apartment are yet to be packed, eg the pots, pans, plates, TV, sound system, books etc.

I spent 2 days at the Wisma SPK branch of Fitness First. Lasting impression- arctic-like conditions! The air-con was absolutely freezing. Even after a couple of sweating-inducing, leg and butt-busting, hard, 50-minute rides, I cooled down far too quickly. And because the sweat remained on the t-shirt, it felt cooler than usual, and the muscles tightened up very quickly.

I won't say too much about the training. Basically we were given an overload of information comprising riding technique, class presentation, and instructing essentials to digest. On Sunday, we were each randomly assigned and required to present one track from the latest release of RPM. I had to present the interval training track, a Guns N' Roses song titled "Paradise City". This track is easily the toughest one physically and mentally for both instructor-wannabes like myself to present, and of course, the participants of the class. I stayed up till late to learn and memorise the choreography.

One of the main lessons learnt from the training is that it is not as easy as it looks. Obviously the key to making it look easy, is:- 1. PRACTICE, 2. PRACTICE, and 3. PRACTICE. We, the instructor-wannabes, spent the entire night learning one track. The established instructors need to learn ALL the tracks to cover a whole class. I completed the training session with a newfound (and belated) respect for the instructors. Its not all physical brawn, stamina and throwing in some BS lines. There is a reason for everything that is said. You have to introduce the track. Get the cues right. Engage the class. Motivate them. Know when to push the class and when to recover. All this requires an active use of the mental faculty as well, obviously. By the way, my glutes and quads are aching as hell.

I left by 630pm and rushed home. It was raining pretty heavily at the time. On the way home, I underestimated a puddle of water and my car hit a really big hole. End result? The left rear bumper of my Wira dropped off. I managed to locate a wire and wrapped the wire round the middle of the bumper. The bumper stayed up, at least momentarily. Also, the engine was extremely jerky and stalled on me 5 times on the way back to my apartment. Of all days! I think it was due to the water which had entered the engine.

Anyway, I staggered home in my car and showered. Instead of driving my car to Subang, I now had to drive Mrs Rabbit's instead. She was heading to Singapore on a late night flight too; I dropped her off at her parents (who sent her to the KL Sentral station).

With the heavy rain, traffic was pretty bad around the DH area, due in part to some fallen trees that affected the smooth flow of cars. I trudged the slow journey to Subang, arriving only around 830pm. Had a quick dinner, and left the house around 930pm. My mom and cousin-sister were in the car with me.

The journey itself was uneventful. Traffic was ok down south but I felt very sorry for those heading in the opposite direction to KL, from Melaka onwards to Seremban. Its an understatement to say that traffic was absolutely horrendous. It was literally backed up all the way to Seremban. All lanes were jam-packed, chock-a-block. It didn't help that there was a burning car in the ditch effectively causing all Malaysians to slow down and gawk, thereby further exacerbating the slow flow of traffic. I arrived at JB around 1am. Proceeded to the 24 hour taxi stand to Singapore, and found that there were NO taxis! Was informed that there was a massive crawl at the Causeway, hence no taxis. "That's impossible". I thought. "Why on earth would it be jammed at 1am?" Waited until close to 150am, before a Singapore cab arrived. Was informed that the standard rate was $35, to which I agreed. On to the Causeway, and horror of horrors, it was jammed! From the exit point in JB all the way to the entry point in Woodlands, we made a very slow journey. Finally passed the Woodlands checkpoint around 230am. I didn't realize so many cars would be heading into Singapore so late!

I finally arrived at Mrs Rabbit's hotel around 3am, and went to bed. Set the alarm for 7am. Headed to work around 840am. Needless to say, I'm quite beat today. It has been a tiring weekend. In fact, it will be a tiring couple of months ahead. I'm looking forward to hitting the sack tonight.

So far, so good. I would need more time to gauge and comment on my new place.

Thanks to everyone for their well wishes.