Women's Health & Self Defense Workshop

Viva Vertical have just finished with our first ever Workshop dedicated to raise support for Women's Aid Organization - Women's Health and Self Defense Workshop this weekend (June 21st & 22nd)

We would personally like to thank the speakers who took their time out in order to come support this cause and to help educate and inspire the ladies:

Ms Chan Hui Min - "SHAPE" Magazine's Weight Loss Diary SUCCESSOR/Cake Design Specialist-MAMA MIN

Dr Barry Kluner and Assistant - Originally from Canada, he is now One of Malaysia's most Dynamic Chiropractor. His practice in Sunway - BACK IN MOTION Chiropractic Center

Mr Victor Ooi and his team - Founder of Wira Bakti Self-Defense Consultancy/4th Degree ITF Taekwon-Do Black Belt/an ITF Taekwon-Do International Instructor and Examiner and a Malaysian national Taekwon-Do champion.

Workshop in Aid of WAO(Women's Aid Organization), thank you to Annie, Didie and Team for coming with their wonderful merchandises, some made by the women in shelter.


*Min, I'm sure you've heard it so much by now but we are still in awe on what you have achieved. Not many have the discipline to make the change and stick with the change, changing their life for the better and also the loved ones around them. You did an incredibly great job and thank you for sharing your inspiring story! (and also for the yummy Wholemeal Banana Muffins!)*

Dr Barry Kluner's presentation was a wake up call to most. "ARE YOU REALLY WHAT YOU EAT?" His informative slides covered a the nutrition basics that Malaysians are still mostly ignorant about, also some educational tips on vitamin/mineral supplementation and crucial facts we should know on how to protect our bones. The human spine model he brought helped, not all of us have actually seen what our vertebrae looks like! let alone what it looks like once we dont take care of it! so quote Dr Kluner "IGNORANCE is NOT bliss!"

Victor and his Team had given us such a wake up call to what is going on in our nation. We may hear news all the time that other nations are violent (let it be the USA, Nations in Mid East...), but were WE aware of what violence we've had here in our own country? also know that statistics shown for malaysia wont be 100% accurate, WHY? because of our own POLICEmen (and i'm sure most cant argue with this) and government officials? i've heard it first hand from a friend that statements and reports would not be filed by the representatives at certain police stations! reasons? could it be because they dont want the country to look bad with high statistics? could it be because they couldnt even be bothered to emphasize and hear what you have to say because the only reason why they're in the job is so they can walk around "robbing"(asking for bribes) civilians of money?
do we REALLY want to know how many Violent cases we have here if EVERY SINGLE case was reported and filed? ~ I'm personally afraid of those numbers
SO! that's why people of Victor's profession are here to help Educate the public and to teach us Self Defense Training! (my shoulders are sooo achey today, maybe was swinging too much)

Big THANK YOU to Fiona for taking us thru some Latin American steps (which i never knew my hips & ankles could be sore from all that swayin, though i was prob doin it all non-latino style =P )

No matter how many people we're able to reach in FREE EDUCATION & INSPIRATION project (that some ppl even pay hundreds and thousands for but FREE is too much to commit to? still blocked up on that), every person counts as they knew other than the Free benefits, they also get to give back by helping the less fortunate at Women's Aid Organization





once i get to editing and piling together the Self Defense Vids with the Kicking and the Arm Swinging stuff, best bet it Be Up!

Sleep?Hormones?Mood? = BLEH!

yes, BLEH is how i'm feeling right now...

Can't pinpoint exactly what my body's going thru at the moment but signs are there:

1 - The same weight that i've been pushing before in training, seems heavier now. My usual dumbbell squats of 70 to 80 pounds now feel like tons of concrete! takes a while to gather up energy before performing jump squats and tuck jumps n lets not forget the longer resting-in-between-sets time.

2 - Loss of appetite. also,one bowl of oatmeal now fills me up for about 5 hours (it used to last only 2 hours!). Taste buds completely whacked out (things dont taste as good as it did before). i am maintaining water intake, just pee more =/

3 - Always feeling sleepy/lethargic during the day, just not at night

4 - Because i'm not feeling sleepy at night, I CANT SLEEP!

Insomnia hits me off and on ever since childhood though i dont think its too serious as i've heard of worst cases before.for me,the trouble is actually FAlling asleep, though once I'm asleep, I'M OUT! (well usually...) only thing that wakes me up is a Sudden Loud Unfamiliar noise, noisy moving bed partner or mosquitoes. YES once im woken up from the itch, i cant fall back asleep! kinda sad when i get asked, "what kept you up last night?" FREAKIN BLOOD SUCKING MOSQUITOES! This may run in the family as both my bros face the same problem (maybe not the mosquito part but just cant fall asleep!)


Sleeping Aids Tried:

* Nyquil (drowsy cough syrup) - had to take it even when aint coughing. The Doxylamine succinate helps
* Benadryl (drowsy cough syrup) - my option in Msia since they aint got Nyquil here
(UUGGHHH!they are both very very very disgusting!!!)
* Benadryl Allergy (drowsy) - no allergies. just the ingredient aids to sleep
* Sleeping Pills - now of course it is not sold over the counter in malaysia. i bought it easily off the shelves at WAL-MART.although tolerance build and it stopped working on the 3rd night. i would not up the dosage anymore so just stopped
* Tried something my bro had that sometimes help him sleep - i fell asleep alright! but woke up 3 hours later WIDE AWAKE!

OK aint a druggie here so i did try aids that doesn't require any medication
* Staying up the night before so i would tire myself out - turns out i ended up NOT sleeping for 2 nights in a row =( BOOOOOO!
* Staying up for TWO nights straight - ended up with very cloudy and confused head when i did wake up from the 3rd night of napping on and off
* Relaxing Music of Nature - could only lay there for about 5 mins before it creeped the hell outta me =P
* Reading - it helped when i was a kid. now its stressful to focus on reading at night i end up MORE AWAKE
* TV - certain shows (travel & cooking) with monotonous narrating and light background music been helping so far. til the program changes to a screaming horror commercial or a loud-overly-excited Japanese fishing show(on AFC about 4 or 5AM) comes on and BAAAM! IM UP AGAIN!
* Lavender Scents - smells good! but IM STILL AWAKE
* Meditation - ..... (HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHA)

ODD things that have worked before but only DURING THE DAY
* After being stuck in traffic
* Riding as a passenger in a car, stuck in traffic
* Attempted learning yoga & pilates on DVD years ago. only got thru 10 mins of the DVD...ZZZZZZ
* About 2 - 3PM, Sleepy hits!
* Blogging - like now...eyes are droopy -_-
* After a good sun tanning session (aah, how i wish to be by the pool or be at the beach right now)



Now all the BLEH feelings could be because of LACKING SLEEP, sets off a chain reaction. DUH~!


Problem hope to be solved by a - a sleep specialist in the country...if there even is one here...(music of "DOOOMED"!)


WILL THIS STOP ME FROM POLE-ING AND WEIGHT TRAINING? - HELL NAW! =)



**a night of "M'sia representin" @ Aloha's Hennessey Artistry




Been sippin on sum Hennessaay!


and the responsible (NON)drinkers...(uh,that my wine =P )

Lessons Learnt

Lesson Learnt # 1

Had a SCARE of mi life yesterday morning!Bro been complaining of insomnia,late night chills, fever that came and went, headaches at night, fatigue, swollen tonsils, excessing coughing and sneezing, feeling of a thick lump in throat, hurts when you swallow, wheezing at night and almost daily bleeding from the nose (somehow i only knew about the daily bleeding today, boy did i smack myself for not being more attentative to him). went to a Ear Nose Throat specialist in KL. the first few sentences doc said and asked, "do you have any trouble with your hearing?" *alarms sounded* (what???), next few sentences was "...could have something growing in there affecting the pressure behind ear drums...could lead to cancer...." (oh HELL NAW!). after x-rays and a scope check, wheeeeeeewwwww! turned out to be a sinus infection (treatable!!!) after 2 deaths and 2 cancer cases in the family(all happened in the span of 2 1/2 years), u can only imagine what Dad, Bro and myself was feeling, especially when we were made to sit there for 3 what-may-seem-like-ages hours waiting for the doc to call his name again.

Here is what we call CHAIN REACTION of Sinus Infection.
Excessing sneezing and blowing of the nose -> causes blood vessels in nose to bust, hence the bleeding -> excessing bleeding (you also lose Iron when you bleed) which goes down to throat (bacteria) -> the pressure from the sneezing and blowing affected the pressure behind ear drums, causing abnormal readings on the graph -> infection from nose spread to throat and can also spread to ears if not treated in time

symptoms (we experienced) are as above in the first paragraph

for those with sinus problems due to allergies/genetics, im sure you already know your causes of sneezing

1 - you have freaking house termites living everywhere where there's dust, the more dust, the more termites! (including your bed! eeeeeeeeks!) hence the bacteria

2 - allergies. What are you allergic to???

3 - nose picking (well that wont really cause sneezing but it will sure as hell scare the crap outta your blood vessel sack in The Nose, not to mention the bacteria on your finger(s) that were placed comfortably in The Nose)

4 - you were around someone who was infected (bacteria attack!)

Doctor said this infection was caused by bacteria, which could be anywhere!

Treatment? - given some antibiotics and allergy pills. also maybe a laser procedure to patch up broken vessels

Lesson to be learned? (or learnt) - dont hold your nose when you sneeze that would cause excessive pressure on the ear drums. (well this lesson for bro and i as we have that stupid habit of not wanting nose crap exploding everywhere when the sneezing hits ya). other than that, it is SPRING CLEANING time in the house! (pooooooh!)



I love you Bros!


Lesson Learnt # 2

TAKE GOOD CARE OF THY CAR, no matter what a POS(Piece of S***) it may be =P
otherwise, the POS is sucking ur wallet dry any damn ways!

Yesterday i had to take the car to the shop because my signal lights decided to stop working. the worry-some me knows that in this country with no signal lights, you might as well be dead. even with signal lights ppl in this country turns a blind eye anyways, can u imagine without? =P

anyway, it seems like every time my car goes into the shop with one problem, your mechanic calls you to report 5 to 6 other problems. (mind you, this is the 5th time i gotta cough up over RM500 in a single car shop trip!)
if it aint the AC, it was my brake pads, if it aint the tires, it was my brake pads, if it aint the absorber bar, it was my brake pads, if it aint my battery, it was my brake pads.... yes i have had to have my brake pads changed almost 9 out of 10 of my car shop trips (although it most possibly be because i brake super hard when idiots in front of me AINT GOT NO BRAKE LIGHTS as WARNING!). aite bla bla bla...last few trips cost me about RM1050+,RM700+,RM550+, this trip cost me Rm602 (to be exact) *looks in the hollow wallet full of receipts and 2 pieces of notes* (wonder how long i can live on this damn PB&J meal plan...)


LESSON LEARNT # 3

Accept the reality of people. They would steal anything! from the boxes of plain cloth laying around to the pencils on your desk! So keep the shit closely to thee in any public environment! ( i should have learnt this when i had 2 mp3 players stolen from car, money stolen outta my house by a "friend", underwear stolen by sicko FEMALE, my Ja Rule CD stolen by goddarn redneck in cafeteria, mask gone at the party, watch my shower gel and shampoo holders stolen bit by bit at my previous work, towels at previous work always gone missing, and FOOD stolen from my desk! not to mention the countless number of pens that have bid me farewell)


Lesson Learnt # 4

No more Last Minute Shopping for costumes, materials and Get More ManPower if things done last minute is inevitable! the Whole Day of Rush Rush Rush, i think our team's blood pressure had certainly sky rocketed that day!
on a brighter note, Viva Vertical's first member's party had finally happened and we left satisfied (except for our stolen items). We were immensely proud of your gutsy contestants and performers in our Beginner Viva Diva Pole Dance Competition! Not sure if anyone can understand it easily because it takes major guts for our beginners (who have been pole-ing for a max of 5 months only) to go up on stage in front of an audience and bust out their hard practiced routines. Naughty Nastacia gave a bodi-licious performance, wow-ing audience with her natural flair and the Splits! Our Male Performers Mash and Trix surprised the audience with their hip hop infused Pole Choreography. Am really looking forward to our year end graduation party now with more dymanics to come!

note to self: must start putting more pics in blog. quite bland i know =P





Mama Min's Delicious POLE-Cake (no left overs of that one!)
Photo by Mama Min


Viva Vertical's Double Dynamic Duos


Viva Vertical's First Male Performers - Mash and Trix


Fantastic Make Up Art by Mr Chu Fan of Shu Uemura


Thanks A.Tan for Camcording and Chris for snapping photos!

Due to me running around without the camera in my hands, not as many photos as i would have love to have taken. So anyone one else who took tons of shots, please dude, SHARING IS CARING ;)

Funny Bone...s

Yes MaMa, updating blog today! =P

Been feeling an odd tingling in the elbow joint lately and also both knee joints. my initial thought struck at...Arthritis! (runs in family) lets hope i don't strike gold there and its just joints "overused" for the past few weeks. Most health mag/paper/readings are saying take this for stronger joints, after reading more about the purpose of this, I think we just have to take care of our dear old joints the safe and effective way through strength training programs designed to do so, adjust simple activities like Climbing a flight of stairs. NOW, most of us have a habit of Plopping our feet on each step as we heave our body (which always seems so heavy when defying gravity,duh) up those darned stairs. TIP: decrease the impact to your ankle-knee-hip joint by merely placing ball of feet on each step only and using those calves and quadriceps to motor the body up, keeping heel off or soft on landing. great exercise for those leg muscles! ;) i think i will only resort to this when in great need of pain relief =P (bought two elbow joint supports and hope they work! they sure are expensive too!)

the "No Pain No Gain" saying still stays fresh on The mind. In most exercise and sports, there bound to be SOME pain. Although The mind can be quite powerful, tricking the body to feel the fine line between pleasure and pain. I truly believe illness can sometimes be cured by the mind, Grandma had survived breast cancer and is still refusing surgery on both knees when docs had said with that Bit of synovial fluid she has left, she's very much in pain. With her strong will in life and religious beliefs, she had shown great example on overcoming physical pain and leading a normal simple life. or in other words, stubbornness can be numbing though beneficial at times.
Funny how things work out for the better sometimes...

Examples of No Pain No Gain:

- acrylic Nails. the electrical filer sends sharp shivers up and down my spine to get the acrylic gel placed perfectly on there. what does my nail technician says? NO Pain No Gain

- Tattoo.got my first tattoo on my 18th birthday. 3 besties came to support me but poor babies ended up with bruised hands from me squeezing the bejesus out of them.well, No Pain No Gain

- Restaurant Work. busting tables at 14 aint the most glamorous jobs in the world. scalding your hand with boiling soup from fatigue and stress being rushed with orders after orders while being on your feet all day carryin heavy loads of trays then end up with side jobs of mopping floors at the end of your shift aint the best choices of activities on the growing body.just do what u gotta do to get by. No Pain No Gain

- Weight Training. Those sets and reps til we feel the Burn Burn Burn to the point where you can lift even halfway anymore - to exhaustion! DOMS(delayed onset muscle soreness) aint your best friend, but the results are. No Pain No Gain

- Pole Therapy. The screams that slip out of your mouths when a "virgin" part of the body had first encountered a very "close" interaction with the pole, DOMS comes in this as well, the mental frustration on being so close to that new trick you've trying to nail but ur body's fighting exhaustion.Finally, Voila! U did it! and all pain has been forgotten. NO PAIN NO GAIN BABY!

A short trip to the past

I dont like to dwell on the past, or even enjoy going down that road sometimes.
Though i'd be lying if i claim to never think back and take a short mental break from the present.

It was 4/20 yesterday.
Every year since 2001, its a day that for self reflection and also a long trip to the past. all of the "i wonder..." and "what if i had...." runs thru the mind at top speed.
finally when as the trip comes to an end and the clock forwards back to present time, im left with emotions i havent felt in a while, left with vivid memories, also left with that familiar sense of loneliness, knowing it'll take me a very long while before im able to share those feelings with my close and loved ones.
this year though, mind was so occupied that that trip took a late flight, which also means late arrival back...

I believe that the past makes you who you are. we've heard many times that "the past is the past, i dont care about your past..."
without the past, your present self wouldnt be here.
the past is there for us to reflect on mistakes, to grow and learn from it
the past is there for us to remember who were there for us when we were down in the gutter, to appreciate them more everyday
the past is there for us to understand another better, to expand our ability to read & help another better
Things that we've done in the past, on the other hand, should only be comprehended as stepping stones to your new land, but not to dwell in regret

The move to the US and growing up there during your newly-hit-puberty-years up to young adulthood =P, was definitely something i feel very lucky about.
now many will have the stereotyped conclusion of "oh you lived overseas how lucky and rich and how easy you must have had it"
boy dont we wish?!
when i said lucky, yes i do mean i had the opportunity to explore outside of my home country.
lucky that i had the opportunity to have an American education
lucky that i had the opportunity to live and learn about American "culture"
lucky that, gone were the days of tiny portions on your restaurant plates and in comes the generous heap of food placed on American's restaurant tables
lucky that i learnt what work really is at age 14 and understand that money from parents dont come easy
lucky that i met so many different characters during my years, whom i learn very valuable life lessons from, first hand
lucky that years of hard earned money can pay off finally, when i started travelling within the states, the opportunity to explore more of the "dreamland" (driving 6 hours alone and end up getting pulled over is NO FUN!)
lucky that life there had helped me build determination and courage about making bigger decisions and taking absolute control of my future

Moving back to malaysia, was one of them...bringing the years of US with me

Major decisions are scary, you dont have an exact idea on whats ahead of you, only a path with windows of possibilities for you to peek in or jump thru
though if you're determined to make the best out of any situations you end up in, life is less difficult
Hanhi, a very close sis-friend, and I have a favorite saying "Carpe Diem!"
It means "seize the day!".
Seize your opportunities! you never know when you'll never have another day

Pole-craze

What seemed like a new lesson to try out for fun turned out to be a discovery of the inner "fitness soul"...was how I started Pole. Though majority still loves to badger on the stigma of Pole Dance, its the truly adventurous, gutsy, confidant and receptive to modern growth in society that have the GUTS to step foot in the circle of PoLe and accept it as being more than a bar show in bangkok.

I must say i was immensely impressed with the response of Malaysian women AND men who have visited us. Yes we have guys who have been inquiring as well as training at the moment =) and NOT GAY! hehe. Other major nations have already adapted this sport (China, Taiwan, Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong...) and am proud that Malaysia gets a seat on that list.
Of course you still have the percentage who blatantly refuse to accept the idea of Pole Dance being other than strippers trying to make a buck. We cant change their thinking by talking, its the "showing" that does the work =)

Can Pole change a person? physically, yes! mentally, definitely(well, maybe not a complete change but a great self-discovery and builds great sense of determination)! its what we call Pole-Therapy! I used to have super long tired stressed out days but after only an hour of Pole-sweating, much better and cleared thoughts!that a sense of self achievement does wonders psychologically and its way better than prescribed drugs for super stressed out peeps. its hours of hard work and actually SEEING your result! ur become more positive and more confidant...shall i say its a "Pole-Makeover"? ;)

Pole for the soul, ya'll...

LoLa's First Blog!......on this page =P

I admit, I've been an off and on blogger for a few years now. Started in Tennessee when JC introduced me to XANGA, eventually got bored then it was a series of Windows Live Blog, Myspace Blog when I moved back to KL......now finally on BLOGGER! yes yes, me must stay on this one =P

Now for a lil bit of intro (aint a fantastic writer here so pls dont mind my writing =P )
I moved to Tennessee, US in 1999 and came back to my roots in KL end of 2004. I've always love dancing, started young at 12 when I took Ballet (but only lasted a year before I had to move =/ )
Dancing lessons in TN? my learnings would originate from clubbing @ various types of clubs as a very young teen =P
Life in Tennessee was filled with much exposure to many more kinds of Dance, with LINE Dancing being one of the most popular in the state.Then there was the very different yet immensely popular Urban Hip Hop, had friends who would love showin off their Crip walks and harlem shakes, there more moves that would just blow ur mind! =P Hip Hop there is pretty different from what Hip Hop is perceived in Malaysia.(go check out them YOUTube vids & you'll know what i mean) One of my favourites also includes a very modern way Ravers express themselves thru trance, house, drum n bass, funk.....all in all - techno music.
I know I know! most of ya'll be thinkin "Feng Tau" music whilst hoppin up & down like a drunken monkey, as for those who've seen it, very similiar to what was titled "melbourne shuffle" but with less of the constant shuffle and incorporated more with flow of the body.

Aite, so that was a lil sneak at my exposure out west. As we go along on the blog, I'll progressed to our present times and future dreams. Now I tend to be a lil rough with my words at times but hey, we gotta stay real, right! So please ya'll, dont be offended or take any words personally, 'cause really, out to get you? that aint why I'm bloggin =) Smilez! PEACE!