Sunday, February 22, 2004

Sabah here I come. What is it, Land Below The Wind?!

April 9-15 2004. Flights booked. Kota Kinabalu and Mount Kinabalu to be conquered.

My first time ever in the mystical East Malaysia. And guess what, moi is now on the fitness track. Uhuh! I have started my regime. Jogging, walking, climbing stairs, swinging my arms! Trying to endure it for a half hour at least every day. So far no aches and pains....well, it has only been two days! But I really do hope I get to the stage where I can jog and talk (simultaneously) for 1/2 hour without being out of breath. As it is, the unfit me is trying its darndest to coax the sane me into not trying to kill it. It sure as hell leaves me dry mouthed and breathless. My lungs feel like they're being filled with fire and sometimes I feel like blacking out! I guess that's pushing myself huh? Hopefully, this self-torture phase will end soon and I can get with feeling good about being able to jog around the field without wishing I was dead!

So, keep up to date with Errolyn's Keep Fit-O-Meter!

April 20
Time: 30 minutes
Location: In the house
Activity: Climbing up and down stairs, jogging around living room and in front of mirror
Result: Good for first outing. Really did what was needed and nothing less. Tired and real loss of energy right after stopping.
Comments: 15 mins into exercise, I felt like dying. Lungs burtsting but trying really hard to push myself as much as I can for the first day. Don't want to demoralise myself by attempting too much the first unfit time around and failing. But had to stop when the risk and real danger of tripping down the stairs became too much.

April 21
Time: 0 minutes
Location: -
Activity: -
Result: Lost out on continued burning of calories and building of muscles and stamina.
Comments: It was Saturday and I was.....doing something!


April 22
Time: 35 minutes
Location: Around field, playground
Activity: Alternate jogging and walking, arm swinging, short session of up and down blocks.
Result: Good show of effort today although could have tried to push harder. In the beginning, dry mouthed and hard shallow breaths. Numbness in fingers.
Comments: Good workout. I know I kinda copped out on some jogging but it felt really hard and even with the brisk walking, my calf muscles felt burned. Read somewhere that arm swinging doubles the calories burned/effort expanded so did it for some time. Yes, jogging is still boring. So I went to the playground and brisk walked and jogged on the winding paths found there. Put some variety into the activity!
OK, HAPPY NEW YEAR'S!!!

and HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR!!!

Still getting ang pow. Not yet ready to give but I don't really think there is any fear of that happening soon!

Had quite a fun time at home with the family. Although as usual, it isn't nearly enough! Especially now I guess, with no many days leave to take.

I guess it was about this time too that the personal disaster that still haunts me to this day started. Looking back, I didn't really notice it much. I had gone back to Penang all psyched up about building up my piggy bank again, pigging out on food as I are often wont to do even though I was enjoying my almost newly-found (December) svelter body with less kgs and fat! But what the heck, Chinese New Year only comes one a year right?

So, anyway, that's when it started. Suddenly, one day while washing my hair.....which I really must explain - when I was young, I had gorgeous thick, healthy, black hair....until one day it started dropping (perhaps the onset of puberty?) But then it stabilised and I was quite happy to live with my half a head of old hair. God Knows! It was still a lot of hair. But then, come January 2004, it started falling out in chunks! Now, if I was a hypocondriac, I would have thought I had a brain tumour or cancer or something. Anything to explain the horrible unexplainable, really hurtful loss of hair.

Every time I washed my hair, I couldn't see the bathroom floor for my hair. Every time I walked around my room, I had strands and strands of hair trying to merge with my furry bedroom slippers. What was a girl to do? You tell me.

I thought perhaps it was the length of the hair (yes, moi was trying to grow really really long hair) and perhaps it was the weight of the hair that was getting it down, so to speak. So, worried little ole me went and got it cut and layered (god, if you see me now, you would think I was bald!) So, got it all hacked off, got it dyed and what happened next?

I realised I had gotten fatter and more unfit! (God is this self-pitying ever gonna stop?)

But, I digress. I was still losing hair! Now, I put it down to a bad diet that didn't consist of enough fruits and vegetables (mama was right!), not enough rest (hear that D!), and stress (from work??!).

So, I have had it and am now scouring the entire Malaysian, well, ok, maybe just KL, market for hair regrowth products. Shhh! But don't tell anyone eh!

If you've got any remedies, PLEASE TELL ME OR I WILL HUNT YOU DOWN AND TAKE YOUR HAIR!
Hello Friends!

Now, before you tap me on the wrist because it has been so long; I will need a chance to explain myself.

I did try writing recently but the whole computer (old that it is getting) died on me and nothing had been saved! Imagine my disappointment and feelings of loss over the whole heartfelt piece of writing.

Which reminds me, perhaps I had better get to writing this on Wordpad so it doesn't get swallowed too!