I had a brush with depression earlier this year, before I’ve made the decision to change my job.  To be classified to be having depression, one needs to have signs and symptoms of depression for more than 2 weeks.

Thank god for my stint in Health Promotion Board, I managed to spot them within 2 days and managed to bounce back with lots of help and love from my good friends in less than 2 weeks. This is probably the time I reflected my priorities in life and realised to had to do some house keeping.

I guess the most significant change in my life is probably my career, which I’ve moved from the Health Promotion Board to the Agency for Integrated Care.

I think my social media presence has suffered quite a bit as I have not been blogging and tweeting for awhile. Well, I will be reorganising my social media presence and hopefully, the transition will be completed by end of the year.

Meanwhile, this blog is back in action and PR invites and gadget reviews invitation are of most welcome. I miss the life of being a blogger

Guess you might have noticed that I haven’t been updating this blog for sometime. Work has been quite crazy for me. A lot of unfortunate things have happened in my life and even my New Year’s Eve wasn’t spared.  If not for the support from my friends, Zumba instructors and Zumba kakis, I wouldn’t been able to keep myself sane.

There are a lot of things that I want to write about, but I simply did not have the time to do it.

Looking back the past 1 year, it’s amazing how things have changed in 1 year…

• A year ago, my iPhone is filled with MandoPop songs and it is full of Zumba Tracks
• My weekend used to filled with photo outings, but now it’s just Zumba Fitness, BodyPump and Gym
• Some of my good friends are no longer talking terms with their BFFs
• I am no longer as active as I was on social media networks
• I have started reading. SURPRISE!!! For those who don’t know, the only books that I managed to complete were Literature textbooks and Harry Potter (1 – 5)

My new year resolution? To rethink, reorganise and take control of my life! I am not sure if I am able to, but at least I am trying.

PS: To my friends in the PR industry, my apologies that I haven’t been able to give your clients media coverage. I’ll probably need awhile more to get my life organised.

I’ve registered my interest with SingTel for iPhone 4S! Have you?  :D

Did you know that Singapore is the highest growth area in Asia for Zumba Fitness? The number of Zumba Fitness Class providers has increased tremendously and I believe there are more to come!

Looking at the data from my google analytics, I know the number of people have been searching about Zumba Fitness in Singapore! So I’ve made a compilation of the Zumba Fitness Class providers for easy reference

Fitness Clubs

• California Fitness
• True Fitness
• True Yoga
• Physical ABuse
• Fitness First

• Zumba Studio @ *Scape
• Fiesta Fitness @ Dance On Us Studio (Waterloo)
• Zumba Fitness RTC @ Raffles Town Club
• Zumba by GEmCy  @ Dance On Us Studio (Claymore Hill), SAFRA Jurong, SAFRA Tampines
• Zumba MamaMia @ YMCA
• BollyBeatz @ YMCA
• Danz Boutique @ 87 Bukit Timah Road
• Zumba Uno @ 76A Peck Seah Street
• Rhythmic Fitness @ Rochester Mall
• People’s Association – Search for “Zumba” under courses

ZIN 32 Sneek Peek

ZIN 33 Sneek Peek

Of course, it’s also a great time to catch up with our Zumba Friends from other “camps” and getting to know more like minded people! The only problem I had was the location – It was rather small to hold more than 50 instructors. At one point, I was forced to the corner cos of a travelling move and everyone were happily moving in big steps.

At the rate that the Zumba Instructors is growing and the mandatory rule of attending 2 out of 3 ZIN training, we will probably need an Air-conditioned Hall the next time. Maybe someone should go and kawan kawan with People’s Association. Haha.

N.E.mation! 6 is here! This year, students are asked to use their creativity to produce storylines centred on the theme of “NS: From Father to Son”. Just form a team of at least 3 members and sign-up now at http://nemation.sg. Registration closes 14 August 2011. No prior animation knowledge or skill required.

I have graduated from my Zumba Basic 1 Instructor Training which was held on 24 and 25 Jun 2011 at True Fitness Suntec City by Michael Thomas, the International Zumba Education Specialist!

In that 2 days, we started the day with a 1-hour session of Zumba Masterclass with Michael, followed by learning the steps to the four basic Zumba rhythms (merengue, salsa, cumbia and reggaeton)! We were all drilled with the basic steps and the variations by Michael and were called up to lead the class as we were practicing! In between the training on basic moves, we have some lectures sessions to learn about the origins of Zumba and the steps.

We also clarified how different Zumba is being licensed in Asia:

• In Singapore, 2x ZIN CD releases are bundled with a ZIN training session at USD$60 SGD$160 once every 4 month and instructors will need to attend at least 2 out of 3 sessions each year to keep the instructor licence valid.
• To conduct a Zumba lesson (except for one-off event or trial class), a licence of USD$150will be required for each location per month.
• Instructors in Asia do not have a ZIN registration number, at least for now.

After we were taught the last bit on the Zumba Formula and how to communicate with the class, we were given a reggaeton track to choreograph our first Zumba routine in groups! Each group had to perform our Zumba Routine and everyone really enjoyed the whole experience! Though we are certified Zumba Instructors, most of us without group x background will need to work on our ability to cue participants to follow us during our routines.

Oh! By the way, I am not going to be a Zumba Instructor any time soon, ok? I still prefer to enjoy as a participant

On an Apache Helicopter

I went for a preview of the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) Open House 2011 on Monday afternoon, by the invitation of MINDEF Public Affairs. For the first time in my life, I managed to get up close to an Apache Helicopter!

RSAF F-15SG

Of course, this is not exclusive to the Bloggers invited – The public will be able to get up close with the latest RSAF aircraft and weapon systems like the F-15SG fighter aircraft at the RSAF Open House 2011 too!

The Red Lions

I was truly wowed by the aerial display by the RSAF fighter jets and helicopters, as well as the parachuting by the Red Lions!  The display will takes place twice daily at 11.00am and 4.30pm.

Taken from the Chinook helicopter

We also managed to get a ride on the Chinook Helicopter! The aircraft rides on the RSAF’s C-130 and Fokker-50 transport aircraft, the Chinook helicopter and the Singapore Youth Flying Club’s DA-40 will be made available through a balloting system!  Each ride will last about 30 minutes and each winner will be entitled to two boarding passes!

Fighter Jets

There are a lot more at the RSAF Open House 2011 that we did not get to preview as they were still setting up, so do visit the RSAF Open House 2011 official site at www.mindef.gov.sg/rsafopenhouse for more information!

RSAF Open House 2011 – When, where and how to get there?

The RSAF Open House 2011 is open to the public on 28 May 2011 from 9.30am to 7pm and 29 May 2011 from 8.30am to 7pm. Admission is free and visitors are advised to take the free shuttle service from Eunos and Hougang Bus Interchanges as there are limited car parks at the Paya Lebar Airbase.

For the rest of the photos that I’ve taken, check out my facebook photo album! Thank you MINDEF Public Affairs for this invitation!

The latest phototaking hotspot

In the early morning of 8 May 2011, Potong Pasir was the last result to be announced by Mr Yam Ah Mee for the Singapore General Election 2011 and it will no longer managed by Mr Chiam See Tong and his wife, Mrs Lina Chiam.

On that very afternoon, I went down to Potong Pasir with my photo-kakis with the objective to “record history” – capture the moments of this small estate before it is handed over to the new hands.

Provision Shop in Potong Pasir

A humble town along the North-East MRT Line, it looks like any regular HDB estates. The town is well taken care of, but if you get really anal about amenities in Potong Pasir, you will realise that there is no NTUC Fairprice Supermarket, food centre and wet market here. Instead, you see a few provision shops and coffee shops in this estate which serve similar functions.

Sheltered Walkway

The walking paths in this estate are well-sheltered, though you will realise that it is done on a smaller-budget and yet still serve its purpose.

Blk 108 lift lobby - Uniquely Potong Pasir

An old-school lift co-existing with a newer HDB lift is probably something “Uniquely Potong Pasir”, and the newer lift doesn’t stop at every level either. Given to the budget that they get to maintain this small estate, this is probably the best Mr Chiam could do for his residents and I believe a lot of them do not really mind that.

Supporters signing petition for by-election

Supporters of Mr and Mrs Chiam were gathering that day at Blk 108 void deck, which is also the location for Mr Chiam’s Meet-the-people session, to collect signatures for the petition to request for a by-election in Potong Pasir.

At about 5 plus in the evening, Mr Chiam and the Singapore People’s Party (SPP) candidates went on a “Thank You Parade” around Potong Pasir and there was a huge group of supporters following their party vehicles. The atmosphere was full of emotions… I saw people crying, people screaming “Chiam See Tong” and “Lina Chiam” in unison…

When Mrs Chiam saw one of her supporters crying, she said to her supporter, “Don’t cry for me. Think on the bright side, ok?” That really touched my heart…

I am not sure how efficient will the new management of this estate be to update this welcome signage, but I am sure the current one with Mr Chiam’s photo is not going to stay for long. It’s right at the entrance of Potong Pasir. For the rest of the album, it can be viewed on my Facebook Album titled “Potong Pasir – End of an Era”.

Update: Apparently, my post shares the same title as Clauds’ blog post! Great minds think alike! Haha!