Duduman Became Tutuman

Leng em leng ah?

Soooo flexible

Ahhh, my toes!



For more info on your ballerina, s/he's available at www.speakingtomato.com

So You Want Traffic?

So many of you guys want more traffic right?

OK lor, I'll give you more traffic than you can imagine.

Ip Man Loves Mariah Carey

Ip Man Buy Ramly Burger

Out topic: Grats to A.J. Bangla Stadium WPMO champ as on Friday night. 4th round KO win.

New Gym

Started training at the new gym, Jak Othman's gym. Yesterday when I sit there and observe, it looks really boring. Today there are much more people for the first session and this trainer, Ken, leads the thing. Not a bad trainer I'd say (sorry but after experiencing real Thai training kinda compare everything). It won't prep you for fighting I might say, but maybe for starters just work on conditioning and stamina.

Warm up:
Things are a lot different than what I expect. Stretching is done in pairs. With a back as stiff as Tommy Lee on his first night with Pamela Anderson, there's always problem for me to bend forward with my legs stretched while sitting. Ken helped a lot by holding the legs down and pulling my arms forward, not so bad afterall. And sitting cross-legged with sole-to-sole he helped again pressing both legs down and me forward.

Arms:
1-2, 4-1, 1-2 hook cross, cross-hook-uppercut, repeating 1-2 for 8 times, and 32 1-2s in a row. I need that for conditioning.

Kicks:
Single kick followed by double kicks and then 10 in a row. Did about 40 kicks on my right, including on bags before starting, and 30 on the left (skipped 10 due to waist problem).

Knee:
Starts with single knee. Then double knee. Kinda losing balance after not training for a week but it got a ok after a while.

Teep:
Starts with single left teep, then right. After that two kicks, left then right (something like what Buakaw always do during his fights). Aim is still pretty bad, meh.

Chin down:
Place a tennis ball between chin and upper chest and hold it with chin down while repeating the arms conditioning/combo. Kinda hard for me, the ball keep on dropping as the gap between my chin and upper chest is big. And now it kinda sting, well, tennis balls, they're rough surfaced.

Sit up, chest up, and leg up:
Sit up 25 times for 3 rounds in pairs. Lol I only did 2 rounds. Chest up is easier. Leg up is hard, feels like my muscle's going to cramp soon.

Warm down:
Some thingamajig movements and that's it for 1 session.


Well its much better than what I saw yesterday. But I hate the tennis ball thing. Did 100 knees on the bag before starting. Probably do the 1 minute punching and 100 teep tomorrow.

Some More Pixies

Some photos flicked from them Facebook uploads.

Sunday: Dane, Lanny, Nims, Nicola, Anna killing an apple

Saturday: Nims, Met, Me, AJ

The conditioning session I dislike the most

Nicola, before losing her top xD

Dean. Look at the bag where the knee hits!

AJ & Nat (Pot's son, I think)

L-R seated: Nicola, Martin, Nims, AJ, Anne, Dane
L-R standing: Lanny, Jesper, Ola, Me

Lanny, Dane, Martin

Lanny with a teep on Det

Clinching with Sitrak (foot on wrong position :P)

Anna's suicide LOL

Target

Hate sitting at home cos its really boring and I wanna do what I did at Sinbi's everyday. The PC is a main distraction and take a lot of discipline to pry myself away from it. So far so good in doing that today considering I can't get into Facebook since 5pm. But YouTube is really addictive. Watching it until stupid for the past 3 days, especially Ramon Dekkers' matches during his prime. Still doing 2 warm ups and shadow boxing everyday but only for 30 minutes each. So.. I've been doing stuffs in my room to make sure my experience and hard work at Sinbi's didn't go down the drain. What is currently do-able in the room:

Warm up: 10 minutes
Stretches and stuffs (neck, arms, legs, waist, back) as how they do it back there. Make sure the joints are good to launch proper moves. Sweat level is ok and notice sweat much easier than before lately. Good or bad? IDK.

Shadow boxing: 30 minutes

Take the full length mirror and clear a space. Mostly doing repeated stuffs/combos taught by Bawi (3 padwork sessions in a row with him) and checking the mirror to adapt to the techniques taught by Met. Work on 1-2, 4-1, 1-2-left hook-right punch, 1-2-hook-kidney-kidney-uppercut, elbows (left, right, vertical, downwards, spinning/reverse), kneeing, kicks (doesn't really work well when there's no sandbags or pads), front kick/teep, lean back. Intense sweat and kinda tiring cos I throw everything in full strength. Target within this month is a 45 minutes session of shadow boxing alone at full strength punches/kicks. But yeah, pretty boring doing this alone.

Something like this

Knees: 100 times

Grab the full length mirror (rotatable) on top with both arms and starts kneeing (no contact with the steel bars lah, wanna die meh?) to work on my thighs and stamina. 100 times is easier now after a week. Trying to get it up to 150 times on next work out. Max target would be like John Wayne Parr's 1000 knees on sandbag in 30 minutes. That's crazy. Thighs are still ok after this, not really sore from 100 knees cos not having any impact or force since there's no sandbag.. Meh... Wanna try out another jumping knee. Only did it once while sparring with Bawi on my final session. Fun. Like Remy Bonjasky lol.

John Wayne Parr

Blocks: 50 each leg
Doing what Met asked us to do on my FIRST session. Almost tumbled by the end of it on the first day. Hard on the thighs by the 40th still keep going. By the end of both legs they're really sore but moving around for a while its back to ok. By end of month target would be 100 blocks on each leg, without feeling ultra-sore on the thigh after that.

What I was taught by Met was a bit more to the side

Teep: 100 times
Kicking the wall is not as fun as a sandbag. When sandbag moves back its force meet force case and it tires the legs easier. Try to emulate that by bouncing my sole off the wall with strength, letting the other leg take the pressure of trying to maintain the posture or take a step back. Maybe should up it to 200 times. No sandbag is no fun.

Yodsaengklai Fairtex - front kick/teep

Punching: 2 minutes

Read Ramon Dekkers' interview and mentioned if you can do 100 punches in 2 minutes then throwing 10 punches in 2 minutes wouldn't be a problem. And its good for conditioning. IDK if he means 100 full strengths or not. Since no sandbag, without full strength but repeated non-stop punches, I punch.... the wall. Yep, the wall. Left index finger's first joint below the knuckle bleed, sometimes. Still without a bag, its kinda worthless, I don't feel the sore in upper arm/shoulder like before. When I hit the gym next month probably try 2 minutes non-stop, break, and then another 2 minutes.

Ramon Dekkers

Sit ups & push ups

Can't do much push ups these few days, max 20 due to the problem with the right upper arm (twitching). Can finally do proper push ups. Sit ups, about 15-20 depending on mood. Yeah, not disciplined enough lol without Karim eyeing if I "snake" during sit ups.

Still can't throw a proper hook with my right. Something's twitching in the right upper arm, hopefully nothing's wrong. Not very happy I don't get to do real training. Time to find money.

4

Four of my favorite fighters so far. 2 from Holland and 2 from Thailand. All amazing in their own ways.

Remy Bonjasky



IDK, I just love to watch Bob Sapp gets owned. LOL.

Buakaw Por-Pramuk

If he knees me, I think my heart and intestines will trade places.

Ramon Dekkers

Crazy.. just plain ol' crazy.

Last but not least...
Sing @ Sinbi Taewoong

The kicks got me to his gym, without double-thinking

6 Days At Sinbi's

I hate coming back. Noisy place and nothing to do. Unlike in Phuket, quiet place with a lot to do especially training. And I had fun although its a "vacation" with bruised knees, bruised and scrapped right elbow, and finally a tipped toe nail (urgh). This gonna be a long post. Here are how the 6 days go, and if some of you horny people like gwai lous, yeah you can salivate over their pictures:

Day 1 - February 3 (Tues)

Sinbi's camp entrance

Landed in Phuket at 7.10am (GMT +7). Cab driver needed to look at the address 5 times before eventually got to Sinbi's, and by then its about 10am. Freakin waste of time. Met Gob (Sing's sister) and then Sing before getting keys and pay the fees for training + accomodation. Total of 4800 Baht (about RM500) flew. Grabbed a pair of Muay Thai shorts for 700 Baht and wraps for 350 Baht. Yeah, getting piss poor upon arrival =/

Lanny (black shorts) and Martin

AJ

Met my 2 roommates, A.J. and Lanny both from Canada. Chat a little and went for the after-training breakfast at this restaurant everyone call "Cheap Ass". Really cheap. Chicken/pork rice is only at 30 Baht. Hanging around the ring at 3.45pm, didn't plan to train on that day as feeling tired. Only got an hour's sleep through the whole day. Sing just came and said "Training starts at 4". Oh shit. So changed and went there not knowing what to do.

Nims

Met (that's a name, not past tense of 'meet') asked me to skip and then they start warming up. This guy.. he's just scary. He trained Sing for about 15 years (what he said), rarely smile during sessions and got that imma-kick-you-till-you-gain-30kg-from-bruises look in his eyes. Even the warming up was killing me on the first session. After that comes shadow boxing where Met taught some techniques, which I feel its like taking forever while its only 30 minutes since we started.

Jasper and AJ

Managed to push myself through for 2 hours, gasping for air in between. The others train for 2.5 hours as they do clinching and sparring. Find working on the bags was fun. No pad-work with the trainers yet. Never sweated as much as this for the last 2 years. At night, well, Cheap Ass again for dinner. KO-ed very early at about 9pm.


Day 2 - February 4 (Weds)

Little Miss Sunshine; Nicola

Morning: Woke up feeling stiff all over my back so skipped the morning session. Walked around, breakfast at usual place, nap and get ready for noon session.

Not many people on first day

Noon: THE BEACH!!!! No, nothing like our coffee-colored Port Dickson. Pronthem Cape is the destination. Nice, quiet, windy place. The sun is not like what we get in Malaysia. At 10am, from my house to 7-11 which is about 5 minutes' walk, the sun stings badly. But in Phuket, its only mild but bright sun, along with the wind, its one hell of a rest at the beach. I rode what Anna called "The Thai Family" which is 3 person on a bike hahaha. Rode with Martin and Nims before Ola and Jasper, and Dane reached later. I don't know if Dane's bionic or what lol. He had a fight the night earlier (won on 3rd round with an elbow), and now he just pops up and jumps into the sea and swim. With all the very-crystal-clear-visible bruises on the shin and a knock on the forehead.

Pronthem Cape

Feel much prepared for training than the first session. Worked with Met during shadow boxing, then move on to the bags. I pretty much hate the repeating non-stop punches, cos I got no shoulder or upper arm strength and makes it hard to keep up. Looking forward to the kicking session (front kicks and normal kicks). While doing a right elbow on the bag, didn't notice a tape, and had a After the bags, worked with Karim on pads in the ring and get a lot of techniques corrected.

Bruised Lee

You want breaks? Yeah sure they'll give you a minute's break. But.... that's a big word... but before you do either 10 push-ups or sit-ups. And I'm pretty sure I fail both big time cos was already so out of breath by then lol.

Breaks? Yeah...

Day 3 - February 5 (Thur)

Bag works with Bang Den supervising

Morning: I hate sleeping. Really. All my joints feel stiff after waking up you just don't feel like getting out of the bed. And worse, I'm on the top bunk above Lanny. Got myself up, walks around to get the blood flowing and then starts to feel fine. So effin determined to do both sessions today. Only difference is I do pad-works with Sitrak (Karim's brother - I always have problem differentiating them when they're in the ring). Second injury, I overdid a spinning elbow, tad too fast, tad too much swing and my right elbow collided with Sitrak's. Bad bruise on it to go with the scrape. Finished, and then breakfast. I had 2 servings of Cheap Ass' chicken rice cos only had yoghurt before training.

Kay (Padaw) and Nims

Noon: Beach again. Napped, woke up with frozen body, walked around, starts training. Today is the first day I meet a trainer with no name on his shirt. I only found out he's Sing's elder brother, Bawi, on Saturday night during drinking session. Did pad-works with him, taught me a bit of ring ethics before starting like the bow and the alertness to avoid any immediate attacks after the bow. Still pretty slow in anticipating, so the pad got my head but not hard lol. Starting to enjoy the 10 kicks session a lot a lot a lot a lot really effin lot. After that, my first clinching lesson with Karim. I pretty much suck at clinching cos weak upper body and Karim's like throwing me around for fun, but I just refused to let my hands go and fall flat kekekeke.

Tradgarden: Swedish foooooooood

Night: Swedish meatballs (yeah, start drooling, go on, go on) at Tradgarden. Pretty effin good I'd say, I can't remember the price but I think its about 200-250 Baht? 6 meatballs and a huge splat of mashed potato with lingonberry sauce. I assume, if I remember correctly, I have been drinking a small Chang every morning and night since yesterday. Then after that was pool time with Nims, Martin, Dane, and Anna, just across the road.


Day 4 - February 6 (Fri)

Morning: Elbow was really bruised and can't even bend my right arm so skipped the session. And my back feels like somebody nailed a piece of board on it. Spent most of the time watching the guys & girls train and massaging my elbow... Snifffff.

Anna & Dane

Noon: Got back into training. Not gonna miss any more considering tomorrow (Sat) will be the last day of training and I'm leaving on Sunday midnight. Pad work with Bawi, and then clinching with Karim. During warming up, a couple of us noticed this new girl from Sweden. I think she mentioned her name as Jenny to Met. After 2 rounds of shadow boxing she was sitting at ring side and we never see her again =( mehhhhh. Went to the beach again where Dane and Anna went kayak-ing. Nothing better than sitting under the shade on a windy afternoon with a bottle of beer in hand.

Met (half hidden), AJ, skinny chink *cough*, Tord, Martin

Night: Some of the guys went for the fight in Patong. I don't know the Sinbi fighters that are getting into the ring that night, Misha from Ukraine and Nathalie from.. um.. Sweden? When they got back the next day I heard it was crappy.


Day 5 - February 7 (Sat)

Sat nite drinkin: Kay, Anna, Dane

Morning: The day everyone looks forward to cos its the last day of training. Dragged my ass to the training area. Noticed sweating a lot more than previous sessions. Miskicked the arm pads while working on it with Bawi and left ankle feels weird. Went to the beach with Dane, Anna (both went snorkelling), Martin, and Nims. Had my usual.. Chang beer.

Bruised Lee's brother, Bruised Knees from Republic of Wrong Technique

Noon: Things got worse for my last session. Another misplaced kick for my right during pad-works with Bawi and ankle starts to sting. Now that's both ankles altogether. When it finally comes to sparring with Bawi, I thought that's it, that's how my training and trip to Sinbi's gonna end. Not that lucky. Did a front kick, Bawi moved back, leg went straight and down. On the way down, my toe nail clipped either his glove or shin pad, and yeah, pretty much 1/4 of my right toe nail had an 'erection'. Stopped and get some alcohol on the wound. Taped.

@Don's: Anna, Nims, Kay, AJ, Jasper, Martin, Dane, Lanny

Night: Had dinner at Don's. Some of the guys had the buffet. The cook put that stinky green vege thingamajig in my food. Urgh. Almost everyone had a LARGE CHANG/TIGER that night. AJ.. well, he had milk. LOL. Got back to gym after we stopped at 7-11 and get some more beers (I got 2 more cans of Chang, cash running low) and sat together at the 2 tables near the training ground just chatting and chilling. Sing and Met came back and drank. A cab came to pick up some guys (Ola, Jasper, AJ, Nims, Martin) to.. I don't know, some bars. They went bar-hopping.

Forgot to tell Martin my phone's cam is also Cheap Ass

Before long, all beer dried up waiting to be turned into piss. Sing and Met went to get somemore beer and we ordered some. Before they get back (they went around looking for ice cubes to go with their Red Label) the remaining ones (Dane, Anna, Kay) all went to bed early and I still hang around. Well, the next day will be my last day so its kinda heavy to have to leave. They came back, drank with Sing & Met, chit chatted and found out about some pretty nice infos. Oh yeah, both of them tried to open the beer bottles differently, not gonna tell how LOL. By 1.30am starts to get a bit tipsy and had a good sleep.

Nims, Sing, skinny chink *whistles*, Met

Met, Sing (standing), Tord

Final Day - February 8 (Sun)

The dreaded day. Woke up and saw AJ on the bed (pic below). You just have that voice saying "he's drunk, really really drunk" from how he sleeps. So their outing was bar-hopping, got separated, AJ left at 6 or 7am, Martin "fell in love" lol, Nims' ithcy hands rang the bell that's used to signal that the bell-ringer will buy a round for everyone in the bar, the 2 Swedish brothers, I don't know.

I see drunk Canadian

Had breakfast in Tradgarden (Lanny, Nims, Martin, Dane, Anna). Head back, watch Lanny's House M.D. season 2. The rest of the guys went off for bungee jumping. Height's not my thing, and I'm pretty much going broke. Feel weird sitting around so went and do some light stuffs on the bags. The Swedish brothers woke up about 2pm and went lunch with them, Tradgarden again. Then the other guys came back. Night's coming, its getting pretty fucked up for my feelings cos I know I'm gonna leave in less than 6 hours.

Kay, Nims, Martin, Lanny, Anna, Dane

Somewhere to hide from the sun at Tradgarden

Packed my stuffs. Asked Met to book a cab for me. Lingered around and smoke, wishing I can be there longer than just 6-7 days. Night time and went for one last dinner in Rawai with Kay (trainers call her Padaw, cos she looks like a girl called Padaw from the opposite restaurant), and my roommates, Lanny & AJ. They both went to bed early so I went outside and Dean (huge Croatian) came by to use the WiFi. Showed me this video of Bruce Lee playing ping pong with nun-chuks. Fuckin A. Made my day. Then I showed him and the Korean guys (IDK their names, they hardly talk) Happy Tree Friends. Lmao, they love it.

Time to go home, skinny chink

Everyone went to sleep, I sat outside and some trainers came back. Chatted with Met until about 11.30pm. Then doing nothing and wait for the cab to come. I wish I don't have to go back for another 1 month, but money is a huge problem right now, and.... I still got a hamster and 2 fish to feed at home lol. Its hard to leave especially how people around you make you feel comfortable there, and you don't know when you might see them again.

All quiet

To the people I met over at the gym:

Nicola from the UK
Lanny, AJ, Nims from Canada
Dean from Croatia
Dane, Kay from Australia
Anna from NZ,
Martin from Scotland,
Tord from Norway,
Ola, Jasper from Sweden

Trainers that make me do just that one more push/sit up while I'm already flat-out:

Sing, Met, Karim, Sitrak, Bawi, Sak, Pot, and Det

Thank you because you guys/girls make the stay & training really fun, good luck to you guys especially AJ and Dee (Kimchi) on your upcoming fights, and hope I'll see you all again in the future. Well, I'll just go on Facebook now. Heh. If you guys are gonna do your visa runs within this month or next, hope you'll fly here. Grab a lunch or something but no Cheap Ass. =D

House got rad lights


Word of the week: Jandels (by Anna, meaning 'sandals' or 'flip flops')

I'm so gonna miss the "OOOOOOO-WEEEEEE!!!" from the trainers and the instructions... jab jab, 1-2 hook punch, 4-1, elbow, right elbow left elbow, uppercut, hook hook, knee, TEEEPPP TEEEEPP (front kick). Lol. I don't know, I think I'm addicted to it, probably till I get some shit kicked out of me. It struck 4pm and I automatically took out my wraps and put them on and doing warming up, shadow boxing, push ups and sit ups. Damn.