The barefoot craze. Vibram Five Fingers VS Actos Skin Shoes

Dec 01, 13 The barefoot craze. Vibram Five Fingers VS Actos Skin Shoes

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I have always liked simple designs. Back from the old Nike Prestos (Late 1990s, early 200s), to the more recent Reebok zignano and Nike Free, simple, lightweight shoes seem to always capture my attention. Now, there’s this new age trend of barefoot running or minimalist shoes. Literally overnight, there’s an explosion of shoes being made with lesser materials, yet costing a good 2 to 3 times that of a normal sports shoe. It’s almost like selling bikinis or lingerie. The lesser the material, the more expensive it is. One of the main reasons for barefoot running or minimalist shoes is that when you wear a  heavily cushioned shoe, the small muscles in the legs loses it’s strength. On top of that, a thick shoe encourages heel strike. Barefoot running or minimalist shoes are suppose to help maintain a more natural gait. After all, the ancient people didn’t really wear shoes right? I jumped onto the bandwagon and got myself a Vibram Fivefingers classic then. However, my second toe is longer than my big toe, or scientifically speaking, it’s called Morton’s toe. Thus, I wasn’t really able to wear it longer than 3 hours. I did manage to clock 5km runs in it though, and my calves were screaming bloody murder for quite a while. While I wanted to use it for vacations because of it’s size and easy packing, I never really got round to it. Not being able to wear it longer than 3 hours was definitely a major deal breaker. I kept my eye out for something similar in the market, but I just couldn’t put my money down for a minimalist shoe that costs so much. Then I discovered Actos shoes! Essentially they are like aqua shoes, in that they have a slim outsole, and the top of the shoe is a lycra like material. The best thing however, was that it costs S$30! While they say it is made in Korea, who knows where they came from. Trying the shoes, it...

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My first Groupon(Singapore) deal bought!

Jun 20, 11 My first Groupon(Singapore) deal bought!

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Group deal sites have been around for the longest time, and I actually signed up to receive updates for quite a few. However, I have not found any deals attractive enough to buy them. Mostly, the deals just didn’t seem all that attractive. Some of the deals are discounted off retail price, such that when you compare it to prices you can get at the shops, it’s only marginally cheaper. In other cases, the locations are not exactly the most convenient, so you usually won’t go or do that event on a wimp and would require a bit of schedule planning. I prefer a little bit of spontaneity in my life 🙂 But I finally did it! I bought the $35 for 1 Month Club Membership + 60 min Health Assessment + 4 VibroGym Sessions at Lifestyle Fitness (Worth $645) deal from groupon.sg. Essentially, this is not significantly cheaper than most commercial gyms. At some point of time, California Fitness or True Fitness were going at around $30-45/month for a 1-2 years plan. So at $35, its within that range. The main reason why I did buy it is because of 2 main reasons. 1) I’m on a diet/fitness regime now, and 2) the location is right opposite my office! Best deal ever 🙂 Will I buy more groupon deals? Perhaps. Deals like, $6 for 1 Manhattan Fish ‘n Chips at The Manhattan FISH MARKET (Worth $13.90), $3.25 for Any 6-Inch Sub (Worth up to $6.50) at 7 Subway Outlets or $5 for 1 Main Ramen or Rice at RamenPlay (Worth $10.80) does seem cheap and worth it. But seeing how 10,000 to 30,000 coupons for each has been bought, I wonder how the shops can cope with it and also if QC will drop. For 30,000 coupons, and with a typical validity of 6 months, that means they would have to serve additional 5000 purchases at a heavily discounted price. Do note, groupon does take a cut of the coupon price, which means more retailers might suffer...

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My first ‘suaku’ trip to Jurong East Swimming Complex @ Lakeside

Jun 15, 11 My first ‘suaku’ trip to Jurong East Swimming Complex @ Lakeside

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In the hot tropical weather of Singapore, the only water theme park available is Wild Wild Wet. While they have about 5-6 decent rides, it’s actually not that cheap considering the entry fee plus locker fee etc. But then, its really not too expensive considering it’s privately managed. There used to be Fantasy Island in Sentosa, which was once Asia’s largest water theme  park. Unfortunately a series of fatalities, bad press and low attendance resulted in it’s closure. Those born before the 1990s would definitely remember spending some time there! It was really a marvel! Amazingly, hidden in the western corner of Singapore lies the Jurong East Swimming Complex! Technically speaking, it’s actually between Chinese Garden MRT and Lakeside MRT, but *shrugs*   At an entry fee of just $2 for adults, you get to play with these amazingly long slides! So basically, there’s 3 slides, 1 lazy river, and 1 wave pool. Very reasonable pricing! Of course, expect it to be crowded on weekends. You need to pay $2 to rent a float, and 40cents to use the lockers. But that’s really chum change for the value you get. There’s tables and chairs, lots of idling areas and I would say it is pretty spacious! Quite a nice gathering place for families. The only other bad point is that it is at Lakeside, and there is no direct buses there. Walking from the MRT would be the easiest way. View Larger Map No matter where you stay in Singapore, even if it is 90 minutes away, you should go visit this place at least once! I can’t believe I took so many years before I did it. Interestingly, with the Resorts World Singapore, there is actually a new water theme park coming up! The Equarius Water Park is slated for completion by 2012, and it features a 450meter water...

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Suzie Q and Toby J @ SG Pole Challenge 2011

Jun 13, 11 Suzie Q and Toby J @ SG Pole Challenge 2011

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In 1 line, SG Pole Challenge was amazing! Suzie Q and Toby J was amazing! As mentioned in my earlier blog post, SG Pole Challenge was held over the weekend at Iluma, Tornado-Se7en. It was actually quite an interesting venue. It was a segmented portion of Tornado, which is kind of like an entertainment zone with arcades and what not. So it had a high ceiling, which allowed a feeling of spaciousness compared to the usual drinking venues. The theme for the event is Goth, so most of the costumes and performances were tuned towards that direction. The judges were fantastic! Very poised and professional. Suzie Q and Toby J were both judges and performers for the event! There were actually 2 more judges, 1 from the International Pole Dance Fitness Association, and 1 from Prime Gym. Unfortunately I couldn’t get them all into the photo. And I shall blame it all on my ancient camera. The performers for the event sure had loads of fun! and definitely all this would not be possible without The Fairy Goth Mother Ming (also known as Suzie Wong), the founder of Acropolates! Enjoy the...

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The Shortcut to the Shortcut: The 4 Key Principles of The 4-Hour Body

Jun 02, 11 The Shortcut to the Shortcut: The 4 Key Principles of The 4-Hour Body

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I was just starting the 4-Hour Body, Slow Carb Diet just on Monday this week which I mentioned here and here, and what a pleasant surprise! Tim Ferriss came out with a video of the speech he did recently about the book. It’s actually quite a messy video, because of all the content he tries to put in. But again, I would suggest people who are interested to buy the book!...

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