AIBEN RETREAT 2012

2012 marks the first AIBEN retreat which was held in A'Famosa, Melaka. A few days before Abah sent us a message asking for all the members of the family to each prepare a list of their plans for 2013, their goals for ibadah, social, financial, career, health etc. I didn't do any of it.. -_-;;

 

On 27th December, we reached Melaka at about 1pm, with only one stop at the Seremban RnR for some food. I had YongTauFu and then accompanied Husna to the KFC nearby. We took a rest for a while and the first meeting started proper at 3.00pm. Abah discussed about the family's financial status and our plans for 2013. I had to be the secretary, which meant I had to take minutes. Huhu. Kena buli.. :(

 

The meeting finished at about 6.00pm. We freshened up and then took off to Umbai for yummy seafares. We got there at 8ish and promptly ordered. Udang masak sambal. Sotong goreng tepung. Ikan pari bakar. Ikan kerapu masak kicap. Nasi lemak. Otak-otak. OMG. Sooo full..!! Sleepily we drove all the way back to the resort and dozed off.

 

The next day started early. Abah woke us up at 6.00am for Subuh. It was Mama's birthday so we all sang for her before praying and reciting Yaa Sin and tahlil. Some could not resist the pool while some went back to sleep after that.

 

The second meeting commenced at 10am, where the main agendas included discussing future business avenues for the family and family trip. Then Abah went to the Masjid while the boys slept. Tsk tsk. We girls got together and made Maggi..!! Haha. Then all of us packed and went back home looking forward for the next year. In Shaa Allah all the plans will bear to fruition. 2013 is going to be an awesome year for the AIBEN clan.

MY FIRST BODYJAM LAUNCH..!!

BodyJam 63 will be remembered as many things for me (hopefully). And one of it is for my first ever official launch. Me and Berry was initially only supposed to shadow Kak Zaza and Yen Ling for the Avenue K launch. We had practice the night before at Menara Axis up until the club closed down, huhu. Anyway, Kak Zaza asked whether we would like to teach a track and of course we said YES..!! I was given the Dance Hall track, I don't mind.. Hehe. I seriously love this track though Ken said its a bit tiring. But still, MY FIRST TT LAUNCH..!! Ooo, yeah!!

 

On the day I made it just in time because I was so freaked out I practiced till the last minute at the BGA gym. Thank you kekanda for accompanying me.. ;) As usual, the studio was full. I hope everyone enjoyed the launch. I slipped a few times on stage because of the sweat stains on the floor. But I still had fun and enjoyed every minute of the class.

 

We gave away some free T-shirts after the class and also took a few more pictures. I was super tired so I rested a bit at the lounge before asking Kak Zaza for some feedback. I need to work on voice projection. *nods* Then with majorly aching joints, I freshened up and went back home for a well-deserved rest.

  

Finally, a shoutout to the jammers. All of you Kicked and Screamed the house down..!! Keep it up..!! And special thanks to Kak Zaza and my powderful sisters, Yen Ling and Berry (we're not virgins asnymore..kkk ><).

GO FIGHT WIN

One fine day I was happily doing work when I got a call from the HR boss asking me to be in charge of the cheerleading team for the Karnival Sukan MPIC 2012. And when I went to the meeting, the first thing they said about concept was 'Gangnam Style'. Since to just focus on that one song for an entire cheer is not really practical, I thought of a KPop themed cheer and choreography. I roped up my good friends Nik and Kevin (who dropped out later because he felt he could not give due commitment to the project). 

My first practice with the team was on the 30th November at the sports complex with half of the members and only half of the choreography. It was decided that the same team doing cheerleading will also be in marching so we had shared rehersal time amid practice for sporting events. We had one full week to practice; even got time-out from the Management and everything and the last days of practice we stayed there until 8pm with the finalized choreography. Phew!! The music and choreography came from both Nik and I and the training was mostly done by yours truly with some visits from Nik, the "choreographer". 

All of us had to gather at the INSPEN Training Center a day before the sports carnival was to start. The night before the opening every athlete was called to gather for a speech from our KP to boost up morale. It was there that I taught the the whole team the cheer for LGM (later to be copied by other agencies). Then, it was photo time with the big bosses.

On the day, my team managed to squeeze in a few hours of practice and also we got to have a dry run at the actual venue before the competition. At about 3pm the event was officiated by our Minister and there was even a performance from a guest cheerleading team (they had almost the same songs as ours.. LOL). Great minds they say. Our team went in second for the cheerleading competition and everyone was a bit nervous but that quickly diappeared when the crowd started to cheer for us and we were well on our way towards best performance. Everyone looked like they were having fun and we even had a quick appearance from our mascot. Hearing the whole venue cheering for you is definitely one of the highs of my life. Watch our performance here

After the performance, my team and I spent the nights and days cheering for our athletes. However because of our small number (less than 25 people) we could not be in every venue and we also had a slight disadvantage in cheering instruments causing our cheers to be drowned out by our opponents. Here I apologize to all because of this lack of insight we lost several games. May this serve as a lesson for us okay..??

For the marching and also cheerleading events, announcement of the winners are made at the Grand Dinner on our last night there. And my team sweeped both golds with cheers from everyone and also to our delight. Someone suggested I do Gangnam when I got up on stage to receive the trophy, of which I graciously did not do. Hehe. So a big huge thank you to my team for their commitment and also for giving themselves the opportunity to dance. I am just happy to see their all their hardwork; learning the choreography, coming to practice day in and out, overcoming their own feelings of self-consciousness to dance in front of everyone, everything paid off. Thank you everyone. And I will say this again; it was an honour to be your team leader. May the dance always be with you. Go Fight Win..!!

NOT LONG AGO..

Not long ago
I first knew what heartbrteak was
And soon after that my heart was shattered again
Bravely I tried to put it back together
Pretended like everything was fine
Pretended like I was strong
But what you don't know is
Every now and then
My heart will be sliced into a thousand pieces
My tears will stream freely down
And I still say that I am fine
With a smile on my face
In the hopes that those words will come true
Sometime in the near future
In the hopes that someday
My heart can stop hurting
And I'll finally be able to accept everything
In the hopes that someday
I'll be truly happy again

SOFY FLASH MOB & HELL-O-WIN ZUMBA

2nd of November 2012 was definitely a day (and night) to remember. The day started off ordinarily enough. I went to work (but I was a bit late thanks to someone who took his own sweet time in the Smart Tag lane).. Had a meeting.. Ate nasi lemak kerang for breakfast.. Did some protein analysis..

 

But by 2pm I was in Wendy's at Giant Kota Damansara with most of the flashmobbers a.k.a. the crew. Some of us grabbed some lunch but I only managed to eat a few bites before we were asked to  standby. Therefore it was with a heavy heart that I packed my chilli fries and Oreo smoothie and trudged up to the venue. And guess what, I wasn't even the one who finished off everything in the end. Sob..!!
 

Since almost all of us were in pink, it was quite conspicuous that we were just sitting at the side waiting for the music. So we opted to wait a little ways off the square near the toilet where our VIP was also hiding: LISA SURIHANI..!! There was some last minute practicing and of course photo ops..

 

When the alotted time drew nearer we came out in trickles. Kevin and I ended up right smack in the middle of the crowd because I thought it would be easier to start the dance there rather than running in when the flash mob starts. Suddenly I felt a tap on my shoulder and one of the SOFY staff asked whether I could stand-in for a winner who couldn't be there on time due to traffic. Lo and behold, suddenly I found myself on the little stage receiving a big fat mock cheque of RM8000 from Lisa Surihani for the Grand Prize winner..!! And all my friends' jaw dropped.. It was soo funny, I smiled/laughed the whole way..

Anyway, then the music started and all of us strutted our stuff. Nik couldn't make it so I paired up with Alvin. Lisa joined in the mob too. She was quite shocked to see me. LOL. She looked so cute trying to dance. Hehe. After the performance we re-grouped at Wendy's for some icecream and video viewing courtesy of Shafiq. Lisa also came by to thank us and graciously took pictures with each of us.

 

We hung out there for a while, then I brought Kevin to Damansara Uptown for his class. We made it just in time to get ready for the Hell-O-Win 90 mins Zumba challenge at the Curve with Terrence, Gladys and Uchop. Thanks Aishah for the makeup..!! And we even got certificates afterwards. Yeay..!!

 

We had a loongg day but our tummies are grumbling. So we stopped by Murni at SS2 for some late night treats (Mee Raja for me..!!) before heading home. Time for rest now.

BODYJAM ROCKS KOTA KINABALU

Uniq invited Kevin, Nik and I as guest instructors for the Bodyjam 62 relaunch in Kota Kinabalu. After she got the approval from Ken, BodyJam's Head Teacher in KK, we were all set to go. Then I had to fall down the stairs and sublocated my toe finger a week before the event. And they printed the poster and everything..!!*cries* However, I had a great time there. Made new friends and had a huge blast. We're definitely coming again..!!

 

24th September 2012 (Monday)

 

I was supposed to fly to Kota Kinabalu the night before but due to circumstances I had to delay my flight and had most of the day free. So I did what any normal girl would do on her day off. Go to the doctor..!! Haha.. No la.. Since I'd be travelling, I thought it would be a good idea to get my toe checked out and see whether there have been any improvements since the last week. I went to Kelinik Suren with Mama and we had to wait a while because there was quite a queue for the X-Ray. The good doctor told me the bone has moved back to its original place but only slightly and then he plastered the fingers back together.

 

I finished my packing and then Zaim sent me to KLCC. Took the Skybus from KL Central to LCCT and I was already in the plane by 8pm. I was awefully hungry but didn't feel like spending in the plane and only managed to get about an hour of sleep during the entire 3 hour flight. The turbulence didn't really help. Thankfully, I didn't get airsick and we safely landed by 11pm.

 

Uniq and Kevin came to pick me up. Along with Bobo, our driver for the trip. Best part is, he doesn't have a licence..!! Haha. We stopped by a foodcourt in Tanjung Ara beach for some satay and drinks. Then I checked in De Galleria near Kampung Air. Saw Nik and the guys' room , unpacked a bit and off to Zzz Land.

25th September 2012 (Tuesday)

 

We woke up early because Ken wanted to preview the new release in his morning class. Originally I was just supposed to sit there and enjoy the music. As if... As soon as the first track played I already took off my sandals and was happily dancing. Hee. Then, we had a practice session for tonight's event. Since we did all that without a morsel of food in our bellies, the first thing we did was to find breakfast. I can't remember what I ate but I had two drinks..!! Haha..

 

The three of us were left on our own after that so we practiced a bit and even laid down on the studio floor to rest. We had to go down to the lobby when some guys came to install the new spotlights. Yes, they even brought in SPOTLIGHTS for us. And then we fell asleep waiting for Liana and Ken.

 

 

About an hour before the event, we got ready. We went to Guardian and Giant to get some plaster and drinks. By 6.30 we were all ready to rawck! Ken introduced all of us and the BodyJam party begins. I didn't really get much stage time, just shadowed the groove downs and taught the Fantasy track. But boy did everyone had fun that night. The studio was packed and the spotlights really helped all of us get in the party mode. The two hours just flew by and no one wanted to leave.

Sam, the big boss of Core Fitness was so impressed he wanted to buy us dinner. So we got ready and got into Christine's car. Our dinner at Sailor's was super yummy and surrounded by friends it was definitely memorable. The food was awesome. We were the last to leave the restaurant. Bobo kinda took us around the town looking for 'girls' to pickup. Ehhe. But then as soon as I reached my room, lights out. Figuratively of course.

 

26th September 2012 (Wednesday)

 

We checked out at ten that morning. Then went to pick Ken and Liana up. Seven of us in that one car. Ohoho..!! We went to get breakfast and then proceeded to the jetty for our island trip. We're going to Pulau Sapi..!! The boat ride there was nice. I got my hand out and felt the waves. Then we put down our bags and got ready for the beach. I walked along the shore, careful not to let my other foot wet. Then the others were having fun in the water. Hehe. There were not many people by the time we came so we mostly enjoyed the waters for ourselves. Because of the clear waters we could actually see the fishes swimming. Nice.

 

 

We were already changed and waiting for our boat ride back by 5pm. There was an unpleasant experience with the handlers that we had to bring up to their superiors. We freshened up in Uniq's in-laws and had a brief down time. They brought us to a seafood place for dinner. The siput and freshly boiled prawns were amazing.

 

It was time for us to say goodbye and we made our way to the airport. For some reason we thought our flight would be later but thankfully we managed to check our luggages in on time. Not surprisingly, the flight was delayed and only took off a little before midnight from the scheduled 11.20pm. The three of us sat in a row and was quickly sleeping when the plane left the ground. Goodbye Kota Kinabalu..!! Thank you for the memories..!! They were LEGENDARY.. :)