As the final days of t-shirt weather pass us by, Mother Nature grows unpredictable with her sudden gutsy gusts, inexhaustible downpours, and unusual humidity.
The varying temperatures inflict minimal involvement on my part, for the majority of my days are still spent before spreadsheets and screens. A persistent unwellness lingers about my mind and body, urging meals of congee and lean red meat. Pickled cabbage stimulates a tenantless appetite, while Salted Pork Congee reigns at the top of the Most Wanted list. Blanched leafy greens and delectable beef brisket from Wonton Chai are also procured.
The varying temperatures inflict minimal involvement on my part, for the majority of my days are still spent before spreadsheets and screens. A persistent unwellness lingers about my mind and body, urging meals of congee and lean red meat. Pickled cabbage stimulates a tenantless appetite, while Salted Pork Congee reigns at the top of the Most Wanted list. Blanched leafy greens and delectable beef brisket from Wonton Chai are also procured.
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A desire for solid food is somewhat recovered by the end of the work week, once the draft of a major deliverable has finally been, well, delivered. The Square One parking lot at Rathburn and Duke of York was converted into a physically-distanced outdoor market for the first weekend of Night Market TO: Harvest Festival. Rotating each week was the vendors list; Liko's Hawaiian Barbecue was spotted on the lineup for opening weekend, prompting a visit for wonderfully marinated pulled pork.
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We pulled into a fairly full lot just after 7 PM and made our way past the blaring speakers of repetitive Jalebi Baby. Positioned along the perimeter of the lot were the various food vendors. Each stall had been allocated a minimum radius of 10 metres for operations and queuing; photo-ready displays filled the spaces between in the forms of wooden swings and multi-toned pumpkin arrangements. At the centre of the lot was a small pumpkin patch, mini hay stack, chess board, life-sized Connect 4 contraption, and even a merry-go-round.
I made my rounds to each of the stalls in review of our options, though my heart had not wavered from the plan of Liko's. Known for exclusive participation in pop-up events, I was keen to catch a glimpse of their array of offerings since my last experience at the Waterfront Night Market.
The Harvest Festival menu unfortunately excluded the skewers and Pulled Pork Bun I had hankered for so desperately. Instead was the availability of SPAM musubi, a popular Japanese-Hawaiian street snack, and an Aloha Plate. The set comprised of rice, macaroni salad, barbecue chicken, short ribs, and their infamous kahlua pork. A no-tax discount was offered for cash payments for a total of $30 for two Aloha Plate boxes.
The Harvest Festival menu unfortunately excluded the skewers and Pulled Pork Bun I had hankered for so desperately. Instead was the availability of SPAM musubi, a popular Japanese-Hawaiian street snack, and an Aloha Plate. The set comprised of rice, macaroni salad, barbecue chicken, short ribs, and their infamous kahlua pork. A no-tax discount was offered for cash payments for a total of $30 for two Aloha Plate boxes.
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Our departure was made shortly obtaining sustenance. As we proceeded past the blaring speakers once more, I caught sight a vehicle zooming through the aisles of the asphalt lot. My mouth dropped agape, for the vehicle's speed had far exceeded local roads, let alone a parking lot with pedestrians weaving between cars. Crowds began to gather in the lot - in a rather raucous manner, if I may add. We took it as our cue to leave, and utilize extreme caution while doing so.
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Returning home, we unveiled the boxes to cast our gazes at the meal sets. Both were relatively similar in terms of portion size, though one contained distinctly more burnt sections of short rib than the other. Affection for the plush kalua pulled pork was quickly concluded, with the somewhat cold barbecue chicken following in second. The rice had been cooked in an excess of water, then left to dry out, making for a very dismal consistency. Compensating this blunder was the macaroni salad, a scrumptious scoop that was neither too saucy nor too savoury.
A month after order placement, I giddily opened the door to my customized Nike By You gum sole sneakers. The realization of largeness dawned upon me as the tissue paper was peeled away: They were too big!
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My sorrows were drowned in ice cream. Palgong's Mint Chocolate Smoothie steered me in the direction of Mint Chocolate Chip. A second tub of Jamoca was added to take advantage of the bundle offer.
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I departed from the store in high spirits, only to be rewarded with the sight of a 31% discount at every month end on the 31st.
The seasonal slice-and-bake creations from my childhood had landed in stores once again. Orangecane was notified of this inventory inclusion, though none were purchased.
For Halloween summons the long-awaited usage of cookie stamps purchased nine months prior, I hopped on the opportunity for cute-creepy sugar cookies. At roughly the halfway mark, the stamps began to crack. I settled for the ghosts, houses, jack-o'-lanterns, and witches' hats I had managed to produce in cocoa dough. Sturdier, thicker blocks were formed in houjicha dough, earning the title of "mahjong tiles" after baking.
For Halloween summons the long-awaited usage of cookie stamps purchased nine months prior, I hopped on the opportunity for cute-creepy sugar cookies. At roughly the halfway mark, the stamps began to crack. I settled for the ghosts, houses, jack-o'-lanterns, and witches' hats I had managed to produce in cocoa dough. Sturdier, thicker blocks were formed in houjicha dough, earning the title of "mahjong tiles" after baking.
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Due adding more egg than necessary, the dough was quite soft and overly malleable. The first batch was baked at 350 F for 15 minutes, but proved soft at its centre. The second batch was baked at 325 F for 25 minutes, yielding crisp cocoa cookies and crunchy houjicha cubes.
Whole Wheat Bread and Strawberry-(Dried) Apricot Jam were also constructed for breakfast. The former utilized vegetable oil in place of olive; its rise was minimal, indicating any future revisions to be consolidated into one loaf, rather than divided evenly into two. Too viscous and too sugary was the latter, which I ought to have compensated via more lemon juice and less sugar.
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As my tenth and final session as Sum came to a close, I was eager to continue the weekly pilates visits by booking a third class at Studio Bon. My new instructor had warned me of my shoulder injury in group class settings. Consequently, I made it a priority to request modifications. Another participant had arrived in a knee brace, proving that injuries were not uncommon that day. The earlier class had been conducted in Korean and comprised of two middle-aged ladies, presumably Korean. It wasn't a "full" class, as I had been told, though perhaps the separation was intended to distinguish between fitness levels in addition to language.
I had arrived roughly ten minutes prior to the class start time and hobbled about the waiting area, contemplating whether I ought to dash onto the floor and use the bathroom. I did it anyway, then soon realized they were out of toilet paper (again). My new instructor bumped into me in the hallway, "Hi Natalie!" She had just completed a private session of her own.
My old instructor was lead the group class. She seemed a tad exhausted and even a bit short, but made sure to check in with her students' pre-existing conditions throughout the class and offered modifications to prevent further injury.
I had arrived roughly ten minutes prior to the class start time and hobbled about the waiting area, contemplating whether I ought to dash onto the floor and use the bathroom. I did it anyway, then soon realized they were out of toilet paper (again). My new instructor bumped into me in the hallway, "Hi Natalie!" She had just completed a private session of her own.
My old instructor was lead the group class. She seemed a tad exhausted and even a bit short, but made sure to check in with her students' pre-existing conditions throughout the class and offered modifications to prevent further injury.
We commenced with a series of jumps on the Reformer with the Cardio-Tramp, which were honestly all too familiar by this point. Again executed in two sets of ten were jumps with feet at hip-distance apart, feet glued together, feet positioned "froggy-style" in a V-shape, feet pressed together then extended perpendicular to the body, and, lastly, feet at hip-distance apart and extended into a large V-shape in midair.
Proceeding with core warmups, a partially deflated ball was squished between the shoulder pads. The ball would provide elevation to conduct crunches with the feet placed onto the Cardio-Tramp, and then more jumps while maintaining the infamous "pilates stance". My ball had rolled back during the move, causing my body to shift upwards and the Carriage to slam into the Reformer frame due to insufficient length - or rather, height. I addressed my concern to the instructor after a few reps, realized my error, then compensated with several makeup repetitions as the other two participants awaited my completion. The instance made me realize the difference in level of attention granted with private classes.
Another aspect worth noting was the constant reference to Reformer terminology. While the instructor would provide assistance and prepare props for the routine in a 1:1 setting, adjusting the Reformer was the responsibility of the student in a standard group format. When verbal instructions lacked clarity, consequences would materialize as confused expressions or proceeding into a different exercise than intended. In this sense, it was typical to glance over at your neighbour for context. (I know I did.)
Proceeding with core warmups, a partially deflated ball was squished between the shoulder pads. The ball would provide elevation to conduct crunches with the feet placed onto the Cardio-Tramp, and then more jumps while maintaining the infamous "pilates stance". My ball had rolled back during the move, causing my body to shift upwards and the Carriage to slam into the Reformer frame due to insufficient length - or rather, height. I addressed my concern to the instructor after a few reps, realized my error, then compensated with several makeup repetitions as the other two participants awaited my completion. The instance made me realize the difference in level of attention granted with private classes.
Another aspect worth noting was the constant reference to Reformer terminology. While the instructor would provide assistance and prepare props for the routine in a 1:1 setting, adjusting the Reformer was the responsibility of the student in a standard group format. When verbal instructions lacked clarity, consequences would materialize as confused expressions or proceeding into a different exercise than intended. In this sense, it was typical to glance over at your neighbour for context. (I know I did.)
The next series of exercises were also conducted lying on one's back. Glute bridges were executed with feet at hip-distance, sumo-style with the legs turned out at the edges of the footbar, and feet turned inwards at the centre of the Cardio-Tramp. The last one offered awkward alignment and intense crackling sounds of the knee caps, as with Tweezers but at greater intensity.
Moving onto Hundreds variations, the other two girls were told to reach behind for the wrist straps. My shoulder-safe modification would be to simply raise the arms into the air and lower them down, sans tension. As the Carriage did not shift back and forth, there was reduced space for the legs to move. It mattered not in tabletop position and not tremendously in the extended position of the legs either, for they could be lengthened and held above the footbar, which had been affixed to the highest position. At the conclusion of this portion, I was praised a supposed improvement in strength: "You got stronger." She remarked.
"I did?" I responded, surprised.
"Yes. It's harder to do it without the straps."
"Oh. Why, thank you."
Though, the reality was that my arms would likely have shook with the added tension looped about the hands. While the others proceeded with drawing circles in mid-air, I was told to continue with the lateral raises/lowering.
Moving onto Hundreds variations, the other two girls were told to reach behind for the wrist straps. My shoulder-safe modification would be to simply raise the arms into the air and lower them down, sans tension. As the Carriage did not shift back and forth, there was reduced space for the legs to move. It mattered not in tabletop position and not tremendously in the extended position of the legs either, for they could be lengthened and held above the footbar, which had been affixed to the highest position. At the conclusion of this portion, I was praised a supposed improvement in strength: "You got stronger." She remarked.
"I did?" I responded, surprised.
"Yes. It's harder to do it without the straps."
"Oh. Why, thank you."
Though, the reality was that my arms would likely have shook with the added tension looped about the hands. While the others proceeded with drawing circles in mid-air, I was told to continue with the lateral raises/lowering.
Lower body exercises on the Reformer never cease to amaze me. The moves are unlike that of mat pilates, which primarily rely on static control. Adopting a sliding base - in this case, the Carriage - tacks on the need for dynamic control on both adduction and abduction routes.
Standing perpendicular on the Reformer, one foot was placed on the platform extender, while the other on the Carriage, pressed against the Reformer Box attachment. Feet were placed at hip distance apart with weight equally distributed. We proceeded with squats, squat pulses, and sliding side squats (with one leg bearing majority of the weight). Under normal circumstances, the moves were quite harmless; on the Reformer, any shifts in weight would be indicated by shifting of the Carriage. It was a telltale sign of inconsistent control.
More variations were introduced while in the same general position. Dropping onto one knee on the Carriage and the other on the footbar, one would extend the stationary leg to target the inner thigh. We would then keep the stationary leg extended and use the knee to push out against the Reformer Box, allowing for isolation of the other inner thigh. The spine was to be kept as still as possible for the duration of the move. Continued work on the thighs involved lowering one elbow onto the Box, then raising the extended leg to hip height for several counts; pulses would follow afterwards. A grimace on one of the class members could be observed from a distance.
Standing perpendicular on the Reformer, one foot was placed on the platform extender, while the other on the Carriage, pressed against the Reformer Box attachment. Feet were placed at hip distance apart with weight equally distributed. We proceeded with squats, squat pulses, and sliding side squats (with one leg bearing majority of the weight). Under normal circumstances, the moves were quite harmless; on the Reformer, any shifts in weight would be indicated by shifting of the Carriage. It was a telltale sign of inconsistent control.
More variations were introduced while in the same general position. Dropping onto one knee on the Carriage and the other on the footbar, one would extend the stationary leg to target the inner thigh. We would then keep the stationary leg extended and use the knee to push out against the Reformer Box, allowing for isolation of the other inner thigh. The spine was to be kept as still as possible for the duration of the move. Continued work on the thighs involved lowering one elbow onto the Box, then raising the extended leg to hip height for several counts; pulses would follow afterwards. A grimace on one of the class members could be observed from a distance.
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Rotating the body to be parallel with the Reformer, we were instructed to rest our elbows onto the Box and curl our toes onto the platform extender. In preparation for a plank, the knees were lifted several times as a quad warmup. Next, we would extend the legs into an elevated elbow plank and hold for increasingly longer periods of time. It commenced with 3 second holds, followed by 7 seconds, and lastly ten seconds - in which the instructor skipped 7 and 9 while counting. The knees would be bent first while returning to resting position; the set would conclude with an elevated child's pose.
Oblique stretches and a spinal rolldown and rollup concluded the class at 11:55 AM.
Oblique stretches and a spinal rolldown and rollup concluded the class at 11:55 AM.
In consideration of my shoulder, I contemplated private lessons for the time being and proceeded to request the pricing table. Offered in packages of 8, 12, and 24, even the most budget-friendly option was at a rate far steeper than Sum. The sight prompted deep contemplation, for a delay in studio relocation meant unavailability of a credit card machine.
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