T̶h̶e̶ ̶y̶e̶t̶-̶t̶o̶-̶b̶e̶-̶n̶a̶m̶e̶d̶ ̶C̶o̶w̶ ̶P̶i̶g̶ Ferra observes all household happenings from afar.
With Monday comes another Beginner Reformer class at The Pilates Body. I departed much earlier than necessary, and made the impromptu decision of swinging by LA Fitness. Time was limited, but any activity would be better than sitting in the waiting area idle.
Ten minutes of stairs at a relatively quick pace assisted in raising internal body temperature and doubling as a pre-pilates warmup.
Rainy grey skies had cleared to yield azure and sunshine in a matter of twenty minutes. Pulling into the asphalt lot of The Pilates Body, I took a quick glance at the new signage before dashing inwards. But, of course, the class did not commence on time. Supposedly advertised as one-hour sessions, I've repeatedly noticed that class tends to start late and end early.
The warm-up series was identical to the first and second sessions, engaging the thighs, ankles, and calves with extension/contraction followed by pulses. While the order of upper body and glute were switched, we executed the exact exercises as last time: upper and mid back extensions while lying face down on the Long Box, internal and external rotation with the elbows affixed to one's side, and upper rotation while facing perpendicular to the Carriage. There was, frankly, little to no progression in terms of complexity nor speed.
Although the core exercises were, personally, not very stimulating, I enjoyed that the class forced my uptake of upper body exercises. Internal and external rotation had been assigned by my physiotherapist for shoulder stabilization, though it was often met with reluctance and overlooked amidst my needs for upper back, core, and glute med conditioning.
When returning the Reformer Box, I slammed my leg on the underside of the frame, yielding a pained yelp and temporarily distorted demeanour. The rest of the equipment was sanitized as directed, with the exception of the springs; one of the co-owners, who happened to be present during the class, noted to avoid the springs, for the cleaning solutions apparently cause discolouration.
It was great fun, but the class was tremendously chaotic. Seemingly regular participants, it was astounding how offbeat their moves emerged. Attendees were younger than those spotted in the weekend morning classes and presumably diligent, given their familiarity with those around them. That said, few could follow the instructor's gestures. Even fewer were those that looked at their own movements in the mirror. Apparent to me was a wad of uncontrolled energy and forgetfulness.
Needless to say, I was undeterred, but had a good laugh anyway.
Both hot dogs were delicious: the Polish Sausage possessing comprehensive seasoning and mild notes of black pepper, and the All Beef boasting better texture overall. Large paper cups were filled with carbonated combinations of Brisk Iced Tea-Brisk Lemonade and Mountain Dew-Brisk Iced Tea-Ice Water.
The interior décor mattered minimally to me, for the bakery's offerings outshone all local and distant contenders. Two delectable Hot Dog Buns, a magnificent Pineapple Bun, tray of Mini Coconut Buns, standard-sized Coconut Bun, and teensy pouch of Mini Cupcakes were acquired. Unfortunately, my coveted 排包 were nowhere to be seen.
Paper straws, while not unfamiliar to the food industry these days, are honestly just despicable, especially for slushies and smoothies. The top began to curl just a few sips in, then wane in structural integrity as the dissolution process commenced in double-digit temperatures.
Naturally, I swapped out the dysfunctional tube for my own wide Stainless steel one upon reaching home.
It suffices to say that I've developed a newfound interest in attending the Wednesday session.
1) Black Sesame Scones
Sunday had also recommended grinding the black sesame seeds, but, for the sole purpose of reducing the dish count, I took to leaving them whole and folding in after toasting. Pleasantly surprised was I to discover the impressive crunch that the seeds contributed to the final product.
The remainder of the cake was fairly simple to assemble, from the Kahlua-infused syrup to the three layers of ladyfinger sponge. In the absence of a rectangular mould, I wrapped an acetate sheet around the bottom layer of sponge, then fitted it into my expandable square mould. Any gaps were filled with crumpled wax paper for structure. Given that the mousse layer was quite thick, this method worked very well. For looser formulas, be it mousse or jelly layers, I'd suggest scaling the recipe to fit the mould on hand instead, as to prevent leakage.