#there're a lot of countries there dude

[meteorcrab]

I hope one day I find a very comprehensive and long analysis on the world building of Bleach bc what the hell was that 😂

[madabeech]

saw war dogs last night with jonah hill, how can you forget jonah hill, or maybe it was aaron paul in a fat suit, don't know, tom does directing very great.

probably the second film i've seen about arms dealing after lord of war, that shit makes you go, woah dude, that's real, and it's still happening right now, didn't they say in the film that the company in the film which is based on real life is gonna be able to trade again in 2022!? that's last year bruh.

i don't know anything about arms dealing but some european country just have 100 million rounds of ak ammos laying around, what the fucking fuck? is that a lot? is that normal? sad truth is probably, yes.

goddamn, if you're an alien and today you want me to tell you what planet earth is like, i'll tell you to go watch behind the candelabra and war dogs.

that's planet earth in a nutshell, there're obviously better examples, but since i just saw those 2 films i would suggest using them as examples.

[40sandfabulousaf]

*There're 7 photos of this combo, which I'll use for 3 posts.

Some nations are easing on lockdowns and in the US, some states. For those of you worried about losing strength gains whilst still in quarantine, is it possible to maintain them without the gym? My answer to this is, each type of workout has its merits; however, calisthenics moves do replicate certain movements involved in heavy lifting, except our body weight is the only resistance we use.

Look no further than Simone Biles, Olympic champion, nothing less.

Okay, gymnastics differs a little from calisthenics. For split jumps, they use resistance ropes/bands. They also incorporate more plyometrics in their workouts. However, a lot of what they do is very similar to bodyweight exercises and these athletes are as strong as they come. Their competitive moves do not lose out to heavy lifting when it comes to the WOW factor.

Think back to decades ago before intensive gym workouts became the craze, how our army battalions kept themselves fit. Here in Southeast Asia, it was the norm for a senior to order a recruit to 'drop 20' (20 pushups) if there was a minor offence committed. Ask the older generation who were in the army (or navy seals) how they trained for strength and you'll likely hear of quite a few calisthenics moves 😉

Till today, it is still a popular exercise amongst many of us due to its flexibility. We can do it anywhere, anytime, no equipment needed. It's partly the reason I chose this when I resumed being active at 31 after having to give up sports due to my auto accident injury. Also, for dudes who wanna flaunt their strength, 1-armed pushups, anyone?

Some experts do this vertically too! 😱

I'm not from the health and fitness industry, nor do I make any money from wellness. However, exercise is my #1 passion. COVID-19 may not go away that soon. We dunno when gyms, swimming pools, basketball courts and parks might suddenly close again after the pandemic is contained but outbreaks occur. In order to maintain your strength gains, you might wanna spread out your workouts and incorporate some stuff that you can do whilst living in quarantine. Who knows what can happen in future?

I haven't even progressed to 1-armed anything yet. However, if at 43yo I can maintain this level of fitness with daily workouts of only up to ONE hour, imagine how much better you young 'uns can do. I'm nowhere near any of you when it comes to stamina and physical strength, yet, in spite of our country lockdown, I've been able to keep up with being active, every single day. So can you. And you can do wayyyyy better than me!

From inclined/full clap pushups to tiptoe plie squats (I do these but have progressed to little jumps as well now), there're many moves out there to explore, both to train explosive strength as well as endurance. So for those increasingly frustrated about not being able to gym or worrying whether gyms can close anytime/during the colder months, you might wanna start exploring a wider range of exercises now just in case.

I can assure you that you WILL sweat buckets until your body gets used to the exercises and by then you can move onto a more difficult one. Your muscles will scream from the burn until your body adapts. As for bragging rights? In addition to the weight you can benchpress, you can also show off one-limbed moves or do 150 Russian Twists at a go without collapsing into a heap (raise hand sheepishly - yes, this is part of my weekly routine and it's actually not difficult if you've done this for years like I have).

So guys, don't fret even if your gyms are closed now or suddenly close in future due to COVID-19 outbreaks during cold weather. There ARE alternatives if you care to look. And if you incorporate these into your weekly routine now, you ain't gonna worry even if you need to live with a country lockdown again. Keep an open mind and you'll do just fine, guys.

Till the next post, stay home and stay safe.

[40sandfabulousaf]

There're a whopping 11 photos of this combo, which will be used over a few posts, reason being: 1. The sports bra was purchased weeks ago but I've decided to start using it; and 2. There're few photos of my gym pants. We've had rather strange weather these coupla weeks; showers/rain, followed by glorious sun. Thus, when temperatures drop, longer activewear bottoms help me to keep warm. Frankly, during self-isolation, I prefer it to be sunny.

It's been interesting to observe social media as we search for articles that provide deeper insights about COVID-19 amidst ongoing medical research. With unity increasingly seen as instrumental to containing the pandemic, friendships are being formed between Southeast Asians and lovely people in other countries. Many have been successful, some haven't, possibly due to their lack of understanding about our culture.

This post will provide some understanding about us.

Before beginning, I would like to highlight that this is just a general overview of how we interact, putting aside race and nationalities. Reason being that those factors, with accompanying foods, education, beliefs and norms, require much in-depth discussion and a deeper understanding requires actual personal relationships with those of us in this region. I'm also leaving politics out for obvious reasons, save for 1 little bit which I'll touch on later, because this post is about the average Southeast Asian citizen.

Disclaimer: I don't speak for all Southeast Asians. This is based on those in my circle, as well as those I know and have dealt with, through personal, as well as business relationships.

People here prefer gentility and diplomacy. Demure persuasion where opinions differ works a lot better for us than overly aggressive or assertive forms of speech. For example, I wrote before about how I dealt with a dude who flaked on me (and I politely rejected after he tried to take things back to where they were). My message was clear, but still friendly, as opposed to insulting him.

We also try to be considerate towards others, extending help where we can. Thus, selfish concerns during this pandemic seem strange to us and no amount of angry justifications from any influencer will change our minds. In fact, the more aggressive the justification, the more turned off we are. It's tantamount to imposing YOUR beliefs on us in a bullying fashion and we don't like it.

No matter how each country's citizen disagrees with our leaders' policies, we still hold a tremendous amount of respect for them and do not tolerate anyone attacking them. AT ALL. Once anyone does that, it damages our trust and it will take a long time to rebuild that. If you don't respect our leaders, you don't respect our countries and you don't respect our people. Why should we let down our guard when around you? And if you can attack a leader of 1 country here, you can do that for the other nations too. Who needs this?

The last pretty much ties in with gentility and diplomacy - outright malice and crudeness pretty much make you a writeoff. I've seen the people of foreign nationalities use NMSL, or Ni3 Ma1 Si3 Le4, i.e. 你妈死了 or cursing death onto your mum, telling people to eat faeces or drink pee, hoping COVID-19 brings more deaths or insinuating that women here are prostitutes if Southeast Asians disagree with them. Not only is it boorish, unrefined and bullying behaviour, it lacks class and to us, it's unacceptable.

Globalisation has brought many international influences into our lives but for those people I know, traditional values still hold a very important place in our lives and hearts. From what I've seen on social media, this holds true for many others too, even the younger generation and that's a good thing.

Asian and foreign friends are always welcome. To me at least, it's better to make friends than foes at ALL times, not only during this pandemic. However, some are succeeding at building relationships with us whilst others are left scratching their heads, wondering why we dislike them. I hope this post will answer some of your questions and, perhaps, give you a bit more understanding of what we're like.

Till the next post.