I personally don't have much to share these days. Everything I talk about sounds like a broken record. And then the things that are going on, I don't feel like talking about. Why did I even type that? :p

Today, at Pilates class, we had a new instructor because our regular one went on maternity leave. When she walked in, I did a double take because she looked just like my roommate in college (hi J!) and at first I thought it was her. Disappointingly it wasn't -- but then again, most of my college roommates live in the Bay Area.

So we all roll out our mats, take off our shoes and socks and get ready. That's when I noticed my hideous toenails peeking out from my the hem of my pants. Ok, due to being in frugal mode, I've neglected my toes immensely. They haven't experienced the joys of a pedicure since last summer! =:o And for those who know me, that's an eternity. It's not like I have fungal growth on there or anything, they just aren't.....pleasing to the eye. Not that I'm indulging in anyone's foot fetish, but nice feet and well manicured nails on all four appendages do look much "pulled together" than not. Plus they needed to be clipped as well. Ew. I hope my friend who was in Pilates class today didn't look at my feet. :x

So our instructor begins by saying, "i have a strong accent" in her thickly accented English. I deduce she's Korean from her accent but then again, does she need to tell us the obvious? And why do that anyway? If she's our instructor, all I want is for her to teach us well and who really cares if she has an accent or not? I guess it's like in college when all my professors were either Chinese or East Indians with thick accents and hey, as long as I passed the class I could have cared less about their foreign intonations. So when the instructor said that, I kinda raised my eyebrows because by looking around the room, 99% of the people taking the class all have English as their second, third language and they probably wouldn't have any difficulty understanding her English anyway.

I actually was impressed that she being Asian, didn't exude the thin, pale, frail physique and actually had thighs that were quite large and toned. I think we need more examples of Asian women like her because if you look around my gym, everyone always talks about "how thin that person is" and "how much weight that person lost" in hushed tones. The funniest and perhaps worst thing is when I overhear Chinese women talking about other Chinese women in the gym. Don't they know even if you don't look like you can speak Chinese, it doesn't mean you don't and can't?? People always think I'm an American born something or another and can't understand what they are saying when in fact, I understand perfectly. I tell you, in America you should never assume too much about another Asian person's background.

Today's class turned out to be very different and very challenging because she really kicked our asses hard. After you've gotten into the groove of a certain instructor, you tend to get laxed and fall into the routine, even if she is a good instructor. Having a new instructor however keeps you on your toes and makes you work even harder. We did a lot of new positions and poses today that we've never done before. I could see the elderly ladies wincing. I felt bad for them because it was really tough and because our regular instructor went at a much more yoga friendly pace.

After class, several elderly ladies complained of her teaching style to her and needless to say, she got slightly defensive. Her only retort? "Come do this 3-4 times a week and you'll get used to it."

Motivational isn't it? :p

:::

She's so mischievous. She made me this face while I was sweeping the floor in front of her as she was watching her baby einstein videos. :p

I'm out.