Absolute Fitness: Queensbay Mall

You know you need to start workout when you stared at the bathroom mirror of your half-naked self, and start counting your rib-cage bones. What makes things worst is when you putting on your usual clothing, and it still look like you're wearing +1 size.

can't see shit, captain!

I wasn't born with the average body however I hate to see myself being skinny; which is why I had signup for gym. When I was in college, I shared a one-year contract with a friend (6 months each) at a nearby gym so I could start doing some exercise instead of rotting at home. Initially all I was good at is on the treadmill, but after some time I got exposed to lifting weights and it took about 2 months when I clearly see some body shape.

Now that I'm back in Penang, I'm still serious on signing up for a local gym and continue my routine workout, but greedily want a spacious, fancy gymnasium like the one in KL. Took me quite a while to do some research, but I'm glad I waited long enough to witness the opening of Absolute Fitness in Queensbay Mall, Penang.

Grand Opening was on July 2011 (if not mistaken). I had saw the renovation progress every time I passed by that area, but had no idea how its gonna turn out. How spacious is it? What are the equipment they gonna bring in? Any special facilities? I was concern about all this but when some of my friends had registered for it, I decided to take the opportunity to have a look myself.

Here are some pictures of the interior (quietly took during workout session).

2-storey. hall upstairs, machines downstairs

another shot of the machines available... this time clearer abit.

treadmills and.. um... bicycles. (lol I never know what are these called)... with sea view.

rest and relax here... also sea view.

gents only. sure i wish i got the chance to snap the ladies'

 I'm quite impress with the interior design, but that alone doesn't make it a great gym. Equipment wise, there is sufficient for everyone even on peak hours, but you don't get to be picky on the machines you wanna play with.

The machines are slightly different than the ones I play with back in KL: they're designed with 2 individual handles (left and right) that carries its separate weights, instead of both handles carrying the same weights. At first I struggled with my less dominant left hand but it takes a while to get use to it. Perhaps the good thing about it is you're definitely working with both sides, instead of relying on your dominant side to lift most of the weights.

As for the gents, it still need some finishing touches on the bathroom. Maybe some hooks would help abit instead of hanging my underwear on the bar. There is a steam room (coming soon) as well. Overall, the place is clean, neat, spacious and I'm very satisfied with it. If you feel like wanting to know the place more, the staff would gladly show you around. Quite friendly too.

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Worst Drivers

I have been wondering for some time when people say that Penang drivers are the worst drivers they known. Are we really that bad? From the looks of it, I'm willing to bet that the people say that are people most probably from KL, since there are many from KL often visit the island during the weekends and get a taste of Penang-style drivers.

Still, when we talk about 'worst drivers', there are may factors that contribute depending in each individual's point of view.. was it the quality of driving skills? or was it the driving etiquette? These are two different things in my opinion, and shouldn't be too generalize into one.

For driving skills.. well, you can't deny that there are people in Penang who totally lack of skills when it comes to being behind the wheel. But I think this actually existed everywhere else, and not just Penang alone. You'll be a harsh judge to say that you'll find the most people of poor quality driving skill only in Penang.

On the other hand, driving etiquette is quite influence by how the people are brought up, and there is no straightforward way to 'teach' a driver on etiquette itself; it is more likely to be trained and turn to a habit.

Another thing to consider is the roads layout in Penang is very different comparing to KL. Just to name the simple difference, it is not difficult to get to a random place in Penang, since all the roads are deeply 'connected', it doesn't matter if you miss the first turning as there is always another path ahead, whereas in KL, you're pretty much screwed if you miss a turning.

As a local, there are actually few types of drivers that you may find only in Penang and can really pisses you..

1. Old drivers who have a habit of driving 50-60 kmph on the fast lane. Even old people loves trolling others on the road
2. Motorcyclists who swerve on the road like they own the road... For fuck sake, you just came out from the right junction and you wanna swerve all the way to the left like there's no cars on the road.
3. Cars with number plates that start with 'B' or 'W'. You may be double parking like a boss in KL, but it doesn't work for you here.

The list goes on, but I think the last shows pretty clearly the cause of all these fusses. KL and Penang are different cities with different layouts. Sorry, but bringing our own style here and then telling us we're doing it wrong is going to make you sound retarded.  

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