Claimed by many as the most popular exercise class in the world, Zumba, the American fitness craze that is inspired by Latin-dance is now in Kota Kinabalu! Michelle Koh of Scott Michelle Fitness is the first Zumba certified instructor to offer classes here, and she’s teaching it at the MPMS and Scott Michelle Fitness Center.

As I’ve had my mind on Zumba for a while, I was ecstatic to be invited to her debut session last Tuesday. Here’s what went down:-

Michelle starts the class off with a bit of warm-up routines, and then went on to teaching us the basic Zumba steps. Some of them are steps that most novice dancers already know (like basic salsa, meringue, and cha cha), while others are more novel, like the Waka-waka dance from Shakira.

The steps were pretty easy to learn and follow, but don’t be fooled by the seemingly easy moves. It has been said that doing Zumba for an hour can burn up to 500 calories, as the moves were designed to give you a total body workout.

A seasoned fitness instructor, Michelle made it a point to tell the participants not to worry too much about form. Instead she tells us to let go and have fun with it!

What I loved most about Zumba is that it didn’t feel like a chore, and it was real easy to follow the dance moves. Moreover, the next day I immediately felt the difference. Though it just looks like we’re throwing arms in the air with a bit of footwork, there’s a lot of pivoting involved. It does actually give you a good workout without you even noticing it!

Michelle is giving 1 free trial class per participant for the rest of this week (Thurs 6-7pm at MPMS and Fri 7-8pm at Scott Michelle Fitness). After that, you’ll be required to purchase coupons of 10 or 20 sessions. The 10-session coupon costs RM 100 and the 20-session coupon, RM180 (RM20 off).

So if you want to see if Zumba is the right class for you, hurry and head to one of Michelle’s trial classes before the week is over.

For more information, please visit her facebook page. Let the party begin!

Sometimes being talented is not enough. You have to be 4 times as talented as yourself to make a music video. Thankfully, current-day audio and video technology can satisfy this requirement. Here’s Jinx Chin (times 5) singing Michael Buble on YouTube for you. Ladies, he really hasn’t met you yet and seems keen to, so give him a chance! Visit his website at http://www.jinxchin.com

Some of the finest men in Kota Kinabalu speak out to other men about domestic violence.

A few weeks ago, I met the lovely Sabrina Aripen and learned that she and her team from JCI Intan were campaigning against domestic violence in Kota Kinabalu. In conjunction with the International White Ribbon Day, they organized an all-day event last Saturday at Megalong Mall, Donggongon.

I was really impressed with what they were doing and thought it would be great for my family (and Stone Bridge Galley) to support the cause by setting up a stall there. We prepared three dishes; Bacon and Egg, Bacon Fried Rice, and Tavuklu Patates, a Turkish Chicken stew with a tomato-base and sold each dish for RM6 per portion.

Throughout the day, vendors attempted to sell food, used items and other products in an effort to raise funds for SAWO (Sabah Women’s Action Group), the permanent non-profit organization that is dedicated to help fight against violence and injustice toward women and children in Sabah.

While the bazaar was under way, a forum and short film screening was held at the library across the road to educate the crowd about the damaging effects of domestic violence. A children’s coloring competition was also in process at the main hall of the mall.

While we didn’t manage to sell everything, it was a pleasure to experience the collective empathy of people who believe that violence has no place at home. Some said that if it were held nearer to the city center, more people might have showed up, but I beg to differ. Perhaps Donggongon is out of the way, but altruistic causes that promote love in the home is something I believe is worth driving 30 minutes for! For more information on the campaign, please visit their Facebook page.

Do you love the variety of things at ConsFood but can’t be bothered to deal with the parking problem in Damai? To all the foodies, bakers, housewives and expats of Kota Kinabalu, behold the spanking new ConsFood concept store at Jalan Tuaran!

Located just near the entrance to Taman Yakim Jaya (across the street from Tai Seng Supermarket, on the other side of Jalan Tuaran), the brand new 5-in-one ConsFood Concept Store features a Cold Storage, Baking Ingredients section, Chocolate and Patisseries section, Bread Bakery, and a Cafe that serves hot food.

I had a chat with the owner of the establishment two weeks ago and here’s an overview of what’s on offer.

Cold Storage
A selection of imported cheeses, cold cuts, milk, cream, nuts, dried fruits, a range of international condiments, fresh vegetables, imported frozen meats (Aussie beef and lamb), fresh poultry, frozen foods and more. This is a halal food market without pork.

Bakery Ingredients
Various types of flours, ingredients and cake decorations for commercial and domestic use just like the one in Damai.

Chocolate and Patisseries
The Chocolate and Patisseries section is a nice little place to escape from the scorching heat for some coffee and cakes. There’s wifi there, so it makes a great place for folks to have business meetings. You can get cakes to go and also order bespoke cakes for weddings and special occasions.

Bakery
The bread bakery section carries Asian-style breads, buns and European crusty breads that are baked fresh daily. I’ve yet to try their European breads, so the jury is still out on that one but it’s great for KK to have another alternative to the Hyatt bakery as far as Western breads go.

Cafe
At the corner, there’s a cafe that serves gourmet sandwiches, hot foods and ice cream. The owner mentioned that they will be serving their own brand of gourmet ice cream so keep an eye out for that.

ConsFood officially opened on 15th August 2010, so if you happen to pass by Mile 2 1/2 of Jalan Tuaran, do check them out. They are open from 9am to 9pm daily.

As much as there is so much to be fixed in Kota Kinabalu, I’m very proud to say that DBKK is going forward in the right direction by launching the ‘No Plastic Bag on Monday‘ Campaign.

Today is the official kick-off date, and participating stores which include Parkson, 7-Eleven, Tong Hing Supermarket, Giant hypermarket, Milimewa, Southern Bakery and Popular Bookstore will not be giving out free plastic bags to shoppers at the checkout counter for free.

If you are shopping today without your own bag or basket in any of the stores above, you will be charged 20 cents per plastic bag. Those proceeds will go to fund environmental and cleanliness projects by DBKK and the Enviromental Action Centre (EAC) around the city.

But why stop today? Say no to plastic bags everyday! I guarantee you it’s a much sexier look and you’ll be kind to the earth and all who inhabit it.

So bring your reusable bags to the supermarket today!

If you want a reason to get off your couch, now is the time. The Sutera Harbour 7k Sunset Charity Run is just around the corner. Whether you are going to do it for charity, health and/or fun, this is the hottest active event to go to in Kota Kinabalu! With 10,000 people expected to participate, it’s the ideal event to show off your muscles to a band of screaming kids or prove to yourself that you can hit the distance with the grannies!

The best part of all is that you’ll help raise funds for the Sabah Thalassaemia Society and Special Olympics Sabah.

The run will be held on Saturday 10th July 2010. Registration costs RM25 for adults and  RM 15 for children (comes with a t-shirt). For more details on the run and where to register, visit the Sutera Harbour website. See you there!

Here’s a list of the best coffee shop foods in Kota Kinabalu, as submitted by a reader called Ah Bing. If you’re always getting asked where are the good places to eat local food in K.K., now you have a handy link to pass on. Enjoy!

Visit AhBing.com

Our KK Twestival 2010 Short Documentary Film Feature from the funky, groovy, and fantastic Sri Southall is now out on YouTube. Watch it, share it and spread it with love!

A big thank you to Sri of Helvetica’s Army and Scubazoo for sponsoring the production of this. Now we’ll all remember the magic of KK Twestival thanks to you!!

We raised RM 6,330 (USD $1,940) for unschooled kids that night!!

If you missed it and would still like to be a part of Twestival, you can:-

1. Get yourself a t-shirt where 100% of proceeds go to Concern Worldwide!
2. Follow our story on http://kotakinabalu.twestival.com
3. Follow @fooz @kktwestival on Twitter for future Twestivals in KK!

See you at the next one!

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS

1. Charles Miao, Stone Bridge Galley – @stonebridgekk – For sponsoring the food and letting us use your restaurant.
2. Bernie Chan, Xquisite Journey – @bemingo – For your time, resources, and everything else!
3. May Wong, Cube Private Kitchen – @meihoneybee - For the sponsored dinners!
4. Clive Chai, South Sea Sanctuary – @southseasanc – For the vouchers, masseuse and showing up.
5. Alvin Ho, Hito Restaurant – For the sponsored dinner.
6. Rachel Khoo, The Body Shop – For the 5 lucky draw gift sets.
7. Kareen Lim, Pharmex.com.my – For the cash sponsorship to run the event.
8. Gerry Kong, MSJ Media – @bananakk – For filming and editing for us.
9. Helvetica’s Army – @srijivesouthall – For filming and editing for us.
10. Scubazoo – @scubazoo – For letting Sri use your facilities.
11. Euphrasia Fung, Celyn Hotel – For the lucky draw gift sponsorship.
12. Dinoza Mahruf, Imperial International Hotel @dinoza – For partially sponsoring the food and the lucky draw gift voucher.
13. Jasmine Leong, IEC.com.my – For the use of two of your projectors.
14. Sharifah, RedTone – For showing up and giving us a decent connection.
15. Elson Kho, Vchocolate.com.my – For the chocolates.
16. Phyllis Chin & Sue Chong Hartley, TheBagBar.com – For the birdie bag!
17. Angeline Han and Honeybee – @meihoneybee – For the cupcakes.
18. Amie Stan, Breeze Magazine – @breezemag – For taking photos.
19. Liu Mun Yin, CNNGo.com – @cnngo – For telling us about @twestival and retweeting us proud!
20. CDS Printing – For printing banners and sticker logos for free.
21. Instant Exhibition, instantexhibition.com – For the chairs, tables and lighting at the back.
22. Patrick Tiew & Co., AVS Sound and Lighting – For the amazing sound and lighting for the event.
23. Canon Ling Wine Supplier – For providing us happy elixirs.
24. Kwong Hin (HK) Sdn. Bhd. Wine Supplier – For providing us happy elixirs.
25. Best Vintage Wine Supplier – For providing us happy elixirs.
26. Cynthia Low, Wakili.com.my – For partially sponsoring our t-shirts and helping us sell it on the day.
27. Sam Tan, Core Fitness – @dustnshadows – For getting involved.
28. Karis Chong – For your contribution toward running the event.
29. Jackie Miao, JACKIE.MY – @fooz – For organizing, sponsoring, and leading the event like a nutcase over 3 weeks!

THANK YOU TO OUR VOLUNTEERS

1. Jackie Miao – @fooz – Lead Organizer
2. Bernie Chan – Event Management – @bemingo
3. May Wong, Sponsorship – @meihoneybee
4. Donald Lim, Design – @pakpandir
5. Charles Miao, Logistics
6. Francoise Lourdes, Administration – @Francoise_L
7. Yolanda Graham, PR – @yograham
8. Melissa Leong, Emcee – @fridaycat13
9. Gerry Kong, Videography – @bananakk
10. Sri Jiva Southall, Videography – @srijivesouthall
11. Amie Stan, Photography – @amiestan
12. Mia Meara Robinson, Volunteer Coordination – @miameara
13. Will Robinson, Logistics
14. Jacquelin Ajuni, Social Media Evangelist – @caneeliea
15. Chua Li Ying, Logistics – @LiYing_Chua
16. Liew Yu Li, Logistics – @YuliLiew
17. Genn Lai, Food Serving – @GennLai
18. Roger Wang, Entertainment – @roger_wang
19. Jonathan Tse, Entertainment – @jontse
20. Angelina Perete, Entertainment
21. Clive Chai, Sponsorship Coordination – @mansun48
22. Lam Lam, Videography
23. Jackson Ho, Videography
24. Euphrasia Fung, Logistics
25. Jasmine Rajah, Logistics/Deco – @imjasmine
26. Jacintha Rajah, Logistics/Deco
27. Edward Ginibun
28. Christine L Santos, Decorations
29. Ong Jay Jim, Security
30. Norif Paival Yahya, Security – @paival
31. Kaisen Chin – @sandcookie
32. Jet Chung, Sponsorship Coordination/Logistics
33. Valentine Collins
34. Adriance Valentine
35. Chin Li New – @weNiLnihC
36. Ralph Lauren Taddeus – @larphe
37. Dexterowie Ian
38. Arthur Almanzo J Bangguan
39. Christal Connie, Logistics
40. Cynthia Low, T-shirts
41. Jason Wong, Food Serving
42. Yin Wong, Food Serving
43. Marie Bibiana Baxter, Entertainment
44. Alan Lip Vui, Entertainment
45. Welfred Saw, Entertainment
46. Jordan Khong, Entertainment
47. Sam Tan, Entertainment – @dustnshadows

This is the last part of Angelina Perete and Roger Wang’s set at KK Twestival 2010. Stay tuned as the videos of the sensational live performance of singer-songwriter Jonathan Tse will be released as they become available in the coming days!!