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!

Who says hobbies don’t pay?

My buddy Sam’s quirky knack for paper-folding has finally left his home to hit Links of London store displays worldwide. It’s really quite impressive, not to mention romantic! He made 6,200 Origami Fortune Tellers by hand for the jewelry stores’ Valentine’s Day global campaign.

LONDON

Look at how pretty the London store display is…

To think of the random times he’d fold pieces of paper while we’re out just makes this a little bit surreal…

Mostly, I’m just so very proud of my friend. He’s the bestest person in the world and now everyone will see his labor of passion!

Hong Kong

We even got an image wired by Jo from their Hong Kong store display. It’s so awesome to see his work popping up in our neck of woods! *beaming with buddypride*

What an honor it is to be able to say, “That’s folded by my friend in London!”

I can’t wait to see the shots from New York, Dublin, and Dubai. Imagine how funny it would be if “Made in U.K.” origami went to their Japanese store?

So remember, the next time somebody tells you to give up something you love because it doesn’t pay the bills, remember Sam Tsang and his origami hobby!

For more information on Links, visit http://www.linksoflondon.com. To hire Sam for your origami needs, visit his website sesames.co.uk.

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

Guys, take a look at this video of my friend Chris Halfpenny, who is training for the Nomura Challenge 2011 that is coming up in April in the U.K. He is attempting to raise funds in aid of the Teenage Cancer Trust fund, and he’ll be putting himself through a grueling 18-mile hike, 15-mile cycle, 9-mile canoe, finished with a 1.5 mile run. Do show him some support in any way you can! Cheers!

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