Sweat it out

Salam everybody! It was another morning of sweating out. This time the cikgu led the 'tai chi' team with the set steps she had arranged to the song Aspalela. Wow, we 'lela, lela' d all they way. Two rounds, man! That would be about 5 minutes of aerobic, the low impact one.

Kak Pah : Eh, sweating lah! You tak berpeluh kah?
Me : Not so much.
Nas : I susah nak berpeluh.

Then as usual the pre Tai Chi warming up, the senam tera, followed by the 18 steps Tai Chi. Full concentration, 'tarik and lepas', the breathing in and out lah. This time if you really pull your muscles and do the breathing exercise correctly as instructed, you'll really sweat!

And of course, then, the Zapin. The 'girls' stood' in their lines, three in a row, waiting for cikgu to demontrate. In teaching theory, it is called the modelling technique. Ahem!

Cikgu : Kita mesti tahu tarian budaya kita especially zapin. Persatuan kita nak adakan walkathon pada bulan Jun ni. Jadi sebelum acara bermula, kita akan ada pertunjukan tarian ni sebagai senaman seni, panas badan, so semua mesti beri perhatian.

Nas : I tak nak lah.
Kak Pah : I've got something on lah. So I also cannot make it.


So the zapin we danced. Song: 'Sekapur sirih....sekapur sirih...seulas pinang.......'

Cik gu : 'Satu, dua, tiga, kanan, satu, dua, tiga, kiri...buat sampai lapan kali kiraan. Now, bergerak ke depan, satu, dua, tiga, kanan, ke belakang, satu, dua, tiga, kiri.....juga lapan kali. Tengok kaki saya.

And the 'girls' obediently followed, amidst laughter and giggles, though some still couldn't. So the 'tutor'(your truly lah) had to guide the 'not so fast learners' maklumlah, they had never do the zapin before. But they tried.

Cik gu : Sekarang saya nak ajar step baru.
Some 'girls' : Aik, dah masuk step baru. Yang ada tak pandai lagi.
Me : Ikut aje.

Cik gu : Kali ni kita nak pusing. Mula kaki kanan, satu,ke depan pusing hadap ke kanan, pusing dua, kaki kanan ke belakang tiga, kiri empat. Sekali lagi, pergi ke tempat asal.

'Girls' : Eh, macam mana? Terseliuh kaki!
So the cikgu demonstrated over and over again, with the 'tutor' helping out.

Cikgu : Sekarang semua tepuk tangan sambil kira satu, dua, tiga empat, satu, dua, tiga ,empat. Rentak zapin.

The problem was, they could not syncronised the beat with which leg to move. Those who had got it, showed their peers how to do the turning steps. Finally some of them after much practise were able to do it. Cikgu satisfied," Buat dari mula! On the spot,lapan, bergerak,lapan pusing, ulang!". Ok lah for a start, no hand movement yet, just the leg to the rythm of the zapin.

Me : Balik rumah praktis.
One 'girl': Aik, habis lah periuk kuali menari.
Another 'girl' : Nanti cucu tengok, ketawakan nenek menari.
Then,Cikgu: Ada cadangan, kelas ni diadakan tiga kali seminggu, Selasa, Khamis dan Sabtu.OK?
'Girls' : (Happy) Boleh juga. Baguslah tu.
Kak Pah : Not on Sunday, ok lah.
Kak Nya Ros: Eh, I ada kuliah Subuh. 7.30 baru habis. I tak dapat datang. But I love this class. So now I have to choose,either one. My son said must exercise at least 3 times a week.

With that, the one hour or so session ended.
The 'girls' are looking forward for another morning of 'aspalela, tai chi. and zapin (or joget?) Thanks to the cikgu for making the 'girls' active and InsyaAllah healthy and happy. Alas, I won't be around these few days to join them, the active, happy, healthy 'girls'. I'll be back in Kuantan to cast my vote this Saturday. But missy, now a.k.a. the technique savvy person in the house,(oh yes?) had Aspalela 'burnt' for me. So for sure I'll be 'Aspalela, lela, lela' to Kuantan....and to sweat it out!!!
Cikgu : Orang Johor pandai Zapin.
Me: Nanti kita belajar Dondang sayang pula lah. Orang Melaka katakan.
Cikgu : Hissh, lagi susah!