Kaixuan Fitness Center in Zhangjiagang

Fitness and health is important to me recently. Life changing moments i think or perhaps i am terribly sick and tired of being overweight. "Spare tires" coming out and having a hard time to find a nice attire to wear. Sweating out of no where during air-con hours. My body is not healthy, in short.

I was looking around for a gym center in either Shanghai or Zhangjiagang in the beginning. I went to California Fitness in Shanghai and Physical Gym to checkout for more info. California Fitness is a premium center that costs a smucking RMB7000/pa and Physical is the cheaper version that costs around RMB2k to 3k/pa.

But at the end, due to traveling and time constraint, i decided to stick with gym session in Zhangjiagang. I enrolled into this gym, Kaixuan Fitness Center during their opening promotion. Costs me around RMB1500/pa, if not mistaken. I enrolled and signed up with a few friends and from there voila! there i am!


I enjoy the workout session tremendously. It is due to the feeling of sensation, the joy of muscle aching, the adrenaline rush during the weight pump or that techno music blasting through my ears when i work out. My body start to change. I get fitter and i get thinner. My pants, my jeans, my shirts, my coats and everything else seems bigger.



Of course, i did my other part as well. I eat better. I eat according to timing now. Less carb at night, energy food in the morning, more water and less rice. Anyway, back to the point. Kaixuan Fitness Center has a nice lounge area, 1 yoga room, 1 spinning class room, 1 kick boxing room, several treadmills, a couple of bicycles and elliptical machines, resistance machines and free weight area.

I personally like to hangout at the free weight area and resistance machine. Jogging and treadmill for warm up during the winter times. I normally spends around 3-4 days per week if i am free and 1 to 2 hours in the gym. Pump that muscle and lift the weight. There after, i normally jog for another 10 minutes if i am not rushing or else, i would head to stretching area to relax my muscles after working out. 15 minutes normally.

I really love the sensation of the feelings after gym sessions. I sleep better at night and feel healthier during working days. I can cope more with work stress and i do not panic easily during unpleasant times. I love the feeling of muscle aching, that reminds me to eat less and healthier. Knowing that my muscles will grow back stronger and bigger.

I know i am getting better with times and i will be better in shape. 6 months. I am telling myself. By then, perhaps i have to change my wardrobe completely! Hahaha. Stay fit and stay healthy, my friends!

Champ De Ble: 5 Star French Food in ZJG

Seriously, Zhangjiagang is seriously serious lack of any decent proper entertainment for the exception of a few food places such as Italian, French and hot pot! Of course, this lifeless place have a bar street that looks very dodge by Mel's standard and a disco name SOS where everyone just shakes their head with "lala" songs.

Anyway, back to the story. This post is my 2nd post, i think for the only decent French food restaurant in town name Champ De Ble. The last time we was there was like a couple of weeks back and it is actually wonderful and nice. The ambience of the restaurant is rather good and the service of staff is friendly as well. Even Romeo is like a regular kid there with all the waitress knows him inside out. Given that he runs around messing with all the waitress and the restaurant, no wonder all knows him so well.

This time around, we went on Friday night and i personally ordered a bottle of French red wine for my taste bud. I did go and choose the it myself and taking risk of finding one that fits my budget and my taste. I like it strong, a little sweet and smooth. At the end, i manage to get a RMB180 Shiraz Cabernet Sauvignon. It taste almost to what i wanted.

We did order some dishes for ourselves as well. A tuna pizza, thin crust, ala French style?, a carbonara spaghetti and a roast pork French style. We were served with a slice of nice pumpkin pie for each of us and a basket of garlic bread as well.




At the end, we could not have finish all the food and as normal chinese would do, we take away the remaining pizza! Wahahaha! Typical Malaysian. Why waste?

The bill comes to less than RMB400 that excludes any taxes, which is normal for China restaurants. I would rate this Champ De Ble restaurant in Zhangjiagang, one of the best restaurant in town (given the price, of course).

5 star restaurant!

p.s: I am so grossed of pasta right now. Any kind of pasta, in fact. And i am going off diet and of pasta for 1 month, at least. Feeling so cheesy now!

Its -22 Sunday Night!

Gawd! Do you know how the temperature at outside today? I am not sure la. I scare my lips froze and my saliva froze! Its NEGATIVE 22 tonight?!?!?!?!?!?!? I am going to nide under the heated blanket!

-14 Degree Celcius Tonight!

OMFG!

Do you know how cold izzit tomorrow in the afternoon? We are going eat ice for lunch! Its only in the beginning of Dec. Not sure whether we shall be seeing snow but most probably not. Just cold enough to wish you wear 2 underwear and 3 panties. Scare my balls shrink!

Tonight, 4th of Dec 2008, we in Zhangjiagang are going to experience around -14 degree celcius out in the open with the wind blowing at 24km/h. I tell you. Its going to be freaking freezing. Same with tomorrow night. Friday night at low -6 degree with real feel at -7 degree! I shit you not!

Well, tomorrow noon at 11am, its going to be 0 degree celcius out in the open with the clear run light shining upon you and the wind blowing at you 24km/h! Die man!

I need to wear heater bra tomorrow! Hahahahahaha!

p.s: Mel, you want cold cold right! Hahahaha! Come now!

Newstay Hotel, Chef Grey and Cherry's Party

Zhangjiagang is literally the "most happening" town in China. Not only does it have 1 or 2 super club such as SOS and a bar strip, it also has the few hotels that are wonderful and fun. OMGosh! Don't take my word for it. Go and try out for yourself and experience the truly wonderful and joy in this small litle town. Craziness!

There's a new addition of a new hotel nearby to our exquisite residence, namely Newstay Hotel. The hotel name suggests its news and its stayable, which is, of course, the most important criteria. Hahaha!


We have visited this hotel like several hundred times before its official opening?!?!?!?!? But, bottom line is, its cozy, its nice to hang out, it has decent coffee and a open lounge area to chill out sipping that red wine or that ice cold beer!



We recently organize a farewell party for 1 of our colleague as she is moving on to Singapore to work. Well, technically, she still works for the same organization but reports to different managers. Hence, its like a new beginning for her in a foreign land. Comes back to the hotel. It has 2 restaurants in this Newstay Hotel, 1 chinese and 1 french western dining restaurant. We frequent the French western dining like our hangout place.

Its nice. We have our 1995 Chateau De Costis wine there. We have our pesto pasta or our tenderloin beef steak there as well. Well, the atmosphere is cozy. The design is sort of very nice and looks rugged but clean. Food is presentable and prices are ok, within the range of low cost expat. Hahahaha. The staff are friendly and the managers are courteous. Did i mention that they speak English too?

The farewell party is great and we have 1 of the most scrumptous buffet meal ever. We have pork ribs, thin crusted pizzas and pastas. We have desserts and fruits salad. We enjoy ourselves, the bottom line is. We enjoy the accompanion of family and friends, saviouring every moment and laughter and joy together. It is emotional and it is unbelievably joyful.

Go there, you folks for those who have yet to be there, if you have found this review for yourself. its a great place for chilling out with a bottle of red wine or a glass of Tsingtao. Check it out, now! Posting the pictures of the photos have make my empty stomach grumbling in waves now.

Bon Appetite!

French Cuisine: Champ de Ble in ZJG

I think it has been a while since i posted some food photos. The reason behind this was because of WORK la. What else? Taking hold of my life and my time. Haih! Anyway, back to the food story. Zhangjiagang is a small little place that has like what, 800000 population of Chinese. This of course, does not add to the addition of swarm of foreign expats that lands and work here in this land of boringness and dullness.

Hence, the need for us to indulge and excite ourself once a while in Shanghai, which is 2 hours away, or Wuxi / Suzhou which is 1-2 hours away. Food and shopping it is, when comes to going to this places during the weekend.

ZJG itself have some of these fancy restaurant as well. Not much, 1 or 2 perhaps, but due to the lack of choices. Normally our taste buds are limited to these range of food selections. French cafes, italian pasta, japanese sashimis, korean bbq, cantonese Guangzhou and some fast food chain such as McD's, KFC and Pizza Hut are our only choices.

This particular posts, i will be talking about one of the fancy restaurant that we goes in ZJG. This is a french fine dining restaurant, Cafe Champ de Ble. Not much of a history though. From what we heard, the cook is the owner of the restaurant, and the wife runs the services and out-of-the-kitchen work. Not too sure though.


Anyway, we are there for food. Been there a couple of times and snap a couple of pictures of the food. As usual, foie gras was complimentary that comes with a basket of garlic bread. Average expenses there for 1 is around RMB100 with a beer, perhaps? I mean, if you wanted really to go french style, then you would have to order a proper red wine, ain't it? Not some sort of table wine. Costs you maybe at around RMB400-RMB1000 for a decent wine that goes with your food? Ask for proper recommendation though!


Tried some beef steak there that marinated with red wine, tried their fillet tenderloin steak medium cook, tried their duck breast salad, tried their beef salami pizza as well, tried their carbonara pasta as well and other dishes. Taste rather good as well with quality food, quality meat and quality cooking. *I'm already hungry now, looking back at the pictures and imagining the taste that goes with it!* Yum Yum!

Overall, we are truly satisfied with the service and the food quality. Quality decor with a hint of fine classic dine and with the prices that are on the upper side of a typical normal expat cuisine, i give this a thumbs up. Perhaps i will try to snap more better quality picture of the restaurant and the food. Looks pretty dull here. Hahahaha.

Until the next food posts, i says bon appetite!