• Home
  • About
  • Phamly Life
  • Real Life
  • Other People's Happiness
  • Upgrade U
  • The Phamly
    • Mum Pham
    • Dad Pham
    • Little Sissy Pham
    • Big Brother Pham
    • Boyfriend Pham
    • Baby Pham
    • Pham Pets
instagram twitter facebook Email

KEEP IT IN THE PHAMLY


I'm at a point in my life (and mortgage repayments) where I can treat myself to healthy hobbies like gym and Reformer Pilates. Though, it took Boyfriend Pham to talk me around to forking out money for classes because my inner-stingy self doesn't like to part with any money.

One of our neighbour-friends introduced me to the local studio. She took me to induction class and showed me the ropes. Literally. Reformer Pilates is done on a machine with strappy ropes. I had always been too intimidated by the machine and the super fit people that are photographed on those machines. The actual people in classes range from super fit down to me - chubby office pleb with weak arms, bad knees and zero core strength.

Neighbour-friend and I went to a few classes together before her work hours shifted and no longer aligned with my office pleb schedule. I've kept up the classes and aim to keep them up so long as I don't make any stupid decisions that send me broke.

Reformer Pilates is expensive at Studio Pilates - 20-something dollars per class depending on the class pass you purchase upfront. I can afford it so I treat myself to classes in their really nice studio, with really good machines, and friendly attentive trainers. I did a trial class at a gym that was way cheaper, but the classes were triple the size, the machines were smaller and lower quality, and it was a drive instead of a walk away. That said, if budget was my top priority, I'd have sucked it up and taken classes at the gym instead of with Studio Pilates.

Highly recommend you do a trial class at a couple of different places to see what suits you! I feel strong and more flexible since adding reformer pilates to my life.

Share
Tweet
No comments

Someone at work asked me if my parents were strict growing up as Asian parents are known to be. It got me thinking. They were both the youngest of 10 children so by the time they were going through childhood their parents would have been less strict. Mum wasn't strict in most ways, but she was dead set on getting school educated.

Mum Pham was the book smart parent. She was studious and disciplined, and a qualified pharmacist (though the communists wouldn't give her a degree because she refused to serve in their army). Growing up all the pressure to study and go to university came from Mum. Dad Pham? Not so much for formal education. He once got in trouble with my Aunty when he suggested our cousin (her son) may be better off doing a trade. She was so outraged by the notion, she didn't talk to Dad for half a year.

I never really thought about why Dad Pham was so much more relaxed about education than Mum and most other Asian parents. That is, until one day, in one of his reflective moods he told me about how he failed forward into the navy.

At school, he ranked 130-something out of 134 for language. He gave so few shits, he didn't bother to remember exactly how low he scored. Now, Dad is not a dumbass by any means. He is actually more intelligent, calculating and strategic than Mum Pham in most ways. But he was too smart for formal education - because it was too easy for him, he got bored. Big Brother Pham would one day follow in Dad's footsteps - he was too smart for boring bookish study.

Dad joined the navy because he didn't have many other options. In the navy, with all the hands-on practical training and studies, Dad actually ranked 24, which was pretty high up there. His own life experience is why he's open to children doing trades or anything hands-on. Books aren't for everyone. Though, books turned out to be for me; they were definitely not for Big Brother Pham. Little Sissy Pham was somewhere in between - I think she'd have excelled at a sport if we could afford sport, but instead being poor forced her down the study route.

Even though I am a book nerd, I believe you should learn life your own way. Whatever suits your interests and skills is what you should pursue. Otherwise, you either won't be happy or won't excel in what you do... or both. 

Share
Tweet
No comments
Newer Posts
Older Posts

Looking for something?

Pinned post

IVF hormone injections and symptoms

Popular Posts this week

  • Where to get ao dai (traditional Vietnamese dresses) in Brisbane
  • Fertility is a F-word
  • IVF egg collection
  • IVF hormone injections and symptoms
  • Upgrade U: Aldi Protane Moroccan Argan Oil

The Phamly

  • Big Brother Pham (11)
  • Boyfriend Pham (17)
  • Dad Pham (41)
  • Little Sissy Pham (18)
  • Mum Pham (39)
  • Pham Pets (9)

Be Social

  • instagram
  • twitter
  • facebook

The Archives

  • ►  2011 (62)
    • ►  May 2011 (5)
    • ►  June 2011 (14)
    • ►  July 2011 (14)
    • ►  August 2011 (3)
    • ►  September 2011 (7)
    • ►  October 2011 (7)
    • ►  November 2011 (5)
    • ►  December 2011 (7)
  • ►  2012 (61)
    • ►  January 2012 (3)
    • ►  February 2012 (3)
    • ►  March 2012 (8)
    • ►  April 2012 (6)
    • ►  May 2012 (9)
    • ►  June 2012 (5)
    • ►  July 2012 (7)
    • ►  August 2012 (2)
    • ►  September 2012 (3)
    • ►  October 2012 (3)
    • ►  November 2012 (3)
    • ►  December 2012 (9)
  • ►  2013 (54)
    • ►  January 2013 (7)
    • ►  February 2013 (7)
    • ►  March 2013 (9)
    • ►  April 2013 (5)
    • ►  May 2013 (5)
    • ►  June 2013 (6)
    • ►  July 2013 (6)
    • ►  August 2013 (3)
    • ►  September 2013 (1)
    • ►  October 2013 (3)
    • ►  November 2013 (1)
    • ►  December 2013 (1)
  • ►  2014 (17)
    • ►  January 2014 (2)
    • ►  March 2014 (2)
    • ►  May 2014 (1)
    • ►  June 2014 (1)
    • ►  July 2014 (2)
    • ►  September 2014 (1)
    • ►  October 2014 (4)
    • ►  November 2014 (4)
  • ►  2015 (16)
    • ►  February 2015 (1)
    • ►  March 2015 (3)
    • ►  May 2015 (3)
    • ►  June 2015 (1)
    • ►  August 2015 (2)
    • ►  October 2015 (2)
    • ►  November 2015 (1)
    • ►  December 2015 (3)
  • ►  2016 (21)
    • ►  January 2016 (1)
    • ►  March 2016 (1)
    • ►  April 2016 (2)
    • ►  May 2016 (3)
    • ►  June 2016 (1)
    • ►  October 2016 (5)
    • ►  November 2016 (4)
    • ►  December 2016 (4)
  • ►  2017 (58)
    • ►  January 2017 (3)
    • ►  February 2017 (5)
    • ►  March 2017 (3)
    • ►  April 2017 (4)
    • ►  May 2017 (4)
    • ►  June 2017 (5)
    • ►  July 2017 (4)
    • ►  August 2017 (4)
    • ►  September 2017 (5)
    • ►  October 2017 (6)
    • ►  November 2017 (8)
    • ►  December 2017 (7)
  • ►  2018 (36)
    • ►  January 2018 (5)
    • ►  February 2018 (4)
    • ►  March 2018 (4)
    • ►  April 2018 (3)
    • ►  May 2018 (4)
    • ►  June 2018 (1)
    • ►  July 2018 (3)
    • ►  August 2018 (3)
    • ►  September 2018 (2)
    • ►  October 2018 (1)
    • ►  November 2018 (3)
    • ►  December 2018 (3)
  • ►  2019 (27)
    • ►  January 2019 (2)
    • ►  February 2019 (2)
    • ►  March 2019 (4)
    • ►  April 2019 (4)
    • ►  May 2019 (3)
    • ►  June 2019 (3)
    • ►  July 2019 (2)
    • ►  August 2019 (2)
    • ►  September 2019 (2)
    • ►  October 2019 (1)
    • ►  November 2019 (2)
  • ►  2020 (12)
    • ►  January 2020 (2)
    • ►  February 2020 (1)
    • ►  March 2020 (2)
    • ►  May 2020 (1)
    • ►  June 2020 (1)
    • ►  October 2020 (2)
    • ►  November 2020 (1)
    • ►  December 2020 (2)
  • ►  2021 (27)
    • ►  January 2021 (2)
    • ►  February 2021 (2)
    • ►  March 2021 (2)
    • ►  April 2021 (1)
    • ►  May 2021 (3)
    • ►  June 2021 (2)
    • ►  July 2021 (2)
    • ►  August 2021 (5)
    • ►  September 2021 (2)
    • ►  October 2021 (1)
    • ►  November 2021 (3)
    • ►  December 2021 (2)
  • ▼  2022 (14)
    • ►  January 2022 (1)
    • ►  April 2022 (1)
    • ►  May 2022 (3)
    • ►  July 2022 (1)
    • ►  August 2022 (1)
    • ►  September 2022 (1)
    • ►  October 2022 (3)
    • ►  November 2022 (1)
    • ▼  December 2022 (2)
      • Learn your own way
      • Reformer Pilates at Studio Pilates
  • ►  2023 (24)
    • ►  January 2023 (1)
    • ►  February 2023 (1)
    • ►  April 2023 (2)
    • ►  May 2023 (2)
    • ►  June 2023 (2)
    • ►  July 2023 (1)
    • ►  August 2023 (2)
    • ►  September 2023 (2)
    • ►  October 2023 (4)
    • ►  November 2023 (3)
    • ►  December 2023 (4)
  • ►  2024 (14)
    • ►  January 2024 (2)
    • ►  March 2024 (1)
    • ►  April 2024 (1)
    • ►  May 2024 (1)
    • ►  September 2024 (4)
    • ►  October 2024 (2)
    • ►  November 2024 (1)
    • ►  December 2024 (2)
  • ►  2025 (6)
    • ►  January 2025 (2)
    • ►  February 2025 (1)
    • ►  March 2025 (2)
    • ►  April 2025 (1)

Created with by ThemeXpose | Distributed by Blogger Templates