Hannover & Hamburg!!

Hey everyone,

so I was supposed to do the update on my trip to Germany "a few days" after posting the previous one. Uhmmm how did you guys guess that it wasn't gonna happen!?!?! haha oops!

Im actually up in Netherlands with my family now writing this blog. I know I know you must be thining..."Wooowww jetsetter travels so much blah blah blah"....Uhmmmm I work my ass off half the time and am always doing so many things trying to start new businesses and to be honest I really don't do a lot for myself. So this trip is totally just to spoil myself and to chill (catch up on my blogs/emails!!) and do something for me...just coz I can...and just coz I want to. =)

So last month I was up in Germany, it was officially my first time in Germany!! I really didn't know what to expect??? Its never been a place on my list of places I've wanted to visit?? I mean all I could think of was that there was gonna be a big blonde woman with pigtailed hair called Olga holding big jugs of beer!! (Not the kinda jugs I like on a woman by the way!!!) And I thought people would be very...hmmm regimental...as in they were very strict and stick to themselves and not very sociable? Boy, was I WRONG!!! And what a pleasant surprise!!

The bullet train I had to take from Frankfurt to Hannover after a painful 11hour flight.
3hrs is still 3hrs Doesnt matter if you are in a Ferrari or a bloody bullet train!! haha

The whole reason I was there was actually to catch up with one of my good friends Stefan (No not Stephen Fox of WMC) and to attend his outdoor dance party that he does every year! Stefan and his lovely gf, Katrin do alot of events in Hannover and have one big outdoor party a year called Apollon's Park! When he told me that for Apollon's Park 2010 he was booking Karotte, Guy Gerber and Sven Vath for his party I thought to myself...." I Get to see Stefan and Katrin again. And on top of that, 3 of my fav DJS in one night!!!!!!!! I AM SOOOOO THERE!!!!"

What a COOL poster!!!

So I arrived in Germany and Stefan was really busy so he had his mate Kian pick me up from the train station. Kian's a cool kid....half german half Iranian and was my designated tour guide! =) Kian and me headed off to the hotel, I just dropped off all my stuff, had a quick fresh up and was out the door to meet Stefan for a quick bite and chat.

Stefan had some bad news from the government as they wanted to stop his outdoor party. Reason for them wanting to stop the event was because of the recent deaths at this years Love Parade. If you guys don't know, Love Parade is a huge dance music festival that has usualy about 1.4million people from all over the world attending!?!? 21 people died at this year's Love Parade and it had a huge impact on any party/outdoor event being held in Germany. You can watch and understand what went wrong at Love Parade here. They have now said they will NEVER do another Love Parade in respect of those who lost their lives at what was meant to be a fun day out.

http://www.loveparade.net/english/?lang=en

With 24hours til the event happening, Stefan had ALOT to do....a backup plan incase it was really gonna get canceled.......some meetings with government officals to try and fix it all and assure them that all safety precautions and regulations were met. I left Stefan to do his thing and me and Kian went around walking in Hannover. Some of the things that caught my eye or just made me laugh in Hannover.

Hannover Hauptbanhof which is the train station. That cool thing on your bottom left corner (first pic on your left) is a bicycle kinda taxi, eco friendly and cool looking =) We also have that in Singapore...butttttt....not as FANCY looking....!!


Voiiiillllaaaa behold, the Rickshaw from Singapore!!
(NOTE: Do not pick your date up in one of these!!)

This is the old church in the old town in Hannover. When I say OLD I mean OLD!!! Built in 1333!!
(Note Singapore was only FOUNDED IN 1819!!!!!)
Even if we had a building made in 1333, it would prolly just be torn down and re-built into some oversized shopping mall containing the same crap as the mall 30metres down the road!!

Hannover was nice, I mean it was just a small and simple town! We prolly walked the whole place in an hour or more? haha I left Kian and headed back to my hotel in the evening where I crashed til the next morning and we met up again the next morning to go to Hamburg!!

Hamburg was a cool city!! It really reminded me alot of Stockholm for some reason. I think it's all the water, ships, the boats, the port, the river and buildings! As we were driving in to Hamburg the sun was shining and the light reflected off the water....and whenever I see that shiny glittery light that comes off water....I always remember my trip to Stockholm as I came in to the city and the sun shined on the water....it was just AMAZING. Still on of my fav cities I've visited.

Hamburg - It was a really cool city!!! Had a very nice vibe about it.

Hamburg however also had a very notorious side to it.....Reeperbahn!!! Reeperbahn is a world known redlight district. Everyone said to me,"If you go to Hamburg you gotta check this place out!!" Sadly I was there in the day...so it wasn't really exciting!! Apparently at night it's just total MADNESS!! We walked around and I mean it really felt like I was in Patpong in Bangkok, Thailand!!!! There was something else about the Reeperbahn that made it special....The Beatles!!! The Beatles played alot around here at the bars before they became world famous!!

Coke is so 80s!! Thats what it says on the bench!


The main re-light district with all the signs above. Im sure when night falls, it's just a totally different place!!! I'd say it would look alot like Patpong in Bangkok.
(By the way the people standing there are about to attend a wedding at a church!!!)
Heaven and Hell in one street....you decide which is which!!! ;)

While we were out doing touristy stuff in Hamburg, Stefan and Katrin, had a final meeting with government officials for the final say.........and they did not get the green light from them to have the outdoor party ..... It was pretty harsh...leaving them with about a day and a half to re-direct couple of thousand people to the new venue!! =( I felt so bad...and I really wish I could have helped them out.

They worked really had all through the night and woke up early in the morning to settle whatever was left to be settled. Even with only a few hours to go til the event happening they were still pretty....well I wouldn't say CALM....but if it was me I would prolly have had my foot through the door!!

Train stations from other states and even those arriving in Hannover had the electronic signboards displaying the message saying "Apollon Park has now been moved to a new location, Fun Park"...Shuttle buses transporting ppl who were already at Apollon Park to the new location. Website forums were edited....emails sent out...facebook was updated....letter from the headline DJs saying they will still come and rock the party even tho it's been moved indoors..... I mean I was very impressed. I have to admit Stefan,Katrin and all their helpers were VERY VERY organized and VERY VERY efficient!! It was like operation Blitzkrieg...!!! hahah

The party started at the new location as scheduled at Fun Park at midday. Fun Park was supposed to be the after party venue. Meaning once the Apollon's Park ended people would make their way to party again......But since Apollon's Park wasn't happening. It just got moved into Fun Park saving everyone from running around!!!

The party was well on it's way but Stefan, Katrin, Me and some others only got there at about 3pm. A few hiccups here and there still to be ironed out but everything major had already been settled. When I got there, I was really impressed, Fun Park was a pretty huge place!!! LED Lights 360 degrees around on the wall....amazing lights/lazers....and a super PHAT BASS!!! I never been to Ibiza (thats about to change this wkend!) but I really felt like I was in Ibiza and not Germany!!!

Karotte was rocking the dancefloor when I got in. He's always been one of my fav DJs and have heard alot of his radio shows. Never ever seen him LIVE tho. So to see him live this time was just amazing. He played an AMAZING set....Just reaaally pumping...uplifting......and just made you wanna dance!! And he was very lively behind the decks...which I think is great!! Some DJs are soooo boring to watch..I mean yes we dont need to watch em ...we need to listen to em...but still I just think it adds abit more VIBE to the crowd when they see a DJ enjoying himself so much!!

Karotte doing the warm up set!!

Next up on on the headline DJs is definetly one of my ALL TIME FAVOURITE!! =) I first saw him at Zouk in Singapore 2007 and he wasn't that famous yet. He played to a half empty room and I remember it was an AMAZING set and no one understood or got what he was playing!! After his set he came down and had a chat with me as he saw me going nuts to a few of his tracks (well to his whole set in general!!) We chatted and had a laugh and the following few days I took him around shopping and sightseeing in Singapore. I remember he was telling me he was setting up a new label for his music and was planning to move to Berlin as music scene there was much more ahead of everyone else.

Fast Forward 3 years later....Seeing Mr Guy Gerber in Hannover was great and totally different!! I haven't seen him in 3 years, we had a quick little chat and I left him to put the crowd under his spell!!! (He no longer plays to half empty rooms!!!!!!) 3 years and alot has changed for the better for Guy, Im so glad everything is going well for him, he is a MEGA superstar DJ, his label Supplemental Facts is one of the biggest labels to date. He has had numerous number 1 tracks and remixes played by almost every DJ in the scene. He is booked every weekend flying all over the world...Brazil one day,Ibiza the other, New York another...Now,THIS IS THE LIFE!!! =)

Guy Gerber working his magic on his Ableton! Cheers for an AMAZING night!
His set was just MAGICAL, it made you smile til you could smile no more!!!


Amazing lazer and light display at Fun Park

As they always say, save the best for last.... Last DJ of the night was Sven Vath. Papa Sven as some germans call him. Sven is just something else!! He has such amazing local support...the germans are sooo proud and love his music so much!! He is definetly the Godfather or techno!! He is I think 50ish and still partying and DJing all over the world!! He runs an amazing record label, Cocoon. He also owns a club in Frankfurt called Cocoon, and he has his infamous Monday nights at Amnesia in Ibiza called Cocoon!!! Stefan told Sven that I had come al the way from Singapore for the party and weve met before in Singapore very briefly but he was really happy still and gave a big hug...and said,"Oh I already know my dates for Singapore and looking forward to coming back to Singapore!!" A legendary DJ/Raver who has done everything there is to do in the world of DJing!!! Amazing that all I can say!!

Just look at the pictures and just see how much the crowd has grown since Karotte,Guy and then finally Sven!!
Madness!! 2500ppl in a club!!


Sven still using ONLY Vinyls and a couple of Cds when ever he plays his live sets.
Vinyls will always sound better no doubt about it.

Ignore the Hannover city cucks at the fron of the videos!!
They say a picture paints more than a thousand words....a video......well it just wasted my time writing this blog bascically!! =P Enjoy!!!

The trip to Germany was really just spectacular and totally not what I expected!! =) People were really nice there....forward thinking dance music....a crowd that actually UNDERSTAND dance music....amazing friends new and old ones that I've made aroud me....3 of my fav DJs in one night....I really couldn't have asked for more!

I can't thank Stefan and the lovely Katrin enough for such an amazing time and for being such amazing hosts!! Even though it wasn't outdoors like it was supposed to be, the Apollon's Park/ Fun Park party is still pretty much one of the BEST I've ever been to. My initial thoughts of Germany was totally wrong!! I'm really looking forward to my next trip back to Germany again and next time I wanna hit BERLIN!!! I've heard even more about Berlin being an amazing city and party town!!!

Ze german blondes were not what I thought they would be...phew!!! =)

Once again to Stefan & Katrin. THANK YOU SO SO SO SOOOO MUCH!! I miss Germany already and I really really hope to be back there every year for Apollon's Park from now on!! =) I am looking forward to returning the favour and taking you guys out in Singapore when you come and visit. =)

Much love!!

LaterZ

HongKong & Macau!!

Hey everyone,

Once again it's been a hell of a few weeks. So since my last post I've been doing abit of travelling! =) Always good to get out of SingaBore for abit.

First up was my fight in Hongkong. It was for the Libogen Event. I remember it was a horrrible morning flight. I had to be at the airport at 430am....coz my flight out was at 6! Then got to HKG and had to wait for the Japanese fighter, Junko to arrive. So sat around waiting for her at the airport After an hour we finally left to the hotel. When we got to the hotel and they messed up my rooms...so again it was abit more waiting and sitting in the lobby..........by the time I got settled in my room and met my roomate Ahmed Saadi another fighter I've met and known for awhile....it was time to check weight. So it was a pretty looonggggg day!!!

The fight was LIVE on Tv in HongKong. HongKong's muaythai scene is FARRRRRRRRR more ahead than Singapore. They have fights almost every month. Promoters like Samuel from Libogen does awesome events with some world class fighters. Then there is Planet Battle as well. I mean seriously what is wrong with Singapore????? Are we really THAT worried about studying and working all the time??.....

I only managed to watch a couple of fights that night as I was busy getting ready for my fight. Fights for Libogen was K-1 Rules this night. Im not a huge fan of it...not being able to use elbows. But a fight's a fight! =) I actually had a lot of friends on this event...Chris & Sunny from Ultim8 Fightwear, Soisci Porchetta who now lives in Thailand with her bf, Ahmed Saadi & Irshaad my two fellow muslim fighters and Bruce Mcfie from Contender!

I saw Irshaad Sayed fight Aussie Chris Kearney. These boys were really fast. I've seen Irshaad fight before and he's just like an energizer bunny. High workrate and just keeps coming forward.
It was only a matter of time before he landed a solid body shot to the liver that put Chris down. Was a really good exciting fight to watch!

I didn't get to see Berneung take on Bruce McFie. But I heard Berneung dominated the fight the whole 3 rounds. Was really surprised as I knew Bruce was training for his 3rd fight with JWP so he was prolly in really good shape. I've seen Berneung fight before........he is a serious ANIMAL! There's a few video's of him on youtube. Sadly it's not in his PRIME. I would love to see what he was like at the peak of his career.

Anyways here is one of the rounds to Berneung vs Preacher

I managed to watch abit of Sunny vs Junko's rematch as I was next up after them and was watching from the side. Was gonna be a hell of a fight coz I know Sunny wasn't too pleased about their last encounter! Sunny got cut with an elbow in the last fight. So the rematch was going well....and was exciting. Both of em knocking down each other for an 8 count! Fight was good and Sunny was dominating most of it if you ask me. Outcome was abit of a strange one to be called a draw. Well guess it makes it more exciting for the 3rd fight! =)

Not long later and it was my turn to step in the ring!! Bell went and off we went! =) Mohammed was pretty good and I was finding it hard to get in rhythm. He changed his stance alot and it kinda confused me abit. I remember in this fight I landed a couple of big left hooks on him and it rocked him. I took a couple of leg kicks and kicks to the arm. Saw it and was thinking...."move...block..." and next thing I know...BANG it hits me!! hahah Well it didn't help that I was feeling soo heavy in the legs. Once again bad training does not help!! I prolly kicked pads like 6 times in 6 weeks for this fight..... Was really busy working and running classes. And plus Im really missing a good padholder/trainer to push me. Now that Bangman went back and couldn't come to train me I was really feeling the lack of training in this fight...... =( I couldn't find a video of my fight sadly.... =( To be honest I thought I did pretty shit.... but some people said it was a really good fight?.......well no one to blame but myself really.

Anyways so after the fight, it was time to rest and catch up with some friends who flew to see me fight and also to party in HongKong! We actually even took a trip across to Macau to do some gambling!! Yes unlike the good old Singapore......they don't charge ppl for entry.....pfffff. By the way if you haven't known about this...Singapore has collected $70 MILLION dollars alone just on LEVY that Singaporeans pay to go in. Which is $100 entry!! I'm not lying!! http://www.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne+News/Singapore/Story/A1Story20100519-217147.html

Its my first time to Macau and I quite liked it. We went to the Venetia and my god it was MASSSSIVE!!! And the fact they painted the sky to look like DAYLIGHT all the time made it kinda....strange!?

I don't really like gambling....but I hate to say this but I made some serious $$$ on the blackjack tables so I guess I definetly liked it! I guess that's how gambling addiction starts...you win win win...and you try to make more and more....but things don't always go your way! But it wasn't just all about gambling.....We went to a really nice authentic portugese restaurant. And as you know Macau was a portugese colony. You can still see words and stuff written in Portugese. Was kinda weird. Sadly didn't find any Portugese egg tarts!?? =(

After losing my fight and making some serious moooooola in Macau....It was a trip with mixed emotions =) Hopefully I'll have another shot at fighting again in HongKong. Just hopefully I manage to be better prepared for it!!

Right next blog entry will be done in a few days! Kinda trying to catch up on blogging again! =)

LaterZ

World Cup + Work + Training +DJing = F@!#ING Busy!!

Hey Guys,

Sorry for the late update!! It's been a hell of a busy time the last few months for me.
With the World Cup happening it just meant lotsa meet up with friends over dinner to watch the game. Or late nights on the wkend to catch the games. Then heading to work with lack of sleep is never fun!!... So am actually glad the World Cup is over!!!

I was really happy Holland made it to the final. My mom and family called from Holland to tell me that the whole country was Orange and ppl were all singing and just ecstatic that they made it to the finals! They said the atmosphere was amazing! Sadly, Holland didn't do enough to win the cup! =( Spain however are impressive winning the Euro 2008 and then now the World Cup 2010. Can only imagine the parties going on in Spain now!! Wish I was there!

Speaking of partying I've now started doing a monthly residency at Azzura. Once a month I feature some of the top or upcoming DJs from and around Singapore. The party is called "3D"...No no you won't have to put stupid glasses on to appreciate the music.....the "D's" stand for Different,Diverse and Dynamic!!! =) I hold it every last Sunday of the month. So far I've done two parties (May & June) and its been going well. =) Hopefully I'll be able to take "3D" to other clubs soon. Send me an email to contact@zigzach.com or an inbox to my facebook with the title "3D" to get free entry or updates to my parties.

Posters for my "3D" Party. The one on the right is designed by ME!!

Well July's 3D party will be on hold as I've just been asked to fight in Hong Kong on Libogen's Event. Which will be shown live on Hong Kong TV! My opponent is Mohammed Rahhoui. I dont know much about it but I'm gonna do my best and try to get a win!! Last time I lost in HKG and Im not happy about it. Cutting weight is going well so I should be feeling ready and strong for the fight!! (I HOPE!!!) Also on the card will be Bruce from Contender Asia. Sunny who runs the amazing Ultim8 apparel will be having a rematch with the Japanese girl. The Jap girl cut Sunny with an elbow in their last fight....so Sunny is out for REVENGE! =)

To make myself even more busy... on top of my own personal trainng business and my own fight training. I am now also working 3 Nights a week at Vanda Boxing. Im there every Tues, Thurs & Fridays. Tues & Thurs are the normal fitness/training classes, where as Friday's are sparring sessions. Very soon I'll be inviting other gyms down just to come and sparr and train together. It's a good way for everyone to improve and learn. Since fights happen once every fucking blue moon here.......??

Also recently been doing a few more interviews a.k.a media whoring!! =) Had an interview with FHM & 8days talking about my training....diet...workout....... It's weird, one of the reporters was asking me some really interesting and diff stuff but in the end......the article pretty much sounded like every other article I've ever done!.......pfffff

FHM & 8Days interview/photoshoot.

Next update will be soon!! PROMISE!! And it's regarding a new sponsor and I will be one of the main guys doing the distritbuting for them here =) Keep you guys posted soon!

Alright guys, once again my apologies for being so late on the blog recently. I've been seriously busy and I'm dying to go on a holiday and take a break again soon!! Sadly it'll only be after my fight on Aug 7th that I will be able to think of a holiday.

Nana-nap time, then off to training!!!

LaterZ ppl

Melbourne ROCKS!!

Hey Everyone,

So Ive been back from Melbourne over a week now. Finally had some time for myself so I thought I'd sit down and edit the pics for the blog update. I had an awesome time while in Melbourne!! Good friends, good food & a few good seminars!!

So I arrived in Melbourne on the 12th May and My scottish mate Keith Grant was there at the airport with his gf who arrived the same morning from the Philippines to pick me up. I haven't seen Keith in about 4 years! So it was good to see him and to catch up again.

The walk from the airport to the car was blooody FREEEZING!!!!! It was 9 degrees!! Before you start poking fun at me. Please note I come from tropical Singapore,where the lowest it will get is as low as I push on my air conditioning which is......16!! So yes I was freeezing my nuts off!!

We got to their studio apartment in Chapel Street and then later had a walk around there to get some lunch. It's been about 4 years since I've been back to Melbourne and it really hadn't changed much. Unlike Singapore where you leave for a week and it's like new buildings go up....buildings and shops go down. Whereas here I was in Chapel St,4 years later and it's still pretty much the same as it is,some of the shops I went to eat and buy stuff are all still exactly where they were!!!

After lunch they dropped me off at Dominance Gym. Here I met one of the owners of the gym who was very kindly housing me at his place, which was right across the road from the gym. Dominance Gym was a reaaaallly nice gym, big spacious , good facilities, clean and lovely people running it. =)

Off I was to settle in my room and a quick rest before I had to go catch up with another good friend and awesome trainer in Melbourne, Don Millar. Don is a really nice guy and has so much passion and love for Muaythai. He produces some of Melbourne's best fighters. I remember when I first trained with Don many years ago he was one of the few foreigner muaythai trainers that could do free style pad work with me. Meaning he doesn't have to give a comand and I just do as I please and he catches everything.

Don Millars Gym

Don's gym is in an old Chapel turned into a gym. Its somewhere on Chapel and close to St Kildas. Sorry but I was freezing my ass off too much to actually remember the exact address!! It took me forever just to warm up!!! I had a singlet,a tshirt and my hoody to keep me warm. The guys went for a run but I was soooo damn cold I just stayed in skipped and shadow boxed abit. I did abit of technique,clinching and corrected some of his fighters technique and movement. Showing them how to improve their kicks,punches and counter some stuff. Don has these 3 Afghanistan boys he is training up and they are tough as nails!! He also had this guy Tyson who I had the pleaseure of blooody grappling....he was 100 kgs maybe??? Yeah it wasn't very fun for me!! haha

Me and some of his fighters. Keith on the far right.

Next day, woke up and it was fairly cold and I was dreading the thought of getting in the shower.... that 3 secs of being naked before I get in the hot water is gonna be painful...and then the reverse process of being naked drying myself in the cold and stumbling back in my clothes...Ugghhhhhhhhhhh!!! Hate the cold!!

Met up with my two buddies, Don & Keith for lunch and we went to have a meal fit for champions!!! Lamb Souvlaki with fat chips!!! =) OHHH YEAH!! Keith lives right next to my favourite Souvlaki place, Lambs on Chapel St. If you don't know what a Souvlaki is, it's pretty much like a kebab. But yeah I love Souvlakis!!! Ive had kebabs in Singapore and its just not the same......they are so stingy with the meat here...and it's dry and...bleegghhh..... So after 4 years of not having a souvlaki I had a DOUBLE Meat Lamb Souvlaki! Man was I stuffed after that!!!!

Diet for Champions! Look at the size of my Souvlaki!!

Had the rest of the day off and took time to walk around Chapel St again do some window shopping. I really like walking around in Melb, it's just a cool city. Got the right amount of hustle....but it's laidback enough the way you want it to be. Along Chapel there are loads of discount stores, some nice shoes and clothes shop. My favourite however are these nice bakeries with cakes,pies,cookies and all sorts tempting you as you walk along!! And of course even after the double meat lamb souvlaki I could find space for some yummy apple crumble and a coffee =)

Friday came and we left Melbourne city at Noon on a 4 and a half hour drive up to Swan Hill. That is alot of driving...!! 4 and half hours means you could drive probably 4 or 5 times around Singapore!! Keith packed up loads of awesome dance music cds in his car and off we went. Listening to old school rave music from 1990s right up to the more recent Minimal Techno sounds. It was a good drive up catching up with Keith too, 4 years went by and we had alot of stories and experiences to share. Along the way I mean there were all these small towns and I mean small and in the middle of nowhere...!! Man I could not imagine living in somewhere like that!! Guess I'm just used to the big city and hustle and bustle.

Arrived up in Swan Hill and the gym that organized the seminar had us staying up in a motorinn. It was a really simple and nice place. Funny thing was when we got there, we had to go to a phonebooth at the motorinn, pick it up, speak to someone and mention a password, dialed a code and the key would appear?!!? So we did exactly that....went to a phone,mentioned a password to someone, got a number,dialed it....and VOILA!!! Key appears!! =) hahah it was all a little 007 for me!!

The magic wall!!

The first seminar at Swan Hill's Martial Arts Gym. Some people had driven 2 1/2 hours from another town to come up to attend this seminar. I was reallly flattered when I heard that. So I really wanted to make sure they enjoyed and benefited from this seminar. It was abit difficult for this seminar, as some trainees in the gym had some experience in striking and some had no experience at all in striking and some had mainly come from Jiu Jitsu background.


I tried to keep it simple but as informative and interesting as I could for everyone. Showing the class and explaining to them why or how a kick should look and how it works. Those that had already some background in striking and just worked on abit more to fine tune their technique. People dont realize but there is so much science and how changing a little bit of your stance or positioning of your legs could change the power of a kick/punch/elbow/knee. Im really glad I had a really good trainer like Bangman to correct me and help make me such a technical fighter/trainer. There is so much to show and to do in Muaythai I honestly could have talked and gone on for HOURS! but I dont think the students would have been able to! =) hahah


After seminar Keith had taken the initiative to get some certificates printed out for all the trainees attending the seminar. They were very cool certs I must say. The funny thing was the image was just randomly grabbed off the internet and it was actually an image from one of the Tuffboxing Tshirt I was going to give to Keith!! haha Great minds think alike! =) Ohhh speaking of Tuffboxing. Just to show you how impressive my sponsors Tuffboxing are.....They sent the brand new Tuffboxing shorts and tshirts I asked to be customized for me to wear during my seminar sent right to the gyms doorstep by DHL!! So I arrived that day on the 12th, and there it was waiting for me already!! Check the new shorts that they sent me on their site muaythaistuff.com! Thanks Oak. You guys ROCK!! =)

Very cool certificates that the trainees got !


The AWESOME shorts I got from my sponsors! =) I love them they are the best!!!

Swan Hill was a quiet town, so we just had an early night as we had to be up bright and early in the morning on another 2 and a half hour drive down to Shepparton! So we were up and on our way at 9am to Shepparton and made it there at in time for a drink and to catch up with G.V Martial Arts owner and a good friend of mine Matt Reid. Matt has been in the muaythai scene for a fair bit and has fought at prestigious events in Thailand like the Ifma championships and the Kings Birthday. Matt used to get on his bike twice a week and drive 2 hours down to Melb city to train there as Muaythai wasn't as big and popular in Shepparton. Now that's dedication. Here in Singapore if it takes 45 mins in a bus it's too fucking far.....pfffffffff... we are so spoilt here in Singapore sometimes.

Correcting their knee strikes and giving em more push and power behind it!

The seminar at G.V Martial Arts was abit easier to teach as most of them there and from another gym were already fighters or have been training for awhile now. Basically I just had to do abit of a touch up on some of their techniques and later got to show them one or two cool techniques. =)

Same thing again, I could have showed sooo many cool techniques and some muay boran moves but I really thing emphasis on the basics and practical stuff. Also I like making sure ppl know how things should be done properly! Which is so much more important!! Like Bangman always says,"even if I show the class all the beautiful muaythai techniques and tricks but they dont have the basic stance,punch,kick,elbow and knee moves right....it's no use!"

The G.V Martial Arts guys and some other trainees from a neighbouring town =)

After handing out the certs and taking a few pictures here and there with the guys, we headed to a nice thai restaurant for some yummy food and a drink before Keith was given the task of doing the last trip back into Melb City!! Another 2 hours of driving to go!! haha

The last seminar was held on a Sunday down at Dominance Gym. After the other 2 seminars this one felt alot easier to do and I was getting used to explaining and remembering alot of important stuff I needed to say or show to demonstrate the moves. I think the guys in Melb city have more variety of trainers to train with, where as in the country there isn't as many gyms or trainers to work with.

Also the class was a wee bit smaller than up in Swan Hill and Shepparton so it was much more easier for me to do stuff with em one on one and to walk around and hold pads for a few of em.

Correcting them, Showing them how a kick should be done and then letting them do it =)

Showing them a proper knee and then practicing it with them =)

That was the last seminar for my trip and overall it was a really really enjoyable experience. The 3 Seminars were alot of fun, I got to catch up with some good friends and I got to meet a whole lot of people. What I was really so impressed by was the level of Muaythai and the enthusiasm of the trainees. I sometimes wonder if me not moving to train and fight in Oz a couple of years ago was the right thing?.... Well, no regrets and time to look frwd. I really hope to be back there soon. (Maybe when it's a little warmer!!!!) Also I might even consider doing a month or two stint while Im in Melbourne next time? Who knows? Fingers crossed guys!!

After the seminars I got a lot of good feedback from the trainees who attended my seminar. Some even went through the trouble of writing me an inbox msg on my facebook to tell me how much they really enjoyed my seminar and how much more knowledge and understanding they got from it. =) That was exactly what I set out to do when I was contacted to do the seminars...and I'm very very glad to have heard all that!!

Just wanna say a HUGE, THANK YOU to Keith Grant for making the seminar and the trip possible. Thank you to all the gyms who wanted me to come up and do the seminar. And also Thank You to all the trainees who drove a long way to attend the seminar. I really really appreciate it alot. Thank You!

Two Thumbs up for Zig Zach's seminar!! =)

So hopefully this is the start of something new for me?? Doing more seminars around the region or the world. So if you know any gyms that would love for me to come up and do a seminar drop me an email at contact@zigzach.com I think it would be heaps of fun and I would love to share my 2 cents worth on the sport I am so passionate and love so much. =)

LaterZ people!!

Melbourne Muaythai Seminar

Hey guys!!

April was a crazy busy month of training myself, personal training clients, photoshoots and good old DJing! =) Whatever else left time I have to myself I either sleep and rest up, Or I try and be ALONE to clear my thoughts and head out.

So Aussie Aussie Aussie.....!! I'm finally head back to Melbourne after probably 4 years or more! I'll be in Melbourne May 12th til May 17th. A pretty short trip. Well I'll be there mainly to teach a Muaythai seminar/workshop at 3 gyms. I know that 1 of the gyms has sold out on slots and has 35 - 40 ppl. =) Am pretty glad to hear that. Im really excited to do the seminar. I really enjoy teaching and making sure people learn the right technique and to hopefully make them better at the sport. Just like at Vanda me and Bangman focus alot on the basics. We focus alot on correcting the simple things like footwork,balance and even posture or stance! Only from there can you start to kick, punch and do the moves better.

This is the poster for my seminar up in Shepparton! It's about 3 hours away from the main city!

Melbourne is gonna be great fun!! Look forward to catching up with some good friends when I'm there, having some good souvlakis (kebabs!), going to the Victoria Market. Melbourne is a cool city. Speaking of cool...it's gonna be winter when Im there...!!! Ugghhhh hate the cold...!!! 4 Seasos in 1 day thats what it's known for too!! Could be blistering hot then ice cold all of a sudden!

Right I'll try to do an update when I'm over in Australia or when I get back =) There's a couple of topics/reviews I've yet to do a write up for! So I best get my lazy/busy ass on it soon!! =)

Catch you laterZ!!

A month later..!!

Hello!

So it's already a month since I did my last blog. I really can't believe how fast time flies. My day starts of at 730am or 530am when I have early morning clients. I finish the sessions off, head to the gym train...next thing I know its 1pm and I'm headed home for my afternoon granny nap =) I head back out about 4 or 5 to the gym or to clients elsewhere....and I end my day at 9 or 10pm....It's crazy. Sometimes I really feel that there really isn't enough hours in a day!!

In that time frame of a month. A LOT has happened. Prolly the biggest change for me is actually havin Bangman being here in Singapore. Having him help me out at Vanda is turning out to be a real TREAT!!! He has settled in very well with the trainers and staff at the gym. A lot of students have complimented on him being a really good trainer and that he actually HELPS them and TEACHES them!! =) I remember when he came in and some of the students or the expat trainees saw him and thought..."oh who's this fat guy.....".....but shortly they find out Bangman is not someone you wanna mess around with!! =)

The trainees for both Muaythai & Boxing are benefiting from Bangman's experience at the gym. He used to box as a kid too, so he can train boxers in western style boxing too. I mean even after 2 weeks of Bangman being here I could see sooo much change in some of the students techniques. He's just amazing at being a coach and can really change a person's punch and kick. Even I'm learning alot about being a trainer, just watching him teach and also getting back into REAL muaythai again. I mean after awhile we forget stuff and our technique gets watered down to a MUAYFARANG (Foreigner Muaythai!) as Bangman calls it. haha

Bangman on pads =)

So since Bangman was here I took the oppurtunity to train hard and managed to get myself a fight up in Phuket. Sadly the fight only lasted 1 round.....It was really dissapointing and pretty lame if you ask me. The guy I fought has beaten some good thai's and has even beat the south thai champ 3 times. But I dont know why but he went down in the first round with me???? I dont ask for and I don't LIKE taking shit fights at all.............I would rather lose a hard fight than win an easy one. Anyways I have some more stuff lined up in Thailand and then after that I'll see. Things are obviously not getting any better or easier for me on this.

Not the proud of this...... pfffff =(

Well I'll see in the next few months, hopefully things will start getting better. Otherwise time to move on to other things. In the mean time I'm really enjoying working and running classes down at Vanda.

Hope to see you there.

LaterZ

Head Trainer for Muaythai at Vanda Boxing Club

Hey Everyone,

So been busy the last few weeks trying to organize my life with Muaythai. Again I've been trying hard to get fights and it's just been a real pain in the ass more than anything else. I'm getting more DJ gig offers than I am getting fights. Strange.........??

In the mean time I've decided to take on a new job/role to help a good friend, Ian Mullane. Ian has appointed me as Head Trainer of Vanda Boxing's Muaythai Club. We have been talking about me coming to work for him and helping him do Muaythai classes for a long time, and now that Vanda has taken over BNM and since they still have decided to continue running Muaythai at VBC the time was right =)

Ian has taken Boxing to a whole different level with his White Collar Boxing events. The White Collar Boxing events help raise money for a hospital in Cambodia that offers free medical treatment. It's a very noble cause and I'm very proud to be part of Vanda Boxing Club and Vanda Promotions now.

As the saying goes,"it's official when it's in black and white!"

As Head Trainer of VBC Muaythai. Ian has given me the green light on running the muaythai classes the way I want and how I think would make VBC a better Muaythai Gym. This is a big job I've taken on, there are already so many good gyms in Singapore and to be able to stand out from all the other gyms is gonna require alot of work. The fact that Ian trusts me and gives me the freedom to do as I deem fit is really important and very flattering. I don't doubt my abilities in running classes and teaching, I know that with my experience with training in gyms all over the world and also training with world class fighters and trainers I will be able to make VBC Muaythai a better place. I currently run the VBC Muaythai classes on Tues and Thurs 6 - 9pm but am in on nights where I'm free to make sure things are running smoothly.

At the moment I've brought in my trainer Bangman to come in and help me get things organized for abit. He's here on holiday and is happy to be here helping his favourite student out with the classes. VBC students are sooo lucky to be able to train with Bangman while he's here. Read more about Bangman if you still dont' know who he is. http://www.zigzach.com/2008/03/little-training-clip-info-on-my.html



I've been watching Bangman and Charoon Fairtex hold the classes and I can see that it's already looking alot more structured and alot more different than before. The two thai's work really well together and have been listening to my advise and my instructions on doing things and I'm really glad things are slowly taking shape even after a week of taking on the job!

In time to come, hopefully VBC Muaythai will start having fighters too. Under my guidance and the thai's, hopefully VBC Muaythai can start building a reputation for itself in the fight scene. Be it local or international.

Lastly here are the membership prices. Hope to see you guys at VBC.

LaterZ