Rozzy

A quick one as I am off to bed.  a large class…20 girls in total and I think from the list on the internet, that I placed 8th.  Not in the top 5, but I am very pleased with my result.  The caliber (read…size!) of the girls was well developed beyond my physique so as a first timer I feel very happy that I have done really well in such a high level, professional comp.  There are photos on the internet.  I have had an absolute ball and have a focus now for the next 12 months of training and nutrition.  I would love to be back here for the 2009 Emeralds.  I will post all details of photos tomorrow when I wake for my Granola…yum yum and yoghurt!!  Oh, the after comp snack was a mini snickers and a pack of m and m’s.  They supplied big bowls of chocs back stage.  It wasn’t as exciting as I had thought it would be and I was craving the seared tuna and salad I had later for dinner.  Sick really.  Alll this healthy stuff has gone to my brain.  No more chocolate addiction!!   Nighty night.

Well I have just run back to the hotel in the snow!!!!  Arghhhhh…it is sooo cold in a pair of flip flops and gym pants.  The tan looks a bit orange in natural day light too!

 We have been through 2 rounds of judging.  The first was a bunch of 1/4 turns and individual comparisons in a 2 piece and the second round was the same again in a one piece.  In between, there was more tan applied (I am up to 5 applications now!) and glaze.  It has been a really fun few hours and I have made a couple of really nice friends. 

Pete and I agree though that i may be too small for this comp to rate really well.  Some of the girls have themost amazing V taper through their backs and are just generally more muscular.  We return in 1 hour.  The evening show will reveal all results and awards.  At this stage none of us know how we are doing.  Kim sent me back to eat salmon, sweet potato and a cookie with a small cup of coffee.  The carbs will give me a bit of pump.  Excellent!!

i will let you know how I go when I get back tonight. 

I wanted to get this post in last night but after all the days activity I fell into bed and was exhausted.  I slept last night in the black clothes that I had put on after my spray tan.  I am unable to shower or apply deoderant (as it goes green!) until after the show.  I did not realise I was going to be so stinky for so long.  Last night the tan was still so fresh it was slimy and coming off on everything. The toilet seat was covered with a slick of orange tan, the white towels were picking up tan from washing my hands etc etc.  So, I slept with the air con on very warm (as it is about 4 degrees celcius in Seattle now!!!) on an old towel with a brown old towel on the pillow.  I dared not move.  Kim had warned us that hotels can charge for the clean up if the room is trashed with tanning product.  Now I understand.

We arrived in Seattle at about 1.45pm Thursday and from 3pm I met with Kim, had a tan, raced back to our hotel for dinner (and for Pete to have a laugh at how dark I was after only the first spray!).  I met with Kim again at 6.45pm and he gave me my nutrition plan for today (Friday).  He included a few more fats based on how I am looking and water levels.  This means that I got some almonds last night and a piece of salmon.  Yum Yum.  I so enjoyed that.  This morning I have had 1 teaspoon peanut butter in 1/4 cup oats and 100grams steamed chicken.  Not bad.

Last night at 7pm I attended the convention centre for a run through and got up on stage with a bunch of other girls. It was really helpful to see the crosses and lines on the stage where we are meant to stand.  After the run through I wandered around the trade show and found Merry Chrisitine, my suit maker.  What a great lady.  Big hugs all round!  She fitted me for my suit and called in another lovely lady that is an NPC judge.  She has taken my suit home to sew the hooks on for me as Merry will not be at the show Friday, only Friday night.  It was very kind of them to organise that and great to meet them both.  We all ‘oooed’ and ‘aahhhed’ over the suits.  With a double spray tan on my skin the deep pink and blue look amazing. 

I spoke to Jan Tana (my tanning lady) about the make up artist that Kim has supplied for me today and she could not rave enough about her.  The make up artist has all the industry products for the correct base and color to match my ‘tan’.  Jan said that I will look gorgeous with her doing my make up - loving the fact that there is a woman that can create amazing movie star looks!  ha ha.  As for the hair, Jan told me that the girl that is doing my blow dry is straight out of Hollywood and stylist to the stars.  Funny.  She assured me that my hair would look amazing too.  I guess that is why I am paying US$150 for a blow dry.  I feel confident that I have the best support crew in the business and that my suits will look gorgeous.  Posing is pretty much natural now and I know what I have to do so it’s just a matter of standing tall, keeping the tummy tight and havng a bit of fun!

All the girls I have met in the waiting areas are lovely.  Many are married and have come from all over the US, some leaving kids with hubbys.  It is so incredible to see the bods on some of these girls that are 40+.  So inspiring. 

Well, I have another snack of 110gm steamed chisken and cup of asparagus at 8am.  I will leave the hotel at 8.30am to get across to my ’stylist to the stars’ and then register over at the Convention Centre and have my make up done.  Pre-judging starts at 12pm with Fitness and then mens Fitness before the height classes start for Figure.  My class is 5′6" to 5′8". Classes start at 5′2" so I think I will not be judged until about 3 or 4 in the afternoon…maybe later.  I am really excited now and looking forward to seeing the show (from backstage anyway)  It is going to be a blast!!

It is forecast to snow here tonight or tomorrow (saturday) so we have literally gone from 35 degrees in California to freezing!  It makes it interesting.  I almost cried last night, walking one block in the drizzle, back to our hotel, with about 10% body fat and a pair of rubber thongs on (tan was still wet).  Everyone else seems to be OK with it.  I tried to explain I live in Singapore.  No one really gets it.  Standing on the corner, waiting for the pedestrian crossing last night was like going to the cooler room (where they keep the tulips) at Thompson Road flower market…. in your underwear.  Absolute torture.  At least I will be indoors for most of today and tomorrow we have planned a Gastro-tour of Seattle.  Breakfast at Fishermans Wharf (Dungeness Crab Omelette) and French Bistro for lunch at Pikes Place Market and Creole for dinner.  It will be fun to relax with Pete and eat soemthing different.

Have to get Pete to wash my hair over the sink this morning (can’t wet tan on my neck at all) and then bolt to the stylist.  I think I will take a heated car there.  Walking in 4 degrees with wet hair just does not appeal.  I guess the next post will be later tonight or this afternoon after pre-judging.  I will let you know what I get up to.  Ciao for now!

Yesterday we finally got to meet Kim.  He was exactly as I imagined.  He is very very focussed and got straight into the posing the moment I arrived.  It through me a bit as I had just done the 1hour 40min drive and was not really prepared to be thrown into it like that.  Yesterday was the first day that I had had a night of 3 hours sleep straight followed by another 4 hours so at least i was compus mentus enough to listen to what he told me.  I have a small posing routine for when I am introduced and get the stage to myself - about 30 seconds all up.  Then we went through the quarter turns and practising flaring my lats as he said that I need to really accentuate the V taper because I am tall and reedy, not that hippy.  So, after 20 minutes of that ( by which time my lower back was giving me grief from all the arching) we had a nutritional consult.  I am off all sodium now and drinking pure water.  Last night I cooked all my food for today and tomorrow.  Chicken breast steamed in no sodium water and yams for tomorrow.  He also has allowed some home meade trail mix to keep the energy levels up back stage.  The water has come right down in my body and my clothes that were fitting loosely are now hanging off me.  Last night I was totally exhausted, got the shivers and body aches and hopped into bed.  Good thing was that I had a pretty good sleep.  Up at 5am this morning for about 30 minutes posing practice and breakfast of 1/4 cup oats and no sodium, steamed chicken.  Just had morning snack which was a cup asparagus and 110gm steamed chicken.  I don’t mind the chicken.  Pete made steamed fish for me last night and when it has no salt lemon juice or other condiments on it, it was gross.  I am excited about getting up on stage now.  Apparently the tanning product is a nightmare and Kim said to buy sheets from Target when we get there as the hotels can charge if the rooms are trashed.  Fortunately all the actual tanning will happen at Jan Tanas hotel in a special room.  We arrive at The Hyatt at 2pm and I have to meet Kim for posing practice and to put the clips on my suit to fit it properly.  At 4.15 I will have my first spray.  It is freexing in Seattle at the moment so i have asked Pete to go buy me some black/dark Flanelette clothes to put over me between the tanning hotel and returning to The Hyatt.  I have to meet with Merry the suit make at about 6pm and then have a run through at the convention centre at 7pm to 8pm.  8.15pm is my next tanning and I will meet with Kim for another posing practice.  I guess by 9pm I will literally fall into bed, very brown and exhausted!!  The day starts Friday with a blowdry at 9.15am and check in at 10am and then make up at 10.15.  Competitor meeting at 11am and then we sit arounf until our class is called.  Kim said this could take hours and we may not get to the stage until 4 or 5 hours later.  Hence all the food backstage.  I hope I meet a good buddy to chat to.  I am entering the over 5′8" class on Kims recommendation.  He said that the Masters have about 30+ entrants and the other class has about 15.  This is better for stage presentation and of course a better chance, I guess.  He is sending in 30 girls so he knows what I am up against.  I am sure there will be some amazingly talented and gorgeous girls there.  I am focussing on having a good time and hanging out with the Pros that Kim will have with him.  It will be such a fun experience no matter what the result for me….imagine, being on stage in my micro bikini….achievement enough frankly!!!  hahahaha

Sorry for the delay guys…had some issues finding the correct charger for my laptop and Petes had also run out of power.
So….now for the update.  We worked out it took us 28 hours door to door to get to LA.  I managed a sum total of 2.5 hours sleep during the flights so we arrived pretty wrecked.  I am still trying to battle the dry eye jet lag syndrome but think it might have a lot to do with the weather also.  The climate in LA is VERY dry compared to our lovely balmy Singapore.  The weather has been gorgeous.  Sunday, after 60 minutes on the bike, we got out to Venice Beach and Santa Monica and took a drive down South to a few of the other beach areas.  Pete is designated driver as I still can’t even get my head around sitting in the passenger seat!  We are zipping around like locals now…love that GPS!!  Our 1 bed apartment is just perfect and situated just behind Rodeo.  Popped up there this afternoon to pick up some pants I had ordered from another store and couldn’t get past Jimmy Choo for the paparazzi and bodyguards.  Funny.  We have seen so many strange and opposing things in LA.  I love it here, though Pete is not quite so easily convinced.  He is having fun but I think the weeks membership that I organised at Golds Gym in Hollywood might have pushed our friendship a bit.  I had no idea that it sits in the central ‘rainbow’ belt.  We just thought everyone was ‘coming down’ and really friendly the day we started there.  Pete pointed out that from the 200 odd people on the floor, only about 3 were female.  He has been doing very well and gets a lot of attention!  Ha ha ha. Funny.  It is the most amazing gym.  So massive and just buzzing with men of amazing musculature and groovy tunes.  It is quite a ’scene’ and very inspiring when I feel I just can’t take one more set. Every morning I have been on the bike and then down to Golds for a weights workout.  Legs Monday and Back today.  Tomorrow will be my last workout for the week - chest and abs.  
Yesterday we drove down to Newport Beach (40 mins) for Pete to have a look at a boat.  We had the most devine seafood lunch down there, overlooking the water and sitting in the sun.  Very relaxing and just what was needed.  The distraction from the comp is great.  I have hardly thought about it.
News just in - the posing suits have just been delivered…and they are so gorgeous!!!  I have tried them on and Pete was cracking up at the very very tiny amount of fabric across the butt.  I now understand why I have trained so hard to whittle away every last bit of fat in that region.  Wow!  I do hope they glue the suit on to me very well.  The one piece is a royal blue velvet with crystals and the most amazing milky pale blue stones.  The design is gorgeous and Merry Christine has done an incredible job.  She must be very artistic.  The 2 piece is a deep pink and is covered in crystals.  It has good bust coverage and same fit on butt.  I love the suits.
Tomorrow I get to meet Kim Oddo…finally!  Appointment is for 45 minutes at 2.30pm.  He is about 2 hours away.  We will do a suit fitting and posing practice in addition to a consult for nutrition.  At this stage the diet has not changed too much, although I am taking a herbal diuretic to move some of the fluid retention.  I am also only allowed to drink black coffee and water and have a max of 2 sticks of sugar free gum.  I guess the sorbitol must effect fluid.  I must ask Kim about this tomorrow.  So, after tomorrow we fly back up to Seattle and then it is ‘game on’.  Thursday afternoon I have the first of 2 tanning sessions with another at 9pm.  There is a run through at the convention centre from 7pm to 8pm and I am also hoping to meet Merry and thank her for the beautiful work she has done.
Friday 9am is hair, 10am make up, 11am competitor briefing and 12pm judging!!  I assume this is over by 3pm and we get to rest before coming back for the award presentation in the evening at 7pm.  There is an after party until 1am after the show…at a Mexican restaurant.  Very messy!!!  One margarita and all us figure girls will be tickets.  Funny….

Well, it is 2.27am on Saturday and I am about 10 minutes into a 60 minute cardio session on my bike.  I set the alarm for 3am but woke at 2 and figured it is about midday in LA so better to just get up.  I will have breakfast at about 3.30am and morning snack at 6.30 which is perfect.  Flight leaves at 6am.  I will stay awake all the way to Narita, Japan.  When we board at 4pm I will be ready for dinner.  I have packed ear plugs so will use those and mask and hopefully sleep through most of the 8 hours from Narita to US…. Well that’s the plan at this stage!
It is funny what you slowly get used to.  It does not seem that weird for me to be sitting here doing cardio at a time that is "the middle of the night" for most.  I tell you, as a trainer, I will not be accepting any more excuses of "I just don’t have enough time.  I have been too busy to do cardio…." Ha ha ha.  All of you out there that train with me…be afraid…..very afraid!!  Only joking.  I think I am tougher on myself than anyone else.
I must thank all of you for your support and messages of luck over the last few days. It has spurred me on even more and I really appreciate the cheerleading from Singapore, Australia, UK and the US….all over the world!  I certainly wont feel lonely up there on the stage next Friday.  I know I have so many people ‘with’ me.
I am that excited now it is mad. I have not felt this driven and buzzed about something for ages.  It is the best feeling and like kicking a major winning goal.  I pinch myself to think where I came from.  When I recall the body I was in post cancer to now, it is like I was transplanted into a new one!  I feel amazing in mind and spirit.  I actually push those bad memories away now and keep focussing on the where-to from here.  It will be interesting to hear the feedback from the judges and this will chart my next course in terms of muscle development and nutrition I guess.  
I received my competitor information via email last night.  The pre-judging will begin at 12pm Friday for Figure (me) and Fitness.  Fitness will go first so Pete gets to sit through a stack of amazing mid air splits, one arm push ups! (thats for you Andy!! Haha) and other super human aerobics moves.  It will be his first Fitness show so will be quite an eye opener.  I wish I could sit and watch with him.  I assume I will be backstage.  I guess my judging will start quite late as I would like to enter Masters over 35 and I think there are about 6 classes ahead of that.  They are all height classes. The Figure finalists (top 5) will carry on to the evening show at 7pm.  All finalists will be presented with a tiara, with no less than an Emerald Swarovski crystal. I told Isabelle and she wants me to bring one home.  She said she wants to wear it to school!!  Bless her.  I told her if I bring one home it is going to be in a very special place.  Maybe one day she will understand the effort that has gone in to vying for the tiara. Ha ha ha.
Well, I better get on with my morning.  I will write again in a day - when I get to LA.  Ciao!

Today has draaaaaged on!  Had a massage tonight for 90 minutes…just delicious.  I really needed it.  Muscles fatigued and a bit tender.  It was my off-day, for weights.  I did 30 minutes of cardio this morning and could hardly find the energy to push the pedals around on my bike.  I was happy to hop off after only 30 minutes and eat my oats.  Yum!  I live for breakfast now.  I actually think, each night before I go to sleep, "Ok, sleep now and when you wake and have done your cardio you get to eat your favorite meal (oats) AGAIN!"  A bonus every day.  I tried to sleep after breakfast because I had been awake pretty much since 3am.  I wake around this time and toss and turn, thinking about the stage day and having small ‘heart attacks’ (so-to-speak) about forgetting things like the ever essential 5 inch perspex heels.  Can you actually buy them that easily in retailers in the US?  Probably, but forgetting them doesn’t bare thinking about.  It just stresses me.  I eventually gave up on day time napping and got back on the bike for 60 minutes.  I managed to set it up with my laptop on top so as I span I could read some of the sites for restaurants in Seattle.  I found one that serves Southern food and has a bread pudding with Vanilla Bourbon sauce.  Oh Yum Yum Yum! ( I say that now but am just as likely to be repulsed by the sugary, fatty reality when it hits my clean tummy)  I know I will have to take it easy.  Pete has agreed that it might be fun to try eating there on Saturday (day after stage day).  I am looking forward to relaxing next weekend and not having the frantic threat of hours ticking by and cardio that HAS to be completed.  
The sleep loss thing is not totally driven by stress, it is also a case of nervous excitement I think.  I feel a bit like a small child going on stage for the first time.  Also, I can’t wait to travel with Pete - like a second honeymoon… Without the booze and indulgent food (and with most of my time spent in the gym)!! hahaha.  It will be good to see parts of the US I haven’t seen before, meet Kim Oddo!!  and some of the 30 other ‘Angels’ that will compete under Kims’ direction.  I wonder if there are any other Australians…?  
Our friend from Aus arrives tomorrow.  She will stay with the children while I am away.  She is very excited and the kids are too.  This is great for me as it makes me feel just a little less apprehensive, leaving them to travel so far away.  
Legs workout tomorrow morning.  I love legs.  It is the hardest, yet most rewarding workout of the week……it has done some great things for hamstring and glute development. Mid morning I am in for gel tips on hands and feet - to give me a nice French Pedi/Mani effect for the comp.  I will come home and jump on the bike for 60 minutes and then our friend should arrive.  Later in the afternoon a few friends are popping in to see the final transformation.  I have been in hiding pretty much for the last 6 weeks and have not had a social life at all.  I have not missed the drinking/eating aspect (Well, maybe the eating!), although I have missed being in such constant touch with our friends.  It will be fun to catch up and a bit of a vote of confidence to send me on my way.  I have some sparkling water to drink with their french champagne and smoked salmon blinis…ha ha ha.

Well, less than a week now actually.  I have ceased training all clients now and am so pleased I planned it this way.  The 85 mins a day of cardio in addition to the weights is fatiguing me a great deal.  I trained for 2 hours on Saturday morning and was ready for my morning snack of 1 cup spinach and 100gm chicken, when I finished.  At this point my energy level was so low I was really finding it hard to put one foot in front of the other just to walk to the car to drive home.  After a snack I was not feeling too bad.  I had a hair cut and waxing booked yesterday afternoon.  At the hairdressers I stood up very quickly and felt quite faint.  When I got home I thought I would check out my vitals.  I think body fat must be around 10% or less now.  Resting pulse now is 42 to 46 bpm and blood pressure is low at 99/66 and tends to hover around 100/60 most of the time.  I wonder if I am absorbing all of my thyroid meds at this stage.  It is an extreme state to put a body into and there are a number of things that change as a result.  I feel healthy…just extremely fatigued between workout sessions each day.  I worked out that after the cardio and the weights each day I am left with anywhere between 600 to 750 calories in the bank.  No wonder I sleep so well!!  
I am getting pretty excited about it all now.  We fly next Saturday, into Seattle and then on to LA.  We will stay in LA until Thursday and then fly back up to Seattle for the comp.  I can’t wait to meet Kim and the week in LA will be fun.  Last night Pete was saying I will likely just have to eat workout and rest.  I do want to get to Muscle Beach though!!  Oh, and Victorias Secret, Ed Hardy, Gap…and the shopping list goes on.  The drive is there to keep going.  I will see how I feel when we are there though.  It is much cooler than Singapore so that should help.
I am actually also looking forward to the flight.  I am treating like my reward.  If I work VERY hard in the gym this week I can have a whole 24 hours OFF!!!  I get to just sit around, enforced rest.  No 85 minutes on the bike, no pumping the weights.  It will be full on when I land but I am looking forward to the rest day.
Well, off to the gym for me.  Got legs this morning.  Just had my oats and egg whites so should be strong for the next couple of hours.  Got to use it while it’s there!