Gym: Jatomi Fitness - Gurney Plaza (Top Pick)

A Jatomi gym entrance

The purpose of this post is to provide a more complete update about Jatomi Fitness, the new gym which was scheduled to open in Gurney Plaza in February 2013 (and which I first wrote about here.  I recently attended the fact finding and sign-up roadshow which will run from now until the gym opens.  However, at the time of writing, special offers are available to the first 500 to sign up on their 'Founder Member' scheme, which is covered more fully below.

A typical Jatomi gym members lounge

First impressions from the roadshow are very impressive.  Before getting in to the detail about equipment, facilities, programmes and membership rates it's worth touching on the subject of Jatomi's reliability and financial standing.  This is particularly important for those looking at paying their memberships 12 months in advance as we all know what can happen with gyms pulling the plug and closing, at times with very little, if any notice.

A suspension equipment training area

Jatomi is not likely to be a cause for concern in this regard.  It is a large operation with around 40 gyms in Eastern Europe and is set to expand its operations considerably in both Malaysia and the wider SE Asia area, already having two other gyms here, in KL and Petaling Jaya.  From what I can gather the financial backing for the company is also sound.  On that basis I'm quite confident that 12 month memberships are not a risky proposition with Jatomi.

Jatomi's state of the art running machines

The new gym in Gurney Plaza is now scheduled to open in February 2013 and the membership rates are quite reasonable at around RM 150 per month.  However, the first 500 members to sign can avail themselves of a special deal in that the normal RM 100 admin fee is waived and, for those happy to pay by credit card for 12 months membership in advance, you will benefit from a 25% (ongoing) discount on membership rates bringing the monthly membership cost down to an even more reasonable RM 100 per month.  At the time of writing these Founder Member deals were still available.

The equipment and facilities for the gym really do look superb.  State of the art modern equipment will be used, an example being the running machines that automatically adjust to your running speed without the need for frantic button pressing to adjust tempo up or down.  There will be a wide variety of cardio machines which will satisfy all your needs in that regard with regular group, instructor led, exercises in a specially equipped and separate exercise area.

Sprint track and free-weights.

Weight training machines and free-weights will also be start of the art, again in well laid out training areas and there will also be a section of the gym set aside for body weight training using suspension training equipment developed by the US Navy SEALs.  The gym will also benefit from a sprint track.

Member facilities are also impressive with a lounge area that will also incorporate locking mobile phone charging stations and well fitted changing rooms and shower areas. What is pleasing to see is that the gym will utilise a wristband access strip which is used for gym entry, lockers, docking station lock/unlock and anything else which might require a 'key' to grant access.  So, no more pesky card to carry around and continually pull out of your pocket, wallet or purse.  I was also happy to be told that is Jatomi's policy that all trainers are appropriately qualified or, if they are employed on the basis of their (significant) experience but lack formal qualification, they must acquire the qualifications required through a recognised training body with months of employment.

An 'RPM' training area.

Jatomi will also offer a number of special fitness programmes including 'Move Fit', a free structured group cardio based exercise programme with groups of up to 10 students with regular 30 minute (but intense) instructor led routines and 'Eat Fit' a paid-for programme focussing on incorporating advanced dietary awareness into your training, backed up with extensive online resources.

Well fitted and equipped changing rooms.

There will also be a wide range of other fitness programmes including the Less Mills 'Body Pump', 'Sh'bam', 'RPM', 'Body Combat' and 'Body Balance' regimes together with various 'Freelance' options such as yoga, pilates, zumba and belly dancing.




I was very impressed with Jatomi, their staff and their plans for the gym which I now eagerly await the opening of.  On the basis of what I have seen and heard so far the gym has been awarded a 'Top Pick' from me and, if you are looking for a gym now or in the future, Jatomi would be very well worth checking out.  You can also check the Jatomi Facebook Page for updates.

NB: Images are from another Jatomi site and are for the purposes of illustration only.

NB: On 22 January 2013 Jatomi issued a communiqué following much rumour and speculation about the opening of the gym.  It states that, in light of a company re-structuring, there have been some delays and the gym is now scheduled to open in June 2013!  There are those who will feel this has not been well handled and whilst I agree to a point, it seems Jatomi are now trying to put things right.  I contacted Jatomi to try and confirm that the size, layout, equipment and facilities would be the same or better than that which formed the basis of the contract that members signed up to. I also raised the issue of compensation for founder members.

To his credit, James Balfour (one of the original founders of Jatomi) and who has now taken over with personal responsibility for this region sent a very prompt and courteous reply in which he makes the following points:  The club is being re-designed, all of the facilities that were advertised will remain, there will also be some new and more innovative work out solutions. Currently the sale of memberships is on hold until the contractors begin building the club in March and the club will open in June. All founding members will have an additional 6 months membership added to their term as compensation. If members would like a refund,  James will personally sign the cheques.  He also apologised for the recent developments and uncertainty and asked all founder members to be patient, accepting that this was not easy to do.

Hopefully this will now be the end of a period of uncertainty and indeed anxiety for some who were clearly worried about the money they have paid over to Jatomi.  Time will will tell.  It's now up to Jatomi to deliver on the promises.

Restaurant: The Boatman - Batu Ferringhi (Top Pick)

I am indebted to my friends Jonathan and Sandy here for highlighting what I have found to be a real little gem of a restaurant which is tucked away in the centre of Batu Ferringhi, not far from the Ferringhi Garden Restaurant.





The restaurant is called 'The Boatman' and places like this are such a treat to come across.  It is in a good location, has seating both inside and out and serves a wide variety oriental and western food for lunch and dinner and also serves a good selection of breakfast treats, including a full English with real bacon for those that crave it.  Opening at 9am I have had breakfast there a few times now, with orange juice and lashings of fresh hot coffee, a great way to start the day.

Chilli Chicken

For me though, it's the lunch and dinner menu that makes the restaurant really stand out.  Dining there recently we had a superb fried rice with mixed vegetable, red chilli chicken, curried fish fillet, stir fried mixed vegetable and prawns with asparagus and each dish was superb with everything being freshly prepared and cooked.  They also have a good desert menu and I have to say that my firm favourite is the pancakes, either honey, lemon or banana. Served with ice cream they are a fine and satisfying way to round off a great meal.  However, when you consider that this meal, together with 2 large bottles of Tiger and an ever so healthy carrot juice came to only around RM 100 it really does become very good value, but good value with great quality.

Vegetable Fried Rice

I have now eaten there many times and the people that accompany me (all local) are always impressed with the food, the restaurant and the friendliness and helpfulness of the owner May and her staff.  I am sure none of the dishes there would disappoint and some of those I have tried, in addition to the above, that I would highly recommend include the beef rendang, sczechuan style stir fry pork (or chicken), kailan with oyster sauce, and the bean sprouts with salted fish.  There are many other dishes on the menu that I have yet to try and I am sure that many of these too will become firm favourites, esp when you consider that most are priced between RM 12-18.

Fish Fillet Curry

The Boatman is about 100m past the Ferringhi Garden Restaurant on the right hand side as you drive or walk through Batu Ferringhi, away from Georgetown.  It is open daily (except Monday) from 09:00 to 2:30 pm and then from 6:00pm to 11:00pm.  At times, especially if you are looking to seat several diners at the busier weekends for example, it might be advisable to call ahead and reserve a table: +60 16 448 6369 / +60 12 483 3157.  They can also be contacted by email.

Honey Pancakes

The Boatman really is a cracking little restaurant serving great food at great prices which is well worth a visit and it earns a very well justified 'Top Pick'.

Gyms in Penang - New Options

Readers will see from my previous (and recently updated) post that the gym I am currently a member of, Fitness First (Island Plaza, Tg Tokong), will cease trading as of 30 November.  At the moment it's unclear what will happen to the gym and staff.  Will it close completely, or will another buyer take it over?  I hope for the sake of all the members who want to remain with Fitness First that a suitable buyer can be found.  There are rumours of course, and rumours of revised deals and membership rates but we have still to hear anything official.

Aside from its facilities, three things that attracted me to Fitness First were:

1) It being within walking distance of my apartment.
2) It being in the same block as 'Cold Storage', allowing me to top-up with provisions
3) There being a wider social scene there, with Starbucks and the like on site at Island Plaza

But, times change.  While major renovation took place Starbucks packed up and moved on - strike one.   In fact in many ways Island Plaza has become a bit of a ghost town with little foot traffic.  Additionally, I'm also now all set to my new (and permanent) apartment which will mean no more walking to a gym for me - strike two.  Given that whatever my choice of gym is for the future will entail driving, I figure it's time to look for one that maybe ticks more boxes for me.

Previously I looked at 'Celebrity Fitness' in Gurney Plaza now also, and as per yet another amended post, closed down.  I also looked more recently at 'Absolute Fitness' at the 'Heritage Club'.  This place is OK but I dislike the layout where cardio/ machines and weights are on separate levels requiring hikes up and down stairs depending upon your routine, which at times cannot always be carved up on the basis of convenience to equipment placement.  There are also fitness centres at the G Hotel and also at Gurney Hotel but for me, these lack the range of equipment and the style I like.  So, where to go???

Xtreme Fitness - Level 3, Straits Quay Convention Centre

Luckily there are two new gyms in Penang, one open already and the other coming soon.  First up is Xtreme Fitness at Straits Quay.  Their site can be found here.  It's a brand new gym with some excellent modern equipment and is open 24 hours!  A range of membership options exists at around about RM 120-140 per month, possibly less depending on promotions.  It's a nice facility that also offers a range of classes and is well placed for those that also run at Straits Quay, as I do, allowing you to shower and change in gym facilities on non-training days (or of course on training days if you like to combine outdoor runs with in-gym training).  Car parking is also readily available and costs just RM1 per visit.  The only problem for me is that the gym is ALL there is here.  The gym.  There is no one-stop shop for me at Straits Quay, allowing me to do other things at the same time, except maybe lunch or dinner.  It's still an option but at the moment I'm more struck on the final contender.

Jatomi Fitness - Level 7, Gurney Plaza

Enter 'Jatomi Fitness'.  Now this DOES look appealing.  A brand new gym which will be opening at the old 'Celebrity Fitness' location in Gurney Plaza.  The old gym has been completely gutted so the new one will have a new layout and all new machines and weights.  Previously I was put off 'Celebrity' because of having to drive there but now I will HAVE to drive, that is no deterrent.  What appeals to me about Jatomi is the one-stop shop nature of the Gurney Plaza location.  Indeed, on the occasions that everything coincides, I'd be able to hit the gym, grab some lunch, take in a movie at GSC, do some shopping and top up with provisions at Cold Storage, all under one roof.  Parking is also readily available at Gurney Plaza and is not expensive on the upper floors on weekdays at RM 1 for first 3 hours.  Given that I go to the gym on weekdays, that's just fine.

I've yet to check out Jatomi in full and they will be having a number of promotional events, starting from October 22 at which more information, together with some early bird rates and upgrade offers, will be available.  Once there is more information available I'll post further, together with some pictures of the establishment once open.  The Jatomi main site can also be found here.  So, at the moment, it looks like Jatomi it will be, a decision which, I have to say, has also been partly influenced by my delightful new training buddies ;-)  More to follow........

An update regarding the Jatomi gym can be found here.


NB: On 22 January 2013 Jatomi issued a communiqué following much rumour and speculation about the opening of the gym.  It states that, in light of a company re-structuring, there have been some delays and the gym is now scheduled to open in June 2013!  There are those who will feel this has not been well handled and whilst I agree to a point, it seems Jatomi are now trying to put things right.  I contacted Jatomi to try and confirm that the size, layout, equipment and facilities would be the same or better than that which formed the basis of the contract that members signed up to. I also raised the issue of compensation for founder members.

To his credit, James Balfour (one of the original founders of Jatomi) and who has now taken over with personal responsibility for this region sent a very prompt and courteous reply in which he makes the following points:  The club is being re-designed, all of the facilities that were advertised will remain, there will also be some new and more innovative work out solutions. Currently the sale of memberships is on hold until the contractors begin building the club in March and the club will open in June. All founding members will have an additional 6 months membership added to their term as compensation. If members would like a refund,  James will personally sign the cheques.  He also apologised for the recent developments and uncertainty and asked all founder members to be patient, accepting that this was not easy to do.

Hopefully this will now be the end of a period of uncertainty and indeed anxiety for some who were clearly worried about the money they have paid over to Jatomi.  Time will will tell.  It's now up to Jatomi to deliver on the promises.

Photo and Videography Services (Malaysia & Singapore)

From time to time you come individuals and companies that create quite an impression and this happened twice recently at the superb Mean Machines event in Auto-City, Juru.

I'm in quite a luxurious position these days of only having to shoot what appeals to me personally and most of the times that tends to be fashion, glamour, events, nightlife, motor sport and wining and dining. Even then I pretty much restrict it to shooting that which might go some ways to promoting Penang, the life and lifestyle here and the relevant industry sector.  Most of my readers will also know that I do not allow paid (or indeed any) advertising on this site and neither do I promote any services or outlets for payment, or even payment in kind.  At times though, it's clear that people you meet may well provide services that might be of interest or use to others and where I personally think the service they offer will be professional I'm happy to recommend them.

Often I'm asked to either do a videography shoot or recommend a suitable team to do so.  Videography is not my thing at all really so I'm quite happy to now be in a position to highlight MRA Studio.  This is a production company based in KL who specialise in videography, post production, 3 modelling and graphic design.  I met the guys while busy shooting my chum Leng Yein and was impressed with there professionalism, photographic style and attitude.  They are also a nice bunch of guys.  There Facebook Page detailing their services and contact points can be found here and there is also their related 'CaptureFun TV' site that is updated with special interest uploads.  Based in KL they can obviously provide services all over Malaysia.

Next up is a great bunch of guys from Singapore, Concept35mm.  A lot of my readership both on this site and the related Facebook Page is Singapore based and again I often get asked to shoot in Singapore or, again, recommend a suitable team.  I've not really come across any up until now but again, I have to say I found the guys from Concept35mm very professional and very slick in their operation, producing some great shots.  Their site and contact details are here.

It's a pleasure to meet and work with photographers like these as sadly there are quite a lot these days who are not so professional in their approach.  I'm sure these two companies would provide a great service to anyone contracting them.

Mean Machines 2012

The above event took place at Auto City on 13 and 14 October and what an event it was.  Pick of Penang was there as an official photographer and I was also delighted to be shooting my great chum Leng Yein again.  A full album will be posted in due course but I've posted a few shots of the friends / models who help to make this such a great event.  More pictures of Leng Yein, Jialin Tye and a more general initial album can also be found on the Pick of Penang Facebook Page.




Leng Yein, I suspect Malaysia's top export and glamour model, was Special Host for the event.  A true professional and great company too. She will also be at Soju Room in Penang on 24 October performing with Sugar Daddy.  See you then.  This picture was being downloaded at the rate of 2,000 per hour once posted.









Another friend I met not long after arriving in Penang full time, the lovely JiaLin Tye, winner of Miss Mean Machines 2012.  Congrats.  Told ya you'd win!!!










One of the two 'Faces of Mean Machines 2012', 'Cookies' (Yap Shee Kee).  Great to work with and good fun!!














The other 'Face of Mean Machines 2012', Tahan, from Australia, was also one of the judging panel for Miss Mean Machines.
















Another friend of mine, Iyvonne Lo, winner of last year's Miss Mean Machines who came to present the award to JiaLin Tye.













And finally it was great to see yet another friend and one of my absolute fave models here.  Deanne Mak.  I lost count of how many shots we took and she will feature a lot in the final album.  I also plan to do a number of shoots with Deanne over the coming year.

Mean Machines 2012 - Auto City (13 & 14 October)

Looking forward to this event over the next couple of days at Auto City. Mean Machines is certainly Malaysia's biggest performance car event an Pick of Penang is delighted to attend as an official photographer.

It will be great to see the exhibits and the exhibitors and catch up with many long standing friends.  Most of all I'm looking forward to catching up with my good chum Leng Yein.  See you tomorrow Jie!!!

Nylon Pink: Debut Night (Hard Rock Hotel)

So, by way of an appetiser for the Hard Rock Hotel Pinktober event on 6th October (see here) the following is a series of shots taken at Nylon Pink's debut night in Malaysia on Wednesday 3 October, and what a night it was!!  With their own numbers and some super K-Pop covers this band really rocks, oh and they look pretty darned hot too :-)





Nylon Pink sure created a buzz when they took to the stage as those not familiar with their work did not know what to expect.  I had checked them out some time back so was looking forward to some tracks that I hoped they'd play.











Now, I must say that for me, lead guitarists don't get much hotter than Kiki.












And amongst musicians I always find bass players the coolest.  But, bass players come in the 'hot' version too, none much hotter than Katt I think!!!











And........while we're at it.  Singers, for hot, Kaila takes the prize!!  Great voice, nice personality and really knows how to turn on the sultry look when performing.  Captivating :-)













And can they play and sing!!!!!!!















Jamie.  Sexiest drummer in the world?  Most likely I think.  Really good drummer too and she delivered a superb drum solo around half way through the set.













By now, it probably won't come as MUCH of a surprise to hear that DJ Shy on keyboards is also gorgeous.















Did I mention I thought Kiki was REALLY nice :-)  She really punched out some great sounds during the performance and is great to watch.  Must admit, if I wasn't shooting another event tonight I'd have gone to see them again!










So, how were they live?  Often a killer for bands as many sound great in the studio but range from mediocre to down right abysmal when playing live.  Thankfully this is definitely NOT the case with Nylon Pink.  They really were excellent. With a great mix of their own material and some outstanding K-Pop covers they really put on a great show!!  They played for around 1 hour and the only complaint I had was when they had to finish.  One of my favourite tracks is their English cover of the 2NE1 track "I am the best" which you can check out here.  I actually prefer Nylon Pink's take on this track, more of a punchy / rock vibe.

All in all it was a really great night and for those that missed Nylon Pink last night, you still have a chance, they will be playing at the Hard Rock on the 4th, 5th and 6th of October as per the previous post.  They REALLY are worth seeing and I think we are really lucky to have the band in Malaysia given that they are in very hot demand in the USA.

More pictures of the band's debut night can be found here.  Be sure also to check out Nylon Pink's Facebook Page and their Official YouTube Channel.  Enquiries about tickets for their shows can be made to the Hard Rock Hotel.  The combination of the band and a lingerie show by models from the Amber Chia Academy on the 6th is a sure fire winner and tickets are selling fast.  Contact the hotel early to avoid disappointment.

Event: Black & White Magic - Soju Room (4 Oct)

A quick heads up for an event at Soju Room, Penang Times Square, Georgetown on Thursday 4 October.  Soju Room is one of Penang's favourite night spots and its combination of live acts and cutting edge DJs make it a real winner for Penangites.

This event promises to be a real winner and it's all about Black & White & Magic. Special guest Namewee( 黄明志) heads up the entertainment for the night with his guest performer Fa Chai Bao! If that's not enough, on top of that Soju Room is also presenting the INTERNATIONALl laser and magic show by famous Tarakardha laserman, ring and silk dances from European dancers 'Les Femmes WW' and the club's very own Crush Crew Project.  This should be a show to remember!

Details of the event can be found here and you can also Call/SMS 012-5565876 to book tickets and avoid disappointment, tickets are selling FAST!!!

Pick of Penang will be at the event and an album of pictures will be posted in due course.  Busy, busy week!!!