#15 Going To The Gym

The pursuit of fitness and a healthy lifestyle has never been more prevalent in Malaysia, what with the sporadically growing number of gyms and fitness centers with thousands of people who patron them. While these attempts to achieve a sense of well being are certainly commendable, the underlying reasons are less than genuine. To most, a gym membership is simply a license to proudly exclaim "I'm going to the gym!".

Women, visit the gym to alleviate their guilt over their weight and don't actually do much exercise at the gym. But the mere knowledge of their membership allows them to overindulge at meals ("It's ok, I can have this, I'll just work it off at the gym tomorrow!") and share anecdotes with friends and colleagues ("I'm going to the gym every damn day but I 'm not losing any weight! But on the bright side, I met this really cute guy").

Men, visit the gym to satisfy their partners demands and portray the image that they have a well balanced life ("Dude, I hit the gym everyday after 12 hours at work. My body is a frickin' temple and it deserves to be worshipped!"). And of course, the opportunity to prey on insecure women with facetious praise ("You're on a diet? No way. If I said you had a beautiful body would you hold it against me?"). Having a gym membership basically allows both sexes the subconscious freedom to overeat, smoke and abuse their bodies while retaining their right to complain about their busy lifestyles ("Sometimes I wish I wasn't such a well-rounded perfectionist. Seriously, I have no time for anyone anymore").

This trend looks set to stay given the competitive nature of Malaysians to outdo one another and tendency to self-promote whenever possible. To capitalise on this, ply the Malaysian with admiration and praise ("Your gym sessions are really paying off. I could never manage my time as well as you"). This will fill the Malaysian with the acknowledgement and self-satisfaction that they desperately crave and reassures them that they are oh-so-special.