Hello. I’m Soo. I’m a Leo male and 32 years of age. Year of the Fire Dragon. Physical age, 32. Mental age, 18. Just kidding. I’m just very young at heart. And this is my blog. Although I must admit this is not the first time I’m blogging, I had previously started one for my Friendster account. “Soo’s Testosterone Tales”. Nice name. Don’t you think? In all honesty, I know it sounds ‘macho and soooooo male’. Well yeah, it’s supposed to be. It’s anything and everything to do with my favourite hormone. Testosterone.

The last time I updated “Soo’s Testosterone Tales” was somewhere in 2006? Before you proceed with this blog, please check out the first blog I started http://leodragon76.blog.friendster.com/ Fast forward almost two years later, here I am, again…to continue the stories of my bodybuilding lifestyle…as the new, updated version of “Soo”. That’s my nick name. If I didn’t spell it out for you and you didn’t know what I looked like, most people would reckon I was female or Korean…whatever. I’d like to think of myself as a bodybuilder. Most people know me as Soo the bodybuilder. Why? Cos I “talk the talk and walk the walk”. I’m hardcore. To recap, I would say I’ve been lifting, eating and breathing bodybuilding for the past 17 years…I always remember myself as the skinny, endo-ectomorph who began training with weights in high school cos I wanted to be buff like my Swiss-French best friend. Seb. He was tall, something like, 6 feet or more? Had a lean, muscular body, kinda like Brad Pitt’s in “Fight Club”. Great abs. And as strong as an ox. I wanted a body like that. He inspired me to begin training. Fast forward, almost 17 years later, here I am…



I have always been interested in the role testosterone played in the science of muscle-building. Testosterone. I love testosterone. In case you didn’t know, it’s the primary male sex hormone produced by the testicles (hope you know what those are, if not, ask your mum), testosterone tends to be identified with all we stereotype as being ‘masculine’. It’s a hormone with quite a character. Since the emergence of it’s synthetic versions aka anabolic steroids during the 40’s, it has been sported as a ‘supplementary’ addition to the arsenal of athletes worldwide, to increase muscle mass and enhance sports performance both in the gym and in the bedroom….yes, it increases your libido. Did you know, that before anyone ever figured out that testosterone played any significant role in anything, a scientist called Charles Édouard Brown-Séquard (he was of French descent), invented a potion extracted from the testicles of guinea pigs and dogs. Pretty gross stuff ey? Brown-Séquard claimed that this elixir increased his physical strength and intellectual prowess, relieved his constipation and, lengthened the arc of his urine…crazy stuff! Haha. Sound’s like a placebo effect to me. But, yes, that was what he believed. As you could imagine, before the time of Cialis and Viagra, testis tissue was actually prescribed as a fix for impotence.

Regarding the topic of testosterone, my favourite web-site, in particular is www.testosterone.net. It is by far, the most informative and interesting on-line magazine that encompasses the world of bodybuilding and fitness. It boasts great writers (who are often, both intelligent, as well as witty) and is a great source of info for beginners, intermediates and advanced bodybuilding enthusiasts. Not forgetting to mention the countless fitness and bodybuilding celebrities, as well as famous personal trainers who also contribute to its weekly columns. I am particularly interested in the field of personal training. Being a part-time personal trainer (my main interest) and a full-time academic at Limkokwing University is one thing, but I have a tendency to shock most people (9 out of 10 cases) who don’t know much about my background, after a brief introduction…it’ll go something like, “So, what do you do?” (At this point, in my mind, I’m like, “This guy’s gonna give me that weird look of disbelieve once I say it”) and I’m like, “I’m the Principal lecturer of Limkokwing Kuching campus”. Instantaneously, a generic (And often badly disguised) look of disbelieve will show on their disbelieving face. Subsequently, I would follow up with a sarcastic comment like, “I bet you thought I was a gym instructor”. He or she would then be engulfed in smile of guilt…There aren’t many ‘buff lecturers’ around in Kuching. I’m one of the many few. Case-closed, my overall appearance does not fit into the general stereotypical description of a ‘lecturer’. My tattoos. My muscular body. I probably look more like a gangster or an ‘Ah Sia Kia’ (A rich man’s son (usually sporting tribal arm tattoos to match), who does not have to work). Yeah, I’m trendy too. So what? Stereotypes were mean’t to be broken. It’s just like saying, if you wear spectacles, you’re either a ‘nerd’ or ‘square’!!!

Speaking along the lines of personal training, I am currently engaged with two clients at the moment. David Chong Kok Wei and Wan Yusoff Ascar Bin Ali. Both are married and over the age of 35 (David bordering on 35, actually). He is an old friend of mine. Known him for almost a decade. During our ‘university days’, when I was ‘young and wild’ (haha), we met through mutual friends at a club called “Salt” in the South Yarra suburb of Melbourne. I will never forget “The Melbourne Dayze”. It was fun back then. Although I was still into bodybuilding, I also had my share of the weekends. I was a hardcore clubber, so to speak. I used to hit the night-scene, starting at 11pm Friday, finish at 8am the next day, jump into another club (a day-club) and party until 3pm. Eat, rest and chill-out until the next club at 11pm on Saturday night, again! I would rip the dance floor until 6am, then catch my breath in a queue outside “Club Evolution” somewhere in Prahran, waiting to greet the Lebanese door man at 7am…no exaggeration! That was the typical drill for the weekend. Being a regular clubber, I always felt guilty if I didn't hit the clubs...afraid I would miss something! It’s no wonder why my muscles never grew big during my ‘student days’, I never had enough rest, in spite of the countless protein shakes I downed throughout the night! David has a degree in Commerce and Law and has also settled down in Kuching, doing a bit of development work with his dad.

I was introduced to Wan Yusoff through David. Both are patrons of the re-knowned, "The Sarawak Club" gym. It's the place where the 'kids who were typically ex-Lodgians, who studied overseas come back to train place' and also a regular haunt for mature, 'aunty and uncles who need to lower their cholesterol levels and lose their gut place' too...haha. I apologize for the stereotypical description, but, "The Sarawak Club" is in fact the epitomy of all that. Anyway, initially impressed with my physique and convinced by my proposal to turn him into a ‘lean and mean machine’, David quickly got us acquainted. Wan Yusoff, himself, also a business man (with a law degree), does not fit into ‘your typical description of a married, malay man (with two wives), who also happens to work-out at the Sarawak Club’-type individual. As ‘the before’ pictures would attest. He looks a lot younger than his actual age. He's a fair-skinned Malay man of Arab and Indian descent cruising in his 40's.

Both individuals had expressed a strong desire to become leaner and lose the unsightly amount of adipose tissue that ballooned their thick, ‘married man’ waistlines; to be able to see their abdominal region was the final word. Prior to the commencement of training, David reminded me that his goal was to lose as much fat as possible, even if it mean’t sacrificing muscle size…on the other hand, Wan Yusoff wanted to become as ‘big and ripped’ as possible…similar goals, but with a slight variation. They signed a 3-month contract with me in early March. Say hello to my new guinea pigs... :)

Copyright © 2009 Ang Soo Boon