ORD LOR!!!!!!

I finally got to see o'l pinky after the longest 2 years and 4 months of my life. It feels like i've been given my life back. :D

I'll like to thank lots of people, my family, friends and all the higher powers that have seen me pass through these evenful period. Thanks for giving me support and helping me make the right (well sometimes...) decisions when i was faced wif wierd and funny situations.

I'll like to say that i've also met a bunch of nice people who made my ns life what it was. I'd like to thank you, guys from BMT Ulysses platoon 3, SMM TSS, SMM P019 platoon one and mates from BCTC... ... You guys rock!!!

So ends another quriky 2 plus years of my life. I'll never forget the day i woke up for enlistment, that bloody long mrt ride to tekong, sending my parents off at tekong, firing a rifle for the first time, booking out on weekends, field camp, kiwi bombing, IV training at SMM, my hentai king buddy, Wednesday nights out,passing out as a medic, quirky incidents at bctc, the p-case thingy at iti duty, teaching fa and ibos at iti, covering igcs, exercise wallaby 05, that day of R & R... ... all so many things. It was definately a character building and also interestingly quirky time i had in the army.

If given a choice, i wouldnt wanna do it again but im proud to say that i have served my duties to our country and home.

Enuff said. Watch out world... ... HERE I COME!!!!!

THE TIME HAS FINALLY COME!!!!! 25/04/06!!! I NEVER THOUGHT I'LL REACH THIS DAY BUT A FEW MORE HOURS REMAINING TILL I SEE OL' PINKY!!!!!! ORD LOR!!!!!!

I've been dancin salsa for about 8 months now... ...

but... ...

i do not have that veil of mystery, an air of coolness or that hint of flashiness...

not even a tad bit of sexiness nor grace usually associated with salsa...

so if i don look or feel like a salsa dancer...

What am i? lol

THE FLOOR IS ON FIRE!!!!


Yesterday was a great day of fun-filled eye opening dances. The gang of us, clarence, jwo, kaimin, sherv and her frens and me went down to suntec to watch the matinee.

We met at about 2.30pm all hyped up outside the venue. We paid $48 bucks, special student price thanks to shirine and kaimin, for the 1 hr show. I must say that at first, when i walked in, i wasn't expecting much out of it but... ... when i left after the show was over, I WAS BLOWN AWAY!!!!!

Entering the venue

This was the first time that i went to suntec to watch such a mega performance. Basically, the venue is big... really big!!! Lotsa chairs ans stuff. Really reminded me of having lectures back in school :P

Overaged students getting ready for that boring 3 hr physics lecture...lol

Wad can i say? It was a 1 hour dance extrvaganza with nice flashy moves and stunning costumes... ...

The show started of wif the vocalist singing the opening theme and dancers streaming onto the stage from the audience area!!! That really got the crowd moving cos all of us were so excited to be within such close contact wif the dancers... ... even if it was only for that brief 3 seconds or so...lol

Swing it baby... SWING IT!!!

During that 1 hour matinee, we were treated to a mix of different dances. First up, there was the opening dance, then some ballroom, waltz and all.

It looks so surreal

OH MY!!!! Of the whole show, i like the ballroom routine the best!!! First of all, the stage was transformed into something out of a fairtyle... ... It was all starry and elegant. The stage was alos basked in tranquil blue light, with mist being occasional pumped to create that all so dreamy and romantic effect. The dancers were clad in graceful ballroom numbers. All of them except the lead couple wore masks... ... think zoro kind...

I enjoyed the dance soooooo much!!! The dancers were soooooooo graceful to say the least. They litterally glided around. Their postures were so rigid (cos it's ballroom) but when they came together, the overall picture ooze nothing or rigidty and stuffiness but instead it felt so romantic and sensitive.

I felt that the lead couple was exceptional good. Even from so far away, i could feel the closeness, the chemistry and the sweetness between them. They felt so imitate so loving... awwww. They totally brought out the whole mood of the dance. Whenever the tone of the music changed sinister or sad, they also did a good just in portraying the emotion of the dance. I never thought that i would like ballroom dancing before but after that splendid performance, i might just give it a chance in future... lol

Dreamy, romantic and blue...

Next up, there was an interesting transition from ballroom to a dance which i couldnt really identify. It was definately a modern dance. The music was heavy on electronic sounds and heavy on the percussions. After the show, we were trying to identify the type of dance when i suggested that it was trance. This left jwo, clarence and sherv bursting out in laughter. I wonder why...lol

Trance?

There was also a jive, swing and lindy hop number. It screamed america 1950s all over. Loud colourful costumes, bright vegas like backdrop and cheery american music. The dancers delivered it very energetically. This dance smouldered the whole venue with an air of cheekiness and innocent mischief. I could literally taste the naughtiness in the air. It was so infectiously uplifting. I like...hahahahahahahahahaha.

Vegas anyone?

Ding ding ding... I can hear the slot machines ringing... ...

That more or less wrapped up our 1 hr saturday matinee. I stepped in not expecting much but i left feeling that it was too short...hahahahaha.

Young was hungry for more....

After stepping outside, we realised that if we wanted to watch the full show that night, we could do so wif a top up of 20 bucks. At first i didnt want to watch cos the rest of the guys didnt want to. Jwo had dance practice, clarence and sherv wanted to go down to union and kaimin had dinner. I then left suntec for my final I4 lesson at jj. It was then that liu jun called me and asked if i wanted to watch the full show tonight. I met liu jun at the matinee by the way. She is a dancer too and the matinee really left her in such a big appetite for more dance which only the full show could whet. It seems that her dance mates didn t want to watch it too. Anyways, since i was also interested inwatching he full thing, we went ahead and paid the 20 bucks.

The lesson at jj was frustrating yet again...hahahahah. Well, the harder the challenge, the greater i'll feel when i accomplish it. So it's goin to be practice, practice and more practice for me....lol.

Anyways, since it's the last lesson at jj, im contemplating whether to go to ladc or jitterbugs to continue taking up lessons... hmm... any opinions from anyone about this?lol

After lesson, i hurried down to meet liu jun at suntec to watch the full show. I met douglas at suntec too. He was going to watch the show too. It seemed that he paid 111 bucks for it though. I felt so lucky to be only paying 68bucks for the full thing even after the top up....hahahah.

Anyways, dinner was an on the go event, we me spending 3 bucks on an auntie anne's preztel dog, 2 bucks for a mac donalds double cheese burger and a 2.50 medium auntie anne's lemondae to wash it all down.

By the time we got in, it was about 8.05pm. The show had not started yet and so we found our seats and started talking cock...hahah. We tried cam whoring abit but somehow, the pictures didnt turn out right... sob sob... Im so sorry liu jun. Next time i'll bring my konica minolta digicam instead oki...lol

The ONLY 1 that survived

Waiting for the lecturer

Basically, the show went on as per in the afternoon. It was like watching it over again till the rest interval. Even then, i was still enchanted by the ball room number. SO NICE!!!!!...hahaha.

I met alot of peoples from unionsquare at the show too. Tiara was ushering, i saw val at her seat, i saw gibson, i met gary... lotsa people...hahahha. During the 20 mins rest interval, i also saw this freakin tall gal. Man... she was almost as tall as me man. 1.8 plus i think.... Quite slim too....woah...hahahahah

After the interval, we were further treated to various other dances like the argentinian tango, drool... i wanna learn it too...hahah, more modern dance, some latin dances, the spanish flamenco, some english ball room dances and many more. It was SPECTACULAR!!!!!

In this point of time, i must say that i didnt take many more photos, cos i was way too captivated by the happenings on stage and also becos i was using the puny vga camera on my L7 so the photos wouldnt turn out very nice anyway...lol. So, if u guys want better coverage of events and nice pics, you know wad to do r ~ hint hint~...hahah...

Anyways, some people were very irritating, using flash to take photos in the show. It's so irritaing man. It's like yer so into the mood and dance on stage whenthe bugger behind you decides to whip out his cam and flash. I mean wad the hell right.... Dont they know that since it's so dark and the stage is far a way, the flash will just ruin his photo anyway?... ... For goodness sake, turn of the flash and use night mode or something lah...... GRRRRRRRRRR...

The whole show lasted for about 2 hours. More groovy music, great dancers, flashy outfits and spectacular sets. I was left gasping for more...hahahaha. One thing was for sure. It was great. It was at total of 68 bucks well spent :D.

The final dance set

I also realised one thing. Most of the dancers were tall, quite tall. Even the ladies too. Anyways, after the show, The dancers stayed behind to autograph cds. Didnt get the cd so i didnt get any autographs. I did try to get a photo though...hahaha.

Stars of the night

As a whole, it was an unforgetabble night. Great music, better dances, nice company. Who could ask for more...lol.

Burned the floor they did. The roof's on fire too....hahaha

The roof was sizzling too

Horror of horrors!!!!! im starting to get BORED of my own salsa routine!!!!! AHHHHHH!!!! Im running out of moves and it seems that my turn patterns are starting to feel all de same.... OH NO!!!! I think i can probably dance the same way blind folded....

Now, i think i'll have to consciously remind myself to tweak my routine and change some stuff. It aint easy especially since i've sort of gotten used to my own style. It feels like im trying to reinvent the wheel.

Guess wad, to think that im gonna finish I4 and im still dancing this way is..... HORRENDOUS!!!!!! Worst of all, I4 is ending soon, 1 more lesson left and im still dancing like crap. Damn it feels like i didnt improve much at all.... My vocab of moves still feel so limited. Im seriously gettin sian of doing the same things over and over again..... bleh

I guess i'll have to leech of jwo, wei ming and the rest. See wad they can impart to me. People, if yer reading this and feel that you can teach me something new, PLEASE DO SO!!!!! i'll be soooo grateful to you man....hahahhah

Anyways, just a question to all u guys out there, wad sorta chocolate do you like? As for me, i like dark, mildly sweet chocolate. The darker the better. Somehow dark chocolate brings out the rich flavour of the cocoa better than milk or white chocolate. Milk and white chocolate just taste sweet and thats it....lol..

Feel free to leave comments on the tag board or on the blog entry:)

Grey's Anatomy



I simply love watching grey's anatomy. I think that it is one of the best shows ever...lol

I guess my habit of watching grey's anatomy started off during my sad days doing duty on mondays in camp...lol. During monday duty, i'll always shower before 11pm, in that creepy medical center toilet, do my final round of checking de medical center, making sure that i locked all the rooms and stuff, before i finally plonk myself down on the front desk chair or lie on the strecther to watch grey's. Usually, my ambulance driver would either be watching it too or doing his own stuff on the net using de med ctr's com.

When watching grey's in de med ctr, i especially felt very intriuged about the stuff goin on in the show cos ... well i am in a MEDICAL CENTER right...lol I'd also silently thank my lucky stars that i havent had to respond to major accidents like RTAs and stuff like dat. I mean how's ONE bloody medic and ONE ambulance driver gonna be able to handle such major stuff right....lol. In grey's there was a whole freakin hospital to attend to such stuff...lol. Well, even after praying and stuff, i must say that i still had my fair share of funny and interesting cases to attend to throught my NS life though...lol

Besides praying that i wouldnt have to handle stuff that would be over my head, i would also wish that the night would then also past smoothly without people calling the medical center in the middle of the night, be they patients, nosy DOs or other worldy beings for that matter...hahaha. Well at least till i finish watching scrubs which is aired after grey's...hahahah.

Anyways, grey's anatomy is so nice to watch because of a few factors. Firstly, it's a medical show and i find medical stuff interesting. Pity though that i will never be a doctor but i guess it's better for me cos i think i wouldnt be able to take the stress of seeing human suffering.

Even as a medic, it can be so stressful when attending to cases especially when yer alone and out in the field. Since you are the highest authority in terms of medical knowledge out there, people rest all their faith and you can see that they trust you soooooo much to make the right decisions and make them feel better. You can see it from their eyes that they view you to be some kind of miracle worker of sorts but in actual fact, you are only a mere mortal just like them. Thus, the pressure to do the right thing and make the right decisions is so great. You just don wanna screw up and cost a fellow human being more pain and worst still, his life. I will never and can never forget the time that i had to made a decision to IV a poor chap during training. I was under sooooo much pressure to perform especially since there were so many officers crowding around me.... brrr... luckily, i managed to get it in the end...hahaha (p.s. never underestimate the power of a "thank you". It may be the simplest gesture but trust me, it can really make someone's day...=D)

Secondly, Grey's anatomy is more than a simple medical drama. It talks about alot of human issues like hate, fear, friendship and many other faccets of life. It talks about the lives of a few intern surgeons in a hospital and how they deal and go about their emotions and interpersonal realtionship issues in the course of their work. Many of these issues actually touch close to my heart and will do so to you because i guess many of us face the same problems in our everyday lives at work, in school or at home. I especially like the narration and thoughts that they pose to viewers. These little gems of wisdom reflect upon the issues being raised in the show. I find that most of them are all so true. Many of them are really quote worthy and i simply love the fact that they are simple and yet straight to the point. I really love them :)

Finally, i find that grey's anatomy is a much watch because even with all the heavy and serious topics that the show brings up, the producers still manage to infuse alot of witty humour and light moments into the show. They did a good job in delivering deep messages in a manner which does not dampen the show into a boring crap or use too much goofiness which might have cpoilt all the meaning and turned it into a ra ra show. I congratulate the producers in finding that perfect balance. A job well done indeed.

I must say that i am not much of a tv person but my monday nights are never complete without Grey's Anatomy. It's aired on channel 5 every monday at 11pm. Go watch it it if you can....

I'll leave you with a quote from the show. It's taken form the latest episode which i just watched a while ago. Thank you so much noel, for finding out the exact quote for me cos i couldnt catch it word for word from the tv... ...

"As surgeons we have to be in the know. But as human beings, sometimes it's better to stay in the dark, 'cause in the dark there may be fear, but there's also hope..."

If all doctors were so good looking (the gals, not the guys nor that fat lady u idiot...lol), i would sign on as a medic and volunteer to send casualties to hospitals everyday...hahahahah

The run



Woah... wad a crappy week it has been. Finally, it has come to an end:)

Am truly looking forward to a brand new week, my ORD date ( 9 more days!!!), the completion of the SNU shirts and also the much anticipated KL trip!!! i just can't wait :D

Oh wells, a while a go, i went for a run around my neighbourhood, more precisely, along the jurong canal. Nothing special about it. Just felt that the weather WAS inviting and i just felt like running...hahahaha. I realised that i had never loboed 1 whole day and gave myself so much alone time for the whole of last week..hahaha

When i went down to the park to start my warm up and stuff, it suddenly started to DRIZZLE!!!! Wad de hell!!!! hahahaha talk about erratic weather man. It has been raining so much these few days like some pipe had just burst somewhere up there.....hahaha.

Well, most normal sane people would most probably just abolish the idea of outdoor activities, let alone running, at the sight of impending rain. I weighed my options. A, i could just walk a few steps back to the lift and go home, take a nice warm bath and dinner followed by some nice sunday chill out time or B, continue with my warm up and run, risking being caught in a heavy rain in the middle of my run and risk catching a cold and stuff...hahaha. I pondered over it for a second and went ahead with option B. Maybe i wasnt thinking at all but i really felt like running....hahahaha.... talk about determination man... wads a few rain drops....lol

After my warm up, i started my run admist the falling rain. It wasnt that heavy so i didnt really care much about it. As i jogged ( or panted) my way along my route, i realised one thing. It seemed that evety thing seemed so much more serene.... .... Everything seemed extra calm, extra cool. Life sorta slowed down.

There wasn't the usual couples cuddling one another along the benches or the congregations of youngsters hanging out chilling, the occasional guy or gal just walking along yakking away on their mobiles or that mom or dad dragging their kid along. It seemed that the drizzle was like a huge imaginary blanket that covered the whole of the neighbourhood, urging some to take things slow and others to just go and sleep.

Other than a couple of equally crazy fitness fanatics that were jogging too and the few solitary hardcore fishing fanatics clsd in rain coats (i really wonder if they actually caught any fish from the canal, would they dare to eat it?) huddling along the canal waiting for a bite on their lines, there was no sign of life. Everything seemed all so tranquil.... ...

To me, it was the perfect way to end a crazy week. Some nice, relaxing (oki maybe not that relaxing since i was running...hahah), peaceful alone time for myself to clear my head, think about the week that has passed and also to look forward to a brand new week ahead... ...

Sometimes, i wonder wad drives me to do crazy things like running in the rain...hahahaha

I might just catch that cold now...lol :P

~Where do unspoken thoughts go... ... into the crab nebulsa~


Yesh, it's nebulSa... not a typo. A friend of mine gave me this quote. It had several layers of meanings and i guess it is open to different interpretations i guess.

A nice quote nevertheless :P

I'm not an astrofreak wadsoeva.. but i must say that the crab nebula does look nice

Guess wad i found when i ran "cutmedowntosize" through yahoo...

http://www.myspace.com/cutmedowntosize

Metallic menace



Screw ups, foul ups, cock ups, snags, f**k ups... ... all the same. I hate them all but it seems to be all i get the past few days... ...

Even blogger is starting to become all wonky and stuff... ...Rawr!!!

Becareful... ... be very careful... cos i bite. When i do, i bite HARD... ...

Young stepped on a screw

.
.
.

The only thing that is really getting me going now is the fact that im going to ORD in 2yrs? no... 1 yr? noooo... 6 months? not really... 3 months? ahahaha... no.... .... .....

I have a grand total of 2 MORE WEEKS before i kiss my ALL SO MAGNIFICENT PINK FREAKIN IC!!!!!!! YAY!!!!! MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!

I wont miss u 11B..... bleh...wahahahahah

On a lighter note, i finally got backmy L7 which broke down on sat. DAmn irritating cos it bought it less than a mth ago. Well at lest i don have to chug my old nokia phone around anymore.

Erm... bears like to shop at HMV too?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MUM!!!!!!

:D

Mum looking so happy with her mango cake from secret recipe =p

Today was a tiring day....lol.... don ask me why.

Maybe it was jamming wif jerry. He's damn good on the drums btw.

Den again it could be that third trip we took down to queensway to try and settle the printing. Well, at least we got the process rolling. Hope it keeps on moving. Seriously quite sian already. So many screw ups and stuff. It's so hard to please everyone... ... lets just hope it'll go smoothly from now on.... :)

I4 lesson was frustrating to say the least... ... Today's move was definately not intended for tall people. Had a really hard time trying to execute and follow through the whole routine. Keep telling myself that being challenged is good though. At least after all the struggling and trying, i'll be able to dance better. Yep and at least it shows that I4 is value for money. No point paying good money if the moves are simple and well... ... it is I4 right...lol. Practice makes perfect i guess.

Dancing at union wasn't spectacular too. Was too tired. Somehow i didn't seem to be able to focus at all. I was somehow seriously distracted. Seem rather distraught and lost on the floor. Tried out today's move but... ... My lead sucked big time too... Maybe this is wad they call dancer's block...hahahahah...Guess it was was the convergence of all the negativity of the day. Oh wells... ... all of us have our days i guess...hahahah

Feelining all so spent now... ...






enuff of saturday. I realised that John Mayer's " your body is a wonderland" is a cheeky yet tastefully done song. Nice cheery tune and sensual mischevious lyrics....hahahaha. Go check it out.

=D

The return of the tall dark shadow...



Today, or yesterday if you to take into account that im writing this after 12, was the day that i had MY MOST EXHUASTING DANCE UP TO DATE!!!! wahahahahaha!!!!

Anyway, the day started out quite normal as every other day. Woke up to LUNCH at 12.30 ( i can think of so many names now that will want to hunt me down for that...wahahahah), hauled my lazy ass around the house abit before i left home at 3+.

Took a long long bus ride (198) down to queensway to settle some stuff for the SNU shirts... Well, sometimes i just lurve long solitary bus and train rides and walks.

With my trusty zen neeon, these long and slow rides become time to think about stuff. Just staring out into the changing scenery with different songs being popped into your head. These songs totally affect my mood. Sometimes, i just get this " hmm... i just feel like im in a movie" feeling. I like to be around people and i love company but i can never imgaine life without these precious moments of solitary self relfectionish alone time. Yesh... maybe im just wierd...wahahahah.

Back to queensway and the shirts, it seems harder than i thought it would be to get it all rolled out. Sigh.... guess i'll just try my best and hopefully we'll be able to get them in time for our kl trip.

After queensway, i headed down to orchard far east to get my hair cut at pointers. Now, my hair is short cropped and i like it that way. The cut was rather funny cos the hairdressers were yakking away in cantonese between themselves. Seriously loads of crap. The best part was, they didnt noe that i knew how to speak cantonese too!!! wahahahahah!!! i was seriously trying to keep a straight face throughout my hair cut...lol..

Upon leaving pointers, I realised that i was still way too early. It was 5.30 but i was supposed to meet the gang at 7.30. Decided to take a slow walk down orchard road to plaza sing. Along the way, there were many surveyors ( those pesky people that keep stopping you and ask you to take surveys). Well, i put on my earphones and let my zen entertain me along the way. I felt like a sheep trying to dodge numerous preying wolves. Talk about a big sheep...hahahah. I felt like so exposed..hahaha like everyone of them was like staring at me cos im like so hard to miss...hahahah.

Surprisingly, i was only stopped twice along the way. I think listening to earphones and constantly putting on a " come near me and i'll break yer pesky pen into 2 and stomp on the broken pieces until they become even smaller pieces" helped..... wahahahahahhah...

Eventually met up wif the gang and had ajisen ramen for dinner. Black pepper beef ramen was nice but i liked the soft shell crab better. Soft shell crab is like THE food lor...hahahaha. It ranks like in the top 10 out of my list of young's top 137 favourite dishes...waahahaha. Unlike normal crab where you have to like crack the shell open and painstakingly dig for the precious few morsels of meat while geting your hands all greasy and dirty, you can just take up whole pieces of golden fried soft shell crab in tasty batter, with shells and all, place it in your mouth and start chewing. Besides, i find that it tastes great,maybe even better than normal chilli or butter crabs!!!! Talk about hassle free delicacy....hahahah. Mmmmmm wad's life without soft shell crabs man...hahahahahah

After our satisfying dinner, we went down to ladc for an equally satisfying night of salsa!!! (for me at least...lol) Somehow, i found that there were more people this time around compared to last week. Not a bad thing considering the fact that most of them were pros... I counted at least 2 instructors (excluding ladc ones) from calienta and enmotion. As mentioned before, the music was good and so were the ladies...hahahahah

This was when, i had MY MOST EXHUASTING DANCE UP TO DATE!!!! (in a good way that is) wahahahahahah. There was this particular lady whom i guess was from enmotion cos she came with gary whom i danced wif. She wore a black dress with no specs. I was very impressed by her when she made an appearance with gary. She could really move man. My jaw dropped when she and gary were dancing.

I was so utterly impressed by her that i made up my mind to dance wif her. Well i knew that she was definately way way better than me but who cares...lol... This is young we're toking about here...hahahahah.

Well, later that night, i managed to grab hold of her for a dance. Almost imediately, i felt that i sort of bit off more than i could chew.....hahahahahahah...

For starters, boy can she REALLY GROOVE MAN!!!!!! All the isolation, styling and drop dead sexy moves!!!! WOAH!!!!! I was like OMG... shit i better do something too man!!!! I mean got to pei he a bit right... cannot machiam a block of wood lidat wad...hahahah No matter wad i also I4 2nd lesson standard liao wad....hahahahahah

So, i started to go into a frenzy of fancy footwork and threw in some body movement which lasted throughout the whole song.

Besides that, i realised she gave a hell lot of tension. I have never encountered a lady who gave sooooo much tension, even more than grace!!!! Thus, i had to return alot of tension too!!! It somehow felt like i was wrestling wif her!!! It was that much tension. However, i found out from some of the onlookers after the dance that it didnt really seem like there was much tension between us. Oh wells...hahahahah

Well, she could really follow very well. I could lead her into most of the stuff that i wanted to do but since we were dancing to a really fast track, i din have enuff time to pull off the more fanciful turn patterns. However, apparently there was this time that i tried to make her do multiple spins which looked quite forceful cos i didn really prep her very well. She still managed to do it wif much effort but it seemed that after that she was rather pissed and actually stared at me. I didn really notice it during the dance but elieen and jean or alan pointed it out to me after dance....lol

Well, if your are reading this, i'll apologise. Im sorry... Well sometimes i find a gal that can really spin very well get so caught up by that fact that i just start spinning and spinning the lady. I just get too caught up in the dance i guess...lol I'll keep in mind to prep the lady better from now on:)

As a whole, other than that unpleasant multiple spin, i would say that the dance was still pretty smooth and look relatively good.( I asked the rest who say us before i came to this conclusion...lol) Mostly due to that ladies movement and styling. On my side, at least the foot work and movement didnt look too bad...hahahaha.

That dance left both of us utterly exhausted (for me at least...hahah). Immediately after saying thanks and stuff, i was so tired that i half stumbled my way to the nearest fan that i could find to cool down. I didn even manage to ask for her name....wahahahah. Even after a good 3 mins in
front of the fan, i was still so wet that i decide to change into my spare t shirt that i always bring along when salsaing in case i perspire too much. hahahahaha.

Thank you lady in black sooo much!!! i really appreciate that dance :p

Being a lil' thick skin works sometimes.....hahahahahah =P

Melody of life



Yoz folks, today, i'm gonna talk about music. Yesh... music music music.

Music plays a very important role in my life. If i were to compare my life to a cup of water, music would be the colouring, the flavour, the fizz... ... the stuff that transforms that cup of water into a nice refreshing bitter sweet cup of beverage. To all you alcoholics out there (btw u noe who u r, don't drink so much), in other words, music would be the tonic to my gin, the coke to my whiskey or if u like it cold and hard, the ice cubes to my vodka.

Music gives my life its flavour. It brings out my mood. When im happy, i listen to feel good songs. Uplifting notes, easy beats, bubble gum lyrics. No angry rythms, deep dark lyrics or wailing solos. Life all around seems to smile with the songs. Nothing seems to get me down. Missed a bus or train? so wad.... more time to smell the roses and stuff.... or so says the songs:)

When i feel down and out, tough day at work, sucky bosses or jackassed people around. The songs in my world start to change. Spiteful lyrics, fast demanding rythms and beats, loud deafening electric guits... ... Think papa roach last resort or everenescene going under and bring me to life. (However, i must say i do not like all the rubbish nigger ganster raps. Too much vulgarities and all about decadance..... bleh!) Such songs brings out the anger in me. Adds fuel to the fire. Suddenly everything starts to pick a fight with me. Even the innocent cat crossing my path seems to do it on purpose to slow me down.

When life seems to turn its face the other way and things start to fall apart leaving down and depressed, songs like stand by me by oasis starts playing in my zen neon. " Stand by me, nobody knows the way its gonna be..." Songs seems to suggest a cry for help, a yearning of someone to be there, a hope for a warm embrace of sorts. Wailing guitars, draggy vocals. " i tear my heart open, i sew myself shut. My weakness is that i care too much..." taken from a song called scars. You start to notice things that seem to be missing in life. " Where are the flowers in the trees? Are they too as sad as me?"

Jazzy tunes, mandarin love ballads and english love songs go on in my earphones when im in a lurvvy dubby mood (which rarely happens nowadays :( ). Nice sentimental tunes, meaningful lyrics. Soulful steel acoustic strings coupled with bright and yet meaningful vocals. Trumpets and double bass in nice slow french jazz. " Fly me to the moon and let me play among the stars..." "Stars shining bright above u.... night breezes seem to whisper i love you... birds singing in the scygamore tree.... dream a little dream of me..." I still remember one of the best dates i ever had happened at this jazz bar called jazz @ southbridge. The mood, the jazz music, my date, our drinks... ... everything just seemed to fall in place :).

I also listen to ballads when i feel outta love and heartbroken. These ballads are more of heartbreak songs and songs of unreciprocated feelings. Fan yi chen's i believe, Guang liang's tong hua, Tao ze's pu tong peng you and ai hen jian dan... the list goes on. Somehow you suddenly pay special attention to the lyrics and start crying deep in yer heart. Bus and train rides seem to take extra long. Clingy couples nearby add to the torture. sigh...... The intensity of the heartache you have seems to rise and fall with the songs and you desperately wish someone could just come along and give you a nice warm hug and tell you that things will be fine. "... there are many things that i would like to say to you but i don't know how..."

Yesh music brings out the life in us for it is the sound track to our movie of life.

This brings me to why i learnt to play the guitar. Since music brings out my life, making music amplifies it. To me, playing on my guitar is a way to express myself. When im happy, i play cheery tunes like qing fei de yi. Late at night when my whole family is asleep and im alone on the couch and start thinking about the stars, fate love and life, i quietly pick up my guitar and pluck songs like when u say nothing at all or qing tian. Sometimes even the occasional fly me to the moon. Down and out, i jam songs like creep or just go wild and make dreadful noises on my 6 stringed fren.

Making music serves as an outlet to vent my emotions. Be it happy, sad, angry, in love or out of love and many other funny undescribable feelsings that get washed up in the whirlwind of thoughts and emotions inside of me. To me, strumming and squealing ( a pity that i cant sing for nuts...lol) songs on my guitar is a more subtle, soulful and expressive way of picking up a loud hailer and screaming my feelings out loud. It's more constructive in a sense too. Well it sure beats reaching out for that bottle of vodka, whiskey, ginn or bourbon and drinking myself silly. At least my liver wont suffer for my heartache right? :p .

My guitar teacher asked me wad was my favourite guitar song today. I told him wonderwall by oasis. He said something like " Wah you so backdated are... Nowadays youngsters... ...". Deep down in my heart, i replied "because it fits my mood right now."

So wad kind of music are you in the mood for tonight?

I hereby declare that WONDERWALL by oasis is my favourite song of the moment. I have been strumming and singing it for like the 1,376,892th time now...lol... it's a great song. However when i stsrt to sing (or squeal) it, my nose will msyteriously start to itch.... hmm... i wonder why....hahahahahhahah. Btw can any kind sould enlighten me on wads a wonderwall?

Cos lately... ...



Before i start, i'll just like to say i suddenly feel free (the freedom kind not the lobo kind....lol). Don't ask me why though...lol

Well, after a few fridays of recceing, i have finally decided. My friday salsa nights will be spent at LADC from now on. Before i go on, i'll present to you some stuff i found out about friday nights at different places.

First stop, Xen bar. There, you will be hearing crickets chirp and see dust balls rolling around. Why so? Cos i highly doubt there will be anyone around. I mean xen bar looks more like a movie set for some horror movie rather than a place for social dancing. Wad were they thinking man? So dark and deserted, i'll applaud any brave soul who goes there alone on friday nights hoping to find a dance partner. Good luck chump.... I think, it'll be better for them to just serve green tea and invite people to come down, sit in a circle, join hands, meditate and get in touch with their inner selves....lol... i think dat'll work...hahahahahahah

Next stop, union square. Located in amara shopping center, on the second floor above BK, it is the most packed ( really really packed.. think sardines in a tin) salsa dance place on fridays. Fridays is ladies night and so gals not only get in free but also get free drinks and get high in the process. Anyways, where u have hot and bothered ladies in skimpy short skirts and revealing halter tops, you will naturally have guys, lotsa them, all waiting and hoping to have a feel.... ahahahahahah. Think bees buzzing to honey, or to others houseflies to trash. Somemore with amara hotel just 30 secs walk away... *ahem*....lol

Anyways, since union square is so packed and full people, of which many don salsa or sux at it and take up space, it leaves us people who really like to salsa with no space at all to enjoy our dance. Coupled with a 15 bucks cover charge for guys, a ceriously cmi band and many highly dubious characters lurking around, i guess i'll give union on fridays a miss too. However, if i suddenly feel the urge and need for bare skin, i may just discreetly drop by before the cover charge sets in....wahahahahahahah :p

On fridays, jitterbugs opens its dance studio on friday nights for salsa fiesta. Ok. It's starts at 9 plus and ends at about 11 plus. Jitterbugs is located at mellinia walk(i tink i spelt it wrongly but... wth). So a suggestion for people going in groups would be to meet up and have dinner in marina square first. Young recommends Fins if you guys crave for affordable seafood :P.

First of all, the crowd there is..... average i guess. Most of the people available to dance are from the previous class but there are a few gems hidden amongst the whole bunch of people and a few union regulars around. The studio is sapcious enuff. I didnt really had to bother much about space and stuff. There is more than ample space to to execute complicated moves. The wooden flooring is also decent enough... well i mean it's a dance studio right......hahahahaha. A tad bit too slippery for my liking but i guess it's passable. I also liked the lighting there. It isnt dark and gloomy like most places and i can actually see my partner's face, zits and all...hahahahahah The music is pretty ok too.... the mix of music is rather modern i guess and certainly has that groove factor. What i didn't really like about jitterbugs was that the place was rather stuffy. The air con wasn't spectacular and for such a big space, there were only 3 fans of which 1 was spoilt. As you might already know, i tend to perspire alot when i dance so temperature control and ventilation is of the upmost importance to me. Other than the fans, i didn't really dig the 5 dollars cover charge. What!!!! 5 bucks for access to the studio and a water dispenser!!!!!! u must be kidding right!!!!!!

So, i guess you'll find me in jitterbugs on fridays if i decide to spend a quiet night and just go down wif the gang and just practice our moves and stuff:)

Ok... finally, we have LADC!!!! Located near clarke quay mrt and a stone throw away from clarkequay where all the action is (MOS and other clubs), LADC opens its studios on fridays for loco nights. It also starts at 9 plus till 11 plus or later.

Wad can i say? I think it ROXS!!!!! hahaha... Other than the fact that the place is a bit hard to find, i don really have anything else to pick against it....lol. There was space... lotsa space in fact because they open both their studios instead of just one. It was rather dim but they had a few cool lookin shaded lamps around which transformed the place into something like a uber hip and smooth party. I love the lamps.... seriously..hahaha. The place was very cool (temperature wise). There were quite a few fans lying around and the sir con was turned up. After each dance, i could pick and choose a fan that i fancied and blatanly stand in front of it to dry off :D. So, i guess i can actually just survive the whole night with just one shirt...lol.

What really blew me away was the music and people. The music was REALLY GREAT!!!! It had the ommph factor. Modern latin beats witha a few hip hoppish tracks and one or two bachata tracks. You'll constantly go like..." oooo nice song... shit i wanna dance..." and scurry off to find a partner throughout the night. It gets 10 outta 10 for groovines man!!!!

The mix of people there is execellent too. Yes u have your fair share of students but there were alot of pros there too. Jwo pointed out that the performers usually clustered on the left and right side of the big mirror in the center. Boy can they dance...hahahahahha even the students can actually follow quite well. I danced wif this sweet lookin gal (cant really see her face though... abit too dim...hahahahah) whom i think shld be in intermediate level and i found that she could follow quite well despite the occasional oops and hahas...lol. Yesh the people there rocked.

THE BESTEST PART OF LADC WAS THAT IT WAS FREE!!!!!!!! NO COVER CHARGE WAD SO EVA!!!!! Ideal for the budget salsa dancer like me...hahahahahahahah

I guess from now on if you start to find this big tall shadow lurking around in LADC on fridays nights, it'll most probably be me. Just come up, say hi and we'll start SALSAING!!!!!

:P