Dance Diary Part 14 - Merlion International Ballroom Dancing Championships & Johor Stars of Tomorrow International Dancesport Championships

I'm sorry to have put off this long to write about my S'pore/Johor championships. Truth is, Sem 5 had already started and boy it's TOUGH!!! I'm working around the clock even when it's only a few weeks into the semester! It's crazy, with all the IMS presentations to prepare, the community medicine project, household surveys and SPSS stuff which I had totally no idea how to operate... No wonder people say that sem 5 is the busiest semester ever! And EOS 5!!! OMG i dun even wanna think about it yet. I totally should've started studying earlier.

Nope I'm not gonna elaborate further about my semester, this is my DANCE diary, so imma get back to my competitions instead. So as I mentioned earlier, these 2 back-to-back competitions gonna most probably be my last competition for the year, so I had to make the BEST out of every single moment... and guess what, I think I DID! I did have a great time; dancing, competing, watching people dance and bonding with my studio mates... It was just as awesome as I wished it could be, and I can say that at the end of the day, I'm indeed a very contented girl. =)

For starters, OMG!!!!!!! I FINALLY WON SOME MEDALS!!!!!!!!!! *squealing in delight*

My 1st ever dance MEDALS!!! 2 bronze, 1 silver. (not the ones on the left, those are for running and table tennis.. lolx...) 

Opps, sorry, it's pretty hard to contain the excitement, but I'm gonna back up a little...


THE DAY BEFORE (5/8/2011) 

Had brief lunch in JB before heading off to Singapore. Good old wanton mee! =)

The magnificent Singapore with it's many skyscrapers!

So we set out the day before to Singapore, which believe it or not, was my FIRST time there, and my FIRST experience of visiting another country aside from our faithful Malaysia! O.o Singapore was just as I expected; strict custom, tall buildings, everything was like neat and tidy as if living in a box. And our little hotel was situated somewhere called V Lavender or something I wasn't really sure. It was a pretty nice hotel though, especially love the big screen window in our room! We girls ended up camwhoring by the window, with the magnificent Singapore skyline behind us.

Our hotel

Me and my roomies in our oh-so-sexy poses

You gotta love the wonderful big screen window behind me with the amazing city view!

In the evening, we went by the insanely-crowded MRT to City Hall 2 stations away to have our dinner. The food was like pretty exy especially if you do the conversion, and silly me only brought 20 dollars cuz I was expecting hawker food, so I ended up just having Burger King. Fast food rules!!! haha... It was pretty late when we got back, and after fussing around preparing the stuff we needed for the big day, we called it a night, sharing a king-sized bed between the four of us. Was quite a cram, but we were too tired and fell asleep with no problem at all!

With the WLD group at the MRT station heading to City Hall for dinner. (spot me? =P)

THE SINGAPORE COMPETITION (6/8/2011)
Waking up at 5am was a torture. But I wasn't going to grumble about it, for this was THE LONG-AWAITED DAY. And so we were all up early, preparing ourselves for our 'battle', as Aunty Merle always put it. That word kinda worked up my nerves, to be honest, but guess competitions are indeed, like a battle; and the dancefloor, a warzone. Anyway, up side of it, it kinda got my spirits boiling too, to go all out for a battle! But make-up was quite an ordeal, for I do really suck at it. The only few times I really put on make-up were for my previous competitions and also performances. Normal days? Nah. imma just let my face go au naturel! =P So with that little practice I've had, it was quite a struggle. Took me 5 hours to get ready!!! *gosh! but at least I was pretty much the same speed as the other gals too... lolx!* Thank God though it wasn't anything people would call a great artwork, my completed competition make-up was still fairly presentable. =P

The competition was held in this country club ballroom which was pretty magnificent too. And the dance scene was just as much of a 'battlefield' as I had in mind, with armies of competitors from all around the world. Unfortunate for us, when we arrived, the first few competitions had already started, which meant the warm-up session was over, and we missed the chance to test the floor. The dancefloor was HUGE, with brightly-polished wooden flooring, quite the best floor I've ever seen. Thank god it was good too, not too slippery or rough, really great to dance on!

Rumba in action!

Now to the Cha Cha

Samba  

The competition went pretty well I have to say. Although I was kinda nervous in the beginning, I became more and more confident as the events pass. And I managed to enter finals for all the 3 dances that I joined! Rumba and Cha Cha finals were night events, while Samba finals was finished off by afternoon. I kinda lost my timing halfway during Samba finals, idk was I nervous or what, but somehow it just happened. And hence the 6th placing for Samba. =( *damn me and my bad timing!*

Samba 6th placing

For the night events I gathered up my nerves and managed to give a better performance than my Samba. I got 3rd placing for both Cha Cha and Rumba, which means, my first few medals!!! Weeeeeeeee!!!!!!!! =) =) =) Although I wasn't champion yet, but it was really an improvement to me, considering the lack of practice I had beforehand and how much a black sheep I was. @.@ And it was an International Open event, whereby there are even quite a number of competitors from the 'notorious' China!!!  Lolx...

On stage as 2nd Runner up for Cha Cha

2nd Runner up for Rumba as well (still pwned by the china gals...sigh...)

Taking a break with Shi Teng

Anyway, after that, we bathed and washed up in the club's washroom, and then chilled around, waiting for Uncle William and the rest of our teachers to be done judging the competition so that we can all take our bus to our hotel in Johor. It was around 11plus when we were finally set to go, and many of us were already exhausted. We reached Johor at about 1am, and after checking-in and preparing ourselves for bed, it was already over 2 pm. I fell asleep dreading the thought of waking up at 6am the next day...

My Singapore comp certs! 

WLD competitors' group photo with our beloved teachers!

THE JOHOR COMPETITION (7/8/2011)
So I woke up an hour later than my alarm. *damn my bad habit of resuming sleep after switching off the alarm!* And so I had to bathe and gobble down my cup noodle at supersonic speed to make up for time loss. And then I went to join the girls to make-up. Again. Seriously I was kinda sick of the process. But good thing was that I actually improved from yesterday's practice, and so I manage to add a more dramatic touch to my eyes compared to yesterday. Kinda satisfied with my results, and less time spent too! =)

The bring-it-on-i'm-ready-for-battle stance!!! 

With the other home team gals in the 16 and above solo open category (Note how colourful our costumes are! teehee)

I reckon I'm doing the Cuban break

The venue for Johor comp was much smaller, in some restaurant where they had this temporary dancefloor set up. Managed to make it to test the floor this time, and boy was it slippery! But thank God somehow into the competition, it became less slippery, probably because the ballroom dancers who had their comps first danced away most of the wax on the top layer? haha!

One of my favourite Cha Cha pose. Just lurve how tanned I look for this comp!

Anyway, the competition went really great, and I had a really good time. Was kinda nervous at times, but when the music comes on, I just went all out for it, danced like there was no one watching. There was only one thing on my mind, and it was "I am doing the thing that I love, and this might be my last competition of the year, so I am gonna make the best out of it!" And so I did. Although in the end, I still couldn't manage to get champion for any of the dances, but I got into finals again for all the categories! 4th placing for both Samba and ChaCha, and first runner up for Rumba!!! (obviously Rumba is still my best dance =P)

1st Runner up in Rumba! What a pleasant surprise! =)

My Johor comp certs!

It was pretty late when we were done with the comp. We did not even have much time to remove our make up or bathe, as we were all packing and rushing to take our late night bus back to KL. Chinese medicine selectives classes waiting for me at 8am! It was crazy, really crazy. We left Johor at 1am, only to reach KL at about 6am. I was pretty exhausted by then, but I managed to haul my luggage and all back to Vista, remove my make-up, bathe, and get ready for classes, while other competitors get to stay home and sleep in... Hmm, price to pay for being a med-student I guess! We never really get much chance to rest! But it was all worth it, I would say. =)

One good thing about Johor comp is that dinner was provided! Yummm don't you just love an 8-course meal after a tiring day? Haha!

Table mates! =P

Epilogue
(credits to Stephen and all the other photographers whom I took the photos from! You know who you are!)
I think I'm gonna miss the competition scenes. Joining competitions under WLD is awesome, the great company, the fun we had together, the unity and cheering for each other, the learning and growing together... it's all parts and parcel of what makes the competition experiences great. And the DANCE, the smooth polished floors, the ballrooms, the lights, the photo-takings, the audience, the shimmering costumes... all these memories will be etched into my mind forever and always. I know that I will always love dancing, no matter where I go and what I do. I remember every word Uncle William told me after the prize-giving ceremony of Johor comp. He told me:" Whatever you do, please promise me not to give up dancing!" He said I was improving and getting better, and it would be a waste to stop dancing. I'll surely take these words to my heart, and yes, I will continue to dance. I certainly will! =)

I promise this will not be my last competition!

Till then!!! I'll leave you with,

Life is just so wonderful when there is DANCE!!!!!!!!! 

One Of The Angels...

I had tried to stop myself from doing this; but gosh, I HAD TO tell you guys about my current flame!!!

*drum rolls*
*hysteric dance*
..........
.......................
..............................
.....................................
.............................................

It's none other than... OUR GIRL, DREW BARRYMORE!!!

Say hi, angel!!!





















Had been spending my whole holidays drooling over her catching up with all of her movies. Simply awesome FTW. Drew is somewhat queen of chick flicks, and I LURVE chick flicks!!!

Chick flick recommendations: 50 First Dates, Music and Lyrics, Ever After and Never Been Kissed



"Charlie's Angels" a MUST WATCH, totally kicks ass!!! And "Poison Ivy" is my favourite Drew Barrymore movie. She was eighteen then; soooo drool-able, sizzling hot, smoldering sexy with her so-kissable pink lips, bare slim waist, extremely low-cut top, clad in tight short skirt displaying her long flawless legs... Seriously seductive.



I'll go Bi for her. Anytime. =P (You too J.Lo, no worries, I hadn't forgotten you)


"Do I like women sexually? Yeah, I do. Totally. I have always considered myself bisexual. I love a woman's body. I think a woman and a woman together are beautiful, just as a man and a woman together are beautiful. Being with a woman is like exploring your own body, but through someone else. When I was younger I used to go with lots of women. Totally - I love it." ~~~ Drew Barrymore


LOLOLOLOLX.... Apparently Drew had the same thoughts... *wink*




















Could you imagine how a fine woman she grew up to be?
And she was oh-so-adorable in ET, when she was just 7 years old.
Another amazing thing is that, now at 36, her looks haven't really changed!!!


"You find yourself talking to friends about work and your life, and you wonder if it is all going to be OK - 'Is this going to work out, what is going to happen?' Now, I don't feel as if I know it's going to be OK, but I don't feel it is going to kill me. I've got a good perspective on life now. It's like, 'We are going to get through this."

"It's the best time of my life - it's not traumatic at all. I don't think I've ever been happier. It's like the older I get, the better I get. Gravity and wrinkles are fine with me. They're a small price to pay for the new wisdom inside my head and my heart."

She's even happy about ageing. *salud*


Plus, what I love about her, is her optimism. She has this perspective about life that is so beautiful, and... strong. I can't really find an appropriate description for her personality, but I could just say that it captivates me. The way she carries herself, it was so grounded. Thing is, she never tried to act flawless, instead she dared to be imperfect (especially the mess her life was in when she was much younger), to take risks, and to dream. Interesting.



"There's something liberating about not pretending. Dare to embarrass yourself. Risk." ~~~ Drew Barrymore

"I'm happy and I think happiness is what makes you pretty. Happy people are beautiful. They become like a mirror and they reflect that happiness." ~~~ Drew Barrymore

Absolutely love her many quotes.
My wifey rocks!!! ^__^

Aww, I'm in love, again, with another woman. Not good. =.=
...................
...................
Who cares? =P

Time to go!!! I'll leave you with ---

I just can't get enough of you, Drew...

Dance Diary Part 6 - Of Shaky Hands and Broken Fans

It's CNY and I'm back in Ipoh. The past week was a blur of colours; lectures, performances, celebrations... all these flew by so fast I couldn't even keep track of them. A very happening week, I would say. A tightly-packed schedule, a three-day-long CNY celebration, two dance performances, a birthday celebration, and a journey HOME!!! ^_^

I'll leave CNY happenings for later, as this is a dance diary, and I should focus more on ahem... dance. So the week started with lots and lots of practise, and late dinners. By about 9pm on Tuesday night when we were still training Latin, I was already very much exhausted. It wasn't easy to juggle two dances at one time, both so demanding in different aspects. For Latin I need to have high flexibility, speed and sharpness. For fan dance, I need to have good control of the fan, strength and musicality...


What's more, our Latin Dance performance was on Wednesday, and by Tuesday still, we were tired and aching, having difficulties executing stunts, as well as keeping up with the timing. My spins were wobbly, and our dance lacked energy. And frankly, I was pretty worried about not being able to be in top form to bring our best performance the next day. And the last thing I wanted to do, is to dissapoint my Sifu with such lousy performance. It was my first official Latin Dance performance, and I really wanted it to be good. I wanted to see where it would bring me, all that Sifu had taught me for the past months I had been learning from her. Most of all, I wanted to dance better than I was...


Wednesday came feeling a little more refreshed and energized. It was much better, the practise we had before our lecture. Things were getting right, and though still nervous as hell, I was feeling lighter. I danced with my new shoes, as the old pair was already pretty loose and wobbly. I didn't want to think that, but it might be high time my old pair of dance shoes are to retire. It was my first pair of dance shoes and I do treasure it a lot. It sure saddens me to think that I might not be able to dance in it anymore... T.T

Had to wear my Latin costume to lecture, beneath a jacket, due to lack of time to change after lecture. And when the time of performance came at about 1.30pm, we were already all dressed and waiting by the atrium with a large crowd circling the perimeter of the atrium from all floors. It was a little nerve-wrecking, the sight of it. There were even many friends of ours who purposely skipped the beginning of their lecture, just to stay back to watch us. For that, I am really really grateful.




















Was the performance well? Yeah. Was it good? Not really. But we did give in 100% of what our weary bodies could manage. I think the audience had a good time watching. But as dancers, we knew it wasn't a great performance. There were times our timing was a little off, there were times we weren't sharp enough, there were times our balance wasn't well, and there was an air of nervousness throughout. Wei Jin told me his hands were shaking throughout, and I think mine were too. The audience might not notice all of these, but it wouldn't escape the eyes of professionals. If my Sifu was here, I wonder what would she say.



Sorry Sifu, I still ain't nowhere near soaring yet. I wish you won't be dissapointed with me.

I had been your student for nearly two years; but I had only been learning for about 6 months. I don't know if other 6-month-old dancers were the same level as me, but I so hope I ain't the worst.


You see, as I said, I am never a talented dancer, just a passionate dancer. I wonder if the love could bring me far...?


Neways, we didn't get to rest. Not that soon. There was still Fan Dance to go on Thursday. Practice was gruelling, and throughout the night of practice, several fans were broken, due to over-using of strength while opening and closing our fans. That was the difficult thing about fan dance, we need strength to create the dramatic effect with our fan, but the strength had to be well controlled to not end up in a fan-breaking disaster. Our ciplak RM7.90 cloth fan isn't really that durable, to be honest.


And soon enough, Thursday came and went. And thankfully, I get to have some rest after such a hectic week. We didn't do really well in our Fan Dance though we did have a great time. If I could describe our dance in one word, it'll be... hilarious!!! Thanks to En En, and you'll know why. Actually for such a difficult genre done in such a short time, and consisting of so many people who aren't professionals, there ain't much to expect from. The synchronisation wasn't good, the energy level was lacking, the moves weren't expressive, some fan broke, some people forgot steps, some people halted midway in their dance to pick up money from the floor (that's En En)!!! We had a good laugh over everything after our performance, so it was an enjoyable experience all in all. ^_^

























P/S: Looking forward to visiting my Sifu a few days later!!!
And spending the New Year with you... =p

Btw, HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!!

Day 86 - Dance Diary Part 4 - Of Tears and Laughter

My holidays are drawing to an end. This my last week here in Ipoh before my sem 2 in IMU commences. Last week of dancing with you too... T.T

The last lesson with Sifu was totally hilariously fun, to begin with. When she came to fetch us to her studio, she told me she was going to drop something to somewhere halfway. It turned out to be two drawers she wanted to send to a key shop. And it was just two individual drawers taken right out from her cupboard/wardrobe... Doesn't sound right, rite?

The story was that she sent the original drawer keys to the shop, hoping to make a copy of them. When she took back the copies, it didn't work. So she sent it back again, and the second copies didn't work either. She was pretty pissed off then, so she brought along her drawers for them to make another copy that is sure to work this time! (Lolx... at such a thing to happen!)

While the key makers were fussing with the keys, we proceeded to the studio. For our last lesson, we finished up our Samba routine, with more emphasis on techniques this time. Hips motion and most importantly, how to move along the dance floor, in an anti-clockwise direction. We weren't really good about the moving part, our Samba was pretty much stationary, or mebe only moving a little the previous lessons. Thank God at the end of the lesson, we managed to get the hang out of it!!! We could even circle around the studio, repeating the routine at different positions, without messing up our direction of steps.

And we even learnt the classic Samba Roll!!! It wasn't anything for beginners actually, but Sifu decided to teach us that, as a farewell gift maybe? ^__^ That was a move I had wanted to learn for so long, for it always fascinates me how beautifully flowy this move could be if executed well. But yes, you saw that, 'IF EXECUTED WELL'. And frankly we didn't execute it anywhere near well. Looked pretty much like some move out of a puppet dance when we did it, stiff and awkward, and it cracked us up a lot watching ourselves in the mirror. *Now I understand why this move isn't meant for beginners!* Gotta work HARD on this!!! =p


Learnt the techniques of spinning too, under my request. Cuz boy, I suck at spinning, big time. So I had wanted to polish up my spinning techniques. Spent the last 15 minutes or so spinning in each direction and trying to balance myself, trying to spot, trying to look good, trying to spin in a straight line, trying to keep myself from getting dizzy... It was downright hard work for me. And the outcome? I suck less! =p


Before we left the studio, I took some photos with my sifu, it was hard work convincing her to do so, for according to her, she wasn't pretty enough for a photo shot. So after finally convincing her that she looked even prettier than me, she agreed; but still, not after she forced me to remove my dancing shoes. Reason, she didn't want me to look much much taller than her! So I did. But truth is, even barefooted, I am taller than her!!! Nyek nyek... ^_^


After that, Sifu fetched us home while dropping by the shop to get her drawers and keys back. I didn't follow her down but Chin Yaw did, and man, cuz of that I missed out a good show! =p Sifu reaccounted the story to me later when she got back into the car, and it seriously sent me into a laughing fit, though I wasn't supposed to. =p

So for dunno what reason, she was reckoned as a stupid woman by the key-maker, who told her that it wasn't the keys which weren't working, but it was that she used the wrong keys to open the wrong drawers! And for these new copies, they even put sticker labels for her, and explained to her which key was for which drawer as though explaining 123 to a three year old kid. Sifu was pretty pissed off, and replied him curtly that she wasn't that stupid of a woman as he thought, and that she DID try both keys for both drawers. So there was this little arguement I assume, and Sifu and the key-maker mutual blacklisted each other I suppose! But as Sifu is, she wasn't actually pissed off or angry, she was just exasperated and innocently hurt; which made me couldn't help but laugh at her misfortune. *damn bad, I know...*

Neways, I'll forever remember,

我不是那么蠢的一个女人!!!

死鸡撑饭盖？！！

不要污辱我的智慧！！！

Funny quotes from Sifu!!! =p =p =p

And as the day ended, we waved goodbye to Sifu, promising that I'll be back to visit her during CNY. Thank you, Sifu, for all the good times that we had. One day, Sifu, I'll be back again to learn, just as I always did. No I'm still not gonna give up, no matter how hard the journey could be. And hopefully by then, I can be better than I am now, able to soar just the way you wanted me to. ^_^

Till then,
Christine


*******

This might be the final part of my dance diary before it is sent to hibernate mode, for dance doesn't come easy once I am not in Ipoh... sigh...
Sometimes I feel really lazy to write, but I still do. For my writings keep the moments fresh, so that in future, if I ever missed the past, I could always read back on them, and savage in the tears and laughter of those memories. And most important of all, I wanna keep the memories fresh, for I'd loved every single moment with you, you and you... And I just don't wanna forget them, not one bit, even...

Day 76 - Dance Diary Part 3 - Of Samba and Puke?!

Having Latin two days in a row is darn tiring. In preparation for our Genting trip (yay!!!) from tomorrow till Friday, we somehow had to cram all our lessons with Sifu yesterday and today. And on top of that, Ballroom was tonight too. All these were what made my feet throb... even now.

Lesson learnt --- Never arrange Latin and Ballroom classes together on the same day if you are to learn techniques for both... It... KILLS. Both you, your feet and your partner... =p


For Latin, we started off with a new routine on Monday, after polishing up with our Cha Cha. It was Samba. I hadn't really learnt a lot of Samba, so I though this was a good chance to get myself more familiar with this hot Brazilian dance. Started off with some core strength and hips technique training, samba walk, criss-cross volta, bota fogo...

I find Samba a really captivating dance, very special in many ways. Firstly, it moves around the place a lot more than the other latin genres, and Samba is danced in an anti-clockwise manner. Secondly, the ladies are always on the outer circle, and the men in the inner circle. Many a time, the men are to be sort of a 'shadow' to the ladies. Thirdly, Samba needs nicely executed hips and stomach motions to bring out the personality of the dance, which I think is pretty similar to stomach churning.

And the stomach churning thingy din't do good to me as I had a heavy lunch, and after Samba-ing for half an hour or so, I seriously felt waves of nausea in every move I made. Thank God I actually managed to hold it all back and continued dancing for more than an hour, till the end of the lesson. But I looked really green in the face after all that.


Lesson learnt --- Never eat too much before dancing Samba. This is serious advice. You won't wanna puke all over the dancefloor!


Borrowed the latin clothes from Sifu. 4 similar tops, hand-made. They look nice to me, the four different striking colours on the same black base, complete with soft-flowing ruffles. But the tops were bareback, bare-tummy, bare shoulders... pretty bare all in all. I'm worried no one would dare to wear it... T.T Just hope I could gather enough dancers and train them in time for the coming CNY performance in IMU. It's just about three weeks away from now, and so far, Wei Jin and I hadn't had much preparations done yet, mostly due to Summative 1 & then the sem break in the way. But we decided we'd do some simple group Latin instead, so IMU folks, anyone interested?

*******

As for Ballroom, we finally got to proceed in our Waltz, doing whisks and chasses. But still, a lot of practice was required to get a hang out of it all. And did I tell you? I got myself a new pair of ballroom shoes! It was 2-inches heeled, closed-toed, gold, and made of soft materials. I love the glitter gold fire-tongue-like design at the back, giving a slight touch of glamour to the demureness of the shoes. And these shoes were softer than Latin's, so I got away from the night with only a blister near my soles, not bloody cut-lines. ^_^


*******

Packed for Genting and managed to catch episode 5 of SYTYCD Season 6. This season seems better than the previous, and the dancers seems more talented than ever. And most of the talents were much younger too, most of the good ones only just turned 18. Wow. And one thing I notice about auditions, the judges like to put great ballroom or contemporary dancers straight through to Vegas, but they hold back on great hip-hopers or dancers of other genres. Maybe they have doubts on the latter's versatility... I'm not sure.



I guess if I ever entered SYTYCD USA, I won't even get pass audition. Nigel wouldn't even let me dance for more than one minute. And the best thing Mary can say will be: "You're just not strong enough for this competition... I'm sorry. But keep working hard, and thank you for coming...!"



Lesson learnt --- As a dancer, grow in what you do, and try to be more versatile. I realized that I am sadly, not at all a versatile dancer, judging from the hard time I have going through adapting to Ballroom. As Raymond always say, " I DON'T WANT YOUR LATIN STYLE!!! THIS IS BALLROOM, NOT LATIN!!!" These days, I'd come to realize that on this journey, there are still loads I need to improve on. It never fails to amaze me, how there is such a wide horizon to dance, how there are such heights I am yet to explore... so much more.



If this journey has stages, then I'm an infant; new, amazed, excited but afraid. Would I ever be the strong, confident adult I would so wish to be?
I don't know.
But I'll grow.

And we'll see. ^_^



Genting tomorrow! Can't wait,
Christine

Day 74 - Dance Diary Part 2 - Of Heels and Toes

It had been two weeks since I ventured into my new-found dance field, and still, I'm so very unfamiliar with all the mechanisms, or techniques, as we call them. And boy, my pace at picking up Ballroom techniques is ten times slower than Latin, so I ended up still stuck in doing the basics after these whole two weeks. *Sigh... I fail...* T.T


There is one major difference in Latin and Ballroom --- Latin's always on pointe, while Ballroom needs to heel and toe. As a Latin dancer from the start, I admit it's pretty hard to assimilate the heel toe thingy into my steps. Very often, my Latin instinct/muscle memory/nature whatever-you-call-it takes over, and I move forward on pointe instead, earning me more scoldings from my new teacher, Raymond or his partner, Marie.


Raymond is very strict when it comes to dancing, he never hesitates to scold us sternly whenever we did mistakes or were just not up to par on the techniques. He even hits our arms and legs if we were to place them in a wrong position or moved them incorrectly. Harsh training, but I know it was all for our own good. I don't mind it one bit, it really pushed me. And what motivated me more to push myself on even when I was darn tired, even when I made so many mistakes over and over again that I wish to just give up and rest... was what he said at the end of a lesson: " You are one who can dance, that is why I wanted you to do the steps & techniques perfectly. If it's for someone who isn't really a dancer, just steps will do enough for them..."


And so I got up and tried again and again, ignoring the way my Latin shoes were carving bloody lines on my flesh, as I struggle to support myself well "the Ballroom way" in them. Truth is, it isn't advisable at all to dance Ballroom in Latin shoes, as the Latin heels were higher, which means less support as well as difficult rise and fall for Waltz. And the open-toe structure would mean gliding on your toes instead of in your shoes. *No wonder my toes were traumatized at the end of each lesson...sigh*

Note to self: Should get myself a pair of Ballroom shoes asap! (I'm not going to give up on Ballroom, will continue learning it, so yea, Ballroom shoes are essential for me.)

*******

Unlike the stressed, highly driven Ballroom classes, Latin classes were high-spirited and just, full of fun and energy. One thing about Sifu, she's one of the most adorable teacher I had ever met, really bubbly most of the time. And I think the bubbliness is one thing I learnt from her too, aside dancing. Lolx... We could talk about almost everything, and very often, we would send each other laughing all the way on the car to the studio, through lessons, and back home. And as dear Chin Yaw got more familiar around her, it became us three sitting around after class, cooling down in the studio and chatting away.


Well, it might sound like all fun and non-serious learning, but don't get me wrong, it's still a huge amount of learning, plus sweat and blood and a lot of effort. Latin classes were never a breeze, though I find them much more in my comfort zone compared to Ballroom. Over the past 2 weeks, we had got through an intermediate chacha routine, with a split specially choreographed for me, but which I couldn't execute well as I lost my split to Summative 1 in IMU... *long story* Anyway, it was later replaced with some other move. Samba was next, beginner's steps, techniques included. And Samba techniques sure isn't taufu.


Still a lot to work on --- fluidity of executing the routines, interaction with partner, my still-sucky spins, timing, my Cuban Break... and imma determined to regain my split. (Sifu thinks I'm cheating her about doing the 4 splits in cheerleading...grrr...)


I got till next week. Gotta practise my feet off. =p

P/S: Got to visit Sifu's newly-renovated third floor of her studio... (remember the dark-dusty-abandoned-ju-on-hideout-like 3rd floor I mentioned in my previous post? You can check it out HERE...) She cleaned and renovated most of it herself! Unbelievable! So she earned herself another 'title' --- renovation worker, on top of all her previous 'titles' --- dancer, adjudicator, teacher, costume designer, artist, children caretaker, driver... *Simply awesome!*


Gute Nacht,
Christine

And I wish I could dance again...

Been ages this gurl hadn't posted any 'this-is-my-life' entries up to her blogger, so she'll might as well write one for all the dear readers outta there who might be wondering if she is still alive or not... lolx... jk jk... ^_^

Yupz, I'm very much alive and active.
Thanks for your concerns.


This is the 2nd last day of my mid-sem break *cries out loud* so I'll just sum up on all the procrastinating and unproductive life of the past week. >.< (Am not going to mention about the previous 2 weeks when I was entrapped in a jail of Nelsons, notes and pyq... Each day waking up and being dragged out of jail to undergo trial after trial in an excruciatingly cold chamber before being sent back to the lonely jail again, awaiting and dreading the trials to face the next day... *shivers* )


Back to the story.







The best way to start an unproductive lifestyle is to SLEEP A LOT!!! And that is what I did... Who can resist the beauty of sleeping when you have such an adorable sleepmate to cuddle up with? *winks*














Too bad you aren't here with me...













And since I'm back in beloved Ipoh after such a long time, surely I have to eat all the good food!!!
Tauge chicken, sa hor fun, pan mee, siew toufu, roasted pork, ku lou pork, soft-shell crab, butter prawn, dumplings, curry mutton, oyster porridge... and all my mummy's home-made dishes!

Yum yum...!

*you won't get fat if you don't think about getting fat...* ------- Lame theory of mine but a good excuse to continue eating without feeling guilty... hehe...

Another best activity --- lepak-ing!!! Monday Parade, Tuesday Parade, Thursday JJ, Saturday Tesco...!
Okay, I know I really am wasting time... =.=

But OMG, lately I'm so very into sports wear! (though lazy me don't actually do sports, except dancing, swimming, ping pong and... ^_^) Yes I don't do sports, but I can still like sports wear rite? Lolx...
All these lepak-ing makes me realise there are lotsa nice tops for sale; Schwarzenbach, Ogival and my dearest Nike! But I gotta save gotta save gotta save!

So I'd been struggling for quite a long time whether or not to get myself this really nice sleeveless Nike hoodie that I saw a month ago... And after lotz of decision-making, I'm finally the proud owner of the dark-grey hoodie, after figuring out that white is harder to maintain.
It's super comfy and sporty and a little sexy... cheerz to another priced possesion of mine! *gotta save up on food when I get back to SA to make up for the cash loss... sniff sniff...*

I'll wear it to show you someday... lolx...


And oh yea, I saw my dear Sifu on Thursday!
It was Thursday nite and I was going to JJ to check out my Nike hoodie. Bumped into her right at the main entrance. She told me the kids at studio were going to be performing for some charity thingy and since I'm so coincidently there, I might as well go and support.

Turned out that I stood there watching the performance for the rest of the night, along with a couple of old friends whom I met there. Most of the dances that night was Latin, there was one nice Tango, by the senior students. It was nice.
But too bad that in between the dances, there are lots of kids and teens singing, which I find very BORING! They were just standing there shouting the songs out in their loud kids' voice, all dressed up like dolls, and some doing lame dances which are so not-up-to-standard compared to the latin dances... Spent the time chatting with my friends throughout the singing performances... Lolx...

It had been quite some time I hadn't seen my studio friends and all of them were glad and surprised to see that I'm back. (this old and tall junior of theirs who 'disappears' to KL very often... and magically 'reappears' every half a year later... sobz..)

Sorry. I didn't really have a choice. I love dancing and I really do miss dancing at the studio all the time. If only I have the time, I'll surely go as often as I could.
It's just that I have other things on hand. Not now, maybe later... Someday I'll be back, don't worry.


Sifu caught me in the crowd when a little girl dressed as a princess was shouting some mandarin song onstage. Caught me right when I was consuming a 150kcal McD ice-cream...OMG. *paiseh >.<*
She shot me a disapproving look... Sorry Sifu, I'll watch my weight... *blushes blushes*

I remember the last time she said I had put on weight, it was when she was fetching me back home from studio. And she told me the cheapest way of losing weight is to go jogging by the Kinta River, which is practically right opposite my house..
Ahem, she didn't know that jogging was my most-hated sports ever... =.=
Oh, and I remember that You too always advised me to go jogging...
Okay okay, maybe I should listen to you all and go try someday... for the sake of my abs... OMG..

She told me about the latest happenings at the studio... which made me miss that place even more. Sigh sigh sigh......Jiyi is feeling darn emo...

I WANT TO GO BACK TO STUDIO AND LEARN MY DANCE!!!!!!!!!!!!! How on earth am I going to get any further if I am so discontinuous???!!

Okay, no ranting. Ranting isn't going to help in any way.
And I know you don't like me complaining.
I'll just pray hard.
& Strive hard.
I'll make you proud.

I believe that one day, I will have all my dreams come true. As long as I have the determination. This is something that You taught me... ^_^ wonder if you realise it or not...

I am never lost, with Father and my guardian angel beside me... *smiles*
Gracias!!!

* In the meantime, I'm gonna polish up the routines I had learnt... practise makes perfect right? And I'm still a long way to perfection... Yay, light up and gear up!!! *

Día Uno

It's Day 1.
I'm still not back.
I wanna dance. These tired feet.
This weary heart.
A lifeless Rhumba.

Good thing you weren't here to see.

I can't possibly Jive.
At least not now.
Little children always Jive better, I think.
Their Jive's always lighter. Maybe cuz their minds are.
My batteries are down;

But my phone's always charged.

Blue sweater on my bed.
Precious things snug in my heart.
Guess I can get through.
I'll be coming back soon. Your angel of all seasons.
Bless me, pray for me.
I'll not make you worry.

The next Rhumba's gonna be better. I promise.

Just wanna quote a sentence from Elisa's lyrics:
"Life goes on, here and beyond that horizon..."

And so we will. ^_^

la última nosotros vez que bailó...

When was the last time we danced?


Do you still remember?
The little black dress.
The blue sweater.
La Rhumba? Sí, la Rhumba.


There's this rain. Pouring rain.
There's this umbrella. Small and frail.
There's this smile. Rainbow.

Wet pants. Even wetter feet.

Sliding, spinning across the floor. New York, a Sliding Door...

Had been so long ago.



I've been dancing alone...

I'm saving every last dance...

For You.

It's Coming...

Christmas is officially over.
Christmases are yet to come.
It's never the same again. At least not just yet in the next few years.

Father,

May every Christmas to come be full of Your blessings.

The rainy season had started.
Storms are yet to come.
It's going to be hard. At least I ain't gonna see it stop just so soon yet.

Father,

I'm preparing my heart. Grant us strength.

The road is coming to an end.

The journey had yet to start.

It's going to be long. At least long enough for the heart to grow fonder.

Father,

I need Your help. See us through.

Yet again,

The prayers will never end.

It's going to be alright in His presence...

Remember,

there are three things that endure,

and the greatest of all...

It never leaves you.

*Just close your eyes, and I'll be
there. *

¡Hola, Bonita!

*****BEWARE!!!*****

A Beauty coming your wayyyyyyy!!!!!

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TADAA!!!!!!

Chill babe... Hang on a while...

Take a deep breath;

Here we go...

Whoa look!!!

A watch!!!

* Watches are Jiyi's best friends just as diamonds are a girl's best friends..*

Lolx...

Let's have a closer look!!! Zoom in, camera!!!

See the love-shaped clock-face?

It's oh-so-adorable!!!

Awwww...

Thanks so much!!!

***

One more beauty to add to my watch collection!!!

And a hyper memorable one too!!!

YAY!!!

*You're right, I AM lucky*

Nite nite, my dearie!!!