Grey Matter of a Cat

SBDTA - Conclusion of my first competition season

2009-12-15T05:32:00.003+08:00

The eagerly anticipated SBDTA competition has concluded - marking the close of my first ballroom competition season. Though I've been looking forward to the break, to allow both my finances (boy, is competing expensive!) and physical condition to recover, there is a sense of loss and emptiness that comes along with it. Emotions run pretty high during the leadup to and during the competition. Post competition brings with it just that bit of loss from the lack of intensity of feelings.

I did pretty well for this competition, though I was really off form, but Lady Luck was smiling on me and we did a pretty nice sweep of medals; 4th for Tango, 3rd for Waltz and Viennese Waltz, as well as 2nd for Quickstep and Slow Foxtrot. I must say that I'm very satisfied with my results for Viennese Waltz & Slow Foxtrot, given that it is the first time that I'm competing in these two events. Waltz has seen a marked improvement and I'm happy with it too. The only disappointment came with the Tango and Quickstep. I feel that we could have done much better - it was definitely not our best performance.

On a positive note, we can at last look forward to taking Novice choreography! Am so excited to learn more complicated steps like the pivot turns, contra check, check, together with step-hop for quickstep and of course, my beloved Tango!

Having gone through the action photos, am happy to note that my posture has improved significantly since the last competition. At least I no longer make cringe inducing mistakes like splayed fingers or total loss of winding.

Like salsa and pool, ballroom is something that I'm proud of having a reasonable level of competency in. I do not wish to live life regretting all the things I started but never achieved anything out of.

10th Stardust Grandprix

2009-06-23T04:19:00.003+08:00

Its Tuesday, and I have sufficiently gotten over the excitement to post on it.

Yes! I have finally taken part in my very first standard ballroom competition!

So overwhelmed by various emotions and thoughts that i scarcely know where to begin.

Firstly, I must say the great sense of accomplishment is stunning. So this is how it feels like to work for something, achieve it, and feel proud that the glory was earned. Not just a mere trick or accident of nature.

(I must really bill myself for rambling to myself - lawyers a la mode)

Having started working on this goal to compete in ballroom a long way back, two years come this September, from starting with salsa, progressing to latin, before finding love in standard, its been a long route.

Rehearsal at 7 in the morning - i was a total bundle of nerves to the extent that my partner commented i was literally trembling.

The first dance of the day was the Quarter-finals for Beginner Waltz. Quietly confident that we will do alright, I blanked out after the first couple of lengths of floor. Something I would have never ever believed of myself before it happened.

Our next event was the Semi-finals for Quickstep. As it was our weakest dance, we felt little pressure as we did not expect to perform. Yet it will turn out to be the only dance that we managed to enter the finals for. Lesson learned - dance to dance well and not to win.

Tango was a personal disappointment to me. As the floor was the most crowded then (as compared to Waltz and Quickstep), our lack of experience in floorcraft resulted in our inability to even dance at our normal standard. On a positive note, the experience has instilled in me an even stronger motivation to perform and do well at the next competition.

Romeo et Juliette: de la Haine à l'Amour

2008-07-02T04:11:00.004+08:00

Premiering in 2001, Romeo et Juliette: de la Haine à l'Amour is a french musical based on William Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet. I'm in love with the song "Aimer", a duet by Romeo & Juliet after their union is blessed by Friar Lawrence. Perchance, I heard the song being sung on a taiwan variety show.

Sung by Cecila Cara & Damien Sargue, this duet moved me to tears. It is rare that I come across such a beautiful piece. Cecilia recorded this piece when she was only 16 years old; the purity and strength of her voice is stunning! She calls to mind of a younger Lara Fabian; the semblance in purity and clarity, though rather lacking in power. I also found out that she was tasked with vocally dubbing the role of Christine Daae in the 2004 french release of the movie Phantom of the Opera.

Argentine Tango

2008-06-02T03:36:00.003+08:00

I had my first brush with Argentine Tango today at a trial class at Dance En-motion.

With the propagation of new media, most of us have probably come across tango in one form or another. Argentine Tango is different from Ballrom Tango, which is characterized by the staccato movements and head-flicks whereas the former's defining point is the intricate legwork of the ladies.

ARGENTINE TANGO

BALLROOM TANGO

Other film examples of Argentinian tango will be the tango scenes from Moulin Rouge and Take the Lead.

Initially, I found the posture slightly difficult to adapt to; the slight lean forward as compared to the centering of weight over one's centre of gravity which is common to salsa due to the spinning. In addition, there is no need for body isolation, as tango is a smooth dance in which the couple move as one. It took a little getting used to, to stop myself from isolating my hips as I move.

In salsa, we step our basic forward and backward to the tempo of the music, however, in tango there is no guidelines music wise for the ladies. You have to put your trust, totally in your partner to guide and lead you. The lady has to feel the weight change of the partner, through the points of contact; the arms and hands, and based on that shift her weight too, to react to the next tension push or pull from the lead to either move backward or forward respectively. The total trust I had to put in my partner was really unnerving. It requires so much more faith than bachata.

I managed to catch on after a couple of partner rotations, and boy did I enjoy myself! By trusting totally and reacting simply on tension, the resulting intimacy enjoyed is very satisfying. Unlike salsa, its not about the difficulty of the combos, the number of spins, the styling, rather, its about going on a journey with your partner.

Places to learn Argentine Tango at:
1)Abrazos (Milongas every friday, saturday)
2)Ixi-danza
3)En-motion
4)Jitterbugs
5)Xenbar (Milonga on tuesdays)

*Milonga is a tango social night*

I'm hooked... On Argentinian Tango!

Phu Dorje: Confidence and the Abyss of Delusions

2008-05-29T03:47:00.004+08:00

Of late, after much practise, I've been able to do multiple spins easily, and with more than one partner.

In reflection, I think this was because, after the first time, the knowledge that I'm able to spin more than once (the evidence of a precedent) gave me the confidence, to just put faith in my partner (regardless of whom I'm dancing with) and let him spin me.

Translating into life, the knowledge that you are able to achieve something, emboldens you to try, making a serious effort, and therefore, the probablity of you succeeding is significantly higher.

I remember this from rockclimbing, its all in the mind. We used to say that, and say it to each other, in support and encouragement. Its all in the mind. If you lose mentally, you will never be able to overcome the wall. You would have already lost before you touched the first tile.

Rockclimbing gave me alot. Even though I was never a really good climber, each time i touched the first tile, it was always me against myself. Nothing can stop you but yourself. From making it to the resting point, reaching the overhang, overcoming the overhang, to reaching the top.

Incidentally (though I have no doubt that it wasn't an accident), the wall is named Phu Dorje. Nepalese for Great Teacher.

VP, Treasurer, Secretary, Quartermaster; part of the very first EXCO. Those were the days. Some of the people who made it happen.

Anyway, I digressed.

Ultimately, if one believes in one's capabilities and strengths, confidence naturally manifest, translating into an exponential increase in the probability of succeeding at the task at hand.

Of course, wrongful belief in one's abilities or overestimation of oneself is plain delusional. Its a thin line to tread. The abyss of false confidence and delusional behavior beckons just on the other side.

** Kudos to my wonderful dance partner for patiently practising with me**

OOT: I LOVE SALSA!!!!!!
Really OOT: I MISS ROCKCLIMBING!!!!!!!

# OOT = out of topic

Meditative Rose

2008-05-26T04:26:00.001+08:00

I first came across Salvatore Dali in the year 2005. I never thought that I will like his work, seeing as how I didn't find any of his work which I had the opportunity to chance upon, visually appealing nor intellectually stimulating. I'm not saying that his work isn't good, I just didn't like nor appreciate his style. A facebook application has cracked a hole in my wall of resistance to Dali.

This application allows one to display one's favourite artpiece, on one's profile. I chanced upon 'Meditative Rose' by Salvatore Dali, 1958, one of his later pieces.

My initial impression was one of unattainability.

The proportion of the rose with respect to the man on the ground greatly emphasizes it. In addition, the vibrancy of colour as well as its occupancy in the middle of the picture lends weight to its positioning as the centre of attraction. That the rose floats midway between earth and the sky (heavens) suggests respect, admiration or perhaps even idolatry.

However, as a plant and living thing, the rose cannot bloom without first having grown from a seed which sprouted roots digging into the earth. Thus far, while it may seem at the initial stages that the rose blooms above all, it is infact rooted to earth, growing from the same ground that man stands upon.

I truly enjoy this painting as it reminds me that unattainability is only a farce and being rooted is perhaps the most important guide by which we should live our lives. At the same time, the vibrant colour of the rose in full bloom, as well as the admiration and attention it enjoys invokes great positive energy and life in me.

By far, this is the only Dali painting that I've ever felt good about.

Rats Racing in the Lab

2008-04-23T15:45:00.004+08:00

Hunched over the Review Section of Straits Times during lunch hour, I was engrossed with the article "The Writing's On The Wall". It touched on an English cult graffitist, known as Banksy, who has never been identified. His work can be found here. The article discussed how public art confers life, character and personality to our surroundings allowing people to better identify with the physical environment. (Full article can be found on page 22 of the main section of the Straits Times, 23rd April 2008)

The article calls to mind several discussions I have had with my peers on different occasions on how 'ugly' modern Singapore is. Our main bone of contention was that Singapore was developing at the sacrifice of cultural and historical fabric. We do not feel any metaphysical connection to our physical environment as changes are occuring so rapidly that we barely have sufficient time to familiarise ourselves with the layout, let alone develop any connections.

We live in a giant sterile laboratory. Infrastructure are developed at maximum speed, minimum cost and with absolutely zero heed to the aesthetic appeal and compatibilty with the surroundings. It is no big wonder that Singaporeans flog overseas in search of places where there is a history and culture worth speaking of, where the pace of life is slow enough to allow for lateral growth. It is not that we are unable to keep up. There is just simply no point in running this rat's race when we can live but a few decades.

Rats racing in the lab - ultimately, still trapped within a cloistered, controlled environment.

Why I'm still up at 4:41 AM...

2008-04-21T04:34:00.002+08:00

How to flirt with men

I think that says it all. Off to bed now!

P65 Blog

2008-04-20T17:26:00.000+08:00

For those of you out there who suffer from insomnia, I have rediscovered a gem of a solution, presenting itself as the P65 Blog.

Purported as a blog maintained by MPs born post independence, to engage the younger generations in national issues, it reads like an extension of Straits Times. Essentially, telling us nothing else new that we have already known from internet newsfeeds, with a paragraph or two of personal opinion squeezed in, perhaps as an afterthought.

I dislike extremely, the talk-down tone they assume, and the unwarranted need they feel, to provide us with lengthy informational articles. One emerges, blurry-eyed, after managing to digest the entire article, to realise, that that's the BLOG ENTRY (The one to two liner of personal thoughts were negligible in relation to the actual length of the article)!

For all the talk about Singaporeans being out of touch, I wonder, who is really out of touch? Are they actually that delusional to believe that they are able to engage the people of today with lengthy informational articles? What we want to see is how the people who are representing us think and feel on issues. Merely clinging to the party's stand defeats the entire purpose of a blog to ENGAGE Singaporeans.

Unless of course, the point all along, was to win people over to their stand.

Childhood curiosities

2008-04-18T00:14:00.000+08:00

As I was walking along the void deck of my block earlier this afternoon, I saw a couple of primary school children attempting, to start a fire by concentrating the sun rays through a magnifying glass onto a piece of paper, which they were holding in their hands.

I was tempted to go forward to advise them otherwise, as what they were doing was potentially self-injurious. Should they have succeeded, the paper may just ignite in their hands. Thankfully, the magnifying power of the magnifying glass that they were using was not that great, hence the concentration of sunrays were insufficient. I walked away after a moment of deliberation; we've all had our curious moments in our younger days. Such is the invulnerability of youth.

They remind me of myself attempting, unsuccessfully of course, to cook an egg by placing the entire egg, shell and all, into the microwave oven. It exploded, and so did my mum. The event has become something of a joke now, to be looked back upon fondly (cringingly) at my own idiocracy.

We often forget, and are quick to advise when we see or know of people making the same mistakes as we once did. But how often do we remember that everyone learns through experience and would we ourselves have listened have we been offered the same advise when we were in that position? Remembering keeps us youthful, and more often than not, unsolicited advise (criticism) is not looked upon kindly.

Let our children remain as children whilst they are.

Acceptance

2008-04-14T01:33:00.000+08:00

We've all read fairytales at some point in our lives. The lucky ones among us have had them read to us, by some loving adult, when we can scarcely do more than cry to indicate hunger or any other discomfort. We probably grew up believing to a large extent, that people do live happily ever, the evil get punished, and the good, rewarded.

We know now, that this is not true. Life is no fairytale it seems. The world, is unfair.

When we first come to that realisation, most of us are faced with great disillusionment and insecurity. What happened, to the world that we thought we knew of? Shaken by the harsh realities of life, we each struggle in our own ways to come to terms that not all people are inherently good, and not every innocent action may be in good faith. Majority do come round, eventually. There exist though, people who are forever mired, at the point when they first became aware, unable to deal with reality, seeking instead, to change the face of reality to suit themselves. These people are sadly disjointed from the real world.

From a marketing perspective, you have to first know your strengths and weaknesses, to be able to be anything to reckon with in business. Denying that the world around you do exist doesn't change the fact that it does exist. You will simply be sidelined and eventually, left behind by competition.

Through acceptance, comes the ability to analyse situations and henceforth position oneself uniquely, which is definitely, a much more effective strategy than denial.

Its time to accept and move on.