Another little piece of enlightenment… (Dun mind my rattling nonsense, but wait a minute, this is my blogg, what do I care? I'm charting out my life here)

It’s not clearly obvious to a normal person but it’s a very logical fact that teachers don’t necessarily favor teaching the most talented people out there. I mean talented ppl catch on very quickly, but so what?

As a teacher, what fulfills me most is when I see ppl who badly want to learn something that I can share with them, and their eyes light up in real appreciation when I show them how to do it.

It’s the Eureka moment that “makes my day” (to quote Clint Eastwood). And I’m so happy for them when they ‘get it’ coz their world (and yours) changes after that. Yup, it happened today when yy loosened up.

I need to learn magic: levitation 101 and invisibility 101.
Apparently, I missed the classes they recently conducted in school. And darn! It came up for the exam. We were required to levitate our notes when we needed to refer to it and had to identify the invisible table on which to put our question paper on. As a punishment for missing classes, I became a juggler and a woodpecker instead of a magician. What misery…

Ever done an open book exam on a “table” that is half the size of a normal school table? I juz did, and what an experience it was! Felt like I was taking a juggler's exam: Try scribbling frantically with your right hand, while your is left balancing the question paper and pieces of your notes (thanks to lack of space on the puny table), and your feet are on their tippy toes to balance the other notes from falling off your lap (yes, my legs are rather short).
On top of that, the stairs beside me (I was sitting at the corner of the lecture hall) was strewn with piles of notes haphazardly stacked as far as my hand could reach. Here is where I did my exercise for the week, The Woodpecker Stunt: dive/bend down, desperately find the notes I need, use it and place it back only to find another… dive down and come up, down and up, down and up, what a lovely sight I must have made!

And then, my notes decided that it was time to learn how to fly. They enjoyed it so much that they were competed in the ‘who flies the furthest off my lap’ contest ( and I of course responded with more woodpeckering to pick them up). My pen also decided to join in the fun and tried to bungee jump off the table top. In its excitement, it rolled off the table before we could fasten the harness/string onto it and committed accidental suicide. (It miraculously got away with minor injuries due to the carpeted flooring in the Lt).

Whoever who invented the tiny lecture table tops that could be tucked into the side of the seats certainly did not design it for exams; whoever’s brilliant idea it was to conduct open book exams in the lecture hall certainly did not consider the puny-sized tables installed within! But on the whole, it was the most energetic and physical exam I have ever attended, requiring all those balancing acts and exercise! Haha... Not something I'll easily forget.

I certainly scored on juggling and woodpeckering, but I can't say for sure for the paper... With all the woodpeckering and juggling going on, it's hard to write decent essays when time is so limited to begin with. Oh well...
And they need to hold more magic classes so that I can perfect the art of levitating my notes in midair for reference!

We saw Take the Lead the other day, I all but drooled at their Argentine Tango... Funny, but I realize that I'm alwiz captured by the intensity and passion when I watch the dances. Pure technicality has never really wowed me as much as the sheer intense passion that shines through in the dance. It's the same in Burn the Floor, Dance with Me and all the others. The showmanship stops my breath in its tracks. It fills me with awe and an amazing fire that juz simmers after watching the dances. I mean, they can juz stand there and not move a single strand of hair but still make the tiny hairs at the back of my neck stand in delicious anticipation of the first step. I mean, such passion! Such life! Such intensity! Ohmigosh I wanna dance like that. Haiz... OK I'm gonna do argentine tango after my exams! Haha I'm glad Xen has like everything...

Anyway, I think Antonio B captured the essence of dancing very well in his explanation to the board of education. Now the thing is how do I explain, or better yet, show this to our students? How do I explain to them that they need to fully understand the dance to feel its life? How do I tell them that everytime you dance and I mean really dance, not juz go through motions, you put your heart on your sleeve and bare your soul to everyone who sees. The dance can be an exuberrent celebration of being alive, an intense passionate uncontrollable emotion, a painful heart-wrenching release.... Whatever it is, it's personnal and emotional. How to teach that?

Now I wonder how to bring this life and passion into my studies... It's really difficult to inject such zest inside if you dun experience the stuff you study and live in it. It's also difficult when you realize that the real world's so so different with many challenges that you were never prepared for in school. Who talks about Marx, Weber and Durkheim? They do expand your knowledge but sometimes it's juz not practical. Sometimes I feel that university education leaves you with the expectation of being better than others because you went thru all these additional years that they didn't. But many times I feel more stupid... *shrug*

In a Constant State of Flux: The Art of Not Panicking

Been a long time since I've grazed these pages... Frantically trying to get together a semblance of an essay. Argh... It seems that I alwiz barely manage to scrape through everything... Somehow I manage to compile a jumble of words together that sounded coherent. Dunno how I did to submit my essays... Somehow I manage to hang on by my teeth and bravely walk into the exam hall, praying with every pore in my body that I get through everysem in one piece... The competitions are done in the span of a mere two to three weeks, I dunno how but it does; the performances are ready only a few hours before the actual show... Thank goodness I dun have a loose bladder or I'd have to wear pampers everywhere I go. (hmmm... It'll give me a nice big round butt wif extra cushion - no more splinters from the floor wif pampers! Haha)

If there's one thing, it's that I never seem to go thru these escapades without feeling like a complete, useless utter failure. I mean, it's juz so overwhelming! Try juggling 2 15-page essays, travelling to Brunei for a performance, teaching 5 days a week, averaging 3 hrs each and having an exam in 2 weeks! The thought is enuf to make me crawl under the blanket and never wanna come out. I have no inkling how I'm gonna do this, but somehow I will. I have to.

Every sem, I alwiz start by worrying (yes I haven't got rid of tt bad habit), worrying somemore, then worrying still somemore, praying for help, feeling like an utter failure and like I'm never gonne get out of this one alive, sane and whole. Then I admit defeat, cry, pannic, Pray pray pray, and it's over. I somehow get through it. Whew.
I wonder if I'm ever gonna juz take the short cut: every sem, I pray pray pray... and it's done. I can't wait for that day to come. Must keep aiming towards that.

One thing that's been nagging me thou, this constant feeling that u're not in control and like everything's falling apart, like u're a small tadpole trying to lug 2 blue whales against the ocean current... Is that the dependence that Wilkinson talks about in The Prayer of Jabez? I mean aside all the worries (dun count them), is this constant feeling of "help me!" and "I'm never gonna get through this alive" what I should be feeling? I believe in the power of the prayer and it's been working miracles in our lives (very amazing actually), but I dun quite understanding everything yet.

Whatever. Sometimes, it's best not to think so much & juz feel.

I'm happy today. Finally finished one essay and another burden has been lifted off my shoulders... Read something that should have sent steam whistling out of my ears but was strangely tickled by it. maybe it's the lack of sleep. Maybe I'm finally able to adopt the right perspective regarding unpleasant remarks and not take it to heart. After all, I can gain from them if they are true, and shed that ugly skin, but they will have a tougher time living with the consequences. Anyway, we all make mistakes, so who am I to fault others who do so? What's most important is how I, we learn from them. Bernard said that an entreprenuer should not be afraid to make mistakes, in fact, he should make all the mistakes as fast as possible to get it behind him... Same goes to life I guess, so long as it doesn't cost you too much (like your life for example). Anyway, gonna read that strangely ticklish something again to get a hilarious laugh over it. Haha

Interesting quote:
Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we are here we might as well dance.
But I can't decide if it's a cynical and ironic tone or positively brimming with "making the best of things". If any, I choose the latter. So I must add an exclaimation mark at the end...
Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we are here we might as well dance!

Sometimes I feel that we are all trying so hard in this world that there are times we aren't sure if what we're doing is rite. And we are not aware that we fall into habits... As Principal Ong says (did I mentioned tt he has been 'upgraded'?), we're creatures of habit. We alwiz fall back on what we are most comfortable in doing. What I'll call our instincts. We all have certain instincts that are honed and tuned, some more than others. If we have the habit of lying to others, we will tend to fall back on lying when we're in a fix. It's not that we want to lie, but lying comes so naturally to us that it becomes our instinct to do so. if this is true, then we hafta constantly ensure that we are disciplining ourselves to be the kind of person we wanna be. Alwiz stop & check from time to time to check that we are molding ourselves to be a person wif good character. Call me kiasu, but i think this has greater consequences than we give it credit for. I dun wanna to 'wake up' 5 years later and wonder what kind of person I've become & how did it happen. Some things are better to play safe. After all, I only live once, better make sure I enjoy every moment of it. Of course, there are moments when we all have to let our hair down, but alwiz gotta keep ourselves in check and not sway off the delicate equilibrium. Therefore I must be careful to hone the good instincts, not those that may be detrimental to my life...
I like being stupid... Keekee. Issit a good instinct to hone? I wonder...
Unfortunately, it's not too professional. It may become an occupational hazzard if I act stupid all the time... Wait I really become stupid how???? Ah... toking nonsense...

I'm beginning to realize the trueness of a common saying,it goes something like this: "Your friends shape who you are"... Many times I've realized that the people I'm wif influence the attitude I adopt. Different people and I've got a different attitude. What can I say, I've not been much of a trendsetter, an obedient koala...
Now, when I'm expected to lead people, I do see the trends... The situational factors are important (forgive my organizational lingo)... I've seen people's attitudes change as different ppl influence them... This doesn't do much harm by itself, but I'm becoming aware that we often hafta analyze and see if that influence is necessarily good... Long term and short.
Building Xen has not been a bed of roses (lots of ups and downs, lots of manual work), but it's definitely been really worth it to see the club grow. Of course there's alwiz set backs, but tt's how we learn. Personally, I'm fortunate to find a good friend that has let me grow and learn. Experiences like that are repulsive at first thought (short term), but really rewarding in hindsight (long term). I think we've been truly blessed, and I definitely pray for greater blessings! What can I say? When you pray for a true friend, God certainly sends a high-quality one. I mean, hell, I din even noe what I was asking for, but he knew. Haha... And my gosh, did my life explode!

And as I reach the same time of the year - the dreaded exams and essays are due - I wonder... How did I get through the previous sems... And will I get through this sem in one whole, healthy and blessed piece? I sure hope so!!!

Juz did this.... Haiz tired lah a lot of work. haha. Well, at least there's a reference that students can now look at for the dances they wanna join... But still can be improved on lah... Hmmmmmmm..... I think it can pass for the first run. Keekee *happy accomplishment*

Dear Students,

These are the classes we provide in our school. All classes are modular. This means that you can join the class at any time and be able to follow the class (of course, basic knowledge of the basic is required to learn other salsa classes). Please ask our sales personnel or any of the instructors for further inquiry about our classes and special packages/ offers.

Our classes:
Basic
Intermediate

On 2 Basic
Rueda
Shine and styling (Ladies)
Intermediate performance
Yoga for Dancers
Isolation, Spin, Stretch and Posture
Afro Cuban

Hip Hop
Jazz
Ballet
Belly
Sensual

More Details
What
Basic Class
When
Monday to Sunday at 7.15 – 8.15pm (including public holidays)
Teacher
Monday – Joyce; Tuesday – Nigel; Wednesday – Grace; Thursday – Bianca; Friday – James; Saturday – Matthew; Sunday - Manfred
Difficulty
Basic
Description
Basic classes focus on the 4 core variations: Basic, Cross Body Lead, Simple Turn, Cross Body Lead Turn. These 4 variations are the fundamentals to salsa dancing (notice that most intermediate steps are variations derived from the core), and are taught in every class for students to practice and master them.
The core variations are not the only thing you learn in the basic class.
Basic classes are conducted in sets of 5 (B1 to B5). In every class, different techniques of lead and follow will be covered. These techniques are essential because the variations are not fixed in social dancing and you have to learn how to lead and follow to any step.
B1: on Tension (the proper force to lead & how to follow)
B2: on Hook (how to keep hand contact without grabbing)
B3: on Line (how respecting the line makes dancing easier and cleaner)
B4: on Basic (looking good while doing the basic footwork)
B5: on Lead & Follow (important techniques to lead & follow smoothly)
You are encouraged to take at least 100 basic classes to be a good dancer.
Affiliated Classes
For more challenge, try our intermediate classes, on2 basic classes, rueda classes


What
Intermediate Class
When
Monday to Sunday at 8.15 – 9.15pm (including public holidays)
Teacher
Monday – Joyce; Tuesday – Nigel; Wednesday – Grace; Thursday – Bianca; Friday – James; Saturday – Matthew; Sunday - Manfred
Difficulty
Basic/Intermediate
Description
Intermediate classes range from intermediate 1 to intermediate 10. Each intermediate level has 5 classes (e.g., intermediate 1.1 to intermediate 1.5). The different levels are not based on difficulty of the step but on the different kinds of steps (e.g., copa, forehead lead, hammerlock…). It is possible to take intermediate 10 even if it is your first intermediate class.
Each class covers ladies’ styling and different variations.
It is possible and common in our school to take the basic and intermediate classes simultaneously. The basic classes help you to focus on perfecting your techniques while the intermediate classes expose you to the different variations in salsa.
You are encouraged to take each intermediate class at least 3 times. You will find that you have a deeper understanding of the variations every time you repeat it.
Affiliated Classes
For more challenge, try our rueda classes; intermediate performance classes; isolation, spin, stretch & posture classes; or shine and styling classes


What
Rueda Classes
When
Friday at 7.15 – 8.15pm (Yanqing)
Saturday at 8.15 – 9.15pm (Wai Hwang)
Teacher
See above
Difficulty
Basic/Intermediate
Description
Rueda classes are a great way to make new and close friends in salsa. Rueda is a Cuban-styled social dance, whereby dancers form a circle and learn fixed steps to execute together and frequently change partners in the group. It is great fun, lots of laughter and an enjoyable way to learn and practice salsa with friends. Master rueda and you can join any group who dances rueda on the dance floor!
Affiliated Classes
For more challenge, try our intermediate performance class; isolation, spin, stretch & posture classes; or shine and styling classes


What
Shine & Styling Class
When
Monday at 7.15 – 8.15pm
Teacher
Yanqing
Difficulty
Intermediate/Advance
Description
This advanced level shine is aimed to train the dancer to have the utmost control and awareness of his/her isolations, enabling him/her to dance with confidence, poise and with many different styles to choose from. Shine & Styling class teaches you a whole song of pure shine. A new shine is taught in every class, which connects together to form a dance. Salsa shines are taught, incorporating moves from Sensual, Belly, Hip Hop, Afro Cuban, Jazz, Tango, etc. Master the entire song and you are guaranteed never to lack a shine to do on the dance floor!
Affiliated Classes
Isolation, Spin, Stretch and Posture class, Yoga for dancers, Hip Hop, Jazz, Ballet, Sensual, Belly, Afro Cuban


What
Intermediate Performance Class
When
Wednesday at 9.15 – 10.15pm
Teacher
Yanqing
Difficulty
Intermediate/Advanced
Description
This performance class is choreographed to the music to train our students to dance with confidence, poise and style. The choreography allows dancers to hone their techniques and variations, and focuses on the poise and style that is crucial to look good while dancing socially and performing. New variation/shine is taught every week, which connects together to form a dance. Master this performance and it will significantly improve your lead, speed, style and confidence!
Affiliated Classes
Shine & Styling, Afro Cuban, Belly, Sensual


What
Isolation, Spin, Stretch & Posture Class
When
Friday at 6.15 – 7.15pm
Teacher
Yanqing
Difficulty
Basic/Intermediate
Description
This class is aimed to train the fundamentals for salsa. It brings about awareness of body placement and poise, trains your isolation control and spin, and also loosens up your joints by stretching. This class is important because it allows you to practice your fundamentals in isolation and spinning in a group. Constant practice is important to ensure that these techniques are not lost.
Affiliated Classes
Shine & Styling, Yoga for Dancers, Ballet, Sensual, Belly, Intermediate Performance class


What
Afro Cuban Class
When
Monday at 9.15 – 10.15pm
Teacher
Yanqing
Difficulty
Basic/Intermediate
Description
Afro Cuban is a mating-like dance that is used by advanced dancers as a shine in salsa. Its deceivingly easy steps are a challenge to master due to its unique style and flow. The spontaneous interaction between male and female within the dance is more demanding and a challenge that most people enjoy. Try it out to incorporate a different feel into your salsa.
Affiliated Classes
Shine & Styling, Intermediate Performance class


What
On2 Basic Class
When
Wednesday at 7.15 – 8.15pm
Teacher
Yanqing
Difficulty
Basic/Intermediate
Description
On2 is another style of salsa. It is not as common as On1 in Singapore (the standard LA-style salsa taught in the school), as its syncopated rhythm is harder to follow. On2 has a slightly different feel due to the change in rhythm of the footwork and originates from New York. Those who want to explore other kinds of salsa should try it out, though it can be slightly confusing for the On1 dancer at the initial stage.
Affiliated Classes
Basic class


What
Yoga for Dancers
When
Monday at 6.15 – 7.15pm
Wednesday at 6.15 – 7.15pm
Teacher
Bianca
Difficulty
Basic
Description
A stretching class for dancers who want to improve their flexibility and posture. This class covers the sun salutations, postures in yoga that are designed to generate energy and heat within the body, and the triangle poses to stretch the legs and sides of the body. This increases your awareness of the body and places emphasis on the flow breath while executing the poses.
Affiliated Classes
Isolation, Spin, Stretch & Posture, Ballet, Jazz


What
Hip Hop Class
When
Saturday at 5.15 – 6.16pm
Teacher
Yanqing
Difficulty
Basic
Description
MTV style pop dance that tones the muscle and gives the body a good workout to pop music that keeps your body grooving. Hip hop encompasses popping, locking, whacking and body waves which flows in tune with the attitude and style of upbeat pop music.
Affiliated Classes
Sensual, Jazz, Shine & Styling


What
Ballet Class
When
Sunday at 11.15 -12.15pm
Teacher
Yanqing
Difficulty
Basic
Description
Ballet class for beginners emphasizes on the poise and grace of classical dancers while going through dance steps that trains the balance and line that is key to ballet.
Affiliated Classes
Jazz, Yoga for Dancers, Isolation, Spin, Stretch & Posture


What
Jazz Class
When
Sunday at 12.15 – 1.15pm
Teacher
Yanqing
Difficulty
Basic
Description
Pop Jazz class teaches dance that is a mixture of modern pop/hip hop and classical ballet. This mix gives Jazz a lively, upbeat feel combined with the grace, flow and line which gives it a unique flavor that tones and shapes the body, while improving the style and confidence in you.
Affiliated Classes
Hip Hop, Yoga for Dancers, Isolation, Spin, Stretch & Posture, Shine & Styling, Ballet


What
Sensual Class
When
Sunday at 1.15 – 2.15pm
Teacher
Yanqing
Difficulty
Basic
Description
Exotic dance focuses on building the sexy confidence and poise that allows women to discover an alluring dimension within themselves. This class works on toning and shaping the body through isolations that brings awareness to your figure and how to use it to the maximum. It provides an avenue for women to explore and discover their sexy side, tone their body, and have fun in the process!
Affiliated Classes
Hip Hop, Belly, Shine & Styling, Isolation, Spin, Stretch & Posture


What
Belly Dance Class
When
Sunday at 2.15 – 3.15pm
Teacher
Yanqing
Difficulty
Basic
Description
The mother of all isolations, belly dance emphasizes on control of body isolations, whether it is sharp movements or slow and sensuous ones. This class is for those who love to move their bodies and want to discover more about the different ways to dance and shimmy to the music.
Affiliated Classes
Sensual, Hip Hop, Shine & Styling, Isolation, Spin, Stretch & Posture

Something has been bothering me the past few days, and I can finally put my finger to it.

It's called... Consequence.

And I think it's a crucial life lesson we must learn. It's not that I'm deterministic or sadistic or ultra-conservative. It's just that there are many things that we don't see clearly. Read Lessig's "Free Culture", and he gave the example of DDT insecticide and how it became so popular when it was first invented. Everyone used it. Then they started realizing that it affected the environment: birds stopped reproducing, the ecosystem was being disrupted... There's just too many direct and indirect consequences that we can't keep track them all. Even if we do keep track of them, they are dynamic factors, not static and easy to predict. We can advocate for freedom to voice out our views, but sometimes we don't really consider the consequences that this freedom can result in. It may cause other problems that we cannot foresee.

What I'm trying to (ineloquently) say is that most things are like a double-edged sword. DDT is good and solves many problems of holey veggy, but it also brings about many problems in its wake. Sometimes, we wanna voice out our frustrations about a certain claim; e.g., we should encourage democratic free speech. But in advocating this, there are other consequences; e.g., rudeness, impoliteness, insults? Yeah, we assume that people are enlightened, and "should know better", but it doesn't alwiz happen that way does it? I've seen some decent and smart people that I totally lost respect for when they go too far in pushing their boundaries. I don't blame them however, coz I've done that myself too, on many occasions and learnt a bitter lesson... But I get very discouraged and disillusion. Oh well, *learning*. I'm the last person on earth who will be labbelled a saint, so who am I to judge? As the saying goes, let go and let God. Haha... Yes I'm an absolutely dependent creature. I'm a koala, I koala the eucalyptus everyday. What else can I say? That's me.

Well, as Principal Ong say (Yes, he has been 'upgraded', kee kee), you can't force anyone to do anything they don't wanna do. You can only explain to them how they can benefit from it. The rest is up to them. It's their choice, it's their life. My gosh... If I'm having so much problems with this, how am I gonna cope if I have a child??? Am I a control freak? *Panic* Sympathies for all the parents out there...

God works in mysterious ways. I've since decided that this saying was true, and it seems that situations keep occuring that validifies that. Like Pastor Prince so eloquently put it, Jesus heals ppl in different ways. One blind man gets healed with mud, the other with just a word, "see". There is a dispute over how one must be healed from blindness, and denominations arises. Sometimes I think He knows that we, being humans, alwiz try to second-guess him with our need to categorize things. So he changes things around to keep us on our toes and remind us to depend on him.

*shrug*

Anyway, the prayer has taken "effect", of course in ways I never expected to happen... I find myself taking over the counter these days and being presented with opportunities to teach in prestigous clubs, to sell performance packages, and of all things, a trip to Brunei for the Sultan's Bdae one week b4 my exams... Talk about expanding territories...

Yes and I'm praying daily for evil to stay far away, for unfathomable and immense blessings, and for His guidance in whatever I do... and say! Oh yes, and especially to get through my exams and essays well, with loads and loads of blessings! keekee

The Jabez Prayer
And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying,
"Oh, that You would bless me indeed,
and enlarge my territory,
that Your hand would be with me,
and that You would keep me from evil,
that I may not cause pain!"
So God granted him what he requested.
1 Chronicles 4:10 (NKJV)


Super cool book by Bruce Wilkinson. It's pretty amazing how 1 sentence can mean so much. Perhaps one day I will expand on it. =)

And Yes, I need all the blessings I can get!

Went to church on Sunday. As usual, it taught me a lot. Pastor Prince talked about being filled with the spirit, and reminded us that everything has no straightforward answer; e.g., God says this or God says that. Everything is contextual and contingent. It's situational. That's why there are so many examples given in the bible. What's important is that we feel the prompting of the Holy Spirit. A certain feeling within us that feels us with peace when we make a decision.

He also said that God lives in the now, and we are frequently directed one step at a time.

I kinda agree with it, coz I realized tt looking for signs are never gonna be accurate. I remember that I used to say, "God please gimme a sign what to do: If the next bus that comes along is a 10, I'll do this, not that." Then the bus appears and all, and I'm still not sure! So I say, "God, if the crow flies in front of me, I'll do it. Please gimme a 2nd confirmation." If not, the answer tt I'm not looking for appears then I say "this one's not counted, let's try again."... until what I'm looking for appears. I can say one thing I learnt from this: it doesn't work! Yep, I exhibit the characteristics of a Kiasu Singaporean.

I alwiz believe that when we have a decision to make, and we ponder over the dilema for days and days, most of the time, we already have the answer in us. It's a feeling. It's not logical deducations but an intuitive feeling. But we don't dare to take that step for fear of choosing the wrong thing. Many times, we seek verification from without: others, signs.... I alwiz find that I eventually choose what I already have decided in the first place. Why? Coz it feels like the right thing... *shrug* Seems remarkably like what Pastor Prince says.