CARAMEL

i like boxing matches and football games
i wouldn't mind being an actress but i love to sing
i like going out, taking walks and stuff...

a twist of fate...


it's not what i imagined...

i could never imagine going out with him, because he had always appeared "too fancy".

but i am now. =)


roses

i got him a rose last night, intending to make him smile.

whatever i imagined, i did not imagine you.

whatever's been written, i lay down to rest.

whatever's been read, fulfills your reality.

those words don't reflect me, my reality, my past.

so they remain empty vessels...which do nothing for me, yet seek to question others' faith in me.

though...

if your faith's been swayed by another's mere words in a warped world, then perhaps i have no cause for worry.

for i'm right here.

real.

arms wide open.

smiling.

LOSE MY BREATH

can you keep up?

...with voyeuristic intentions?

get sucked into a vortex of wanting more and more...of something you're not sure is.

and yet, you live it, breathe it, as if it were real.

if it were, then this subject's probably not.

it's hard to keep up.

and i'm getting a wheeze.

SHAKE YA TAILFEATHER

funny ass song titles such as the above should be applauded...as well as the fella who came up with the term "funny ass". =)

in the spirit of asses this holiday season, i'd like to share with you a few asses that were quite willing to be profiled.


ass number one

i'm sure some of you know him.

he doesn't go to union very often these days, but people still go "woah" in his presence. ;)


ass number two

now this fella heads down to union and fiesta quite frequently.

also in viva. =)


ass number three

the laydees love her ass, especially when she's booty-shakin' in union. ;)

so i went back to the parents' home last week and my brother just had to do this...


gimme a piggin' hug

piggin' has been shedding nose-skin.

maybe he misses gwizzly, that's why. hmm.

anyways, gwizzly has the bed all to himself when i'm out during the day.

piggin' and gwizzly aside, here's another cute picture i caught...


say chee cheong fun!!

i always marvel at how cheeky some people can look with a camera.

they seem to walk around, snapping away with a vengeance.

of course, this fella was merely waiting for me to lower mine to accomodate his. =)

OUR LOVE IS HERE TO STAY

in time the rockies may crumble
gibraltar may tumble
they're only made of clay but
our love is here to stay.

memories are made of these...and i'll tell you why.

but first...


whatcha lookin' at?

here's ashley's favorite shot among those she snapped testing out her camera.

anyways, i had gone to the starhub imode launch party at the ACM with angus last friday evening.

'twas a star-studded event and we just hung around at the foyer till we were ushered into the main hall.

so while hanging there, i commented that i know this guy from the trip to tunisia. he's Tan Guong Ching...all i know is that he used to be from ST Telemedia.

so i go over to say hi...

Me: hi mr tan, how are you doing?

TGC: hey serene! i'm good! what're you doing here?

Me: oh we're one of the content providers for imode. how about yourself?

TGC smiles.

Me: are you handling the imode service?

TGC smiles, leans over and whispers...

"i'm the chairman of starhub."

oh yes, the literal head-banging with my palm started right there.

then of course, i saw noel (head of NEC Singapore) and told my boss i knew him too.


me and noel hon, head of NEC Singapore, who initiated the singapore kindness movement, and justice of peace.

think i left my brains at home that day since i couldn't quite figure out why noel was there until angus pointed out that NEC makes half the handsets meant for imode.

geez.

while angus was attacking the chocolate fountain post-terry clontz's speech, i was craving for savories...and so, we walked over to mcdonald's at boat quay.

we passed by this place...


ah sweet recollection

i signed my first contract with HBM here. =)

so saturday was gloria's birthday celebration, and waihwang and i went cake-hunting.

we saw so many glorious pastries that we couldn't resist trying out the oreo cheesecake ourselves...


guilty as charged

i'm a sucker for cheesecakes.

waihwang calls this the "serene looking guilty" pic...and describes it as one of the rare candid shots he has of me.

but it's also evidence that i eat okay?

i don't starve myself to death. =)

and finally, dinner in the evening with gloria and gang...


pretty babies

us girls had a good time savoring the "ZARA" from spizza - a chocolate-smeared pizza crust topped with banana slices and chopped almonds. YUMMY.

then it was off to union for a night of birthday dancing for glo and chinfee. =)

i had quite a bit of fun myself.

three fantastic bachatas with seb and geoffrey.

and many salsas with the usual suspects.

oh what a night.

GETTING TO KNOW YOU

getting to know all about you.
getting to like you, getting to know you like me.

you smiled at me from across the room.

you walked towards me.

these things that you have seldom done before, you did tonight like second nature.

as you took my hand, i felt a huge tingle down my spine.

i was shy.

but i got a sense of familiarity from you.

and so, i said yes.

thank you for asking me to dance tonight. =)

(even at the risk of me knocking off your glasses again...)

AND SO IT IS

...just like you said it would be.



it's about time.

FIRST CUT IS THE DEEPEST

"skinnier," he said.

mukhtar couldn't recognize me because he's been away for months.

"i like the way you teach!"

josee checked out our first class from outside the studio.

"is sunday going to be this fun?"

alyssa, who's going over to the sunday class with her friends, asked excitedly.

as i sat in union last night, i realized one thing.

it was familiar, yet packed with surprises.

and i was comfortable.

if not for salsa, i would never have allowed myself to step into a club.

and if it weren't for salsa, i would never have thought of being THIS close to someone while dancing.

so my first cut, together with my first class of yesterday, is, and will always be the deepest.

i'm still very very much in love. =)

STARRY STARRY NIGHT

i had recounted one of the most amazing nights in my young life to a friend recently.

it was of me camping in the woods with my girls...and lying on our sleeping bags by a campfire, looking up at the expanse of sky right above us.

we were surrounded by trees which circled our camping area, so we saw a round area of sky.

but even in that round area, there were countless stars.

everytime i blinked, another few would seem to appear.

city life has left me jaded.

and though i've often thought myself as nothing less than a city girl, that sight drew me to a stop.

i suppose you can get such sights in singapore on a clear night.

all you really need is silent presence lying next to you as you gaze up at those wonders.

perhaps that's what i need.

i'd get lost in the planes of confusion otherwise.

FIXING A BROKEN HEART

is something i know not what to do.

i hope you understand...i had to administer it this way.

please take care, my friend.

and stay my friend.

THE MOTORCYCLE DIARIES (PART TWO)

not all bike riders look cool on their bikes.

not all pillion riders lean on the fella in front.

i recently hung out with a guy friend with a nice, big bike...and because i'm a little shy (oh stop sniggering and let me continue), i politely hold on to the guy's shoulders and lean back on the box behind me.

all's fine when he cruises along.

when he hits a bump or two though, my back hits a bump or two as well...against the box.

the first couple of times that happened, i tried to sit straight, but found it really odd.

but i couldn't possibly lean forward because uh...because i'm shy? (stop laughing!)

so i just grit my teeth and lean back. =(

and this just occurred to me...

the bike is pretty interesting.

because if i were hanging out with someone i don't really know in a car...we might fall into occasions of silence and it might get awkward.

with a bike, you can't really talk, so you kinda converse a lot at your destination.

there's not much communication during the bike ride, except for short stops at traffic lights where he turns back and grins at you or passes a quick comment.

i don't know where i'm going with this though.

hmm.

you called at the right time.

while i was silently screaming out for help...for anyone...just anyone to call.

and you did.

someone up there must be watching over me.

and thank goodness you did.

AND ALSO...

oh shut up already!

the guy comes in late, sits behind me and keeps quiet for most of the Q&A.

then as TTH asks if there're any more questions, he takes it as a cue to start...

...and i swear he went down the entire balance sheet! honest!

that aside, TTH remembers me and asks "you look very familiar, have we met?"

i was quite sure he wouldn't have remembered me then too, so i said "when you were in starhub."

and he goes "ah..."

hmm.

then again, he isn't the only person who finds me familiar.

even tim from M1 said i looked familiar the first time we met, then asked if i have done TV.

i wish man. =)

NBC, here i come!

A LIGHT AFFAIR

or so they call it.

it's a speed-dating game show sponsored by coke light.

and i was invited to go audition for it.

i was stumped by two questions during the screen shots...

"what do you look for in a guy?"

"what about a guy turns you on and what turns you off?"

uhhuh. i was stumped.

i said i didn't know..."a nice smile, perhaps?"

and she prompted "how about height or frame? it doesn't concern you at all?"

nopes.

hmm...i've come some ways now, haven't i?

VICTIM OF A FOOLISH HEART

how many times have people fallen prey to heartfelt matters and victimize themselves?

how many times can it happen to one?

hmm.

many times, apparently.

don't get me wrong, i'm not talking about myself.

anyways, back to the mundane happenings of the day...

i suppose the one thing that really stood out today was the interesting evening i had.

we went to a quaint little place at arab street (and can you believe it was the first time i've been along that stretch?!) for dinner and went hunting for a movie which never realized.

scintillating conversation never fails to make my day. =)

bad movie choices aside, i'd say tonight was one of the most relaxing times i've had in ages.

*of course, nothing beats the BBQ/movie marathon evening at glo's =P

the beating of the wind on my face made it a little numb, as i walked home.

so even if i had smiled involuntarily, i wouldn't have known. =)

and i suppose, sometimes, you think the world revolves around you.

i'm not out to hurt you with my words.

LADY IN RED

is dancing with me, cheek to cheek
there's nobody here, it's just you and me
that's where i wanna be.

i came home, showered, turned on the telly and see chris de burgh "live".

to think i could forget this beautiful song...

as he crooned those words, i just...well, i just felt.

perhaps one day, someone would sing it to me.

and ask me to dance. =)

SKIRTING THE ISSUE

i've got the flu blues.

just when i was so looking forward to training tonight.

thank goodness HP has been moved to the 20th...everything's falling into place just nicely. =)

i'm just sorry i can't jam with spyderhole for the wedding set. sorry, DP...

everyone who's seem me today likes the skirt i have on.

perhaps it's because of my hair (that's growing out) that makes the whole look more...feminine?

hmm.

THE MOTORCYCLE DIARIES

hmm...actually, this was meant to be an entry on friday night.

but i was too swept away by the bike rides to think straight. =)

so saturday evening saw the lot of us checking out THE GROOVE at east coast park.

and yes, we danced till we soaked in each other's perspiration...

and i danced with barry! but the song was majorly lengthy, so we had to stop three-quarters through.

the party really began when we got to gloria's place at almost 2300hrs.

since the rest were snuggled peacefully inside watching CLOSER, the few of us sat on the patio, enjoying the BBQ bits the rest had left.

so here's my diary of what happened...

why the hell they watched CLOSER, i don't quite know...but what a depressing start to a good night.


cocktail sausages...

i don't know what kinda obsession sebastian has with cocktail sausages, but he was seriously jealous to see us chomping on HIS (or so he proclaims) sausages.

but yes, after eating a couple, i can tell why he likes them. ;)

and the little kitties came out to play.

tito, patch and their mom hovered around the swing...


kitty likes me...

this picture would surely get loadsa hits on any personals site. =)

melt girls, melt.

so the kind biker taught me how to handle the little tyke...


altogether now...aww...

sweet little thing.

and mommy comes along...


miao...

of course there comes that time of the night, or morning, that your eyes get tired from the contact lens and so...


voila!

yes yes...little miss specky.

fortunately, i was told i looked "cute" in glasses.

so the crowd finishes their second movie HE LOVES ME, HE LOVES ME NOT.

then they wanted to watch STRICTLY BALLROOM.

well, give the audience what they want...we say. so simon, waihwang, sebastian and i moped around on the patio for a bit and took some silly pictures...


down boy!

yes, the three of them had wanted to simulate a nekkid serene on the bike.

the poor owner of the bike must have had a fit when he saw this...=)

then we decided to head down to a prata place for teh.

me and my shorts...sigh. thank goodness for the fellas around me. =)

we come back to finally watch SHUTTER - the thai "horror" flick.

and weirong and shingling sat out on that one...though they were still freaked by the sound effects and vibration coming from the living room that they huddled...


heeelp ussssss!

these girls were seriously freaked.

but they're cool. =) *hugs*

a whole night of movies later...here's wayne and i on the swing...


what were you thinking, wayne?!

yes we do look like we just got outta bed, don't we?

but yo...we're brudders yo.

B-R-U-D-D-E-R-S.

then here're the rest of the survivors...after brunch...


bee hoon, chicken and cocktail sausages

and this is what the lack of sleep does to you...


EEEEKKKKSSSS!!!!

incestuous behavior...(think EUROTRIP, the movie)

but yes, it was a beautiful morning.

lying between two guys, seeing one getting molested by a kitty and listening to the sound of rain.

all that was missing was...

a little snuggle.

just a little one. =)

all right.

i get it.

FINE.

BREAKING UP IS HARD TO DO

c'mon baby, let's start anew
cuz breaking up is hard to do.

it's time, serene.

you've tried.

i'm so proud of you, girl.

RAIN ON ME

it was about time, i suppose.

i had managed to escape the rain for the past few days but earlier, i stepped outta waihwang's car and man...rained on me.

well drizzled, but still.

i walked home to an empty house, and it's only the first day the roomie's gone.

the rain, the house, at times even the studio, made me feel extremely vacant.

for points of the day, i felt void of emotion.

my only contact with feel was when i was dancing.

and while they were doing stuff in the studio, i was outside...

i try to smile my tears away
i try to keep my cool
oh but one more door gets in my way
i feel like such a fool

trampled and bitter
my heart just wants to bleed and stop
believing in me.

- safe in a crazy world, corrinne may.

i was appalled at how i looked like dancing...when i saw myself in the mirror.

sigh.

but yes, i've come a long way since that night someone said i had no style.

i'm a twit.

i need to know how to stop crying...even if it's in my sleep.

HATE HER

someone's angry at me.

i'm sad that he is, but i can't do nothin' about it.

how can i keep someone from feeling inferior when standing next to me?

anything i've done to make him feel so, it sure wasn't my intention.

ideally, no one should ever allow anyone else to make them feel that way.

but i'm human (shit i hate this...) and i've been made to feel inferior too.

by him.

he doesn't know it...but my self-esteem has been crushed to a minimum.

and that hasn't happened since my days with SIA.

i told daphne that i do not wish for anyone to sing me the song "you're beautiful".

i'd rather have him appreciate it with me.

the week that's past was probably the most difficult time i've had to face alone.

and yet, during that week, the song was knocked into my consciousness.

everywhere i went, i heard it.

every car i got into, the radio played it.

it seems like someone's trying to tell me something.

but, i've thought about it, and...

but it's time to face the truth.
i can never be with you.

no.

when it comes to such matters, no one can have enough power to tell you it's not possible.

anything is possible.

if chicken rice at purvis street on a saturday night was possible, then anything is possible.

i need to believe that.

why can't i?

F.R.I.E.N.D.S

"yes, will see u at union. U know something? when i see you eating so heartily that day, i'm really touched and happy - can't tell a reason...even though i'm not a man, but it hurts me to see u getting thinner..."

my darling sister...

thank you for being there for me and helping me make the right choices.

i could never have thought we'd click from the moment we met.

but we did, and it's been quite a ride with you.

love you, ling. =)

Hello there!

Thank you for visiting Caliente@Studio82.

Salsa has been a journey for each of us at Caliente.

We all started salsa at different times and stages of our lives.

By some strange twist of fate though, we came together because of our passion for the dance.

But passion alone never made a voyage less turbulent.

In the past few months, we have fallen in and out of love with each other.

However, one pure and simple love held us together through all those difficult times - salsa.

It is with this purest form of emotion that we want to share with you our journey, ongoing, in the dance.

My dear friends, this is love personified.

And when something is a labor of love, you know you won’t get anything less.

That is our sincere promise to you.

Welcome to our world. =)

Viva la Salsa!

Viva la Caliente!

With a whole lotta heart,
Serene Lim
Principal Instructor
Caliente@Studio82

LET IT GO

no more holding back.

fear has taken another step towards the door.

guy across the table asks, "so serene, what do you do?"

after a moment's confusion, i said, "i teach dancing."

and then i realized what i said, and smiled.

notice that i said "i teach" and not "i manage".

whoever you are, thank you for pushing me to take risks.

and thank you for bringing thomas, jonathan, evelyn and boon cheong my way.

ladies and gentlemen, i present to you...

CALIENTE.

QUE SERA, SERA

i walked by the pool again.

but this time, i didn't cry.

i might've felt like tearing...but i didn't cry.

i looked at the spot where we danced, and the other spot where we sat and gazed at the stars...

...and then i smiled.

and then i saw a lizard run into the lift in front of me, and remembered the time you hugged me and shielded me from it.

i smiled at that too.

so today, for the first time in more than a week, i walked home without crying.

because those were beautiful memories not to be scorned at.

the walk we took back from the indoor stadium was wrecked with emotion and pain, but nevertheless, beautiful in its own way.

so thank you for those memories.

simon, ling and han lim:

thanks for coming over with food, cleaning up and uh...letting me run off before any of you finished watching that reality tv show.

LSG's back and she's stronger than ever. =)

the day went as usual...crying, moping, feeling vulnerable.

then all that just came to a screeching halt.

i was puzzled.

wasn't i feeling miserable just minutes ago?

hmm...

WOOHOO. =)

didn't have many good dances today, but i felt like home.

though what'll stick in my mind for a little while isn't how i got off my ass to dance tonight, or the vulnerability.

what'll stick is the ride on sebastian's bike.

i ended up hugging him for most of the way there...it was pretty darn freaky!

so yeah.

anyways, girls...if you think it's romantic hugging on to the guy biking, just know that you're wearing a helmet. he's wearing a helmet.

there's no way you can stick yourself to him because your...ahem...helmets will collide.

what an experience. =)