WOULDN'T IT BE LOVERLY

lots of chocolate for me to eat
lots of coal making lots of heat
warm face, warm hands, warm feet
oh wouldn't it be loverly.

despite the lack of actual sleep, it was a smashing weekend.

and it's dedicated to shingling...one of my best girl friends i've met in salsa.

we don't hang out often, but she never fails to be around whenever i needed someone to talk to.

ever since that one long friendster email she sent me. =)

so here's to shingling...


Daphne, me, Ling

if it weren't for her birthday, ling and i probably wouldn't have gone down to union.

it was really good to see her again after a long absence. =)

and i was really tired earlier so wasn't sure if i could've made it.


Daphne, Ling, Shingling, me

ling and i did exotic together while daphne and shingling took it recently.

it's been a long time coming...this picture.


Clockwise: Joseph, me, Eric, Simon, Ling, Shingling, Daphne, HsiaoChing

it's nice to band together for someone's birthday.

you see how one person's made an impact on many lives, simply by being there.


the start of a fantastic meal

Senso is AMAZING.

well, the company made the dinner that much more memorable.

and i love bread dipped in olive oil and vinegar. =)


our little round table of funness

before we dug in deep.


compliments of the chef

this fried risotto starter was quite good, if only a little starchy.


Clockwise: lobster linguine, duck leg meat ravioli, risotto, cod fish

they were all yummy.

the cod fish was the hot favorite, with its cream sauce.

the risotto came in a close second, followed by the lobster linguine and the ravioli.

the ravioli only came in last because of how rich it was.


no more

and you can tell how much we loved the food.


the famed senso tiramisu

finally tried the famous cake daphne raved about months back.

we girls just dug into it like wild animals.


recommended chocolata

i liked this better. =)

crispy on the outside, oozing chocolate on the inside, topped with a gold leaf and a scoop of ice cream.

delish.


love this

we had the restaurant play "THE BIRTHDAY SONG" as they brought the cake out.

i've always loved the song because it's so classy...and for a good girl friend, i couldn't recommend anything less.

so light a candle on your cake
for every smile you've helped create
for every heart and every soul
you've helped to grow a little more.

love you, girl. =)

and for my final picture of the day...


the baby with no name

go to sleep now, little one
mommy's here, no harm with come
when you wake all your troubles be gone
little one.

- verse 2, serene's little lullaby

IT'S BEEN AWHILE

that union's been on my saturday night activity list, and heading home so late/early.

i'm starting to regain that "who-cares-if-i'm-tired" feel when i head to union on the weekends now.

it's probably because i still hardly go down.

most of my dances were good.

and by that, i mean FUN. =)

we screwed up plenty of times and got stepped on by the neighbors, but it was all good because we laughed our way through it.

there was one guy i couldn't quite follow in the beginning because i had expected a lead like the others i danced with.

after five dances with him, i got it.

he had a very cuban style so there was plenty of double back breaks and major tension in arms.

i suppose i gave the impression that i was having as much fun as him, since he had asked if i had learnt salsa from a latino and looked surprised when i said no.

apparently, my hips move like a latino's. i took it as a compliment, but he said "no it's not a compliment, it's just the way it is".

well, all right then.

if it weren't for shingling's birthday though, i don't think i would've gone down.

wh made an appearance for her as well. =)

but thanks to the occasion, i was tested through my fatigue how i could continue following.

i was tired, but still didn't screw up too badly. =)

had a nice chat with tony during dinner after our performance.

falling asleep now...=)

CHOREOGRAPHITIS

it doesn't matter if you get to sleep in over the weekends if you've got choreographitis.

i had gone to sleep rather early this morning and woke up at sometime past 8.

and while i had my eyes closed and shielded, i could think of nothing but what to do for our performance tonight.

in the end, i just gave up on trying to get back to sleep and got up, made some chrysanthemum tea, and came up with a start and series of shines and tricks, possibly.

depending on whether we can execute it.

this is so uncool...i'm losing sleep over choreography.

i just hope i can last till after the performance and workshop tonight.

on another note, i'm glad i've been given that many opportunities to emcee in the past (even though i haven't been paid, most of the time).

this comfort on stage certainly helped in yesterday's unresponsive, yet crowded, raffles place urban clap.

i was arrowed to do the workshop segment.

and thanks to my students (who showed up and were as late for my 7pm class as me), we had quite a fun time with the shines. =)

i'll be emceeing at the istana again tuesday night.

and for once (since i last grumbled about not getting paid for such gigs), i feel just fine. =)

though, i only do well onstage in my element - emceeing.

tell me to sing and dance and the world will come crashing down. =(

OF THE FLOWERS AND THE TREES...

i like the fragility of the orchid
i like the wildness of the daisy

and that was my response to someone who asked me this "important personal question".

orchids are amazingly resilient flowers, through looking delicate.

and how are daisies wild?

not all of them are.

i just like the wild ones.

we had gone on a little trip. lisiana, beth, liesbet and i. and jeanine.

along the way to a certain destination (i can't quite remember which) in wisconsin, we stopped by a little park with a little playground.

somewhere towards the breakwater was a little memorial for a certain someone who passed on.

and right by the grave, was one single, perfect, wild daisy.

what an oxymoron...of how a daisy could be both perfect and wild.

after i thought of these two flowers, it struck me how much i related to them.

and the sunflower - which brings instantaneous light and hope into the room.

the sunflower was the first one i mentioned liking because of its cheer.

so i guess this is me.

SUNFLOWER
ORCHID
WILD DAISY

unbridled intellect and emotion...and free.

sometimes, unfathomable.

just like this post. =)

i usually would just end with the above line, but i'm too lazy to start another entry. =P

i've made stretching my daily routine now.

i got off work slightly earlier yesterday to stretch some before class began.

i took my time...deepened each stretch.

and when i finally straightened my legs in front of me and stretched forward, my breathing became labored i struggled to keep the stance.

soon, i felt hot and teary.

without allowing myself up, i took a slow, deep breath and held on.

the stretch wasn't painful, but the effort was.

it still is, but it's getting better.

WALKING AWAY

it's been a while since i've walked down the strip alone.

and it was liberating.

i miss my long walks alone and singing to myself.

(what a perfect morning to be at home and blogging, with dad's favorite music playing in the background. *yes it's true, i'm so happy to be stuck with you*)

i remember the time when i walked down the very same road (and even further) regularly, not considering anything in particular but just letting my emotions run.

at that point in my life, i was so used to pushing people away that rejecting became a reflex.

it turned some off...my flippant attitude...but i remember it to be the happiest days of my young life.

because no one could touch me. and get away with it.

some say it's an invisi-shield.

perhaps i have an innate need to protect myself against the world after so many disappointments (again, subject to me only).

pushing people away just seems so easy.

after all, it's reflex.

even now.

SWEET CAROLINE

good times never seemed so good.

elphaba wasn't bad.

she only wanted to do what's right.

i had looked forward to an impromptu evening of chatter, but of course, my conversations nary end up as mindless drivel.

so i decided against grabbing the 105 back and walked down to dhoby ghaut for the north east line, hoping to stride away the weight of it all.

and it didn't happen.

in the end, i wondered if tonight was such a good idea at all.

then again, it proved galen wasn't the only one who left me with a heavy feeling.

i give up.

RAINDROPS ARE FALLING ON MY HEAD

dad, bro and i went to serangoon gardens for lunch.

the sky looked overcast so we were anticipating rain.

as luck would have it, most of the tables under shelter were taken, so dad suggested one of those isolated tables under the brollys.

when it started drizzling, bro and i suggested moving to one of the inner tables...dad insisted it was okay to sit under the brolly.

when it started raining, dad said to treat it as though we were eating hot food in a cold, wet place and we'll feel shiok.

when it started pouring and the lot of us were splashed with blobs of rain, my dad changed seats with me.

while we were still fine with all of this, the people who delivered the food to us weren't.

cuz they had to waltz under the rain for part of the way to get to our table and we were the only goondus to sit under the brolly on a heavy, rainy afternoon!

so we're back home now and looking forward to falling asleep but the rain's stopped.

bah.

and my left butt's aching cuz of the lift yesterday...haha.

but it's a good ache.

at least i'm getting a start on my choreography.

i love the way she looks. =)

these performers have fantastic interpretation of the music. must've taken them some time to choreo.

PHOTO FEST

so many people were snapping away at the salsa festival over the weekend, but i wasn't sure where to look for them.

thanks to several of those who sent me pictures and those who notified me of the urls...=)

here're a few i'd like to share.


prepping the fries chomp

i usually scare people with the amount of chilli i take with my fries.

if it weren't for the rush we were in to make it to the record-breaking attempt, i would've savored it slowly, and added some much-needed mayo to the mix. =P

i look quite skinny in that top. hmm. not good.


proof

that i led in the record-breaking attempt.

never was i so proud to don a LARGE white t-shirt. =)

and it was my first time leading in an actual rueda!


back to a follow during fun rueda

i love this candid shot of me...i hardly ever look nice in those.

when i first chanced upon this photograph yesterday, i was struck by how happy i looked.

and i remember how exhilarated i felt.

then i decided how much DANCE has changed my life, and given me so much. =)


where's wally?

blow this picture up and you'll probably be able to find me somewhere. ;)


justin, philbie, me, yanqing and huh?

it was a night of sweet sweat and good dances.

but breather time was always welcomed, even if it was just slightly warmer in the night air than it was in d'tent.

it's like breaking away from drinking mug after mug of green tea.

you touch water and go "woah".


daphne, me and a towel

simon was so danced out, that he just decided to throw in the towel to daph and me. =P

we had a fantastic evening...and it still wasn't the end of it.

after this picture, daph went for a bite, and came back to dance.

i just went on dancing. =)


mina's household

and here's the class i teach on wednesday nights. =)

as a young stewardess who took spanish in school, i was eager to converse at least a little of it with anyone who knew how to.

so obviously, i was extremely excited when i heard a spanish-sounding last name being announced as the captain of one of my turnaround flights.

during our stopover, he came out for a breather and i managed to talk to him a little.

he was the ONLY spanish-speaking captain i encountered for the whole of my flying career.

and as fate would have it, i got to know his wife as well...IN THIS CLASS. =)

i saw her filling in our school's registration form yesterday and recognized the last name!

on that note,

i'd like to thank music for giving me what i have today.

if not for music, i wouldn't have discovered dance, and the joys it's brought me.

throughout the period of darkness, one thought resounded often...

"dance came first."

and i'm still with dance, no matter who might come along, or leave.

because i'm a better person with dance, and with my music.

MUSIC IS MY RELIGION.

(angus once told me to sell that catchphrase to steve jobs for an ipod campaign.=P)

i thought it was my time to be happy.

just like beth said.

just like lisiana said.

just like liesbet said.

"serene, you deserve to be happy."

i don't deserve to be happy, not unless we all deserve to be.

i just want...sometimes.

i want to stop crying for a while.

KARMA CHAMELEON

galen says i'll be reeling from this euphoria for the next few days.

i so feel it.

the rueda community descended upon downtown east to try to break the record for the biggest rueda circle.


danielle, amy, me and uh...caliente student

unfortunately, the community isn't big enough to break the record of 173 couples...so jackson held a crash workshop for anyone who wanted to learn it just before the attempt.

at the start of the count, we really only had 153 couples.

we were short of 20.

we were told there were girls waiting outside to join as follows, but not enough leads to accommodate that.

justin thought the girls (who knew how to salsa, but knew nuts about rueda) hanging around...and came to me and asked if i wanted to lead.

HELL YEAH!

i had offered earlier but was told there weren't enough follows to exchange for one lead.

so here's the t-shirt i got as a follow...


follow

and here's the one webster passed to me when i offered to be a lead...and the deejay was cheeky enough to say "ooh...and she's changing right in front of us!"


lead

so i'm glad to announce we're finally in the guiness book of records for the biggest rueda circle with 176 couples!

my follow and i were couple 173!

i'm so proud of justin. =)

and i'm proud of finally putting my leading skills to good use!

serene's a happy camper. =)

good dances all night long (except for when i got extremely worn and tired towards the end).

by good dances, i really just mean us having a fun time dancing together, in spite of either of us misreading each others' signals. =)

and if the LA congress is much better than this, man...i simply can't wait!

many revelations arose from these two nights. =)

i'll mull over them for a while before posting them.

CHAPEL OF LOVE

weeks of training culminated with today's skit and performance at luther and adeline's wedding.

while i have most of the performance down on video, i hardly took any pictures...just these two.


Janet, Evelyn, Me, Chin and Sherry

we were ushering guests to their assigned tables.


Me and Sherry couldn't eat oysters...

because we were a bundle of nerves before the performance and didn't want to risk having our tummies flip when we did the lindy or other tricks.

wh had several pictures of us girls at the singapore international salsa festival.

out of the COUNTLESS (yay!) dances i had tonight, only one didn't go too good.

i got a dance and a half with zhiming and two on2 dances.

S$37 bucks well spent tonight.

this makes serene a happy camper. =)

NO MORE

the incident during training earlier struck a chord in me, and haunts me.

because when i heard that someone shouting outside the studio, i was brought back to the times he screamed and shouted at me.

these people just don't care if others hear them.

seems like they just WANT TO GET THEIR POINT ACROSS.

if only they knew how they can't convey their message like that.

those couple of nights i woke up in the middle of the night and couldn't get back to sleep...i shut my eyes so tight because i half expected to see his face in front of me when i opened them.

sometimes, i'd force myself to open them.

you can tell how much of a scar he's left with me.

CHECK OUT THE SHINES

i want to do what they do...

THAT'S WHAT FRIENDS ARE FOR

curtis flew by last week to spend some time with us (ashley and me).

he misses singapore so much he's flying back late november and over christmas again!

unfortunately, he couldn't get a job here after graduating a few months back so he chooses the next best thing...CHINA.

so here's us goofing around...


calling for the cab...


waiting for the cab...


still waiting...


does the waiting ever end?!


okay now we're waiting for his flight...

haha...no makeup yo.

TIME OF MY LIFE

i never thought i could keep thinking this whenever i had a minute alone.

it came to me with such a vengeance i swear if i hadn't slapped myself awake at the traffic light, i would've walked into oncoming traffic.

I NEEDED IT.

WANTED IT.

but couldn't find it.

so i guess it'll have to wait till the weekend or something.

still...i've never felt such a strong desire for this before.

didn't think it'd ever happen to me.

but yeah...it is.

and i'm gonna make good, if it's the last thing i do.

in time to come, i'll need someone to try out tricks with me.

FEELING

i wonder if the dull ache i'm feeling in my lower back is really a phantom pain.

i stopped taking the muscle relaxants last night and things were fine for most of today until training almost ended.

maybe it was fatigue. hmm.

keeping me fingers crossed it ain't something too bad.

it really is a bad week. =(

i couldn't eat for most of the day...which equates to a mighty weak me for some heavy duty choreography in the evening.

no tricks cuz i didn't want to risk breaking the back.

physical self's just weak now.

so please don't force me to eat cuz i can't.

let me get through this bout first...then i'll pig out. =)

just hope the back won't let up on me.

THE RIGHT STUFF

i just had to post this phone conversation i had with the boss just a few minutes ago...

Boss: hey serene, i've just finished a meeting and am on my way back now, wondering what we're having for lunch today? should we get pizza?

Me: but i just ate bread.

B: oh no...now you're not going to eat anything for the rest of the day!

M: very funny.

B: i'll be coming from raffles place, so do you want anything from burger king?

M: i'll be fine, really.

B: you mean you prefer mcdonald's to burger king?

M: i just don't feel like eating anything big right now. maybe later...

B: okay...

i feel bad for dampening his enthusiasm.

but that conversation was way too funny...hehe.

how many bosses and employees have the same chit chat we have? =)

PLEASE REMEMBER

little hands, little feet
little pout, little squeak

cries when he's hungry
burps when he's done

a sight of what could be
from what could've been

remember: you, me and baby makes three?

he makes me miss you

i don't know who YOU are.

i don't remember any rush of joy.

i just remember...

you, me and baby makes three.

BABY LOVE

i love babies. =)

here's the little tyke with no name...







my parents can't wait for grandkids to call their own.

HAHAHAHA.

LEAVE

there're things you just leave aside for a while, just so you wouldn't have to face it while you're already going through a hard time.

physical things.

like the two tickets to "lady in the water", still intact, that fell out of a bag i was rushing to clear to use this morning.

and the maps of cameron highlands.

but because i was in a hurry, all those fell behind the haste.

now that i'm back in my room and dumping the two tickets, i can't help the pang of sadness at the missed movie, what came after that, and those little things we got in cameron.

now husky and the big red pig that i gave him, and he threw back at me, have resided on my bed all this while.

i look at them as part of the toy family and play with them like how i do with the rest of my stuffed animals.

that said, i don't miss his presence or want him.

i just don't want any surprises jumping out of luggages or bags.

STOP FLIRTING, SERENE!

and that's what the boss said, obviously taking the mickey outta what i told him about the flirtation comment made on me.

still wasn't feeling too good today so the boss told me to head home for some rest.

finally got home way past three after going through some tapes.

didn't want to cancel out on dinner with curtis since i've been too busy to spend time with him for most of the week, so went ahead with it and dessert after.

i think he might've wanted to hang for a bit longer, but i really couldn't cuz my ears were getting blocked and i had to valsava them constantly.

we had an engaging conversation about politics (in the US) and religion.

still feeling guilty about neglecting him since he was so excited to spend one week here with us, so i'll send him off saturday.

i hate being sick and weak and shivering. =(

FOR THE FIRST TIME

today held a few firsts for me.

we filmed lucas chow for a project today.

and i didn't know who he was until after we were done with the interview.

*facepalm*

i should've figured it out when someone addressed him as "mr lucas".

right after the morning's shoot, i started sneezing and sniffing...a start to a generally physically torturous day.

especially when i still had many hours of work and teaching ahead of me.

curtis dropped by for a chat with mark, so we ended up having a quick lunch together.

he said something which resembled a cheesy pick-up line...

"as i was walking back, i saw this really attractive girl in red. when i walked closer, i realized she was you!"

i'm like..."curtis...was that a pick-up line?!"

i taught my 8.30pm class at the latin american household alone, with four extra husbands around.

man were they rowdy...add that to physically-taxing day, not a good concoction.

i'm just glad to be back home.

sniffly nose and all.

MOM'S THE WORD

she's the bomb, my mom.

while walking me back from the mrt station, she told me more of what transpired saturday.

*warning*

the following may read like a script so if you ain't the screenplay-type, feel free to cease reading here. =)

FLIRTATION

the conversation, according to mom, went like this...

Seb: my friends tell me that when they see serene dance with guys, it's like she's flirting around.

Mom: i know my daughter and she doesn't flirt.

S: i didn't say she flirts, i said my friends say she flirts.

M: then as her boyfriend, shouldn't you have stood up for her? and not agree quietly on the side? why would you even make it an issue if you didn't think she flirts? i know my daughter. she's very sociable, but also knows when to draw the line when she feels someone wants something more. i've seen it for myself.

The Lims 1 Seb 0

MY PAST ISSUES WITH THE PARENTS AND STUDIES

again, according to mom...

S (to Dad): did you know she was angry at you last time because you suddenly couldn't send her for her studies?

Dad: yes.

M: you thought we didn't know?

S: she wasn't happy with you when that happened.

D: you see sebastian, i'm her father, so i'm not going anywhere. you're the boyfriend, so you can get booted.

The Lims 2 Seb 0

BACHATA

correlated to flirtation.

S: she dances bachata with other guys.

M: come on lah, it's just dancing what.

The Lims 3 Seb 0

honey, it's three strikes and you're out.

even my non-dancing parents know what it's like to just be sociable and have fun.

and that's why my parents come tops when it comes to mate selection. =)

THIS LITTLE SCOUTING LIGHT OF MINE

scouts are just like family.

you always feel at home when they're around.

in spite of the drama that happened earlier on in the day, last night's mid-autumn festival celebrations at yzps was really warm and familiar.

with most people congratulating me on my PSS try and all.

plenty of games were in order during the course of the evening, with one segment of pomelo-fishing...


jason being his usual "i'm cool shit" self...=P

rovers have a lotta fun together, especially when we've known each other for a while...


kangwei and elmie having a laugh after both failing to fish the pomelo

other games included solving riddles...


chun hoe and guest mingling at the riddle board

and there was some catching up to do...

with bubba...


he popped by with rover gang halfway through

and plenty of baby business to go around...


freddy's little girl, valerie

and of course, us sisters. =)

let's track the past pictures we've taken first...


on last year's birthday, i think

there was one more from big bird's wedding...which i can't find for now...

but here's the latest. =)


mid-autumn fest celebrations 2006

love you elmie. =)