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. =)

MESS AROUND

as if my life wasn't already dramatic enough.

he came by, threw things at my window to get my attention, and then climbed up the meter gauges along the outside of our front door, pounded on my window and pushed it open.

i walked out of my room and my parents ran down to talk to him.

he was ranting outside our flat about wanting to talk to me and all.

i gotta admit...if my parents weren't around, i think i'd be at a loss.

so the heros of the day are they.

and they spent a couple of hours talking to him at the void deck, with me sneaking out using a staircase hidden from their view for class.

earlier as we were driving home in the car post mooncake fest celebration, mom told me what he mentioned to them.

he said i had sent him encouraging messages and then threw cold water on him.

he brought up johann (a guy i had gone out with for a bit a long time back but nothing THAT substantial) and boon cheong.

he said he only wanted to be friends.

let's see...

i think it's a little extreme to want a friendship that badly that you'd risk your life, limb and reputation by climbing up a gas pipe on the 10th-storey of an hdb block and pounding on your ex-girlfriend's window, demanding that she talk to you and BE YOUR FRIEND.

on the second point, i really gotta give it to my mom.

when he mentioned these two guys to her, she simply said...

"my daughter is a fine woman and i wouldn't be surprised if she has gone out with other guys before. by the way, how did you know about johann?"

he said he asked me about it.

and without batting an eyelid, she went on...

"you asked her, and she told you right? so what's the problem?"

my mom knows of these two guys...and because of such history, she's always been less worried about me being hurt by men.

perhaps it's because i'm extremely fussy? =P

note that my mom, in making those statements, demonstrated she could be extremely eloquent.

on the first point about me sending him messages...

if i had sent him messages in the first place, today wouldn't have happened.

he had come today to get me to talk to him, so logically, if i was, he wouldn't be tracking me down to my home.

my parents are sorta convinced they've knocked some sense into him today, and that he will not look me up or contact me if i don't contact him.

they'd better keep their fingers crossed.

by the way, my gas meter's pretty much twisted from his weight.

he really doesn't think of the consequences of his actions.