Salsa Con Sabor (Salsa と風味/Salsa 와 맛)

2nd Annual Outcast Salsa Competition - 10th April 2011

2011-03-20T23:05:00.004+08:00

Yup guys!!

Its happening on 10th April 2011 - the Salsa competition organized by Outcast Dance Studio.

This year, the venue will be at Eastin Hotel, Grand Ballroom. Ticket is RM40 prebook or RM50 at the door.

For more info, please check out: Outcast's website

Unlike last year, this year's competition is open to all salseras/salseros from various studios/styles.

So, do go and support your classmates, friends and have fun at the same time!

Salsa during Chinese New Year 2011 (updated 04th Feb 2011 6.49pm)

2011-01-24T23:05:00.005+08:00

Just a little update on CNY's salsa:

Paradize is closed for two Fridays for Chinese New Year(CNY), i.e. 28th Jan & 04th Feb & shall reopen on 11th Feb.

As for the other salsa clubs(La Bomba, Modesto& Shivz), will post here on their salsability once I get some info/confirmation from fellow salseros.

Cheerio!

Just got news: Modesto is taking a break this Saturday, 5th Feb. Salseros, you may hop over to Bulldog Sri Hartamas. Party starts 10pm - 2am Sunday. Address: 31 & 31-1, Jalan Sri Hartamas 7, Taman Sri Hartamas, Kuala Lumpur.

Map

Have Pride, be Bitchy!

2010-12-11T02:15:00.003+08:00

I pride myself on being on time(salsa wise), or at least 95% of the time when I'm on the dance floor or in class!

So, pardon me if people think I'm a bitch when I said that I hate EGOistic lead who dare to tell(not by words, but by action) that I'm not on time when the lead himself is like off the beat for almost a bar of music!

Heck! I ain't a great follower(make it an average one at that!), cause I know I'm slow at following some lead, but at least I STRIVE** to be on time!

So, PLEASE! You can use all methods to tell me that I don't follow your lead well, I don't know a move well(when I'm supposedly able to know 'ALL' the moves), I don't turn nor spin(I freaked out at spinning okay!) well, etc!

But don't ever, and I mean EVER 'tell' me I'm not on time when you yourself do not know where the 1 or the 2 or whatever number is!

**It took me almost 2 years(from the day I start learning salsa) to understand the counts/the timing in salsa. I downloaded tonnes of songs & asked for advise on how to be able to dance on time!! But at least I won't make people 'unhappy' on the dance floor.**

Disclaimer: The lead in this particular episode is not a newbie & definitely not on my FB list. Cause I don't think I can stand having EGOistic people around me!

Quick Update!

2010-11-16T00:26:00.005+08:00

Can't believe I've abandoned my blog for more than a year.

Just a quick update before I totally forgot what happened so far since March 2009:

July 2009 - started on2 class with Fuzz at Outcast Dance Studio. The steps are confusing at first, but I guessed it's easier for the girls than the guys on the conversion(from on1 to on2) part. And yes, the studio is like the other side of the world for me & Fuzz, cause we both stay in Cheras/Sentul, and the studio's in Bandar Utama!

Sept 2009 - Fuzz left KL(and me) as he has to return to SG. Well, I can't just quit because my 'partner' left right? Hence, I've decided to just continue and see far I can go.

Nov 2009 - still in the beginner's class. Was told that there will be a salsa competition held by the studio for the students with partner work category & shines too! Woo hoo! At last there's a competition for shine itself, i.e. partner not needed. Was tempted, but am not that confident at all! Finally, after much deliberation, have decided to just sign up for the comp!

Jan 2010 - it's judgement day, the result ain't that bad cause I was third in the beginner/advance beginner shine category! Woo hoo! Wasn't expecting to win cause I was so indecisive during the choreography stage for the 1st part of the song! It's only 2 bloody minutes of a song & I can't even decide how to start! Well, all's well ends well I guessed! FYI, I haven't gone up to advance beginner at this point!

July 2010 - signed up for the Outcast's Students Recital like about 2 months before the actual date. Was also doubtful when I was told about the performance, but in the end, after a good pep talk with Gavin, I finally decided to join in the 'torturing' session! Rushing to class after work(in Bukit Bintang), then after class(~ 10.30pm), gotta rush to LRT station just to ensure that I don't miss the last bus(11.40pm) home. The outcome ain't that bad either, after 2 months of practice, and the only mistake I made is missing 1 turn at the starting point. Phew! The pendulum wasn't that daunting comparing to performing in front of so many people! :p

MSF & SISF 2010 has passed and I didn't partake in the full pass cause of budget(cause I need to be in SG the week before SISF also) and not having the urge to join any workshops! At least, am glad that I've attended MSF(full party pass) cause its the last one for Malaysia! Haizzz! Psstt.. SISF might be having a new venue next year. Not sure yet, but we'll know soon(I hope)

Well, that's all for now! Have been very lazy lately & had skipped class for almost a month. Gotta resume class this Sunday! Pray that I don't fall sick lah!

ps. Have checked out the 'new' Union Square in SG; mind you the cover charge is $S20 with 2 free drinks! After conversion to RM, its almost RM50 leh. Doubt I'll ever visit that place again. Might check out the studio party(mostly Fridays) instead($5 only per entry)!

Things I did for the want of salsa songs(& service)

2009-03-29T18:00:00.006+08:00

Not too extreme, but maybe a bit nuts :

1. Times Square, KL: Heard salsa song from a distance, found the shop airing the song, went in, shopped, ask the
boss the title of the CD. Got it and realised its in my collection. COOL!!!! no need to search & buy. I would visit this shop again if I ever need a bag/dress & see whether there's any new salsa music being aired

2. KL Plaza: Heard salsa song from a distance again(while on the way to office after lunch), went in the
shop(wooden items on display), ask the sales assistant whether I can see the CD cover or not. Her answer: the CD belongs to a friend of the boss, ie cannot show you the cover. DUH!!! I want to see cover only, not as if I'll run away with it. Too bad.. if you let me see it, I might have intro a friend to your shop(if they have an interest in your stuffs) just for your friendliness. There goes your chance of getting a business deal.

3. Tangs, Pavillion: Was looking for dresses/shirt- further reduction sales until early/mid April(2009), the salsa music being aired is damn interesting & felt like salsaing on the spot.

Proceed to ask Cashier which section is playing the CD.
Answer: Customer Service(2nd Floor).

Went to the Customer Service: can I have the title of the CD or a look of the cover.
Answer from Customer Service: Normally CD/songs are given by Marketing Section, we don't even have a look of the CD before airing it.

GREAT!! You could have done better at servicing me,ie make a call to marketing section to find out the infos, its just an extra step towards customer service. Too bad!! again!! I would have send a thank you card or even sms some major newspaper just to say thank you & promote your friendliness.

Well! Shall see if I'll ever get the chance to hear some great salsa music being aired in the shopping complexes/shops and test their customer service skill at the same time

A bit of this & that

2008-06-15T22:47:00.011+08:00

Hi Blog, its been a while after my 'accident in April. Been too lazy to do any blogging.

Summary(I'll try to make it shortest possible) :-

1. I still went to Little Havana the 1st week after spraining my ankle(can't dance, but still wanna visit LH) just to chill & laugh(I didn't say 'laugh', my 'Boss did - so bad of him) at people dancing.

2. I'm not suppose to dance for a while, but still manage to attend the Salsa Congress in Penang. I know, I'm siao(crazy in Hokkien). Luckily didn't bought the whole package as I only went for the Saturday party, had fun dancing (exactly 2 weeks after the 'accident') on the sandy beach - 2 dances actually , with my ankle guard on of course .

The sad part is, I was rewarded by the hotel with dust mites and it was on my injured ankle too. Grrrrrrr!!! I'm so not going to stay in that hotel the next time I'm going to Penang.

3. Went for my usual salsa fixes every Friday after the congress with my jazz shoes on. Can do a few turns & double spin, but no more than that. But I definitely can't do my shines right cause I need to be real cautious. Ishhhh!!

4. Being the bad student that I am, I didn't join(I attended, but can watch only) in my latin dance class, though I wish I could, cause Yukiko was teaching samba then. I totally miss dancing samba & the drills of rumba & chacha.

5. Attended the Ladies Styling On2 by Sally(Gavin's partner) on 07th June. Love the moves & footwork. Did some basic on2 footwork(quite easy to follow & learn) before the styling & it sure is fun. Me gonna convert those moves to On1 count now(wish me luck!!), so that I can apply to both styles. Hope there will be more styling workshops in the future, be it the man or ladies styling.

6.Went for P Ramlee The Musical, loves the stage setting, costumes, the singing(I love the main actor & actress' voice, especially Musly Ramlee's- its 99% like P Ramlee) and dancing. Though they can be more creative when there's technical error encountered during the performance.

7. Had a nice short chat with Sam on Friday about salsa & stuffs & I confessed to him that I love to do shines nowadays more than before, cause it give me more freedom rather than just follow & turn & turn & multiple spins. Am going to heed Sam's advise & try something 'evil' this Friday at LH.

8. Last but not least for this week's updates, I was spun(lost count how many spins) by VBS(Very Bad Steven) at SH yesterday night & the reason I was spun so much is just because my dress twirl beautifully when I do spins & turns. Is it a wonder why I don't wanna wear dress or skirt to salsa(other than for real(not dance related) safety reason) ??

Ouch! of Comission for 3 days ?

2008-04-04T11:35:00.005+08:00

My worse nightmare came true!

In short, I slipped at the side of a road, sprained my left ankle & abrased my right knee. And it all happened today, a Friday, ie MY SALSA DAY!!

I can normally stand minor sprains & wound, but this time not so, cause I was totally stumped for 2 minutes & almost black out when I tried to stand.

I practically need to sit for more than 5 minutes to regain 'consciousness' before seeking treatment. The best part is the 2 nearby clinics are yet to open.

Thought of using the first aid kit from my office to wash & cover the wound. And , there are only bandages, swaps & painkillers in the so called first aid kit . Not even a drop of lotion is in the kit. Gonna complaint to the welfare manager next week!

Took a cab to see a Dr and he says no walking allowed for at least 2 or 3 days & definitely no heels!

No walking(plus no heels) = NO DANCING! Help!! 2 weeks without dancing??

It also means I'll have to sit off my samba class this Sunday.

Oh well! At least I was given 1 day MC(Doc said can give 2 if I'm working tomorrow, but since I don't work Saturday, so no need for MC).

Might as well use the given MC-day for another kind of practice

Cross Border Salsa @ S'pore

2008-03-17T19:28:00.010+08:00

A night of Salsa Dancing + Bachata Competition + Eddie Palmierie's Latin Jazz Concert = My Singapore Trip.

Have only planned to attend E.P's concert at Esplanade on Sunday & hoped to catch some salsa (the Saturday night before) at Union Square.

Then, thanks to Wai Sum(she got all these tickets for us), we were able to watch the Bachata Competition at Upper Club, Chimes & had a few salsa dancing at the same place.

Nice deco they had and superb dance floor too. Big enough for a whole bunch(& I mean a whole big bunch) of salsa addicts.

Then, we got to know that 2 of our salsa kakis entered for the bachata competition too.
The Bachata contestants

Here's the video of them dancing to Bachata Rosa :

They didn't win the competition, but nevertheless, I definitely salute them for having the guts to enter this competition.

Eddie Palmierie's Latin Jazz Band live performance on Sunday is simply mesmerizing & lively(needless to say). The pieces were a bit long, but I just love to see the congas & timbales being played. The saxophone & trumpet are equally superb(yet I still love the congas & timbales most >_< ).

Some of the VIPs got free CDs from the group too(I'm so jealous of them >_<). No pictures here cause videography and/or pictography are not allowed in the auditorium.. :P

Numeros

2008-02-11T19:15:00.000+08:00

Number 1 - 10

uno ---------------- one
dos ---------------- two
tres --------------- three
cuatro ------------- four
cinco ------------- five
seis --------------- six
siete --------------- seven
ocho ---------------- eight
nueve ---------------- nine
diez ----------------- ten

uno y uno son dos ---------------- one and one are two
uno y dos son tres --------------- one and two are three
cinco y cinco son diez ----------- five and five are ten

Days and Months

2008-02-11T18:59:00.000+08:00

Days of the Week
lunes
martes
miercoles
jueves
viernes
sabado
domingo

Months of the Year
enero
febrero
marzo
abril
mayo
junio
julio
agosto
septiembre
octubre
noviembre
diciembre

Something Fun

2008-02-01T01:19:00.000+08:00

Too busy with my 'children' nowadays to blog about 'Something New'.

But moi still got time to share 'Something Fun'.

Just go here http://www.mambojays.com to vote for your favorite Salsera and/or Salsero and see who'll be crowned the Mambo Queen and Mambo King.

You'll get to vote for the venue for the crowning session too.

Adios for now. Gotta catch up with some(hopefully) before tonight's fix at Little Havana.

ps. Shall blog about 'Something New' hopefully during CNY.

Something Old & Something New

2008-01-11T20:43:00.000+08:00

Gonna try something new tonight at Little Havana.

Its not actually that new, since I've it done it a couple of time at LH, say about 1/2 year ago(or is it longer? ).

Just adding a bit more sabor(since it is salsa anyway) and a few more moves to make it something 'NEW' .

Shall blog more about it after tonight's fix. Gotta run to gym now.

A Shoeless(and FUN) Salsa Nite

2008-01-06T17:54:00.001+08:00

The 1st post for 2008 & I believe this shall be a pretty good start for my favorite fix, that is Salsa:

In the rush of thing on a Friday morning, I ter-packed my 2 years old latin shoes for my Salsa fix at LH.

Only realised about the wrong shoes when I was on the way from gym to Little Havana.

I can't even stand properly with this old pair of shoes on, not to mention walking & dancing. Tried the first dance with them with a not-so disastrous result , but still felt like falling down whenever I did a turn .

So, for the second & the rest of the dances(be it salsa or bachata) that night, I've decided to just salsa kaki ayam(not totally barefooted, but DEFINITELY shoeless) style.

Can't remember how many dances I had , but I realized I had more fun dancing(me can still do double spin leh ) on me bare feet than with my shoes on.

Could it be that I'm used to practicing in a shoeless manner at home ? Deep required here.

Well, definitely can't do this too often or else I might not get enough salsa fixes, due to some gentlemen just won't ask a barefooted salsera to dance.

Wonder if these gentlemen would reject a barefooted salsera's request for a dance if she(me lar) ask nicely ?

On a different & healthier note: Little Havana(upstairs) is smoke-free on all Salsa Nites starting from the (most)memorable Friday night of 04 Jan 2008.

**Smoke at your own risk - a pail of water shall be waiting for you.

Muchas Gracias

2007-12-22T14:01:00.000+08:00

Am still trying to recover from a night of good music & great dancing at LH last night.

Thanks to DJ Lee for starting the night with Salsa Con Sabor, then there's Bella Mujer & Un Beso, Dejame Sonar & much much much much more.

The only song missing from the list is Yamulemau, but I shouldn't be so demanding right ?

A big thank you to Desmond, Ian, Ong Tou, Adam, Jeya, Mango, Sachin, Robin & Jason for the birthday dance & turns & to Fadzli & Esthee for the birthday wishes .

Also a huge thanks to Chin Lai, Chiow Er, Brenda, Ken, Sam(D Boss), Jason for the impromptu birthday song, cake & unexpected birthday gifts .

Never expect to receive so many birthday gifts at my age

A hand-made chocker+earrings set, a flower necklace(I got this way before my birthday is due) & 'Baby'. Mi amigos know me so well.

And then, there's my birthday Tong Yuen(home made by mom) for brunch this morning

I get to eat this every year on my birthday. Don't be jealous yeah.

Hope I didn't miss anyone's name from this list. If I did, tell me yeah. I'll find ways to repay ya.

** A little note: Little Havana is on Saturday 29th December, not Friday.

Saturday Salsa (at The)Lodge

2007-11-20T23:03:00.001+08:00

A new(not so) LODGE to salsa every Saturday.

Imagine yourself dancing in an almost smoke-free, cool(and I mean air-conditioned cool) salsa club, lots of fans to spare & later cooling yourself while perched on seats that overlook the pool

And if you're lucky, you might get to feel some of the (au natural)breezy, cool wind blowing in near the entrance too

The map to The(salsa) Lodge(directory)

Go here to see a field report of The Lodge with DJ Swami Gee as the resident DJ. He played quite a cool selection of salsa music with only 1 or 2 bachatas & merengues in between.

Party starts 9.30pm with 1st drink charge (at a steal: only RM6.90 for a bottle of mineral water leh).

Address: 2, Jalan Tengah
50250 KL
(along Jln Sultan Ismail, opposite Wisma Genting)
Tel : 03-21420122
Email :salsalodge@gmail.com

Do beware of the clickety click lightning when you're there

Getting a fix(of salsa) in Bangkok

2007-10-01T14:48:00.000+08:00

Shopping+eating+shopping+more shopping+SALSA = my Bangkok trip

The plan is just to meet up with a friend who's working there & shop around.

But it was slightly thwarted by 2 salsa addicts: Uncle James & Shiva(they saw me & my friend upon arrival at Suvarnabhumi airport on Friday).

The salsa addicts: you coming for the salsa festival ?
Me: No lah, shopping only. Anyway, I didn't bring my shoes
The salsa addicts: Can always buy here.

In the end, I did drop by for a short(but fun) 1-hour-fix where I salsa kaki-ayam(seriously) style. A salsero asked me for a dance & to my surprise, when he saw me bare footed, he took off his shoes to salsa with me

(me)with the 2 (gentlemen)salsa addicts, Shiva & Salsakaki(Uncle)James. Mucho gracias for the dances.

**Thanks to Suzuki san for providing me with the map to Bann Silom(where the salsa party's at on Saturday). If not, I'll be having itchy feet for the whole week without my salsa fix.

Most memorable(& funny) conversations

2007-09-17T22:44:00.000+08:00

Q: How come you didn't join the class ?
Me: I thought the class is in TTDI(but, its in LH, duh!!), so, I didn't join lor.

S(tatement): See my (latin)shoe. The straps are coming off already and I have only 1 pair.
But, I brought along another pair, just in case.
Me : LOL(apa lah!!)

Q: Where's your new shoe?
A: Oh!! It's on a holiday..
Me:

Me: What you looking at ar?
A: Just peeking here and there.. the dress so sexy lar
Me: Blocked by people, how to peek ? Go up there and get a clearer view lah .

Are You A Salsa Addict ?

2007-09-08T17:06:00.000+08:00

I'm in the Borderline Salsaholic category ..

Take this test to see which category you're in.

Sundae Salsa Movie - El Cantante

2007-09-03T21:45:00.000+08:00

A movie loaded with yummy salsa songs+biography of Puerto Rican salsa pioneer(Hector Lavoe)+popcorn+cosy sofa(all provided by Salsa Havana) = how I spent my Sunday evening yesterday.

If only the script of 'El Cantante' have less F*** words in them. Now I definitely understood why it won't be shown on the big screens in Malaysia.

After the Censorship Board beeped out all the F*** words, you'll only hear great salsa songs + a few sentences here and there. And I do believe that you won't be able to see any subtitles for this film either, cause, how on earth will you be able to translate all the conversations with constant beeping(F***) here & there?

There is a bright side of this movie as it does introduce a lot of Lavoe's salsa songs to the audience. I especially love the self-titled soundtrack itself, El Cantante.

If you wanna know more about this movie, just go here.

Well, gotta go & get the soundtrack of this movie; if I can find it in one of the record stores here.

Salsa on a Merdeka Day

2007-09-01T18:31:00.000+08:00

Is today(referring to yesterday) Saturday or Friday ?

I practically woke up late, lepak at home the whole day, read mags, uploaded photos & have dinner at home before going to Little Havana(used to do that when we had LH on Saturdays instead) .

HS: how come you're late? You're normally early.

Me: Holiday mar.. so, lepak a little bit longer at home first .

Surprisingly, I didn't make wantan nor cough much last night. Must be the salsa thingy making me better(or could be due to the LoHonGuo infusion doing its magic).

DJLee played a salsa in Mandarin: Qing Ren(Lover) around 11ish .

Nope, me didn't dance to this song. I bet I'll be singing the whole song when salsa-ing to this number.

So happened, we're celebrating DJ Lee U Joe's & Andrew T'ng's birthday too.

Seldom can we see Joe out of the DJ Console area, unless there's a guess DJ. So, this is a perfect night to dance (albeit, a short one) with him.

Did I do the birthday dance with Joe or not? Gosh!! My STML is really bad nowadays. No pictures, cos nobody brought camera/s... ishh..

Asked Uncle James for a merengue, and my hairband decided to drop itself. I just put it in my hand & continue dancing with him till the end of the song.

After that, I tied the (falling)hairband to my wrist when I was about to salsa with Mambojays,

Salsakaki@UncleJames(walked over): How come you didn't tie the hairband when dancing with me just now?

Me: (Grinning sheepishly)Me tie it up now to prevent it from falling off my hair again mar.

(Jangan marah ye Uncle James. I'll put away me hairband the next time round )

Salsa-ed to No Me Ames. Quite a challenge, cause its a slow number(as slow or slower than Yamulemau) & I can't help singing along to these songs while dancing.

The surprise of the night is of course the Berjaya song , just cause its a Merdeka (Holi)Day. Salute to Joe!

Updates for Little Havana(courtesy of DJ Lee U Joe):

Salsa is on every Friday in September - 7/9, 14/9, 21/9 and 28/9.

Post MSF Blur(not Blues)

2007-08-16T23:24:00.000+08:00

Have been a blur sotong for the past few days(post MSF syndrome).

1. Forgot where I put my pen, forgot to charge my batteries, forgot how to write scripts & which table to extract datas from and

2. The ultimate blur-ness : (the sign on a bus' door)

BERKHEMAHLAH DI JALAN RAYA. SELAMATKAN NYAWA

Camp on the road to save lives ?

Yup! It's translated as CAMP ON THE ROAD. SAVE LIVES.

My brain captured it that way for more than 10 minutes. And just a few a seconds after I rang the bell to get off the bus, it appeared clearly as

BERHEMAHLAH DI JALAN RAYA which means, BE COURTEOUS ON THE ROAD

What difference a K makes .

Luckily I don't drive. If not, I'll have to put this sign on the car:

BEWARE! BLUR SOTONG DRIVING *_*

Malaysian Salsa Festival

2007-08-12T21:57:00.001+08:00

~~Too lazy to type so many things. For now, it'll be pictures posting time only~~.

My first MSF(I missed last year's).

We departed from Sentral like 40 minutes after the scheduled time(talk about Malaysian Rubber Time)!!!

The interesting part is where our buses were escorted by the polices from Bidor to the hotel itself. Felt like VIP leh.

We made a smart choice for this festival(learned our lessons well from the previous SISF).

Less workshops & more rests(zZZZz) to make sure we have enough energy for the dancing later.

Not that we ended up dancing the nights away. My roomie & I ended up chatting till 4am instead.

Took a few workshops(3 per day ain't that bad): musicality-on1 & on2(basic only la), sexy movement(where the guy have to give the girl a sorta lap dance), Brazilian Samba, Turn pattern/s & spinning technique.

Shimmy Steven had a workshop of his own during dinner(where we feed ourselves & fattened those mosquitos at the same time) - mosquito bachata & mosquito shimmy(gotta clarify with him again).

CL, AL & moi even accomplished the mosquito shines. Caution, this move can only be perfected while having dinner outdoor, preferably near a lot of trees & with minimal lightings.

And managed to hop into a reggae-ton workshop by the pool too. Darn good exercise for the abd & shoulders.

Didn't take photos on the 1st day at Lumut, but took a lot(well, not as many as Uncle James - almost 2000 woh he said) on the 2nd & last day.

Credits goes to these suddenly-ter-appointed photographers: Jason, Roger, Gina, Chiow Er, DJ Othman, Chin Lai & Sean. Hope I didn't missed out anyone's name. If yes, please let me know yeah!

The triple sharing bedroom in Swiss Garden at Lumut

Roomies(left to right): Chiow Er, Hazel & moi

MSF 2007- Group photo

(Right to left) Ai Ling, Chin Lai, Chiow Er & moi(like the colour combo, no?)

Team Havana with Guru Sam(I refer him as D Boss)

SoMachoMafias with D Boss

Chiow Er & me being surrounded by the Mafias! & yet, still smiling

Stylo Mylo hugging(posing lar) with Martin(Mian Li, don't pukul me ah)

Jason and moi(I like his shirt. Eh, can pinjam ah?)

Chiow Er, TiredButStillBubblyWenNie & moi

Jason aka Mambojays: Why so hot one here? When gonna start partying ?
(psst Jason, don't marah ye, nanti lekas tua )

No salsa yet, so Mambojays went & part timed as photographer
(me photographed the photographer)

Er, let me check the camera first

Chiow Er, (he won't allow me to call him a*** woh)Uncle James aka Salsakaki & moi

Uncle James & moi

oi
Sean & me(so normal posing lor)

Please don't drop me!!
Gotta 'take 2' for this picture. The 3 of us(including the photographer) started laughing like mad & almost left our slippers & camera behind after taking this picture.

Wai Sum & me at the party

3am lor & the salsero/as are still going strong. No need to sleep ar ?

More pictures(gonna chase mi amigos for more of them photos):

With Kaytee

With Nestor

Balik ~~kampung~~ KL lah.

I curi ambil this picture. heheh...
Does Not Play Well With Others (how u salsa if don't play well with others?)

And wanna thank Magna too for the salsa song that she shared with ~~moi~~ us. I still owe her something. Shucks!!

Pre MSF

2007-08-07T22:49:00.000+08:00

36 hours(and counting) to Lumut, the place where MSF is to be held.

I missed the 1st MSF and went for SISF instead last year.

The itinerary earlier: HE's students(or uh-hmm ex-student) who booked the MSF pass via HE is to board the bus at TTDI on the Thursday morning. 9.30am check in luggage? I gotta get out of the house like at 7.30am ?

But was later informed to rendezvous at KL Sentral around 9am yesterday. Ish!! Say bye bye to me bed so early to lepak at Sentral ar? Ok lor, had to follow instruction mah. At least, it'll be more convenient for me to go to Sentral instead of TTDI.

Have been working overtime most of the weeks up till today(and maybe tomorrow too) so that I can say adios(even if its only for 3 workdays) to my work-basket and work-station in peace. Hope it won't be over flow with cases when I start work after MSF.

Caught a glimpse of the workshops schedule yesterday and the first one would be musicality . Can't wait leh(start wishing that I'm on the way to Lumut already).

Wonder will it be windy and maybe drizzle a bit at Lumut ? Sure would love the cool breeze and rain(not the heavy kind) like what I've been experiencing for the past 2 days during and after lunch break. Such a delightful and fuzzy feeling(hard to describe lar, more or less like this: )

So many workshops and the venue being near a beach, should I or should I not bring my camera along(even if its only to capture some rain pictures)? I'll decide tomorrow lar.

A Night of So Many Dances

2007-07-23T22:31:00.000+08:00

Went for the KLDA Dinner and Dance last Saturday.

I never did noticed the venue when I stayed in Taman Muda Cheras 2 years ago. So, I was really surprised that KLDA is just across my old apartment.

The dance floor was nice and quite big with lots of seats still empty as we arrived at the door at 7pm.

Had crash courses on slow waltz, rumba, foxtrot and jive courtesy of Hock Siew, Steven Yap(he got us into this D&D), Joseph and Calvin(I think...STML working overtime again) .

I practically need to remind myself the basic steps when dancing the slow waltz(a bit different from Viennese waltz woh): don't use the leg that you've used earlier. Must remember: right leg used already, don't use. Left leg used already, don't use.. Ish!!

Steven was so nice to ask Joseph(the DJ that night) to play a couple of salsa songs for us cause he knew that we(Brenda & I) are still beginners in the ballroom/latin dances and we're more used to doing salsa.

Dinner was just your normal snack food, ie meehoon goreng, nasi kunyit(yellow rice), fish curry, yam cake & other stuffs. Not that we're complaining cause its quite what we've expected due to the ticket is only RM25 for that particular night.

Watched a few performances: cha cha, samba, tango and waltz and I'm quite impressed with the younger couple(below 16 only leh). They did the cha cha & samba with such finesse and they can really move their body ohh!!

Did a rumba with Joseph and before we could finish, he gotta go and change the CD again . Ish!! So potong steam loh, but as he said, no choice lar, me went back to my seat to wait for another dance-able(one that I know how to dance to lar) song.

Was pleasantly surprise when a merengue & another salsa song came on the air again. Joseph played a bachata number too. That's a big surprise. Merengue I understand, but, bachata woh?!?!? Nevertheless, its fun to hear the oh so familiar bachata song.

Party ended at around 11.30pm and me went off thinking: unable to go to SH or LH, but still can salsa, some more merengue & bachata

Had a snack/drink session at Old Town Kopitiam where we chat about dancing and stuffs.

Wonder when are they going to organize the Dinner and Dance again. Hope it won't be too long a wait.

Mission(s) Accomplished

2007-07-17T22:41:00.000+08:00

A quiet night it was in Salsa Havana last Saturday.

Was contemplating earlier that day whether to go to SH or not, but I didn't regret making the decision to get my fix of salsa(mission # 1).

Salsa-ed to 5 songs(above my expectation) in a row, since there wasn't that many a salsera in the club for the guys to dance with.

It was almost 11ish when a few more salsero/as started to appear.

Then, I noticed a certain salsero mambo-ing away to Martin(Reyes)'s selection of moderate salsa music. I absolutely love the way he dance with another salsera too. Not a lot of fancy moves, but mostly mambos, then a brief viejo, a turn(or two) for the lady and mambos again. I kept watching him almost the whole night, hoping to have a dance with him too.

Suddenly, there was a malay(Indonesian) salsa song being played. Interesting lyrics, with a lot of sakit hati(malay for heart aches) in the lyrics. Why is the heart aching during salsa ?? Beats me. But its a nice song to dance/listen to.

Walked straight up to Martin and asked(mission # 2) him what's the name of the song, and he showed me the CD cover(can only see the Title of the album, can't find the name of the songs on it lah... ish ish). Was told that he got the CD from a friend of his(from Indonesia I guess) and I won't be able to find it in KL.

Before leaving the club, I finally braved myself to ask(mission # 3) the salsero(mentioned earlier) for a dance as I again noticed that he's dancing alone to a nice number. Its mambos, viejo(yeah, I did the 'old man walking' too) and mambos again, but I like it.

Me = during the whole dance and on the way home too .

** 2 days only to accomplish another mission(owe someone something lar )

My Daemon (a trivia from)The Golden Compass

2007-07-07T19:29:00.000+08:00

Disclaimer: This is not a salsa nor dance related post. I just love the graphic and decided to post it here.

The Golden Compass(to be release in December 2007) - An exciting fantasy adventure, set in an alternative world, where a person’s soul lives on the outside of their body in the form of a daemon*

a daemon*,

(*) Daemon – a person’s soul in the form of a talking animal spirit that lives outside of the person’s body and which accompanies a person through life.

2007-07-07T15:37:00.000+08:00

Reached Little Havana at 11ish yester-night. The floor wasn't that packed, but I still prefer to walk over to the DJ console area when the music stopped and everyone is not dancing(yet).

Was sitting the whole night(2 hours ++ me think) in front of the speaker enjoying the extreme bachata and salsa songs more than dancing to it.

Another extreme bachata came on air and I asked CE, how come got extreme bachatas, but no extreme merengue/s ? And we just laugh away.

Had a few(too few lar-countable) dances, most importantly to Yamulemau . Vamanos Pa Senegal and La Cumbita(here to listen to cover version of it) are another 2 songs that I wanted and did danced to that night.

After La Cumbita finished, I asked DJLee what was the title and artist's name of the song(at that time I don't know mar) and he told me its LC. Then(~ 5 minutes later), I realised, errr... I did ask him about this familiar song long time ago when he first intro it in LH. Short Term Memory Loss kicking in again!! Ishhh!!

Found myself not following the lead properly when I danced yesterday. So, just wanna apologize to all my dear salseros whom I danced with if I didn't followed your lead yeah.

Blame it on the hot weather, the oh so syiok salsa/bachata songs(me think me syiok sendiri at that time), overhaul of dancing lessons, etc etc.. Excuses, excuses, I know . Shall try very hard to avoid all this from happening again. I promised.

Update for Friday Salsa @ Little Havana in July(courtesy of DJLee):

Salsa Nights are ON for every Friday in July at Little Havana! Mark your calendars for 6/7, 13/7, 20/7 and 27/7.

Something not salsa related

2007-07-07T13:03:00.000+08:00

8.30pm, Friday night(still in the office).

Me: Hungry lar, you guys wanna have dinner or not?

Jeff/Dom: ok.. where to ?

Me: Anywhere will do. As long as its easy for me to go LH after that.

Jeff have to fetch his girlfriend first at Jalan Raja Laut, so he suggested to have dinner at this Cotton Club - a 2-storeys Jazzaurant in Maju Junction.

Hmm.. the plate coaster had this on it. Almost wanted to ask the waiter, can I take it home ar ?

We ordered our food and were in the midst of finishing dinner when the band starts playing..

oooOO , the lead singer(nice voice) were singing lots of my favorite songs in jazzy style leh. Yummy. Ohh.. the food's yummy too

Only after we've finished dinner and started chatting do I noticed the other music motives in the jazzaurant, like the guitar on the menu and also the design of the chair

A nice place to dine in, but not so suitable for chatting(more like shouting lar) when the live band is on.

Guru Sam and Cikgu Aisha's Wedding

2007-07-05T22:57:00.000+08:00

Its a Tuesday(got to work) night.

Thank goodness for the map drawn by TallShafiq and the oh so big sign board of the venue, we reached Dewan Perdana Felda at 8.00pm sharp.

Thought that we'll be late(working day mar, sure got traffic jam one) as Brenda only fetched me at 7.30pm.

Was ushered in by Steven(ala prom style) into the grand bright hall. Wow!! Nice lighting, nice pelamin(the stage), nice atmosphere... heck, everything is nice lar.

While waiting for the arrival of the bride and groom, a video of the Akad Nikah was shown for the guests to watch, accompanied by what I would describe as fox-trottable music . We started to chat about dancing(again!) .

Oh!! Took some pictures with few of the salsero/as too(pictures shall be posted after I grab them from the various camera owners first). Most of them were in the traditional bajus and also suits. Hard it is to find us salsa addicts in such ethnic and formal attire.

Then the hero and heroine arrived in style. O_O ... Guru Sam in 3 pc (not swim-)suit and Cikgu Aisha in a pinkish white gown, both so charming leh.

Everything(the speeches, well wishes from the VVIP, dinner, the lightning with no thunder, etc etc) went on so smoothly and in timely manner. Seems like the MRT is not applied here which is good for everyone.

Guru Sam gave a most impressive(uh-uhmm) speech about marriage and fried chicken(click here for the shorter version of the speech) which us guests giggle non-stop at.

Not to forget the Emcees too. The way they berpantun(rhyme) reminds me of the recitals and poetry readings from my sastera(malay literature) classes. Wished that they could translate them into English though to benefit some of the non-Malaysian guests.

The ceremony ended in style after the newly-weds cut the cake and the emcees gave their last poem in English with well wishes for the bride and groom.

Congratulations again to Guru Sam and Cikgu Aisha.

**hmm... am wondering: will they be checking out the salsa clubs in Bali while honeymooning?

The Viennese Ball 2007.

2007-07-01T21:33:00.000+08:00

The debutantes were instructed to be at the waiting room at 6pm for early dinner.

Kiwi, Brenda and I reached there at around 6.20pm and was informed by Ken that all the food were totally swallowed by the other hungry debutantes.

Dropped our stuffs in the waiting room and tried our luck at the dining area. Were then told by Selma that more food are coming as they didn't expect the food to vanish before 6.30pm.

Had our (very) early dinner, mainly sausages, bread, wantan(something like that) and stew and were served coffee/tea too.

Then we promptly head back to the room at 7ish(to avoid the guests) to wait and chat.

A long wait it was until 9.45pm(where our showtime began), but we did have a nice chat with Janice(my previous (social dance)instructor). The main topic is about dance, dance and more dance.

Then, Brenda and I asked Hock Siew to teach us the samba(basics only) in preparation of our first samba class today(which was canceled at the last minute due to unforeseen & unexpected circumstances).

8.45pm.. changed into our gowns(for the girls and tux for the guys) and then were told to rehearse the polonaise and quadrille again, for a good 10 minutes or so. We took the opportunity to take a few pictures here and there after the rehearsal(pictures coming up soon).

10.10pm(me think) the show begins..1st the polonaise, then the quadrille and finally the waltz. Then come the polka.. boy did we have fun hopping and jumping to the 'marching' song..

And the ball begins... the band played lots of waltz and polkas throughout the night...

Some of us salsa addicts(and some of the guests) went to the room next door to catch a few salsa/latin beats too.

Then, when Brenda, Ken, Kiwi and I went back to the function room, we saw people dancing to rock & roll and cha cha cha. Then of course, there's Steven(Seah) heading the samba line for all to join.

Came 1am, we were again entertained with a nice ballet(danced to the sweet melody of Blue Danube Waltz) and a few operas again. No understand the language that they sang in, but still captivated by the performances very much(don't know why?!?)

After the entertainment, we did the midnight quadrille with the oh so sporting guests(with Mr Polt shouting the instructions for the guests to follow). We did the quadrille 6 three times in a row where the music keeps getting fast, faster and even more faster .

Finally ended the night(well almost) with the ever hilarious and exhausting french can-can dance.. Did we have a jolly good time with this number .

A marvelous night it was and we have no regrets for joining this event whatsoever.

You guys should try it out too next year..

Pictures from Viennese Ball Rehearsal June 28th

2007-06-30T15:25:00.001+08:00

Polonaise

With Mr.Polt and Selma

The group from H E

Pictures from Viennese Ball coming up soon

Last Minute Change(s)

2007-06-29T00:10:00.000+08:00

A hectic schedule it was last Saturday.

We went to collect the white latin shoes(ordered them the Sunday before) from San Lee, Cheras and drove all the way to Puchong to collect our (off-)White Gown, all of which are required for the Viennese Ball tomorrow.

My dress' hem need to be altered cause its a tat too long for this vertically challenged person(me lah). Brenda's dress need to be altered too(not the length, but something else). All done within 2 - 2.5 hours time. Then, we rushed off all the way to TTDI for the practice. We both agreed that we're nuts cause we travel in 1 big round just to get stuffs and do whatever(well, almost) it takes for this interest called dancing.

During and after the practice on Sunday, found out a bit too late that my gown is still quite long. Ah ahh!!! No way and no time to send the gown to Puchong again for alteration. So, what did I do ?

I spent 6 hours(after work) to alter(by hand) the gown myself. What lar!! The tailor takes 2 hours and I need 6 for the (NOT SO SIMPLE) alteration? Ishh!! Well, at least I'm now fully satisfied with the length and won't be afraid of tripping over(fingers crossed) during the ball tomorrow.

Most of the Debutantes were a bit confused during today's dress rehearsal cause the line ups(couples/partners) are different from Sunday's rehearsal(cannot remember who were in front, back and beside us). But, we finally manage to identify our neighbors for the actual event .

Another 9 hours to go for the actual event. After that, it will be MERDEKA! MERDEKA!

And we(Brenda and I) can fully concentrate on our dance class(well, that's another story to be told later) from this Sunday onward. Hip hip horray!!

2007-06-24T01:00:00.000+08:00

Ran out of white top(required) to wear for the VB Class on Friday. So, me had on my not so new white dress & a flowery brown cover for the practice instead. Received a few compliments from the ladies and it lifted up my mood during the class.

Went straight to Little Havana after practice, amidst the heavy rain and got 1/4 of myself wet(no thanks to my not so faithful umbrella).

To my surprise, me saw Mango(who disappeared for about 8 months from the salsa scene) near the stairs with his 2 friends(spreading salsa-ism??).

Near the dance floor

DJLee: Senegal is coming up next.

Me: Yeah kah? Cool. Thanks.

Quickly asked Kevin for a dance cos I wanted to dance to VPS.

10 minutes later

Had a dance(basics) each with Mango's friends(yet to learn salsa). They sure pick up the steps fast.

After the salsa(s) ended

Me: You got the steps correct, hope you'll take up salsa lessons and see you at the clubs soon.

Chin & Eng Siang(hope I spelled their names correctly) : Thanks. See you soon too.

Later

Me asked Ash for a dance, not even realizing that its a cha cha song, but we proceed to do the sal-cha anyway. And it sure is fun... lots of stylo milo stuffs that we can do for this dance.

Got rejected twice when I did the asking that night, but its norm lor. Better luck next time.

Had a nice waltz-sa with MamboJays. Wanted to ask him: are we waltzing while salsa-ing ? But, me forgot to ask cos was trying very hard not to be stepped on by the moving-around-a-lot guy behind me.

Closing song, DJLee decided to play waltz as the last song of the night, and me straight away asked Sean for a dance. He obliged and I had a great time(although me got a bit kepala pusing[dizzy] after that) dancing to this sweet melody.

Dancing Waltz in a salsa studio and did the waltz in a salsa club.. One word to describe this:
Siao!!

Why?

2007-06-16T14:22:00.000+08:00

Yesterday night(after Viennese Ballroom class).

Was at the entrance at LH paying for the drink when I heard the rhythmic Vamanos Pa Senegal being played upstairs. Darn!! Why play this song so early lar?

Me: WHY you play this song when I'm not here yet leh?

DJLee: Luckily I didn't play Jambu...

Me: In that case, can play track 1 for me ar? Play it much much later also can.

DJLee: Okay. No problem.

10 minutes later, when I'm at the basin, ie quite near the dance floor, but not near enough.. he played my request.

Yiiiii... WHY he play Nina when I'm not around again lar?!?

Quickly went out to at least enjoy the music(since cannot find anyone to salsa with ).

Then, Ash came to my rescue as he ask me to dance to this yummy track.

Heee hee.. I finally got to dance to Nina(by Joe Cuba). Just love this song(and the dance was lovely too)

Thank you Ash.

2007-06-16T13:52:00.000+08:00

2.5 weeks ago

FutureSalsaAddict: Is the registration for salsa class still open?

Me: i just checked the forum & it said closed.

FutureSalsaAddict: . Why so hot one ?

Me: Salsa very popular mar now.

Last week

FutureSalsaAddict: Hey. Good news. I have a friend wanna salsa with me. Nice friend. Young chap and looks like J**

Me: Good. Then both of you can register together.

FutureSalsaAddict: Yah. Need the details. I checking the forum now. Sat is 2.30pm. Very rush for me.

Me: Yup. Right after work have to cabut from office and grab something to eat before class. Normal lar. Me Fridays also like that now.

FutureSalsaAddict: Superwoman

Me: Crazywoman is more like it. Dance addict like that lor.

Viennese Ballroom Lessons - Part II

2007-06-05T00:16:00.000+08:00

And the biggest surprise(came through email) today:

Urgent Viennese Ball: Invitation to Dance Lessons

Another unique opportunity to learn and practice Viennese Ballroom dancing(such as Waltz, Boogie, Cha Cha, slow fox, etc). You can bring along your parents and friends who are also interested in dancing. The lessons are FREE of charge

Details:

Venue : Level 1, Sapura Auto BMW showroom, 362 Jalan Tun Razak, K.L.
Date : 6, 7 June 2006
Time : 8.00pm to 10.00pm

So, mi amigos, if you're interested, tell me lar and I'll register your name for you. T&C applies

~ Fin ~

1st Viennese Ballroom Lessons

2007-06-04T21:50:00.000+08:00

7pm:
A bunch of us enthusiastic debutantes wannabe were waiting in the studio for the VBC(s) & the Instructor to arrive.

They were like 1 hour late(due to the heavy mud-flood at Jln Duta area; yup yup, my friend's Kelisa swam through the muddy water to TTDI).

While waiting:
Some of the salsa addicts can't resist the temptation of the rhythmic salsa songs and they started dancing( studio party ar?? aisay, why I didn't bring my camera along to capture all this arr ?)

Then, they started a Rueda too.. Waaaa.. cannot stand it anymore and asked MichSoon to rueda too(which he agrees to ). A good and hilarious round of Rueda we had: executed adios(as signaled by the Caller) to arriba(as called by him). And of course, the infamous Enchufla Seremban. No price for guessing who's the caller .

The instructor arrived just when we finished our Rueda and the Waltz lesson begin.

As usual, the ratio for girls to guys in a dance class is like 2:1, so I ended up dancing with a nice lady(her lead for the waltz ain't bad I tell you).

We learn to march(right, left, right, left, bla bla bla.. nope we didn't stomp the studio, its a slow and soft march lar) and curtsy too.

Then, come the part where we learn the walks and the turns for Waltz(hmm, I've done this before, should be okay kua).

Then, come the surprise, Mr Polt(the famous instructor) taught us Rock & Roll(basic and a turn pattern only) too. Cool !! Haven't done any R & R(this is one of my favorite dance when I took up social dance classes last time) for so long and now we're getting free lessons for both dances .

Class finished at around 9.30pm(??) Didn't really keep track of the time cause we're having too much fun dancing to Elvis Presley's Blue Suede Shoes and another R & R song(darn.. I forgot the title of the song again )

~to be continued ~

1st Friday at Little Havana

2007-06-02T10:43:00.000+08:00

DJ Lee : You're the first customer here

Me: Ooo ... do I get any free(welcome) drinks ?

DJLee : No, but you'll get Yamulemau.

Me:

And I get to hear Yamulemau and Moliendo Cafe too .

12.10am

Sway(Pussy Cat Dolls' version) was in the air when I was changing into my sneakers(going home lar), and (arrggg) I got the worse cramp ever.

How painful ? Just imagine two people pulling(for lack of a better word) your calf off from your knee. How the heck am I suppose to walk to BB to get a cab lar?

Don't care, I'm completely exhausted by the pain, must go home.

Me: Hi Joe, thanks for the Jambulemau

DJ Lee: you're welcome. Next time, I'll play coco lemau, rambutan lemau

Me: LOL.. But, I want the real coconut & rambutan yeah.

Said bye bye to Mian Li & Cikgu Aisha. Then proceeded to say adios to Guru Sam(alamak!! Sun Sun Babae is on the air now).

Without asking, he just took my hand(a signal for dancing lar) and me being very naughty(and tired) gave him my bag instead. (thinking) I'm still trying to recover from the pain woh.. Don't care! Just dance.

And we did finish dancing(me wearing sneakers, which works better on the slippery floor) to the whole SSB song .

Got home in 1 piece(calf still attach), hit the shower and went to sleep straight away.

Blessing In Disguise ??

2007-05-29T22:37:00.000+08:00

11am

Bren : Eh, can teman me to buy dancing shoes ar ? My old ones die already.

Me: Why so kan cheong ? Need to get so soon meh ?

Bren: Yeah lar, for the dance class mar.

Me: Yeah hor. When you wanna get the shoes ? This Saturday ?

Bren: Okay. You working ar on Saturday ? What's the shop's operating hours?

Me: Nope, me free on Saturday. I think it closed about 6pm.

Bren: Ok then. We go on Saturday afternoon lar.

Me: Ok. We set the time later.

1.30pm

You've got mail(attention to all staffs): Please collect your Pirates of the Caribbeans ticket(FREE!!) for 2nd June, Saturday 2.30pm show at ..... department.

Alamak!! I just promised Bren to go and get shoes woh!

Checked the listing for confirmation. Eh, how come my name not inside the list one? Jeff registered for me already mar last week.

FieryST : you need to register yourself via email lar(which I totally forgot to do that day )

Jeff: I also cannot make it this Saturday cause I totally forgot that I need to attend a wedding in Sitiawan the same day. Luckily I can give my ticket to someone else.

Me: A blessing in disguise for us. If not, dunno how to explain to my friend lor.

Jeff: Yeah, luckily for us both .

No FOC movie for us both, but then, there's always the DVD.

Photos from Gangsters & Divo(oops...Divas)

2007-05-28T23:18:00.000+08:00

Masterpiece by Salsa/PhotographyKaki JamesQ and courtesy of Hazel

More pics coming up soon(after another round of salsa fix )

Salsa at Little Havana on Fridays

2007-05-26T13:23:00.001+08:00

Last night(11 minutes before closing of the party)

Guru Sam: Little Havana has been changed to Fridays from 1st week of June and we'll go to Salsa Havana on Saturdays. Studio Party will be on every last Saturday of the month.

Aiks!! Aiya... so used to LH on Saturdays already. Why change lar ?!?

Still remembered going to LH on Fridays long time ago. Have never missed it on Saturdays since they change it from Friday about 2 years ago.

Now have to brainwash and reset the alarm again to LH on Fridays! LH is on Fridays! No more Saturdays!!

Updates for Little Havana in June(courtesy of DJ Lee):

1/6 = Friday night salsa
*9/6 (salsa on Saturday night for this weekend only)
15/6 = Friday night salsa
22/6 = Friday night salsa
29/6 = Friday night salsa

GANGSTERS & DIVA/O(S)

2007-05-26T12:15:00.000+08:00

A cold cold(am talking about the air condition) night of dancing with the mafias and divas.

Didn't dance much, either am enjoying the scene(and/or music) or my mind is somewhere else .

Heard all the familiar and some not so familiar songs the same night.

Music begin and immediately the name came into mind: Merecumbé. Was struggling to remember the second song that came on air next. Er?!? Ah!... yes!! Moliando Cafe. Click here to see why these songs are still sticking in my CPU(brain lar) till todate.

Disturbed DJ Lee 2 songs in a row cause I wanna know the songs' name. Now looking online for Mujer Erotica(darn!!.. I forgot the artist's name lar) and Los Confinados(artist unknown ). Note to self: bring pen & paper along to salsa clubs.

Had pictures taken with Michelle the Diva(or Divo???) aka MichSoon. He got the award for Best Dress(ladies/men... nope.. its Best Dress) In Between. Chiow Er and I were wondering, where did he get the dress(we were informed later by a little birdie where he got it from ) NO pictures to post yet. All the cameraman/ladies still asleep me think .

A slow song towards the end of the night,

Mian Li: What's the name of this song arh ?

Me(still singing along to it): Sealed With A Kiss

Mian Li: Its an oldies, but they salsafied it right ? Who's the singer ?

Me: Er(CPU suddenly invaded by STML virus).. Cannot remember the artist's name leh. Its in one of my album. Have to check(forgot to ask her, the original singer or the salsafied version's singer ).

Mian Li: Maybe Marion would have know the singer's name.

Me: Yup, me think so too.

Talk about addictions: Saw Salsa(photographing)kaki doing bachata(his favourite??) with his camera(his darling) hanging from the shoulder.

End of the night:

Me: wah.. you so sei lei(hebat? great?) can dance with the camera hanging along.

Salsa(photographing)kaki: Was tempted to leave the camera behind, but...

Me: ng seh tak leh(Unwilling)?? Your camera must be shouting: Don't leave me behind!!

Salsa(photographing)kaki: Yeah lor.. Its calling and asking me to bring it along.. Then, I said come darling..

Me(and Chiow Er): LOL.

At about 1.30

Chiow Er: Might join them for yum cha

Me: Ok. But where are they are heading lar?

Someone shouted: Devi's(TTDI)

Me(and Chiow Er staring at each other): Ok.. let me take a cab home. You join them for yum cha lar

Chiow Er: no lah. TTDI leh.. Can go back home straight already.

Me: Ok loh. Let's go home(stomach growling already).

Can't remember what time I reached home(can't even remember being hungry until this morning). Hit the shower and went to sleep straightaway.

Shall try and grab the pictures from Yvonne and all.. (Wondering)when can we see the pictures ?

A Cute One

2007-05-24T23:56:00.000+08:00

Saw this cute grumpy 'baby' sitting alone inside my colleague's car today.

Can't resist taking a picture of him.

Its a gift from her friend. Made in China(confirmed place of birth) and sold in Thailand(me think!).

Now, when and where can I get it in Malaysia ?

How to Dance on a crowded Floor

2007-05-20T18:25:00.000+08:00

In the middle of a dance floor

Me: Walau.. so many people, how to dance lar? What else can we do ar ? Ok. Let's do some rueda moves(make it small and simple step). Can we do Kentucky ?

FE: Kentucky ar?? Ok lar

After 16 counts

Me: Eh!! Why take so long one the Kentucky? Cannot find the chicken ar ? LOL

FE: LOL. Ok. Here we go. Kentucky, siete(me execute-curi ayam style). Enchufla Doble(No problem for me here). Sombrero

Me: Sombrero your head. So many people, how to sombrero lah ?

FE: Cannot meh? Ok. La Una(No problem also).

Me: Too crowded lah. Me right turn, then you right turn also lar.

And we laugh ourselves off till the song ended . I know we shouldn't negotiate on the moves while dancing, but, but, but its damn crowded & I don't want to stamp on or get stampeded by other people.

In the middle of a Rueda

To my surprise, Desmond and partner join in. Me thinking: cool cool. Another casinero who we can rueda with next time. The more the merrier.

Efficient or LAZY!!

2007-05-20T09:57:00.000+08:00

Got my 1st Streamyx bill of RM229.00 and was checking high & low(from their website) where and how to make payment.

The website was quite helpful, it pointed out the locations and opening hours too. But, hullo!! those payment outlets open till 5ish during weekdays and some of them close on weekends too.

Then, it hit me... I paid my phone bill using GIRO woh. So, maybe I can pay the Streamyx bill with the same system too?? But, what if I keyed in the wrong account ?

Was still skeptical on the GIRO transaction thingy, but was assured by Lyn: yeah yeah, you can make payment via GIRO lah. No worries.

And I've finally paid the bill using GIRO(via ATM, not Internet) .

Heheheh, now I don't have to go to the counters, take numbers and wait in a long queue to pay my phone or Streamyx bills anymore. Just go to any Public Bank ATM(provided you have account with them lar) and voila, your bills had been settled!

Am I lazy ? No lar, am just trying to be efficient and prompt only

2007-05-19T16:13:00.000+08:00

Celebrated a friend's belated birthday yesterday at one of the restaurants in the Asian Heritage Row, Jln Sultan Ismail.

We were supposed to go to this restaurant called Saray, but found out too late that the restaurant is either not located there or sudah tutup kedai(closed shop).

Proceeded to find another restaurant and finally decided to have dinner at Kristao. It served Malaysian Portuguese food. The minute I entered the restaurant and wowee... I hear a salsa song(talk about a good beginning of the evening ). Then, it hit me... I did read somewhere that there are salsa classes available here. No wonder they play salsa songs.

The food was so so as most of the dishes that my friends ordered are hot & spicy(me not a fan of these kind of food). But, the environment was good, with all the salsa songs and 1 merengue song being played and the chatting session.

Finally we ended our dinner session after 1 and a half hour in the restaurant and we move to Bukit Bintang for dessert, but of course, I went for my salsa fix instead of the dessert.

A quiet night at SH yesterday, with the non-existing air-condition and a few old school salsa songs(those songs that we practice to in classes lar) being played.

The most memorable sight is when I saw Guru Sam and Cikgu Aisha dancing to Ay Amor, Cuando Hablan Las Miradas(translated as love, when glances speaks). Such a lovely coincidence.

Oh yeah... Toya Masaru san is back in KL. Talk about addiction!! He came straight from the airport bringing his luggages along to SH for salsa.

Left the place early though as I'm not feeling that well to dance anymore after 2 dances . Anyway, I do wanna save the energy for tonight's stint in LH(fingers crossed).

HAPPY FEET !!

2007-05-16T21:56:00.000+08:00

A CD case given by a friend, courtesy of the original cartridges she bought from **

Finally have a lovely CD case for my beloved Salsa CDs

psst... Lyn, go and buy more of the cartridges .. then, give them(the free case, not the cartridge) to me yeah

Nadie Como Ella - Marc Anthony

2007-05-13T14:46:00.000+08:00

Heard this familiar song on Y!LAUNCHcast Radio(this is where I get my salsa fix at home):

Nadie Como Ella

It's in Marc Anthony's CD released in 1993

The lyrics are a bit sexy(or what Malaysia Censorship Board called 18SX), but nevertheless, I love this song and of course the voice of the artist himself is enough to captivate me.

The Other Night

2007-05-12T22:04:00.000+08:00

10ish in Salsa Havana

Salsero 1: Are you in Intermediate 1 or 2 ?

Me: I have not gone for salsa classes for a very long time.

Salsero 1: Oh? But, you've reached Intermediate right ?

Me: No woh. I stopped at Pre-Intermediate only.

Salsero 1: Ohokay. I've learnt a new move in Intermediate 1. Thought of practising it with you.

Me: Okay. Let's try it.

After the dance

Salsero 1: Not too bad(hope he's referring to my following )

Me: Thank you very much(too happy to think of other things to say)

Next dance:

Salsero 2: Would you like to dance?

Me: Hmm... ok lar

Salsero 2: Tarikh harga ar ?. So bad lah you.

Me: Wei... you taught me one okay ?

After a while

Salsero 2: Its nice dancing with you.

Me: Thank you thank you (on cloud nine again )

On cloud nine till I reach home(back to the real world again)

You Owe Me A Dance

2007-05-06T19:44:00.000+08:00

Beloved Salsera: Today got to leave early.

Me: Ok. No problem.

Later

Me(To Des who just came back from somewhere far far away): Hullo...Where's my sou soon(cantonese for souvenir) ?

Des: (Hit my hand in playful manner, means no souvenir) Dance with you later yeah.. choose a nice song.

Me: Ok. As you wish, master..

10 minutes later

Des: Aik.. going off already ?

Me: Yeah lor, driver have to leave early.. tomorrow got appointment.. You going to studio party ?

Des: Yes, most probably.

Me: Okay. See you then(if I ever am going).. You owe me one yeah?

Des: Okay. See ya then.

Me: Owe me one dance and a tub of ice cream(he owe me tonnes)

Des: Yeah! Right!?! Off he go to dance with his partner(girl friend lar)

Off me go, singing(not dancing) along to my favourite song

Finished Already ?!?!?

2007-05-02T23:54:00.000+08:00

In a certain restaurant in Bangsar:

Friend: What shall I order?

Me : I know what I want. You done selecting the food ?

Friend: Not that hungry, but I'm in the mood for dessert. I want B... pie and tiramisu.

Me : ok. What you want to drink ? I want lemon lime bitter tea.

Friend: I want lemon...

Me : Cool. Let's order

Waiter: What would you like to order?

Me : Bolognese spaghetti and lemon lime bitter.

Friend: B.. pie, tiramisu, lemon... less ice

Waiter: ok. (repeat order)

2 minutes later

Waiter: Sorry mam, b.. pie finished already

Friend: huh? So fast ar? Ok lah, tiramisu enough lah

Waiter: Also finished already.

Friend: Waa... why so fast finished one? What else do you have? Let me have the menu again please.

1 minute later

Waiter: Sorry mam, your lemon... also finished already..

Friend: Aiyo.... what else do you have?

Waiter: you may check at the counter there.. That's all we have left for dessert.

Friend: (after checking the counter) nothing nice leh.. Can help me to choose ar?
Me : ok lar.. wait ar. (a few seconds later) The nicest one is chocolate brownies
leh..(checked menu).. It comes with ice cream too. Order that one lah.

Friend: But, the chocolate cake comes with ice cream too. Ok, we order the chocolate cake then.

7 minutes later

Me : the spaghetti's nice. The tea is not bad either.. Better than the ones upstair.

Friend: Hope the chocolate cake tastes nice too.

Waiter: Mam, your chocolate cake.

Friend: Where's the ice cream. Hullo? Menu said got ice cream?

Waiter: Sorry mam, ice cream also finished already.

Friend: What do you actually have left then? How come never inform me earlier? If like that, you still charging me original price ar? No ice cream leh.

Waiter: Err.. let me check with my manager. (5 seconds later).. Okay mam, we give 10% discount (on the cake only).

Me : Ok lar. At least got 10% discount on the cake. Next time we come earlier for the tiramisu lar. If really hungry, then only we order the spaghetti and stuffs.

Friend: Yah... and the b.... pie too.

Left the restaurant at 11pm. Determined to be back for the tiramisu and b.. pie, but shall make it before 8pm..

The Nicest Salsa Night Yet

2007-05-01T15:39:00.000+08:00

Was at SH yesterday. Yeah, its a weekday, but today's a holiday. Wanted to get my salsa fix.

Almost a night of non-stop dancing for 3.5 hours, the longest salsathon for me. Had lots of rueda and salsa, 2 merengues and 2 bachatas. The music was good and the air-condition was cool too.

Energy level was 0.00 at 1am, but still want to have another round of salsa cause one of my favorite song was on air. Had another round of rueda and that's it for me for the day(s)

Went for supp-fast(as Martin put it) session with the gang. Chat for a while and went home.

Overall, its one of the longest/nicest salsa night and a cool beginning of the week for me. Mucho Gracias to Martin for sending me home too.

Looking forward to the weekend for another salsa session.

Cravings

2007-04-29T21:28:00.000+08:00

Have a sudden craving for cinnamon roll and tiramisu.

Hope I can get the cinnamon roll tomorrow ;). Getting the tiramisu is the tough part though. Can't find any restaurant(s) in KL that serves a DELICIOUS one.

Walking In The Rain

2007-04-28T13:41:00.001+08:00

Was stuck in SH till 1am this morning due to the heavy rain. Already tired at that time, I just made up my mind to brave the rain(with my trusted umbrella) to go home.

Grabbed a cab and when I reached my apartment, decided to walk in the rain from the curb to the entrance just to feel the rain falling on me with the wind blowing nicely. Ahhhh!!! Such a breezy and nice feeling. Reminded me of a song titled Walking In The Rain and also when I was in Tioman way back in 1997. The cool & breezy air blowing at my face..

Wish its August now, so that I can be at Lumut enjoying the beach and wind(with some rain I hope)

My Imagini

2007-04-24T19:50:00.000+08:00

Read my VisualDNA™ Get your own VisualDNA™

Me Poor Ankle

2007-04-23T23:22:00.000+08:00

Was just saying the other day that I've found a cure for a strain ankle. Guessed I was wrong to say so soon.

Went to see Doctor just a few days back. One press and the verdict is: "hmmm...you've got a sprain tendon... it will really hurt."

Me: "really ar ? need to avoid any food ?"

Dr: " no need. Just don't put pressure on that foot? Avoid walking"

Me(thinking deeply): Huh??!!?? Avoid walking? Who's gonna carry me around?"

Dr: ".. give u some muscle relexant, pain killer & ointment.. remember, don't walk too much yeah..Want MC ?"

Me(talking to myself): "Doink!!! How not to walk ar? but MC sounds good.. "

So, was on MC for a day.. Then, walk around like an old woman for a few days after that and still went for salsa on Saturday(what we call in Malay, cari pasal, ie looking for trouble!!).

Felt much better after a few turns and (forced)spins. Me think it helps as a form of physiotherapy.

After a day's rest, felt much better, but still need to wear me ankle guard to protect it till it healed well. Sigh....

Really Addicted to Salsa

2007-04-15T21:41:00.000+08:00

Went for my relaxing session today and decided to get a bag for myself . Saw a shop on the 5th floor of Times Square.

What attracted me in the first place was the display of the clothes. But, the minute I stepped in, I was lost in the song aired in the shop.

Yup, it was a salsa song. Instead of checking out the clothes/bags, I stopped to listen to it. When it finished, the second salsa song came on air. A shop that air salsa songs continuously.

Got me self a nice bag and at time of paying,

I asked the lady owner: "Is this your own CD? Where did you get it from?"

After I got the info, I went off, but I walk back in again and

ask her: Can I have a look at the CD cover?

Just to make sure that I'll be getting the correct CD. It turned out that I've just recently purchased that same CD(which I've yet finished listening to). Time to finish it now.

A Salsa Nuts' Cure For Strain Ligament

2007-04-14T15:01:00.000+08:00

Can't recall how I got me self a strain ankle ligament 2 days ago. But, it sure is painful.

Can't even sit and sleep properly because of the pain. Forced myself to go to work yesterday. I regretted my decision the minute I stepped down from the stairs outside my apartment. It's like someone is pulling and twisting your ankle every time you step down a stair.

Managed to persevered at office till 8ish and had dinner. Was struggling with myself the whole day, should I go salsa or should I just head home to rest my poor ankle?
Well, for those who know me well, yup, I did go salsa last night.

And thank goodness I went to salsa, cause after 1/2 a song of rueda and 2 salsa rounds, the pain and most importantly, the strain is gone. Isn't that a miracle or what?

I've finally discovered a cure for strain ligament.. heheh.. but, before anyone ever try this method, do remember to rub counterpain on the injured area 3 times a day(yes, I'm allowed to apply this gel-like medication in the office), wear the ankle-guard and try to walk as normal as possible.

Plus a few rounds of salsa(NO SPIN ALLOWED) and rueda, you'll be miraculously cured.

A Nite to Remember!

2007-04-08T23:07:00.000+08:00

Went for my usual salsa fling yesterday at LH and what a night.

Had a real great time, great laughs, one little mishap(my bad) and a not so nice feeling towards certain people.

Reached the club at 9.30pm after dinner with a colleague and her friend. She wants to bring her friend to check out what is salsa(and of course check out any leng luis- chinese for pretty babes).

Sat for a few minutes and lo and behold, saw a fellow salsero having on the most 'entertaining' attire for salsa. I still can't forget that scenario, or particularly the attire.. I laughed & laughed(I hid it pretty well, though my trusted salsero did ask me, why I keep smiling one kind?) like a nut case the entire night because of that. And am still laughing to date. Any medicine to cure this laughing/smiling frenzy ??

Salsa went on as usual, we celebrated a salsero's and a salsera's with a birthday dance. Had a share in the birthday dance and cake too.

Before end of the night, I've decided to ask a salsero for a dance. In the rush of going over the other side of the room, I bumped into a salsera. And I'm the one who keep on reminding my friend(s) not to walk around when the music is on with people still dancing.

While waiting for my transport home, had a short chat with a fellow salsera(a senior and not from the same school) . She said I danced very nicely.. Was on cloud nine after that. It sure is nice to receive such praise after putting in the effort for something I like.

While on my way home, my dear transport manager told us that he danced with a certain salsera. In the midst of the dance, the lady asked: are you a beginner? Beginner 1 or 2 ? Mind you, she's asking these questions as if the salsero is not up to her standard. The first thing that crosses my mind: ..why are people so rude? Aren't we all beginners in the first place? Is it really that bad to dance with a beginner when you've reached improvers level or may be intermediate level? This kind of people are the ones that kill the shy and timid beginners. I wished I could give this person a piece of my mind about her attitude on the same night. But, then again, I only have one mind, if I give it to her, I'll lose mine. So, the best solution is, let her be and we'll see how many other salseros she can dance with in the near future. As what I always say: What goes around, comes around. I bet the other salseros who got questioned this way will not dance with her in the future.

A Poem for Salsa

2007-03-28T22:56:00.000+08:00

Searched and finally found a poem about(sort of) salsa:

Count the steps one, two, three, four
Another glass of wine I shall pour
My head is spinning around and around
Honest, it's not because of the wine
But this new hobby I've found!

Come one, shall we dance
Oh go on then
I'll give you a chance
Its the first time you've given salsa a go
But please stop standing on my toes!

Maxine, as you step and pirouette
You've been me best dance partner yet
You say "you'll be fine...
"If only you could remember...
"Whats your space and whats mine!"

What's New in 2007

2007-03-10T11:22:00.000+08:00

Haven't been blogging for about a month now. Or am I having the habit of blogging once a month??!!?

What's happened so far in my life ? Quite a lot since February 2007.

A place of my own
My housing loan was finally approved in mid Feb and officially, I've got my own apartment. Quite satisfied with this purchase as the location suits me very very fine. What location ? Well, for one, its on top of Carrefour. Then its only about 10-15 minutes drive(not that I'm driving anyway) to KLCC and/or Bukit Bintang(depends on KL traffic, as usual). Since its near BB, this means its near Salsa Clubs too, ie, SH and LH. It also mean I'm staying quite near my office in BB, but, this also depends on KL's public transport, ie RapidKL and KL traffic again.

Things to learn
Well, I've put off learning musical instruments for quite sometime(since school days that is). Initially, would've like to take up drum, but then, since I'm staying in an aparment, doubt my neighbours could stand my drumming session every evening.. heheheh. So, I've finally decided on the one instrument that will let me salsa with it too.. What instrument ? The flute that is. Was in China in 2004 when I saw the people there selling the bamboo flutes(definitely cheaper than I can get in KL, the cheapest here is RM1800, sigh...). Quite an interesting instrument and to imagine that I'm using a bamboo flute to play salsa tunes... I wonder how it would sound like... Anyway, I didn't buy the flute from China, so, now have to wait for my Bonus in March to get one, and of course, before I can go public with my flute, I'll have to take up flute lessons. Hmmm.. this means I've to scout for all my favourite salsa songs' music sheets for practice.

Another thing that I want to learn is... SINGING..... I've a habit of singing along to most of the salsa songs that I'm listening to, either during working hours(yeah.. I can do lots of things at the same time), in the bus, salsaing at clubs or at home. Not that I want to be a singer, just that I find it an interesting activity to take up and it does help in burning calories.. one stone to kill a few birds I call it. And I definitely don't want to scare away those salseros with my off-pitch singing... heheh. Was informed by a close friend of mine where to go and how much it'll cost for singing lessons from a master. This guy is the instructor/teacher for a Malaysian singer it seems and the price is only RM100 for a month, once a week class and he will ask you whether you want to take up lessons for singing competition or just for fun. If its for competition, he will definitely put more pressure on you. Now, that's a good deal for me, as I hate having pressure/stress when I'm taking up something as a hobby.

Salsa
My friend and I have not gone for any salsa class since late 2005, why ? Well, we're quite kayu at that point of time, ie too lazy to style, don't know how to groove, etc. Since then, this friend of my was quite busy and we did not go back to classes no more. And since, I don't have a car, it is quite inconvenient for me to go all the way to the studio for classes(although I did go for the Rueda class by public transport for quite a few months only). However, this did not deter me from going to the clubs and have my fair share of weekend flings of salsa. Salsa is already part or my life since I was fully introduce to it by Mr J(you know who you are) in 2004 and I would always remember him for introducing me to such a fun and lovely activity, though he himself has left the salsa scene quite some time ago. Nowadays, I would not say that I'm a good follower, but, at least I get to learn new stuffs from the Leaders and I dare say that I'm in a level where I fully appreciate salsa music and having a groove of my own and adding new flavours to my own shines. I've actually bought 2 hats to match my salsa clothes. Why I need hats for salsa? Well..... I've added a few hat tricks to my shines and am going to come up with a few more tricks to add zest to salsa dancing(since I've limited memory of whatever shines that I've learnt before). Wish me luck in my choreographing(if you can call playing with hats during salsa as a new shine).

New Year's Eve's Eve's Present !!

2007-01-26T18:58:00.000+08:00

Guess what I got as a NYEE's present ?

A scar of about an inch long on my left ankle. Thank goodness it's not an inch deep nor an inch wide...

How I got it ?

Well ...... , its all thanks to lack of space & a spinning/turning salsera..

Was actually taking very little space on the dance floor that day and my ankle still manage to be stabbed on by a 'nice' sharp heel... Darn!!

Didn't feel pain at the time it happened, but, man... I can't move my ankle without feeling the worse cramp ever. Had to stay at home 2 days straight and was afraid of walking too much also.

A lesson for me from then onward, never ever dance(or stand) behind a lady who's wearing a very sharp looking heels, or I might regret the consequences for the rest of me live.

Addicted to Salsa

2006-11-10T17:20:00.000+08:00

I just realised that I'm really really really hooked on to Salsa. No matter how tired I am on a Friday/Saturday night, I would still go to the Club/s and get a fix of Salsaing.

Normally I would skip salsa on a Friday night and only go to Little Havana(LH) located at Changkat Bukit Bintang on a Saturday night. However, if there is a private function in LH, I will go to Salsa Havana on the Friday to get a dose or two of salsaing sessions.

And I am crazy enough to bring 2 pairs of shoes for salsa, a pair of latin shoes and a pair of jazz shoes along. In case I'm really tired on that particular Friday night, I'll use the jazz shoes rather than latin, just to prevent myself from being imbalance on a tiring night.

And even though I know that I'm tight on my allowance, I'll still buy the new salsa CDs whenever I found one at the music store.

Now, is that crazy or what??

Salsa Con Sabor (Salsa と 風味/Salsa 와 맛)