Your Hidden Talent

You have the power to persuade and influence others. You're the type of person who can turn a whole room around. The potential for great leadership is there, as long as you don't abuse it. Always remember, you have a lot more power over people than you might think!

What's Your Hidden Talent?

today i discovered what a godsend stockings are...they preent your feet from blisters and protect your blisters (if its already too late, which for my case, is). and a change to slippers for breaks and after work...once again, my mom is right.

and marsiling is not that bad... at least i get a seat on the mrt, all the way to orchard.

found myself working my brain from it's sleep and rust on the first day. i reach my branch, pharmacist ask me what's the diff between seretide and ventolin....

what happened in my mind was....seretide...seretide...how do i spell it....ventolin...what does venolin contain ah....clogs start to roll....seretide...ventolin...seretide ventolin...then with blur face...aiyoh...so embarrassing. then slowly, i regain my memory...now still oilling the rusty clogs...

spotted expired box of medicine while doing the "tasks" that my preceptor set me. yeah!! scores points.

and i realised that levitra (similar to viagra) has braill on the packing...wonder why...levitra might cause some visual disturbances...braill..visual disturbance...hmmm...

feet still aching...ouch ouch...hungry hungry too, no snacks..

before i forget, i mut tell everyone my posting...for now till end of aug i'll be at gleneagles, then i'll be at ang mo kio till new year, then centrepoint all the way... yah.

Today Nigel and I taught our first rueda class.

it so happened that the NUS students union wanted to do a salsa mass dance for their orientation camp this year. and they had one session of boring, dry, basic salsa which they did not enjoy. the person who taught it, neither me nor nig can identify. but bearing in mind the lessons for our previous attempts to teach salsa (in one session to utter beginners), we decided to teach rueda. and not only that, we kept in mind the objective of the mass dance. that is, to have fun and interact.

we gave much thought on what to teach, and the level of difficulty of each move. conclusion was, "dame" was the most difficult step the beginners can handle. we shall not try to overload them with enchufla and what nots.

i started the class at the very very basics. i got the ladies to face the guys, and stand on the left, while the guys do the same. then, without holding hands, do the basic guapea footwork, emphasising that it;s just a walk. Reminder to myself: do not jump into hands after this. you have to get them to do just basic, and with music, and at normal speed. it's okay to send 15mins on this alone. it's very important for the beginners to get orientated and get the feel of salsa.

then teach hands: do a c shaped swing inwards, with the guys' left hand, on 1,2,3. on 5 ,6,7, use right hand pull the girl in then out. run thru a few times....then point out that the guys have to step outside on 5, so that they dont step on each other's feet. run thru until normal speed is achieved.

DAME
explain Dame=give me one==change partner. then show difference from basic, which is only on 5,6,7, guys use left hand to push girls away. and both end up facing "in front" on 1.

form circle. do basic. do dame, now end up facing center of circle.

teach basic again, highlighting difference for guys (guys noew step forward instead of back on 1). 1,2,3...1,2,3...1,2,3....then tell girls to face guys on 3... but guys stay. then tell guys to have right hand behind girls by 3, and girls left hand on this shoulder. on 5, gently push the girl across yourself, bring her to the left, and face her on 7. (cross body lead footwork too diff for them, girls can handle footwork though). then repeat basic.

try at slow speed, then faster, then try with slow music, then normal...another 30 mins burnt here...

FUN
after every one has gotten the toughest step (dame), tell them that rueda can be very fun... introduce Una Bulla (shout), cucharacha, and Fly, Fly dos. for Fly, dont need to do 5,6,7 after clap. let them wait and then start on next 1.

after they master all those, you can try dancing to La Bomba...it has very strong beat, and very "high" feeling, leaves beginners very satisfied and accomplished...

Tada....Salsa mass dance in 1 hour

just came from breakfast at LJS. it's super filling!! but the good thing is the butter is really thick, and the french toast is cinnamon powder sprinkled over it....yumm! no pictures though.... sorry.. just thought all of ya show go to LJS for breakfast more often? and boycott Macs....yeah..boycott Macs....

Finished... today i've finally finished watching Da Chang Jin. took me one week, everyday 10 episodes.

and i have arrived at a conclusion, VCDs or DVDs are bad. they are bad for you, bad for your eating habits, bad for rest, bad for health. and so i fell sick too. then i couldn't do to my dad's hometown which is very much further than KL to attend some relative's wedding. then he got very pissed, saying we always find excuses not to go. not only that, i also forgot about joyce's performance. feel so bad, cannot go for performance and i made my dad angry also. only consolation is that i can accompany my mom who would have been alone at home if i went too.

YQ's salsa congress is in 8days. the congress is the week that my work starts. this time i can't be going around to perform at various clubs and venues partly because of work, and also because my partner is also very busy. so no time too practise. and he doesn't like the way things are done.

i remember feeling like this last year...the classes which i went to were repeats, and it really felt like a waste of time. but, the truth is, you can never do it perfect, and you can't expect to learn something new in every class. everytime we have new members, we have to revise all the steps again, at a very slow pace, and we'll get impatient. when the "new" members from last time commented about this, i cannot help but laugh to myself, "well, at least you are going through this one less time" there are a few ways to react. one is go for every practice, and put patience to the test. the next way is to lessen the burden of the teacher, teach it instead. the last, is don't come.

we all know which way is the best. but if you don't have enough "free" time, then don't come. the most economic way is the second though it requires more patience than from the first and time, which the third cannot afford.

everytime i come to such a junction, i'll find myself rethinking why i like salsa so much. at first, it was the chance to dance. now i have achieved that, i can social dance anytime. but it's not enough for me. when i see my classmates being so successful in applying for pHDs and places in MNCs, i feel that i should be able to achieve something as worthwhile as well. then people will come and tell me working at guardian has no future to it. an SMU lecturer said, even if you move into a managerial position, that's the furthest you can go...how sad is that?

what am i to do? work starts in one week. some of my classmates have already started work. i want to establish myself as a salsa instructor too. but how? i have to gain some "championships" under my name. it's so difficult to do that, i never had the luxury of preparing for my competitions. i would fall sick under stress. and i'm not a talented dancer, i have to do it by diligence. diligence needs time. but everyone only has 24 hours and Grace has to get enough sleep everyday otherwise she will fall sick.

how how, so depressing. can't do anything right