Classical Ballet Workshop At FAB (Federal Academy of Ballet) by Kenichi Soki

FIRST, I gotta say this... To go to this workshop was trying for us. It started flooding about a day before our planned trip,and we were so worried we wouldn't be able to go. 

I saw on the flyer of this workshop that the teacher, Kenichi Soki, was very well known and won Teacher of The Year multiple times. I had been looking forward to it ever since I heard of it. 

And then the flood came. Because it rained heavily non-stop for 2 freaking days.

The night before the trip, Lika called to see if the bus trip was still on. They said it was.

I woke up the next morning, excited, and went to shower, before realising, rather last minute, that the blackout that lasted since the night before would cause my water heater to not work. 

And it was still raining. GREAT.

I swear, I have not had a colder shower in my LIFE.

Except perhaps when I was in Korea with the faulty shower heater. Anyways..

We arrived at the bus station and waited for our bus. It came not long after, but one of the Sani staff (the name of the bus company we used) was seen walking to and fro, on the phone with who knows who. So we managed to get on the bus, which was COLD. I don't get cold easily, but it was cold. We waited in the bus for half an hour before another Malay passenger came in and informed us that the trip 'tak jadi (was cancelled)', and that they would refund our tickets.

We were bummed. I SO thought we were able to go after all, and I was kinda hoping to meet aunty Norma. It was also then that we actually saw the extent of the damage caused by the flood the day before at the terminal:

Mud COVERED the floor of the waiting hall, as well as the parking lot. There were many cars that were submerged in the flood, and therefore couldn't move. All I could think of was how happy car repair workshops would be after the flood, with the amount of cars in which water seeped into the exhaust.

That's it, we thought. Bye bye course. I was disappointed, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel the slightest bit relief, because truth is, I was a wee bit worried about leaving my family amidst all the chaos. My dad was suffering from gout as it is, and couldn't move fast; and, as much as I love my mum, she'd be useless if anything were to happen to our house. Especially with Ivan literally following her everywhere she goes.

But then Lika was informed that one of Kevin's friend would be going to KL, and that we might be able to make it after all, though later.

Long story short, we didn't make it as the highway was still flooded. So we agreed for the next day instead.

We would miss the first class, but we were hoping to go real early so as to not miss much of the second; even better if we could make it in time.

And thankfully, we did. We arrived about almost 20 mins to half an hour earlier of the second class. We went in while the first class was still going on.

I sat down, and watched as award-winning teacher Kenichi Soki taught the Grade 5/Inter Found girls. And within minutes, he inspired me. He taught everyone to never say 'no' to your teacher; it's ok to say that you didn't get a combination, but never say no when a teacher asks if you can do it, because you have to try.

He was jokative with that class, and the next, but was stern with the Advanced girls, and rightfully so. Throughout, he spouted wisdom. His passion for teaching shone through throughout. I wished the girls back home could watch him teach, or even better, be taught. Even more than a passionate teacher, he was a brilliant dancer (his turns were FIERCE!). But then again, what could you expect from a world-renowned teacher and dancer?

Me with Kenichi Soki. What a great teacher and dancer.

Not long after the last class of the day started, thunder sounded, and it began raining heavily. I began to get worried that I would not be able to go back that night. More so funded by the fact that when I called Sani earlier, they said that trips to Kuantan from KL would be cancelled until Sunday due to the flood. But.. we were able to come to KL without trouble... so... why? Thankfully I wasn't going back by Sani, but Transnational.. and I had called them, and they said trips would be going on as usual.

But the sudden downpour of rain worried me. It was heavy, too. I wouldn't mind staying the night, and if possible, attending the next day's Neo Classical workshop, but there were 3 main factors preventing me from wishing the rain continued:

1) My family back home, of course,

2)My ever-growing money shortage, and

3) no change of clothes.

But all went well, and here I am, back home safely, writing this post. The flood has gone down too, even in the most affected areas. Thank goodness for that.

Thank you Kenichi sensei for a wonderful workshop! ^^

Be Grateful. Please.

I've whined and moaned too much on this blog, I know.

So this time, I'm making a plea.

It will be a short one, so just hear me out.


For all of you lucky ones... Those who teach.. those who have the chance to perform and/or compete... even those who go for dance classes, regardless what kind of dance... 


Please. Be thankful for it.


Be thankful that you're dancing.

If it's not your cup of tea, STOP. Dancing requires passion to improve. It's a VERY demanding industry, so don't even think of making it with only talent alone. Talent can only get you so far, but it takes passion and love for the art to get you through the extremely trying times that will come.

If you're just taking it as a hobby, then learn well.

NEVER take it for granted.

Because, know that there are people dying to dance, but whom for whatever the reason, can't.

You have no idea how heartbreaking it is to see someone take dance for granted when all we've ever wanted to do was to dance.


So please.

If you don't like it, stop.

If you do, work hard and appreciate all the blood, sweat and tears that your teacher has put in to train you to be the best that they're able to.


Because somewhere in the corner or a darkened place, is a girl wishing she could be in your place right now.

Wishing that she could be the one that is able to attend classes every week. Wishing that she was the one who has to rush to class in between tuitions and school activities. Wishing that it was her the teacher was scolding, even.

And I'm not ashamed to reveal... that I know of such a girl.


Because one of them is me.


Ever since I have been forced to stop dancing, I felt as if I've lost my purpose. I'm employed, but not in the dance field. I've hopped from job to job, but none of them gave me as much satisfaction or pleasure as dance did.

When I see adverts to ballet shows or dance showcases that I can't afford to go to, I feel depressed. Upset. I cry. Yes, cry. Not because I'm left out in a 'field trip' of some sort, or because I missed out on an opportunity to show off to the others when I get back. But because I can't learn more.

Too often have I seen and heard about kids or their parents not being thankful for what their child is privileged to have. 

I've seen uptight parents who do not approve the mere scolding of their child in class, because he or she is 'too young' to understand; when in fact, I have seen kids younger than them who have gone through the same thing and took it in their stride better; and have improved tremendously.

I have seen kids who are old enough to understand reason, take their classes for granted. 

It's just dance class, they say. It's only a hobby. Academics are more important.


I acknowledge that.


But what you may not understand is that dance is probably one of THE most competitive art form. We strive for as much perfection as we can. We take our passions and our work very seriously. 


There is a time to work and a time to play. And make no mistake; we don't confuse the two at all.

So PLEASE.

Dance is a beautiful and even sacred thing. Never take dance for granted if you are privileged enough to learn it or be a part of it.

EVER.

3 Years After..

Today, my friends and I went to a Karaoke nearby.
When I arrived, they were already there and had already sang a couple of songs.
Most of it began with Backstreet Boys and a couple of Malay songs. As I was singing along to one of the songs, I saw one friend chose Christina Aguilera's Hurt. I stiffened a little, but then decided that I'd be okay as long as I didn't sing.

Well you guessed it. I got passed the mic to sing with one of my friends. Knowing that they'd bug me if I didn't sing, I took the mic quietly and sang.
I tried not to pay too much attention to the lyrics, and even then, I felt my throat tighten a little.
Then came the bridge.

"You know it's so hard to say goodbye when it comes to this 

Would you tell me I was wrong? Would you help me understand? Are you looking down upon me? Are you proud of who I am? There's nothing I wouldn't do, To have just one more chance To look into your eyes and see you looking back"

"You know it's so hard to say goodbye when it comes to this... "

I choked.

I couldn't sing it.

I felt my tear ducts fill and hurriedly blinked it away before it could spill.

I pretended to be distracted with something, and just passed the mic over to another friend.


Most of the time, I realise, whenever I think of Gino, I get so upset because I miss how things were.

There have been so many things that have changed since Gino's passing, and I have to admit that I miss the old times. A LOT.

Back then, I guess you could say that I was more 'involved'. I had classes 2-3 times a week, and although it was professionally very little, I loved it. I also loved the company. The friends. That close bond we had.

Yes, HAD.

There have been so many who have gone their different ways that I feel I'm somewhat losing touch of the 'old memories'. Even those who are still here now have seemed to have sort of gotten over the grief a long time ago.

All I have is my blog to reminisce about the old memories; because I'm not boring anyone to death with my stories; anyone reading this can just close my page if they don't like what they're reading. And at this rate, I feel as if I'm the only one who still cries every time I hear songs that relate to him, and feel saddened even at the mere mention of him. I feel like I seem to be the only one who's heart breaks whenever I think back on those times.

Because everyone seemed to have moved on.

I dunno. Maybe it's just me and my 'attachment' issue. 

Then again, back at the old studio was where most of my happy memories of dancing came from. 

The old times.

I know change can be good in life. 
Everyone needs a change now and then. 

But this change has... disconnected me, if you will.

Priorities have changed. I daresay that some of the 'joy' has even... evaporated due to the change.

Now there is so much I've been missing out on, that I've become left behind. Different circumstances have also made me unable to keep up.

I left uni to come back and teach. And I know that in my current situation, I have to be patient, but...

I guess you could say I've lost touch. I am not needed to be as involved as I was. And back then, all I knew WAS being involved.

And all because I lack financially.

Haha.

If I was financially able, I would have learnt the new syllabus. I would have taken the qualification needed to take a teaching course. I would be able to pay my way through the course what with travel expenses and all. I would be able to get my certificate and be a certified teacher.

But I can't.

And it hurts me so fucking much.

I'm not getting any younger. The odds are getting thinner at me getting anything close to a dance career. And I don't mean in just ballet.

But of course, if it's possible I want a proper teacher; one with credible and proper experience; not those who just learn from music videos. 


Well.

I've started rambling and going way out of the point now. 

I guess all I'm trying to say is... I miss how things were. I miss my participation, and I miss the old company. It's just not the same.

*insert expression of utmost belief here*

Wow. I'm speechless.

And for the first time (not in my life, but where my passion is concerned), it's not a good kind of speechless.

I feel like I've been betrayed constantly time and time again that I'm surprised I still get so surprised by it.

I really want to keep doing it, but it's hard when what you do is not even acknowledged, and you're treated so differently.

I do ONE thing that apparently stands in the way of me being actively involved, and I get isolated like this. When I DO participate actively and pour my time and blood and sweat into it, it gets overlooked and I still don't get recognition for my contributions.

Well I'm sorry I don't have enough money like the rest to continue my classes. I'm sorry I can't afford to go for courses and extra classes to 'better myself' up. Tch, if I HAD the money, you wouldn't even have to ask; the moment there's an opportunity, I'd grab it before you can even invite me.

It's VERY hard, I must say. When you're trying your best to get involved any way you can, but no one is taking you seriously, and they're instead treating you like you yourself had opted out.

NO.

The circumstances forced me to add another commitment into my life, in which you were the one who suggested in the first place.

I wanted to focus solely on what I love; it's the MAIN reason I stopped uni in the first place. But because it couldn't support me and my dad has been constantly on my case to get a 'better, well paying job', I was forced to put my commitments someplace else.

This situation is making me dread practises. But I know that I still LOVE my passion... if possible, even more so. It is the SITUATION that makes me dread it.


Also, what happened to all those talks from before in which you apparently 'stroked my ego' and compared me with the other? Where was the truth you told me passion-wise? Because I sure as hell ain't seeing it now.


I'm not sad, I'm not angry. I'm FUCKING DISAPPOINTED.

And you of all people KNOW that I hate people beating around the bush; if there is something that you're not happy with, fucking TELL ME.

Please.


우리는 그렇게 가까이하는 데 사용하지만, 그 날 후에 내가 녹음 시간을 착각하면 일이 예전의 상태로 돌아갈 수 없지 있습니다. 미안 해요, 심지어 내 결백을 보여 주겠다고하지만 이후 매우 다르게 나 치료를했습니다.

이 모든이 끝난 후 내 말 명심하게, 난 당신을 앉아이 이상 수행을 함께 얻을거야. 난 병이 모든 치료 빌어 먹게 피곤해. 이 유적의 관계를한다면, 그럴 수. 적어도 나는 정직이고 실제로 문제의 하단에 가져 오기를 원했습니다.

It's Been A While...

A VERY long while. =p

So.. just a short recap of what has been going on before I get to the point of my post:

1. I have been teaching Adult Ballet for the 2nd month now, and we're slowly getting more students.

2. Teaching at the kindergarten has not been much of a difference since I first started; only that the kids have warmed up to me completely. ^^

*clears throat*

Ok.

If there's one thing I've realised, it's that I LOVE Jin's videos. They are either really just plain ironic and funny, or funny, with a deep meaning to it.


In fact, his latest video, 'Class Clown', made me cry. It's basically about a new teacher, Alex, who used 'theatrical' methods to teach History to his students, and whom, quite predictably, was opposed to by the headmaster. Only to find out later that Alex's method had indeed worked, and the students scored high marks for the 'pop quiz'. 


What really got to me was the sad fact that VERY RARELY would a teacher go to those lengths to teach their students. Most teachers are all about academic achievement these days, and being all strict and stern to get their students to 'study harder' and achieve 'better grades'. 


Call me dense, but these stern methods don't flow with me. The harsher/ more fierce you are with me,  the higher chance I will rebel and basically not give a SHIT about the teacher and what he/she is teaching. And, they will probably be in my bad books.
FOREVER.


Watching Jin's video made me think back to my lecturers/teachers who have actually made a lasting impact in my life. I can name and count them on the fingers of my ONE hand: Mr Lionel Keith, Ms Azleen, Mr Afi Roshezry and Mr Gino.


MR GINO.


That was probably what started my tears.


My Ballet teacher was probably the only teacher who was SO strict and stern (to the point he had sent NUMEROUS sobbing kids out of class, and some that had been so afraid of him that they'd skip class - yours truly included. xD ), and yet... I was thankful for him. SO VERY THANKFUL.


He grew closer to Lika and I as we got older, and he literally became my second father. 


He sung to the musics in class, and spoke 'Thai' to us (but which was literally just gibberish), and shared his experiences and jokes with us.


Of course, all this wouldn't have been so bad if he had still been around.


He passed away in 2010; when I was in my first year and first semester of university. And what killed me so bad was that I never had the chance to say goodbye, or tell him how much he meant to me.


And he was one of that teachers who left a HUGE impact on my life.


Teachers like these are so rare nowadays. And it's sad that 'over-achievers' think that these rare bunch are ridiculous idiots.


Because they are NOT.


In fact, they'd make better teachers than you fierce-stern lot EVER would.


MR GINO, I STILL MISS YOU.
And you still can make me cry.

Lacking, As Usual..

Well I was supposed to post this the day after I dreamt it, but I got so caught up in other things that I only just remembered to pen it down now.

Epic fail, but yeah, whatever. ;p

Anyways, it has been.. I think about a week or so after the Dance Drama was over, and I had dreamt that along with the other dancers, I was learning Taeyang's Where You At choreography that we used in the drama. And surprisingly enough, in that dream, I knew at least 95% of the choreography. When I woke up, I found that I could remember most of the steps as well; and it's weird because I hadn't even learnt or tried those dance steps. Then to wake up and unconsciously know it almost as if were the back of my hand.. Wow.

The only dance I was sort of sure I knew, and which I also had never personally learnt; (meaning I had only mentally learnt the steps from watching it countless times during practise) was the 'I Gotta Feeling' dance, because it was fairly very easy.

But the most important thing is, I'M BACK and ready to start dancing again! =D

What A Wonderful Night.

All the worries... All the sweat, tears and effort had all paid off.


Last night's show was a full house, and the response we got from the audience was AMAZING. I wish I could have gotten more pictures of last night; I felt like I wasn't doing it enough justice.


Dancers... Every single one of you were completely and utterly AWESOME. It touches me when we all work together to create something this successful.
Helpers and PA system people.. Thank you so much for your hard work. Without you, the show wouldn't have been able to go on.


And I think everyone agrees with me when I say that we must give huge credit to BigJing who pulled off all her dances flawlessly and with so much energy. 


So, to every single one of you that was involved in the making of this To Feel Again Dance Drama 2011, 


WE ROCKED THE FUCKING HALL DOWN! WOOT~! =D

Scene List

So.
Update on the dance drama thingy.


I'm 'casted' (can't find any other more appropriate word at the moment, so bear with me. I'm still blur from the meds I think) to dance in 3 scenes.

And to be truthful, even in my state (not completely recovered from food poisoning; I'm still a bit weak), I felt like I wanted to be in more scenes. Dance more. Heck, this feeling (of being weak) is only temporary. When I completely recover, I shouldn't have any problems, so yeah.
The more dances I'm in, the better. xD


On a sadder note, I haven't been able to get much dancing in lately either. I've been falling sick quite often this semester and I'm about 70% sure that it's because I haven't been getting enough rest. Plus, this semester's schedule leaves very little time to actually be dancing. So thank GOD for this dance drama.

I Missed These.

While I was back for to do a write up for my 3rd PhotoJR assignment, I got to spend the whole day at the studio.
And how I've missed it.
The best part? I brought my baby with me. ^^
And by that, I mean my Canon 1000D. x]


So other than the necessary photos I had to take, needless to say, I ended up snapping away that by the end of the day, I took over 150 pictures. So I guess.. It's safe to say that this post will be a picspam? ^^ *points below*


P/S: Of course I'm not gonna upload all 150 pics.. that would kill my internet.

~END~

I Feel Horrible.

I really, really do.

When was the last time I actually danced?? =_= I mean like, really dance danced. Properly.
Even more so now when I've got gaping blisters on BOTH my ankles. Patiently waiting for both of them to heal properly before I can dance/ put on my ballet shoes again without worrying that they (my wounds) will over stretch and risking them to open up again.

LIKAAAAAAAAA. The next time I come down, promise me we'll dedicate at least and hour to dance Advanced 1 ok?

I Meant To Post This Earlier...

But I hope it still counts, considering it's already past midnight! =_=

Last night (or rather, the night before), I dreamt that I was teaching young kids ballet again. T_T It's been around 4 months since I've seen them, and I miss them so. The weird thing about the dream, though, is that I was teaching a bunch of kids, maybe around... 6-8 year-olds, ballet in what looked like a hallway of some supermarket. =_= As if that's not weird enough, I also dreamt that I clobbered poor Suzanne Pok for misbehaving. O.o

Um, WHUT.

There will be no title because I don't know what to name this entry.
In fact, I think this will be more of a statement than an entry, because this will be a short one.

Thanks to the technology called 'Facebook' (LOL), I've been able to keep up with my girls from the studio. Needless to say, Mahgaret and Penguin are regular correspondents. x]

Occasionally, I'd chat with my former students Wei Yun, Jo Yee and Xing Wei, though I probably chat with Xing Wei the most. The other day, we happened to chat again. She put a lot of sad smileys, and when I ask her why, she said she missed me 'very very very much', to put it in her words. She asked me to come back soon, so I could see them dance. She also told me that Jo Yee and her had skipped Grade 4 after their Grade 3 exam, and went straight to Grade 5.

What's the point of this post?
Well I just felt that it was nice that although I no longer teach, I'm still regarded as their teacher, and that they haven't forgotten me.

Yeah, I'm a sap. So what? =p

Even with my involvement in the dance club...

I can't help missing ballet.
I'm not being ungrateful here. I love that I have a studio to practise in here, and that I can go whenever I want to dance.
But it's not the same, you know?

I miss going for class.
Classes that involve me and my group of friends (LIKA~ I MISS DANCING WITH YOU ) dancing, and having a proper teacher (I'm not saying you student dancers are bad, honestly. Heck, I'll be one of you next semester!) teaching at the front. I haven't had a proper ballet lesson in ages that I fear that my techniques/footwork are all deteriorating. It's been more than half a year that I'm in university now. And for almost 8 months, I haven't been having proper lessons at all.

I want to dance again.

I want to go for classes with Lika, Seow Hui and the rest, and dance for hours and complain about our aching bodies together after class.
I want to feel the ache that comes with a good ballet class again.
I want to go to KL for a one-day class; get excited when I'm on the way to KL, then feel so tired and poofed and sweaty that I start feeling thankful that we're going back when we're in the bus back.

Everytime I watch videos in YouTube of ballet classes, I get glazy-eyed.
Sure, there's always Ms Tham, and even Ms Chua (*shudders*), but nothing can replace Mr Gino's method of teaching. HIs dirty jokes. His 'Classical Thai'. His singing.
I'm not saying that he's the best in the world. He has his faults, but still.

Is there a ballet class anywhere in Kampar?

A Reason To Smile, A Reason To Cry.

I had a great time in the studio today with Ann & Edward. We stayed there for almost 3 hours.

The thing about dancers are, as I found out, they can get ballet in a fair amount of time, because of their dancing background. Regardless of what dance they've done, it's still dancing either way, so from what I've seen, they only have a little trouble getting used to the positions and steps. Max & Edward are perfect examples.

But anyways, we all had a good laugh today. Edward was really diligent; he practised classical walks till he got it right, pirouettes, and pose. He was very disciplined too. I  liked that.

The 3 of us teased each other a lot. Ann was in the corner of the studio with the yoga mat, working out. I was teaching Edward ballet. It was quite hilarious, actually. xD And I don't mean that in a bad way, love. xDD

But like everything else, happiness also has it drawbacks: a pool of tears later.
Min Ru & I broke up.
Can't say I didn't see it coming to be honest, though. Still, it hurt nonetheless.

But I'm ok now, and life goes on. Besides, there's the retail therapy to look forward to in a few hours! ^^
You're a genius for suggesting it in the first place, Rachel! =D

Oh, and quote of the day:

"A good dancer can dance anywhere; 

(he) just blends their body in with the environment. "

I Think Too Much.... I Think.

I think I may be thinking too much over this whole 'wanting to see Mr Gino' thingy. Why? Because the day before yesterday, there was a problem with the internet connection (ooh, big surprise.. *sarcasm*), so I couldn't go online. So instead, I decided to play some RAD Ballet songs.
I went to my WMP library, searched the grade I felt like listening to, and pressed play. At first, I thought I heard as if another music was playing in the background. Oh, and I should probably mention that my laptop was on my study desk, right in front of the window. So I approached my laptop to check if I had left any other music on.
Nope.

As I turned, to walk away, though, I thought I heard someone whistling to the music. Eyebrows furrowed, I turned to my laptop again; the faint whistling can still be heard.
Then, as suddenly as the whistling started, it stopped. I shrugged it off as me hearing things, but of course, deep inside, I wanted to believe that it was really Mr Gino whistling. But then I thought, Gino doesn't whistle.. He sings. xD But still.

I didn't think much of it, but now that I do...

I was listening to Grade 5.
Grade 5 was one of the grades where Mr Gino was most relaxed; in other words, yes, he did scold them, but it was one of the classes where he joked around most.
Grade 5 was the grade where, in my opinion, we felt most close to, other than Intermediate/IF.

Was I really imagining things?

We Meet Again.

I went to Lika's studio at almost 3pm. I was supposed to come at 2pm for Inter, but the Killpest people came, and my lazy ass caused me to only arrive around 3pm.

When I arrived, Kathrina, Kai Hong, Seow Hui, Jermaine, Wan Hui and Xing Ying were at the barre, doing Intermediate. I sat out until after their class, when we did a little of Advanced 1. And I DO mean a little. We just did the barre work, skipping Battemend Lend and Fouette & Rotations. That itself already made me sweat quite badly.

Kathrina, principle of the PAD (Penguin Academy of Dance), created an easier alternative for Ronds de Jambe with Pirouettes. The part where you have to do a double pirouette, you just wait there, then changement to the other direction at the last count.
I wish PAD really existed.

Later on, before Pre-primary, Lika, Seow Hui and I went down to the sundry shop downstairs to but a couple of snacks to munch. And to be honest, there goes my weight.
I gained 2kgs the 2 weeks I was in Kampar after study week, because I ate so much. I lost 1 kg after coming back here, after finding out about my weight gain and attempting to control my food intake. Worked so far;  I still have another kg to lose (or more, not complaining...), but I haven't weighed myself after the snack indulgence today.
Almost afraid to.

Then at around 7, Gina's group came, along with Sonia & Sophia the 2 from Hong Lee; Megan and Michelle. Esther seemed less lively than the last I saw her; where else Irene and Gina were their usual talkative and lively selves. They were all doing the new syllabus by now, the pre-primary and primary. It was interesting to watch them do something else other than the usual, almost-boring-to-look-at pp and primary work.
Hmm. I wish they would change the other syllabus' too. To slightly easier, of course.

Whoa, now.

So after a few days of lazing at home and being a real pig (seriously, I had expected to go out often as I hadn't had the chance to hang out much when I was back for study week), I finally got my ass out of the house, and went to Lika's studio.
I was supposed to go swimming with Ann this afternoon, but it got canceled. Plus, Lika suggested I help Seow Hui with choreographing the dance for the student's Bridal Fair performance. I warned her that I was horrible at choreographing. She of all people should know that.
I also found out that Lika no longer used Gino's studio, mainly due to the loud construction noises. And really, I don't blame her. Try doing pirouettes or poses with the drilling sounds.


During Lika's pre-primary class, whom are learning the new syllabus, an adorable 4-year old started doing a little of the Sorry Sorry dance. xD Yes, call me stupid, but I hadn't managed to get a picture of her. But I will the next time I see her. (They call her Tong Tong. )


But that isn't the main reason of my entry.
The last class of the day was Grade 2, and as they were dancing, a girl turned up with her mother. I soon learnt that she was from Shu Cia, and that she came here due to.. personal preference. The girl, whose name was Celine, was reluctant to join the class. I don't blame her, being the only new girl and all. I would probably do the same when I was her age.
Her mother kept urging her to join the class; Lika wanted to see how much she knew in order to determine what grade she would be suitable in. From egging her on, her mother began scolding her, in front of everyone. Celine started crying, and right then, I felt a little sorry for her. I thought, don't scold her la, let her slowly warm up and join the class on her own.
After a final threat from her mother to beat her, Celine got up and joined the rest, angry and not quite in the mood to dance. She did everything half-heartedly, and would isolate herself whenever Lika or Seow Hui asked them to gather near them.
Now, before you start feeling sorry for little Celine, read on what I have to say.
When we talked to her, coaxing her to join and talk with the other girls, she rarely looked up at us, and when she did, she would 'jeling' at us. I was patient. We all were; Seow Hui, Lika and me. We thought that she was still angry with her mother for forcing her to dance. Then after class, Lika spoke with her mother while Seow Hui and I danced a little of Intermediate. Celine just sat and listened to the conversation between Lika and her mother.
After Celine had 'warmed up', I presume, she began scolding her mother whenever her mother said something to Lika that was 'wrong', in her opinion. She was so disrespectful to her  mother, I felt like giving her a reality check. Even when Lika asked them to change to their character shoes, Lika had asked Celine if the shoe was hers, and her mother said yes. Celine then shouted at her mother, "IT'S JIE JIE'S ONE LA!"
Seriously, the ungrateful child. And her mother was very lenient with her, not even scolding her once for raising her voice at her own mother. Whatever pity I felt for Celine before had gone; washed down the drain into the sewage tank. Seriously, if I was her mother, I'd give her a good smacking until she did quadruple pirouettes until got hole on the floor and fell through it. HONESTLY, the nerve of her! Completely no respect at all. She seems to think that she deserves respect from anyone. She's 10 years old, for crying out loud.
Even more of a shock was when I found out that she was Carmen's younger sister. CARMEN's sister?? Carmen, the one in En Yi's class, the one who Lika praised as willing to listen and actually worked hard to improve?
Whoaa. She could not have been more of an opposite of her sister.
Celine had better be thankful I'm not teaching her. I'm jokative and rather lenient in the classes I teach, because most of the time, I believe that students will be more prone to improving if you tell it to them nicely and encourage their improvement. Of course, I'll be stern if they get too playful or mischievous.
But if anyone came close to disrespecting anyone; even their own classmates, they will know that I would not be happy about it. Not happy at all. *dramatic nod*
But I can be very fierce if I have to. Celine will probably get the shouting of a lifetime from me, and if I'm pissed enough, drag her out of class with her things.
I'm not usually this mean, really, but if there's one thing I absolutely can't tolerate, it's lack of respect. And I mean respect to EVERYONE, not just people older than you. And I don't mean as in you have to be formally polite with your friends or until you don't stand up for yourself la. Durr.


Treat others like how you want to be treated.
And someone here needs to be brought back down to earth from her high horse.

RIP Gino Miranda.

Today was emotionally and physically exhausting for me.
I hadn't managed to get enough sleep the night before, and I had classes in the morning.
I had to walk to and fro from several blocks in uni, as if cycling under the hot sun was not enough.

I got a surprise call from Lika this afternoon.
She was crying, and she told me that our ballet teacher was admitted in the hospital, and that the doctors are beginning to give up hope on him...

What's happening?

She took the next bus to KL to visit him. But she was too late.
Our ballet teacher had passed away at around 3pm.

The last I saw of him was before I left for university. And he would still occasionally text me to keep in touch.
He said he had a urinary infection the last time he saw a doctor for being sick. Turns out it wasn't a urinary infection after all.

According to Lika, he was alright this morning, being able to chat and all. But the same can't be said later on.

I was sort of numb when I was told of the news. It's surreal.
How could someone vanish from the face of this earth so easily and quickly? He was fine this morning.

It's still hard to believe.

The truth didn't sink in until I was in the porch, about to go to see Ann and the rest. My voice broke a little on the phone, but I managed to compose myself.
Then when I arrived at Oxford, Ann welcomed me with a hug and that broke down my barrier. I sobbed into her shoulder.
It was probably the first time she ever saw me cry in the 13 years we've been friends. I knew that man since I was 6.
We literally grew up with him.

He's been teaching me dance for almost 16 years. Bittersweet memories flourished the pages of my life.

And now he's gone.
Just like that.

I wished there was some kinds of warning beforehand.
This is all too sudden.

RIP Gino Miranda.
You will be very much missed.

Another Lazy Post.

I really, really should be researching the Bridal Fair event and writing my report instead of blogging. Seriously.

But the 'power' of blogging can just be too darned tempting. >_<


I would have updated yesterday, but as I was prone to doing, I got so sleepy that I slept in front of my laptop, and when I woke up (which was around 2AM[FTW! xD] something), I felt too lazy to update. It's a 'virus' I've been having lately; lazy.
And I know as well as everyone else that I really shouldn't. >_>


Yesterday, though, Lika had conveniently forgotten to tell me that Gino wouldn't be here this week. Sick again, it seems.
I suspected that much when I was greeted with darkness and desertion in the studio as I went up.
My first guess was that Gino and Lika might be at Snipx buying dog food for Gino's dog. But then common sense hit me and I realised that if they had gone down to Snipx, I was sure either of them wouldn't need to turn off the entire studio's electricity; and then there's the other logic that he could've asked Lika to go down for him.


Which just proves how smart my 'in-the-moment' intuition can be. 


When I called Lika for clarification and asked where she was, my final guess was confirmed. Gino had called in sick and was not coming this week. When I complained that she hadn't told me, she replied with a  "I thought you knew? I posted it in Facebook!"


Uh, ohkayy, Lika. 


Then during her class, Bethany told us something about a sort of live comedy skit (of some sort, I think?) in Scotland involving a few men wearing kilts, then tearing them off one another only to reveal their British Flag-printed undies. xD


One thing we (Lika & I) like to do in class though, is twist the pronunciation of the ballet terms. Because the terms are in French, the pronunciation can be totally different from the spelling. For example, Pas De Chat is pronounced 'Pa-The-Sha'. But we like to pronounce it as the spelling suggests.
So during Grade 3, Lika had one of those moments and asked the students to do 'pass-the-chart'.
The 'senior' students (aka Joe Yee, Jean, etc) were used to Lika's pronunciation by now and went to places almost lazily, while the newer ones (Misaki, Cassandra & Michelle) looked at each other in confusion and asked, puzzled; "... Pass the chart? (or, as Misaki heard it, "Pass the tart.")"
And it cracked Lika up so much that she began mumbling other mispronunciations and laughing so hard, her face turned red, in turn cracking ME up.
The students (the new 'uns, I mean) probably thought she had gone crazy. I had thought that I saw their faces, although smiling, showed a little concern in it for her sanity. xD


But we had the most laughs during Primary. In fact, everyone was more cheerful and less stressed when Gino isn't around, even if he's joking and all.




And then today, I went to the studio after going to the office (in which, not long after arriving at the studio, I realised that I had only put the pictures in the folder and completely forgotten to send it in; which was the main reason I went to the office in the first place), so I was clad in my Jefferson shirt and jeans.

(OH, and did I mention I got my 2PM 1:59PM CD today? [Ok, technically it was yesterday, since it's waaayyy past 12am now, lol, but still.] *squee* xD)

 Yup, that's my man Jjit-Taec over there. xDD

 The boy abused the 'ㅋㅋㅋ' and '하하하' characters in his Thank You speech. Oh Chansung.. xD

The drillings in the next building almost drove me to insanity; I swear I could've screamed in frustration. You couldn't hear anything else; just the loud drilling and the occasional vibration.
You couldn't even hear what the other person was saying; it was like being at a rock concert or something, only more... annoying. 


Thankfully, they had to stop at around 6pm, so we had peace then.
We did have fun and all, especially with Penguin as always, though she stayed until quite late today. She was still here when Grade 4 started, but she went back not long after.
We spent the entire Grade 7 class talking, mostly to Tze Ping about her ballet Grades, because she said she wanted to do Advanced 1 with us too.
It started when Lika asked her if she could come for extra class, since it's the holidays (She's taking her SPM, but still) and she should be able to come for more than one class.


But what was really surprising was that the atmosphere during Grade 4 wasn't as glum as it normally was.
Lika was cheerful towards them today and didn't pick (I mean correct, xD) on En Yi as much as she normally does.


That being said, I'd better hit the sack, otherwise I'd look like a zombie (2PMMMMMM~! xD).
Without makeup. 

An Awesome Show

Ok, I admit; I truthfully hadn't been looking forward to this performance at first.

Why?
Well it's kinda hard to put the many complicated thoughts I had into words. Something that I would rather not mention here, just in case.

Firstly, on the day before the performance, we had a practise.
Poor Dhivya, who was pulled into this by my sister, had to learn all 3 dances in one day. *A* Kudos to her, lol.
It was probably the longest I've ever done for a practise: 6 hours. (Or wait.. Wasn't last year's concert rehearsal longer? I dunno, I can't remember..)
Whatever it was, my limbs/ligaments/muscles didn't really ache (save for the joint ache in my right leg) until I got home, and later on.
I couldn't fold my leg and sit without having to lower my right leg slowly to the ground.

Then there was the outfit issue.
See, this is what happens when you're fat in all the wrong places. It becomes a tedious thing to find a pair of clothes that matches. >_>

Also, we had practise again the next day, but spent it mostly discussing the poses at the end. To much hilarity. On Edmund's part, at least. xD
We had fun trying out different (and mostly) ridiculous poses, though we did end up choosing the proper ones. x]
It was probably the most fun I've had in a while. ^^

We bathed in the studio too, for the first time. So yeah, that means we brought all our stuff there.
Ashley and I ended up using none of the outfits we brought; we ended up lending Ella's.
Dhivya did lend Ella's too, but she mixed and matched with her own as well.
After that, we got to applying makeup. And we went in one car (Edmund's Honda) so it would be more convenient, and so Ashley could braid Ella's hair for her. ^^

The butterflies didn't really catch up with me until after we arrived at Mega and went to the stage. Knowing that our performance was inching closer as the singers went on made me even more nervous, like it was taunting me or something.
But I reminded myself of my love to perform, and told myself that I knew I wouldn't regret it once I was on stage.

And I was right.

The moment I stepped on the stage (and seeing that I was the first one to go on stage as well), all the butterflies had flown away, and only adrenaline rush filled me.
I had a blast dancing up there; all my doubts previously blown by the wind.
Though I did remember feeling the teeniest bit a little sick after the first song... Must be the leftover nerves. xD

Anyhow, I enjoyed myself tremendously on stage.
And after the performance, everyone was all smiles.
Nearly all of us had slight mistakes at one point, but we never dwelled on that or gave ourselves a hard time about it.
Stuff like that happens.
Oh, and we were sweating like hell too. Who knew 3 songs would have the ability to make us sweat that much?

Edmund had asked one of their Aikido students to record the whole thing, so yeah, if it is ever posted on Facebook, I'll update this entry, together with the other pictures too. ^^

Anyways after that, we decided to have dinner. Both Edmund and Ella treated Dhivya, Ashley and I (and of course Shikin) to dinner at K & Y.
Seriously, they're both too nice. *_*

By the end of the day, I'd like to think that our friendship blossomed.
We hung out in the studio for a while, chatting and watching the video that said Aikido student took, and laughing about out mistakes and SugarHigh!Edmund.
We even talked about spending a night in the studio one day, for a group sleepover.
I can only imagine the chaos that would happen. xD

So all in all, it was a great experience. We were all so hyped up after the performance (though no one could beat the sugar high kid^^), and even more so after we went back to the studio.
Well, Dhivya and Ashley, for the most part. xD

Pre-performance pic:




The videos that my mum took of the performance:


Jai Ho


She Wolf & Gata Brasilera


I'm starting to love Zumba now. =]