Dancing steps...

Stella and I stayed back for the Latin Ballroom party after the salsa class today, and watched others dancing on the dancefloor. No, we didn't dance then, partly because we felt that we weren't good enough yet, and partly also because we did not have any dance partners. I told her that maybe we should learn the guy's steps, so that at least we can dance with each other as well. After all, I also saw ladies dancing with each other on the dance floor.

Ladies learning the man's steps. I wonder if this is a reflection of modern society as well, where women are doing what men used to do, be it in their careers or in their families.

Yes it is good for man and the lady to learn each others' steps so that they can each understand how it feels to lead and to follow. But as I watched, I was beginning to wonder if it was also because there are usually fewer guys who dance and it can be difficult to find a dance partner. After all, why should we let the lack of men take away our joy in dancing? And why should we let them take away our joy in living as well?

Posted on 4 Apr 2009, Sat, 11.58pm

Guess what this is.

It's the serving plate used at Fullerton! Nice hor =)

I attended a wedding dinner at Fullerton hotel yesterday. The groom was a colleague's son. It was my first time attending a wedding dinner where I did not know either the bride or the bridegroom.

Anyway, during the dinner, some of my colleagues asked when it'll be my turn. Haha.

Well, some of my friends would know that, given a choice, I would not hold a wedding dinner. A church wedding would suffice. Because, to me, it can be rather pointless to splurge so much on a wedding and end up neglecting the more important things, like the marriage.

In fact, I think the simpler the wedding the better. Sorry I'm not a big fan of extravagant weddings. I mean, go ahead and spend on your wedding if you can afford it but is there really a need to spend beyond your means? And maybe only people like Kel can afford to hold his wedding dinner at a hotel like St. Regis (and he'll invite Ting..wahaha).

Posted on 29 March 2009, Sun, 11.30pm

Promise...

Poem by Annie Johnson Flint

God hath not promised skies always blue,
Flower strewn pathways all our lives through;
God hath not promised sun without rain,
Joy without sorrow, peace without pain.

God hath not promised we shall not know
Toil and temptation, trouble and woe;
He hath not told us we shall not bear
Many a burden, many a care.

God hath not promised smooth roads and wide,
Swift, easy travel, needing no guide;
Never a mountain rocky and steep,
Never a river turbid and deep.

But God hath promised strength for the day,
Rest for the labor, light for the way,
Grace for the trials, help from above,
Unfailing sympathy, undying love.


Let it be Lord, just let it be...

Which is easier?

Or should it be, which is more difficult? To lead or to follow?

In partner dances, the man is supposed to lead the lady in most cases. Yesterday, during class, our instructor was saying that some ladies get rather stressed over this, mainly because they do not know what to expect from the men. This is especially when the man did not give a clear lead or when the lady try to second-guess the next move.

I think it's not easy to lead if you do not know what the next step is, or when the lady is trying to lead as well. There can't be two leaders right? Then again, it's not easy to follow either, if you do not relinquish control. Or surrender.

I wonder if we are able to tell a man's character from the way he dances. There are guys who know the techniques well but disregard their partners in their eagerness to show how well they themselves can dance. Then there are some who show that dance is more than just the techniques just by showing that they care about who they're dancing with. You see, it's not difficult to sweep a girl off her feet. And it is not through complicated moves but rather, by letting the lady feel comfortable dancing with you. Needless to say, the lady should help by letting the man do the leading as well.

In a way, perhaps a marriage is like dancing. Two individuals becoming as one and moving in tandem to the beat, or rhythm of life. There cannot be 2 leaders. Maybe that's what makes marriage difficult, but that's what makes it beautiful too. And just like in a dance, once one of the partners stop doing what he or she is supposed to do, the other won't be able to carry on the dance by him or herself.

Anyway, a comment by a girlfriend over MSN just now got me thinking. So I shall just end off the entry with this song.

Holding Out for a Hero
By Bonnie Tyler

Where have all the good men gone

And where are all the gods?

Where’s the street-wise Hercules

To fight the rising odds?

Isn’t there a white knight upon a fiery steed?

Late at night I toss and I turn and I dream of what I need

I need a hero

I'm holding out for at hero 'till the end of the night

He's gotta be strong

And he's gotta be fast

And he's gotta be fresh from the fight

I need a hero

I’m holding out for a hero 'till the morning light

He’s gotta be sure

And it’s gotta be soon

And he’s gotta be larger than life

Larger than life

Somewhere after midnight

In my wildest fantasy

Somewhere just beyond my reach

There’s someone reaching back for me

Racing on the thunder and rising with the heat

It’s gonna take a superman to sweep me off my feet

I need a hero

I'm holding out for a hero 'till the end of the night

He's gotta be strong

And he's gotta be fast

And he's gotta be fresh from the fight

I need a hero

I’m holding out for a hero 'till the morning light

He’s gotta be sure

And it’s gotta be soon

And he’s gotta be larger than life

I need a hero

I'm holding out for at hero 'till the the end of the night

Up where the mountains meet the heavens above

Out where the lightning splits the sea

I could swear there is someone somewhere

Watching me

Through the wind and the chill and the rain

And the storm and the flood

I can feel his approach

Like a fire in my blood

I need a hero

I'm holding out for a hero 'till the end of the night

He’s gotta be strong

And he's gotta be fast

And he's gotta be fresh from the fight

I need a hero

I'm holding out for a hero 'till the morning light

He's gotta be sure

And it's gotta be soon

And he's gotta be larger than lifeI need a hero

I'm holding out for a hero 'till the end of the night

He's gotta be strong

And he's gotta be fast

And he's gotta be fresh from the fight

I need a hero

I'm holding out for a hero 'till the morning light

He's gotta be sure

And he's gotta be soon

And he's gotta be larger than life

I need a hero

I'm holding out for a hero 'till the end of the night

Went for the salsa dance class with Stella this evening. The class was rather small, with less than 10 members. I remembered the last time I had attended a social dance class 5 years ago (has it been so long?), the class was much bigger; perhaps twice the size.

I guess I shouldn't judge too much yet since this was only the first lesson, but I just had to write about this observation.

S'pore guys are short. (Only 1 guy was taller than me in that class and he's an ang moh.)

Haha.

Or it could just be that s'pore guys who are tall do not like dancing.

Oh well...


Posted on 7 March, Sat, 11.55pm

A friend sent this in an email...

G U I D A N C E
Dancing With God

Author unknown

When I meditated on the word Guidance, I

kept seeing "dance" at the end of the word.

I remember reading that doing God's will is a lot like dancing.

When two people try to lead, nothing feels right.

The movement doesn't flow with the music,

And everything is quite uncomfortable and jerky.

When one person realizes that, and lets the other lead,

Both bodies begin to flow with the music.

One gives gentle cues, perhaps with a nudge to the back

Or by pressing

Lightly in one direction or another.

It's as if two become one body, moving beautifully.

The dance takes surrender, willingness,

And attentiveness from one person

And gentle guidance and skill from the other.

My eyes drew back to the word Guidance.

When I saw "G": I thought of God, followed by "u" and "I".

"God, "u" and "I" dance."

God, you, and I dance.

As I lowered my head, I became willing to trust

That I would get guidance about my life.

Once again, I became willing to let God lead.

My prayer for you today is that God's blessings

And mercies are upon you on this day and everyday.

May you abide in God, as God abides in you.

Dance together with God, trusting God to lead

And to guide you through each season of your life.

This prayer is powerful and there is nothing attached.

If God has done anything for you in your life,

Please share this message with someone else.

There is no cost but a lot of rewards;

So let's continue to pray for one another.

And I Hope You Dance !

Anyway, last Friday during the bbq, someone asked us what we're looking for in a man. And all of us come to the consensus that he should be God-fearing, Christ-like etc, mostly because this quality emcompasses other qualities such as kindness, integrity and so on as well.

But I was thinking, in the first place it is already difficult to find such a guy.

Even if he exists, he would mostly probably be

(1) Married

(2) Attached

(3) Consecrated his life to God i.e. not interested in women

And even if for some reason, he is neither of the above 3, which means he is single and available, why would he be interested in me?

Ok, I think I've just reduced the chances of me meeting someone suitable to practically zero.

Hey, but more improbable things has happened before, hasn't it?

And with God leading, is there anything to fear after all?

I felt that I've so much that I wanted to blog about. Yet when I got down to typing, I'm not sure what to write or where to begin. Then I remembered what day it is today:

Ash Wednesday

The period of Lent has begin

"True repentance has a double aspect; it looks upon things past with a weeping eye, and the future with a watchful eye." - Robert Smith

Let these 40 days be a time of repentance and renewal....

Quarter...

...of a century. That's what I'll be in about 6 months time. And 5 more years, I'll hit 30. It's quite scary, come to think of it.

Ten years ago, I had imagined that by the time I'm 25, I will have graduated from Uni, started working, gotten married, and perhaps even have kids too.

Haha. Ok, actually I lied. I had never thought about that ten years ago. Maybe I'm only thinking about this now. After all, I'm not getting any younger either. Things might be fine and dandy now, with my family and friends for company. But my family won't always be here and my friends will settle down one day too.

I remembered a 'talk' with one of my girlfriends last year. On how we will attend the SDU activities if we are still single by the time we're 25.

Perhaps it's time to consider that again. Then, even if I'm not married at 40, at least I know I've given it a shot.

Salsa anyone?

Night out with friends

Met up with the girls for dinner and movie last Saturday.

Amidst all the flowers, couples and signboards and banners proclaiming that it's V-day in the shopping malls (as if they're afraid anyone would forget), we had quite a good time too.

We started off with dinner at Indulge, a restaurant at The Cathay. The food was pretty good. Some kind of fusion between East and West I think. And Ting had said she wanted to eat there since last year, so we finally decided to give it a try.

After that, it was a movie at PS, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Buttons". At almost 3 hours long, I had thought initially that it would be boring. I was glad to be proven wrong. XQ had commented that, after watching the movie, growing old doesn't seemed as scary as growing younger, or something along that line. But I supposed, be it growing older or younger, time is always moving and will wait for no man. Regardless of how critics had panned this show, I find it worth the $10. Not because I'm a big fan of Brad Pitt (though I must admit he does look good in the movie, especially when he got younger), but more so because of its storyline and the development of the characters. I won't reveal too much here. Go watch it if you have the time and if this genre of movie is your cup of tea.

Anyway, we took the night bus back after that, because train service had stopped and there was a long queue for taxis. Then on the bus, XQ and I decided that we should spend V-day together next year as well, even if we are attached then. Because love comes in many forms, and love among friends is one to be treasured too.

Posted on 16 Feb 2009, Mon, 4pm

My regular blog readers will know that I seldom, or perhaps had never, blogged about food before. That is, other than the food that I cannot eat, such as cheese. Anyway the picture above is of a dish named 'Ayam buah keluak'. These are the ingredients.

It is one of the many Peranakan dishes that I like. Some of you might not be aware that I am actually half-Peranakan as well, from my mother's side.

Some more pictures that I got from the web since I did not take any of my own pictures...

Bak wan kepiting (meatballs)

Babi ponteh

Kueh Pie Tee

In a sense, food is more than just the taste. And, no matter how nice the peranakan dish might be in a restaurant, I guess I'll always missed my grandma's cooking.

The reason that I don't blog about food is simply because, I can't cook. Now, this is not a fact that I am proud of either. Even though I believe in equality between men and women and that a woman's place need not be in the kitchen, a part of me wishes that I can cook too. Maybe if my cooking skills are half as good as my grandma's, I'll be satisfied. Maybe if I had learnt from her then, I won't have this sense of regret now. Then I wished that my mother can cook as well, so that at least I could learn from her. But then again, how could I blame her when I've been living with my grandma for over twenty years and yet had not picked up her culinary skills?

Yes, I wish I can cook. But who can I cook for?

Posted on Mon, 9 Feb 2009, 10.30pm