Rensquare: Revolution [ part 3 of the trilogy ]

2009-04-02T16:25:00.002+08:00

跳舞是为了能够更了解自我。
跳舞是为了能够让自己更懂得欣赏音乐。
跳舞是为了要给自己一个发挥的空间。
跳舞是为了让自己比较轻易欣赏生活的点点滴滴。
跳舞是为了自由，为了快乐。

所以每次跳舞时，都要提醒自己，问一问自己，跳舞是为了什么，为了谁呢？

为了观众的欣赏？
为了老师的赞赏？
为了周围舞蹈员的认可？

学会了怎么为自己跳舞，自然而然能够把所有的心意都表达出来。

为自己而跳才是真正的快乐。

2009-03-22T22:32:00.005+08:00

Woo. Very tired from RS session today.

:+:+:+:+:

Still can't let people into my heart yet. Talking makes me feel vulnerable. I can't overcome that barrier. Not yet.

But it doesn't mean I am not willing to. I'll try.

p/s: I'm not feeling too good these days. Not physically... Something just does not feel right. I'm feeling particularly vulnerable these days.

Lovely Complex Episode 18

2009-03-15T11:08:00.002+08:00

- Lovely Complex Episode 18 (MY FAVOURITE EPISODE :D)-
This is like one of those animes which can make me tear! So touching... and the soundtrack is fabulous. Wonderful storyline, accompanied by great soundtrack. Characters are well developed and gosh, really dig the Osaka accent!

Enlightenment

2009-03-11T23:16:00.004+08:00

It's yet another 10 points to experience. Nope, not yet a level up haha. (If you play computer games, you probably get my gist.)

The most recent RS session was CS's choreo to Monica's 'Still Standing'. Brilliant choreo, I love it cos I manage to get his interpretation within that 2 hours. Before that I went for Ahmad's Hip Hop at Danzpeople. It was a slow song, and I kinda over stretched my left butt muscle cos his choreo had so much bent-knee steps and control steps. Aw mans! Super tiring. I still cannot get his style... haha.

Ahmad told me that I should dance with more energy. I didn't really understand what he meant. And I really meant understand... in the sense, you know really what the problem is.

Was watching CS's video and I thought 'wow I didn't drop lots of steps, this is probably one of my best dance videos! Somemore I caught the feel!'. It's natural to get complacent. Haha. Until I rewatched this video again.

Then I watched CS's video again. Oh my gawdd. Maybe you all should try this too. Watch CS's vid on facebook, then watch this vid on youtube, then REWATCH CS's vid. (I chose this video from Ellen Kim because the choreo feel is somewhat comparable with the feel for CS's choreo.)

OR - watch a video with you inside, then watch that youtube vid, then watch your video again.

I love living in this technology age... Videos really show how you dance. And I thought I used sufficient energy and feel in CS's dance. GAWD. I was so so wrong. (I finally understood what Ahmad meant.) And I know in my heart I could have pushed further.... push beyond my comfort zone, and dammit, dance all the beats and accents out! Yes, DANCE THE SONG OUT, KAREN.

It was really a sudden realization... and you don't know how happy I was. It was a mixture of feeling hopeful and yet once more motivated because there is a direction to work towards. It sucks to feel stagnant (not in the you-are-so-expert-that-you-have-little-to-improve-on way), but the stagnant as in you just don't know why you look that way.

Feeling it once more! HAHA. I'm going to celebrate with one more grape flavour yakult from the fridge. (I know you are thinking ???)

I just love how Ellen Kim dances. She always reminds me the reason why I dance. I feel it, gosh... I still can't imagine meeting her in person cos I'm pretty much overwhelmed just by watching her videos. Feel inspired, people! Keep pushing and keep growing! People give up not knowing how close they were to success!

e乐大赏

2009-03-10T15:17:00.009+08:00

Preparing in the studio...

I was seriously starstruck. Haha... there were others like Energy, Show Luo, and Stephanie Sun. Oh gosh, the first star I took photo with was Olivia Ong. I was so so happy to see her in person! Haha... I told her that I loved her voice and her songs... o mans!

JJ and his very fun-loving crew (:

What a coincidence, right? Thanks to them I managed to take pictures with some of the artistes. Heh. They took with everyone except with Show!

The post party was good... the wine tasted a bit cheap though. Was very tired by then. Good show anyway!

:+:+:+:+:

Aw man... sometimes I really wanna marry Jay Chou. Haha... his voice just makes me fall in love with him over and over again. He steals my heart so many times already!

I think I am more likely to marry someone who can sing rather than can dance. Haha! I've always like to picture myself dancing ballet while my love serenades with his guitar. I don't know ballet so maybe I'll blow some bubbles to add to the simple romantic atmosphere... probably a picturesque place like the Esplanade bay area.

Take me awayyy from my confused and confusing world~ (:

Many many things...

2009-03-08T20:02:00.002+08:00

"One of the most magical characteristics is no matter how many times life or romance turns sour on them, they still manage to maintain faith in others, refusing to become cynical."

但是我突然累了。

Same feeling. Haha. I feel like laughing at myself right now. あほじゃないのか？

突然间有点害怕将来。已稳定的现在又要改变了。我对自己适应能力没有什么问题。。。

可能我真的想太多。

可能我真的突然累了。

2009-03-05T01:25:00.001+08:00

Nearly died laughing XD

2009-03-03T22:08:00.002+08:00

I don't wanna act my age (:

Tuesdays really make my week because the people I meet always motivates me to continue whatever I'm doing. This class really is a bunch of hardworking and passionate people. When I think back of the time when I first started out, I kinda felt really green.

After talking to Xiaoke about that, I still feel she doesn't get my drift. But I got hers. Maybe what I needed were opinions from someone experienced.

:+:+:+:+:

Stepping on to this path is really a never-ending journey of self discovery. Through dance I've learned so much about myself, through dance I have trained my spirit and mental strength, through dance I've found new meaning to life, through dance I've done so much which I thought I couldn't.

All the opportunities that were given to me, all the people who have helped me, all the people who have watched me... supported me... given me strength to stand up from all my falls.

The community.

I've received simply too much already... I'm not wanting for it to stop. But it's time I learn to give too (:

I don't wanna act my age (:

NOC

2009-02-24T23:31:00.004+08:00

Sometimes thinking about the future really makes me nervous all over.

I used to agree that going overseas will really give me an edge over others when I enter the working world. Maybe some were driven by fear to jump upon opportunities for the sake of a brighter future. But since the future is so uncertain, branding your cert with loads of experience doesn't really make things any better if you think in another way.

But anyways, I'm just at the crossroads. If I could ask someone up there one question, it would be

'May I still pursue my dream, to be someone I want to be, rather than what society makes me to be?'

In sociology, we learn about structures and agents. The structure constructed right now suggests that a normal university degree will get anyone successful & rich out there in the working world. Agents can choose to respond in different ways... to agree with this structure and follow the rules of it i.e. work hard to get the best degree, or spice up one's resume with an outstanding list of achievements and internship experience. Another would be to accept this structure rather reluctantly, just like what most of us are probably thinking. Third would be to reject this structure by not doing anything at all (I can't think of any example). The last one would be to reject this structure and propose or pursue a different structure to continue living.

My brother is probably the first one. And me? I'm inclined to the last one. Maybe it's because I don't shoulder as much responsibilities as the oldest child in the household, or as a man living in a society govern by a paternalistic state where the breadwinner role is asserted strongly as a man's number 1 priority in the family. I've been stubborn since I was young and I probably still am. I can analyse and see how structures influence people to behave in a certain way and I never liked that. Why must we always follow the norm? Or follow the safest path? To convince ourselves we reason it with causality. But what then is our main goal in life?

If I had to live day to day for society, I am as good as a living dead. I would rather live for myself, in my very own structure where it is strongly held up by my own principles in life which can be similar with the outside structure, but at least they get filtered before being approved in my life.

Anyway, I'm going to try once more for NOC next semester, if it's still possible. And this time I'll go for it with my very own reasons.

:+:+:+:+:

Somewhere at the back of my mind, the dream of being a florist still exists. But I wanna be a dance instructor too! Maybe one day I'll set up my very own little studio, selling flowers at one corner and having dance lessons at the same time (:

Wouldn't it be nice? *sigh*

Ba Chor Mee & Dance

2009-02-24T00:17:00.004+08:00

I just recalled a very funny incident which happened long time ago... say, when E-stylez were still regularly meeting up for lunch before Blast! lessons on Wednesdays (wow so long ago).

I rem someone (I think Alvan) bought Ba Chor Mee from the Deck. And I was commenting how some people think it's super nice to eat while some others just don't love it as much. I kinda understand why those people don't like it because it doesn't taste quite like how normally Ba Chor Mee will taste like. In attempt to explain it, out of nowhere I just had to come up with a silly dance analogy.

"You see, it's just like watching a crew dance. In the crew, the dancers are all very strong individually, but when they come together and dance, it just don't seem as good anymore...

... just like this bowl of Ba Chor Mee."

Seriously up to date, I still think that's the best analogy I can come up with to explain why some people don't like the Deck's Ba Chor Mee.

:+:+:+:+:

Aw mans! I just want to nua all day... at home in bed... with all the Zs (: There comes a point in life where you just get tired of being hard up of anything. Ok I'm hard up of sleep now.

Good night world!

Ellen Kim & others

2009-02-18T00:38:00.006+08:00

~~There there... Ms. Kim, you are such an amaaazing dancer. Inspiring me as always (:~~ The girl is Heather from Fanny Pak (not Ellen Kim. I made mistake cos it was found in Ellen's channel). Song is 'Dancing' by Elisa. Choreography by Matt Cady (Fanny Pak).

Recently, I've been very inspired by Keone Madrid and Rino Nakasone. Rino's choreo is a style I can relate most with... something which I'm most comfortable with. As for Keone? I want to dance like him! Haha... he has long limbs as well. He tends to use a lot of footwork in his choreo... which looks pleasant on stage :D Anw, I love the way he feels the music. I feel him!

Inspired! Very inspired (:

On a sidenote... Sunday is approaching!

Moon Sign Sun Sign

2009-02-17T01:46:00.002+08:00

I just felt like blogging at this hour.

Recently I've been very much into reading horoscope sun and moon signs (: I stumbled upon this topic when I was having a conversation with Sophia after our Japanese lesson. I always felt such horoscope readings were rather intriguing and interesting, so we had a rather good chat about it.

Sun signs are the usual horoscopes we see in magazines, where u are categorized according to your birthday period. But moon signs take your birth time into account. So as to protect my privacy, I will not reveal what my moon sign is ^_^" If you are interested in finding out what your moon sign is, just google 'moon sign' and click on the first link.

I just can say my moon sign is amazingly accurate. It explains lots of things about myself which I don't understand. Of course I take it like a pinch of salt (:

Now I kinda understand how XK can predict people's horoscope without even knowing their birthdays. I'm beginning to link people's personalities to their horoscope traits as well (:

And I find myself very attracted to people who are fire elemental :D burning with passion, never fails to keep me in awe of their spirit, courage and self-motivation.

(:

2009-02-15T02:51:00.001+08:00

Maybe I should stop thinking too much.

:D

2009-02-14T15:11:00.002+08:00

I LOVE TEACHING AND SPREADING THE JOY OF DANCING.

Just had the brightest weekend once again (: lovely V-day spent with the new class. And I receive a rose from one of the students last night! *感动* :D

I thought I d never receive any flowers this Valentine's ;) happyyyy!

This year's Valentine's really one of the best I've ever had. I'm certainly very happy without any dates! Sometimes things just feel worse when you have someone and nothing special happens on the special day...

No disappointments this year! And I take the greatest appreciation in that.

HAPPY V DAY TO EVERYONE OUT THERE! I LOVE U VERY MUAHS!

Finally I have time....

2009-02-13T01:15:00.005+08:00

Yes... EMCC is over. I think I'm experiencing a bit of post-concert blues now haha. I really learnt a lot... about choreographing, about performing once more, about lighting, and most importantly, about myself.

Right as this moment, I can choose to feel demoralised or I can choose to do something about it. I just had a chat with Xiaoke over dinner... learnt quite a bit from her. I think it takes time, and it takes the experience to be that level.

Maybe I should tell myself to stop saying 'I can't', and instead say 'I can'. I think it's just the transition... when you step up to a different level from others. I'm not yet ready because I'm still rather traditional... that respect comes with experience and age. Maybe I should try to be less conventional at times. 现在讲的是实力~

It's alright to go overboard, but never under. It's better to regret doing something than to regret not doing something. It's better to nag than to assume. It's better to start off hard and strong than to warm up gradually.

But I'm glad. At least I achieved what I've always believe I wanted to do. I do not really wish or aim to take the lead, but I always aim to inspire and motivate. Because that is something which I can do, to bring out the energy from within me and pass it on to others around. I can make a difference by starting with myself.

It may be difficult and indirect... but at least when they get it, they really get it. And from then on the light can be passed on to another person.

I think that is something which cannot be taught.

I feel so damn tired in the afternoon today. I am very sure it is the after-effects of drinking Red Bull the night before for the concert. I'll just concentrate on catching up on my sleep for now (:

You know what? I want to do this one more time (: because practice makes perfect. Doing this EMCC concert only makes me feel how close I was to success when it all ended. It doesn't mean that the item wasn't a success la... it was brilliant in fact! But yea, it could be better because of me. My dancers pushed it to the max already (: It's just me, I could have made it better! But I'm fine with it cos that comes with experience as well.

I'm addicted to this sense of achievement! XD Alright... take a break, Karen!

(: Good night world!

2009-02-09T02:07:00.003+08:00

I was just at the verge of giving up and losing hope. Sometimes people give up because they fail to know how close to success they are. Whenever you feel like giving up, always think of how close you are to success! It's just that little push and mans, you never know if you just lose all hope.

Yikes. I injured myself because I didn't warm up properly today. Ha... I better slap myself hard for that. Not setting a very good example here.

I'm feeling it, I'm feeling it!!!!1 I will peak on concert day!

有亲人和朋友们的支持是最幸福的！没有他们，就没有今天的我！MuahS.

p/s: I would do ANYTHING to catch up on the sleep I lost all this time.

I want to blog!

2009-01-30T01:10:00.002+08:00

YES. I WANT TO BLOG. I can't keep track of my life... I need to reflect on what I've been busy with in order to know if I've been spending time wisely :p

I haven't been eating well recently... I thought maybe it was the time of the month. But today I was affirmed that it was more because of stress I guess. I hate it. I hate it that when I start to eat, my mind wanders off to think about dance.

Deep inside, I feel myself crying out for help. But yet I know I deserve it for not knowing when to stop, or to say 'no'. I like to step up to challenges... rather impulsively, rather spontaneously... well, that's me. And when I am all tied up and the inner me says 'SEE, you deserved it', I stubbornly refused to give in and just push all the way. Well, that's me.

And there's logic to whatever that's happening. Equivalence Exchange, I can call it. Causality, some may call it. I like to see this as a form of control over my life. Sometimes I punish myself with the belief that 'chaos is penance for leisure.' I'm half a workholic... because there's just something inside which drives me to complete a task. Be it punctuality, passion, stubbornness, perseverance, etc.

My item practices are going on fine... But sometimes I just have to accept that not many dancers out there think the way that I do, not many step up to the challenges in dance like I do. In fact, I find myself losing the sparks of motivation during Pat's item practices. Haha. Quite ashamed to say... but I guess it's because I'm overworked. But o well! One fortunate thing is that Chun changed the arm-lift to a chair-lift in her item! Woohoo~ I was so stressed up for that... I feel so useless in her item sometimes. Can't do her stunts... can't do that lift. Yea, I feel like a useless dancer when I can't do what my choreographer wants me to do. I guess it's just part of those commercial dancers' jitters... if you can't meet their requirements, it's 'bye-bye' for you. A true blue example of demand and supply of skills :\

I'm so looking forward for 11 Feb to be over (: Right now, I just wished for the date to come quickly, so that I can resume back my normal life which I never quite had ever since last year's DR (cos after DR was Anniversary, and then this EMCC). I want to go back to those school days where I can wear normal clothes to school except Wednesdays, to those days where I just study at school and teach at MF on weekends, to those days where I can sit at the deck and hang out with friends without having to think about dance at the back of my head.

Nevertheless, I'm thankful for all the events taking place... cos I feel myself more fluent with choreographing now (:

I'm so very much looking forward into the far future... shining really brightly... the recession can't cast no shadow in my road ahead! I forbid! :p And I like to remind myself, life ain't about those certs and grades. They're important ingredients, but character is really what that matters. Resilience... all you need to keep your life going on and on through the rollercoaster rides. And yes, heavy dose of passion! Wee~ :D

Live life with no regrets. I'm happy that I'm doing that now!

想放弃

2009-01-09T22:12:00.004+08:00

Recently things have been going a bit rough for me. Or at least that is just what I'm imagining. Maybe its the jitters because Funka is approaching real soon... time just seems to pass really fast when u start counting down to the date. This year's Funka will be held at Sheares Hall MPSH. What a place -_- I really don't like the idea that our audience is lower than us... like the layout at Central Forum where our blocking can be seen more clearly... where we are looking straight ahead to the audience rather than downwards. And what's more, Sheares Hall is not very convenient lor.

So many choreos in my head... When Pat's item prac starts, I don't know how will I feel then. I keep telling people 'we can do it', I believe we can too. Just that it is quite tormenting... the process. Maybe we will get used to it... it's a kind of training to push ourselves further... a skill to learn out of the studio. After all, we belong to a generation which is good at multi-tasking.

My mind is like the Desktop. When it's Blast! class, I click open the 'Blast!' folder and access my 'Class Steps.doc'. After class, depending on situation... I decide to save it, or trash it (shhh -.-) When it's Chun's item prac, again I access 'Chun' folder and open not just one document, but 3 of them because she uses 3 songs.

Now there's just so many folders around... sigh. Disk space quite low la...

'Just 做 la..' As horrible as I feel now, I will not back out.

I think I got sick of thinking of giving up.

p/s: I just taught the best class of my life just now (:

2009-01-02T23:57:00.001+08:00

Me wanna choreograph like Erik Saradpon one day (:

Putting that aside, this is gorgeous... loved this choreo when I was watching their champion piece for Body Rock 08.

Seasons Greetings

2008-12-28T23:09:00.004+08:00

Very soon we will be welcoming a brand new year 2009, yet another time making new year resolutions. Last year on new year's eve, I still remember we were at Cineleisure participating in a mini dance competition which practically Blast! dominated. Participation was active from juniors, seniors (Weilong, Sharon and Shamala) as well as from the alumnis (Rozanna, Candy and Taufik) who won the champs!

Still remember what Serene said... whatever we be doing at 12 midnight on new year's day, we be doing that the whole year. 怎么垮年，就怎么过新的一年。Now looking back at 2008, really, I've been dancing... dancing... dancing. With various groups, learning from various people, working with different kinds of dancers... meeting new friends, and of course learning so much stuff from all of them. Have been watching the people around me grow, watching them distant away from dance, grow towards dance, change to a different style, have new dreams, bigger aspirations, make sacrifices for dance, sacrifice dance, change crews, form crews, etc...... ２００８年はよかったね！Hitting the big 2 with so many changes.

Will next year be like 2008 too?

More things to anticipate for myself. I'm starting the new year pretty busily. With dance. Funka. EMCC. Blast!. PA. RS?. MF. JDKrew. So many 'commitments' branched out under the dance segment of my life.

Sometimes really feel on the verge of giving up. Haha. But I know, put in so much effort, then say give up, really sounds stupid. Then what are all the sacrifices in the first place for? I practically sacrificed myself for dance I think. I don't mean that in a negative way. Maybe I shouldn't say sacrifice. Haha, given myself to dance?

Despite putting in so much effort, having dreams and aspirations, desires of achieving something out of everything, I know my constraints well. A small part of me tells me that I'll never be able to go far. But then I'll tell myself, I'll go as far as I can go. もう少し頑張ったら、たぶん本当に成功になりましたね?

Really hope 2009 will be a smooth-sailing one. I don't think I'll want to be so hiong like in 2008 anymore (: I'll work equally hard, but not in the same way as in 2008.

Merry xmas and Happy new year (:

Estylez and Chun's birthday party

2008-12-24T13:06:00.003+08:00

Yesterday, E-stylez met up together to celebrate Serene's birthday, as well as a farewell party for both Izaac and Clarice who were going to Sweden for exchange. Talking about Sweden, the only thing we could only think of was Swedish meatballs. HAHA. Hilarious... Izaac got sick of people telling him to enjoy the Swedish meatballs in Sweden. Seriously, is Sweden only well known for their Swedish meatballs? ^_^" I wonder what do students overseas say when their frined is coming to Singapore for exchange...

After eating dinner at Thai Express, we had desserts and the birthday cake at TCC. So funny cos we sat at a long table with guys at one side and girls at the other, feels like a 联谊会 haha... then Ah huan was sitting in front of Alvan and she made a clear statement aloud 'Sorry I don't date guys shorter than me'. Haha... poor Alvan. Anyway after we had our cake then we proceeded on to Chun's party.

Even though Chun's at home, she looks ever ready to dance. We gave her a gold charm locket thingy which is on her right hand. The bohemian tiara-looking thing on my head is a christmas present from Ah huan and the black beaded bangle on her left hand is mine to her! So fun so fun shopping together before meeting up with the rest :D

For some reasons, we took a family picture at Chun's house haha. Well, Patrick didn't come so we replaced him with Spongebob's Patrick the starfish instead (: E-stylez is really a family sia... maybe we do have different ideals and goals in dancing... but I think through dance we found friends whom we can always count on (:

Improvement

2008-12-22T17:57:00.004+08:00

When you start to form new perceptions of things different from before, that's when you level up.

And when you realise that it's still not enough, that's when the next level becomes unlocked.

Keep pushing, & keep growing (:

Blast! Camp 2008

2008-12-20T01:40:00.003+08:00

Blast! Camp 2008 rocks. Yet another levelling up! Really big thanks to all the instructors who came down for the masterclasses... Kate Willis, Pat, Alex Ow, Ahmad, Calvin, Peter... Teo. ^_^" LONG STORY behind. But basically I mistaken him as a FRESHIE (during the day when Blast! class was cancelled at the last minute). Can you imagine... 我第一次见他我就得罪了他... omg la... I can't imagine what he was thinking at that time when I asked if he was a freshie. WELL, I know very well what I was thinking when he said he was 'Peter Teo'. I just went 'FREAK..! 原来他就是传说中的Peter Teo!' in my mind. WAH KAOS... damn paiseh -_-'''''''' Lucky he is a very nice person *looks around carefully*. Must say good things sia... else sure kena again ^_^"

Actually he wasn't one of the instructors involve in masterclasses, but Justis was down with fever so he had to take over. Gosh... on the day before his class I laughed really hard when the door bang into him when he was exiting. Eh... it was really funny la... not that I dun have respect for senior. He said he will take his revenge... and the next day he took over Justis's masterclass. Nearly went pale when I heard that -_-'''' Well, he really did took revenge with his Jazz warm-ups... and all the bruises from the floorwork haha.

OK back to topic. Blast! Camp over!! Yay... one project down for the comm. 时间过得可真快... very soon we will step down from all this 'turmoil'. Exhausting sia~ And I don't like all the photos taken during the camp cos I look damn chui. Sigh. AND the ultimate one is having morning calls EVERY SINGLE DAY by the food caterer. That's what you get when 1. you're in-charge of food for the camp, 2. the caterer is more than punctual about delivery.

Here's how it goes:
*phone vibrates at 750am*
Me: Hello?
Auntie: Hello Karen, the food is ready already, can I come over now?
Me: Oh Auntie ah *tries to sound awake* I thought it's 830am then deliver?
Auntie: No leh, you told me 8am ma...
Me: Oh... *feeling very sleepy*
Me: Uh... 830am come can or not?
Auntie: Ahhh cannot leh, the food ready already, u tell me 8am. So I come now ah!
Me: Orh ok ok... )=

She wouldn't lemme sleep even 15 minutes more... sigh.

:+:+:+:+:

Just came back from Danzation with Michelle and Collen. Really amazing... all the dancers are in unison! I think it's more than just choreography and instructors behind that unity. It's more of the people... the seniors, the juniors and the alumni. That's the product of the effort put in by each and everyone in NRA ya... I feel their pride!

I went Danzation to support this babe. Haha... I'm soooo proud of her! Proud to be her friend... proud of all her effort her passion and her achievement! She is going to be the next legend in the dance scene... so many people have been inspired by her, and whatever she does is making me a fan! She's pursuing her dream and she keeps moving forward (: one of the best role model dancers around. And I'm going to support her to the best that I can!

:+:+:+:+:

Hmm... Ok here is my xmas wishlist. Dang. Xmas is coming o_o'''

- a 'New Era' cap.
- Facial Mist from the Faceshop
- Final Fantasy VI Piano Collections
- A pretty bling-bling handphone pouch? Any design I guess, anything that looks very Karen.
- Large hoop silver bling earrings
- Skin Food Black liquid eyeliner (the one that looks like a nail polish)
- ... 22 eights of steps for my EMCC dance item? :P

Meredith Kerr's Class

2008-12-12T16:11:00.004+08:00

I went for Meredith Kerr's hip hop class, the last conducted at Studio Wu. Met lots of 高手 there ^_^" love the class standard... just keeps pushing me to the limits. Haha... I think it got worse on my left foot, aggravated old injury on my right shoulder, strained my muscle on my left arm ^_^" 大変だったな~ でも、うれしくて、よかった。Now I'm just resting at home...

I've attended 2 'masterclasses' in 2 days, one from Kate Willis and one from Meredith Kerr, experiencing two different types of ghetto hip hop - as what Peter tried to explain to me. I really love their style... this ghetto style. Totally enjoyed the classes and if not for last minute decisions, I would have really regretted not attending their classes! All was worth the money (:

I really need to bring in something new into what I teach. I think I'm having the best of both worlds now being both a learner and a teacher. I get to learn and be exposed to new stuffs, at the same time, I have some power to expose the students to what I'm exposed to... to make a change, to try and bring the awareness to them.

そうだね。だから、それはいいな～

1 Litre of Tears

2008-12-09T15:59:00.006+08:00

I just watched finish the Japanese drama '1 Litre of Tears: Special' episodes. Omg. I think I cried 1 litre of tears also. Maybe more than that if I watched the actual episodes...

"うれしい。わたしは生きているから。"
(I'm happy because I'm alive.)

Those were a few of her last words... for us, to be thankful to be alive.

S**t. My mood is so affected that I can't go back to choreo-ing steps now. Haha -.-"

Blocking

2008-12-05T00:37:00.005+08:00

I'm once again kept amazed by MV blocking. 看了真的觉得好神奇耶~他们走位我看了都觉得不容易，又学跳舞又唱歌，真是不容易！*佩服* The final product of the MV doesn't show how much effort the choreographer put into the blocking. But then again, it may be a piece of cake to him ^_^"

This is a nice MV dance... 'Replay' by Shinee, recommended by Sophia! Thought the groove is really nice. Hope to teach this but then it's not really popular (yet - hopefully). Should check out DBSK's MV blocking too. Sick. It practically looks like a mini concert item. Haha... I think it's very amazing that the singers, they don't have real dance skills but the whole blocking just makes it exciting and interesting to watch... makes them look as if they really got some skill! Just imagine the impact of a dance crew which has skills and amazing blocking i.e. Elecoldxhot (Suntec Dance 2008 Champs). OK, but I still think their style of dancing is going to bore audience sooner or later if they continue to reuse their old routines ^_^ hope to see sth new from them next time. If there is a 'next time' to talk about.

2008-12-04T01:58:00.003+08:00

I JUST LEARNED THE STEPS FOR ELLEN KIM'S 'YOUNG IN MY WHITE TEE' :D :D :D

I finally learned her musicality of this song mans. I felt it was so tough when I first tried to 'count' to it... all the detailed beats she hit - SICKKK. I'm going to keep practicing until I get her feel.

2008-11-30T19:03:00.003+08:00

I need to see sinseh soon... My left foot is not recovering ): Still hurts. ARGH Exams quickly endddddd!!!1

Endurance is running out... Time will pass very quickly. I wanna go Zara get my boots! I wanna go Far East and shop for heels! I wanna go Kinokuniya and get my Vivi magazine! I wanna play piano!

Oh. Actually I can play piano now. BYE!

*too stressed*

This choreo moved me to tears (': Mari you are amazing.

梦想和跳舞的定义

2008-11-28T15:08:00.003+08:00

未来真模糊。有很多梦想。。。就从JDKrew开始吧~等考试完了，我就可以开始踏上实现梦想的路。很开心~希望能够有朋友们的支持。

Funka 08 即将来临，历史应该会重演吧？我不是说失败的那一面，而是天天忙忙碌碌地排练跳舞的时光。其实去年的Funka真的对我留下很深刻的印象。从那场比赛，我好像学了不少，成长了很多。虽然Suntec Dance的程度会比较高，但是Funka 08怎么讲也跟Suntec Dance比起来非常不一样。Everything seems clearer in Funka 08... 总是不明白为何当时我心里会带那么多的‘杀气’。。。说‘杀气’真的是挺搞笑的。可能那时候走进房间时，看到很多不熟悉的面孔便开始用‘杀气’来蒙盖害怕的心情。真是幼稚~我们来比舞又不是来打战，想起来那时候都还没上台就摆出那种脸色。好欠遍喔~

以前跳舞只是我生活中的一小小的部分。现在开始了解为什么这么久了还没放弃这个兴趣。原来我发现到一直跳舞一直进修的原因是只为了寻找自己。

跳舞比赛到底是为了什么目的呢？我也可能还在寻找比赛的定义。比赛当然也是一种磨练，能够推自己的能力到另一个阶段。有些人比赛是为了把自己跳舞的定义带给观众，希望能够说服观众接受他们的风格，例如，Fanny Pak。例中能看出，只为了磨练而比赛，到了一个境界这样的目的一定会变浅。

街舞的历史你们了了吗？说实在，对街舞的历史没什么知识，我真的感到惭愧。也许可能有一天我可以填补历史和现代街舞的空白。也许那时候，我就能够真正了解现在跳舞的定义，并且在舞蹈中寻找自己。

Elitism

2008-11-26T13:57:00.003+08:00

S**t. I just realised how elitism is bred in Singapore.

Very simple example. University students are required to do a SS (Singapore Studies) compulsory module before they graduate. Asides touching a bit on SG history, we most importantly learn about nation building, where we are taught to be aware of how the State uses policies to promote patriotism, nationalism, etc.

If only university students* are required to take these modules, the knowledge of nation building becomes exclusive. The State has obviously selected only university students, the cream of the crop a.k.a. top 10%, to lead Singapore.

There, there, I seriously think exclusive knowledge is what breeds elitism in Singapore.

*Please correct me if I'm wrong. Maybe other tertiary institutes have this requirement too. Whatever it is, nation building is a subject that is taught to students who have mastered at least the basics of their languages, math and science well.

Last week and JJ Party

2008-11-24T15:50:00.010+08:00

I say all the damn wrong things last week. ARGH I SUCK.

:+:+:+:+:

总觉得非常的lucky能做JJ Lin其中的stage dancer。因为太高啦，一直以来都没有机会和艺人伴舞。这次的JJ Party真的挺难忘哈哈。真的真的希望以后还会有机会！

不能帮艺人跳舞的原因不是因为跳得不好，而是为了外表的原因。舞艺/跳舞?圈也是挺残忍的。。。不只是要跳得好，人也要长得漂亮，不能太高，不能太胖。脸不能太大，皮肤头发要保养好等等。

起初以为我是个Studio dancer。我开始跳舞的时候是在MFstudio学的，总觉得我们的style不会很street。进了MFDPC，自己的目标有点变化。竟然不能帮艺人跳舞，不然当舞蹈老师好啦。反正我不是适合跳在台上的，教别人跳舞可以给他们上台的机会。

自从Ｂｌａｓｔ！的成果展结束后，我开始对自己有信心了。很感谢Ｐａｔ给我上台站在前面跳的机会。高的人不一定要站在后面的。。。‘Ｓｔｕｄｉｏ　ｄａｎｃｅｒ’是看‘画面’所以高的ｄａｎｃｅｒ在后面会比较美。‘Ｓｔｒｅｅｔ　ｄａｎｃｅｒ’是靠‘实力’的，所以很明显哪一条路对我比较公平。

一直以来觉得我怎么try也做不到小珂那样成功的studio dancer，加上外面的影响，我开始往street dancer的路走了。我知道很多ｓｔｒｅｅｔ　ｄａｎｃｅｒｓ不那么尊重ｓｔｕｄｉｏ　ｄａｎｃｅｒｓ。但是ｓｔｕｄｉｏ　ｄａｎｃｅｒｓ，真的不容易做耶～还是有他们只得尊重的那一面。

不管有多气馁，我还是坚决着只要努力就能够成功。想成为ｓｔｕｄｉｏ和ｓｔｒｅｅｔ　ｄａｎｃｅｒ。。。我觉得是可以的。还年轻，我只是刚刚走这条路而已，还有很多东西可以学。只要不停止好学的态度，一定可以成功的。

'In order to succeed, do not always follow in the path of others.'

:+:+:+:+:

Ma black hair (: and pretty Jessica.

JDK

2008-11-21T10:40:00.005+08:00

When we grow old and look back at those times...

Assurance

2008-11-20T23:01:00.004+08:00

I would like to learn to have the courage... the courage to pick myself up after a fall. I would like to learn to believe in myself and trust myself in making decisions which are so marginal that it hurts to even make it.

It's easy for me to dream and look forward, taking the magic carpet ride to wherever it takes me, setting goals and climbing stepping stones to something bigger in life.

But it's just not that easy to trust myself in what I do...

The little cheerleader in me is a bit tired for the moment.

Dream

2008-11-18T19:57:00.003+08:00

I have a little dream.

If I get the chance to go on NOC (NUS Overseas College) programme to say, US, I'll stay there, learn to take care of myself abroad, study and work at the same time, learn many things. I'll be there for a year, delaying my education in SG.

And during that one year, I'll save money. Save lots of money. When I return from the programme, I'll use our 3 months school break to go Osaka alone and intensively dance for a month. If I really save lots of money, I'll go LA instead.

That's my little dream for the moment (:

Random

2008-11-15T20:42:00.002+08:00

I'm thinking of minoring in Sociology next semester! (: Love Soci lots~

2008-11-13T17:39:00.004+08:00

I think I kinda master the art of listening to lectures while sleeping. Last time I used to be so paiseh of sleeping in front of the lecturer, just wanna be a good student in their eyes. But now I heck care le la. I'm really tired la Prof. I slept so late last night (rushing to complete your tutorial assignment) and I still muster out my last bit of energy to come to school and sit in your lecture sia...

Japanese 2 project presentation is finally over *relief* Phew... Now I can start my engine once again on the other subjects.

My appetite is poor today =x I didn't eat breakfast in the morning and just one slice of pandan cake actually shut my stomach up for the rest of the afternoon. But I still forced myself to eat la~ 大丈夫, 心配しないで！

Ok... after the exams I gotta brainstorm steps for the 11 Feb Blast! concert. Gotta choreo an item (: looking forward to working with my anni dancers once more.

But anyway, studies first studies first! I won't give up studies for dance... it's the last thing on mind. I will never forget what I carved deeply in my heart long ago... 'Dancers who give up studies for dance don't get additional respect for that sacrifice'. 無理だよ...

Not sure about how my CAP will be like this sem though... I'm getting the hang of both Micro and Macroeconomics already... please please... I pray all the information will sit in nicely before it's too late... before the exams ):

Dang. I find myself frequent-ing Burger King at the Deck these days. Not only fattening and unhealthy, it's EXPENSIVE. Sigh... and I no longer find Hershey Pies and Taro Turnovers therapeutic as I used to think. Lerk Thai's Tom Yam Seafood noodle is too spicy and heaty to eat every day... Dang... what else can I eat?

Next time I shall arrange my lunch hours more appropriately. It sucks when there's too many people in the lower deck. Just turns me off to see crowds. (And my mom will retort 'aren't you part of the crowd?')

Sigh! -____-

2008-11-12T03:05:00.003+08:00

Japanese Oral was OK. My partner and I manage to understand each other (: よかったです。

Lady Gaga songs are not bad! Her fast songs are pretty modern while her slow songs are good too. Pretty much reminds me of Duffy. Lovely vocals.

Updates (:

2008-11-08T16:53:00.002+08:00

Ha (: Yes I'm updating okay!

I luv my friday dance class cos it's always fun and we all feel comfortable with each other. Even though I don't really like the song, but I look forward to every week's lesson! They happy, I happy (: simple as that.

Today's class is a bit less fun because they all look so stressed trying to learn. Haha... but Winnie's right, some people may be having fun with it but they just don't know how to express it out. At least I'm inclined to think that way too cos I was once such a student haha.

I think the most important thing to a dancer is to learn how to listen to music. Listening to music really gives additional power to dancer... like some kinda energy boost. You don't feel tired when u listen to music... haha.

I'dil gave pretty good advice for my anni choreography and additional info. How to choreo something which will not tax the dancers too much on stamina? It's a bunch of info to type... so yada yada I'm too lazy... something on the line that the dancers must have stamina to do the choreography. A-ha~ So it's not really choreographer's fault if dancers are tired haha :p Then I ask him about competition routines. He said that energy level must always end up, never down. Even if it started up, and went higher, it must continue to end higher... so that means the adrenaline rush for the dancers must last for at least 3 minutes. So dancers must train their stamina a lot... Hmm...

I agreed! Really. Then I thought about Danz War 2008. 'We Got Serve' ended low energy. Yet, Wade ranked them first. Wade kept emphasizing on choreography concept... I reckon that must be why they got first. Their songs were ALL relevant and yea, idea was of course refreshing.

I think Wade must have had an easy time doing the scores. I bet when he watched the teams compete, he must have been like, 'hmm... ok first song is 'xxxx'.. ah it matches with their concept, hmm good good.' then when it transits to another song he may have went 'hmm... 'xxx' by xxx? *shrugs* not quite relevant... *continues to watch*'. Then if every song was relevant he would think 'ah~ not a bad selection of songs. Good good... relevant to concept. *scribbles some high score*'.

I bet he didn't even need to look at how together the crew was or expression or costume or whatever. Ha... ok that was just exaggeration. But it kinda enlighten me on how crews in Singapore don't really dance to a concept when they compete? Like, what are the dancers on stage trying to put across? Ok... I think most of them are like 'Okay we're here to compete, and we're going to show you a medley of real skills we got'. I mean, like, take Code-Edge dance competition for example. (No offense.) What was Soul-What trying to put across?

Hmm just kinda takes me back to the choreography workshop we attended which was organised by CFA. They taught us that before you start choreo-ing, you must think of a concept. That time I still remembered Nicole, Weilong and I were like, ???. And they asked us if it was the same for Hip Hop. Haha, and we answered 'no', and that we just listen to whatever music we like, select songs which we had the most 'feel' to and just choreo steps to it.

That was what I did for Anni item, didn't I? *blush*

And I think I know why modern/contemp dance always attracts the so-called higher class patch of people. And why Hip Hop isn't really classified as an art even though it's dancing. If everything was choreo-ed with a concept, things would seem deeper, having more meaning obviously... and the audience watches it, uncovering the many layers of meaning, rather than just 'WOW that was cool'. And they go home just like how they watched any other entertaining variety show on TV.

Not dissing Hip Hop in anyway. After all, Hip Hop still ranks first in entertaining audience, inspiring them to dance too! We connect better with audience after all (:

Exams are coming! Study study.

I GOT 2 HAMSTERS AT HOME! They're called Snowy and Ash (Really NO link to Ahmad ah.. -_-). I'm going to faithfully clean their cages every Sunday before PA.

Japanese 2 is stress!

時間があったら、寝たいです！Oral interview this coming Tuesday. ARGH... SAVE ME.

Busy!

2008-11-04T19:44:00.003+08:00

Many many events coming up! All squashed up in December )x

Exams will end on Dec 2nd. Then we have to prepare for Blast! Camp which takes place on the 2nd week of Dec? And then while we have that, gotta prepare for Funkamania! Prelims are on Dec 27th! So exciting :D

Then after Funka, we got 11 Feb Blast! NAF concert! I think I'm going to try to choreograph an item. That would break my limits at my present level.

Teaching at MF is fun (: I find myself more in control of my finances. I don't feel the same way when I give tuition. Maybe it's because in MF case, I'm not working for money... so it doesn't leave me so easily. Like, the more u pursue, the more it runs away? Haha. Ok... maybe it's for my case.

Need to plan out my future 2 years down the road. There's still something I wanna achieve. I'm not satisfied yet... and there are endless opportunities and so many inspiring people around me.

And I wanna glow like them too.

I wanna keep pushing and keep growing (:

Ellen Kim

2008-11-04T02:09:00.003+08:00

I SWEAR I'M GONNA LEARN THIS CHOREO BY THE END OF THIS YEAR.

Karen officially idolizes Ellen Kim and will be working in her direction from now on :D

2008-11-01T00:17:00.002+08:00

有时候的我，真的是太任性了。
有时候的我，真的是太幼稚了。

双子座的我，真的是太难受了。
双子座的性格虽然很开放开朗，随机应变

但是心理思想却容易乱成一团糟。

凡是什么心情都有存在的理由，同时可以大大方方地笑，心却能同时可以觉得很沉重。

我想要这，要那。
我不容许这，不容许那。

这应该是这样，而不是那样。
如果要这，就得做那。

这就是这，那就是那。
分不清这，就别想做那。

。。。

有这么多的条件只为了创造我理想的生活。

2008-10-31T09:57:00.002+08:00

This post is specially for Maya (:

HELLO GIRL? It's been ages since we last met (: Tremendously surprise to see a whole string of tags by u.. haha spamming my tag board is it? :D I miss you too.

My pink streak of hair? Heh heh heh... next time when we go out then I'll tell ya about it ;) I bet you want one too!

MEREDITH KERR IS HOT. Hee... and she is so pretty... her face so small... almost like a dreamgirl every guy wants. Yupp I believe her posters' everywhere in ya school cos Studio Wu invited her down (: You're so lucky to have Studio Wu in your school campus!

I'm quite happy with my Creative Zen player now (:
It stores all my favourite YouTube videos haha... all the dance videos :p So I guess I'll give PSP Slim a miss for now... gonna remove it from my Wishlist already (:

2008-10-28T23:44:00.008+08:00

:+:+:+:+: CODE EDGE FINALS @ ZOUK :+:+:+:+:

Xiao Di, Brudder, Partner & I (:

We coincidentally wore vests to this event (: Talk about siblings telepathy!

Partner & I (: I like this photo even though my arm looks flabby.

So glad to be able to see her often again every Sunday at PA (:

Izaac and Alvan are trying hard to make their eyes bigger :p

I like the pretty lights behind so I asked YK to give me a random candid pose. He gave me this.

Sho happy~ Sho many people~

Birthday girl, Wei Ting!

The girls (:

Ivy and Yanling!

Blast!ards walking out from Zouk

Waiting for the rest (:

Acting cute :p

Izaac choping the other table while waiting for the rest to arrive.

The late night cafe Xiao Di suggested to go to because I hadn't had my dinner yet (:

We shared this huge Mango Ice Kachang!

Trying to catch everyone. Haha nice eyes ah huan.

:+:+:+:+: PROJECT ELEMENT WORKSHOP :+:+:+:+:

JP San Pedro.

Patrick Chen.

Mariel Martin.

Meredith Kerr.

BEST. I regret not buying the 2Xs shirt ): I should have went for all 3 days... Next year, next year!

Hair disaster

2008-10-28T20:49:00.003+08:00

Sigh! I can't wait for my hair to get longer. I meant the fringe because generally it has grown but I got the hairdresser to layer it. Now that the top half is shorter, it tends to curl rather easily... I'm kinda embracing my natural curls already cos its quite pretty when its long. But it is NOT long yet )x Watching the DR concert video just makes me miss the hair I had before. I still remember that I was worried how I would look without doing much to my hair just right before concert... AW MAN, it looks damn good on video lah! HAHA. Hurray to natural volume, natural pong! (Yes, the DR video is out, Clement is still in the process of uploading it to YouTube).

Anyway, this entry is not really about me complaining abt the current state of my hair, but sharing with you my experience with dry hair. In the past, my hair looked really dry and friends adviced me to leave conditioner on for 15 min then wash off, use leave-on conditioner, use oil, use serum, use hair mask, try this brand try that brand, go for treatment... bla bla bla. I've done almost everything they suggested and yet my hair still stays in the same state. Only recently then I've been enlightened (tho I should have been quite awhile ago) that using wrong hair type shampoo can really damage your hair. I don't mean the simple story where u have oily hair and you stupidly use shampoo for dry hair. I meant the opposite. Having normal hair and using shampoo for dry hair. Or having dry hair and using shampoo for very dry hair.

When Suet introduced me to be hair model for this L'oreal experiment regarding this new kinda rebonding system, there was another hair model there to try out the new treatment product for very dry hair. Apparently when that model arrived, the consultants were quite surprised because they expected her hair to be dry (because the model kept saying it was dry). So they took the risk and did the treatment on her hair. The result? Her hair became worse. When she came, her hair was decently smooth and straight with no fray ends or hair going in different directions. After the treatment for very dry hair, her normal-type hair became dull looking, dry, and just rough. After the model left, I overheard the hairdressers saying that her hair type was simply not suitable to do that treatment which was for very dry hair. Hence, the result like that.

After I did the rebonding with them, they gave me 2 bottles of rebonding shampoo and a tub of rebonding hair mask in appreciation. I've been using Lucidol's Hair Mask (for chemically damaged hair) before that and since they gave me this rebonding mask, I decided to use it. No tsurprisingly, my hair was really in good condition... not much trouble in fact (:

Recently, that tub of rebonding mask has been exhausted. So I switched back to the lucidol one. Quite horrifying, the next day, my hair was just in a mess, dry looking, dull, whatever just like the model's one. At first I was quite puzzled because the hair felt soft but it just looks dry. My friends in school accounted it to just another bad hair day. Remembering the L'oreal hair model incident, I decided not to use the mask anymore. And as expected, my hair became normal and manageable. It became healthy looking and I just had to use my rebonding shampoo when I wash my hair, and my hair serum after that to deal with dry ends which I don't have anymore!

Seriously, last time I used to spend my time breaking my hair ends because they split so so badly, break so so badly too. Now they're so so much better. They used to feel like hair of a wig, now they're feeling alive! (:

So moral of my story: Use right shampoo for your type of hair. Be TOO humble about your hair type and you suffer.

:+:+:+:+:

Argh. I'm happy for my healthy hair but my hairstyle really sucks now lah. How I wish to un-tag some of my facebook photos haha... but that girl in the photo is me what... cannot deny sia (: And un-tagging myself will be to deny those memories of taking the photo... Like that I rather be ugly mans (:

p/s: I just came back from Queensway and I bought 2 big big basketball bottoms! So happy (: I have clothes to wear to class lo~

p/s/s: CK coming back soon! Finally this boy is going to ORD lo~

Be humble! Respect others!

2008-10-28T17:40:00.002+08:00

Karen really hates people who judge others. Their over-confidence will stifle their future progress.

I never learn

2008-10-23T03:27:00.002+08:00

My life is a mess now. Disorder... disequilibrium... Don't know when to do the right thing at the right time, don't know how to prioritise. Still day-dreaming and doing things that will not be economically beneficial to my life in future...

I think I'm very childish and immature. When will I ever grow up?

Am I willing to live on bread and water every day? I can't cope with my studies... they're all piling over me. Level 2000 modules are too much for me to handle, at the moment. Don't know what will happen when I'm year 2 sem 2.

If I ever commit myself to another dance assignment, I will slap myself real hard...

... then I commit :P

Finally

2008-10-21T18:23:00.002+08:00

After today's practice, I'm truly convinced that my dancers are strong (: and I'm finally able to see their hearts together.

Very relieved... very proud of them (:

)=

2008-10-19T20:17:00.001+08:00

I can't eat well again. )=

Wee updates

2008-10-16T23:25:00.005+08:00

It's been a long time since I listened to Marilyn Manson's songs. Haha... brings me back to the times when I used to listen to their songs every day. Wee... I still like their songs, not the lyrics or their crazy satanic ideas... but just the way they 'sing' their songs. Nice compositions! Everything falls pretty complete and perfect.

OK. It sounds kinda stupid to try to comment on their songs in such a ... way.

9 days to the big day! I have strong dancers (: But they need to be pushed further. Seriously, I never give less than 100% in whatever I do. If you gonna do it, do it right. That's my final statement (:

:+:+:+:+:

These days I've been listening on repeat mode to the song 'Qing Tian' by Jay Chou. I miss the period when he really had solid love ballads.

还要多久我才能在你身边
等待放晴的那天也许我会比较好一点?

*heart melt*

I saw the MTV sia... gosh that quiet and cool-looking musician face singing with so much emotion... *heart melts all the way* I wanna marry him sia... and every night he can serenade me to sleep :p or at least sing a tune whenever I'm upset so that I can just immerse in his voice and forget about the world.

Yes I have a love-hate relationship with the world (:

Playing my morale.

2008-10-13T22:51:00.005+08:00

My confidence hit the rocks last Tuesday. Then Ahmad's words brought sense and brought it back again. Then my confidence shattered again on Sunday night. Then it recovered again today after anni item practice.

Playing my morale.

I think I know what I want out of it... out of all the effort I've put into dance. I think it has been a childhood dream that I've never quite taken seriously. The dream to touch lives and inspire.

I know this is life. I think I will grow stronger each time I fall and recover (: So go on, and shatter it again.

There IS equivalence exchange in dance.

2008-10-12T13:03:00.004+08:00

My grades for mid term are not looking very good.

I'm going to study hard for the sake of dancing. 为了要跳舞而努力地读书。

大変けど、こんな生活をつずけたい。

:+:+:+:+:

This week's SS lecture was on Singapore's industrialization. All the education policies made in the 1970s were made to produce workers which are fit for industrialization, fit for economic growth. That was also when girls were required to go to school. To control high population growth, the 'stop at one child' policy stepped in. At that point in time, the message brought across with this policy was that 'each additional child = responsibility/burden'. This message continues to echo down the generations.

To have kids, women have to leave their jobs momentarily. At present, the rate of women returning to the workforce after having children is very low. It's not easy to return back to the position at work, given the competitiveness here. Yet, in order to balance the population equation (because there is not enough babies now), the government brings in more foreign talent into the picture which further increases the competition in the workplace. If couples are so stressed at their jobs, how to have kids?

Now the message:
Have more kids now so that enough people will pay tax in future.

MV

2008-10-08T00:05:00.002+08:00

S**t. Suddenly I'm VERY stressed.

我真的要对自己有信心。我可以做得到的。。。没有别人的认可，自少有朋友们的支持。只要我一直求进，只要我一直成长，任何人都不能看不起我！我以诚恳的心来呈献给大家我所维持的精神和跳舞的原则原因。。。相信总有一天我一定会成功。

Anniversary Item

2008-10-01T23:54:00.001+08:00

The new batch of juniors are just so dang good. I think this year's anniversary items will be a higher level from last year's.

I'm finally done with everything. Just have to teach them the steps (: Trying to choreo wacking is tiring. Have to watch many many many videos to think of steps. But I think that's a job of a green choreographer (: One difference between a choreographer and a dancer is that the choreographer has to 'learn' new steps by him/herself. Not only have to learn, but learn and execute them properly (or else how to teach the others?). Wacking every night is tiring sia... but I'm thankful my limbs are still intact.

The dancers are fantastic. It's a completely new dance style to them and they're doing just so fine. Really admirable~

In this anniversary item, I wanna showcase my dancers, and I wanna showcase the idea of 'showmanship' (:

Oh. I'm doing this item alone. Alvan and Patrick collaborated an item in the end. They're really pushing their dancers (: and yea of course, to reiterate my point, this batch of juniors is just so gooood. Uncle El should be pleased (: I think they're better than us during last year's anni haha.

SICK SICK SICK

2008-09-29T11:29:00.002+08:00

SICK SICK SICK

Passion & Family

2008-09-23T23:26:00.003+08:00

I understand why some friends come and go in my life really fast. The friendships once which are so dear can distant quickly.

Karen is someone who drowns herself in wherever her passion leads her to. The stronger the passion grows, the more friends and deeper friendships she makes in that area in life. When the passion leaves, her soul leaves the social circle. What binds her is just fond memories of the past.

It's not really a negative thing because life is full of fleeting moments. I believe in indulging in every moment and reminiscing back on the good old days where they really make the colours of my life.

My passion is that which keeps me living on. If I don't have something which I can dive in fully and work hard at, my life is meaningless.

Without dreams and passion, I cannot define myself, my character, my life.

A moment of little enlightenment. It certainly has explained a couple of sad moments back in those adolescence days, a couple of 'whys'... dissolving the 'ifs'. I understand how one can be so close to someone in the past and yet so distant, liken to acquaintances now. And I understand it in the context of my life.

家族は一番大切だな... Friends change as one leaps from a social circle to another, but the family never leaves the picture. At least that's what I've found out.

The definition of family. Parents & their children? A collective of people binded by the same blood? Basic unit of society? I beg to differ. Being insufficiently defined in terms of blood ties excludes many cases in reality.

Family is a group of people who never leaves you regardless the changes in your life. And friends who have stood by you for many many years all this time is as good as family (:

Happy happy

2008-09-22T00:52:00.004+08:00

Karen is very happy today (:

Anyway, today I had tuition with my Sec5 kid and apparently she didn't do too well for her E math prelims for 'O' levels. I'm quite neutral ... not angry or nonchalant about it. In fact, I thought that she improved because she managed to complete 99% of the paper! Haha... just that it is highly inaccurately and hence, fail to get most of the marks in the questions she attempted. I think her teacher mark until quite pecek.

I love all my tuition sessions. It feels great to help someone else in something which you used to experience before. It makes me feel, though tired, but very human after every session (:

:+:+:+:+:

Just came back from PA too! I'm very happy... the first lesson was manageable, if not, very fun! And I finally manage to find a song to choreograph for our 7th anni item.

Not going to be explicit about this, but through SUAD 2008 event, I made many new friends, became closer to some of them, and yet distant away from a couple of them... I cannot forget this disappointment. Though it isn't great and significant, but it still left an ugly hole in the impression that I held.

SUAD 2008 pulled me closer to friends who share the same vision as I do... For that, I'm glad to have been involved in it.

FUNKAMANIA HERE I COME! :D

SUAD 2008

2008-09-21T00:45:00.005+08:00

It's kinda late but I just have to blog about it (:

Thank you to dearest friends who have come down to support! The most unexpected one was Allegra (: I heard her cheering for me when I was on stage! Only knew it was her when I came out after the matinee show. It was really a pleasant surprise to see her again!

Steph & Kristie couldn't make it on Sunday so they sold their tickets away. But to come down and support us blast, they tried their luck on Saturday by coming really early before the night show to see if there are any last minute back-outs on tickets. They waited till the very end and contemplated in going to the Chinese Dance concert (next door only) if they couldn't get tickets to ours! Luckily, just right before the concert started, Pearl came out and sold them house seats and they got like, VIP, view to the whole night's show!

Dongmei, Vicki, Nicole, Suet, Yanling (: Thank u for coming and for flowers too. They in a bunch bloom really prettily! Sad we couldn't take picture together after the show.

Liping, Zhi Qiang (: Thank u for the bouquet of pink gerberas!

Kenny (: Thank u for the Royce chocolates! I really ate them for the next day's concert.

Xin Yan & Joleen (: Thank u for coming down! Very much appreciated. I still rem Joleen came for the MF 成果展 at Marina Shopping Centre. Wah... those days, I was still so green with ugly lines and groove. Not that they are perfect now, but those days was ... hmm... terrible. Xin Yan coincidentally was there during our Jim Beam heats and stayed to support!

Kynneth (: Thank u for the yellow gerbera! Very honoured to be one of the first few who receives flowers that you buy.

*touch by friends' warmth*

Last but not least, CK (: Thank u for the roses bouquet and your patience and understanding during the preparation for concert. It has taken up a lot of time we meant to patoh :P Haha...

I want to be in the audience, watching this whole concert ): I really want to see the whole of Xiao's duet item! During technical runs, Xiao didn't dance with Esther because he had to instruct on lighting cues )x Otherwise I could have seen the whole thing perfect with props, lighting, music, costume. Aw mans... All u lucky peeps out there who came for SUAD concert got to see it sia!

I love SUAD 2008. I feel the leveling up already... it definitely has pushed me to a higher level (: I want to work harder at it once more next time.

:+:+:+:+:

Blast! 7th anniversary is coming! Gonna be choreographer, collaborating an item with Alvan.

Yikes... feeling some academic stress already. Being an Econs major is not easy! )x

2008-09-10T00:33:00.001+08:00

有一只小狗问妈妈“幸福在那里?” 妈妈说：“幸福在你的尾巴上。”

小狗于是就追逐自己的尾巴，想要抓住它，可它怎么也抓不住自己的尾巴。

小狗就对妈妈哭诉说自己总也抓不住尾巴上的幸福。

妈妈回答说“只要你一直往前走,幸福会一直跟着你的。”

>_<

2008-09-09T11:19:00.002+08:00

ANGRY!

NO PARTICULAR SOMETHING OR SOMEONE. I'VE FALLEN BLARDI SICK BECAUSE OF IT AND I'M DETERMINED NOT TO LET IT AFFECT MY PERFORMANCE.

Why of all time now? Copyright issues. Uncontactable. Penniless despite the need to cab here and there. Shows. CFA office. Acknowledgement. Fear of not getting it printed out in time. Fear of not EVEN getting it printed. Flu. Sorethroat. Asthma. Spoilt phone. Not enough rest.

我好像是自找的！

^_^

2008-09-08T00:31:00.003+08:00

Today I'm really happy. Lil precious tears of joy I feel in my heart. The sweet sense of accomplishment... achieving what I expect of myself...

All is not in vain. I'm really glad to know (': All is not in vain, really.

With this, I will push on the remaining days... the remaining distance to the finishing line.

All will not be in vain (:

P/s: Xu zi's YouTube item is dope!

Programme Booklet

2008-09-05T10:02:00.002+08:00

Sacrificed so blardi much for DR. Dance and non-dance.

It better work sia.

I can't wait for DR to end. Yes, I must jia you. Everyone around me is giving me their support and encouragement. 有时候偶尔收几个温馨的简讯也是挺感动的。

*adding oil* The only expectations that I aim to meet are only my own. The only thing I'm expecting a lot from is the programme booklet (:

是朋友的话，一定要收我们的programme booklet. I can autograph it for you after the concert :P

The overseas specialist

2008-09-01T23:44:00.001+08:00

Ang Chern Kiat is an overseas specialist.

He is flying off to Australia in October!

-.-''

Wah lao eh

2008-08-28T17:03:00.003+08:00

Freak what luck! My phone was spoilt in the morning very strangely. I DON'T BLARDI KNOW HOW IT SPOIL.

I'm just freakin' unlucky. I'm not really affected by the sudden cut of communication from friends... but more of that I CAN'T LISTEN TO MP3 PLAYER ANYMORE T_T

Sucks sucks sucks. *(&*@#^*%^@$*(&()#*()#&^&%&^#%!@&*()!&()&)#*&$*&@%#^*@

First I lost my pair of h/p earphones, then the slider on the NOKIA music phone broke/spoil/went against me.

Now the whole thing just... sigh!

Please forgive me if I ask for your name when you sms me. All contacts are left in the spoilt phone. Sucks at this crucial period in time.

SIGH

2008-08-28T00:36:00.003+08:00

Karen has been very depressed & demoralised these two days.

In academics and in dance.

SIGH. Big big SIGH.

Had my first Japanese TA tutorial on Tuesday. The class standard is hella high... felt like suffocating in class. Just wanted to dig a hole and retreat back to my own comfort zone of English and Mandarin.　日本語を勉強しては大変ですよ。よくわかりません。T_T

Trying to console myself that the 3 months' break has made me dumb in Japanese class.

Vetting for DR concert on Wednesday was a terrible episode...

When Pat was talking to us about people who just didn't look like they made the effort to remember steps again, I just felt like I'm one of those few. Having 3 items is not the average... can't help but think whether I've been overloaded with dance steps. Caleb/Candy's item during the vetting was poor because the turn out was so miserable and pathetic. I can't really perform because those people who were blocked around me were not present...

My right eye was red yesterday so I had to dance with my glasses on. Super uncomfortable.

Haiz. I see Weina shining in all the items she do... so it doesn't mean I can't do the same. She is in committee too and has more responsibilities than I do.

Pat's speech at the end really kinda made me wanna break down )x I think he is being kind as to NOT criticise me because he knows I got lots of things to do. Whenever he talks to me these days, it's always 'Karen, how is the programme booklet coming along?' And then I would reply, 'Oh, good! Uh... just missing of item information and list, that's all.'

Long time ago he did ask me to go PA. But because DR practices clashed with PA sessions, I couldn't make it. Didn't tell him too.

Don't know if he will still accept me when I go back after DR concert.

Being in many items and not performing well in any is just not reflecting well on me. No one wants such a dancer for their items in future =\

*messes hair* AAaaaaahhh....!

And just when I think all the effort put into Blast! committee and Blast! was worth it, the faith just had to crack a bit today...

Heard from Lipz about her FOOT comm. No one in the club really appreciates them or acknowledges them. I thought I was quite fortunate here in Blast! with the support from fellow Blast!ards. I'm beginning to doubt so... if there's anything wrong in the club, we're the easiest and most open target to blame.

I don't think anyone remembers things we did right. Just the wrongs...

But it's natural and human to do that. No one is really altruistic by nature anyway.

コームを信じる、いいですか？
Believe in us, ok?

我们可是为了大家牺牲了自己的自由，时间。不是平平靠每个礼拜牢牢地上课而得来的名分。

2008-08-22T13:45:00.003+08:00

Family and friends give the dancer the greatest motivation to carry on and shine.

I think we should all tribute every performance to the closest people in our hearts.

Recession

2008-08-19T16:27:00.000+08:00

What do I dance for?

Cosplay (many many pictures!)

2008-08-14T00:38:00.010+08:00

I've been watching anime lately~ Bleach in particular! HAHA :D But I cannot watch beyond dunno which episode becos CK & I promise to watch them TOGETHER. Waaaa... waiting was agonizing at first but then heck lahs. Youtube is deleting all the videos! EVILLLL. But I shall not condemn it, for it brought very good dance videos to our lives *drools*. Anyway, in conclusion, I have not watched Bleach's latest episode. And I'm getting bored with Naruto Shippudden because the battle between Naruto and Orochimaru is just dragging on too long for me. It's as if one episode = one tail coming up *growl growl* and Orochimaru snickering to himself... if you get what I mean =_= effectively wasting 20 minutes.

Without further uuh doooo, let's present to you my favourite selection of cosplay images wee!

- BLEACH -

Vice Captain Yachiru Kusajishi - the child who assists Captain Zaraki Kenpachi and ends up getting him lost! This picture is one of the best out there... portrays her cheekiness and yet keeping her cuteness 100%!

This is taken from 'Bleach Live Action'. Search in on YouTube and have a great laugh -_- I like Aizen in here.

Chad!

Easiest cosplay of all ... Haha

Perfect feel~! Sugoi!
.
.
.
.
Presenting to you... the much awaited...
.
.
.
.

.

KUROSAKI ICHIGO!!

This is taken in SG. Fantastic shot.

Crazy resemblance.

GIN ICHIMARU! Wahaha. Love his slit eyes. I want to know his story! Very interesting character. I think he can outwit Aizen though he is working under him.

Pretty right? Hinamori Momo. Captain Hitsugaya's childhood friend (:

(: The Last Quincy. This is cosplayed by a GIRL.

The comic relief: Kon + Kenpachi = KONPACHI!
Next up...
.
.
.
.
.

KUCHIKI RUKIA!

Sadness, sorrow felt. Perfect.

The best Vice Captain Matsumoto Rangiku cosplay picture!

Hohoho! SHINJI, the Vaizard.

Captain Ukitake. His name always reminds me of a mushroom ^_^"

The Urahara guy
.
.
.

Guess the next one?

ZANGETSU!
.
.
.
Now it's my top
top
top
top
TOP!

FAVOURITE.
.
.
.
.
Arrancar #4: ULQUIORRA Schiffer!

Perfect da ne~

- NARUTO -

Kakashi (: Love his hair.
.
.
.
.

Naruto

BABY!

Sand Ninjas. I like everything except Gaara in this.
Because..
.
.
.
.
.
.
This is the BEST Gaara picture.

Sexy Anko. Do you remember her? Of course you do.

Nice.
.
.
.
.
NEXT UP!
.
.
.
.
This can make you smile and go aww!

Naruto KIDS. Kakashi is like, too cute in here?
.
.
.
Presenting to you
my FAVOURITE
from
the
Naruto
collection.
.
.
.
.
Kibamaru!

Kakoii!

- OTHERS -

Impressive cosplay pictures from other animes/games! Enjoy~

Deathnote: Kira, Misa, L.

D. Gray Man - Allen Walker (: The hair is commendable.

D. Gray Man: Lena Lee (:

Final Fantasy X: Lulu. I'm really impressed at the costume. Look at those efforts! *oh my tian~*

Jigoku Shoujo (Hell Girl): Enma Ai

Full Metal Alchemist: Louis Armstrong. Cut-and-paste resemblance. This is crazy!

Full Metal Alchemist: Edward Elric, the Full Metal Alchemist himself!

One Piece: Sanji. It's a girl who is cosplaying Sanji here! The angle makes the limbs really long~ nice!

Okay, that's all I have here! I love the Bleach ones! If I'm going cosplay, I will cosplay Kuchiki Byakuya!!! Muahaha... I'll just have to dye my hair black, get rid of my bangs, and start practising frowning in front of the mirror. Or at least practise not to laugh for a whole day.

^_^V

Night At The Museum

2008-07-26T01:45:00.004+08:00

Just came back from a gathering with MFDPC & Sharon (: After dinner and a bit of dessert, we went over the National Museum to check out the Singapore Night Festival!

So happening~ On the opposite side, there was an outdoor party going on. Huge crowd dancing to club music =x Walking down the streets just doesn't feel very Singapore tonight. Haha.

Kirei ne~ The Electric Canvas. I will suppose this is the highlight of the night? Done by a Sydney-based lighting company which produces such lighting patterns on historical buildings on a large scale. The pattern changes every once awhile.

Skillfully managed to capture Dongmei & I, along with the 'Night Festival' wall at the back, along with the pretty building :P Though I didn't stay long to admire all the different designs, I like this design the best.

This is the flea market which Sharon brought us to. It's rather small flea market... not very typical too because it operates more like a pasar malam somehow with all the food and games around. Nevertheless, I still managed to buy some Peranakan food back for mom. Hee, I love spicy food... especially curry... YUM. YUMMM.

So many people! Haha... today I wore my glasses out because I didn't want to dry my eyes up wearing contacts. But my glasses aren't really accurate and so I see things quite goggily. Is there such a word? Kinda affects me and makes me extra tired.

:+:+:+:+:

Tuition today wasn't quite smooth-sailing. Poor boy, I think he tends to lose his focus really easily... I don't know how to keep it when the current chapter is so boring. I hope he pulls himself together and study for his own sake. I don't want to make learning such a chore to him. Hmm... I guess this will pass as soon as we start on the next chapter... because it's his favourite chapter (:

I'm starting my third tuition assignment tomorrow! Quite excited. I love giving tuition! Hee :D

Little Miss Busy

2008-07-21T20:21:00.004+08:00

Busy busy me. Before CK left for Thailand, we had a meal at IMM's Ajisen Ramen restaurant. It was a Wednesday, so I met him for dinner after Blast! lesson. Finally understood that stress really can affect one's appetite and digestion. Felt really quiet halfway through when we were eating... it's quite unusual of me to not really talk, then I realised I was busy thinking about dance stuffs. While admitting that the stress is affecting my appetite, I gradually felt a tummyache. Or rather, just some disturbance in my stomach... liken to butterflies in there?

I think I was just busy thinking about pending dance stress from the items and choreographers. Now my appetite is fine :D I'm eating well and all... heh. Just that I do a bit of multitasking.

Just want to tell u guys to concentrate on eating at meal times alright? Cos it may cause indigestion if you worry too much about other stuffs.

Busy busy Karen is currently busy with Blast! website. NUS Dance Blast! official website is finally up! Feel so happy and proud of myself :P Publicity Head has taken a step further in this generation, wee! Having a website will make publicity so much easier anyway (: Go go go, NUS Blast!

http://www.nusdanceblast.com

JDKrew steamboat gathering

2008-07-15T23:34:00.004+08:00

We all met up to have a steamboat gathering at Bugis (: Ate a lot of vegetables, chatted a lot and laughed a lot! Yes, even though we may be going separate ways now, we can still continue to meet up and have steamboat like that (: O maybe not steamboat, but like, a meal together!

Dear Dongmei gave us each a lil present which she hand-made it herself.

Isn't it beautiful? Such a lovely royal purple pouch with 'JDK' beads stringed together at the zip. Looking at these 3 alphabets together just reminds me of peas somehow (: JDK... yea 3 of us have always been sticking together like peas and carrots 2 years ago. Been in DCC, been in Poison V, now in JDKrew together! Amazing ne~ We've been through all the criticisms and comments... right now are growing our different ways.

:+:+:+:+:

Meanwhile I'll just continue to work hard in Blast! under Patrick as well as all the seniors and alumnis. I'm so weak at my basics, how can I expect to go higher? Today I had random thoughts about taking Intro to Hiphop classes at dance schools. Haha. People may think it's crazy, the class would be too slow for me. Then again, what other class will then be suitable for me? Mmm... maybe I should start my daily prac of up-down every night again XD

Just came back from Ahmad's practice. I'm super tired... halfway through the prac I felt so hungry! Kept praying in my heart 'take break... take break now...' but then he just continued on. Really cannot dance when I'm hungry... it sucks, that feeling )x So I rushed to my bag halfway and opened my Strawberry Pocky sticks to eat. Stuff a couple of sticks in my mouth and danced... chewing on them at the same time while learning the steps. Jia lat ne~ I stood at the back, so it's not so stressful =X Even if he just wants us to mark through the steps, I can't use too little energy... to tall dancers, lines are their life mans... If I don't hit my lines properly, I will look super ugly that I can't even bear to see my reflection.

Watching Ahmad dance reminds me of marshmallows and smoothies. Freak, don't ask me why it's food =x Perhaps I was really hungry when he was solo-ing the whole item. Crazy energy control... Have you watched 'eketc' youtube videos before? In Singapore there is only one Ahmad, in Erik Saradpon's videos, there are so many Ahmads! SIAO LIAO. It would be too mind-blowing to attend classes there. Everyone in there is like him.

Haven't really see girls that can do that. So far, the girl which has the best energy control in my opinion (and currently in Blast?) is partner, Ah Huan. 但是她的是'放', '收', '放', '收'... doesn't really have that tension yet. But at least she sure can create the '台上疯子, 台下傻子' effect heh.

Wee... so tired lahs... I hope my mistakes today are forgivable... I realised I cannot really execute steps which I just learnt properly on the same day. It's always like that at Blast! as well... me like to cut steps :P But don't worry, though I don't do some steps, I'll always keep in mind to maintain the structure of the choreography... 这应该对得起the choreographer吧？Heehee.

I think I need to drink Red Bull very soon le. Sunday's practice really drained most of my health points away... Monday's rest was not enough and today I didn't eat sufficient enough for practice, so that's -10HP. There's Blast! tomorrow! Wee~ I don't remember the steps. Good luck to me man... =X

Dinner with Weina

2008-07-14T18:23:00.004+08:00

I was having dinner with Weina at the Deck's Burger King before our dance practice... about 2 days ago I think. We were talking about dance stuffs and all...

So I think we were talking something about CodeEdge competition coming up this year and Dance2XS masterclass...

Weina: Oh my god lah... Gigi Torres is like damn cool! Wahhh~ (with idolizing look on her face and all the i-want-to-be-like-her sentences.)

Me: Oh yes yes she's really good

Weina: YaaaaA! *excited* Oh my ... (continue on with shes-my-idol-lah kinda words)

Me: Haha... yes good good ... *smiles smiles*

Me (continuing): Oh ya, are you going for KO Night finals?

Weina: Eh? *shakes head* No...

Me: Huh... why! You know Hilty and Bosch brothers are going to be the judges??

Weina: *question mark on face*...

Me: Hilty and Bosch brothers...? They're so damn goood at popping and locking lah! *excited*

Weina: *smiles smiles*... eh?

Me: You don't find it very attractive meh? *getting very hyped up as short clips of their video play in my mind*

Weina: *smiles smiles* No leh...

Me: OH. *pause* But it's very attractive to me leh... *laughs*

It's obvious we are impressed at different styles of dancing. It would really be wonderful to work with her... someone so disciplined and responsible! Yes, I agree. No matter how good a dancer is, if he/she is not responsible, he/she isn't really worth that honour. Nice to know someone who shares with me the same dance principles (:

Updates updates!

2008-07-13T23:01:00.005+08:00

I must update my blog more regularly so that my dearest dear friends can know what is going on in my life. Every time I see them in person, I cannot seem to express the millions of moments in my life which I wanna share with them... esp whenever they ask 'wassup!' (: Not can I not really express, I can't remember what I wanna tell them! Haha.

Recently I've been so busy with dance. (Okay, what's new?) Been training with Lina our busking item. We're not only doing it for busking, but for blast performances as well. The upcoming shows would be 'Homecoming event' and 'Commencement 2008' (: Quite stressful... I still haven quite gotten a couple of moves but then at least the more I prac, the sharper and cleaner I get. I can feel it somehow...

Recently I got posted to Ahmad's item as well. So now I got 3 items in my hand... was pondering a bit whether to take it or not. Eventually I decided to just go for the learning opportunity. Watching him dance in Blast! class was just like watching YouTube... uh... Lyle, Erik, etc? I'm beginning to understand how he get his clean lines while Winnie taught us the steps which I missed during the first few prac. It's actually easy to be clean... easy to grasp, BUT hard to perfect it. But yea, it's possible (:

My other two items are Calvin/Taufik & Candy/Caleb. Let's talk about Candy/Caleb first. Candy's really groovy... a super duper uber strong dancer (: She's petite but she's so powerful in everything! Her choreo doesn't have like BIG moves all the way, but her groove is just too outstanding.

Am really glad to learn basics under Caleb... once again, I get to learn proper up-down techniques in Hiphop. There's no techniques in Hiphop? That's really bulls**t :D Krump was fun! All those buck moves... still cannot really get them... those explosive jumps in the air... look like clown lah! HAHA... just gotta prac more. Heard that Idil is doing Krump too? Now anyone who approaches me and tells me they got a backache, I would always ask them 'Idil's item ah?'. And most of the time, they will nodd their heads with that little twist of agony on their faces.

Calvin does reggae hiphop. I really feel quite sad that MF had to reject him being a teacher. He is such a good teacher... such strong techniques and isolation... such wonderful choreography.... Just because he *inaudible mumbling* that's why they have turn him away? 他们的损失! If he went to MF, the standards will UP UP UP +10pts. Don't worry, Calvin, I'm behind u alright! I'm sure u can do better somewhere else.

Taufik is funny when he teaches... cursing and swearing whenever he gets stuck teaching us... but not at us! Haha... but his choreography is always strong on stage. I've seen him done 'Feedback' at Ensemble's Convocation and it looks very solid. So much shape and structure. Kudos to his choreography! It's easy moves but because of how he choreo-ed it, we can dance the feel out properly (:

:+:+:+:+:

Today's the most tiring day in my life. 10-1pm was Lina's prac, 3-7pm was Candy/Caleb, 730-1000pm was Calvin/Taufik. But luckily I didn't feel hungry in any of the prac. I can't dance properly when I feel hungry... I'll just nua nua ki ('go soft' in Hokkien). I've already stand-by-ed a lot of finger snacks in my bag already... simply too busy sometimes to eat a good meal.

Initially when I entered Blast!, I thought dancing for 1.5 hours under Pat was tough. Then I attended Blast! camp masterclass which was like, 3-4 hours in a row, and I thought hey, that is tougher. Then towards the end of year 1, I stayed for senior Blast! class that means 3-4 hours under Pat, and I thought it was crazy. Now recent blast! lessons are combined so we have 3-4 hours and Pat expects the same standard throughout? Siao lah... NOW our DR concert prac is like the whole day??

Going back to normal Blast! lesson in the coming sem would be a breeze man~ *whistles*

So so busy... today I was at dance the whole day so I didn't manage to send CK off at the airport.

"By the time you read this post, Someone will have been in Thailand already. Ah, 27 days is the longest time i will be away for overseas cover. Some People will be dearly missed by Someone during this period and he can't wait to hold her hand and hug her again. But she will be updating him whenever they talk through the phone. On top of that Someone hopes Some People will take care of herself when he is away while preparing for her upcoming concert in September."

Felt so happy to see another blog entry by him. This guy goes overseas so often in his NS life... Though it may be away from home, but I think he's really lucky and fortunate to be able to travel abroad. Wee... while he is away, I think I also can better concentrate on dance and on taking care of my body. Legs feeling a bit chui le... Must start to gobble down all my daily intake of glucosamine! :D

Been dying to put up these pictures. They were taken right after MF In-house concert (: One of CK's handsome-st pictures wakaka (in my opinion). O I know why, because he is wearing THAT shirt!! Oh ya, I don't have such a fat tummy alright... it's the illusion of the shirt (x Haha anyway, I love these 2 pictures.

Dance days

2008-06-29T21:39:00.002+08:00

I'm really very tired today...

It's the last day of the House lessons... Practically cannot lift both legs off the ground to jump. Without the bounce, I look as if I'm line-dancing throughout the whole lesson -.-

Hey, wait. I was half hour late for the lesson! Haha.

Krumping was fun with Caleb today. It makes me really interested in that dance style. I wanna go Japan to learn it too! Being in an alumni item is certainly refreshing :D I was so excited before the prac started!! Now I can't wait for Calvin's item practices.

While in the day I strain a lot of my legs, at night, I practise my baby freeze. Realised I've been freezing the wrong way... gotta watch more YouTube tutorials to get inspired and get the pose right.

Can I master a handstand within 2 days? I'm almost there... Just need a bit more courage to do it. Whenever I fear falling, I just think of that fateful warm up lesson we had with Silvia during the Choreo camp... I actually did that without being afraid.

"Just go for it."

O yea, the house lessons were great. I finally got the House groove. The class was uber slow... but never mind, at least I got something out of it. From now on, YouTube shall be my dance school. I'm going to learn House through watching videos :D

Phone conversation with the boyfriend

2008-06-28T22:21:00.005+08:00

ME (at Far East): OMG... this bag is so nice and furry! Reminds me of Melson*! *rubs the fur fur on the bag*

CK (in camp): ...

ME: Should I buy, should I buy? It's only 20 bucks!!

CK: No, you shouldn't. The bag is 20 bucks, Melson is free. Go and use Melson's fur to make a bag...

*Melson is my 4 year old cat.

Inner Thoughts

2008-06-25T01:06:00.003+08:00

最近比较烦... 越想越烦，越想越犹豫不定。I'm trying to think back at my initial decision, what drove me to choose that path?

Thought it would be simpler... But I guess the real world is just so so complicated with all the terms & conditions, with the unwritten rules and obligations, all beautifully graced under the word 'TRUST'.

This is the story which I hear. Someone else tells another story. Everyone is out to market their stories and ideas. With imperfect knowledge, I can't make the best decision. Yes, I want to be educated, not to be sold.

When we're detached from there, only then we thrive the most. Korea, Jim Beam competition... many more to come. The 2 years of intensive training... just don't know if I've really learned/grew much from it. Could it have been better used?

But then again, all scholarship/performing crew programmes get criticised eventually.

See, if the path is too smooth, it's not worth walking. No one respects you when you finish walking it.

No matter what my final decision is, I know that there is no such thing as a shortcut to success... or a cushioned road to it either. No pain, no gain. More pain, more gain.

I want more than just money being a dance instructor.

Right now, there is only one direction: FORWARD.

From Athena's blog

2008-06-22T21:47:00.005+08:00

You Are An INTJ

The Scientist

You have a head for ideas - and you are good at improving systems.

Logical and strategic, you prefer for everything in your life to be organized.

You tend to be a bit skeptical. You're both critical of yourself and of others.

Independent and stubborn, you tend to only befriend those who are a lot like you.

In love, you are always striving to improve your relationship.

You have strong ideas of what love should be like.

At work, you excel in figuring out difficult tasks. People think of you as "the brain."

You would make an excellent scientist, engineer, or programmer.

How you see yourself: Reasonable, knowledgeable, and competent

When other people don't get you, they see you as: Aloof, controlling, and insensitive

What's Your Personality Type?

Premonition

2008-06-11T12:48:00.004+08:00

I've been having the strangest dreams ever since last week... I've lost a couple of precious presents recently. I wake up and I can't tell what has really happened from what has happened in my dreams.

In a bit of confused state now...

I'm experiencing an ominous feeling... a very vague premonition of something crumbling.

Maybe I'm thinking too much... I can dispel the thoughts away, but I cannot chase that feeling away. Temporary.

Argh. I can die of guilt easily anytime.

p/s: Pls do not call my h/p before 12 noon daily because I'll be asleep.

Jim Beam All Star Dance Competition 2008

2008-06-07T15:59:00.002+08:00

JDKrew

Such a surprise meeting Xin Yan & Bing Quan at DblO last night! Thank u for everyone's support... Totemo yokatta desu~ We did this within 4 days... In, say, a total of 24 hours? Quite an accomplishment :D

Looks like I'm destined to take part in this competition. Long before Cash asked us if we wanted to join, Uncle El called me to ask if we all wanna compete in a competition held at DblO. But the details were very vague and most E-stylerz were busy with their commitments esp. to Wu Zone Recital, so I presumed it was called off. Then I received this sms from Cash asking if we wanna took part in this Jim Beam competition. Ever since coming back from Korea, we've wanted to come out again to compete... so we agreed though we don't know where it is held.

没想到是DblO!

Days before the heats, I was juggling with the physical strain between the choreography camp in the day and the dance prac at night. If I didn't register for this choreo camp, it will be my greatest regret in my dance life.

This is how strongly I felt about it.

Having learnt the theory in the day, I had the chance to apply what I've learnt aptly in the night where we rush out steps for the competition. Along with past experience, I've really gained a lot through this week.

The first real choreographer I've ever worked with was Elson. Back in those days, we've always lamented how we always had to wait and 'slack' around until he comes out with steps... a bit last minute :P I realised we've been a bit too dependent and passive in carrying out the choreographer's vision.

Last time I used to think that choreographer = person who comes out with steps. That is such an understatement!

A choreographer is someone who has a strong vision of the dance, liken to a director directing a stage play. He is not one that steps in to control how the actor acts, but only steps in to tell the actor how he wants the scene to be done. The choreographer steps in to tell what he wants to feel from the dancers' steps and perhaps he can come up with steps to help fulfil that particular image which he wants the audience to see. So we cannot depend entirely on the choreographer for steps. The dancers participate in the creation of steps, and dance for the choreographer to see if they fit the image.

In the choreo camp, working with the choreographers, Michael (from NUS Chinese Dance Alumni) and Silvia (from Singapore Dance Theatre) was amazing. I think hiphop can really learn a lot from contemporary dance... esp their dynamics and stage traveling. This choreo camp really made me believe that the choreographer indeed shouldn't dance in the item which he is choreographing. When u dance, u cannot see the whole picture. When u try to see the whole picture, u cannot focus on dancing. Without Silvia's help in the hiphop segment which Nicole and I danced, we wouldn't have caught the right feel. The third person's view is indeed most treasured no matter how shallow his background of the subject.

So much room for improvement... so much room for learning! It doesn't matter if we get into finals (or don't get), win any prizes, or get any applause, or be approached to do shows... From now on, there is only one direction to go: that is FORWARD.

Kiss ~ Kaerimichi no love song ~

2008-05-30T01:31:00.002+08:00

From Love Com OST: Tegomass - 'Kiss ~ Kaerimichi no love song ~'

(English Translation)

On our way home, the park is always a stop for us
We’re more frolic than usual, my eyes cling on you and you hear me say
“If the world perishes tomorrow, what shall we do?”
Without saying anything you nuzzle my arm

Ne~, we turn to each other
Our lips on the verge to touch, the heart beating doesn’t stop

I’ll always catch you up
If your heart is broken and you cry
I’ll protect you from the enemies all over the world
An “I love you” is unnecessary
You’re the only one, I’ll kiss always forever*

At the parting of the ways, which always comes,
I cannot do anything, this I’ve understood
The cheeks blush**, the hands are separating, are almost gone,

Ne~ then we turn to each other
Our lips on the verge to touch, the heart beating doesn’t stop

Even someone like me can be strong if you are
Love is wonderful magic, because you don’t have to fear anything
Nothing in the world is able to part us
To tell “stand by me” to anyone is useless***
I want YOU to be with me forever

Aah, with a really innocent face you say
“Will you still kiss me when I’ve become an old woman, ne~?”
Ne~, at this time I’ll be old myself
Cause the bond of our hands will never break

I’ll always catch you up
If your heart is broken and you cry
I’ll protect you from the enemies all over the world
An “I love you” is unnecessary
You’re the only one, I’ll kiss always forever

One of the best Japanese lyrics that go very well with the melody (: すごい！

Welcome home (:

2008-05-28T23:44:00.008+08:00

小J misses u tonnes!

S. Africa sells such cute bars of chocolate wafers!

お帰りなさい，ダーリン！(: Proud of u.
あなたに会えなくて寂しかったよ。

:+:+:+:+:

I wanna get Lovely Complex OST (: I'm a sucker for music from such great composers. And I'll order my Final Fantasy VI piano scores soon (I think). Yayee!

Heaven is...

Just sitting in the couch... raining outside but it's cozy in the room... playing all my favourite Lovely Complex songs back to back... along with all my fav Yasunori Mitsuda's songs... along with all my fav Nobuo Uematsu's songs...

Or Heaven is...

Just sitting in my room... very cozy... and listening to all my fav oldies from the 60s to the 80s (: Includes hits from Take That, Beegees... and Don McLean!

Or Heaven is...

Spending Christmas with KC
Going Tiong Bahru Plaza nearly every day with Lipz after school during those sec school days
Watching the sun rise from the horizon.
Having a good night's sleep.
When good times stand still.
Dance practices with E-stylez.
Hanging out with Kristie & Steph.
A chance to compete or perform on stage.
Watching great dance/piano/orchestra videos on YouTube.
Working as a florist.
Listening to piano jazz music, particularly those related to anime & games.
Having great support in whatever I do.
having the privilege to go overseas.
Eating Kimchi soup which I cooked myself.
Eating my favourite Angie the Choice cake.
Dressing up and looking pretty.
Playing with Melson.
Laugh like no one's business.
Dancing comtemp.
Successfully learning Patrick's choreo.
Being loved.
Being in love.
Eating diamond-shaped eggtarts from Chinatown.
Drinking bubble tea on a hot day.
Playing DDR with Nic - clumsily, but who cares?
Staying at home doing nothing.
Staying at home and annoying anyone who is in.
Drinking vanilla Coke.
Eating bubblegum sundae.
Looking at Hello Kitty stuffs.
Watching maple leaves fall during Autumn.
Being surrounded by vibrant, colourful flowers.
Reading poems.
Sleeping.

O I can be in Heaven anytime! :D

Into the 3rd decade of my life

2008-05-25T23:53:00.008+08:00

Thank u for the wonderful surprise! So unglam... I should have wore something nicer =X Ooh~ and the ice-cream cake, first time in my life. It was a funny sight watching how u guys tried to club in my room. Ok ok, missing the disco ball right? Buy one for me lahs :D

I love E-stylez... we're really like a family eh? As cliche as it sounds, I hope we'll stay together as a crew forever and never part. *goosebumps* haha so mushy ne~ Oh oh, that's not my birthday wish so it's okay. Haha. I wish for the same thing every year and it's been coming true ever since (: I'll keep wishing it in the years to come. It's simple & universal but it really does come true.

Thank u for the lovely smses everyone! Seems like this year there is a buffering period of plus-minus 1 day :D Some came in earlier, some were later. But still touched ne~ (x

So Nic, I'm getting my PSP right? :P Silly, I wouldn't mind the colour at all! Eventually it will be coated with blings anyway. Haha :D Luv u all~

It's the big 2! Yes. But it doesn't feel any different. I'll get prettier as the years go by ;)

Oh, oh don't worry. That's not my birthday wish :P So it's okay.

I still like music more than anything else.

宇豪, you're so handsome~~

Kimchi soup

2008-05-24T00:00:00.003+08:00

Wah stress. They nag and drop so many hints that I feel quite helpless. *ruffles hair messily* I shall be more heartless next time to be more effective then.

Was on the train back home when I thought about the secondary school past. 有时候，谎话也算是一种鼓励。Some friends tell u that u have done a great job in something, but years later u look back, it's crap... and u know that at their standard, they should have said that too years back. But yet without their lies, u could have easily given up in that something.

Is it because we judge someone's work according to what is expected of their standard?

Tired. It's been a long while since I felt this way. The asthma is acting up again but it's not serious... just annoying. It's a loooonnnggg recovery route for now...

The weather's been crazy hot. I miss Korea's weather ):

Ok back to chiong-ing animes. Hee... hee... hee...

小J (prelude to 'K-O-R-E-A' entries)

2008-05-22T00:57:00.011+08:00

I typed this in the middle of the incomplete itnerary!

Hello everyone, my name is 小J. Just a day after I was born, mummy brought me to Korea with her friends. I was so excited that I interrupted mummy when she was rushing the last minute work on the itinerary. Teehee.

Us at Lotte World entrance!

On this trip, all of us went to Lotte world and sat many many fun rides (: Mummy left me in the hostel room for most of the days. I was soo glad that she brought me along to Lotte World! I made 2 new friends on this trip - Cheese and Rino.

Horse riding!

Cheese was a bit shy but Rino was great :D we made fast friends pretty easily. On days where we were left in the room, we chatted all day about anything & everything!

Rino & I (:

This is a new friend I made when I was in Korea. He belongs to the Coffee Prince 咖啡王子 place in Hongdae. I heard that this is where the drama filming took place (:

My Korean friend

Unfortunately, I was unable to get his name because he only speaks Korean. Everyone was too busy chatting and drinking coffee to translate our conversation anyway. But we still manage to take a picture together :D

This is me, sitting in the cab - rare chance.

It's been 10 days in Korea and I love looking at the pretty streets. The weather is cooling and I don't sweat a lot. However, mummy still says that I need to bathe when I get back home to SG.

Nevertheless, I wanna say that I love Seoul! Love the people, the place, the streets, the hostel room and all :D I'm sure mummy enjoyed herself as well. She has been collating the photos in preparation to blog about the trip. However, I know we both miss daddy very much.

Daddy is now in S. Africa and mummy told me that it's very cold there, and that my fur would freeze out of my head if I went there. Brr... I wish daddy would call soon because it makes mummy worried and sad. Mummy says there isn't any other choice other than to wait, and that it's quite painful to live in memories. I'm still young and I don't have much memories to hold on to. But mummy says memories are beautiful because they make us laugh and cry.

Daddy bought me as a birthday present for mummy before he left the country. I think I was supposed to accompany her while he wasn't around on her birthday. I know I can't replace daddy entirely, so I'm going to accompany mummy in looking forward to the 28th... and she shall be the happiest person on earth then (:

I'm coming home!

2008-05-18T20:20:00.003+08:00

Finally... the 10th day. I have a computer with free internet access in the hostel room (: So I can actually blog every day! I'm getting a bit homesick already ):

We went to the Bboy-Ballerina concert, 'Feel the Funk' pop-lock battling competition, and attended dance lessons. Makes me feel really embarrass and all... )x Nevertheless, I've more or less found my calling in 'House' (:

The dancers here are amazing. I wouldn't say SG dancers are not as good. In both countries, the dancers are like same level, but just that we're trained in different areas... But the dance culture here, or even the arts culture here, is very strong...

If hiphop was classified as an art in SG, I believe things could be much much better...

Korea: Day 2 (May 10th)

2008-05-10T12:00:00.000+08:00

DAY 2: May 10, 2008

We woke up early rise and shine! Much more disciplined than the time in Taiwan :P

Because of the train travels over very long distances, people are allowed to eat and drink in the train. Thanks to the spacious cabins, pushcarts are pretty common during the morning around working hours. I really admire their courage because they get ignored really badly and most people don't quite have the courtesy to turn them away. Maybe it's their culture. わかりません ^_^"

Today in our itinerary, we're going to Coffee Prince for breakfast! This Coffee Prince cafe is where the Korean drama was filmed. So using information we got on the net, we set off for our destination by ourselves (:

While walking, we came across this PAS dance studio! Actually what caught my eye was the name of this building, 'Bikini Virgin' -.-" Such a sleazy name. Apparently Hongdae is something like Clarke Quay where many pubs and clubs are situated. Hongdae is flooded with people both day and night!

After walking for quite sometime, we found the cafe to be closed! *horror*

We stood outside feeling quite lost for awhile. But Sharon said it can't be closed because according to her information, it will be opened daily from 9am. So we concluded that maybe that was the wrong venue.

This is the place where we're going to watch 'Bboy & Ballerina' later!

We got a bit tired of looking for the cafe and so we decided to settle for LotteRia, a Korean fast food restaurant which sells burger meals.

I ordered a Bulgogi burger and it tasted heavenly! Overseas burgers just taste different. They're so rich and delicious!

After meeting up with Chris, Mi Jung and Dasom, we finally were led correctly to the Coffee Prince place in Hongdae.

We went rounds just to find that it was so nearby. Apparently we found out that the other outlet which we went to just now only opened at night.

After having some coffee and cake, we left to watch 'B-boy & Ballerina'!

Really a great show which anyone would enjoy. It doesn't take a dancer to appreciate whatever they did on stage. After watching, I just feel that B-boying is not strong enough in Singapore. Or rather, the dance standard is really indeed different. Not everyone that goes up on SG stage is professional enough. Anyway, after that, we went off to Hongdae Free Market (I think it's supposed to be 'flea' market but that's how they spelt it). The free market only opens on the 2rd Saturday of every month, so this is really a rare shopping place!

So many pretty pair of handmade earrings sold here! I love the earrings in Korea. After buying earrings in Korea, I don't really shop at Bugis Street anymore for earrings. I bought a couple of handmade organisers and 2 pairs of earrings!

We tried a bit of Tteokbokki - Korean rice cake/年糕. Not bad! Sharon is crazy over this. The texture is like 算盘子... or glutinous rice ball. Anyway, it's obvious we are quite hungry by then so we headed for dinner!

Sadly, I don't quite remember what this dish is called. IT'S SUPER NICE. I LOVE IT. I just cannot stop eating the wormy noodles in the sauce. The wormy noodles have the same texture as the Tteokbokki but it taste so good with such thick spicy gravy! YUMMMMMMMY.

Dinners in Korea are fantastic so far. Next up, we headed to Seoul Tower to admire the night scenery from the top :D

There were so many people up there when we reached the top! Makes me wonder about the tourist attractions in Singapore. Why is it that the locals are so supportive of their local attractions? :X

This is the place where couples bring their locks and lock it to the metal fence. After that, they will together throw away the key to that lock which symbolizes their hearts locked to each other, having everlasting love forever... so long as the key is never to be found. Ha :P

The tradition sure holds strong because there was this sweet guy who bought so many red locks and locked them to the fence in the shape of a heart. You can see how great is his love as compared to those tiny locks around his huge heart.

And there in the middle of his 'hearts', the core of it, he pasted a neoprint of his love and himself. So sweet!

There was a Teddy Bear Museum at Seoul Tower! Yes, this is another popular place in Korea ever since some Korean drama too (I guess). The original Teddy Bear Museum is in Jeju Island. This is just an outlet... or more specifically just a souvenir store.

This more or less ends the 2nd day in Korea, Seoul!

Coming... Korea: Day 3 (May 11th)

Korea: Day 1 (May 9th)

2008-05-09T12:00:00.000+08:00

DAY 1: May 9, 2008

Our flight departure time was at 8+ am so we met at the airport pretty early to eat some breakfast first. Mom and CK came along and sent me off :D

We took a flight with transit to Korea instead of a direct one because it is less expensive. Selling in bundles of 5, we paid $699 each for our ticket. This price is considered quite cheap already in the market :D A direct flight would have been a 7 hours ride. We just had to spend 2 hours at our transit stop, Hong Kong, before leaving for Incheon International Airport.

It was lunchtime when we stopped over at Hongkong. Hmm... I think there was some typo error. This is prolly Hongkong's beautiful sunrise ^_^''

After hanging around, we decided to have some lunch since they only provide refreshments on board. Oh, by the way, we took Cathay Pacific for both flights to and fro.

Despite the stereotypical expensive airport prices, we craved for their signature shrimp dumplings dishes. 3 bowls of Wanton noodles in soup, 2 bowls of roast goose noodles in soup. I think it's goose... or something more exotic. Is it ostrich? Dang, I forgot what I ate. But it was delicious! Quite 幸福... especially the wantons.

Us all together on the travelator in Hongkong International Airport. My angle is not bad, eh? I took it this picture with my right hand ya know? :D Managed to catch everyone!

Tadaa~ This is the baggage collection point. Doesn't it resemble the one in Changi Airport? So clean and efficient-looking... haha. Yes, it really is efficient.

The hostel we stayed at provided transport service from the airport to their place. The driver sticked this paper to the pole which was right in front of the arrival entrance with the name of the person who lias with them on the booking of hostel, Jessica Henry~ So VIP... Haha. We're just missing of the banners, fan clubs and paparazzi.

This service is really good. They allow all of us to travel together to the hostel along with all our luggages. I don't remember how much it cost, but definitely is cheaper than taking a cab, and wiser than taking a bus from the airport to city. At least we get straight to our destination - Seoul Backpackers hostel.

It was really a pleasant environment when we stepped into the hostel. It resembles a normal 3/4 stars hotel, just that it is very much smaller and cosier. I'm taken by surprise at the new furnishing and clean feel to it. The Taiwan hostel we stayed in was an opposite world.

After settling down in our rooms, our Korean friend, Chris, came and brought us to Hongdae for supper!

We had BULGOGI!!!! Delicious marinated barbecued beef...

Even Jessica couldn't resist! Having not eaten beef since she was born, Korean Bulgogi was the best choice to 破戒 :P After supper, we went back to our hostel for a good night's rest!

The night's rest could have been better without Jessica's alarm on her phone ringing "Gimme gimme more... gimme more..." =_=

Jessica~

2008-05-07T01:03:00.000+08:00

疲れました

2008-05-05T23:43:00.002+08:00

2 more modules to go...

Mom just supplemented me with more $ for Korea. Though it is meant for emergency use, I presume that it is my birthday present for this year (:

I'm very tired. Tired tired... I want to sleep. And I meant sleep and not wake up... to an alarm.

Vesak day performance

2008-05-02T00:00:00.002+08:00

I'm so happy that we're going to be performing at 光明山寺 again! So happy that the school's actually giving us this opportunity to use our skills to do merits (: Xiaoke and I did the song mix together... super fun. I'm getting to hang of mixing songs for performances... hope to get a better software which will allow me to experiment with more effects. Gotta borrow Alvan's directory of SFX soon :D

O by the way, I'm now very @#!&#$ about my right arm/shoulder. It has this acute pain whenever I try to lock my elbow. I can't do my whacking routines! I can't reach for the light switch properly, I can't pour water out from the flask using one hand, I can't dance full-out, I can't move it normally. The only dance style I can do now is Robot or House (because I can only move my legs). Ha... Ha... That's not funny! )x I'M GOING TO THE SINSEH AGAIN TOMORROW. RAH.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Popping#Integrated_styles_and_techniques (Cooooool...)

Annoucement

2008-05-01T09:58:00.004+08:00

I will not be going on MSN from now on because - not only does it signs me in and out annoyingly, the program operation takes up too much memory space that it lags everything, in particular, the playback of online (YouTube) videos.

Pls contact me directly via mobile or call my home. You can email me, leave a tag here or message me on Facebook. You may choose to use psychic powers (if they ever work) to contact me as well.

Ja, mata~

P/s: Happy Labour day! Labour day means to stay home and do our labourious revision for our final papers. Best of luck everybody! みんなさん、いっしょにがんばりましょう！^^

K-O-R-E-A !!

2008-04-26T21:15:00.006+08:00

P/s: Check out my violet eyes ^-^ I wanna dye my hair violet too!

Trip to the sinseh finally

2008-04-26T06:56:00.003+08:00

I got my ankle and toes treated yesterday. Now my left ankle is bandaged but it isn't very serious... even the sinseh said my right toes were worse than it :p Been having those injured toes for weeks and when he massaged, all of the sudden, the pain just surge back at one go! OUCH. Totally screaming in the room. Luckily momma was there (:

:+:+:+:+:

I wanna take violin lessons :D

Such a spacey little girl

2008-04-23T00:02:00.007+08:00

TS1101E practical exam today was neither good nor is it bad. I screwed up Q&A ... Even if my portfolio was impressive, how I answered just made it so unimpressive. I just have to have more confidence in myself and my knowledge. The examiner was sure bitchy enough... I actually snapped back at her. But coming from me, it probably didn't sound offending anyway :x I simply used her tone to answer her back. Like, hello lady, I've no experience in designing and drawing clothes or even in fashion. I've put in so much effort in my portfolio... I hope they'll give me effort marks! -_-

Anyway, I'm more or less done with ranting about the practical. Although it's more of ranting it inside me... Don't wanna whine anymore so I guess I'll stop here (:

For this portfolio, I actually had to trouble a few friends (: I'm really happy and grateful for their help! I would love to thank my 3 dearest E-stylerz for their help. Yongkai for taking the effort to get my black jacket, as well as meeting up with Clarice to get the masks (and she washed them!). And the 3rd one is Alvan, for providing a couple of fabric pieces for my designs, as well as lending me his black River Island vest which he just bought and have not worn (: I really love this family. Also, Xavier-san took the trouble to give me wool fabric which came from the shirt of a small Me-to-You bear. So poor thing the bear bear ): I feel sad for stripping it and cutting up its clothes. Xavier-san also gave me a ride to school because I was still rushing my portfolio on the morning itself =.=

Really appreciated their help... all so heart-warming despite the cold water splashed by the examiners (:

5 more days to my next 2 papers, math and Sociology. I reckon if I do not live up to the expectations of Izaac's Soci textbook, it would be the saddest event on earth ): I can only depend on my Soci grade. The bell-curve marking system really sucks... I wanna be the cream of the crop! Boohoo. Life is all about being the cream of the crop ): At least that's what life is in Sg.

I can't imagine... very soon I'm going Korea. I just heard from Jessica that our dance lessons in Korea are going to cost 700 sing bucks. Freak o.o that is like 7 months of dance lessons in Sg lah! I'm going to sweep roads when I return home... that is if I can afford to come back :x

:+:+ ２１日のデット +:+:

楽しかったな～ ^^

☆ Yoroshi-QUEEN~! ☆

2008-04-19T10:40:00.004+08:00

I CANT WAIT FOR EXAMS TO BE OVER SO THAT I CAN WATCH ALL MY ANIMES *grits teeth and tries to control the temptation*

I'm a costume designer

2008-04-18T22:05:00.004+08:00

Very satisfied. I'm a happy girl today. Dressed nice nice and went to school to meet my dearest Steph and Kristie. Steph's birthday is coming Monday... Kristie and I got her a very 'Stephy' present :D Precious Moment's gift. Keke. I heart KKM! Happy early Birthday Steph dear! You're going to be 20 and we still love u lots!

Today, I had so much inspiration for the costume designs for my Theatre Studies play. Super glad... inspiration is really a very amazing power juice sia. Just a bit is enough to spur off many many ideas and designs (x

Today, I received a call from Ying Ying saying that I'm successful in my application for Blast committee and I'm the publicity head! Although initially I was aiming for P or VP, I'm very thankful that I didn't get the other positions but PUBLICITY!!!!1 This is not only the most comfortable and familiar role for me, it is also the best role to splash creative juices and push the limits of my inspiration rates! WOOHOO :D It's a less major role in the committee as compared to VP but I think someone up there just wants me to spend more time with my family, friends and the boyfriend because I've been too involved in my own life and dance (:

Nevertheless, it doesn't mean I will give less than 100% of my all to the comm! YATTA~ It's one more beautiful year in university! Treasuring our SPRINGTIME OF YOUTH :D :D Lots and lots of things to look forward to in the next semester... it's the very first 3 months 'summer' vacation I'm going to experience from University. Am I going to get rusty?? Freak :x

I'm loving every tuition session with my students! Always leaving happily after the lesson... feels the same way after relieving dance classes for Xiao Ke. Maybe one day I will be a teacher like CK too! Tiring, but the sense of achievement is just so sweeeeeet~ money really comes in second when u are doing what u like ^-^

3 MORE DAYS! 『ラブラブ』アニブャサリ～２年！ちょっと待って、１年もいいです。(-_^)V

Leg cramps

2008-04-14T01:17:00.001+08:00

I'm spamming the bananas in school! (;

7 more days :D

Videos

2008-04-12T23:38:00.003+08:00

Really love watching my past dance videos. Asides from showing how terrible my lines were before, how ugly my posture was, how bo lat (no energy) my movements were, they serve very well as amusement from stress. Despite how poor the performance was, it never fails to make my heart race (: So damn blardi much memories! I swear it can make me tear...

Just watched 2 of our anniversary item dance videos. I cannot help but think of those times which I first met them all ^-^ Still keeping in touch, esp. occasionally bumping into dear Sheena and Janicia. It's always that heartwarming 'HIII~' and most brightening smile of the day. I think those were really fond memories. Just by being in an item together can forge such friendships. Power of dance. Wakaka :P I still remember one of my earliest conversations with Alvan was about what he wanted to be when he graduated. And I fondly remembered that he wanted to work in one of the tall buildings in the CBD area... wanted to earn lots of money and be something big (; that was totally the opposite of JJ Lin. Lol. Can you imagine JJ Lin being your CEO? Every time when he wants you to hand up a proposal, he will sing to you "别等到一千年以后~" :D

I've discovered that the real energy in dancing comes from the music. Though it is easy to say, easy to understand, it isn't really easy to execute. The duration of a dance is not the main factor of exhaustion. The energy to control moves and make them clean also comes from listening to the music. It is only when we listen to the music and feel it, then we can naturally control the energy flow in our movements. This is not easy to listen when it comes to fast music... maybe that's why we always feel tired from dancing to a fast tempo song (: It works for me... the feel of the music. When you listen and feel the music, you don't have the time to think that you're tired. And it really does show on your face (: As long as I keep reminding myself that my purpose on stage is to entertain the audience below, I don't have the time to feel tired at all because all I'm thinking is 'look at me, i'm enjoying myself' :D

I've a lot of energy for dance ever since I joined Blast. Whenever I'm tired from dance, I always think about partner's energy (x as if I'm borrowing from her like that. Asides from that, Funka's 'Seoul in Panic' has more or less push my stamina limit to a certain level. Nothing can be worse than that :D Period.

Life's been great. I got an A for my soci mid term paper. See, Baby Bro is soci god (: I hope I'll find the discipline to push ahead. Just a bit more then it's the 3 months liberation from darn school! YAY :D

有梦的人，没时间绝望

2008-04-10T22:24:00.002+08:00

Clara's subnick says "有梦的人，没时间绝望". I like (;

The song in my blog now is "And I Love You So" by Don McLean. It is an oldie but I've never heard it before. My mom said it was a classic in the past (: I kinda like such guitar-vocal songs, particularly those from Don McLean, who has one of the cleanest and most soothing voice I've ever heard.

Been very busy these days catching up on school work (: Yea it's endless but I will just keep running forward. Blast lessons have been hella fun because of the dance style~ and I really like partner's dancing. Finally understood what "台上疯子，台下傻子" really meant (: and I kept telling her that after the class teehee.

今週から、時間がありませんよ。わたしは勉強がほしくないですよ。でも、no choice ね, exams coming up ですから。たいへんですよ! 大学の生活にちょっと慣れませんでしたね～楽しいですが、とてもとてもとてもむずかしいですよ。x_x

MF In-House Concert 2008

2008-04-07T18:19:00.006+08:00

:+:+ Before the concert +:+:

Breakfast @ Macs. We ate the new McGriddle meal.

My lovely green skirt which I bought from Bugis Street. Unintentional cheerleader style -.- Haha

Dee & Kay

Taking u taking me. Yo diz is Jae in da house~

:+:+ The Concert +:+:

Opening Item (: Our very own product.

Memorable experience (: Very much different from all the other years of 成果展 I believe. Everyone from various classes really cooperated together and make this whole concert such a success. I can't believe how many friendships I've been missing out in MF! I love love love love love love love it. Seen so many other dancers around in the school... each having their strengths and unique feel. There's always something to learn from every dancer, regardless of their experience. Be it their passion, drive, confidence, technique, determination, sexiness, coolness, cooperativeness, facial expression, fashion sense, etc.

:+:+ The Aftermath +:+:

Just part of the dancers (: Lovely people.

Taking this shot was funny. At first it was just Jess, then DM came along, then Ivy, then Xiang (x

We are so dark! Haha... Us. Just us on stage.

JDK? Realised it stands for 'Just Don't Know' -.-

If you're interested in watching other dance videos of Music Forest In House Concert 2008:
- Opening Item
- Poison V
- MV Medley + Ending
and a couple more (not yet uploaded)...

After this in-house concert, my love for the stage became greater. 我发现到我超爱玩音乐的感觉 (: I also realised I'm having the broken-wrist-and-funny-fingers syndrome )x Gotta keep reminding myself.

Run, Karen, run!

2008-04-01T22:24:00.003+08:00

I swear I will do something about my toe(s) after April 5th.

Pls grant me strength to pull through this week... I feel I'm falling sick from the lack of rest and good food. Pls don't let me fall during this critical period. Just a bit more... I promise to take a day off to rest well after this coming Sat.

もうすこしがんばります!