Outrageous!

Last weekend was a long one, well-spent.

Friday

Started with a personal leave on Friday, although I still had to drop by the office for a 'briefing' to one of my subordinates.  After that heated meeting (which I managed to record in my previous post), I went straight to a belly dance class.  The instructor decided to do a 'funky twist to belly dance' which is a series of complicated moves.  Well, the moves were not really complicated on its own, but the combination of them are.  We had to jump to the right and turn to the left.  Condiering all of us were novice, we ended up looking like a bunch of octopi!  Completely beserk hand-leg coordination, turning to the left when we were supposed to turn to the right, jumping while doing hip shimmies... everything crazy you can think of!  If you were a professional dance judge, you'd have gone mad, but we had fun laughing at our silly moves.  Even the instructor got distracted and turned 'octopus'.  So that Friday afternoon, I sweat more that I normally do after belly dance - thanks to the laugh!

Salsa classes Friday night was a mixture of boredom and excitement.  There were new faces in the Beginner class, so we did quite a lot of basic steps.  Halfway through class I yawned!  And since I stood right next to the instructor, obviously she noticed.  Good thing, because she started doing some more advanced steps from then on.  Salsa Footworks class was waaaaaayyyyy much better than the Beginners class.  A lot of complicated steps, although no 'Crazy Suzie' (Suzie Q Loco) - phew!  There was this guy in class, who told me he's trying to experiment combining Salsa and Tai Chi.  Something he'd call 'Sal Chi'.  Whatever that is.  The whole time he was talking about his plan, I couldn't stop trying to figure out how those two contrasting things can be combined.  Oh well, I'll let him do the thinking, and see his demo soon - if ever.  No offense, but I really can't picture it.  But don't worry, I'll still try your 'Sal Chi' class.  And, I'm sure a lot of other people would love to try it out. 

Saturday

Saturday morning, I was awaken by a text from my bestie.  We planned to get her dancing shoes in the morning before heading off to a dance event in KL.  But she couldn't make it too early, so we cancelled shoe-shopping.  I picked her up around 11.30 am (after another friend arrived at my place), and we went straight to find OCM Building in Jalan Hang Jebat.  With my ability to get lost, I was sure we'd be late for the event.  But, so some funny reason, that fortunate morning, we managed to find the place in just one try!  We got to the place 5 minutes before they were supposed to start, which in Malaysian timing is about 45 minutes too early! 

The event started around 12.45pm with a promo presentation of Dance Cruise Asia 2010, a China - Japan - Korea cruise package, with dance workshops and performances.  I didn't go there for the cruise, so I don't quite get the cruise part.  If you're interested, take a look at this page: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=28412842566#!/group.php?gid=28412842566.

Soon after the presentation ended, they started Tango workshop.  It sounded like fun but I couldn't make it - stupidly left my shoes in the car, so I had to go get them.  I made it for the demo from the instructors, though, and it was awesome!  Something like what I saw in Antonio Banderas' Take the Lead, only live!  Next was Bachata workshop - did solo basic steps first before we started dancing with a partner.  Since I came with two friends, we took turns to dance with each other.  It was really, really fun.  And quite easy.  Or so I thought, until I saw the instructors' demo at the end of the session.  They did a lot of 'climbing-up-your-partner' and 'yoga-wheel-pose'.  I wanted to sign up for Bachata class at first, but decided that I should wait a little longer after the performance.

After Bachata was Salsa.  Two workshops actually, the first one being partner Salsa and the second was individual.  I already learnt the basic steps so these was quite easy.  Well, easy when they played the slow song that is.  Once they started playing VERY FAST song, I got lost!  So I just stood there laughing at myself, while the more experienced dancers looked at me like I'm some kind of nuts!  Haha.

There were a few more workshops that afternoon - Street Jazz (love this!), Hip Hop (not as easy as I thought), West Coast Swing, Rumba and Waltz.  Each of these workshops was conducted by different instructors from different school, so we got to experience different techniques and styles.  Most I enjoyed, some funny, but there were also strict ones.

The instructors demo-ed their dancing skills in between each workshop, and there were two performance sessions from the best students of each school.  These were the best parts of the event, I tell you!  They even invited the winner of Malaysia's So You Think You Can Dance.  And we got to see them upclose and LIVE!  I really can't describe how excited I was -- just like during Herbalife's Singing Competition in Singapore a couple of years ago!  Only I didn't do a Bangra on the chairs this time!  Haha!

The event ended around 7.30pm with a demo from the Waltz instructor with his male student.  Sounds so 'happy' isn't it?  Well, it was quite like that, really.  Haha!  At least I thought they looked like two gays in love... but the dance was really beautiful.  And there was a time when the instructor (he played the lady) lift his leg and attempted to bend backwards... that's hilarious! 

We had dinner in Tropicana City Mall - somewhere waaayyyy out of the usual route.  Tried some food at this outlet called Indulge, I think.  I'm not sure if hunger plays any part in this, but all three of us agreed that the food there was delicious!  Right down to the creme brulee, and fried ice-cream!  Yummy!

Sunday

After the exciting Saturday, Sunday felt like a very predictable routine.  Although, not the whole day was boring.  Went to Zumba - almost collapsed because I didn't have enough sleep the night before, then rushed for a quick lunch before Cha Cha.

My Cha Cha instructor, for some reason, decided to teach us the technique instead of his usual choreography last weekend.  So we did a lot of basic front Cha Cha, back Cha Cha, turn, backlogs... a much welcomed change, considering what almost happened in Zumba.  That, however, was far from boring.  Wait, how should I put it... it was really, really, I mean REALLY basic, but the instructor made us repeat a series of the basic steps half the time - non stop!  I liked that, suprisingly.  I could have sworn if someone tell me they did this in class, I'd die of boredom!  But, well, that was that.  An interesting basic Cha Cha class.  Ironic!

After class I got to ask him why the sudden change, and he shared some insights.  A deep heart-felt insight, which made me see a different person in him.  Which made me appreciate his teaching more.  The timing was really perfect, considering the exposure I had the day before - seeing high- and old-timers do the Latin dance, and to learn what importance the dance is to them.  I get goosebumps writing this - emotion overflow!

I shared this with a friend over dipper (dinner+supper), but being a lousy storyteller as I am, I couldn't reach her enough.  And thanks to the mist spray, we almost choked in wet air!  Imagine, it was almost midnight and they turned on the mist!  Let me correct, it was almost midnight, and they turned the mist full blast!  I couldn't see my friend for a good 5 minutes, and after the mist finally wore off, our table, clothes, hair and food were wet!  Yuck!

Monday

Last Monday must be the craziest day in my life!  Woke up almost noon - caught up with the deprived sleep hours from previous days, and decided to look for a new dancing shoes.  All because I dreamt that I got pretty black dancing shoes.  So I called up my best friend, the one who wanted to get shoes on Saturday and in less than a hour we were out shoe-hunting.

Went to a couple of dancing shoes shops but she couldn't find the ones she likes.  At almost 4pm we went to a shop in Petaling Street.  I got hooked on a pair of boots - really comfy!  Then I saw the latin dance shoes and decided that the boots could wait.  The shop only take cash, so we had to walk a few blocks to get to the nearest ATM.  After RM 200 short later, we realized at was already almost 5pm.  We planned to join Zumba at 5.15pm, so we raaaaaaaannnnn all the way to the car.

Considering how little time we had, I decided to change in the car.  Yep, I changed from shopping clothes into gym clothes in the car!  But no strip show, though - what were you thinking, you pervert?  Of course I got creative, well, I had to, because we took the Brickfields route - which was packed, as always.  Jumped into the driver's seat at a erd light, so my friend could change.  We were laughing all the way!  We've been friends half our lifetime, and never in our lives had thought of doing anything that silly!  Ahem, let me re-phrase - anything that adventurous!  ROFL!  The express changing-in-car activity paid off as we managed to get in Zumba class on time.  What a relief - phew!

After all the activities, you'd think I'd be running out of energy by end of Monday.  You were right.  I went home early and went straight to bed, only to curse my alarm clock the next morning - I wasn't ready to go to work!  I wanted more thrilling activities, not the mundane office-work life which is my routine - Dang!

That was what I thought on Tuesday morning, mostly true for the entire morning.  What's not true happened as soon as I finished lunch, and thankfully 'til late lst night...

Let me write about it in my next post - time to get off work and do more crazy stuff!