Lindy

Seems strange that I've lindy-hopped for over 3 years now... but have yet to talk about what it means to me.

What is lindy-hop? It started off as a replacement for acapella, as a way to form a social network after having uprooted and dragged myself back to Singapore. But after dancing for 3 years, it's become more than that, cliched as it sounds.

Lindy is a way to express myself and connect with other people. Deep down at heart, I'm an insecure geek who always wants to be liked :) So I appreciate lindy cos i can stop worrying about looking "cool" and just be my normal nerdy self on the dance floor. At the same time, it's a way to enjoy and connect with good music, with awesome lyrics, with amazing singers.

One dilemma in lindy is : am I dancing for my partner, or are we dancing for the audience? This is something that i've been thinking about after taking part in a competition or two. The answer is probably that it depends, and that the truth probably lies somewhere between the two. And that's one of the main joys of lindy. That there is always something more to discover, whether it be in the connection between a follow and a lead, in the interplay between dance and music that we like to call expression and musicality, in the lines, in the body isolations. Despite the plateaus, the troughs, the sheer fun that comes with a lindy breakthrough is plain exhilirating.

But most importantly, lindy for me is about the people. Lindy is not a solo dance... It is a partnership between the lead and follow. The magic lies in the connection, the interplay between the frames of both dancers, the dialogue between the two of us and the music. I'll never forget the dance between Bill Borgidda and Sing at SeaJam in 03. Sheer artistry and magic.

Beyond the dance, however, is the community. I've talked about aspects of the community before. About how it rocks. About how it's great that the people there aren't like the stereotypical cookie-cutter Singaporeans. About how above all, people enjoy each other's company :)

Wanna lindy today?

Ritalin, Geeks and Other Irrelevant Topics

For the geeks who read my blog, here's a D&D comic that's darn funny... the Order of the Stick. Be warned.... it is only funny if you are a D&D geek like i am. Hsien and Eric have attested to this.

H said the other day that if I wasn't so smart, I would probably suffer from extreme Attention Deficit Disorder. Maybe it's true.... I have literally several lines of thought running through my brain at any one time, which is probably why I speak so fast, and why I have to force myself to concentrate on a single train of thought when speaking or presenting in a business setting. Friends (and H in particular) have often displayed puzzled expressions during conversations as I jump from logic point A to logic point Z in a single set of sentences, cos my brain moves so much faster than my mouth :P

Maybe that's why I enjoy running or swimming, especially with a good set of tunes in the MP3 player. It's the only time when my brain can just wander, cos everything else is focused on putting one foot in front of the other.

Random thoughts that came while running :
- They should invent something that automatically untangles headphone wires for you
- How to surprise the party during the next D&D session
- Calculating how many days till H gets here
- and so it goes...

Yeah, my brain sure has a lot of garbage in it.

Potpourri

Don't have a burning issue to yap on about today, so here's a smattering of extremely random thoughts.

Favorite sinful food :
1) Bacon
2) Green tea frappucino
3) Creamy pasta
4) Chocolate!
5) TIRAMISU

wow. it's amazing i haven't become the stay-puffed marshmallow man yet.

TV Shows :
Will and Grace - funny funny show. so campy and yet so witty. but I wish they would make the characters more life-like.
Charmed - a truly guilty pleasure. the plots have more holes in them than swiss cheese. yet, how much fun is it to see 3 attractive witches cavorting around in fashionable clothes while trying to destroy various threats to the world?
'Ello 'Ello - fav sitcom of all time. A Brit sitcom set in occupied France during WWII. The Brit actors speak in faux-French accents. What a BRILLIANT idea! Good Moaning! I am here to piss you a massage! Those who have seen this show know what i mean.

What do I look for in friends? Not someone perfect, that's for sure. That would only make me barf. Besides having shared interests, I connect with people who are at least aware of, and try to deal with their own issues. Whether it be religion, or parents, or even sexuality. Is that another term for emotional maturity? Talking with people who say things because they have been taught to do so drives me batty. Reminds me of too many religions, and the relationship that people here have with the Singapore government :). They either complain and grumble with no constructive comments, or accept meekly while seething underneath. There is never one right policy, and the assumptions you make will always drive the conclusions you get.

Can't remember where I said this, but it's like I have 2 different sets of friends sometimes. There are the school and work friends, most of whom are proceeding along this track in life towards the 2.4 kids and the 5 Cs (Condo, credit card, cash, car, children?), and moving up and on. And then there are the lindy friends, who are geeky, quirky (or a combination of both), and taking different routes through life (full-time lindy teacher, insurance agent cum entrepreneur, sabbaticals, whatnot). Am I then a combination of both types? The scaredy-cat who wants comfort and safety, but envies those who dare to venture beyond? Man, I am a bundle of contradictions today :)

Signing off,
Ajantis

Ohaiyo! Japan dash!

Woo hoo! Going to the World Expo! Always wanted to go to Japan, and now's the chance to do it!

Japan is a country which we always fetishize, even in Singapore. Think about Dance Dance Revolution, Para Para, Japanese schoolgirl outfits, kawaii anime and manga. Not to mention all the Japanese-oriented youth sections that have opened up in places like Far East and Bugis, which are supposedly but pale imitations of Harajuku district in Tokyo.

The West is far worse in its depictions of Japan. Lost in Translation, The Last Samurai, Karate Kid, are but a few examples of how the supposed alien-ess of Japan is used to make a point.

That philosophical aside aside, i am interested in finding out how true these depictions are. I want to hear midi music in the underpass, singing bathtubs, strange Glay-inspired teens in Harajuku, the works.

Speaking of strange things, one of the faster growing sports in the US is synchronized ice skating for guys! And it started in Ann Arbor (the university town where I studied) half a century ago... To top it off, one of the guys who takes part in the New York Team is a 67 year old man, who retired at 55, tried painting in an ashram for 4 years, then took up synchronised ice skating after he realised that he sucked at it. Talk about bizarre sports. This is something that the director of Water boys and Swing Girls should make a movie about...

On a completely different topic, Gimble had its 8th anniversary concert last night! Gimble was my first acapella group, and it will always have a very special place in my heart. The friendships made were truly valuable ones, and I will always be thankful for the experiences and relationships forged in the 3 wonderful years there. I grew up tremendously, both musically and personally. Even the occasionally unpleasant episodes that are natural to any group of friends were great learning experiences for me. I learned to loosen up, to not have such a high and mighty view of my own importance (yeah i was a stuck up prig...), and these are lessons/truths that I have taken away with me.

It was tough to leave acapella behind upon coming back to Singapore, but after a while I realised it was time to move on. And lindy hop came along :) And I found yet another group of wonderful friends to hang out with. Bee, Oats, Footloose, HM, Mingers, Tra, DaSwingMan, Selena, L, WITSSH, Goldfish, Arie, C.... ha ha the list goes on.

I am grateful for these good friends in my life. Maybe that's a good note to end this post on.

Cheers!