Monday, December 31, 2012

Thank you, 2012! You've been awesome.

They say life begins at 30. I'm not one to believe in cliches, but I guess that statement applied to me. My 30th year has been one of the most memorable years of my life (so far). It also gave way to a lot of big changes. A crux at this stage, perhaps?

Yes, my friends, welcome to my annual year-ender blog post, version 2012.

January

On the first month of the year, I was in the middle of rehearsing a couple of one-act plays under Tanghalang Pilipino. Instead of the usual one play, the company took 4 one-act plays (in sets of 2) from previous Virgin Labfest seasons, called it Eyeball, and used that for their season ender. I was assistant stage manager in Eyeball's set B, and we did Isang Araw sa Karnabal and Maliw (while set A had Doc Resureccion and Bakit Wala Nang Nagtatagpo sa Philcoa Oberpas). The plays opened at the beginning of the month without a hitch on our end. Eventually I somewhat accumulated a cough and lost my voice in the process. But hey, anything for the arts, right?

February

While I was in the middle of vocal rest, I got a text from Anna about a project under Hendri for Little Boy Productions. It was a touring show of Children's Letters To God, which was to be staged in Cebu and Dumaguete. Of course, one of my resolutions for the year was to travel, and with this opportunity, I get to do so and at the same time, get paid for doing something I love.

So while I was about to close Eyeball under TP during the weekend, I was also rehearsing for Children's Letters To God during the weekdays. I love the people in this crowd. The small cast and crew all had good vibes. We flew to Cebu one weekend for 3 shows, then flew to Dumaguete the next weekend for another round of shows. Wherever we went, we were well-fed and we had such a blast in each other's company. So many perks came with the show, as that's how much Hendri loves us, hahaha. We got to swim with the whale sharks, got complimentary foot spas and full-body massages in Cebu, and went around the entire city eating and drinking one night away in Dumaguete.

March

Nothing much happened this month, but one highlight was that I finally got to buy my own ladies' bicycle (which I hardly ride anymore). Plus after several years, I got together with Lexi (even if it's just for lunch hour). It's great to see friends that you haven't seen in a long time and you just talk all the time away to catch up. And as I type this, she's finally Mrs. Pantaleon, as she got married to her man just the other day in Bacolod. Best wishes, Lexi!

April

I got to visit Bacolod this month with Bianca, Jill, Ikey, Nicco, Nar, and Hendri. One of our objectives upon going there was to check out venues for a Bacolod run of Children's Letters To God, as Bianca's mom was interested to produce it there after watching one of our Dumaguete shows. And of course, while we were there, why not go around and tour the place, right? We pigged out on chicken inasal, visited the Ruins, checked out the Panaad festival, and went to Carbin Reef for beach (well, sandbar, really) time. I always have so much fun whenever I'm with these guys.

This month also marked the beginning of a big change in routine in my life. Dancing was introduced. First, I joined Tin (one of my close friends at work) during one of her Saturday morning trips to CCP for those "free" aerodance classes littered all over the grounds. Then I even attended a couple of Dingdong's Sh'bam classes in ATC. At first, I was thinking of doing it to prep my body for the summer. Then I saw an ad that my friend Anne posted on Facebook about a new dance studio in Makati, and they were offering ballroom classes. I considered it, because ballroom dancing has always been a frustration of mine for years, and to think I almost got into it 4 years ago, but couldn't find the right opportunity (and budget). Why not start now? I sent emails back and forth with the studio, and decided to check out one of their sampling classes.

After one sampling class with Ian at Big Shift Studios, I was pretty much set. I immediately enrolled and was taking classes 6 days a week. Even though I could use my class passport on any class, I spent all my units on ballroom. There were times that I was dancing with beginners, but most of the time I was dancing with Ian's advanced students, and heck, even the other teachers of Big Shift joined in. One of the most interesting parts of it all is that I decided to start using my given name in this world. At first it felt odd to hear being called Christine again, but now I'm getting used to it.

May

I was having so much fun in class, that I actually considered taking it seriously. At first, I thought it was a phase, but when I realized that I was keen on learning about the dances more than when I was studying acting in previous workshops, that's when I knew that this was it. I found what I love doing. I even said a couple of times that it was a blessing in disguise that TP didn't offer the Rehearsals and Performance Techniques workshop, so I could take this class instead.

Another realization during this month was the fact that it didn't bother me at all anymore that an old flame had a new object of affection. I was actually happy for him, and made me appreciate him more as a friend and as an ex-boyfriend, because I knew that his behavior towards the girl was how he was with me before, and he let the whole show how happy he was.

June

This month was the first time I had to perform in front of an audience as a dancer, not as an actor. Yep, it was my first dance recital. Well, the event was technically a recital, but labeled as a "dance showdown party," showcasing all the Big Shift students in their dance genres. I performed a chachacha routine with Ian, Ate Helen, Abby, Bernard and Bon. I was pretty nervous before we had to do it in front of everyone, because I couldn't make the choreo stick, and my technique was visibly poorer than the other 2 ladies (heck, they were advanced students). But I have to admit, once the music started for our segment, I forgot how nervous I was and just went with it. And I had fun.

Considering taking ballroom dancing classes was a big change for me, I made a big leap during this month. I was supposed to be involved in 2 productions under TP this season, and because I suddenly decided to focus on ballroom more, I resigned from both projects. I knew it was a big risk considering I was getting paid to work in theater (don't get me wrong, I still love theater), and I was passing off these work opportunities to spend more money on ballroom classes, I knew I need to do something for myself.

July

From 6 days a week, my ballroom classes got reduced to 3 days a week when the new season started. It was still not bad, so I had more time for myself. So I got to watch all 5 sets of this year's Virgin Labfest. The last time I watched all Labfest sets were back when I was still an SM for one of the plays, and that was about 4 years ago.

I also got exposed to the world of dancesport this month, as I got to watch the DSCPI Midyear Ranking and Competition at the Ultra. Ian and Ate Helen were competing then, as well as Bon and his own partner. I can't believe I was there from morning until the evening, and managed to sit through all the Latin and standard events. I was amazed at all the participants. And I got to hang out with them after the entire event was over, so I got some words of advice from each of them, from the most mundane to the most blunt ones.

August

Like the month before, I got to watch a whole bunch of Cinemalaya films during this month. Yep, I loved having so much time and spending it for myself this year. I noticed how freer I was this year compared to last year's hectic schedule, juggling 2 jobs in different fields.

For another season, I got introduced to another ballroom teacher that Big Shift had hired. When I attended his sampling class, Julius had a different and distinct teaching style, and I got pretty curious when he mentioned syllabus and exams, because I never knew that those applied to ballroom when I was under Ian. As I had learned later, there's a difference between open classes and syllabus classes.

September

Most of the time, I was usually the only student in Ian's class for this month. He kept introducing me to more and more advanced techniques, and I just had to keep up with all of them. I once attended Julius' class (the only one before it got dissolved), and during that one class, he mostly focused on my basic technique, saying that he'll leave the advanced stuff to Ian.

Other than that, I got to have a pseudo-performance this month. I got to dance with Ian at a joint birthday party of Big Shift's big bosses. We recreated our entire chachacha routine from the summer recital, and modified the last part, ending it with me in a low dip. I was even more stressed about this performance than the recital, probably because it was just me and Ian, instead of a whole group. And to add to it, Ian was more hard on me so I can push myself to be better. But it kind of worked in the end, because Ian did notice I was more confident in the performance compared to my first recital.

I reconnected with my theater roots by watching more plays this month. I got to see Walang Sugat, The Phantom of The Opera, and Potted Potter, then helped out in 9Works' auditions for their upcoming productions.

And of course, there was also the Bacolod run of Children's Letters To God! 3 shows in Bacolod in just one day. It was just a short trip, but each tour of this production always gives me a happy heart.

October

New month, new exposure. I tried out a beginner's pole class at Polecats Manila, and realized that pole dancing is no joke. So much body strength is required, and you have to live with all the bruises that you end up getting. The experience was fun and interesting, and I was grateful for the opportunity, but I never got to come back for a second class as I felt safer dancing with my feet planted on the floor.

I watched another DSCPI competition this month, this time at the Ninoy Aquino stadium. Of course, I was there again to support Ian, Ate Helen and Bon, but I also wanted to go because I wanted to watch all the great dancers again. They even had a new event, the Latin Wheelchair competition, and they danced as awesomely as those who can dance with both feet.

I ran into Julius after the whole event, and he invited me to join a class at Makati Cinema Square. Because ballroom wasn't being offered at Big Shift anymore, I decided to give it a shot. That was when I was introduced to the world of Le Bran and met Brando and Val, and I found out about the syllabus classes at Dancing Queen studio (under Le Bran Fitness Experts). Aside from Le Bran, I took a few one-on-one classes with Julius for the Bronze medal class, so I could catch up with the Bronze bar medal class the following month.

November

Bronze bar classes for Latin under Brando began this month. I learned that in the syllabus class, everyone is in the same level, unlike in the open class Ian had at Big Shift. I also realized that even though I know the basic footwork, especially in the chachacha, I still had a lot to learn in terms of technique, which was discussed in detail at every session. And I actually liked how it was taught to us. So yes, like I had picked up before in theater, I had to learn, unlearn, and re-learn.

I also got to watch a syllabus competition this month, under PDTA. It was their first syllabus competition, actually, and it was very educational for me. Compared to the DSCPI competitions, it was comforting for me that there were familiar faces to say hello to, as the scholars I knew from Le Bran were participating in the competition. Because it was PDTA's first syllabus competition, they bagged award after award, as there weren't a lot of participants yet.

December

This month marked my first medals exam experience. At first, I wasn't really required to take it yet, but because of my eagerness and how I sort wanted it to happen, I was told to take the exam for the Bronze level anyway, along with the other examinees in the class. So I ended up practicing with my assigned dance partner, Alvin, outside our class hours, just so I can prep up for the exam. I took every note to heart, from my footwork, to my hip movements, to the connection with the partner, to presenting myself from beginning until the end. I was a whole bunch of nerves before the exam, right on until the last few minutes before I stepped on the floor. But once I first stepped onto that dance floor, I gave a 100 percent performance level, and never collapsed until after I had made my exit. I got some pretty good notes when Brando had talked to me the day after the exam, and I'm somewhat looking forward to my report card because of that.

I turned 31 this month, and celebrated it by having lunch with a few good friends (plus a friend-zoned one at that, haha! Love ya, Choobie!) then watching Camp Rock with them immediately after. Then I capped the night by attending the CAS Christmas party, and I was glad I managed to catch up because I didn't realize that I bagged a lot awards at work for this year. Not bad for someone who once had lousy monitoring scores on her birthday a couple of years ago, hahaha!

I also started taking the standard ballroom class (Bronze) under Belinda (Brando's sister) this month, upon Val's encouragement. And I'm actually having more fun learning it than I had expected.

I also got to experience what social dancing was really like, when I had attended the studio's Christmas party last week. Those scholars we always dance with in class didn't stop offering us to dance the whole time, which I didn't mind really, as it was also a sneaky way of reviewing the dances that we had learned in class, so I had a blast.


As usual, Lara did a card reading for me for the year.

NINE OF PENTACLES

Accomplishment, refinement, independence, self-reliance, being resourceful, knowing you are in control of the situation, financial or material security, enjoying the finer pleasures of life, an inner sense of security, acting on your own, self discipline.

A mission has been accomplished. You are ready to enjoy yourself, indulge in your success and know that your way is the right way. As a result of your recent efforts in work or in your love life, you have a greater sense of self reliance and independence. You feel secure in yourself. You can control your feelings and demonstrate that you are not ruled by your unconscious doubts and fears. You are free to do as you please as long as you are down to earth and take responsibility for your actions.

Lara, I still don't know how you do it. Not to rationalize or anything, but this is the most accurate reading that you had ever done. I took a big risk in resigning from my projects in theater to pursue something else that I've always wanted to do that I couldn't afford to do in the past. And even it was impulsive in the very beginning, I'm glad I made this choice for myself. Even though I was tempted to consult certain people, they let me decide on my own. Heck, the one who knew me best already knew I didn't have to ask for his opinion and I could decide what was best for me, and he did admit that he's happy I found something I'm really passionate about. There are some (well, OK, a lot of) people who were actually surprised about what I decided to get myself into, because they had never thought that I had it in me to suddenly shift gears and take a different road.

Yogi Berra of the NY Yankees once said, "When you come to a fork in the road, take it." This crazy quote is actually a joke, one of the baseball player's stupid but witty sayings, but if you think about it one more time, it's somewhat a metaphor for trying to recognize an opportunity when faced with a pivotal life decision. Well played, Yogi Berra.

So despite that big leap to change career paths, I'm glad I took it. I'm happier at what I do now, and it amuses me that people do notice that I am enjoying what I'm doing.

I end this with another quote, this time from a musical that made its mark in me this year. In the song "Thirteen," sung by character Brett Williams in Children's Letters to God, he said, "So many changes in one year... Wonder what next year will bring."

2012, you've been nothing but awesome to me. Here's to looking forward to 2013. Have a happy new year, everyone!

Monday, December 24, 2012

On the standard discipline, and social dancing at a party.

A couple of weeks ago, Val encouraged me to attend Belinda's standard class, saying that it's better that I'm exposed to both Latin American and standard ballroom disciplines, while I'm still in the Bronze level. It was scheduled every Friday evening, both the Bronze Latin and the Bronze standard.

I checked it out a couple of Fridays ago. Because I was somewhat confused with the schedule, plus I had encountered a teeny bit of a traffic jam, I arrived at Makati Cinema Square at 6pm, half an hour after the class had started. I had also thought that the Bronze Latin was the first class, because that's what I heard from Val, but when I got to the downstairs studio, they were already halfway through the Bronze standard class. I immediately tried to catch up with the middle-aged ladies as we learned the first 4 figures in the syllabus.

Maui had told me in passing that I should also get standard ballroom shoes made. I just smiled and chuckled in reply. I don't think I can afford to have another pair of shoes made just yet.

After that hour was done, I joined them upstairs in a much smaller studio for the Bronze Latin class. Ended up dancing with the students, and then I stuck around a little bit longer and watched Belinda, Maui, Brando, Val, Joemari and Kimmy rehearse for a show.

I decided to attend the class again this past Friday. Because I kept mixing the schedules up, I arrived at the studio 15 minutes before the class began. This time the Latin class was up for the first hour, so I ended up sitting in and dancing with the 3 other students.

While we were dancing the chachacha with Maui as my partner, he told me about the syllabus competition in February, which Joemari had also mentioned the day before. He encouraged me to join, and I said that I'm not sure yet if I can, and if I'm even confident enough to do so.

I realized that it's really tricky to immediately shift from Latin American ballroom to standard. In Latin, we were required to turn out our feet. But in the standard discipline, the feet has to be parallel. Just when I'm getting used to turning out my feet, this comes in, hahaha.

Anyway, we then reviewed the 4 figures that we had learned from last week, then Belinda added 4 more figures. It took me a while to remember them, but amazingly enough, I actually got the hang of it.

After the class, my feet kind of hurt, and it was probably because I was wearing the wrong kind of shoes for the dance. This time, it was Belinda's turn to tell me to get standard ballroom shoes as well, saying maganda ang sayaw ko. I was pretty flattered by that, but of course, I still can't afford the new shoes. My measurements, though, are already with Ate Paula, plus the design that I had in mind, so if ever I can have it made, I can just text her to give the go signal to have it made.

Val then came up to me and gave me a couple of notes on my chachacha, because I seem to have some trouble recovering from the New York. She corrected my technique my telling me to keep the inner part of my feet, including the heels, down. She said that she wanted to correct me right away because my other moves were already kind of good. Really? My, how flattering. I'm loving all these compliments.

As if that wasn't enough, while I was watching Brando choreograph a group of middle-aged ladies a dance for their Christmas party, Myrone had mentioned na mas gagaling ako sa standard, kasi bagay yung structure ng katawan ko dun, plus madali raw ako dalhin. Apparently there are some ladies who, even with their thin figures, feel heavy when dancing.

So maybe I'm beginning to enjoy the waltz, but that's only one dance in the standard discipline. There's 3 more. Can I absorb all of them while still studying Latin American ballroom?

I also attended the Christmas party at the studio last Saturday night. I was feeling kind of festive, so I ended up wearing that red-and-white dress that Rosa gave me. Upon arriving at the venue, the scholars greeted me at the door, and I haven't sat on my chair for a few minutes when the guys were already getting us (my Korean classmates were already there) to dance. I willingly went along, considering this is also good practice for class. The catch was I didn't even bother to bring my dancing shoes. Thank goodness I wore my wedges instead of my regular heeled shoes, so I was still kind of comfortable when I danced with each of the guys. It was pretty fun, just dancing with these people. So this was social dancing, ahahaha.

Brando asked if I can do some voice-over duties for the dance show's curtain call, and I obliged. The program started, and I was just in awe with most of the performances. Val once mentioned a few days ago that hopefully I could join them for one occasion in the future. Why not? Hahaha.

More dancing (and even camwhoring) ensued after the show, and I was back on the dance floor. These guys never stop, but I was having fun anyway.

Only a few hours before Christmas day. Hope you guys are having a very Merry Christmas.

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

3-1.

Like last year, I didn't really have anything planned on my birthday to celebrate. True, I was thinking of doing a couple of things, and I always make a point to do one thing for myself on my birthday. (The year before last, I watched Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader, then last year I joined Carlos Celdran's Imelda tour in CCP. I went to both alone.) For this year, I was either thinking of watching the Philippine Madrigal Singers concert in CCP, or Repertory Philippines' closing show of Camp Rock. There was also the CAS party in the evening, but I did tell my team leader that I wasn't sure if I was doing to attend because of the personal special occasion, which she understood.

The day before my birthday, I got a text from Jill, asking if I'd like to watch Camp Rock with her, Bianca, and Ikey. That finally made me decide. Sure, better to watch with friends instead of going alone, so I said yes.

Come Sunday morning, I first attended Misa de Gallo with my parents, as I haven't done so in the past 2 years because I was working. Then I slept the rest of the morning off before heading out to Greenbelt for lunch with Jill, Bianca, and Ikey. Jill was the first one in Cyma when I arrived, and Bianca arrived a few minutes later. When Ikey arrived (with his beer waiting for him at his seat, as we ordered it to surprise him) and immediately greeted me a happy birthday, the 2 girls were so surprised to find out that it was my birthday that very day, as I never said anything about it, hahaha.

We started off with some spinach and artichoke fondue and some roka pasta, then we all ended up ordering the same thing: the salmon. So many quips of "healthy-healthihan", "salmon-salmonan", and "lemon-lemonan" abound, hahaha.

No, we didn't get dessert, but of course, upon realizing that it was my birthday, they did ask for that special (and free, haha) dessert and greeting for birthday celebrants. Hilarious. "Opa!" ("Gangnam style," we add.)

We then headed off to Greenbelt 1 to get our tickets at OnStage for Camp Rock, then we hung around for a while at the candy store next to the theater. Jill wanted to get something for her sister (who's part of the cast) other than flowers, and decided on a Nerd stuffed toy. Yes, those cute little characters on the box of Nerds candy. Super cute, I want one of myself, hahaha.

While we were still hanging out at the candy store, the funniest thing happened. As there was a school who bought part of the show, the kids were all lined up outside the theater. A few kids came up to Ikey and asked if he was from Kitchen Musical. There we go, once he confirmed that he was, suddenly a huge wave of kids mobbed him for autographs and photo ops, which took quite a while as Jill, Bianca and I looked on in amusement.

Onward to Camp Rock. Oh, the energy of the youth. So much dancing and energy all throughout the show. And this goes to show how old we are, as Jill's younger sister Justine is already an "ate" in the cast, while we had no clue what most of the songs were unless we had heard it already from kids. Oh, the youth. But props to you guys for keeping so much energy during the entire show, especially considering it's the closing show. Congrats to everyone!

Ikey got mobbed for more autographs and photos a couple more times after the show, and after a little more chitchat, all 4 of us headed our own separate ways.

I then went off to TGI Fridays in Glorietta for the CAS Christmas party. Sent a text to Jo and Julie saying that I would be dropping by. Yay, I was allowed to barge in. Joined my fellow Blue Griffins at our tables, as a bunch of people greeted me a happy birthday. Faye told me to stay until the awards. I wondered why, and I found out later.

After the buffet dinner, the program began. This year's Christmas party theme was K-Pop. No offense, but this was one reason why I didn't want to go, as I'm not really into K-Pop. Please, QEs, can I suggest a more original theme for next year?

Anyway, each team was required to perform, replicating a K-Pop group's music video. Our team did Sorry, Sorry by Super Junior. Super hilarious, as this is the first time in my entire 2-year stay in the company that all the teams went all out in their performances. Everyone did so well.

There were awards given out after every 2 teams' performance, and this was when I found out why Faye wanted me to stay. I bagged not just one award for this year, but FOUR! Hate Late, Clean Slate, Best in Productivity, and one of the Top 11 Agents of the year! Haha, Tom even quipped that it was my recognition day that day because of the awards I got. And Carla got pretty creative, as she used 4 different Facebook profile photos for each of my awards whenever they were shown on the projector.

OK, so I guess I'm glad I did attend the Christmas party, despite the fact that it was my birthday. I had so much fun and laughs.

And all in all, this was one of the funnest birthdays I had. And not just that, so many things had happened this year, which makes me look forward to more on my 32nd year. Huwaw, 31 years old. Yes, believe it. =P

Saturday, December 15, 2012

On my first medal exam.

I'm the most awkward person, even just while standing up. I may not have the poise that other ladies have. Heck, I'm also very accident-prone. And I have no prior training nor even knowledge in dance whatsoever before I took up ballroom dancing about 8 months ago.

So even with one summer recital and one little psuedo-performance under my belt, I was very nervous about my first medal exam for Bronze in Latin ballroom last Tuesday.

Alvin and I had been practicing together in the studio as much as we could the week before, and I knew what I needed to work more on, as long as I stick to it.

I left work an hour early on Tuesday morning, then met up with Rach (thanks for recommending her, JB!) at RCBC so we could go to Makati Cinema Square together. I was glad she was a very bubbly and chatty person, as I needed that to forget all my nerves while prepping up for the exam.

When we arrived at the studio, the others were already having their hair and makeup done in front of the big mirror. Rach and I settled on the other mirror on one side of the floor and got started on my makeup. I loved her stuff, and she did a really good job on my makeup. Even though I was a little antsy when she was doing her final touches, her bubbly demeanor did ease things up a bit, even though I was the very last one to be finished with makeup and last to get dressed (didn't do much to my hair except slick it back with lots of hairspray). I just had to laugh when I saw Alvin dressed in black pants and a red top, because it was obvious we didn't talk about coordinating our clothes before the exam, as I had brought a two-tone blue ensemble.



Why is it that I can't get the schedules right? I hear one thing, and it's actually another. Like for instance, I was told of the Latin and Standard class yesterday, at 5:30pm and 6:30pm respectively. And when I arrived at 6pm, it was the Standard that had the 5:30 class and the Latin came right after. Anyway, it happened that very Tuesday. I heard from Val the week before that the exam was at 1pm, call time at 10am. Call time was correct, but then while I was having my makeup done, I heard that the exam would start at around 11am. Huwat? Thank goodness I only told a handful of people, but of course that would still be a hassle. I immediately messaged Rosa about the time, and she managed to make it, even though she didn't get to see my own dance.

Anyway, moving on.

When everyone was ready, Val did a company call for all the examinees. As it turned out, examiner Paul Harris couldn't make it. In his place, Brando would be the one to grade us, which was good news, Val had said. Haha, we joked that it was sort of bad news, because he was already our teacher, and knew all of our weaknesses, so he knew what to watch out for in every one of us. After a little prayer, Alvin and I ran through our chachacha and rumba one last time before settling with the other examinees on stage right (of the dance floor, anyway) where the sequence was. I was the third to dance in Bronze Latin. Number 3, my favorite number, hahaha.

When the Bronze Latin began, I started pushing the walls to get rid of excess nervous energy, then closed my eyes when the 2nd examinee (was it Minnie? I forgot) started their rumba. When I was called out, I immediately put my "game face" on and projected my best smile as I walked out to the floor with Alvin. "Let's do this!" I remember shouting in my head.

When the music began, I remember that I wasn't thinking about the steps nor the technique anymore. Heck, I already knew this, so why the hell was I so nervous in the first place? I was just merely dancing my ass off. And I suddenly felt that the smile on my face was already genuine because I was having fun out there. This is my moment, I said. I'm not one to call attention to myself, but I was really enjoying my moments out there on the floor. From the energetic chachacha to the slow rumba, I gave it all I got.

With a "Do you want more?" smile on my face as I made my final bow, Alvin and I exited with poise. Once I was off the dance floor, even though my smile was real out there, it was actually pretty tiring. Hahaha. I hung out in the gallery area (the old balcony area when the venue was still a cinema) with the other examinees who were already finished, and watched the rest of the exams.

Rosa arrived when the scholars were done with their own exams, and it was just the Bronze Bar (for Mitzi) and Silver (for Val) left. Talked the dances out for her to orient her on what dance it was and what was going on.

After everyone was done, it was time for photos. Group photos, then photos for each examinee and their partner, then more group photos (as Miss Luz wasn't around for the first round of group photos).








Congratulations galore from the teachers, and when Brando approached me, he said that I did a strong performance. That comment made my day.

After Le Bran class on Wednesday morning, as Minnie, Mitzi and I were there, we were each given 5 minutes with Brando to discuss our exam results. During my turn, he first congratulated me for my performance. He said that I knew how to present myself from the very beginning, as I kept my performance level up from when I first walked into the dance floor right on until after I had walked out. Then he mentioned that I have strong knees, and I must really look at it as a strength rather than a weakness (as I sometimes fail to lock my knees). I got a grade of Very Good, which is pretty suitable because I still have so much on regarding my footwork on the chachacha. The rumba was a different story. I got a grade of Honors/Honorable Mention, which was the 2nd highest grade (which was Distinction), and I was mighty proud of that. My only note was that I have to focus on my balance. Overall, I was darn proud of myself. I didn't get a grade of Distinction, but at least I knew I did my best and I did pretty well for my first medal exam.

I'm going to keep this up until I reach the Gold level. Let's do this!

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

My birthday/Christmas wishlist.

Christmas is less than two weeks away, but before that happens, I'm hitting the big 3-1! Big huwaw, can you believe it?

Anyway, I'm not really the type who makes wishlists, nor really asks for anything much, but please, indulge me just this once. Or better yet, please do make me happy and get at least one of the following for me. Hahaha!

My birthday/Christmas wishlist (in random order):

  • A ticket to the Philippine Madrigal Singers concert in CCP on the weekend of my birthday
  • A new Starbucks tumbler
  • An iPod Touch 5th generation (or 4th gen would be fine, though it annoys me to death when people call it an iTouch. WTH?)
  • An iPhone wouldn't hurt also, or a Samsung Galaxy S3
  • A more decent digital camera
  • A new pair of earphones (not earplugs, nor headphones, please)
  • A 1-terabyte hard drive
  • A smaller laptop that I can lug around instead of my 17-inch one
  • That pretty strapless little black dress that I saw at the Ramp
  • A pair of classic black Dr. Martens boots
  • A Bop It! game
  • A Cluedo board game
  • A navy blue Longchamp bag
  • A decent makeup kit (as I really need to learn to do my own makeup for certain events. Yeah.)
  • An "I <3 Nerds" hoodie (or even a T-shirt will do) from David and Goliath (though they don't sell it here)
  • A classic Mickey Mouse stuffed toy (yes, the one where he's just wearing his trademark red shorts and yellow shoes)
  • A weekend at a spa would be nice
  • Another sponsor to continue my ballroom classes. PLEASE. I really do need this.
  • How about that "real date" I had mused about on Twitter? Hahaha!

Will probably edit this if ever I come up with anything else, ahehehe. =P

How's everyone's day going?

Saturday, December 8, 2012

An exam.

I've been coming in to the studio every day this past week. It's been about 5 months since I last danced at least an hour a day. And for this week, I've been doing it for 2 hours daily.

Thursday of last week, Brando made an announcement in class that there will be an exam for us. An examiner from the UK will be coming in to watch us dance and grade us for our respective levels. At first, I thought they were going to delay my own exam for next month, but Brando would have to check first if I'm already ready to take it.

So I came in the following day, as our pre-assigned partners were all coming to the studio. My partner was Alvin, who I remembered competed with Myrone in the individual male Latin category in last month's PDTA syllabus competition. I still needed a lot of work on my technique, and Alvin focused on my weaknesses with Brando checking up on all of us. When the practice session was over, Brando finally said that I can take the Bronze exam along with the rest of the girls in the class. Being the only Filipina in the class (most of them are Korean ladies, and then there's one Japanese lady), it was easy for the teacher to give me notes on the spot, pinpointing all my mistakes, while he had to wait for the others to listen to him as a group so they could also get their own notes. Because I was easily singled out all the time, I still felt like a novice in class.

So because I needed so much work, I decided to come to the studio every day, even for Le Bran. I can work a little on my technique during dance fitness, then polish wherever needed during the Bronze Bar class or during practice sessions with Alvin. There are times when I get so frustrated because I still don't have the consistency in my footwork, and I even felt kind of sorry for Alvin for getting stuck with me as his partner. But props to him for being so patient with me.

When I had rehearsed after Le Bran yesterday, we (one of the other Korean ladies also came in to practice with her own partner), I was finally told to actually perform, as I always had a look of concentration because I was thinking of the technique, so I tend to forget to smile. I needed to commit more on my performance, forget about trying to do the right technique, and just let go.

Most of us came to the studio today (Saturday) to rehearse the sequence of the exam program, as the emcee would be there to rehearse as well. I was kind of overwhelmed because the other scholars were there too, but I guess I was glad that I won't be the only one taking the Latin Bronze exam. Imagine what it would feel like if I was in Mitzi's place, who was the lone entry in Bronze Bar.

Anyway, I finally got the feel of the actual floor that we would be dancing on, and we rehearsed our entrances and exits. I have to admit, I felt kind of confident when I made my entrance earlier, but I sure hope I can do it as well on Tuesday. So many emotions are battling it out inside me now that the big day is nearing. Excited, nervous, anxious, scared even.

But I can do this. I know I can.