It's been awhile!
All the Hurricane Sandy craziness made me think of how I was just enjoying the NYC Salsa Congress last month. So I went through my camera.
And emptied it.
Because ...
I'm going to Cuba!!!!
To dance and learn and dance and learn :) It's been a dream of mine to do this in Cuba. I had my last chance to do it with a Cuban-style dance school here so I couldn't resist. I leave next Sunday. 16 hours of private training with a Cuban professional in one week. In a land overflowing with rhythm, sensuality and flavour. The freaking roots of salsa. I don't think I'll be the same when I come back!
Just 1.4 more weeks of work. Speaking of which, so far so good. The slope of my learning curve is ever rising but it helps when those around you are competent and sincere. It really does.
I've been on a non-fiction reading spree lately. The last work of fiction I read was Cloud Atlas (beautiful book - the variety of character and feel is mind blowing). Then I delved into Escape from Davao, which gave me a new fascination about WWII. While reading it I kept thinking the two halves of me were somewhere, unjoined, in the Philippines at that very period of time. I had to write my grandma because I kept thinking of her. If my other grandparents were still around I would have definitely written them too, may they rest in peace. I couldn't stop imagining their lives and what they must have seen. My mom was born and raised in Mindanao ... where the soldiers struggled with the heat and humidity and the living things that scraped and bit. My very own ancestors on both sides suffered at the hands of the Japanese. The book made it so much more palpable.
Next up is the Master of Disguise.. written by the former CIA agent that was portrayed in Argo (fantastic movie).
Oh! And the Talent Code was also pretty fascinating. I was on a "oh it's mostly genetic" train of thought for a while (especially after reading things like the Blank Slate) but the Talent Code had me thinking some more in the other direction. The more you practice the better you get of course, but there's also more to that. The igniting of a spark ... the maintaining of a spark ... the focus. I know I have to sharpen and narrow my focus (focuses? foci?). I think I'm at the point where if I add any more activities to my plate ... then OPA! Crash. So difficult for me though - I hate feeling deprived.
However I am great at depriving myself of sleep. Which is something I'm trying to fight (and am so very painfully reminded of in the mornings). So before I go, Happy Halloween!!! I leave you with my first non-salsa Halloween costume in several years. It took us 4.5 hours :) Yip-yip-yip-yip.
All the Hurricane Sandy craziness made me think of how I was just enjoying the NYC Salsa Congress last month. So I went through my camera.
And emptied it.
Because ...
I'm going to Cuba!!!!
To dance and learn and dance and learn :) It's been a dream of mine to do this in Cuba. I had my last chance to do it with a Cuban-style dance school here so I couldn't resist. I leave next Sunday. 16 hours of private training with a Cuban professional in one week. In a land overflowing with rhythm, sensuality and flavour. The freaking roots of salsa. I don't think I'll be the same when I come back!
Just 1.4 more weeks of work. Speaking of which, so far so good. The slope of my learning curve is ever rising but it helps when those around you are competent and sincere. It really does.
I've been on a non-fiction reading spree lately. The last work of fiction I read was Cloud Atlas (beautiful book - the variety of character and feel is mind blowing). Then I delved into Escape from Davao, which gave me a new fascination about WWII. While reading it I kept thinking the two halves of me were somewhere, unjoined, in the Philippines at that very period of time. I had to write my grandma because I kept thinking of her. If my other grandparents were still around I would have definitely written them too, may they rest in peace. I couldn't stop imagining their lives and what they must have seen. My mom was born and raised in Mindanao ... where the soldiers struggled with the heat and humidity and the living things that scraped and bit. My very own ancestors on both sides suffered at the hands of the Japanese. The book made it so much more palpable.
Next up is the Master of Disguise.. written by the former CIA agent that was portrayed in Argo (fantastic movie).
Oh! And the Talent Code was also pretty fascinating. I was on a "oh it's mostly genetic" train of thought for a while (especially after reading things like the Blank Slate) but the Talent Code had me thinking some more in the other direction. The more you practice the better you get of course, but there's also more to that. The igniting of a spark ... the maintaining of a spark ... the focus. I know I have to sharpen and narrow my focus (focuses? foci?). I think I'm at the point where if I add any more activities to my plate ... then OPA! Crash. So difficult for me though - I hate feeling deprived.
However I am great at depriving myself of sleep. Which is something I'm trying to fight (and am so very painfully reminded of in the mornings). So before I go, Happy Halloween!!! I leave you with my first non-salsa Halloween costume in several years. It took us 4.5 hours :) Yip-yip-yip-yip.
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