It's been so long since I have sashayed to the beat of that ever so addictive thingy called salsa that I am having a withdrawal symptom.

Call it bad timing, but the thing is that there will always be something else I have to commit to on the days I am supposed to go for salsa.

Like tonight for instance.

Well, it was an anniversary dinner and somehow or other I had to attend. Was hoping to make an early getaway to make it in time for salsa class.

Somehow the dinner dragged and dragged and it was too late.

Oh, man.

And when I was on the way home, getting a lift from my salsa-loving friend, the streams of salsa and bacchata permeated into my ears from the car audio.

God, I really felt like dancing then.

I am in desperate need of someone to dance salsa with.

Shall we dance?

Parents can be so protective these days.

Kind of understandable but what I witnessed the other day on the MRT made me shake my head.

It was a weekday morning and as I stepped on to a crowded MRT train, I happened to see a girl who looked like a Secondary 1 student(well, I recognised her uniform to be one from a famous SAP school in the west)with someone whom I assumed was her mother.

Seemingly normal situation.

What the mother was doing did not seem that way to me.

She was perhaps on her way to work after sending her daughter off to school and on top of her own bag, she was also carrying her daughter's.

To top it all up, she was huddled around the 12 or 13-year-old kid, hand resting ever so protectively on her shoulder, as if she would be abducted by a strange man.

Oh, come on....

That phrase rang continuously in my head. She's no longer a defenceless, clueless kid fresh out of kindergarten into primary school but a 12-year-old who has just completed PSLE, who understands algebra, fractions, percentages, the concept of centre of gravity, knows how to distinguish between harmful and harmless insects and plants and the like.

And perhaps already starting to have a liking towards guys.

The cynical would probably say to me that it is the first few days of school and her mother was just probably sending her to school to make sure she doesn't get lost and all that.

Understandable, but is it really necessary to have to carry her schoolbag for her? And stand over her daughter as if she is still a bright-eyed toddler?

I remembered taking the bus by myself to class the moment I entered secondary school. No parents, no one to carry my stuff and all that.

Heck, if I were that girl, I would definitely cringe in embarrassment if my mum or dad would insist on helping me with my load.

That brings me to something.

Maybe I am just stubborn with too much pride.

Too much pride that I am not willing to ask for help even if that was really necessary and seemingly the only way out.

Perhaps I have been too caught up in my own world for too long to really appreciate the meaning of teamwork and working together, helping one another.

I don't really know.

What exactly do people look for in a life partner?

Or a lover?

Can these criteria ever be the same?

Is there ever such a thing as platonic friendship?

When a guy and a girl meet each other, become good friends and over the course of time either party develops romantic feelings towards the other, what is going to happen?

Sounds like a damned silly question but which way's better? Confessing the true feelings and jeopardise the solid friendship already in place between the two or just keeping mum about it?

Relationships are really hard to fathom.

What a weekend it has been.

The excitement of watching a soccer match live at the National Stadium with 55000 other people, the screaming, the euphoria following the first goal scored in our favour and of course after the final whistle...all that made the trip to Kallang worth it.

Well done, Lions. You fully deserve the victory. Now let's hope you don't lapse into complacency.

The high aside from watching soccer live at a packed stadium with screaming fans, it was salsa again after a 2-week hiatus.

Was a little rusty at first but once things got going, I couldn't stop dancing.

The theurapeutic effects of dancing...

Just contented

It's a Sunday and it is just pretty cool chilling out at home.

Was doing this yesterday too and I can't really remember the last time when I spent the entire weekend just holed up at home, with books, music, the computer and TV for company.

Kinda refreshing for a change. But I know I can't be doing this for too many weekends.

I know I have got to go out and have fun.

But nevertheless I'm just happy and contented to be in a state of vegetation this weekend, in the comfort of my home.

Contentment aside, I was glad and relieved someone I know was safe from the tsunami.

She kind of mentioned she would be in Phuket during the Christmas break and I sent her an SMS after the incident to see if she was okay. No reply came and I was kind of worried until this morning when her message came to say she was alright.

Turned out she left Phuket the day before the disaster struck. Lucky girl.

Oh yeah...

I just can't describe how relaxed I am feeling at the present moment.

The past week has been a little tense and I haven't really been out enjoying myself much.

A presentation yesterday and a test today was kind of enough to make me want to stay focussed for a while.

Yesterday's presentation proceeded rather okay, albeit with a few minor stutters along the way but nevertheless I didn't feel pissed with myself once it was over. The test today was the last one for my training course and I was just hoping to clear this and enjoy the coming weekend.

And fortunately I passed it...

It's kind of funny how you feel a little lost once something big is over and you are relieved of a big load. Like you are suddenly devoid of things to do, goals to attain and blah blah blah. But just for a short while.

Well, the immediate thing at hand now is to clear up some junk at home and then to hit the town for the weekend. Well, then again, chilling out at home doesn't really seem like a bad option either.

New beginnings

Now that all parties have ended, handshakes and hugs exchanged, hangovers cured and what have you, it's time to face up to the reality of a new year.

My oh my, how the previous year ended.

So it's time for us to keep to the resolutions that we may have set for ourselves, making sure that they are still in place even when July 2005 or Dec 2005 comes around.

I, for one, will stop procrastinating and have more early nights.

Good luck to one and all in the new year.

A New Year dawns

2005's here, whether you like it or not.

31 Dec 2004 was just like any other day.

Nice dinner with friends, followed by a trip down to Chijimes to attempt to soak in the atmostphere of the new year's countdown.

But try as I might, the mood of party-ing wasn't in my veins last night. I just couldn't get myself to laugh and shout with the rest, do the salsa with the masses or pose for pictures.

Perhaps the natural disaster last week was the main reason for that.

Or was it something else that was bothering me?

My heart goes out to those whose friends and loved ones perished in last week's disaster. May their spirit be strong and may they have the courage to move on.

Hope the new year brings with it new hopes and PLEASANT surprises for everyone.

Happy New Year.