What is compatibility?

Is there such a thing as "somebody out there who is right for you and nobody else is" ?

That unless you find this person, or this person appears in your life, whoever you are going to meet and date would not suit you and things would never work out no matter how hard you are ever going to try.

These thoughts appeared in my head after a talk with a friend over drinks today.

That everybody has their own type suited for them.

More often than not we tend to let our heart rule over our minds when it comes to relationships. We forget and lose focus about what we are looking for and just act irrationally.

Is that the right thing?

Or is that how relationships should be governed? Ruled by the heart and one's own gut feel?

Do you still want to try and make things work, to go that extra mile and take it a step futher despite rationalising everything and knowing deep down you are never ever going to find yourself laughing with that person 30, 40 years on this day down the road, both old and grey-haired and both sharing the same bed?

I am so confused.

Lady Salsa!

Hadn't expected myself to be able to catch Lady Salsa.

There was so much hype about it, about how good it is that I felt I had to go watch it.

But it was on a limited run and it seemed with work and other things in the way, I might have to give it a miss.

Was a little disappointed with that but somehow an appointment that I was supposed to have was cancelled and suddenly, the prospect of being able to catch this musical seemed possible.

So it was a last minute attempt to get tickets and ask my friend along for it.

It was good.

The music, the choreography, the passion and expression manifested in the dancers' faces.

It really brought Havana right into Singapore.

The ending could have been better though.

Well, all said, I was glad I got a chance to catch it.

Just cleared up a misunderstanding with a friend.

Not something I would like to find myself in, but somehow it happened.

And the thing was, not a single shout or argument preceding it.

Guess the reason behind it all was something I had written in this blog.

I was in a mild state of distress thinking about the trouble I had caused after finding out what had happened between the two of us. It was a lot of guessing here and there.

Which can be rather mentally tiring.

I felt quite bad about it and in the end, it was my friend who took the initiative to clear the hazy air enveloping all this.

Well, I am just happy that we are both cool about it now.

And our friendship perhaps strengthened as a result.

I don't know what to say about myself.

Incompetent or just plain unlucky.

Luck plays an important factor sometimes but could it all be just down to my abilities? Nobody really knows, even myself.

Right now, I am just feeling real low.

May I get out of this valley of unhappiness soon.

How do you ever read signals from the opposite sex?

All us human beings may be unique, but when it comes to deciphering that enigma called body language, can it just be broadly classified into two generic groups, by differences of gender?

Have encountered a number of articles online regarding this and most of it seems to point to that.

To be frank, I would rate myself pretty low in my ability to decipher this seemingly mysterious code.

Gosh, I wish I could do better.

Then things wouldn't be so complicated.

But then again, life ain't meant to be simple, isn't it?

Yet another February 14 just passed us.

I suppose this day would, to a lot of guys out there with that special someone in their lives mean moments of hysteria and pandemonium as they scramble to get that bouquet of champagne-coloured roses, that box of chocolates and that hand-made card done and to find enough saga seeds to fill up that heart-shaped container and try desperately to secure a reservation at a nice, cosy restaurant perfect for that intimate talk over a romantic, candle-lit dinner.

I wasn't involved in any of the above pursuits.

The night was spent in total pandemonium, but with my notes, grappling with principles and concepts that were force-fed to me.

Concepts that would normally take a couple of months to appreciate but unwittingly, which we were forced to absorb and digest in a matter of a fortnight and to apply them in a test the following day.

It was total madness, I thought.

My brain is not a sponge, I was crying out.

So the test went ahead and I was just glad it was over.

Would probably manage a pass but not a good one. Strange questions being set. I could have sworn the instructor had a score to settle with the whole lot of us for not paying attention and dozing off.

Anyway, today's test would just be the first in a series of a few that would follow, all equally crazy and to prove that our brains are indeed like sponges.

Right now, my brain is just max-ed out.

Totally saturated.

Salsa Night

The third day of the Chinese New Year and based on the best of my knowledge, most people around aren't working today.

But I had to.

It wasn't a really good feeling to have to troop out of bed instead of sleeping in.

Well, the day was pretty okay though.

Have to thank my lucky stars that it's a Friday and the weekend's approaching.

It was salsa class in the evening and the last one after 4 months of classes. Tonight's fiesta was pretty fun and I had a relatively good time dancing with the people from my class and a couple of other people.

A sense of loss now that salsa classes are over. Well, at least I can take comfort in that my Friday evenings are now freed up for other committments which I haven't been able to fulfil in the past few months.

Now for rueda classes.

Anybody game for that?

It's the second day of the Chinese New Year.

First day started off pretty slow and late. The brood trooped off for lunch at my uncle's and the inevitable happened while I received my ang pow.

"So...you will be giving these little red things the next year round yeah?"

Eyes rolling, still in shock, I just gave a sarcastic "Eh, thanks ar" to my cousin and promptly immersed my lips into my chinese tea.

It was a pretty heavy lunch coupled with lots of talking and bantering back and forth between my dad, my uncle and his brother-in-law, a distant relation from China who has settled down in Singapore while I caught half of "Shall We Dance?" on VCD, courtesy of my cousin's purchase from across the causeway.

2 more visits to relations followed and a bizarre thought dawned upon me that we only get to meet most of them just this once a year, during Chinese New Year. Have we all gotten so distant?

Here's hoping the spirit of Chinese New Year doesn't die away.

And that you are still indigestion-free from all the eating and snacking.

It's the festive season again.

All the drinking, eating, handshaking, answering silly and annoying questions from relations pertaining to your marital status and your dating/love life, gambling etc etc...

This is something that I don't really relish though that was the case when I was still a kid.

Maybe the novelty of it all has worn off a long time ago.

I would just be content chilling out and vegetating at home if that's possible.

When could you ever get 2 public holidays back-to-back in a year, save for Saturdays and Sundays?

There are still other pressing matters to be resolved though.

I shall not try to be too much of a glutton for the next 2 days.

May one and all have a good year of the Rooster ahead.

Speaking of that, are all your new year's resolutions still in practice since the start of 2005?

It was getting really unbelievable the other day.

Never thought something like that could ever take place in my bedroom.

Something that may seem downright mundane to many, but to me it was a matter of maintaining my sanity and not waking up the next day really cranky.

It was part 2 of the mozzie attack.

Was tumbling around in bed for more than an hour after climbing into it, hoping to get a good night's rest after a long and tiring day but the sleep maiden eluded me as if I was some serial rapist.

Could see her shadows retreating every time I took a step closer.

And the source of all that was those god-forsaken mozzies.

Finally not being able to stomach the itch and the constant irritating noises their wings are making around my ears, I got up and turned on the lights.

Started searching under the bed, maintaining a prone position like a soldier crouching behind a rock, rifle in hand, waiting to shoot.

This soldier scored not one, but five hits that fateful night.

Triumphantly, he washed up and climbed back into his bunk, ever so confident that he would finally sleep without any disturbance. It was a resounding victory for mankind, he thought so ever gleefully to himself.

Until the strains of "eee" streamed into his ears yet again after a few minutes.

He could do nothing else but yield wearily.

The battle may be lost but not the war, he thought.

He's going to make a stunning comeback someday.

Viva la salsa!

It was back to the dancefloor again after an absence of almost 3 weeks.

As was expected, things were a little rusty at the start.

Class itself was kind of boring and when fiesta started, it was a little difficult getting a dance.

So there I stood in the corner, looking at other dancing couples and trying not to look bored.

Kind of felt like a fool.

But things picked up a little in the end. Well, at least I got a number of dances.

This salsa class is ending next week. It might just mean the gang of us taking classes might not get to see one another as often as before unless we do make an effort to go to fiesta or plan an outing.

Someone's got to take the initiative somehow.

I am starting to miss their company already.

This week seems pretty short.

It's approaching the end of Thursday and the weekend's around the corner.

The week started off pretty innocently, until I had an idea of what I would be subjected to for the coming weeks.

Not something to make me jump around for joy or do cartwheels, but still it's a welcome change from something else which hasn't been pleasant all the time.

Despite the long hours and the constant battle to ward off fatigue, I'm enjoying the new change of environment albeit not a physical change and the fact that it is seemingly unchanged in the eyes of outsiders.

Let me relish this for a while before familiarity sinks in.

Have you made any plans for the weekend?

Which is a scarier thought? Loneliness? Or dying?

Both somehow seem frightening to me.

Dying in loneliness is an even more terrifying thought.

I guess many of us have taken being in the company of family and friends and being alive, healthy and kicking for granted to a certain extent.

I am guilty of that sometimes.

Have you ever sat down and thought about what would happen to your close friends or family members if you should ever pass on?

I suppose to me, dying itself isn't really a terrifying or dreadful thought.

Dying while alone, or dying without having ever fulfiled or lived out your dreams is.

We all have our hopes, our dreams and to pass on after having realised all that isn't that bad. Well, at least we don't have regrets, do we?

And dying without your loved ones seeing you for the last time is another scary thought.

Sometimes I have wondered about how they will ever react should I perish one day.

It would be painful seeing their reactions nonetheless.

All that said, let's not take every single day for granted. Let's all live our lives to the fullest. Go learn that dance you have always wanted to. Go to that place you have always wanted to step foot on. Go chat up that attractive person you have been eyeing with a frenzied heartbeat for the past few weeks. Go call up that friend you haven't contacted in years. And most important of all, go give your parents, your kids, your brothers and sisters, your significant other a long and big hug. Tell them "I love you."

Love certainly makes the world go round.

My mind's in a daze now.

Totally max-ed out.

You would too if you had sat through a whole day of lectures, with only a measly lunch break and two equally measly tea/coffee breaks in between.

Coupled with two thick files of notes, encyclopaedia-like and two more to come and you have the makings of a looming disaster.

This routine is going to go on for a five more weeks.

I think I need that much-wanted energy boost.

Anybody got any ideas where I can get them?

Help.

It's getting pretty difficult to get to sleep these days.

Not because of a caffeine overdose or too much activity in the hours prior to hitting the sack but due to something more mundane and seemingly insignificant.

Something that you would hardly take notice of, but oh god, once you realised that they are around, the damage has already been done.

Talking about those damned mozzies.

Those six-legged winged blood-sucking pests that just won't stop going after your blood, that never fail to create those highly annoying high-pitched "eeeeee" noises close to your ears while you are asleep, that never fail to start you scratching every single part of your body in agony until you turn absolutely nuts.

I was up till pretty late trying to bear with the irritating noises and the itch until I could stand it no more.

So I just got up, turned on the lights in the bedroom and searched high and low for those puny bloodsucking monsters.

And I finally found them and spared no effort in eliminating them from the face of this earth.

Boy, it felt good.

Then it was lights out and back to bed and a peaceful slumber from then on.

God, please forgive me for having taken two lives.

It was either me or them.