MAC Mania

I had a crazy weekend. On Saturday, Allegra and I woke up at an ungodly hour and rushed over to Renaissance Hotel for the Estee Lauder Staff Sale. The invitation card stated the opening hours as 9:30am to 3pm, but women (and a handful of men - most appeared to have been unwillingly dragged there by their SOs) were lining up by 7am to get in. The friend who got us the invites insisted we should arrive at 7:30am, otherwise we would miss out. After much wrangling with Allegra about the time we should arrive, we got there at 8am. No handbags were allowed in; each shopper was given a huge white plastic bag to carry their loot. Although there were like 9 other brands there (Estee Lauder, Aramis, Tommy Hilfiger, Donna Karan, Michael Kors, Clinique, Bobbi Brown, Origins & Stila), we concentrated our efforts mainly on MAC... and an unknown number of others apparently had the same idea. By the time we got there, like half the MAC stock (Read: all the good stuff) was gone! Goodbye, Powerpoint pencils! ;(

One of the reasons why most of the stock was gone in half an hour was because people just grabbed whatever they could from the MAC (and Bobbi Brown) counter, then squatted down somewhere to sort out what they want and what they don't. The 'rejects' were then returned to their respective counters for us late(r)comers to sift through. :P

When A and I finalised what we wanted to buy, we tried to find the end of the credit card line.... and discovered that it wound like a fire hose near the cashiers, then snaked along the entire perimetre of the grand ballroom. When we reached the end of the line, which was at the entrance of the ballroom, we discussed and decided not to waste an hour of our lives lining up to pay for the goods... some painful elimination had to be done so we could pay by cash (I brought enough for my purchases but she didn't) and get the hell out of there to feed our (by then) starving selves. :P Sigh, oh well.

Here's the list of my MAC loot from the sale:

Lipstick (Normal price: approx RM60 each)
RM55 pack of 3 (Savings: RM125)
Rocker (deep red), Fleshpot (nude), Push-up Plum (plummy purple)

Glitz Gloss (Normal price: approx RM65 each)
RM25 pack of 2 (Savings: RM105)
Girl's Got It (fuchsia glitter), Foreign Intrigue (red glitter)

Paint (Normal price: approx RM60 each)
RM40 pack of 2 (Savings: RM80)
Flammable (red), Base Light (gold-nude)

Pigment Colour Powder (Normal price: RM80 each)
RM30 pack of 2 (Savings: RM130)
Goldenaire (gold-nude), Blue

Platinum Bronze Powder SPF27 (Normal price: approx RM80)
RM20 each (Savings: RM60)
Summersoft (yellow-based bronzer)

Eye Shadow (Normal price: RM57 each)
RM50 pack of 3 (Savings: RM121)
Overgrown (vibrant yellow-green), Love-Bud (orangey-pink), Botanical (glittery pale purplish brown)

Total Paid: RM220
Total Savings: RM621 (approx)
******

Lest you think that I'm turning into a makeup-obsessed airhead... well, I'm not, so perish the thought. :P

After that, we went to have a brunch of comfort food, the chicken and beef pies at Dome, MV. While we were eating, one of my dancemates-turned-instructor, LadyofLeisure, called me to ask if I could sub for her 4:30pm class at Allegra's ex-gym. I didn't even know she was still teaching! With no idea what she's been teaching her students, and not very certain how to get to the studio, I was very hesitant... plus, I had a dance gig at a wedding that evening (also a last minute thing that I agreed to on Friday). I had to turn her down because I wouldn't have time to rush home, shower, put on my warpaint, pack for the show and rush to the venue, braving the horrendous weekend jam in town. Apparently my dance teacher Salena suggested getting me to sub for LadyofLeisure... sometimes I think she's a bit unrealistic.. and as Shamrocq (WY) says, she's starting to take us for granted. Yeah, we're fabulously multi-talented (hehe), dedicated and responsible, but that doesn't mean we're completely at her disposal. We have our own things to do during our free time.

My gig that evening was held at a rather popular, small Middle-Eastern restaurant in town. My first task was simple: leading the procession of adorable pink-glitterdot-clad 'flower girls' into the restaurant, with the bride and groom following behind the kids. They played Tarkan's Simarik... uhg.. oh well. I discovered that there a number of bellydancers and some Datins I had a passing acquaintance with in the audience; made me a little more nervous, but it went ok, I think. After the ceremony and after the guests had tucked in to the buffet, I danced one number, and that was it. Phew. Got good feedback from said dancers after that; not sure if it was flattery or sincere compliments, but it was nice anyway. :)

I was exhausted when I arrived home around 11pm, as I was up since 6:30am. The next day I taught an afternoon class. There were quite a number of new students, and I started teaching a new choreography. Had to teach some basics such as hipdrops, snake arms and shimmies for the benefit of the new students, but had to keep the more senior students occupied too.. wasn't easy; I went around correcting the new students, and at the end of the lesson, I came away thinking that I should have done more for the seniors. Must keep this in mind the next time I teach.

Watched Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest that evening with bro - it was entertaining, as expected, with some corny moments. It's amusing that Davy Jones has an octopus for a head. :P Oddly enough, I could recognise Bill Nighy's mannerisms and expressions through the tentacle face! Amazing. *went "Ah-HAH!" when viewing the credits after the movie* And does anyone remember if there was a thing between Liz Swann and Jack Sparrow in the first movie?? I certainly don't.. Anyway, it ends on a cliffhanger... let's just hope they don't take too long to complete the third movie.

Finally, my dears, here's an opportunity for you to express what you think of me through my Johari window. Please have a look. ;)

New Blue

On Wednesday night, I finally started making the belt base for my new blue costume, and completed the 2-piece belt base at around... was it 2am? I forget. The belt is made of 2 layers of buckram, 2 layers of felt and a layer of pretty surface fabric... fearing the sewing machine, which I haven't been brave enough to try using yet, I handsewed everything.

I think one thing that made me procrastinate making the base was that I keep thinking that it's difficult to make (or I don't want to screw it up) because it's an item of clothing. I don't have the same kind of mental block when I cut a piece of paper or card in craft - why?

Anyway, I put the first layer of buckram - which was cut in the desired belt shape - on the felt and buckram, and safety-pinned the heck out of it then took a big breath and applied scissors to cloth. Sometimes you just gotta do it and not keep thinking about what could go wrong.

Happy and quite satisfied that I'd gotten it done at last. Now I need to cover the bra... which is trickier because you don't want to find that the cups have shrunk after you've covered them with the cloth (ie what happened with my purple costume bra - I feel like my cups will runneth over whenever I wear it! :P). Another thing that makes it tricky is the need to cut off all the original straps and stretchy bits and replace them with something sturdy like grosgrain ribbon, covered with the pretty surface fabric (non-stretch, more secure). I'm wondering if I should go this way, or to replace the straps with elastic covered with the pretty cloth (stretchable, more comfortable). We'll see..

I just finished a book Allegra lent me, called Empress Orchid by Anchee Min. It tells the story of the infamous Empress Tzu Hsi (CiXi), from her humble origins as the daughter of an impoverished Manchu bannerman to her ascent to become Emperor Hsien Feng's favourite wife. For decades Chinese schoolchildren have been taught that Empress Orchid was "a mastermind of pure evil and intrigue," but this author presents an intelligent, headstrong, yet compelling woman who used her beauty to become one of the Emperor's seven wives (also to escape marriage to her dimwitted cousin) and her brains to become his confidante and lover. It was an absolute page-turner, finished in 2 days. Highly recommended.

Now I'm reading The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd. In this book, the protagonist, Jessie Sullivan, a fortysomething, seemingly happily married woman returns to the remote island of her childhood due to some shocking news about her mother. There, she finds herself drawn to a Benedictine monk on the verge of taking his final vows. I'm more than halfway through now, and really like the gorgeous imagery and dreamy descriptiveness of Kidd's writing. It's such a treat to read good books, one after another!

The other day, I was talking to another dance student and encouraging her to come for more classes. She declined, saying she'll only come for the 6-7pm session and not stay for the 7-8pm one:

SY: bellydancing makes me hungry!
SY: especially whenever we do belly roll or stuff like that, sure hungers man!
Siryn: hehe ;-p
Siryn: but it's good for your belly, the rolls
Siryn: not bread rolls or sushi rolls, but bellyrolls :P
SY: lol lol lol
Siryn: hehe

I agree with her, though- it sure works up your appetite.. but I try not to eat after class, it's sort of counterproductive.. why replenish the calories you burned during class? :P

On to the World Cup Fever, which has gripped the planet for the past few weeks. I found a few amusing articles on the female perspective. For footie mad guys whose wives or girlfriends willingly, eagerly watch the games with you... if you think your lady is gripped by the action on the field... think again. ;)

* Women tune in to ogle hotties of World Cup
* Hot World Cup Footy Totty

P/S: No, I do not watch football. :P

A Long Kiss Goodnight

I was planning to blog loooong ago but kept procrastinating till I can't catch up with all the stuff that has happened in the past few weeks.

Since I stayed in office till almost midnight, I'm quite knackered and will just write a rather disjointed post tonight.

Allegra tagged me to do this like a week or two ago, and I wrote it up then, but had intended to post more with it... sod it though, here it is:

Siryn's top 10 things to do before the end of the year
(in no particular order)

1) improve my skills in the art of zill-playing
(instructional zill dvds, come to mama!)

2) learn how to be a more confident dance teacher
(yes, I'm starting to sub classes for S, and I'm having fun :) )

3) learn how to use the sewing machine and make at least one costume piece a month
(but first, I have to wield the scissors with no fear and cut that cloth)

4) start saving money again (ha ha ha)

5) learn how to drive (ha! hahaaha)

6) clean my room and give away old clothes
(the way from my door to my bed is a mere path amidst a jungle of clothes, books, accessories, DVDs, CDs and assorted bellydance paraphernalia)

7) learn how to crochet
(Allegra - help? ;-p)

8) tone up thighs and arms
(start swimming again besides bellydancing at least twice a week?)

9) learn how to make costumes that fit properly

10) reduce burgeoning credit card debt
(so I don’t need to pay my credit card company huge amounts in finance charges, as I have to now)

Also, I found a quote about dancers that I find to be very true, and couldn't resist posting:

1. Beginning dancer. Knows nothing.
2. Intermediate dancer. Knows everything. Too good to dance with beginners.
3. Hotshot dancer. Too good to dance with anyone.
4. Advanced dancer. Dances everything. Especially with beginners.
(Attributed to Dick Crum, folk dance teacher)

Since S suggested playing Shakira during the classes I sub for her, I have been on the lookout for pop music suitable for drills. While new students would probably feel motivated by Shakira, the artist most popularly associated with bellydance in Western music right now, I prefer to think of more unconventional choices if we're going to go into pop music for bellydance classes. One of the obvious choices may be Bellydancer by Akon, which I much dislike, and will not use. I'm totally in love, however, with Craig David's Hypnotic, which I imagine would do really well for undulations, figure 8s, snake arms and such flowing movements. I'm also beginning to like and see (horror of horrors) Justin Timberlake's Senorita as a possible candidate to do chest/shoulder/etc pops and locks to. Agh, what has become of my taste in music?? :P

And finally, some links I'd like to share with my beloved readers ;)

Boobie Pillow Pattern - a hilarious and 'sexy' crochet project guaranteed to keep your man amused, at the very least

Sex Tips from Dr Necco Feelya A.K.A Doctor Luv Ya To Death.. - Not Safe For Work, do not enter if you do not have a sense of humour... make that if you do not have a warped sense of humour :P