Let's Talk

Ok, now that I have a brief flash of inspiration, here's a quick post to keep you guys up to speed as to what I am/have been up to :)

I've discovered the wonders of two American bands:
* The Toids (San Francisco), who blend the folk music of Eastern Europe (and some of the Middle East) with jazz and other modern music. The result is beautiful... my favourites so far are "Ilahi" (download the full mp3 from here), and "Whisper Hungarian in My Ear", which can be heard on The Indigo's site.
* Djinn (New York), whom I've mentioned earlier (Kaeshi taught a tribal fusion choreography to their fabulous "Brooklyn Baladi"). The band fuses traditional Middle Eastern with their own distinctively unique sound, which combines obscure instruments such as the cümbüş and hurdy gurdy, beatboxing and more. Sample clips of their music can be heard on their site.

I'm re-exploring Coldplay.. they're brilliant. I finally got round to listening to X & Y - it's so bloody gorgeous. I think the hype surrounding it when it first came out put me off. I guess my recent mood - mellow and slightly melancholy - is perfect for Coldplay and Roddy Frame. It's also time to have some sort of break from my Middle Eastern immersion.

Went to watch Mystical Steppes with Allegra nearly a month ago; it was great to finally be able to see the beautiful dances of Xinjiang. American bellydancer Tamalyn Dallal (who has given workshops in KL) mentioned going to Xinjiang to learn their traditional dances before, but I didn't know that they had strong Turkish influences.. I regret not knowing earlier and being informed enough to ask her about it, but well, at least I have an idea now. :)

I had a little heated debate with HairyChest about Mystical Steppes; he thought it was too polished and commercialised, "like a Broadway or Disney production". I retorted that if they didn't add glitter to the whole production and modernise the music, it won't be suitable for general audiences. I mean, how tribal do you want it to be? Will the average Joe really appreciate any culture's traditional tribal outfits and music in their original state? At least now, after watching this show, more people are aware that there are such cultures and dances in China. I don't know if it was my perception, but he had an air of gweilo superiority when he dismissed it as commercialised fluff that might be "ok for local audiences" (but not for the more worldly, like him - his unspoken implication). This really riled me and I had to put it to him - as a performer, no less - that there are solid reasons for stylising tribal dances and adding structure and polish to a large-scale, stage production such as this. Maybe I overreacted, but he really pushed the wrong buttons with me.

I'll be missing the Muse concert, which will be happening tomorrow night... sigh. The organiser is stingy with the media passes, giving them only to selected media. And by the time I wanted to buy tickets, they were all sold out. ;( Sigh. Oh well. I've not lately been in the mood to jostle thousands of sweaty, excited people to watch a rock band anyway. It's just that I've moaned so long about great British bands never popping by KL on their Asian tours, and now that one is actually holding a concert here, I'm not attending it! (and yes, I do like Muse's music, but perhaps not as much as Coldplay's or Roddy Frame's :P)

Me mom was back in KL for 3 weeks recently, bringing back loads of costuming stuff from Humen, China's fashion district. She seems happy teaching in China, and regaled us with tales of her observations there. I'm trying to get her to write about them! Would be interesting, to say the least :) Maybe when she comes back I can help her...

She missed Malaysian food, of course.. and said that Malaysian Chinese food is way better than China Chinese food. Hehe. While here, she helped me sew some harem pants and the skirt for my blue costume... she's the bestest :) I've worn my new red harems out several times now, drawing curious stares. Lynx says I look "huge" in hem, but I don't care, they're soooooo comfortable!

I stayed up till the wee hours last night working on my blue costume, finally ctually DOING stuff to it... it's turning out gorgeous, I can't wait till it's finished and I can perform in it. :)

Started a new exercise regime.. or rather just am determined to exercise at least a few times a week, to increase my stamina and improve my metabolism. Bellydance classes have been erratic lately, and I find I'm getting quite rusty. The only time S seems to want to hold troupe practise is when a show is coming up. Grrr. So I guess it's time for me to motivate myself to keep myself fit and practise on my own.

After some thought, I decided that instead of joining a gym - which 1) costs money 2) adds extra commuting time to my day, which I'm not willing to spend - I'm going to make use of the facilities in my condo. Been swimming several times during the CNY holidays, and am planning to use the tiny gym soon. Wish me luck. ;P

Finally, I am trying to persuade S to sponsor the awesome Sharon Kihara for some tribal fusion workshops in KL, after seeing that she'll be in Thailand in the fall. Sharon's just updated her tour calendar to include KL as one of the workshop destinations, so I guess it will be happening!!! OMFG, I'm so excited!!! This is my first initiative to suggest sponsoring a particular instructor to S, and I'll be so stoked if/when it happens - what's more, it's Sharon Kihara!!! *swoons*

This is all the more reason to keep fit, as bellydance workshops are pretty gruelling, especially the 6-hour ones... you can't absorb much if you're almost dead on your feet from exhaustion after the first workshop... :P

How was everyone's Valentine's Day? I can't even remember what I did on that day. Did I spend time with you, Allegra? But I did do something non-commercial for my darling through snail mail. :) Not sharing that, but I'll share this with you guys, a bit late for Valentine's, but I think it would be amusing to read nonetheless ;)

Several people have asked me how I sustain and deal with a long distance relationship... some of whom are embarking on such relationships themselves. I think I'll write a post about that soon.

Hope you all had a lovely Chinese New Year, by the way. Mine was very quiet, no visiting relatives or anything, but was nice to have time to myself, sleep a lot, and do things at my leisure. Anyway.. hope everyone had a great start to the year of the Golden Boar, Siryn's wishing everyone good health, and an abundance of wealth, opportunities and happiness throughout the year. :) *hugs to all*

The Dreamer

You are The Star

Hope, expectation, Bright promises.

The Star is one of the great cards of faith, dreams realised. It is a card that looks to the future. It does not predict any immediate or powerful change, but it does predict hope and healing. This card suggests clarity of vision, spiritual insight. And, most importantly, that unexpected help will be coming, with water to quench your thirst, with a guiding light to the future. They might say you're a dreamer, but you're not the only one.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

P/S: I know it's been, lyk, 4evar since I posted, but bear with me. :P Will bring you guys up to date somehow.