London A team cha and waltz (Though I'd much rather dance team Jive. Just unfortunate no one can dance cha for A team) From right to left, me, Joanne, Mike and Katherine. Joanne and Katherine had only bought their dresses a week before! Stunning aren't they?
Tuesday, November 22, 2005
Latin shoes
How about a nice pair of Latin heels? DANSport Black Calf Latin (1½ inch heel) Size 8. Again, only worn once!
Ballroom shoes
Lelong! Lelong! Anyone want a pair of DANSport Black Patent Ballroom Size 8 shoes? Only been worn once at the Warwick Competition!
Monday, November 21, 2005
Warwick comp
I did the stupidest thing a dancer could do when going for a dance competition. The night before I sat up listing out all the things I needed to bring, i.e. my costumes, food, hair gel, snacks, etc... packed everything and then went to bed.
I got up at 6.40. Got ready and was out of the door at 7.30/7.40. Happily on my way to Coventry for the comp. We arrived at the hall at about 11. The Competition was starting at 12. I quickly got my stuff out to prepare for the comp. At 11.30 I had everything in place and was about to put on my shoes when it struck me. I FORGOT MY BLOODY DANCE SHOES! I had left them at home. I had brought everything I needed for the comp except the most important thing. MY BLASTED SHOES!
Most of the time, I'd have time to get onto the dance floor and get the feel of it. Run through my routines with my partner to jerk our memory a little right before the competition started. However, this time, I became quite frantic. It was pretty frustating and funny at thte same time, but I really needed dance shoes. I ended up buying 2 new pairs. One for ballroom and the other for Latin. sighz... complete madness. I got the cheapest ones available at the comp. However, I am planning on selling them. I've already sent out emails to the dance team to see if any dancers want to buy them off me. Next I'll put up an advert at the inter-varsity dance forum. *fingers crossed*
Anyhow, the comp was alright. Messed up the Ballroom comp big time, but then again it was quite a tough comp. Quite a few very good couples competing. However I managed to scrape into the quarterfinals!! Of course, I only had to be recalled once to get into the quarterfinals. There weren't many couples at this first comp. I DID make the semis for the intermediate Latin though. Again, there weren't many couples. But thats as far as I got in the competition. I should have entered the Open Latin but I didn't have the time to work out a Samba routine with my partner.. gggrrr... we might have made the finals... suprisingly, the standard in the Open Latin was lower then the intermediate Latin. damn.
During the team competition, I was forced to dance A team cause there simply isnt anyone else who can do it. Luckily I had strong teammates. We made it into Division 1. Then we got into the semis. Somehow we got into the finals too! We came out third in Division 1 which is really good for the first comp, but I've got a feeling that most Uni teams didnt come in full strength whereas we did for our A team. We only lost to Oxford and Nottingham A, bearing in mind that lots of other strong Unis didnt take part in the team event. Anyhow, I dont know why, but they only gave 1 trophy to each couple. HOW ARE WE SUPPOSED TO SHARE IT?! ggggrrrr..
Got home about 2.30 or 3am. Real exhausted but what the heck, it was fun!
I got up at 6.40. Got ready and was out of the door at 7.30/7.40. Happily on my way to Coventry for the comp. We arrived at the hall at about 11. The Competition was starting at 12. I quickly got my stuff out to prepare for the comp. At 11.30 I had everything in place and was about to put on my shoes when it struck me. I FORGOT MY BLOODY DANCE SHOES! I had left them at home. I had brought everything I needed for the comp except the most important thing. MY BLASTED SHOES!
Most of the time, I'd have time to get onto the dance floor and get the feel of it. Run through my routines with my partner to jerk our memory a little right before the competition started. However, this time, I became quite frantic. It was pretty frustating and funny at thte same time, but I really needed dance shoes. I ended up buying 2 new pairs. One for ballroom and the other for Latin. sighz... complete madness. I got the cheapest ones available at the comp. However, I am planning on selling them. I've already sent out emails to the dance team to see if any dancers want to buy them off me. Next I'll put up an advert at the inter-varsity dance forum. *fingers crossed*
Anyhow, the comp was alright. Messed up the Ballroom comp big time, but then again it was quite a tough comp. Quite a few very good couples competing. However I managed to scrape into the quarterfinals!! Of course, I only had to be recalled once to get into the quarterfinals. There weren't many couples at this first comp. I DID make the semis for the intermediate Latin though. Again, there weren't many couples. But thats as far as I got in the competition. I should have entered the Open Latin but I didn't have the time to work out a Samba routine with my partner.. gggrrr... we might have made the finals... suprisingly, the standard in the Open Latin was lower then the intermediate Latin. damn.
During the team competition, I was forced to dance A team cause there simply isnt anyone else who can do it. Luckily I had strong teammates. We made it into Division 1. Then we got into the semis. Somehow we got into the finals too! We came out third in Division 1 which is really good for the first comp, but I've got a feeling that most Uni teams didnt come in full strength whereas we did for our A team. We only lost to Oxford and Nottingham A, bearing in mind that lots of other strong Unis didnt take part in the team event. Anyhow, I dont know why, but they only gave 1 trophy to each couple. HOW ARE WE SUPPOSED TO SHARE IT?! ggggrrrr..
Got home about 2.30 or 3am. Real exhausted but what the heck, it was fun!
Tuesday, November 15, 2005
World's Shortest Personality Test
| Your Personality Profile |
 You are funky, outdoorsy, and down to earth. While you may not be a total hippie... You're definitely one of the most free spirited people around. You are very impulsive - every day is a new adventure. However, you do put some thought behind all your actions. Still, you do tend to shock and offend people from time to time! |
Wednesday, November 02, 2005
Incident on the No. 29
I was on my way back from a dance class yesterday. I was on the 29 when a bunch of black guys, probably 6 or 7, boarded the bus at either Camden Town or Holloway Road. I dont mean to be racist, but these guys were all kinda intimidating. Most of them wore scarves or hankerchieves around their faces. 2 of them had masks on. It was Halloween. One of them was wearing the mask the other way round so the mask was at the back of his head whereas it was just a black piece of cloth over his face. The other had his mask on his head, but still you couldnt see his face. Only one or two of them didn't really have their faces covered. I was with a friend at that time and he immediately expressed his discomfort. I thought to myself, "Boy, if these guys wanted to, they could rob the whole bus!"
Anyway, when the bus stopped at Finsbury Park, passangers started to alight. I was talking to my friend when suddenly there was a commotion. We were all sitting on the top deck. One of the black guys was beating up this white guy. His friends came along and started helping him too. Other passengers started to tell them to break it up but no one really dared intervene. Then a Latino looking man got up to try intervene. First he tried to get the first black guy off the white guy and when the black guy starting hitting at him, he grabbed the black guy from the back and threw him on the floor and started beating him up. From behind, the black guy's friends seemed to want to attack the Latino guy, but I think people on the other side were trying to stop them. It was getting really rough and I feared they would come to the back of the bus where I was at as they kept moving up and down. Passengers from that part of the bus literally jumped over seats to get away.
Other passengers were also trying to get the Latino guy to stop cause of what they saw. Apparently some of them saw one of the black guys wield a knife about a foot long. Once the Latino guy stopped, the gang of black guys ran off the bus. People saw one of the black guys keeping his knife in his jacket before he alighted. The bus driver came up to see if everyone was alright and if anyone was stabbed or anything of that sort. Shortly after the police arrived. However, by that time everyone else had left the top deck of the bus and taken other busses to continue their journeys except the white guy, the Latino, me and my friend and one black guy who appeared not to want to engage with anyone. He had his eyes closed and his hand covering his eyes.
The police started to take details from the victim and the Latino and I got to hear that the first black guy was actually trying to rob the white guy. He was sitting with the white guy until we came to Finsbury Park and just before he got up, he had grabbed the white guy's backpack. The white guy then got up and grabbed for his bag. That was when the black guy started to attack him. The police then asked if he could identify any of them and he said he couldnt because of the masks. Then they looked around and ask the rest of us if we could. Me and my friend then explained to them that the attackers were wearing masks, hoodies and had most of their faces covered. They asked us if we could see their hands and etc and I confirmed that though they covered their faces, you could see that they were black because most of them had their eyes exposed. As for those with masks on, I said I was pretty sure they were black too.
Not long, more cops arrived and they discussed the situation. Attempted Robbery. They then talked about pursuit of the culprits but they were unsure if they had jumped into Finsbury Park or had run the other direction. Right after the black guys left though, a phone was found on the floor and no one claimed it. When we told the police the phone had been taken downstairs by a passenger who had already alighted the bus, they then left.
Not too long after that, we were on our way...
Anyway, when the bus stopped at Finsbury Park, passangers started to alight. I was talking to my friend when suddenly there was a commotion. We were all sitting on the top deck. One of the black guys was beating up this white guy. His friends came along and started helping him too. Other passengers started to tell them to break it up but no one really dared intervene. Then a Latino looking man got up to try intervene. First he tried to get the first black guy off the white guy and when the black guy starting hitting at him, he grabbed the black guy from the back and threw him on the floor and started beating him up. From behind, the black guy's friends seemed to want to attack the Latino guy, but I think people on the other side were trying to stop them. It was getting really rough and I feared they would come to the back of the bus where I was at as they kept moving up and down. Passengers from that part of the bus literally jumped over seats to get away.
Other passengers were also trying to get the Latino guy to stop cause of what they saw. Apparently some of them saw one of the black guys wield a knife about a foot long. Once the Latino guy stopped, the gang of black guys ran off the bus. People saw one of the black guys keeping his knife in his jacket before he alighted. The bus driver came up to see if everyone was alright and if anyone was stabbed or anything of that sort. Shortly after the police arrived. However, by that time everyone else had left the top deck of the bus and taken other busses to continue their journeys except the white guy, the Latino, me and my friend and one black guy who appeared not to want to engage with anyone. He had his eyes closed and his hand covering his eyes.
The police started to take details from the victim and the Latino and I got to hear that the first black guy was actually trying to rob the white guy. He was sitting with the white guy until we came to Finsbury Park and just before he got up, he had grabbed the white guy's backpack. The white guy then got up and grabbed for his bag. That was when the black guy started to attack him. The police then asked if he could identify any of them and he said he couldnt because of the masks. Then they looked around and ask the rest of us if we could. Me and my friend then explained to them that the attackers were wearing masks, hoodies and had most of their faces covered. They asked us if we could see their hands and etc and I confirmed that though they covered their faces, you could see that they were black because most of them had their eyes exposed. As for those with masks on, I said I was pretty sure they were black too.
Not long, more cops arrived and they discussed the situation. Attempted Robbery. They then talked about pursuit of the culprits but they were unsure if they had jumped into Finsbury Park or had run the other direction. Right after the black guys left though, a phone was found on the floor and no one claimed it. When we told the police the phone had been taken downstairs by a passenger who had already alighted the bus, they then left.
Not too long after that, we were on our way...
Sunday, October 30, 2005
Castle Rock Hostel
Castle Rock Hostel was right beside Edinburgh Castle. See the castle up there? Fantastic location!
Roman carving
In 1997, there was an unusually low tide at the river leading out into the sea at Edinburgh. A fisherman had noticed something sticking out of the sand, and returned later with a bunch of men to find out what it was. They dug out this statue of a lion devouring a human. It dates back to when the Romans were in Scotland and this was used as a tomb, probably for a high ranking officer because of it's representation. The Romans were in Scotland because of the gold found in the Highlands. Pretty neat eh?
Haggis
Haggis, Neeps and Tatties... as obscene as it may sound, this is the national 'dish' of Scotland. They tell you that Haggis is a mythical creature. Descriptions of it may vary. Some say it has one short and one long leg. Another description is that is has only 3 legs and is furry. They're only available in the Autumn apparently...
Urquhart Castle
Urquhart Castle was once used as a defence for the government troops. The Jacobites failed in their attempt to take over the castle. However, shortly after, the troops controlling the castle decided that they weren't going to use it anymore so they blew it up.
Loch Ness
Loch Ness! The coach ride took us along the entire stretch of Loch Ness... all 26 miles of it. It's 1 mild wide and 800 feet deep. 3 times the depth of the North Sea. It holds more water then all the lakes and ponds in Wales, England and Scotland combined. It would be impossible to conduct a complete search for Nessie as there are also many caves and caverns under water. There are also fish the size of double decker busses apparently!!! Oh, and that's Urquhart Castle on the right.
Fort William
I THINK that picture's taken somewhere near Fort William. I just thought it was a beautiful scenery despite the gloominess of the weather.
Glencoe 2
With Jim in front of 2 of the 3 Glencoe sisters. Glencoe was shaped when the ice from the ice age melted away and scraped away dirt, leaving the beautiful landscapes now known as the Highlands of Scotland.
Loch Lochry
The weather was temperamental on my day trip to the Highlands and Loch Ness. This was the first of the Loch's I passed on the coach. Beautiful, but really gloomy...
Arthur's Seat 1
Successfuly hiking up Arthur's Seat. You can sorta tell that I'm sweating like a pig. Behind me you can see part of Edinburgh.
Roman thing
A Roman monument thingy on one of the hills in Edinburgh. Like Rome (and Sheffield), it was built over 7 hills. However, the founding fathers of Edinburgh wanted it to be known as the Athens of the North.
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