HaKuNa MaTaTa

ANGST

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 01:49:33 GMT

"The world is unfair".

Do you agree or disagree?

waiting

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 02:50:09 GMT

wishing...and hoping...and praying darn hard! =)

God, open the doors for my post-grad studies, please!

Pink Ribbon Ball 2009

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 09:59:31 GMT

We're in the papers =)

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Monday November 9, 2009

Celebrating cancer survivors and their journey of hope

By JADE CHAN

THE theme Men in Black, Ladies in Pink set the stage for the Pink Ribbon Ball 2009 � a charity dinner and dance that was all about celebrating breast cancer survivors and their journey of hope.

The fun gala, organised by Reach to Recovery (R2R) 2009 Sdn Bhd and PinkRibbonR2R, was also a showcase of life after surviving breast cancer.

The evening kicked off with the lighting of the Tree of Hope. It was filled with messages of goodwill and survivorship, and resembled the hope for breast cancer survivors.

Fluid moves: Students from A&C Dynamic Dance Studio wowing the guests with their performance.

The troupe from A&C Dynamic Dance Studio, led by Malaysian Professional Ball�room Dancing Champions Alex Lim and Carmen Chuang, sizzled on the dance floor with their routines that featured a mix of ballroom, Latin and contemporary dances.

Datin Maylene Yong and the Glitterama Ladies Charity Group enthralled guests with their lineup of songs, while Datuk Khadijah Ibrahim, Datuk Leonard Tan and James Long, the comedian, also entertained guests with their performances.

The highlight of the night was a fashion show with breast cancer survivors as the models.

The models sashayed on the floor in nine beautiful creations by Espen Salsberg, a former salsa dance champion.

Other activities included an auction of two fabulous gowns by Melvin Lam, and a painting each by Mollie Jackson and Allen Tan entitled Sunrise Flowers and Truefaces respectively.

Stepping out with confidence: A breast cancer survivor modelling a sexy black and red outfit by Espen Salsberg during the fashion show.

Proceeds from the event, and the sale of PinkRibbonR2R merchandise, will go towards sponsoring 100 delegates to the 16th UICC Breast Cancer Support Conference in Taiwan in November 2011.

R2R 2009 chairman and Pantai Medical Centre consultant breast surgeon Dr M. Devanand said R2R 2009, just like Reach to Recovery International, was built around the principle of peer support.

�PinkRibbonR2R was initiated as part of a breast cancer support group and is managed by breast cancer survivors,� he said.

�Its mission is to ensure, through corporate and individual support, empowerment and information, that no one faces breast cancer alone or uninformed, while continuing to educate survivors on the issues of breast health care.�

Dr Devanand said in the course of his work, he realised there was a vacuum for breast cancer support as many patients were afraid and not well informed about the disease.

�It is known that patients with proper support and sufficient knowledge in every aspect have a better chance of survival, hence PinkRibbonR2R was formed to address this need.

�Our support group reaches out to patients through phone calls, email, Facebook and website,� he said.

The website www.pinkribbonr2r.my focuses on peer support initiatives and education on various issues related to breast cancer management, nutrition and exercise.

Dr Devanand pointed out that PinkRibbonR2R�s �pink ribbon with a heart� logo symbolises the fight against breast cancer, from the caring heart of volunteers.

�Our pilot project was a fully sponsored trip for 29 breast cancer survivors, funded through a charity drive, to attend the 15th UICC Breast Cancer Support Conference in Brisbane, Australia, in May 2009.

�We recently launched the PinkRibbon Goes Nano project, which aims to provide free Wellness Nano Silver Mask to breast cancer or immune-compromised cancer patients.

�We are hoping to be able to distri�bute up to one million of these masks that have anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties through corporate sponsorships,� he said.

Ladies with sweet voices and kind hearts: The Glitterama Ladies Charity Group enthralling guests at the Pink Ribbon Ball 2009 with their heartfelt performance.

A PinkRibbon Wellness Camp will be held in mid-November at Colmar Tropicale, Bukit Tinggi, which hopes to teach breast cancer survivors the various aspects of support therapy that enhance survivorship and improve their total quality of life.

While the funds raised from this year�s and next year�s Pink Ribbon Ball would go towards sponsorship for the conference, it would also be used for peer support events, buying of prostheses and educating cancer survivors.

Dr Devanand said PinkRibbonR2R�s ultimate message was to provide hope and support to walk the journey together, and that a breast cancer patient need not journey alone.

>.<

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 18:51:58 GMT

Its 1.54am.

I'm absolutely exhausted.

I'm having a splitting headache.

I'm on the verge of gastric.

I'm continuously kicking myself mentally.

I've just returned from my first public performance at a charity ball.

I made a mistake during the performance.

My zipper was stuck. I couldn't change in time. I went out late. I was the only one who didn't make it.

My heart was in tears after that happened. It took so much more effort tto smile through the rest of the songs.

Argh.

My teacher gave me a hug and said that I did well. She thought I recovered fast and still managed to go in halfway through. "That's what a good dancer is supposed to be", she said.

But I'm thinking, A better dancer wouldn't have allowed such a situation to happen in the first place.

>.<

TO SHARE

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 09:06:34 GMT

"Only when rules are thoroughly learned can they be thoroughly broken" - Victor Wooten.

TURKEY? HOPEFULLY =)

Sun, 25 Oct 2009 07:01:29 GMT

Ok, the 1 thing i didn't realize on Friday when i blogged about the abstract was the fact that the study was accepted for an ORAL presentation =)

Orals are like one-ups as compared to poster presentations (which i thought the abstract would be). Orals have rooms provided, there's audience (hopefully), and there's the critique by the audience (assuming their presence in the first place). And yea...the team has been invited to speak about our research! i think its the epitome of academics, the exchange of thoughts and ideas =)

Imagine leaders in the field gathering in one place. The intellectual energy there would be out of the world! =D

i think i need to start saving up...does Airasia fly to Antalya?

AWESOME-NESS

Sun, 25 Oct 2009 06:12:14 GMT

When i watched the first half of the video below, i was stunned. The thought that was so present in my mind was how wonderful our bodies are made, to be able to execute such coordinated and precise movements.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFver9WIfh8

Awesome, God! =D

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i can't believe that just 8 months ago, i was standing within 1 foot of this amazing couple but didn't realize that i was in the presence of dancing royalty.

i think Riccardo Cocchi and Yulia Zagoruychenko have really grown as a couple even though they have been dancing together for just a short while. Every performance they do is not only stagnant at a high level, but just gets better every time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1bt7CMOWFw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfmEW1HVG4Q&feature=fvw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSfVkb-kTX8&feature=related

Mark my words, i think they are going to be THE Latin couple in the next couple of years.

I KNOW I SHOULDN'T BE BLOGGING NOW BUT JUST A QUICK ONE...

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 02:27:13 GMT

ABSTRACT HAS ACCEPTED TO THE WORLD CONFERENCE IN PSYCHOLOGY, IN TURKEY NEXT YEAR!!!!!!!

YAY!!!!!!

AMEN!!!!!! =D

SHOES

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 17:01:27 GMT

I'm starting to realize how important shoes are to a dancer. Shoes with a good fit make very huge differences to how i am able to dance. Good shoes allow the dancer to 'grip the floor' and feels like it is a part of the dancer's feet. Good shoes also reduce chances of injury at the ankle and knee, and helps the dancer to execute certain moves better.

Supadance is THE brand of dancing shoes. They have a history of a few hundred years.

Their shoes are masterpieces that come with a price. A very expensive price...

Their shoes are about 60 pounds per pair *gulp*

Till the day i can afford them...

HYPOCRITE I AM

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 16:17:36 GMT

My superego has been working overtime the past few weeks.

It is comforting to know that i'm learning to control and express my emotions in a positive way, but at the same time i'm horrified at the hypocrite i think i've become.

Its good that i do not act on impulse but actually sit back to observe before i make an overall evaluation of the situation. On the other hand, i think i've lost my spunk. i'm doing too much of 'stand back and watch' that i do not make spur of the moment decisions which could totally change things around instead of just waiting for things to pan out.

I've become passive *gasp* stupid girl...

Scenario example:

Scene #1: The shut up and dance.

i have a partner whom i honestly think can do with a little less talking and more dancing. i used to have a partner who didn't speak at all - see...be careful what you wish for...it might just come true in the weirdest way ever~. On one hand, he's not talking nonsense (i mean, if i dig a little deeper, i do think some are nonsensical), but i mean, he talks about how the dance steps we are doing should be, not what he ate for dinner last night lah.

Logically, this is good. But he nags. A lot. i don't think everything he says is correct. i clearly think some things he says are outright wrong. Like saying that my timing is out, when a 3rd person can verify that HE is the wrong one.

What did i do then? Did i put my foot down and say 'No, I'm correct; You are wrong'?

No. I just smiled and said 'Let's try again'.

It sometimes gets absurdly tiring to have a partner who thinks that you are forever having something lacking and every step you take needs change. This premise is based on his own opinions, which arguing against is equivalent to talking to a greek statue.

i'm kinda tired of wanting to start arguments knowing that it'll lead nowhere. His previous partner had crying bouts of arguments which not surprisingly ended in a failed attempt during competition. Why did i agree to dance with him again?

Sigh.

I believe in giving second chances. And i believe i can learn something out of this. Something OTHER than patience.

This man has got to be one of the most opinionated (read: egoistical) i've ever met.

But i appreciate the fact that he takes the time to practice and 'yuen jiu' the steps and share (read: impose) them with me. And i also appreciate the fact that tonight, he actually admitted that not everything he says is correct. Given his ego, i bet that was extremely difficult.

To give myself credit, i think i'm an extremely patient partner to have. i put up with a lot of nonsense with the hope that one day this person would come to his/her senses and realize that being outspoken has its limitations and that respect for other people's boundaries is as important as it is to state one's right to his/her opinions.

Hence the hypocritical part. My superego has certain cracks. Very few things leave a dent in it, but when the correct nerve is struck, all hell breaks loose.

i'm a control freak. i admit it. i give in, but never in all. This is part of what made me the person i am today. My focus, my discipline, my concentration, all stems from my ability to control.

So, when my partner pointed out that another of my weakness was that i kept controlling his movement, he struck a nerve big time.

Yea...i lost control because of control issues. How oxymoronic.

My ego would have immediately looked him in the eye, told him he is the over-controlling one, and walk out of the room.

But no, thank goodness my superego kicked in. Yes, my blood pressure shot up, yes, my face went red, yes, my heartbeat increased dramatically, and yes, i couldn't stop the subtle movement of both my hands from hanging loosely at my side to being clenched at the waist. But, i bit my tongue...literally. i knew that if i opened my mouth, i would regret.

So, being a picture of (somewhat) calm, i continued dancing with him for a good 10 minutes or so, taking in more verbal comments which in my mind, had entered the grey area between criticism and abuse.

We remained cordial, we chatted after practice, then we went home.

And the moment i got away from him, all i wanted to do was come here and RANT!!!

Yes. Hypocrite I am. So much for the masked patience...i would do so well at masquerades...