Carnival of Rust

Poets of the Fall’s hit song just got itself a remastered music video. This is a must see. Don’t forget to choose the HD version and full-screen it.

-Marc

Atten-hut!

For those of you who don’t know anything about Team Fortress 2, your education begins here.

It’s a slick multiplayer-only game from Valve that runs on their Source engine. Players are divided into two teams (RED and BLU) and can choose from 9 distinct classes in order to complete map objectives. Most maps have both teams working directly against each other in game-modes that ran the gamut from Capture the Flag, Capture and Hold (command points) and Assault-Defense. There’s even one in which teams take turns to escort a huge ticking bomb on a truck to the enemy’s base.

The whole game is executed in a brilliant, cartoony style that is all its own and each of the classes is immediately recognisable, even from across the map. Furthermore, the classes themselves are infused with their own personalities: the Soldier is a psychopathic killing machine; the Heavy-Weapons-Guy is a beefy Slavic man obsessed with his chaingun; the Demoman is a drunken black Scottish cyclops (his melee weapon is a whiskey bottle); the Sniper is an australian bloke complete with slouch-hat and incomprehensible obscenities; the Medic is sarcastically German; the Scout is a young man from Boston with no shortage of ego; the good ol’ Engineer is a laid back Texan; the Spy is disgustingly French; and the Pyro… well, no one knows what the hell he’s saying through his gas mask. I just can’t think of another game with this much style and panache outside the RPG genre.

The off-kilter humour pervades the entire game world. Here’s a promotional clip called “Meet the Soldier”. There’re also clips up for Demoman, Engineer, Scout, Heavy so go look at those if this one makes you chuckle.

-Marc
“He says: I found another fish in the sea…”

Gleep

An update with the Bailamos party; I’ve been invited to put up a cross-uni shines performance with Tze from SMU and Jared from NTU and 2 other chaps who’ve yet to confirm their participation (hence the withholding of their good names).

Obviously, I’m quite chuffed at the opportunity. I’ve a great deal of respect for Tze as a dancer (he’s one of my inspirations to keep improving) and Jared has footwork that’s so fast he’d give Wong Fei Hong a run for his money. The other 2 gents are no slouches either. This is gonna be a blast.

So please! If you’re even a little curious about what Latin Ballroom and Street Latin dances are like, come to the party! Now you have the added incentive of watching me sweat buckets under the spotlights.

Juggling work and tuition and dance is beginning to take its toll. I’ve had trouble getting out of bed in the mornings for the last week or two. Not trouble waking up; trouble getting up. Its like trying to crank a starter motor with an almost flat battery and I don’t enjoy the feeling.

Hopefully things’ll get better with the CNY weekend for me to recuperate. I won’t be visiting much since my mom’s off in Thailand with my brother so I’ll be able to sit at home and do some much needed stoning.

My birthday party on Saturday’s going ahead as planned. I’ve already ordered the beef and gotten the hotplate for the teppenyaki and with the poker gang down there’ll be no shortage of atmosphere. I’ve yet to decide on the brand of beer to buy so give me suggestions if you’re into that sort of thing! I’m very partial to Corona but I know that some like their alcohol to come with more of a punch.

One last thing: A very dear friend of mine, Grace, is about to scale a 14505 ft mountain to raise funds to organise outdoor activities for underprivileged kids. Please do visit her Facebook group >here< and donate if random philantrophy or focused outdoorseyness are your sort of thing.

-Marc
“Watch your words spread hope like fire..”

Salsalicious!

Warning: pure salsa post ahead!

First and foremost, shameless plugs for my friends!

1. Attitude Dance Studio is putting up a pair of events this weekend, 26th and 27th of January, to celebrate their anniversary. Yes folks, that’s Saturday and Sunday.
   • Saturday’s event is a rather posh-posh party at the Upper Club at CHIJMES. My friends on the ADS team will be putting up performances and there’ll be lots of chances to social. Something different from the rather dark and drab confines of Union Square, and with Gupson around you can be sure the music’s gonna be sizzling fast.
   • Sunday’s event is the essential opposite of Saturday’s. It’ll be held at DXO and will feature performances from various dance studios around Singapore as well as a shines competition. I know a few of the people taking part in the competition so I can assure you that they’re the cream of the crop and will be a joy to watch.

Here’s the event website: http://www.asiasalsa.com/highlights.asp?id=4

2. SMU’s Caderas Latinas has a party/performance on Thursday, the 28th of February, also at DXO. The event, Bailamos en la Calle (Dance on the Streets) will showcase performances put up by the latin dance teams of many of Singapore’s Tertiary Institutions. Confirmed institutions include NTU, NUS, RP and, of course, SMU. I feel compelled here to tell something to my single male friends: the girls from Caderas are hot and most are still single. -grin-

Social dancing sets will be interspersed between performance sets (phew) and there’s a workshop by LADC’s Lionel Araya at 8pm.

Here’s their event website: http://www.danceonthestreets.com

Alright, now some news on the Young NTUC Salsa Team’s anniversary bash last saturday. The Salsa Labour Movement saw many people coming dressed as their favourite professions. I saw a bangladeshi worker, a judge, a tennis player, a nun… goddamn, if there’s anything funnier than a woman in a traditional, face-exposed-only habit doing a double turn I have not seen it yet.

The food was alright and so were the performances. Admittedly I wasn’t blown away at any point but none of the performers are seasoned or professional in any way. Most have only been dancing for a few months. So, kudos to them for having the guts to go up on stage and doing their choreos without freaking out :)

-Marc
“Como se lo explico la corazon…”

Gala Night

Performed at the ACJC Gala Dinner yesterday night.

Did a simple 2-minute choreo with my friend Lynn (also an ACJC alumnus). Nothing fancy: 15 eights from our SISF choreo, some impromptu shines and a ‘koala’ stunt. I would post the video but Lynn’s maid did a really bad job of holding the camera steady. I’ll upload the video from the official DVD, when it comes out. Here’s the performance cut in mp3 format, in case you’re curious what it sounds like.

The food was pretty damn good, which is what I’d expect from a $1000 per seat table. The dinner raised close to half a million towards the new C.P.A building in ACJC. It’s times like these that I wish I were about 8 years younger and had been dancing back then; the new facilities look state-of-the-art and the whole shebang is being run professionally. That’s right motherfuckers, ACJC’s gonna be the first junior college in Singapore to have full-time sound-and-lighting techs on its staff roll.

I was seated with the other performers, notably Victor Lee, Clement Chow, Gani Karim (picture above… god, wish I had his voice and body isolation) and Hossan Leong, and they gave me a lot of insight into the fundraising culture that’s so strong in the ACSian community. This was my first year doing anything of this sort for my alma mater, but they’re seasoned veterans.

There were stories shared about how the ACSian family actively builds for the future - the current principal, Mrs Kelvyna Chan, delivered an anecdote in which she mentioned how her husband raised funds to build the swimming pool at the old ACBarker complex but never got to use it. Her batch got to use it though, and they raised funds which went towards the construction of ACJC itself. And now they’re hoping that their children will be able to enter to enjoy the direct fruits of their labours.

We build for the future. For our children. For other people’s children. Fundraising for projects is usually done knowing that you yourself are giving money to build something that you’ll never get a chance to use or enjoy. Therein lies the beauty.

People often wonder why ACS has such a strong alumnus compared to other institutions here in Singapore. I personally feel that it’s due to the pioneers who gave so much of themselves at the start of the school’s history that has prompted future generations of ACSians to give of themselves too. Giving back to the school and society as a whole is now an undeniable part of the school’s culture and last night did nothing but reaffirm that for me.

-Marc
“How our shoes make hard noises in this place”

Dancing Mad.

The Singapore International Salsa Festival is just over. And I’m completely shacked. 20 hours of dancing and 10 hours of sleep in 3 nights kinda does that to ya.

I’m also inspired. Inspired to keep dancing, keep training. Inspired to learn the spanish language so that I can appreciate the music that I dance to more. This year’s festival was different from last year’s in that it had the backing of Mr Albert Torres, one of the current godfathers of salsa. And his presence made all the difference. Here’s a pic:

He’s currently running the Albert Torres foundation which organises salsa congresses and events the world over as well as the annual World Salsa Championships. His aim is to spread the joy of salsa, to educate people about the history of the dance and the music and to keep the passion burning in all the salseros y salsera he meets. I’d say he’s done a good job. A damned good job.

More than that, the music at the festival was inspiring in it’s own right.The Grammy winning Spanish Harlem Orchestra was down to play on Saturday night and they rocked the house. I must have invented 3 new kinds of styling that night alone -_-. Anyways I liked their music so much that I bought their new album (a rare thing for Marc to do, believe you me) and it was autographed by every single member of the band!! I was completely blown into gibbering, drooling fanboy mode after that:

Of course I need to mention the instructors who flew in for the event. Stalwarts like Super Mario and Susana Montero were there while new faces like irrepressible Jamie and Liz from Australia, the awe-inspiring Billy and Katie, quietly dignified Hacha y Machete, ego-deflating Junior and Emily (they’re around my age, goddammit) and the silky-smooth Leon Rose of the UK made their apperance this year. Their workshops were good, the social dances were excellent but their finale performances on Sunday night were completely mind-blowingly mo-f*cking incredible! Shit I can’t wait till the DVD comes out.

Here’s a pic of Junior and Emily with some of my friends from the SMU latin team:

Gorgeous, the two of them. Brilliant dancers too. To quote Albert, their style is “faster than fast” and I’m inclined to agree.

And of course, Billy and Katie. Billy himself is one of the head judges for the World Salsa Championships.. and together with Katie they have held the Caberet-style Salsa Championship title for years. Can you believe that they’re almost 50?!

So yes, back to real-life and reality now. I wonder how long this new-found inspiration will last in me. Perhaps Singapore is just too small - after a while you know just about everyone on the scene and their dance styles. Nothing is new anymore. Nothing is spectacular anymore. I’m beginning to realise that I need to travel to dance elsewhere periodically to keep my mindset fresh and all. Perhaps this year’s festival is but the start of a new chapter in my dance career.

-Marc
“cause I can’t stand up and I can’t fall down..”

So.. tired..

11 of my tuition kids are sitting for their exams this week. Here’s wishing all you guys the best. Get into that exam hall and kick some serious ass :)

Sleep deprivation is beginning to kick in. I almost had a narcoleptic attack during lunch. To put things into perspective, the last time that happened was right after my Biology and History O level exams. 2 essay heavy papers attempted with no sleep and naught but 6 cans of red bull in me. The caffiene wore off during dinner after and my face got closely acquainted with a bowl of satay beehoon.

No real idea why I’m so zonked now - it’s probably a combination of poor sleep and over-work (though not of the school sort >.<) - but it’s really coming at a bad time. 3 tests and such coming up this week. I know I often say that I can rest when I dead, but at this rate it’s gonna come a lot sooner than anticipated =P

The <space> comm is coming together quite nicely. There’s been a few kinks setting up the duty roster so I’m keeping <space> closed for another week while my officers sort things out. Would rather take some flak, delay the launch but launch it properly than rush the roster out the door and then spend a few weeks fighting fires.

<start rant> I’m beginning to get a little bugged by how everyone just assumes that I’ll be happy to do impromptu performances at parties. Yes, I love dancing but sometimes I’m just not in the mood for being part of the entertainment for the night? And for the love of all that’s holy please don’t pair me up with a girl whom I’m never met before, assure me that she’s a good dancer and knows salsa only to have me find out on stage that she’s only good at ballet, has only taken 4 salsa lessons from a latin ballroom instructor and has a problem with spins and turning because she’s wearing a micro-mini skirt. Goddamn but spins and turn patterns are the crux of salsa, and I can’t lead her into the moves that don’t involve spins and turns if she doesn’t even know how to do a cross-body lead! Arrgh! </rant>

Oh, i’ve found a new hat to wear out on bad hair days. Observe:

• 
• Squirts ink when I need to make a speedy escape and can be eaten should famine strike! I just don’t see any downside!

-Marc
‘glaciers melting in the dead of night’

So, i’m the new SPACE director…

…now if only Science Fac has a NASA-type program :P. Well I won’t be leaving the atmosphere anytime soon cause I have to manage the <space> students lounge, upgrade it during my term in office and organise seminars and workshops on topics like financial literacy (wooo cashflow!), career management and personal grooming. If you’re looking for a slack CCA that promises lots of interaction, fun and great learning opportunities (especially for soft-skills that aren’t really taught in SciFac, like how to write resumes) drop me a mail or comment =) I can assure that all my members will get priority for workshop/seminar signup.

In other news (whining news, that is), I’m really beginning to think that I have bad-juju karma when it comes to love. Just when things seemed to be going somewhere, I find out that the girl I’m seeing isn’t exactly available after all. Bleah. At least she had the decency to tell me the bad news. Wish she could have done it earlier though.

I’ve also managed to find a video of the salsa performance that Corinna and I put up for the NTUC Young Union Salsa graduation in june this year. I can’t say I’m totally satisfied with the performance (it’s a ’social’ performance so Cori and I didn’t actually choreograph anything.. we just winged it according to the music) but it -is- a milestone in my salsa career :)

-Marc
“So feed the rain…”