June 2009
Still leading an unproductive life. Spending way too much time in front of a small laptop screen. Inertia is not a good thing. People think I’m brilliant though – and not just for Salsa. I shouldn’t take anything from the compliments other than I am not brain dead.
As for Salsa, I hardly danced On1 this month. I think almost everyone prefer On2 pretty much everywhere I go. I think I might be getting rusty with On1 in fact. This is something I never expected.
The biggest event this month was the DC Salsa Congress. I only managed to go on Friday night and Sunday night – and I originally thought I was going to miss Sunday night. Despite missing the biggest night (Saturday), I thought the Congress was brilliant. At least for Salsa that is. It was actually a fairly small Congress by the numbers but not in quality. I danced with some people (complete strangers) as many as 4 times including one girl from Finland/NC, who could have passed for a model/actress/whatever (she was surprisingly good and seemed to enjoy the dances with me a great deal, which was good but also somewhat sad for my ego/mind/whatever).
That Saturday I was in New York for a cousin’s wedding. The DJ there after seeing me dance Cha Cha to Oye Como Va by Santana with one of my aunts decided to play – La Vida Es Un Carnaval. A 72-year old man (husband of groom’s older sister) complimented me on Cha Cha saying he loved that dance. I thought he was in his early 50s – in fact he could have passed from someone in his 40s. His daughter (in her 50s) told me later that her father seems to get younger as he ages.
Unending Epilogue 2
May 2009
The whole month is now something of a blur – mostly because I spent a lot of time playing a real-time warfare MMPORG for about a month. For whatever its worth, I have been a top 40 player (and top player on third ranked alliance) in the server I ended up on for last few weeks. I should be dramatically reducing my playing time very soon however and probably will quit altogether since I do want to get back to doing other things.
As for Salsa, it has been once or twice a week outing for most of May. The venues I’ve visited include DC Dance Collective (second and fourth Saturdays), Clarendon Grill (Mon), Barking Dog (Tues) and some special events at The Salsa Room. With apologies to other venues, which I have not frequented, these venues at the moment are the premiere locations for ET On2 dancers to my best understanding. For whatever its worth, I probably ended up dancing more On2 compared to On1 for this month.
A question I had been wondering for a while was, “How much was my blog affecting people’s perception towards me?” A related question might be whether some people were more likely to dance with me or not because of the blog. After a month, I think it is pretty clear that the absence of blog here made absolutely no difference. None. Nada. Zilch. Some people don’t like dancing with me after once or twice. Some won’t say yes the first time I ask (some will come find me later). For whatever its worth, people in the know tells me that I may come across as too scary good for some.
From previous outings, I have been somewhat familiar with people like Earl, Beto, Jimmy, Janet, Josh, Maylis, Tommy and Tanya (some of these people teach, others are social dancers). I suppose I can add Leticia, Ceci, Brendan, Preston, Luz and Shaka to the list of acquaintances or more. For Haihan, I did dance with Charissa, but I didn’t realize it was her so no introduction yet.
The most annoying night happened while visiting a DC venue called Station 9 for someone’s pre-wedding party. The streets were a maze. My debit card PIN did not work so I couldn’t withdraw any cash needed for entry. The people I knew inside were out of cash. I called the bank to deal with the PIN issue only to be placed on hold and then sent to nowhere (or where I started from) until my phone ran out. By then, I had enough and went home. Oh well.
The whole month is now something of a blur – mostly because I spent a lot of time playing a real-time warfare MMPORG for about a month. For whatever its worth, I have been a top 40 player (and top player on third ranked alliance) in the server I ended up on for last few weeks. I should be dramatically reducing my playing time very soon however and probably will quit altogether since I do want to get back to doing other things.
As for Salsa, it has been once or twice a week outing for most of May. The venues I’ve visited include DC Dance Collective (second and fourth Saturdays), Clarendon Grill (Mon), Barking Dog (Tues) and some special events at The Salsa Room. With apologies to other venues, which I have not frequented, these venues at the moment are the premiere locations for ET On2 dancers to my best understanding. For whatever its worth, I probably ended up dancing more On2 compared to On1 for this month.
A question I had been wondering for a while was, “How much was my blog affecting people’s perception towards me?” A related question might be whether some people were more likely to dance with me or not because of the blog. After a month, I think it is pretty clear that the absence of blog here made absolutely no difference. None. Nada. Zilch. Some people don’t like dancing with me after once or twice. Some won’t say yes the first time I ask (some will come find me later). For whatever its worth, people in the know tells me that I may come across as too scary good for some.
From previous outings, I have been somewhat familiar with people like Earl, Beto, Jimmy, Janet, Josh, Maylis, Tommy and Tanya (some of these people teach, others are social dancers). I suppose I can add Leticia, Ceci, Brendan, Preston, Luz and Shaka to the list of acquaintances or more. For Haihan, I did dance with Charissa, but I didn’t realize it was her so no introduction yet.
The most annoying night happened while visiting a DC venue called Station 9 for someone’s pre-wedding party. The streets were a maze. My debit card PIN did not work so I couldn’t withdraw any cash needed for entry. The people I knew inside were out of cash. I called the bank to deal with the PIN issue only to be placed on hold and then sent to nowhere (or where I started from) until my phone ran out. By then, I had enough and went home. Oh well.
Unending Epilogue: month 1
April 2009
As far as Salsa is concerned I am having more difficulty adjusting to the time difference than in the past. This is because I had been getting up early in the morning for much of April while I was travelling across the UK, France and the Lowlands. Even a full week after returning, I often find myself feeling sleepy by 5 PM. Thankfully I stopped getting up before 7 in the morning.
The process of getting back to life in America is moving slowly. I suppose it is faster than it was moving to the UK though. I begun the process opening a bank account on my third day back and received some account information within a week after arriving. Although things like debit cards and full online access information have not arrived yet, it sure beats taking nearly a month to get an account in the UK.
Originally I did not expect to get a mobile phone for a while. I still haven’t gotten one, but I think I will end up getting one – after completing my bank account details. Already one person asked me for cell phone (or mobile phone) information. I imagine I won’t use it much, but I suppose I should make myself “reachable” by methods other than e-mail. I’ll probably end with pay-as-you-go (or prepaid) phone – quite possibly with Virgin Mobile (a British outfit no less).
For this monthly update (no guarantees that I will keep this up), there has been only one Salsa outing. I meant to go to a second night but combination of a headache caused by a cold and some surprise dinner guests put that plan out the door. The one time I did go out I felt at less than top shape possibly because of combination of general inactivity and sleep issues neither of which had been helped by the aforementioned cold and headache.
It took no time to catch up with some friends I made from my last visit once at one of the regular hotspots (I’ll refrain from naming specific places or names local – at least for now). Heck, they even remembered my name too (fortunately I remembered theirs too). I also saw a lot of people I did not see before. I know it’s a mistake to judge a scene by one night but this one night made me think of Sergio saying that many good dancers don’t go out on local nights here.
As I was writing the last paragraph, I realized of a personal bias – not necessarily fair but perhaps illuminating. I rate followers based on how they dance with me. They could look good dancing with some other people, but I probably would think less of them if they were unable to dance well with me. On the other hand I rate leaders solely based on how they look dancing with others. This makes perfect sense, but it does mean there presumably will be some disconnect between how I rate other leads compared to how followers rate same leads.
Anyhow the reason why I got into this talk is that I saw two new leads I had not seen before who I thought would have kicked ass if they showed up in London – arguably better than many of “names” dropped in advertisements on web and on fliers for big events. (Heck, I think some of those name guys are quite awful – neither distinctive, entertaining nor aesthetically pleasing.) It also made me think that I haven’t gotten very far – even though I won’t see I haven’t made any progress recently but it seemed to me that some people here have made much bigger progress in last several months while I have been doing very little. Oh well. Maybe I’m doomed to plateau and fall behind the times. Who knows?
Finally I really should not comment on the Cambridge scene anymore – I’ll just say that I still do keep track of what’s going on there and that it is not lacking drama and intrigue.
As far as Salsa is concerned I am having more difficulty adjusting to the time difference than in the past. This is because I had been getting up early in the morning for much of April while I was travelling across the UK, France and the Lowlands. Even a full week after returning, I often find myself feeling sleepy by 5 PM. Thankfully I stopped getting up before 7 in the morning.
The process of getting back to life in America is moving slowly. I suppose it is faster than it was moving to the UK though. I begun the process opening a bank account on my third day back and received some account information within a week after arriving. Although things like debit cards and full online access information have not arrived yet, it sure beats taking nearly a month to get an account in the UK.
Originally I did not expect to get a mobile phone for a while. I still haven’t gotten one, but I think I will end up getting one – after completing my bank account details. Already one person asked me for cell phone (or mobile phone) information. I imagine I won’t use it much, but I suppose I should make myself “reachable” by methods other than e-mail. I’ll probably end with pay-as-you-go (or prepaid) phone – quite possibly with Virgin Mobile (a British outfit no less).
For this monthly update (no guarantees that I will keep this up), there has been only one Salsa outing. I meant to go to a second night but combination of a headache caused by a cold and some surprise dinner guests put that plan out the door. The one time I did go out I felt at less than top shape possibly because of combination of general inactivity and sleep issues neither of which had been helped by the aforementioned cold and headache.
It took no time to catch up with some friends I made from my last visit once at one of the regular hotspots (I’ll refrain from naming specific places or names local – at least for now). Heck, they even remembered my name too (fortunately I remembered theirs too). I also saw a lot of people I did not see before. I know it’s a mistake to judge a scene by one night but this one night made me think of Sergio saying that many good dancers don’t go out on local nights here.
As I was writing the last paragraph, I realized of a personal bias – not necessarily fair but perhaps illuminating. I rate followers based on how they dance with me. They could look good dancing with some other people, but I probably would think less of them if they were unable to dance well with me. On the other hand I rate leaders solely based on how they look dancing with others. This makes perfect sense, but it does mean there presumably will be some disconnect between how I rate other leads compared to how followers rate same leads.
Anyhow the reason why I got into this talk is that I saw two new leads I had not seen before who I thought would have kicked ass if they showed up in London – arguably better than many of “names” dropped in advertisements on web and on fliers for big events. (Heck, I think some of those name guys are quite awful – neither distinctive, entertaining nor aesthetically pleasing.) It also made me think that I haven’t gotten very far – even though I won’t see I haven’t made any progress recently but it seemed to me that some people here have made much bigger progress in last several months while I have been doing very little. Oh well. Maybe I’m doomed to plateau and fall behind the times. Who knows?
Finally I really should not comment on the Cambridge scene anymore – I’ll just say that I still do keep track of what’s going on there and that it is not lacking drama and intrigue.
Coda
April 21, 2009
There should be no more recommendation given to me to talk about the weather rather than talk of people unless it is done behind their back. I imagine such thought came to mind in order to counterbalance admiration I felt for the countryside landscape outside the coach windows.
Beautiful weather, chronic transportation issues. It took over 20 minutes for the coach to move more than 50 meters from its parked space. At Stansted, the driver announced that M25 was closed in the direction we needed to go so we would have to weave through the countryside.
Roads and rails are so unreliable here. It is a big surprise when no problem is encountered in a long trip. I would estimate that M25 to Heathrow is problematic more than 75% of the time in my experience. In past 3 weeks, we suffered through an incident at Finsbury park resulting in 1+ hour delay, a long escalator out of action for 6 months at Pimlico tube station affecting us for 5 days, a train station closure for Liam a couple of days ago and a painfully slow drive through Bow street for Sergio and me. And then there are three out of three problematic trips to Heathrow. Maybe I should start a new blog entitled “On The Road” to detail trials and tribulations of travelling. One thing the UK has over the USA - widespread use of traffic light systems with vehicle detectors.
In the end the coach returned to a sparse M25 (J21) for the final leg of the journey. There was no problem arriving at terminal 5 before appointed time (1:30 PM). One excess weight baggage charge (25 pounds) after rearranging the bags, another Wagamama lunch, several e-mail correspondences, then boarding what appeared to be no more than half-full flight. I switched my seat as soon as possible for more space.
Once again I used westbound transatlantic flight to catch up on some film: Slumdog Millionaire, Frost/Nixon, The Reader and Bolt – chosen in part for their length. Also about 80 pages of 2666 were devoured during the entire trip. The flight was a little slow not helped by not being able to fly through the NYC airspace. The descent was rather turbulent. The trip was generally a trouble-free.
Ross had suggested writing a book with the blog as base material on the drive back to Cambridge last night. I said immediacy is a problem – although perhaps immediacy is the current trend. I imagine the bigger issue would be interest – there simply are not that many people so interested in dance (or Salsa dance). It would have to be a backdrop rather than a main focus for enough people to be interest. And the writing would have to be pretty darn good too. All of it would take a lot of effort and time – who knows though?
In any case, no more daily Salsa blog. No more entry? - quite possibly since it agrees with my aesthetics. New blog? - to be determined. Certainly no Learning Salsa In DC.
There should be no more recommendation given to me to talk about the weather rather than talk of people unless it is done behind their back. I imagine such thought came to mind in order to counterbalance admiration I felt for the countryside landscape outside the coach windows.
Beautiful weather, chronic transportation issues. It took over 20 minutes for the coach to move more than 50 meters from its parked space. At Stansted, the driver announced that M25 was closed in the direction we needed to go so we would have to weave through the countryside.
Roads and rails are so unreliable here. It is a big surprise when no problem is encountered in a long trip. I would estimate that M25 to Heathrow is problematic more than 75% of the time in my experience. In past 3 weeks, we suffered through an incident at Finsbury park resulting in 1+ hour delay, a long escalator out of action for 6 months at Pimlico tube station affecting us for 5 days, a train station closure for Liam a couple of days ago and a painfully slow drive through Bow street for Sergio and me. And then there are three out of three problematic trips to Heathrow. Maybe I should start a new blog entitled “On The Road” to detail trials and tribulations of travelling. One thing the UK has over the USA - widespread use of traffic light systems with vehicle detectors.
In the end the coach returned to a sparse M25 (J21) for the final leg of the journey. There was no problem arriving at terminal 5 before appointed time (1:30 PM). One excess weight baggage charge (25 pounds) after rearranging the bags, another Wagamama lunch, several e-mail correspondences, then boarding what appeared to be no more than half-full flight. I switched my seat as soon as possible for more space.
Once again I used westbound transatlantic flight to catch up on some film: Slumdog Millionaire, Frost/Nixon, The Reader and Bolt – chosen in part for their length. Also about 80 pages of 2666 were devoured during the entire trip. The flight was a little slow not helped by not being able to fly through the NYC airspace. The descent was rather turbulent. The trip was generally a trouble-free.
Ross had suggested writing a book with the blog as base material on the drive back to Cambridge last night. I said immediacy is a problem – although perhaps immediacy is the current trend. I imagine the bigger issue would be interest – there simply are not that many people so interested in dance (or Salsa dance). It would have to be a backdrop rather than a main focus for enough people to be interest. And the writing would have to be pretty darn good too. All of it would take a lot of effort and time – who knows though?
In any case, no more daily Salsa blog. No more entry? - quite possibly since it agrees with my aesthetics. New blog? - to be determined. Certainly no Learning Salsa In DC.
Swan Song
April 19, 2009
The plan crystallized when I received a text from Liam saying that Gaucho’s is fine late in the night. I forwarded the message to Sergio hoping that it would not disrupt his sleep. Past noon, I conferred with both over the phone then made the reservation for three at 7 PM. More time than I had hoped was spent studying the route to St James Square.
I picked up Sergio around 5 PM – slightly behind schedule. The traffic on Bow Street was unusually slow. However we did make it to Gaucho’s Grill Picadilly before appointed time – unlike Liam who apparently had to resort to taxi/bus combo due to a train station closure. In any case no major problems.
Gaucho’s Grill was dark. Aside from actual dark rooms, I don’t think I ever saw any place have less lighting than this place. Of restaurants, it reminded me a little of Hakasan, but this place was much darker. Food was okay but pricey. I may had less complaints than Sergio or Liam, but then again I wasn’t paying.
Liam directed me back to Russell Square area. As we approached the door I was able to hear a version of Camina Prende Y El Fogon unknown to me on the other side. I whispered to Sergio that Sylvester must be the DJ tonight. I was right. It was around 9 when we made our entrance.
Sergio’s assessment was that there were more On2 dancers at SOS compared to last time he was here. He thought the overall level (though not the top level) of people seemed better. This agreed with my opinion more or less although I have been here regularly so the change would not have looked stark.
The most amusing Liam quip of the day was, "You're so lucky," given to a girl he was chatting with when I got around to ask her for a dance. I would say he was considerably less outrageous than usual by past standard.
Like the last time, I think I danced at higher frequency than I had been for past year or so. The dances were up and down in quality early on. I was asked by two different women - one twice with second time seemingly half-expecting me to say no. I admit that I was eyeing who to ask for the next song during this dance.
Next for the last three songs, I picked on some of my favorites - the ones I find attractive and have had some very nice dances with in the past. Second to last song was Blue Mambo. The final song was for the second time tonight with my longest frequent partner at SOS. Thus ended my final SOS outing during my 5.5 years of residence in the United Kingdom.
The plan crystallized when I received a text from Liam saying that Gaucho’s is fine late in the night. I forwarded the message to Sergio hoping that it would not disrupt his sleep. Past noon, I conferred with both over the phone then made the reservation for three at 7 PM. More time than I had hoped was spent studying the route to St James Square.
I picked up Sergio around 5 PM – slightly behind schedule. The traffic on Bow Street was unusually slow. However we did make it to Gaucho’s Grill Picadilly before appointed time – unlike Liam who apparently had to resort to taxi/bus combo due to a train station closure. In any case no major problems.
Gaucho’s Grill was dark. Aside from actual dark rooms, I don’t think I ever saw any place have less lighting than this place. Of restaurants, it reminded me a little of Hakasan, but this place was much darker. Food was okay but pricey. I may had less complaints than Sergio or Liam, but then again I wasn’t paying.
Liam directed me back to Russell Square area. As we approached the door I was able to hear a version of Camina Prende Y El Fogon unknown to me on the other side. I whispered to Sergio that Sylvester must be the DJ tonight. I was right. It was around 9 when we made our entrance.
Sergio’s assessment was that there were more On2 dancers at SOS compared to last time he was here. He thought the overall level (though not the top level) of people seemed better. This agreed with my opinion more or less although I have been here regularly so the change would not have looked stark.
The most amusing Liam quip of the day was, "You're so lucky," given to a girl he was chatting with when I got around to ask her for a dance. I would say he was considerably less outrageous than usual by past standard.
Like the last time, I think I danced at higher frequency than I had been for past year or so. The dances were up and down in quality early on. I was asked by two different women - one twice with second time seemingly half-expecting me to say no. I admit that I was eyeing who to ask for the next song during this dance.
Next for the last three songs, I picked on some of my favorites - the ones I find attractive and have had some very nice dances with in the past. Second to last song was Blue Mambo. The final song was for the second time tonight with my longest frequent partner at SOS. Thus ended my final SOS outing during my 5.5 years of residence in the United Kingdom.
Todo Tiene Su Final
April 17, 2009
With a clearer head and fewer responsibilities, I made it to Sauce shortly after 9:30. I took a quick peek to see if 1 Station Road was open. It wasn’t yet, but there were activities downstairs. The lessons at Sauce was packed and ended shortly after 10. It was too crowded for me to see but the instructors presumably were Dan, Kafe, Jane and Vish. Robin and Raj were there early too.
After sitting out the first song, I decided to pick my partners by personal history. Thus I danced first with Marian, who I think was in my very first Salsa class. Next was Lorraine, who once assisted with Mauricio’s classes. Third was Jane – although by that point Serap had arrived so the theme had become unworkable. As for others, aside from Polly, who arrived much later, I would be hard pressed to decide the order of the dances. So many people have come and gone from the scene (and I don’t think I can be blamed for more than a handful if at all).
I also tried to dance with all of the regular girls there but didn’t quite succeed; I think I managed to ask all but one before they departed though. It took nearly two hours to make the first round.
I thought Vish knew about me not wanting a farewell dance. He didn’t – but this was neither surprising nor upsetting. I would not have picked the song Vish chose – Todo Tiene Su Final (Everything has an end, nothing lasts forever), but in retrospect it was quite apt. In fact, for me I preferred it over every other song Vish played for other people for birthdays and departures.
In the circle for the farewell dance were Abbe, Serap, Jane, Laura, Lorraine, Ania, Shorty, Georgie among others. No one was sure about when to jump in, and I wasn’t particularly sure about when to make the switch. The simplest method was to grab the most convenient person whenever Vish shouted switch. In general I didn’t try to do too much (or at least not overwhelm anyone) while keeping the dance to match the music (probably deluding myself into thinking I’m giving people a lesson in musicality if not fundamentals and philosophies rather than merely countless turn patterns).
Zern showed up near the end – pure coincidence that this was my last Friday in Cambridge and his first in more than 6 months. He stayed long enough for a group photo of last of the stragglers, which included Mark, Polly, Raj, Laura and Vish. Zern went on a chat-fest with big-hand Misty outside the door before the night ended with Mark’s foursome drifting out and in looking into the old venue.
Nothing lasts forever. Soon I’ll be joining likes of Mimis and Cyrilles in the dustbin of Cambridge Salsa history. The vacuum left by my absence will be filled quickly, and new pecking order will be established. New admirations, envies, idiocies, outrages and understandings will replace the old. I thought I saw what was happening and what was going to happen to the scene with some clarity through a thick fog and a laser light show. Does anyone else see with same kaleidoscope eyes?
With a clearer head and fewer responsibilities, I made it to Sauce shortly after 9:30. I took a quick peek to see if 1 Station Road was open. It wasn’t yet, but there were activities downstairs. The lessons at Sauce was packed and ended shortly after 10. It was too crowded for me to see but the instructors presumably were Dan, Kafe, Jane and Vish. Robin and Raj were there early too.
After sitting out the first song, I decided to pick my partners by personal history. Thus I danced first with Marian, who I think was in my very first Salsa class. Next was Lorraine, who once assisted with Mauricio’s classes. Third was Jane – although by that point Serap had arrived so the theme had become unworkable. As for others, aside from Polly, who arrived much later, I would be hard pressed to decide the order of the dances. So many people have come and gone from the scene (and I don’t think I can be blamed for more than a handful if at all).
I also tried to dance with all of the regular girls there but didn’t quite succeed; I think I managed to ask all but one before they departed though. It took nearly two hours to make the first round.
I thought Vish knew about me not wanting a farewell dance. He didn’t – but this was neither surprising nor upsetting. I would not have picked the song Vish chose – Todo Tiene Su Final (Everything has an end, nothing lasts forever), but in retrospect it was quite apt. In fact, for me I preferred it over every other song Vish played for other people for birthdays and departures.
In the circle for the farewell dance were Abbe, Serap, Jane, Laura, Lorraine, Ania, Shorty, Georgie among others. No one was sure about when to jump in, and I wasn’t particularly sure about when to make the switch. The simplest method was to grab the most convenient person whenever Vish shouted switch. In general I didn’t try to do too much (or at least not overwhelm anyone) while keeping the dance to match the music (probably deluding myself into thinking I’m giving people a lesson in musicality if not fundamentals and philosophies rather than merely countless turn patterns).
Zern showed up near the end – pure coincidence that this was my last Friday in Cambridge and his first in more than 6 months. He stayed long enough for a group photo of last of the stragglers, which included Mark, Polly, Raj, Laura and Vish. Zern went on a chat-fest with big-hand Misty outside the door before the night ended with Mark’s foursome drifting out and in looking into the old venue.
Nothing lasts forever. Soon I’ll be joining likes of Mimis and Cyrilles in the dustbin of Cambridge Salsa history. The vacuum left by my absence will be filled quickly, and new pecking order will be established. New admirations, envies, idiocies, outrages and understandings will replace the old. I thought I saw what was happening and what was going to happen to the scene with some clarity through a thick fog and a laser light show. Does anyone else see with same kaleidoscope eyes?
Almost Over
April 14, 2009
12:45 PM train (Thalys) to Amsterdam. I’m going to pretend that I did not visit Amsterdam, however. The only activity achieved was a canal cruise, which left me cold in more than one sense. Dinner at Hotel Ibis.
April 15, 2009
Keukenhof. A quickie one hour walk of Amsterdam never reaching De Wallen. Train to Hoek van Holland Haven. Overnight sailing to Harwich and dinner on Stena Britannica.
April 16, 2009
Breakfast on Stena Britannica. A hang up at customs due to visa issues. Slow train to Cambridge. Drive to and back from Heathrow. Feeling dazed and exhausted but I am not dead. No Salsa for this post. Five more days in the UK to go.
12:45 PM train (Thalys) to Amsterdam. I’m going to pretend that I did not visit Amsterdam, however. The only activity achieved was a canal cruise, which left me cold in more than one sense. Dinner at Hotel Ibis.
April 15, 2009
Keukenhof. A quickie one hour walk of Amsterdam never reaching De Wallen. Train to Hoek van Holland Haven. Overnight sailing to Harwich and dinner on Stena Britannica.
April 16, 2009
Breakfast on Stena Britannica. A hang up at customs due to visa issues. Slow train to Cambridge. Drive to and back from Heathrow. Feeling dazed and exhausted but I am not dead. No Salsa for this post. Five more days in the UK to go.
Decline of the Western Church and A Brief O'Sullivans Sojourn
April 7, 2009
Greenwich. Tate Modern. Evensong at Westminster Abbey. Pork curry.
April 8, 2009
Heathrow airport once again with Picadilly line and District line both impaired. Pasta and Salmon. Buckingham Palace to Trafalgar Square. National Portraits Gallery. National Gallery. Covent Garden (Royal Opera): Dido and Aeneas & Acis and Galatea. Four Seasons for dinner. Not enough time for Bar Salsa.
April 9, 2009
Vauxhall Bridge to House of Parliament. British Museum. Chicken curry. Covent Garden (Royal Ballet): Giselle. Short stroll in Leicester Square.
April 10, 2009
Slow jaunt to Tower Hill via replacement two-decker bus. Tower of London. Bus back to Monument in crawling traffic. Tate Britain. Last dinner in London.
April 11, 2009
6:55 AM Eurostar to Paris. Hotel International near Republique. Stroll to Seine. Centre Pompidou. A short walk along Seine. Metro back to hotel. Dinner at L’Autre Café. What is this talk about shopping and Versailles?
April 12, 2009
Disastrous Gregorian Mass at Notre Dame on Easter Sunday (more on this later). Louvre. Walk to Arch of Triumph in search of open shops of haute couture. Some pizza on Avenue Champ de Elysees for dinner. Eiffel Tower. I couldn’t escape for an outing to Barrio Latino.
April 13, 2009
Boulangerie Kayser. A trip to Versailles where every building seemed closed. d’Orsay too was closed. Louis Vuitton, Chanel, etc. Perhaps ten minutes of Vespers at Notre Dame. Atelier for dinner. The waiter with a 5-day old son.
Of all places I visited during this trip, the services at Notre Dame have to be considered the biggest disappointment.
I think the services on Easter has to rank as the worst time to visit Notre Dame given the crowding leading to large number of people left to standing or sitting on the ground for up to a little over an hour. As a tourist or as a believer, the experience is likely to be highly unsatisfying.
Vast majority of people attending the mass have very little knowledge of how to act during the mass. Outnumbering the people attending the mass are tourists simply walking around the congregation while taking photographs with flash. During the Vespers service on Monday (when there were more free chairs), the tourists felt free to wander into the area for the congregation for photographs and videos.
At several places during the mass, the leader of the mass was waving his arms to extol the congregation to sing along. Most did not – in part because many people were without appropriate program. I imagine a rather large number of people did not speak French. Personally I felt rather sorry for his difficult task.
By comparison, Anglican services in England are considerably more dignified; I speak from experience in attending evensong at Westminster Abbey and Kings College Chapel in Cambridge. Only people attending the services are allowed in. Even though more than half of the people (and there are not many people) are tourists, everyone is compelled to act respectfully given the solemn setting. I suppose all these churches are in decline, but it seems to me that the English churches are dying with more dignity compared to French churches.
By the time dinner at Atelier was finished and back at the Hotel International, it was already 11; I had hoped for an earlier getaway to O’Sullivans. By the time I arrived it was 11:30 meaning I had barely over one hour if I were to take the Metro back to the hotel. It made for a very abbreviated night out not helped by the fact that I was rather worn out from this long trip. Probably the dancing wasn’t so bad but I did wonder seriously whether I would keep up with Salsa once I am far away from Cambridge and London scene. After all my previous pattern has been to abandon the old and take up something new and unexpected after each of my major moves. Bed around 1 AM.
Greenwich. Tate Modern. Evensong at Westminster Abbey. Pork curry.
April 8, 2009
Heathrow airport once again with Picadilly line and District line both impaired. Pasta and Salmon. Buckingham Palace to Trafalgar Square. National Portraits Gallery. National Gallery. Covent Garden (Royal Opera): Dido and Aeneas & Acis and Galatea. Four Seasons for dinner. Not enough time for Bar Salsa.
April 9, 2009
Vauxhall Bridge to House of Parliament. British Museum. Chicken curry. Covent Garden (Royal Ballet): Giselle. Short stroll in Leicester Square.
April 10, 2009
Slow jaunt to Tower Hill via replacement two-decker bus. Tower of London. Bus back to Monument in crawling traffic. Tate Britain. Last dinner in London.
April 11, 2009
6:55 AM Eurostar to Paris. Hotel International near Republique. Stroll to Seine. Centre Pompidou. A short walk along Seine. Metro back to hotel. Dinner at L’Autre Café. What is this talk about shopping and Versailles?
April 12, 2009
Disastrous Gregorian Mass at Notre Dame on Easter Sunday (more on this later). Louvre. Walk to Arch of Triumph in search of open shops of haute couture. Some pizza on Avenue Champ de Elysees for dinner. Eiffel Tower. I couldn’t escape for an outing to Barrio Latino.
April 13, 2009
Boulangerie Kayser. A trip to Versailles where every building seemed closed. d’Orsay too was closed. Louis Vuitton, Chanel, etc. Perhaps ten minutes of Vespers at Notre Dame. Atelier for dinner. The waiter with a 5-day old son.
Of all places I visited during this trip, the services at Notre Dame have to be considered the biggest disappointment.
I think the services on Easter has to rank as the worst time to visit Notre Dame given the crowding leading to large number of people left to standing or sitting on the ground for up to a little over an hour. As a tourist or as a believer, the experience is likely to be highly unsatisfying.
Vast majority of people attending the mass have very little knowledge of how to act during the mass. Outnumbering the people attending the mass are tourists simply walking around the congregation while taking photographs with flash. During the Vespers service on Monday (when there were more free chairs), the tourists felt free to wander into the area for the congregation for photographs and videos.
At several places during the mass, the leader of the mass was waving his arms to extol the congregation to sing along. Most did not – in part because many people were without appropriate program. I imagine a rather large number of people did not speak French. Personally I felt rather sorry for his difficult task.
By comparison, Anglican services in England are considerably more dignified; I speak from experience in attending evensong at Westminster Abbey and Kings College Chapel in Cambridge. Only people attending the services are allowed in. Even though more than half of the people (and there are not many people) are tourists, everyone is compelled to act respectfully given the solemn setting. I suppose all these churches are in decline, but it seems to me that the English churches are dying with more dignity compared to French churches.
By the time dinner at Atelier was finished and back at the Hotel International, it was already 11; I had hoped for an earlier getaway to O’Sullivans. By the time I arrived it was 11:30 meaning I had barely over one hour if I were to take the Metro back to the hotel. It made for a very abbreviated night out not helped by the fact that I was rather worn out from this long trip. Probably the dancing wasn’t so bad but I did wonder seriously whether I would keep up with Salsa once I am far away from Cambridge and London scene. After all my previous pattern has been to abandon the old and take up something new and unexpected after each of my major moves. Bed around 1 AM.
Mystery Salsa Blogger Returns to Bar Salsa
April 6, 2009
A morning drive from Bath to Cambridge followed by an afternoon stroll in Cambridge. Train to London Kings Cross was extremely slow due to a supposed fatality at Finsbury Park (I wasn’t able to find any details on the web) so we did not arrive at the St. George’s Square apartment near Pimlico until more than one and half hour after the first estimated time. After wandering about Leicester Square, an awkward dinner at Mr Kong. I was finally more than ready to head to Bar Salsa at 11:30.
Past the turnstiles, I asked the tube attendant how late the trains run. 1 AM was the reply, and I said thanks as I skipped down the stairs (down escalator was undergoing a refurbishment estimated to last nearly 6 months). As I made way there, I decided that I would either try to leave at 12:40 or so or try walking back to determine how long it would take.
Once downstairs, I spotted a bunch of woman I see fairly often (but for the most part don’t dance with) as well as several old-timer leads – some I know a little more than others. Among people I recognized were Andrew, Robin, Shaan, Aiste, Laith and Sleek. I guess Robin must be living in London now if he’s now a regular at both SOS and Bar Salsa? Mario was deejaying all night, and I stopped by to say a brief hello.
I ended up staying until the start of the last song – close to 2 AM. I ended up with a good number of dances. It was fun for the most part. Nevertheless this second trip to Bar Salsa reinforced my impression that it still is less of pure dance venue compared to SOS. By this I mean there is more of a social and flirting element rather than a heavier and exaggerated emphasis on pure technique (although I feel that this description is poorly expressed and very liable for misinterpretation by a bystander and possibly even by me if I were to read this 10-20 years from now).
A few times I managed to end up watching other people dancing, my observation was that most leads here looked considerably sloppier than expected. I thought the musicality was particularly lacking although I better admit that different people may have a very different sense of what to do to achieve better musicality. Even in cases where it seemed like an effort was being made, my estimation was that their conception of musicality was quite different than my sensibilities. Who knows, of course, if my ideas evolve (which it almost certainly will if I keep this up) to match some of the people I saw tonight. Then again, the issue at hand may have more to do with mentality and possibly even technique (with a big caveat that I have no illusion that my technique is any better let alone flawless) rather than in differences in how people hear same music with different ears.
One girl there tonight seemed particularly taken with how I danced with her. Then again I would not be surprised if at least one or two girls were nonplussed about our connection. This is all without taking into account one’s ability to mask disappointment or delight. BO was an issue with at least one person.
The walk from Bar Salsa (north of Leicester Sq) to SGS (east of Pimlico) took about 35 minutes. This includes time spent to consult London AZ, to buy a drink a 24 hour convenience store, and to ask a photographer about a demonstration still going strong next to the Parliament building (near Westminster) – the demonstration was about the Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka.
p.s. Vishal apparently is committing to the Sauce path. Cue music.
A morning drive from Bath to Cambridge followed by an afternoon stroll in Cambridge. Train to London Kings Cross was extremely slow due to a supposed fatality at Finsbury Park (I wasn’t able to find any details on the web) so we did not arrive at the St. George’s Square apartment near Pimlico until more than one and half hour after the first estimated time. After wandering about Leicester Square, an awkward dinner at Mr Kong. I was finally more than ready to head to Bar Salsa at 11:30.
Past the turnstiles, I asked the tube attendant how late the trains run. 1 AM was the reply, and I said thanks as I skipped down the stairs (down escalator was undergoing a refurbishment estimated to last nearly 6 months). As I made way there, I decided that I would either try to leave at 12:40 or so or try walking back to determine how long it would take.
Once downstairs, I spotted a bunch of woman I see fairly often (but for the most part don’t dance with) as well as several old-timer leads – some I know a little more than others. Among people I recognized were Andrew, Robin, Shaan, Aiste, Laith and Sleek. I guess Robin must be living in London now if he’s now a regular at both SOS and Bar Salsa? Mario was deejaying all night, and I stopped by to say a brief hello.
I ended up staying until the start of the last song – close to 2 AM. I ended up with a good number of dances. It was fun for the most part. Nevertheless this second trip to Bar Salsa reinforced my impression that it still is less of pure dance venue compared to SOS. By this I mean there is more of a social and flirting element rather than a heavier and exaggerated emphasis on pure technique (although I feel that this description is poorly expressed and very liable for misinterpretation by a bystander and possibly even by me if I were to read this 10-20 years from now).
A few times I managed to end up watching other people dancing, my observation was that most leads here looked considerably sloppier than expected. I thought the musicality was particularly lacking although I better admit that different people may have a very different sense of what to do to achieve better musicality. Even in cases where it seemed like an effort was being made, my estimation was that their conception of musicality was quite different than my sensibilities. Who knows, of course, if my ideas evolve (which it almost certainly will if I keep this up) to match some of the people I saw tonight. Then again, the issue at hand may have more to do with mentality and possibly even technique (with a big caveat that I have no illusion that my technique is any better let alone flawless) rather than in differences in how people hear same music with different ears.
One girl there tonight seemed particularly taken with how I danced with her. Then again I would not be surprised if at least one or two girls were nonplussed about our connection. This is all without taking into account one’s ability to mask disappointment or delight. BO was an issue with at least one person.
The walk from Bar Salsa (north of Leicester Sq) to SGS (east of Pimlico) took about 35 minutes. This includes time spent to consult London AZ, to buy a drink a 24 hour convenience store, and to ask a photographer about a demonstration still going strong next to the Parliament building (near Westminster) – the demonstration was about the Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka.
p.s. Vishal apparently is committing to the Sauce path. Cue music.
Mystery Salsa Blogger Strikes Bristol
Long weekend based at Bath, UK
April 3, 2009
Two hour to Heathrow. Fifteen minutes wandering in Heathrow. Eton College. Windor Castle. Bibury. Arrival at Bath – Tasburgh Guest House. Wandering down to the canal path at sunset. Dinner at Sala Thai.
I forgot my power cord, so my laptop only has battery power until Monday – starting with less than 80% capacity to begin with. For some reason, internet connection was sporadic at Tasburgh on both April 3 and 4.
April 4, 2009
Roman Baths Museum. Walking in Bath. Stonehenge. Avebury Circle. Castle Combe. Lacock. Dinner at Peking Restaurant in Bath.
Around 9:40, I set forth for Bristol on A4. Bristol is a mere 13 mile or so away from Tasburgh, but the Google map estimated journey time was 30 minutes. No wonder. The route was filled with 30 and 40 mph zones. After two whole days of mistake-free navigation, I got lost twice within 5 minutes after leaving the hotel. Once I arrived at Bristol, it got much worse. It was only around 10:50 that I finally arrived at intended location (I did manage a free parking).
It was just as well that I arrived so late. The venue was called Warehouse, a new venue with a guy going by the name Eldj running the show upstairs for the Salsa crowd. However, I found a sign saying that upstairs Salsa room would open at 11 PM – rather than expected 10 AM. Hmm, maybe I should have taken hint from the Eldj emphasizing that the party ends at 3 AM while glossing over my other inquiries. Downstairs there were perhaps 30 people moving to Merengue and nondescript Latin music – with hardly anyone attempting partnering. At 11:05, the staircase was still blocked with a pair of chairs with the same 11 PM sign still attached to it. I had seen a bunch of people going up and down, so I decided to simply make my way inside.
Hmm. There was no physical barrier between downstairs and upstairs meaning in some areas, one could hear music from both floors. I found total of 9 people upstairs - two girls working at the bar, a pair of girls sitting with drinks – unlikely dancer candidates, a guy and two girls making a trio sitting far from the DJ booth – again very unpromising, and the DJ and a girl chatting with the DJ – the last one seemed the most likely candidate (and proved so later). The first song I was ready for happened to be a Cha so I asked her for a dance. I don’t think Cha On2 was her forte though. After a little thought, I decided to approach the DJ to make a request for a slower paced song for Salsa. I found La Llave (Grupo Latin Vibe) in his collection and decided that it would make for a reasonable re-set. I decided to stick to On1 this time.
For whatever its worth I didn’t bother with On2 all night; I don’t think there were any regular On2 dancers there tonight. I had thought it possible that there could be some On2 crowd based on the fact that Brendan was once based here. Of course one night in one venue cannot define the Bristol scene, and I am fairly sure that Warehouse Saturdays occupies the current hottest Salsa spot in Bristol right now. Also my best guess was that I did not see any local instructor or performer types tonight (but who knows for sure?)
I must say I had begun to worry that no one else with the most basic partner dance experience would show up by the fifth or the sixth song. I had made my second request by then (Soulsa – Estrellas Caiman) thinking that no one else who might care had showed up to that point. I might have come off seeming a little pushy so I decided to back off and left the DJ to his devices. In any case, I imagine he played several more songs picked with me as a likely enthusiastic audience (among other things he played a New Swing Sextet tune from their new album, Night In Tunisia by Sonora Poncena, Clasiqiendo Con Ruben by Afro-Cuban All-Stars) before returning to what I imagine were more in favor with the other locals finally arriving closer to midnight and beyond.
By the time I left around 12:40, the group upstairs had grown to as many a 30 or so. I’m guessing I danced with about 8-10 people for total of around 20 dances or perhaps twice as many as anyone else had danced up to that point. People there seemed to be predominantly Cuban style although I imagine that several of the girls danced slot or linear style with some partners in the past (and possibly one of the lead too except I though I saw him do Cuban at one point also). My initial expectation was low and it had fallen even further after the first 30+ minutes or so. So ending up with as many partners and dances I left the premises content.
I got lost after arriving in Bath after 1 AM. It was considerably simpler to find myself out of the mess, and there was no busy traffic to contend with unlike in Bristol.
April 5, 2009
Loss of water pressure during shower at Tasburgh, which has been a high class hotel slash guesthouse in general. A long day of driving. Dunster Castle. Exmoor (Porlock Weir-Lynmouth-Combe Martin-Ilfracombe). Clovelly. Another dinner at Peking.
I might expand the other travel section at some other point – not sure if I’ll post it in this blog though.
April 3, 2009
Two hour to Heathrow. Fifteen minutes wandering in Heathrow. Eton College. Windor Castle. Bibury. Arrival at Bath – Tasburgh Guest House. Wandering down to the canal path at sunset. Dinner at Sala Thai.
I forgot my power cord, so my laptop only has battery power until Monday – starting with less than 80% capacity to begin with. For some reason, internet connection was sporadic at Tasburgh on both April 3 and 4.
April 4, 2009
Roman Baths Museum. Walking in Bath. Stonehenge. Avebury Circle. Castle Combe. Lacock. Dinner at Peking Restaurant in Bath.
Around 9:40, I set forth for Bristol on A4. Bristol is a mere 13 mile or so away from Tasburgh, but the Google map estimated journey time was 30 minutes. No wonder. The route was filled with 30 and 40 mph zones. After two whole days of mistake-free navigation, I got lost twice within 5 minutes after leaving the hotel. Once I arrived at Bristol, it got much worse. It was only around 10:50 that I finally arrived at intended location (I did manage a free parking).
It was just as well that I arrived so late. The venue was called Warehouse, a new venue with a guy going by the name Eldj running the show upstairs for the Salsa crowd. However, I found a sign saying that upstairs Salsa room would open at 11 PM – rather than expected 10 AM. Hmm, maybe I should have taken hint from the Eldj emphasizing that the party ends at 3 AM while glossing over my other inquiries. Downstairs there were perhaps 30 people moving to Merengue and nondescript Latin music – with hardly anyone attempting partnering. At 11:05, the staircase was still blocked with a pair of chairs with the same 11 PM sign still attached to it. I had seen a bunch of people going up and down, so I decided to simply make my way inside.
Hmm. There was no physical barrier between downstairs and upstairs meaning in some areas, one could hear music from both floors. I found total of 9 people upstairs - two girls working at the bar, a pair of girls sitting with drinks – unlikely dancer candidates, a guy and two girls making a trio sitting far from the DJ booth – again very unpromising, and the DJ and a girl chatting with the DJ – the last one seemed the most likely candidate (and proved so later). The first song I was ready for happened to be a Cha so I asked her for a dance. I don’t think Cha On2 was her forte though. After a little thought, I decided to approach the DJ to make a request for a slower paced song for Salsa. I found La Llave (Grupo Latin Vibe) in his collection and decided that it would make for a reasonable re-set. I decided to stick to On1 this time.
For whatever its worth I didn’t bother with On2 all night; I don’t think there were any regular On2 dancers there tonight. I had thought it possible that there could be some On2 crowd based on the fact that Brendan was once based here. Of course one night in one venue cannot define the Bristol scene, and I am fairly sure that Warehouse Saturdays occupies the current hottest Salsa spot in Bristol right now. Also my best guess was that I did not see any local instructor or performer types tonight (but who knows for sure?)
I must say I had begun to worry that no one else with the most basic partner dance experience would show up by the fifth or the sixth song. I had made my second request by then (Soulsa – Estrellas Caiman) thinking that no one else who might care had showed up to that point. I might have come off seeming a little pushy so I decided to back off and left the DJ to his devices. In any case, I imagine he played several more songs picked with me as a likely enthusiastic audience (among other things he played a New Swing Sextet tune from their new album, Night In Tunisia by Sonora Poncena, Clasiqiendo Con Ruben by Afro-Cuban All-Stars) before returning to what I imagine were more in favor with the other locals finally arriving closer to midnight and beyond.
By the time I left around 12:40, the group upstairs had grown to as many a 30 or so. I’m guessing I danced with about 8-10 people for total of around 20 dances or perhaps twice as many as anyone else had danced up to that point. People there seemed to be predominantly Cuban style although I imagine that several of the girls danced slot or linear style with some partners in the past (and possibly one of the lead too except I though I saw him do Cuban at one point also). My initial expectation was low and it had fallen even further after the first 30+ minutes or so. So ending up with as many partners and dances I left the premises content.
I got lost after arriving in Bath after 1 AM. It was considerably simpler to find myself out of the mess, and there was no busy traffic to contend with unlike in Bristol.
April 5, 2009
Loss of water pressure during shower at Tasburgh, which has been a high class hotel slash guesthouse in general. A long day of driving. Dunster Castle. Exmoor (Porlock Weir-Lynmouth-Combe Martin-Ilfracombe). Clovelly. Another dinner at Peking.
I might expand the other travel section at some other point – not sure if I’ll post it in this blog though.
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