Born To Rock (in France)

My dance Born To Rock which was released in 2008 for Hiro Suzuki's event in Tokyo, Japan sees a new lease of life in France, thanks to Davy. Check out his video below. I love the way his enjoyment of the song shows through in his dancing. :) Made me smile. I found myself unconsciously applauding at the end of the video! lol.

MISERY (Let Me Be) - Dance Teach

I found an excellent teach of my latest dance MISERY today. The video is by Jenny (USA). She does a demo at the beginning followed by very clear instructional teach in both English and Mandarin after.

Johor Bahru Trip to dance with Niels Poulsen!

Just a quick note that Jennifer Choo and I are organising a trip to JB from 11-13 Dec 2010 for the Dance for Good Health, Peace and Joy event organised by the Lim Sisters.

Guest of Honour, Niels Poulsen, from Denmark will be at the event to teach us his brand new dances. It's going to be lots of FUN! So, if you are interested to be part of our bus group, please contact either of us for more info & make a decision quick. Seats are filling up fast!

New Dance: MISERY (Let Me Be) - Sept 2010

Taught my new dance MISERY (Let Me Be) to the class this morning & got it recorded. It's an easy intermediate, 32 counts, 4 walls with an easy Tag done after every wall for the first 4 walls.

Stepsheet is available on Yipee & Copperknob. Will be sending out to other sites soon & also to those on my email list.

Hangzhou - 10th Sept 2010 (Departure)

Our final day in Hangzhou. Well....half day actually, as our flight home is at 2:30pm so we planned to be on our way to the airport by 11:30am. Journey from hotel to airport is approximately 50mins to an hour depending on traffic.

We woke up early, had a leisurely breakfast & then decided to go for a stroll. No concrete plans as to what we wanted to see. We walked out the hotel entrance, took two right turns to get onto the main road & followed the road from there. It was a long street flanked by offices, upmarket boutiques, pubs, eateries, car showrooms (Maserati, BMW, Porsche.....etc) and budget hotels on both sides. The West Lake is located just behind the row of buildings on the left of the road.

The street along which we strolled.

A happening & busy pub at night.

Bicycles for rent.

The kiosk from which to get your prepaid bicycle rental card.

Instructions

Card dispenser machine

Place card on card reader & bicycle will be released from lock.

The frontage of an art academy along the street

Luxury car showrooms

West Lake is just beyond the road (on the left of the photo)

We took a right turn here & that put us on a road

with a couple of 4 star hotels on the right side

After the hotels were rows of smaller shops.

A view of the temple (don't know exactly what this building is) from the street.

We kept walking & walking....most shops weren't opened yet so we peeped into their display windows. Finally some shops began to open for business at 10am. To our good luck, we came upon a 2 yuan & a 10 yuan shop. That would be RM1 & RM5 shops to us Malaysians.

2 Yuan shop (in the back)

10 Yuan shop (in the foreground)

I browsed the 2 yuan shop but they had mostly household utensils and some small trinkets. I bought several handphone tags featuring the Expo2010 mascot. It was at the 10 yuan shop that my husband & I lingered. I might have ended up buying most of what was in the shop if we weren't running out of time to get to the airport.

They had hair accessories.....the type with stones & 'crystal's on. They had brooches, belts, keychains.......I can't recall now......my eyes & mind were in a blur.....but I recall I liked what I saw. If only I had more time! :) ( and also more space in my luggage).

My favourite shop on the entire trip! hehehehe

After satiating my hunger for shopping at the 10yuan shop, we headed back to the hotel. Just another 5-8 mins walk.

Back in our room, we repacked our luggage to accommodate the new items we had purchased. Then it was time to say goodbye. I said goodbye to my little fighting fish named Peter. They have one in every room and also a rubik's cube sitting next to the mini aquarium. These I gathered from the accompanying note beside the fish, were to entertain those who brought kids with them.

Peter & the Rubik's Cube

Peter, up close.

'Hey there, young fella. My name is Peter. I don't feel lonely anymore now that you're here.

Are you good at Rubik's cube? If you can figure out 3 sides, I'll buy you a cup of coffee at the Cafe.

(Sadly, I'm hopeless at Rubik's cube. The best I can manage is one side. Wish my eldest son was

with me on the trip. I could then have had one free cuppa haha)

Almost forgot to tell you. I'm on a diet and a nutritionist is taking care of me.

Please don't feed me anything; I have a problem controlling my appetite. You know us fish..... :)

If I don't look well please dial '9' and call for a doctor, thanks.

Well then, do you want to chat first or play the Rubik's cube?'

We arrived at the airport and proceeded to the check-in counter. After having completed that we decided to go to the old wing of the airport for lunch. Allan wanted to try China's very own fast food outlet chain: Kung Fu....something. :)

It was quite tasty really.

But the meat was too hard for my liking. I remembered the veg, rice & soup were nice though.

At the airport, waiting to board the plane, which was 1/2 hour delayed.

Goodbye Hangzhou! Goodbye China! I had a wonderful time in Shanghai & Hangzhou. Especially fond memories of the time spent with the other line dancers and of course, it goes without saying, the time I spent with my husband. Allan says he wants to visit again and the next time it would be with the children. :)

Till we land on your shores again China,

'Zàijiàn!' 再见!

Hangzhou - 9th Sept 2010 (Day 2 Part 2 )

After West Lake, we went to Yan'an Rd for some shopping. Window shopping mostly, but along the way we came across a shop that was holding a sale. From afar, it looked like the shop was selling the Crocodile brand of apparel. But on closer inspection it was spelt CLIO CODDLE. Hahahaha!

The quality wasn't too bad though. Allan got himself a pair of slacks, Soo a wallet for her husband & I got a leather belt for Dad & a pair of nice comfy leather sandals for Mum (she loves sandals & shoes!).

We got caught in a brief shower and took shelter in a shop selling fashion shoes. Would have ended up buying a pair of shoes, but unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how one looks at it...grin..) they didn't have my size in stock.

We ended our shopping early and took a taxi back to the hotel for a rest and also for Soo to do some last minute packing as she was departing Hangzhou on a late night flight tonight. Allan & I had purchased tickets for the Impressions of West Lake show by Zhang Yi Mou. Friends told us not to miss this one, so while we were at West Lake we bought tickets for the second performance at 9pm. Tickets were RMB200 a piece.

At 7pm, we still had an hour before Soo takes the taxi to the airport. She said she'd like to go back to the square where we found the line dancers last night & hopefully that they would be dancing tonight as well.

We headed there & yes, they were there, dancing! Soo & I joined in without much hesitation (although we did stay a little ways from the last line of the dancers). They were doing a basic cha-cha routine, just one wall, so it was pretty easy to follow. We did only one dance as the next song didn't quite appeal to us and also because Soo wanted to move on to the shops at He Fang Jie for one final browse.

Soo & I line dancing at the square

Just the silhoutte of Soo & I :)

At He Fang Jie, we said our goodbyes & parted ways with Soo. Allan & I went on to get our dinner...at McDonald's...before taking a taxi to West Lake.

At West Lake, while mingling with the crowd that had gathered to wait for the 1st show to end, we came across 2 friends from the WOW event who had joined the post event tour. What a coincidence! We knew that the group would be in Hangzhou on this date but to actually meet up, what are the chances of that! (They or we, could just as easily have decided to go for the earlier show & would not have bumped into each other).

With Nancy & Cameron

When I finally met up with the rest of the group, you can just imagine the look of surprise on their faces....lol. I was glad to see my friends again. It felt nice to be watching the show together although we weren't seated at the same area with the group.

The show was awesome. Lovely visuals created by the play of lights, great costumes, hauntingly moving music...beautiful! And all these were done on the lake itself. A stage was built just 3cm below the water surface for the actors and dancers to perform on.

The story is loosely based on the Legend of the White Snake. At the beginning, they had a projector introducing the storyline and the various acts/scenes (there were 5 in all as I recall) but everything was in chinese. I got the impression that it was 'boy meets girl', 'boy courts girl', boy marries girl then looses girl on the wedding night' (tsk tsk....just his luck), but can't quite figure out if it was a happy ending or not. Didn't sound like it though.... the music sounded sad throughout.

The scholar who meets the girl

Dancers (this is the only part of the stage that's above water)

Scholar looses his bride on their wedding night

Bride (in red) with her captors

(who seem to be playing with water rather than keeping an eye on her.....LOL!)

They meet but separate again soon after

Bride says her final farewell (sob sob!)

After the show, we caught a cab back to the hotel, happy to have spent a fruitful day drinking in the sights of West Lake, doing some shopping & ending it all with a lovely show.

Hangzhou - 9th Sept 2010 (Day 2 Part 1 )

Second day in Hangzhou!

Our destination this morning is the famous West Lake. I didn't know what to expect but I'd heard & read that it's beautiful and a 'must see'.

We decided to get there on foot, it being so close by......just about 10 mins from our hotel.

"Rippling water shimmering on sunny day, Misty mountains shrouded the rain; Plain or gaily decked out like Xizi; West Lake is always alluring."

These are the words composed by the famous Song Dynasty poet Su Dongpo (960-1127) when he compared the West Lake to Xi Zi, the most beautiful woman in ancient China.

copied from www.travelchinaguide.com: http://www.travelchinaguide.com/attraction/zhejiang/hangzhou/west_lake.htm

I found the above site by chance while researching for my trip to Shanghai & Hangzhou and it has proven to be very informative and helpful. I even used this site to book my hotel in Hangzhou.

Photos from our visit to West Lake:

Entrance to LeiFeng Pagoda

In the background behind us is the escalator

taking visitors up to the base of the pagoda

Excerpt from Wikipedia on LeiFeng Pagoda:

The original pagoda was built in 975 AD, during Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, at the order of King Qian Chu (born Qian Hongchu) ofWuyue. It was built to celebrate the birth of Qian Chu's son, born to his Huang Fei. The Leifeng Pagoda was an octagonal, five-story structure built of brick and wood and with a base built out of bricks.

During the Ming dynasty, Japanese pirates attacked Hangzhou. Suspecting the pagoda contained weapons, they burned its wooden elements, leaving only the brick skeleton, as can be seen from Ming paintings of the West Lake.

Leifeng Pagoda was one of the ten sights of the West Lake because of the Legend of the White Snake.

Later, due to a superstition that bricks from the tower could repel illness or prevent miscarriage, many people stole bricks from the tower to grind into powder. On the afternoon of September 25, 1924, the pagoda finally collapsed due to disrepair.

As for whether there was a mausoleum below, this was debated for years until finally radar was used to investigate. On March 11, 2001 the mausoleum was excavated and many treasures were found, most notably a gold and silver coated hair of the Buddha.

What's left of the old pagoda. Beneath this, a secret chamber was discovered.

A silver & gold container housing the Buddha's relics (his hair) was found.

A picture of the old pagoda & the special container housing Buddha's relics (on the left)

Bricks from the old pagoda.

The local superstition/belief at that time was that these bricks could ward of illness & protect pregnant women from miscarriages. Because of this, most of the stones were carted away by the locals. Only a few rare pieces are left.

Ceiling decorations at the base of the Pagoda

(the dark spots at the centre of the motif are cctv cameras)

View of the entrance from the top of the Pagoda

View of Hangzhou city skyline from the Pagoda

Ceiling decor on the topmost floor

Close up of the motif on the ceiling

One of several wall plaques with very intricate wood carving

depicting scenes from Sakyamuni Buddha's life

Another floor had various scenes from the legend of The White Snake carved out in 3D.

Check out the fine detail & delicate workmanship of the carvings.

For more about the legend, visit this link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legend_of_the_White_Snake

Descending to ground level after the pagoda

The building where the small pagoda containing Buddha's relics is displayed

The silver & gold 'pagoda' housing some of Buddha's relics

Touring the entire circumference of the lake on a buggy.

The driver explained the sights along the way, but it was entirely in Mandarin... :(

The buggy similar to the one we were on

Views of the lake & its surroundings from different locations along the buggy ride

A quaintly designed boat ferrying tourists to the islands on the lake

One of many bridges we crossed

Lotus pond, but not many lotus flowers in sight

According to our buggy driver, the building in the background

was where Soong May-Ling & her husband Chiang Kai Shek stayed

during their honeymoon (as translated by my husband)

I love looking at the willows all along the drive around West Lake

The famous Lou Wai Lou restaurant in the background

This is where Impressions of West Lake is performed every night.

A stage has been built 3cm below the surface on which actors dance & move about

By the time we completed the tour, we were famished. Allan had earlier spotted a restaurant offering buffet lunch when we first entered the West Lake area. So when the buggy drove by the restaurant again, he signaled to the driver to stop for us to alight.

Buffet lunch was RMB64 per head. We hesitated at first, but eventually made the decision to try and we weren't disappointed.

The dessert section with the main buffet line in the background

Noodles, rice & much more.....

Only tiny plates & bowls were provided. Good way to avoid wastage.

Allan & Soo digging in

Close up of some dishes we tried

We really liked this one & went back several times for more

I loved this tea! The famous loong jeng tea I think

Drank so many glasses of it.

Enjoying the ambience & the tea :)

On the verandah outside the restaurant

View of the lake from the restaurant

A few last pics before we headed back to the hotel

My hero :)