Experiences must be experienced, for better or worse.

Things you have to try at least once if:

1) You learn ballroom dancing (latins included)

• Play the opposite role (if you're the guy, try to be the follow; if you're the girl, try to lead)
• Dance with your instructor (seriously, you have got to try this)
• Dancing the other dances you've never learnt before in your life

2) You are a diver

• Swim with whalesharks
• Whirlpool dives
• Chase mantas

3) You are in Singapore (visiting or residing)

• Bakrok (will - to the senses of the unfamiliarised - look, smell and taste like sh*t)
• Durian (tastes like heaven, smells like hell... unless the whiff already gets you prejudiced against this awesome stuff)
• Go to the night safari

Just to mention a bit about the "dance with your instructor" thing, I managed to secure this *checks time* last night at the latin fest, and man, did I even enjoy myself... especially the dip.

When they say, "A first time for everything", they mean EVERYTHING.

My 'firsts' in the week before my 21st:

• My first blood donation after two previous failed attempts. Just wanted to get poked. Sue me.
• My first presentation postponement.
• My first meeting and conversation with a particular prof after a potentially disastrous incident last year.
• My first time planning two salsa outings in a week... before the holidays, no less.
  
• Breaking in my first pair of salsa shoes.
• My first celebration of Valentines (albeit by myself... or should I say with every other salsa-rian?)... went salsa
• My first time being chatted up (wait for it) by a corporate guy more than twice my age, including trying to buy me a drink, trying to get me to sit down, the "I'm leaving in 5 to 10 minutes you know" and the "Do I look like a bad guy". Jeepers, he even had one of the staff (poor fellow) to call me over to start with.
  
• My first time dancing with an auntie.
• My first time having my eyes nearly poked out (and my contact lens literally poked out) by a dance partner.
• My first bachata. Oh. My. Goodness. Gracious. What an experience.
• My first time making plans for my own birthday.

Great... now I'm hooked on bachata... where do I get the cash to learn it...

Not everything needs a name.

Right. Here goes.

I'm stressing out too early in the term, I've got Carlos Santana's "Into the Night" stuck in my head (with some strange flamenco cheoreography, no less), I've gained weight that I won't be able to lose in time for my salsa plans, I've got deadlines I can't meet (some of which, sad to say, were set by me)...

... And it's suddenly snowing leaves outside. Hmmm.

That kind of broke my train of thought.


Oh yes... recent morbid delights: Aeon Flux (the original animation shorts, not the p--- ex---- for a movie; no, those were not swear words, I'm just afraid of defamation laws, I've no idea how far they go)