Waiting to exhale...

Yeh... that's HERE and NOW today, in real-time. Back in Tioman, back at the crib that I haven't seen and slept in for months! The weather is just incredible... The tide is low and the sea is so amazingly hot it's like soaking in hot Epson Salt bath :D This is what I LOVE doing.... sitting in the water just like that when the tide is low. The sand bottom is soft and smooth and I've played with little fishes of sorts that have come close enough. I'd read a book too :D This was my study spot when I was doing my MBA years ago, back when JapaMala was merely chalet-styled. Can't believe how much the resort has evolved....

And I had passed my MBA with flying colors :D Well, it's all about the state of mind isn't it....
Such joy to come back to the island and have my doggies run up to greet me:) They're all grown up too!! There's Tiger, Mario, Poppi, Mikey & Blackie. Mikey, the one with a pink nose and super short legs, apparently LOVES his evening dips in the sea and then later, squirms on the beach and play with sand. Hahahhaha I'm waiting to catch him do that!

HaH.....If THIS is not heaven on earth I don't know what is.

Check out Tengku Zatasha's blog on JapaMala.
http://frogandprincess.wordpress.com/2010/05/23/japamala-resort-tioman/
She came on holiday with her husband 2 days before I arrived:)

NIAMAH!!!

Sigh... Patrick Teoh lives in the condo at the top of the hill and I live in a house right in front of him. He was in Singapore for an acting job when the landslide happened but his wife Mama Min and children, Laura & Adam were home. They too moved out immediately like we did.

But fortunately, both our properties sit on granite and not landfill soil, according to the geologist my hubby spoke to 2 days ago. So don't worry ok uncle, we're on safer grounds. We moved back in last Thurday already...

Today, for the first time, I walked down the steep flight of steps that cut through from my road to the road below (Wangsa 9) which had caved in from where the slide started (in front of those white houses on hilltop in picture). Looking down at the not too distant aftermath of the tragedy, my heart skipped a beat...how very sad for those whose homes just vanished into bits and pieces (I could see all the debris from the edge where I was standing).... and those families who have lost people they loved.

Today we, the residence committee were all suppose to meet with the MB. But for whatever reason, it didn't happen.

Neighbours at Jalan Wangsa 9 are moving out

Jalan Wangsa 9 from the inside - road caved in from the slide which started from this point on

the mud wash that avalanched, smashing 14 houses at the bottom

Today I received an email from friend Edna with an account from one of the residents affected by this landslide. Have a read.

Bukit Antarabangsa... Multiple tragedy
December 10, 2008 by drrafick

Today is D5 of the Bukit Antarabangsa tragedy. During the highland tower incident, I was part of the medical team assisting in the rescue and support effort but today I am a
victim of a similar tragedy. Something that I never thought that would have an impact on me. Relatively in comparison, what happened to those families who lost their love ones is nothing compared to what me and probably 2000 other residents had to endure past 4 days. Many tragedies took place this time around. I am not going to be diplomatic about it. I will say it the way I see it.

Within 2 hours after being made aware of landslide, I and several residents of Taman Bukit Utama activated an Ops Centre (known as TBU Ops Centre). We looked at important issues that we needed to tackle, mainly water supply, waste disposal, security, food distribution and medical evacuation. What was supposed to be our Taman Ops centre became the Ops Centre to eight "Taman" surrounding ours who were cut off from the outside world. We had no electricity, water, fixed telephone line internet. Most people had limited food in their house
as they had already planned to travel for Raya hence did not stock up any food.

Within an hour after meeting, we set up and completed a temporary water supply by laying pipes to get mountain water for the residents. Ops centre was up in the next hour and we started communication channel with the outside world via SMS and arranging food and drinking water supply. We took preventive measures to manage disease outbreak by managing waste. All this was done by a handful of people from Taman Bukit Utama Resident Association
(PPTBU). We setup the helipad for the rescue team to come in. With the help of a friend DSP Kumar, we managed to evacuate by air (Medivac) a total of 39 patients which consist of stroke patients, elderly people, kidney failure patients etc. The patients were evacuated by police air wing which was arranged by DSP Kumar from the UTK through his personal contacts. We did all this independently without the support of any help from the Base station at Ground zero.

Within the first 48 hours, while in darkness several homes were reported to have been broken into by unknown people in residential areas adjacent to TBU where there was no or minimal residential coordination among the residents. Food was scarce and cooked food from PBSM (Persatuan Bulan Sabit Merah) did not arrive in timely manner. The longest time was dinner that only reached us in the morning which was not edible by then.

While we are stuck, we had VVIP visitors that come to our area. I would say out of many people that came only a handful was actually helpful. YB Elizabeth Wong, a state Exco came with a working group had arranged for generators, fuel, candles, garbage bags and others. She came
by foot with very few people and carried relevant information without empty promises. The IGP came and gave me his personal commitment and blessing that, I continue to handle all air evacuation with the support of Police Udara.

I was told that the Minister of Information visited only the UMNO relief center at a Condo nearby. He did not come to our place. The NGO that is worth mentioning is Mercy who gave me
some drugs, INSAF who open a small medical clinic for 2 days and MAVFCL (Kapt Bala and his crew) which opened a temporary access between Athenaeum condo (the condo at the highest point on the hill) and a generator set to charge hand phones, and Bukit Utama which allowed people to leave by foot.

It is regretful to note that NO government agency deserves any mention in the first 36 hours of tragedy except for Polis Udara and Jabatan Kebajikan Masyarakat. I think they forgot about us...

While 2000 people were surviving in the darkness with the absence of proper food, Concord Hotel, Ali Maju restaurant, Burger King and many others donated tons of food. Unfortunately, no one attempted to send the food to us. Residents that were not affected by the tragedy
and the rescue workers were enjoying them. The kind of food they got down there was lavish. There was fresh roti chanai, tosai mee goreng etc. The best word to describe the situation down there is "food fiesta". Someone commented that there is so much "Teh Tarik" that you can wash your shoes with it.

The landslide is a major tragedy. The bigger tragedy is that the failure of the government to act fast enough.

While multiple agencies went into action fast, most of them work independently. On the 3rd day, we had 10 soldiers from RAMD with two officers with the rank of Major that came to our centre. I asked them a basic question on their role and the officers could not give me a straight
answer. He was very blur. To me his presence was a liability to the ops center as we had to feed an additional 10 mouth with our limited stocks.

This is not the first time a tragedy took place. The disaster relief operation was not well- coordinated. The command and control was lacking. Information dissemination to the media was scattered and caused panic among the people. Many friends and relatives outside called us and we could not entertain them, as our battery power was limited. In terms of political publicity, I would say UMNO was a clear winner. This is because they control the media.

Unfortunately, I would say that in the hearts of the people UMNO loss big time. The high-level
conduct of their people on the ground and the selective help that was given out was too much to bear. In fact, the Putri Umno head that I've known over the past few months was behaving in such a highhanded manner that that really showed her true colours. They were hoarding food and distributing them to "their people".

Their action has only reinforced my idea that the Federal and the State Government must be from different parties. This is needed for check and balance. Malaysians must realize that for the sake of our own lives and our own children lives, we have to have balance of power. It is because of the lack of balance of power; the water catchment area that is a state land that was given to MBF which is now known as "Bukit Antarabangsa". In my assessment, the government is liable. In this case, the government which was led by BN in the state of Selangor and at National level in the past 50 odd years, is liable for the suffering of the people of Bukit Antarabangsa. They are liable because they alienated unsuitable land for development. They are liable for giving the people the false sense of security by approving development plans and projects. They are liable for hiding information from the people that shows that the area that we are buying is not safe for living. I will only vote for the balance of power in the future and UMNO will not be part of that balance.

NIAHMAH!!!

Bukit Antarabangsa Landslide

That night, I threw an intimate party at home for my pole team & KT Coates, in celebration of the Asian Pole Summit which took place on the following morning plus the arrival of Mr.Malcolm "Kokteez" McClaine, KT's boyfriend. We all had a fantastic time. Our wonderful Italian chef, Daniele cooked up some truly yummy feast for us all with his signature Tiramisu to finish.

It was such a beautiful night....our turqoise pool illuminated in the darkness of night. My friends couldn't help but dip their feet in. A relaxing treat after a full week of pole dance training, performing and workshops in Singapore.

The air was calm & cool, like most nights up here in the hills of Bukit Antarabangsa. We could hear vaguely from a distance, rave music and a voice working the crowd in some sort of party at the bottom of the hill. We bitched a little. Aside from that, it was an amazing night. No signs of what was to become the country's biggest landslide looming just 300m from our very house.

We heard nothing though.... just my dogs barking, going berserk in the middle of the night which never happened before. So I was woken. Then shortly after, my handphone rang. Surprised and dazed from sleep I answered a call from Sofia Jane, my girlfriend. It was 4.30am.

She sounded really concerned, rather panicky really, "Are you ok Maple?" I said hey and told her I was fine, I was sleeping, but what's wrong? Sofie then said there has been a massive landslide in Bukit Antarabangsa where her mother-in-law lives and that she was in shock. I later learnt the landslide stopped right infront of her apartment block.

I then told hubby about the landslide and started to look outside the window. No sounds, nothing. Only around 5ish we heard helicopters. The rescue teams were beaming light into the valley. Then soon I got a call from Mama Min (Patrick Teoh's wife) who lives right across us, that the police has ordered everyone from her apartment to come outside. I looked out at the front of my house and saw loads of people just hanging out, not knowing why exactly nor what to do.

We took Mulan for a walk down Wangsa 9 and saw trees had fallen over the road - apparently there's where the landslide orginated from. Those abandon houses on the edge of the hill next to these broken trees, were left half-built for the longest time. We cant help but wonder if this entire row of 10 if not more, will be next.... and how many more houses adjacent to them plus those at the bottom will be avalanched.

Not really knowing what to do (which seems to have been the case in these 6 days), we walked back home and i took a shower. At least one thing I know I must do, is to get to the studio. It was the first day of The Asian Pole Summit in KL. Hubby was standing by the pool, looking out into the valley, checking intensely if something was happening down the road. That was when the 2nd slide took place. I too, from my bathroom door upstairs, saw trees coming down and heard people screaming from a distance.

"Cookie, get all our luggage out. We're packing some things and getting outta here!"

That night, we moved into our neighbourhood hotel, The Flamingo. Still not really understanding why but we needed a good night's sleep. In the next few days, we still didn't know the status of our house! We've officially been asked to evacuate, but for how long? When will we know if our house is safe to live in again? Or never? All the residents living around here share the same predicament. It didn't take long before everyone is infuriated by the lack of information from the authorities, angry because we have to leave our homes and left in the lurch, scared because of all the uncertainties and impatient and frustrated because no one can answer all our questions! What's worse, no work has been done to the site, to strengthen or prevent futher slides till this day.

I went to a meeting last night near the tragedy site with some residents, to talk to the state assemblyman YB Azmin Ali. Clearly a waiting game, we were told that the results of the land situation, soil movements and safety status of us living above the landslide, will only be out 10 days from Monday.

Today is also the anniversary of the tragic Highland Towers collapse. It has been 15 years yet what has come out of victims' fight? And just a week ago, the landslide in Ulu Yam which claimed lives and soon after, in Damansara.

Hillside developments have apparently been frozen since the landslide but that's not true as some have witnessed continuous works. In fact, alot of housing projects on Bukit Antarabangsa and the neighbouring Ukay Heights have had the green light to proceed even without approval....no CFs. How's that?

Are we to blame for trusting the goverment in the first place that a property
is unsafe to buy? Even if we wanna check, where do we go?

This is our lives, our families and our investments.We hope our new ruling party PKR will now stand up for us and proof their worthiness of our votes and resolve this on-going crisis that has been left unattended for over 20 years.

Lnadslides caused by heavy downpour therefore not a man-made disaster? Heh... which moron would think that.

Btw, we decided to move back into our home today. It must be bizarre and silly in some's opinion to see us moving our things back into what's been referred to as a 'deathtrap' when others are frantically moving out. Well, I feel good being in my own home at the moment. I find more peace being around our things, surrounded by all our doggies and sleep in our own bed than getting pushed around and left to wonder. Besides, our engineers said there hasnt been any soil movement at all on our road since the catastrophe... and apparently, our house sits on rock and not soil. So that's good to know;)

Treats at 35

First comes the surprise party. The fruit of conspiracy by two very cheeky people in my life Ning and Skipper. The party was not for me alone but Chris as well, whose birthday was on Merdeka day. Turned out, Chris had no idea either, so he was just as shocked heheheh. Double happiness it is!

No suspicion whatsoever, these two buggers sealed the plan pretty well la. It was a Sunday and we did nothing unusual - he goes cycling then we go lunch somewhere. Besides, Ning had already 'booked' me for birthday lunch a week back so i thought that was it, my quiet birthday meal with my nearest and dearest after she gave me 2 Madonna biogrpahies as birthday present.
Heh! I was in fact really really really looking forward to going home alone and taking that nap after lunch since I was feeling rather sicklish.

Then, there came a very loud 'SURPRISE!!!!!' as I see my dad hopping out of some bush in my garden....which almost set me to self-defense mode.



We were directed straight to our birthday cake which Ning had ordered.
Sorry Chris, it looks like your birthday cake will have to be a pole dance cake too hahahaahha!!! Like it or not, your wife has now insinuated to the world that you're attempting to pole dance.

YES!!!! Things a man has gotta do to please his wife huh.... Kinda makes me wonder if it's Skipper's idea on the symbolism here. I can hear him say, "Organizing this entire birthday suprise plus all the other treats that come with it is as hard as pole dancing, Cookie!"


All our friends were of course invited secretly.... oh how sweet.....:) Including the chefs and the planning of all the food plus a full bar too! Somekhuan, our Grand Chef cooked all my favorite food....from deep-fried chicken cartilage to cincau. It was a real treat:) Btw, know what my birthday wish is?

Then came the car.... hehehe.... the car I've been eyeing for years, The 206 Peugeot, which I never got around to buy simply because I love my 12-year-old Honda City too much to give it up for anything else. Well, looks like my birthday wish just came true : HAVE MY CAKE AND EAT IT TOO! I don't have to sell my Honda if I don't want to;)

THANK YOU SKIPPER!

Then comes the surprise birthday trip;) My skipper.... tid-for-tad la! Because for his 40th birthday in July, I had taken him on a surprise place-hopping trip ala Amazing Race style - no clue where he was going until I hand him the envelope at the airports. So now, he has flown us to Phuket. Though it didn't take me very long to figure out that I was gonna welcome another bigger surprise flying in from Singapore!

Hehehe.... none other than my best friends Jacqueline & Nic plus our godbabies, Shayla and Sara together with their grandma and maid!

It rained and rained perpetually in Phuket. Feeling a little under the weather still myself, I decided to go get pampered instead. Errr..... if to be pampered could mean a little suffering sometimes.... Hahaha! Been there done that with the braids now. I can't say I'd do it again though.

I must say this is the best birthday I've ever had because I got to be with all my closest and dearest friends, even the farther ones. Jasmine and Linna, although you were far, you know you're as close to me as my heartbeat;) It has been a fantastic year with friends...REAL friends.

I really really did have my cake and ate it too, didn't I?

The Butterflies

The Butterflies is the story of my metamorphosis... the journey of a great sisterhood bonded by one vertical obsession.

I feel like a butterfly... maybe even a flower. A chrysenthemum that blossoms open like a dancer's hand holding the warm sunlight in her palm. My fears had gone unnoticed like the bubbles coming off hidden treasure at the bottom of the ocean. I seized on them to feed my appetite for the coming adventure. And my anxiety of it. A beautiful anxiety nonetheless.

Butterflies flutter in my stomach but tickle my heart. The air promises imminent success. We are 3 to a wing and together, we've taken flight.

Of All Things Sweet

Does this look like me or what!

This is a cake. Yes, a cake. Made by girlfriend Mama Min, which is a gift from another girlfriend, Angie (don't forget to catch Angie live on Capital FM at 88.9 on May 19!). Well if you must know, aiyah the famous sexy sultry voice that asks you to record your Maxis voice message la. That's THE Angie.

This is the first pole-dancing cake anyone has ever made for me. And of course, as bizarre as always, I had indeed wished it right before it arrived at my doorstep.
Well, that's not all....this cake tells a story one...

That's Federico & our daughter Mulan posing as drooling audience staring up upon the pole queen (me) on 'stage'. Hahahahahaha!

Gosh, how is one supposed to eat this??!

It's too beautiful to only be melted away by stomach acid...? It's a work of art for goodness sake.
Well, can't eat it so keep it - all 3 of us are still in the fridge as we speak. But I sure whallup the cake ok. Man, the butter sponge went down like a dream and so my breakfast, lunch and dinner for the next 2 days were totally taken care of. And I'm salivating again.

Mama Min, can you please please please make one with me hanging off the pole like this the next time?
I tell you, Mama Min can do it alright. She loves working with her hands and since she's so super at it, started her cake factory at home!
Now Min lives just across my house and I'm pretty sure we can work out a barter trade on cupcakes in exchange for some pole-dancing lessons perhaps? Like 5 cupcakes to a trick, one whole cake for a month-long 4 -lesson deal.... can't we, Mama :P ?

That night she brought me the pole-dancing cake from across the street (looks like something outta Desperate Housewives la...), we had met the very first time. Angie had introduced us. And guess what, she's the wife of veteran radio DJ and actor Patrick Teoh. Good neighbours are hard to find so I'm glad I got one who's sweet. Hmmm... icing-sweet... sugar-galore sweet...

And check out my order of more cupcakes last week! Mandi-mandi sponsored lunch and offered a day of pure fun in the sun for some under-privileged kids in celebration of Living Hope Malaysia's 1st anniversary.

So how could I deprive anyone of little sugary luxuries in life?
Especially when they look like this.

Min made 25 cupcakes, each with a different face of a child, in brilliant detail.

And she also baked a butter cake and dressed it up like this for me.

Many things are HTMHS (thank you Angie - Cantonese abbreviated hou tai mm hou sik, meaning good to look at but not good to eat) but you can say Mama Min's cakes are like a perfect date ok.
So make a date with Mama Min or if you're truly desperate,

call +6012-202 5550!

(sorry ah Uncle Patrick, your wife will be very busy you know...)

Praying for Myanmar....

We've been trying for days now to reach our friend U Minyt who lives in Yangon. Finally got through....

He's fine, his family is fine too. Thank god.
Except that his office is a little damaged from the cyclone which has killed over 40,000 people since last week. These poor, poor Burmese people....
U Minyt sounded sad, Federico said. But as usual, he doesn't speak too much over the phone... always careful.

And I can't stop asking WHY is it that these people who are already suffering relentlessly are put to suffer more.

Yangon, as I remember it (our visit last year)

We saw clips of the aftermath on youtube. Shocking. Federico can't even recognize the city anymore and he was just there less than a week ago. Some parts on the delta is apparently still underwater.

We were so concerned about our staff's families too. Fortunately, most of them are not from Yangon except 'Dom' who works for us at JapaMala. He was able to contact his family somehow and found that the zinc roof of his house has flown off but everyone's safe. And living is sustainable at present because they have a well to draw water from.

And what sickens us more is the ruling Junta has stopped all aid coming in from UN. How barbaric to do that to their own people! Rebuilding the city and restoring livelihood after the disaster, forget it!

Oh god, I hope this tragedy happens for a reason. A good one... everything happens for a reason.
Let's pray for the people.

Madonna, My Ray of Light

'He took the lightness of the leaf & the grace of the fawn, the geity of the sun's rays & the tears of the mist, the inconsistancy of the wind & the timidity of the hare, the vanity of the peacock & the softness of the throat of the swallow. He added the harshness of the diamond, the sweet flavor of honey, the cruelty of the tiger, the warmth of the fire & the chill of snow. To this he added the cooing of the dove & the chatter of the jay. He melted all these things and formed a woman.' - KamaSutra

And her name is Madonna.

Like what Justin Timberlake said in her recent induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame - there's only one Madonna.

True, there's really only one such Madonna. In her own words, she once said,

" I am my own experiment. I am my own work of art."

Yeah, she's one such life form that the minute she walks into a room, the entire molecular activity in the atmosphere changes. I don't think I've had a longer love affair with anyone else! It has been 23 years Madonna, wow. And I'm still so very much in love with you. Boyfriends come and go but Madonna, no.

It was that time when her public persona had begun to magnetize a new generation of teenage girls. And I was, of course one of those many girls who swore by knee-length tights & kohl. Gosh, I used to watch the 'Virgin Tour' & 'Blonde Ambition' everyday! Oh and 'Who's That Girl' over a hundred times too!

It's incredible how obsessed I was with her then. Today my connection to her is more cerebral. She became my battery charger and my security blanket. Although at times more like a divine intervention,
when I'm in need for energy, some magic, or just that spark from the light bulb, I watch her latest concerts and I watch her documentary. I listen to her speak...her voice a mellifluous melody; I dance to her words; I meditate to her music. And I come away a different person every time.

And she says TV is bad?

I even have all the five children's books she wrote and I don't even have kids (yet). I'm just a die-hard fan who's hung up on hard candy and like everything that's sticky and sweet too. What I have with her today is more of a spiritual relationship, if you will.

I'm Gonna Tell You A Secret...
And then, one defining moment. I met Normann aka Shay, one of her current back-up dancer (pic below : on the right whom Madonna's touching). Now if you had read The Book of Secrets, you'd remember what it said about the law of attraction in the universe. Meeting Normann sealed it.

I mean, of all the places in the world why did he end up in Malaysia? And of all the cities in the country, he came to the small dance studio in MY neighborhood!

I’m beginning to believe in yuan (in Chinese it means destiny) and that my yuan fen with Madonna is not a thwarted passion afterall. Look, she has come so close to being just a Normann away!
And I was even invited to her H&M show in London which Normann staged. Could this be plain luck?

I remember Madonna also said, "We have total and complete control over our destiny and we're kidding ourselves if we think we don't."
Think it hard and want it bad, things CAN happen.

We are a magnet attracting all things, via the signal we're emitting through our thoughts and feelings. - Secrets

Now how she gets ahead of everybody else, it's beyond reasoning. How did she know? Her ideas, the trends she sets, the things she does or even begin thinking of doing, always get people wondering why she does it. And then only months later (for some, even years later), people go "Oh ok, I get it..."

Everything she touches turns to gold.

In her 'I'm Gonna Tell You A Secret' documentary, Madonna said she never stops thinking for one minute. Her mind's constantly at work, always searching. It's her competitive edge, but it's also her insecurities that made it work for her. Some call her genius, I call her special. I've always thought she is special.... special like she's some sort of sign from God.

The Evolutionary
Maybe she had listened to Chopra... to "imagine yourself into a new form with a new location in space and time." She perpetually exfoliates her self-image by, probably imagining herself at various stages of life, past and future. Perhaps Madonna figured out her way to recast death is to reinvent herself again and again, as Chopra says, "When you see every earthly vestige of yourself vanish," he concludes, "you realize you will never succeed in extinguishing yourself."

Maybe that's how she has remained re-inventionable...immortal. Pretty much alive and kicking I must say, being worth 325 million (was it US dollars or Pounds again...?) today!!!

We all see a very different side of Madonna after Lourdes. Her first child is her alter ego....we see it in her songs in the Ray of Light album - which by far is still my favorite. My first thoughts were : she's not all that ice queen after all. And there came Rocco and then David.


Tick Tock Tick Tock Tick Tock...
Did you read today's Star newspaper? The natural world holds secrets to the development of new kinds of safer and more powerful painkillers but it may all be lost unless the world reverse the present alarming rate of biodiversity loss. Experts warn that we may lose many of the land and marine-based life forms of economic and medical interest before we know they exist. The extinction of certain species (from frogs, snails to sharks) and organisms valuable to medicine underscores what may be lost to human health, both current and future generations. Biodiversity loss is therefore not merely an environmental issue but one which effects all of us on a very basic, fundamental and personal level.

Well, thank you for making a song for mother earth Madonna. See, we have one more thing in common now. 4 MINUTES is definitely the theme song for my upcoming nationwide plastic campaign.

A collage of her hangs in my studio. She's the reason I became a dancer. And from her I seek strength whenever I attempt a near impossible trick while hanging upside down.

If Madonna can pole dance at 50, so can I. If she can have those infamous 'madge arms' that only men can have, I can too! And guess which song sets me in motion everytime I step into my studio? Erotica (Confessions Tour live version please...).

Madonna's turning 50 this August. Looks like that good coffee on Wednesday is doing you good.

Long Live Her Magdesty!

East To West

FINALLY! I said to Ning but I realized I had just said the same thing to her not very long ago - when she got married. Hahahaha....a funny thought just popped outta my head. The term East To West is just as well a spillover of Ning's marriage to Omar aka Chris. Get it?

East to West - Ning to Chris - Malay to English

East To West is so accidental that it's actually timely, like it was planned to flow that way.

Don't you just LOVE the ambiguity? How brilliant.

Having said that, there couldn't have been a more appropriate album title. Her 'cross-over', in both sense of the word. Thus it symbolizes all things blessed in an age of pollution.
It's only a matter of time, Ning had said, and I shall be heard...

And many don't know, and wouldn't have known unless you've seen her,
sharpening her blade for this very day.

Why... do you think it's easy to Tango in Paris??

Well, Ning has always been determined. But more now than I ever knew. The visionary her is definitely designed for success and deserves it. Whether it's yoga twice a day, pilates everyday or body combat every evening, Ning is a believer.

She is as religious about them as her body massages. Now that's her secret you see... believing. She has, day by day, developed not just a solid shell but a pretty solid soul too.
Listen for yourself.

Aunty Stella wasn't around to celebrate with her daughter but we know a mother's prayers were answered. Colin & Mo, you were in our thoughts again :)

I think one of the happiest people around yesterday was Luigi, Ning's European manager. The man who believed in Ning, and making it in the West. He told his story about the idea of his dream, this album. He turned this album into something even closer to his heart by using the chords his late father wrote in the song Sharpening My Blade.

Luigi also involved a close friend, world-famous flutist Maestro Andrea Griminelli (whose performance I've personally experienced while he played at KLPAC here last year, this same flutist played at Pavarotti's funeral too). Listen to Water & Salt.

Later Luigi presented Ning a present - a memorabilia of collage; photos taken in Italy during her show, in London during her recording last year etc...

Chris was there too but I guess we didn't take a picture together because he was zombified. He just flew in from America to support his new bride. But of course....

And we, were all there, happy to see good things happen to nice girls. All the best Ning!
I'm with you.

Fit for a Pole

Life doesn't always turn out to be your fantasy, so says Carrie Bradshaw.

Perhaps not.

But I believe we can still keep our fantasies alive...making them happen by altering our destiny like a river moving through rocks. Afterall, it's our own call. No matter how deep-seated our fantasy and desire may be, if we want it bad enough, we can make it happen.

That has been the case for me and my pole. You'll never guess the amount of trouble I went through to get it, learn it....yeah like a river moving through rocks.

Now, before I blurp on about my fantasy and obsession with the pole...
If your idea of pole-dancing is akin to nothing more than gyrating hips, cheap 'go-go’ bars and seedy shows you're sadly mistaken. What you think you know is merely preconceived. Perhaps reason enough for anyone to stereotype, sure enough pole-dancing originated from strip bars.

Its crude image generated by the constant association with sex and vulgarity, I think pole-dancing is probably one of the most bruised, abused and misunderstood of all art forms, set off by perceptions from all things sleazy.

But anyway, who cares where pole-dancing came from. We’re not learning to be strippers here, for crying out loud... it’s just a new workout routine! Like how one trains in yoga or pilates to build muscular strength, get toned and sculpted. Yes, your clothes stay on, well, unless YOU CHOOSE otherwise, but then so what...?! Why not? Wanna throw in a Carmen Elektra for fun, why not?

I mean, honestly it’d be wrong to say pole-dancing isn’t erotica. But it’s also wrong to say it is. Because it isn’t just that. Pole-dancing is more athletic, technical and arty than we give it credit for. It IS hard. Very very hard… the hardest sport/dance form I ever have to master. But you see, that’s the best part, because pole-dancing makes one helluva workout.

Wanna look trim, taut and terrific? Pole practice. Madonna couldn't agree more.

How incredulous it is the way a woman could age. Look at her, aging does NOT have to be a frightening truth, does it? Shit, I WANT to look like that and still be doing this when I'm 50! Madonna is a powerful statement that defies all things impossible. I will forever love & respect her for this...

With a bit of will, your ride can be fun. Though I must say, the pole IS quite a piece of work. It looks so freakin' easy when you watch the pros do it, but believe you me, as ambiguous as the art itself, it's not what it seems.

Like any other sport that requires muscular strength when skills are to be learnt, you gotta be fit, flexible and conditioned before attempting any of them tricks. Trust me, there's absolutely no short-cuts to this. You need to work, get stronger and stretch, honey.

Every move involves the use of technique - which is the right form, how to create momentum, where the grip should be etc… Having said that, pole work is therefore science, for there're physical laws acting when you clad that pole. For example, when suspending your entire body upside-down, it is possible to lean away from where your hands are supporting your weight - away from the pole, that is. Amazing stuff.

Or try getting up on a ‘flag pole’ position, it's no-nonsense…and it makes perfect physic-sense. Pivot points that allow a sizeable amount of angular momentum also allow you to fly like a carousel or swirl like a corkscrew. The correct application of this will reward you with great form, body control, balance and incredible core strength.

But not without a price though... I call it blessed suffering. Pain however, has all its privileges in pole-dancing. I remember a Chinese empress once said this :

“Pain does good things. It prepares us for peace.”

Hmmm... do take a moment to soak this in.

So I was warned. Be prepared to take the blows, bumps, bruises and burns. Yeah, alot of pole-dancers I know have suffered from pretty nasty injuries. Well, it's all about adapting I guess.... Your skin needs to get used to the pain.

I'm STILL adapting. Sometimes, I wake up in the morning and I nail it! Fear incapacitates too. Oh yeah, the fear sets in... the fear of slipping, falling, crashing…my fear is almost tangible. Then masochistically, a quiet desperation creeps in - that need to get it right. Meaning, inflicting more pain to myself for how long more, I wish I can tell.

I have to learn to remind myself all the time that it’s pure physics. Positioning. I need to trust the pole. To trust myself and my own strength too. Now that’s the biggest damn beast I have to conquer.

If you’re a perfectionist like me, god help you....You’ll feel like you’re battling a disease every time you learn a hard trick. I suffer not only from fear and physical pains but anger & frustration, disappointment & discouragement, impatience & desperation, love & hate, distraught & exhaustion. Like climbing up a greased pole, really. As it turned out, I become hungrier by the day, week, month. My refusal to be anything less polished than the pole just drove me up the wall! I’m STILL losing sleep over this, it’s incredible. Never knew I’m inexhaustible like that... heh, you learn something about yourself everyday, don’t you. Then, before I knew it, I’m addicted. I’m so hooked on pole practice now it is NOT funny.

But I see all these silly feelings as good things; feelings that are necessary because they're the MEANS to an end. A very very soul-fulfilling end. So, “get over it!”, I tell myself, “…or I'll never get it…” Surely and clearly, no pain no gain.

What a great way to undress my demons.

But how do I feel after all this time?

Sensational.
Indomitable. Totally.

Physically fit like a horse and emotionally strong again, EQUIPPED and achieved. Talk about empowerment...

'Strong, Sexy AND Successful' sums it all.

Don’t forget, we can absolutely make anything happen if we believe in it.

What I've observed with women in beginners’ pole-dance class is, they're quick to feel sexually unashamed… unafraid to look seductive or move their body in ways that aren't considered correct outside the bedroom. For some, probably not, even in the bedroom. But here, nobody needs approval anyway. It’s therefore a revelation for many as they’ve now suddenly become sensuous creatures they never thought they could be! It’s like opening a book with pages and pages of new surprises.

The moral of the story is, it's how pole-dancing eventually makes a woman feel.

Fear of flying no more sisters!