Tamarind 10 on 10-10-10

Here it is! We're finally online! Or at least bits of it... but thank you Fashion TV!
Look out for the magical Apsara Deva show and how Tamarind came alive on this momentous night under the jungle canopy.

p/s : And there's my husband on screen :D

Bobbi's Pole Studio Malaysia : Graduation Party

Kim from Bobbi's Perth came to visit so we decided to put on a little something special for the students in KL since it was our end-of-term party.

Bobbi's Solo

As the saying goes, there's Bobbi and there's everybody else.

Bobbi's FABULOUS Perth Teachers

SHAPE Magazine

I've been an ardent fan of SHAPE magazine since I was 17. But never have I imagined to ever be on the cover one day! Life is really a mystery....


So here's the preview of some pictures taken at the shoot yesterday. Look out for the November 2010 issue!

Thanks to the entire creative and production team of SHAPE! Azzura darling, for her impressive journalism. And Merina, the chief :)

Another side of Maple

Another side of Maple : Sunday Metro 8/8/10 (The Star)

There's nothing more gratifying than being recognized for your hard work and for believing in yourself. Thanks for reading!

Showdown 2010 - Top 4

Showdown 2010: Ep 15

Watch Giller Battle Crew, Floor Fever, Wakaka and HMC PHLOW show you what they got at last night's 2nd last episode of Showdown 2010! Good bye to HMC PHLOW, they've impressed me from day 1 at auditions and remember telling them I felt privileged sitting there as they danced for me.
Joe Flizzow and I have no more power over the Top 3 crew's fate in the finals next week so PLEASE vote for your favorite crew because they need your support!

Bobbi's Pole Studio Goes to Hollywood!

Our very own Felix 'Bobbi's Babe' Cane on Tyra Banks show! Managed to dig it up, this was some months ago. To all my students, get inspired :) See that Bobbi's style written all over Felix? :D

The 8TV Quickie : Top 5 Showdown 20102

The 8TV Quickie: 30 June 10

Interviewed backstage after last night's show. My best wishes to Famous Crew, one of my favorites. I'm really sad to see them go..... but I'm so proud to see them having grown outta their b-boy shell and evolved into the powerhouse entertainers that they are today, after just merely a couple of months on Showdown. I've always fancied them and thought they're fantastic dancers, always very in sync and with such a clean execution style. They're also the only crew that has taken every bit of my advice in the last so many weeks on their performance skills and stage craft and actually applied it. I'm so glad they came this far in the competition and I know, they will continue on to be even more FAMOUS and fabulous with the bag of tricks they now walked away with:)

Watch them on the Martial Arts week - out of all the shows, that's my favorite performance!
I love you guys!!! Best of luck, whatever you do.

Bobbi's Pole Studio Malaysia on Wedding Guide Asia!

This is a great place to look for information and shop for your wedding ideas! Brainchild and my girlfriend, super model Stephanie Chai's baby :D

http://weddingguideasia.com/2010/06/get-fit-fast-welcome-to-pole-dancing/#idc-container

Thanks for being such a cheerleader babe!!

Showdown 2010 : First LIVE show!!

Showdown 2010: Ep 7

It's finally here! LIVE telecast from KL Life, watch all the crews show off why they've been picked by Joe and I as Malaysia's best Top 12 crews in the running for RM50,000 !!

Showdown 2010 Top 11 : My Life

Showdown 2010: Ep 8

This week the crews translated their lives through dance on the big stage. Get to know about them; where they came from, what they're made of and where they'll go from here.
It was a hell of an awesome journey! Watch it!!!

Showdown 2010 Top 10 : Michael Jackson

Showdown 2010: Ep 9

This show was a tribute to Michael Jackson. One of my favourites of all the weeks.... The crews did a fantastic job on their showcase, it was a great experience.
Guest judge was one of the most talented choreographers in the country and also my personal friend, Pat Ibrahim.

Showdown 2010 Top 9 : 70s

Showdown 2010: Ep 10

Catch the crews get their groove on! Yeh it's all about the retro flavor b.a.b.y;)
Special guest performance by Malaysia's own 'Tom Jones' and Arafah!

Showdown 2010 Top 8 : Street Flava

Showdown 2010: Ep 11

From the streets to the big stage, crews this week demonstrated their creativity and versatility in lyrical hip hop, steppin', new school, locking, krumpin', shuffling and house!!
Definitely one of the best shows. Guest judge was multi-award winning Reshmonu!

Showdown 2010 Top 7 : Martial Arts

Showdown 2010: Ep 12

Watch the 7 best crews punch and kick to stay alive! Got chops?
A fan of martial arts myself, I loved the show! The crews really kicked-ass and I'm so proud of everyone's talent and hardwork. Guest judge was none other than the funny teddy bear Aflin Shauki!

Showdown 2010 Top 6 : Timbaland

Showdown 2010: Ep 13

See the Top 6 crews rock to Timbo's songs! Special feature of duo performances as crews collaborate to win hearts... The show this week featured the sexy Mizz Nina!

SEX & THE CITY 2 (Malaysia Premiere)

So let the SEX begin...And a few Cosmos later....

SEX chicks hit KL...

And painted the town PINK!

G.N.O Party at Bobbi's Pole Studio Malaysia!

This is part of the making of our history so I've got to document it. The inaugural G.NO. (Girls' Night Out) party was alot of fun, especially so when Vanessa from Bobbi's Australia was in town too, having flown all the way from Sydney to help me out with everything and anything at the studio! It was a great night of bonding with all my old AND new students, friends who brought friends and some, even their husbands;)

I decided to throw the party on this night purely because Vanessa's in town. And it was her first trip to KL too so what a reason to celebrate! I'm thankful to have comrades to help put it all together; Jane, my student took the initiative to bring in all the new guests and also organized a cake for Vanessa, made in the shape of a corset just like the e-invitation (also my Bobbi's bizcard); Tiffany, my Marketing Manager made all arangements with the chef & bar manager on food and beverages with Vino to help her co-ordinate; and Sue who also helped here and there - these are really my biggest 'cheerleaders' :D

Now a demo is kinda like a ritual in our studio parties. So I did a little show to demonstrate what a more advanced Bobbi's-style routine would look like. Since many who came that night have never really watched a live pole performance, I thought the show was not only a fun idea but was intended to be an eye-opener that'll move hearts and change mindsets.

I'm always hesitant about posting dance videos of myself and had now taken alot of time to pick up some courage to do so here. This performance is not perfect in my eyes and some could probably tell I'm under-rehearsed.... but Bobbi reckoned it was beautiful. Plus this first G.N.O. party was indeed memorable. So here it is, but the next one WILL be better, I promise!

And thanks heaps to Ania Przeplasko of IPDFA (International Pole Dance Fitness Association) for grazing our little private do and for filming this;)

Letters From Passion, With Poise

From passion, with love.

These letters are over 6 months old. Late but never too late.... I say this to all women coming to 50 who have the desire to pole dance but fear. WeiHong at 49 is one such validation that age is just a number.

I find her beautiful, passionate and spunky self a force to be reckoned with. And her courage to participate in Pole Idol last October which she went and swept the crowd crazy with her insanely lean & toned physique, and then later bagged the Best Performance prize, I'm overcome by a profound sense of appreciation and this deep sense of responsibility to publish Wei Hong's thoughts. Or rather, her short journal if you will. Because her letters to me are really an insight of the life and mind of a 49 year-old pole dancer. Great energy, beautiful language and definitely inspiring for all. Please indulge.

From the days leading up to Pole Idol
Stepping home and seeing Maple's email ... Reading your mail makes me happy! A diva actually personally wrote me a reply! And reading your blog, the Anatomy of Pole, makes me want to tell my friends to go read your blog too. Many still frown at me, asking me,
"What's happened to you? Why are you doing this (pole)?"

The photos are outstanding - the gorgeous dancer, the poses, angles, lighting and contrast, and the writeup is most appropriate to change the mindset of the uninitiated, my dinosaur-age-friends and the hard-core gym-junkies.

From WeiHong, with love.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sometime after Pole Idol and the Style Rocks! Party at NEO... Maple, your name still conjures up an image of a life-size goddess, a golden lion's mane, graced on a beautiful regal body, exuding a heart of generosity, passion, grace, and the art of living.

I still cannot get over the weekend, and so I fail to write ...... To say thanks seems so inadequate that I am paralysed into silence. Firstly, thanks to Linna (her teacher) for goading me along. I was hesitant, then longing but embarrassed, because the choreo is NOT my choreo (but it is the only full routine I know), and I am nowhere near as good as the other gals.

I had a reminder in my mobile phone to write to both of you, a thank you note, but somehow, I could not write ... for the want of better words than a mere thank you.

From WeiHong, with love.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After class one night soon after Pole Idol, reminiscing her experience...
I fell with that spinning pole, and honestly, my right sit bone hurt quite a bit then, my right knee was bruised too, and the front of my neck, 24 hours later was painful. Jessie was so kind to send in my old video.

And upon arrival in KL, you all helped me so much and made it all possible. After what must be my best lamb cutlet, century eggs salad, most humongous prawns and fabulous jungle-dining experience for a long long time (at Mandi-Mandi), and imagining you all pole dancing amongst the greenery (some 2 years ago), the mood was building up.

The opening night at NEO (Style Rocks! Party) to see the glamorous you, Maple, and how you spoke to the (Burmese) cleaner clearing the broken glass, I was witnessing the path of success that you were walking on. And on the day itself (Pole Idol), I felt the tension, the excitement rising, firstly with Linna coaching me on what to do - do my hair first, stretch, rehearse, stretch, and all those things that she tells me during class seem to come back. I must do it, to rise to the occasion, to live up to her expectations! (but sorry, I still miss the opening accents :-()

And then it was Maple - your personal time to do my make-up, perform, enjoy every bit of it, and each and every accessory that you decked on me, I felt more naked and more focused to do my best and enjoy it!

From HATE to LOVE... I think all the performers loved the "stage". I loved it! The appreciative spectators, their close proximity, no blinding spotlights, the screams and encouragement, the sound-system. (Though the audience at the back may not like it so much because they cannot see except when we are on top of the poles!) I loved it! I truly did! I loved attention and limelight afterall!!! :-)

KFC did not seem like a grand ending to the evening (we all pigged out at the KFC next to NEO), but it speaks volumes of an ability to transcend to the practical and mundane when the need arises! We rise to the stratosphere, but we actually need to live in the atmosphere on a day-to-day basis to stay sane and healthy because we are but mortals.

From Dinasaur to Diva... This experience is not just about perming my hair (the last time must be when I was 27. YES! WeiHong actually permed her hair at the salon I brought everyone to for their make-over for Style Rocks!), and my first dance competition, but also me getting me into FaceBook now, and I will sign up for a basic make-up course, and think about killer heels! Yes, Linna, I will - so that I will stop troubling Li Leng and Maple.

A Note to Linna...I have come a long way. I saw your Body Talks students pole-dancing at Gotham Penthouse, and it was only 2 years later, last year June, when I finally muster the guts to sign up for Pole-dancing. It is weird, that after the paralysis, for the want of words, I am quite liberated now! Thanks Maple!!!

Ah! Thanks to both of you, my teacher, Linna, and diva, Maple, for helping me continue my journey in life - so wondrous, fabulous and fulfilling!

From WeiHong, with love.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Somewhere between the bucks and the crux...
Yes yes ... I received my prize money. I am smiling all the way, not to the bank, but to my deepest of my soul!!!! Btw, it is really hard to explain "my packs" (6 packs at 49 ahem!). I DID NOT DO ANYTHING (bitch...). I think it will go way when my hormonal imbalance is over. Not just no estrogen, but also no testostorene. (Shit, I can't wait for menopause then!)
It is like second wind I suppose .... and will I have my third? I will let you all know.

Hot flushes so what... so long as I'm still hot!
Thanks for the encouragement. I want to do better. Carpe diem every day of our lives - every good day that I still have. Even as "pole" time gets shorter, synapses depleting, recovery time lengthening, skin drier and thinner (and sometimes unbearably sensitive) and body in need of that elixir of youth to fill my veins again. Remember RGS school anthem? ;-)

Last night, was it mere coincidence or by design, your boots offer and a chance to perform with the advanced gals was a foot in the door for me with them! :-) I have been invited to elope FaceBook now - Sandra and Wen Lene sent me the invitation. I am part of their pole-circle now! Yipee!!! You helped me break the ice with these gals, who are largely clueless as to why I am in the same pole-class as them. You have alot of influence over them!

Which reminds me of Maple's influence over all the people around her. You two are alike in so many ways, and yet different, or rather unique! I am the lucky beneficiary. :-)

From WeiHong, with love.

~~ IT'S THE END ONLY IF YOU BELIEVE IT IS ~~