yoga mats and dancefloors

the dancing @ cafe wha?

after hitting a few bars and lounges saturday night and doing my sunday noon yoga class, i realize that dancing and yoga, though seemingly worlds apart, actually have a lot in common. (ok, here goes one of those grade school exercises on compare/contrast composition.)

yoga mats and dance floors allow you to lose yourself. in yoga, you submit yourself to the calmness and quiet. you let your breathing control your movement and your stillness. on the dancefloor, you let yourself go to the music. you let the beat of the drums or the bassline dictate the way your body moves (regardless of whether or not you have 2 left feet. in fact, it doesn't matter at all sometimes that you're dancing like a carefree chicken coz that's what it's all about anyway, letting go of yourself). further, yoga and dancing enable you to live and be in the present. no future to worry about. no past to regret. just the now, the present. you become centered on where you currently are at the present—a strange mix of conscious-subconscious awareness of your current state of well-being. and while you do become anchored on the present, ironically, you are taken to another world as well, a discovery (or rediscovery) of territories once unknown. finding out, for example, that you can actually drop it like it's hot, drop it like it's hot while shaking it like a polaroid picture. or experiencing an inner peace and sense of unworldly satisfaction that you never knew existed.

yogic peace (getty images)

most importantly, yoga and dancing both leave you with the great benefit of feeling refreshed (aside from leaving you a bit woozy and disoriented, that is, coz the sudden rush of blood or alcohol does that to you). you come out of the yoga mat and dancefloor and back into the world a new man (or woman)—with a craving for more out of life, and a renewed energy to give more of yourself .

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wine tasting @ nyu

speaking of energy—though i havent mustered enough energy and concentration to finally do my laundry, i have however found the power to attend a few events. tuesday night, i did some wine tasting at nyu's torch club, sponsored by the young alumni circle. it was a good sampling of best-value white and reds from chile, argentina and spain. and what's great is that ive now added a few more words to my very limited "tastes good" wine vocabulary—"oaky," "crisp," "good color," "you can taste the leather," and "fruity" (yes, il cone, im sure those are what ya told my mother last night... i guess i beat ya on that one, ha!!!) too bad i didnt win the wine raffle though but no worries at least now i know what needs to be chilled and which goes with which food. and what color cabernet sauvignon and sauvignon blanc are.

last night, i attended an advertising week event sponsored by the outdoor advertising association of america. lots of booths and lots of useless freebies (although the 2 shirts are quite useful and the free back rub that i missed, too). open bar and free food: really good cheeses. wine and beer (although i ended up drinking a gin and tonic, doinks). lots of suits there so i felt a bit out of place but it was good nonetheless. freebies in the city so im not complaining.

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ENOUGH cotton candy—time for some evil thoughts. can someone please give this beauty queen some tawas [armpit whitener]? and while at it, might as well give her a bra.

(pardon the possibly offensive humour. just practicing coz i hear the flying dutchman is going to be in town for a few days end of november. i guess it's going to be party-hearty time in zi city again! can't wait. although of course, i really should get that spreek je filipijns dutch travel book done really soon, otherwise it wont get finished.)