Waiting, standing, cheering, winning!

I'm long overdue for an update from my Israel trip, and I'll get to that, I promise. But first, I have to talk about yesterday's big adventure.

It's no secret that I love dance. And as a big fan of dance, I've been following the television programme So You Think You Can Dance ever since it first came out in America 8 years ago. When it came out in Canada, I followed that too. And now that I'm here, I'm following it in the UK.

By the time I realised last season that I could have requested to be part of the studio audience, it was too late. And so, with great anticipation, I waited and waited for this year's series to be announced and for tickets to go up for grabs. I checked the site every day for months on end, hoping to get my request in first. But when they were finally released, I found out that it didn't make one bit of difference because it was a lottery system. I was only allowed to apply for two shows. I applied for the first and the last, knowing they would be both the most interesting and the most popular, and resigned myself to not getting tickets this year.

Then something amazing happened... I checked my email on Thursday and found an update on my SYTYCD tickets for the 11th of June (the final!). What tickets?! I searched my inbox, nothing. I called their ticket hotline, they confirmed they'd sent them to me but couldn't resend and I'd just have to bring photo ID. I finally found them in my deleted folder, on the brink of being permanently deleted. I obviously need to be more careful with what I'm deleting. (250 000 people applied for tickets to the final. I'd say about 300 of us actually made it in. I've never felt so lucky.)

I recruited someone who was equally excited about this adventure and off we went. To ensure a full audience, they give out more tickets than they actually have, so we wanted to get there early to be sure we'd get in/get a good spot. Since gate time was 2:45, we aimed for 10 and I arrived at 9:24. Nobody was there. We went for coffee and came back. Nobody was there. We went shopping and came back. People were there. We plunked ourselves down in line and began the long wait.

I can't even tell you how worth it it was. Getting there early meant we got to go in first and were in the front row (standing room only... the seats go to friends/family and those who are unable to stand). When we finally got in the studio around 4:30, there was a bunch of pre-recording to be done. Including--wait for it--a performance by J.Lo. I've never had strong feelings one way or the other about J.Lo, but I have to admit it was awesome seeing her up close. She has so much star quality, it's ridiculous. And baby not only got back, she got THIGHS! It's a good thing to see amongst such a skin-and-bones-obsessed celebrity culture.

The show finally went live at 7:15. By this time, we were more than a little tired of standing (and screaming -- "We need you to go bananas in 5, 4, 3, 2...!") but the excitement of what was about to happen kept us going. All 4 finalists were superb. Their skill, professionalism, versatility, strength, and endurance astound me. They had to perform a group number, a solo, and a partner routine with each of the other contestants (for a total of 5 routines, not to mention the top 20 group number in the results show). And then there was nothing else that they could do but wait.

After a short pee break, we were called back into the studio for some more pre-recording. The top 20 did their big group number (floating Ascot hats, yay!). Funnily enough, any time we had to do pre-recording, there were always technical glitches that meant having to do it more than once... and yet somehow they seem to manage during the live show. After 5 hours of it, standing and screaming were excruciating.

Finally, the live results show. There's no other way to describe it than emotionally intense. More than one of the contestants' recaps made me cry. And of course, there were the tense moments of revealing who was next to be cut from the race. The final moment came. "Britain's favourite dancer and the winner of £50,000 and the chance to dance in Hollywood is..." I clenched every muscle in my body. I heard a voice from behind me say the name I'd been thinking and hoping for, and then Cat Deeley repeated the same name several moments later. Elation! I won't reveal the winner in case you're still planning to watch it (and if you do, look out for me... I'm on there!). But this person totally deserved it.

I've always said that a little bit of pain makes everything else feel more worthwhile. And it's true. The long wait and the excessive standing and cheering were all part of the experience, and part of what made it one of the most exciting days of my life. But the next time I go, I'm faking an injury and scoring one of those plush-looking chairs!

Disappointment

It's a very sad day in Canada. Dear beloved, progressive nation with its free-thinking, rational people... where have you gone? What has become of you?

A cheeky grin

I've been neglectful of this blog, I know. My second last post was about half-term break and already we've arrived at end of term. All I can say is that life has been hectic (in a good way) and I just haven't had the time. I'm looking forward to these two weeks off to get some stuff done.

I finally met my mentee yesterday. R is an 11 year old boy with a cheeky grin and a sharp sense of humour. His confidence is low but he's sweet and full of energy, and likes a lot of the same things I do (like acting and art and sailing and rock climbing). I met mum too; a single mother with 6 kids. I can't even imagine how difficult it must be, but it's clear they have a good relationship.

This has been such a long time coming, I don't fully believe it's actually happening.

Printemps!

For once, the London branch of Mother Nature Inc has delivered... just in time for the official start of spring. We've had gloriously warm, sunny days all week. Birds and flowers abound. I have to say, I think I prefer this version of spring to the Canadian slow thaw.

And because the weather already has me on the bragging cart, I must also announce (with a big lag from Facebook, as usual) my next exciting holiday destination: Israel. Some Canadian friends are living in Jerusalem for a few months and invited me to stay with them. I've always heard good things and I couldn't resist the lure of a city with so much history, so there you have it. It won't be until the end of May/start of June, but I'm already counting down the days. The only question is: when am I going to start actually exploring Europe?!

No rest for the wicked

Whew! It's been a busy few weeks. You'd think being on holiday would have brought me a bit of respite, but no... lately my life has been all go go go.

My favourite part of my half-term break was painting murals for Kids Company. A day of physical labour can go by surprisingly quickly. I didn't want it to end.


Of course, before half term was Dubai, and I still haven't talked much about that. Dubai is full of steel and concrete; big fancy towers and shopping malls and resorts and 14 lane highways and every single brand name you can imagine. Even Canadian brands!


It's all very luxurious, I suppose, if you're into that sort of thing. I personally found it a bit sickening.

For me, Dubai had one single saving grace (apart from the sunshine): The Creek.


The Creek is the heart of Old Dubai and is where most of the traditional souks (markets) are concentrated. I had a brilliant time browsing and haggling my way through the labyrinths. It reminded me of India (though it smelled much more delicious), and I wound up getting some rather impressive deals.


It's also where I finally found some local food (shockingly difficult to acquire in Dubai!) and for a great price. This shawarma is about a fifth of the size of the ones they sell in Ottawa, but it was just the right amount of food and packed loads of flavour. The accompanying avocado juice was about the most amazing blended drink I've ever tasted. The total for both came to 11 dirhams (£1.84). I'm emphasising prices because they're so different from the rest of Dubai. My other lunches cost me between 60 and 110 dirhams (£10-18) and weren't nearly as nice.


Most people who live there will tell you there are too many Indians, but I think the high concentration of Indian expats was a big part of what made it appeal to me. Sights like these stirred up my memories of dusty, chaotic, magical India and made it seem like a real place where real people live and work, rather than a Wall-E wasteland.



I'll admit, I wasn't immune to the appeal of some of the nicer touristy spots...


And the dune bashing safari was a riot, if overpriced...


But if I were to return to Dubai, I'd definitely stay near the Creek and spend most, if not all, of my time there.

Next up: March 11-13 in Paris.

Catching up

Most of you who blog are familiar with having so much to write about, it's difficult to write anything at all. That's where I am right now.

In a few minutes, I'm off to my second and last mentor training session with Kids Company. I first mentioned them in this blog in September. The process has been long, but after this training, I just have to send in a match up form and hopefully I'll have my very own mentee in no time. I'm a bit apprehensive... this is definitely going to be an experience that will challenge and stretch me. But for that same reason, I am incredibly excited.

In a very quick nutshell (because I have to run off to catch my bus in 5 minutes), I'll be matched up with a child who, for whatever reason, has a challenging home life. My role will be to hang out with them on a regular basis, be their friend, and be the reliable adult figure they may not have at home. Kind of like Big Brother/Big Sister. Kids Company is so much more than that too, though. They provide a complete wrap-around service for these children and their families. On Thursday, I'll be going to paint murals for one of their centres.

Alright, off I run.

Spicy

I have a lot to say about Dubai, but for now, I'll leave it at this:

- Saffron
- Vanilla pods
- Dried lemons
- Red peppercorns
- Arabian masala curry
- Dates

I can't wait to get home and cook!

The unexpected holiday

I'm pretty excited. In a little over one week, I'll be in...


As always, tips and suggestions are welcome.

A quick hello

I know, I haven't written in ages and many of you have been on my back about it. There've been a few things I've wanted to write but just haven't had the energy or the inspiration. Still don't. So I just thought I'd check in to say that life's pretty good and not much has changed. And hopefully I'll soon be motivated enough to write about what I really want to write about: the power of mindset.

Until then, take care, y'all.

A nine year anniversary

Nine years ago, in January of 2002, my love affair with exercise began.

I'd been rather active as a young child (I danced, played soccer, and did synchronized swimming), but at some point, it all stopped. I began loathing exercise and doing everything in my power to avoid doing it.

I went from this...

To this...

I won't go into all the painful details, but suffice it to say that body image is something I've struggled with a lot.

And it only got worse when I got to university. We've all heard of the Freshman 15... well, for me it was the Freshman 50. I was so freaked out by the number on the scale when I finally stepped on one in the middle of my 2nd year, I made the most important new year's resolution of my life right then and there: I was going to take up exercise.

And I wasn't kidding! For the next year and a half, I worked out nearly every single day. It got to the point where I was regularly spending 2.5 hours at a time sweating it out in the gym. I lost 70 lbs. I was in the best condition of my life. And more importantly, I was enjoying it. Exercise felt really good.

There are some more painful details that I'll skip over, but my relationship with exercise has been on again/off again ever since. There was a brief period a couple of years ago when I decided to devote 100% of my energy to fitness and nutrition (and I really mean 100% -- I was doing it in lieu of having a job) and I got back pretty much to where I'd been a few years before. But eventually, I had to start work again and it all began to slide away. My only saving grace was my night job as a dancer.

Enter Europe. Most people lose weight when they come to Europe. After all, this is the land of healthier food and more active lifestyles. But for me, hoofing it a couple of miles and trudging up the Underground steps as part of my daily commute weren't boosting my activity levels at all. Because of money, distance, and timing, I'd basically given up the one consistent factor keeping me happy and healthy for the previous 6 years. I went from dancing 5-7 days a week to dancing once every couple of months. I gained 30 lbs... and lost a lot of my will to do anything.

Now, I don't earn a lot of money as a TA and gym memberships in London aren't cheap. I eventually sucked it up and started dishing out £50/month for the Central YMCA, but had such a horrible experience that I demanded to be let out of my contract shortly thereafter. I danced a lot when I returned to Canada this summer, but that was destined to be short-lived. The decision I made in September to start treating myself better did result in a few dropped pounds, but something else still had to be done. Thankfully, when I moved to my new house in Camberwell, the answer came: Peckham Pulse is conveniently located right along my daily route and, thanks to the school where I'm working, I got a pretty decent rate.

I had my first workout there today. The people were friendly and the machines were pretty sweet (I can play movies from my iPod or USB stick on my personal cardio screen!), but the best part of all was how I felt when I finished: alive.

I'm not making any resolutions this year, but I am recommitting to this 9 year old relationship. Just like any relationship, it takes work to keep it going... and that work has to be done for the right reasons. The reason I first entered into it isn't the right one for me anymore. Of course I'd like to lose weight and look good and fit into my old clothes again, but that's not enough. Over the years, I've discovered something much more important. Exercise feels good. It makes me want to take life by the reins. It makes me want to climb mountains and shout out from the peaks how very happy I am to be alive.

And it's for that reason I'm going back to the gym at 11 tomorrow morning.