bahrain grand prix poised to take off

and so we come into the third grand prix of the year which has moved from southeast asia to to the middle east. as teams prepare to amp up car performances, controversy continues to hog the headlines, in particular the demotion of mclaren to the lowest ranked pit lanes and FIA president max mosley caught on videotape having s & m sex with five prostitutes in a nazi-type orgy.

monica seles is in dancing with the stars

the hungarian wunderkind who grunted her way to the top of the women’s game is now on dancing with the stars. from the showbuzz site:

Monica Seles – Speed and discipline she’s got, but she doesn’t appear particularly graceful. She’s also 5’10”, which doesn’t help, but at least her professional partner is Jonathan Roberts who is around 6’0″. If tennis fans tune in, she’ll have more of a chance. [emphasis mine]

you heard that, tennis fans? let’s just hope she doesn’t have two left feet and can move that tall frame of hers gracefully over the dance floor. let’s all get ready to vote! 🙂

*photo courtesy of sports illustrated

completing the list

my mom will be shaking her head at me as if saying, “hija, you’re really my clone!” my dad will then pipe in with, “indit junior! remember, you’re not competing in the heptathlon; focus! focus! focus!” last september, i joined a madrigal group and a martial arts club within days of each other. barely half a year later, i’ve made some lasting friendships from both worlds. did you think i would stop there? (no, i didn’t think so, either)

three weeks ago, i attended my first ballet class in… what, 20 years? 25? 27? it’s been a while, really. it’s an all-girls class filled with the typical ballerina diva’s, wannabes, and has beens. i can’t say i’m part of the mentioned categories as i have always seen myself as a never-been in ballet. i started dancing when i was 7 and stopped when i was 10. it was hardly the stuff for billy elliott or the lisa macuja story. but i’ve always maintained that i love dance over song any day, in spite of the fact i’ve been part of a choir since i was 11. singing is something you can do well into your 70s as evidenced by my choirmates in the brussels mads group but dance… there is commitment and dedication that forms the will to keep the body toned and ready to spring into a glissade or pas de chat in a snap. i’m easily the oldest girl in class but probably among the happiest. there is such a thrill just doing exercises at the barre and being able to point my toes properly again after so many decades of other dance influences taking over my muscle memory such as dance, modern dance, and pangalay. i’m back to the basics and my body, though old and slow, is slowly waking from its slumber.

it is also the perfect balance to my dosage of men-only aikido twice a week. jampacked life? yes. a happy one? ohhhhh yeah. i’d say ballet just about complete the circle. 🙂