Blogmas Day 1: The perfect Christmas colors

So for those of you who don't know, when it comes to this time of the year, I always get very very festive and it's most definitely my most favorite time of the year. And although I am pretty against the idea of a "Father Christmas", I do love the idea of snow, and prettily decorated trees during this time of the year. And before the fact that Christmas was even around the corner, many people around me noticed that I am a huge fan of this time of the year and has been asking me about what are "Christmas colors" as some pre-Christmas parties have already set that as a dress code. So here I am, blogging about the best Christmas colors! *insert excited face emoji*

Code 1: Red & Green

The first color code is RED & GREEN which is pretty common considering Christmas trees are green and Father Christmas is red. Most people would automatically associate this color combination as Christmas, so I guess that's one of the combos. Moving on...

Code 2: Red & White

This isn't exactly my personal favorite combo (RED & WHITE) simply because if a male were to don these colors, regardless of your size, they'll start calling you "Santa Claus". If you were a female, they'll start calling you "Santarina". First of all, that's a pretty sexist thing, but that's another topic in itself. Secondly, you know how people say white makes you look fat? Unfortunately, as a chubby person, I agree. If the majority of your attire is red and there is a bit of white, it's fine. But if its the other way around, then you might wanna re-consider your attire, which leads me to my personal favorite combo...

Code 3: Blue & Silver

This is personally one of my favorite combinations during Christmas time. BLUE & SILVER are sort of the underdogs of Christmas. Red kinda always steals its limelight. But blue kinda gives that feeling of a cold and cozy Christmas, to me at least. Silver adds a touch of beautiful elegance to it. I've always wanted to decorate my Christmas tree with blue and silver baubles! When I do get one that is... Anyway, nowadays there are so many beautiful Christmas shades but this blue and silver combo makes me feel like there is a class of elegance in Christmas. Speaking of elegance...

Code 4: Red & Gold

The next elegant colors that I simply adore during Christmas is RED & GOLD. It's not only pretty but also incredibly elegant and classy. The gold adds a touch of class to the red, bringing out a lovely elegant side of Christmas. These colors remind me of a high-end Christmas party. Of course that's not all there is to it. The colors are just really pretty that's all :)

There are actually many other combinations such as blue & white, silver & red, gold & green... But these 4 are the top in most people's books. That said, Christmas is just such a fun time and color combos are the best way to just show it off, so don't go out and get yourself a new dress to suit the color scheme. Instead, save your money and give to those in need. Christmas is also a time of giving.

Christmas is not just about your dress code. It's about the presents. Giving to those in need, your friends and your family are just the best ways to celebrate Christmas. Also, don't forget about the food! YUM YUM! I love you, Christmas!

Love you always,
DancerGal Sheryl!

The Tests of Friendship - Marriages / Weddings

After attending at least 4 weddings post-my-own-wedding, I've come to the realization that friendship is a true test of whether or not certain people deserve to be called friends in your life.

The first thing most people must be screaming is, "Simple. If they attend your wedding, then they are your friends". In actual fact, no, it's not that simple. 

A friend, in my personal opinion, is not necessarily the person who is there physically. I've come to this realization when my own best friend could not be there for my own wedding. However, what made me realize this, wasn't so much the fact that she couldn't be there. It was more of the fact that I did not kick up a fuss and when she apologized, I scolded her for apologizing to me. 

We need to be reminded that your friend also has his/her own life. If circumstances have been placed in that way, it doesn't mean that he/she does not want to attend your wedding. It's very easy to get angry or upset at them. What makes them a friend, or let me rephrase, what makes YOU a friend, is to understand their situation. Imagine the dilemma going through their heads. Being a good friend means you help to understand what is going on. If they are not giving you trouble, why are you giving them trouble? If you don't sympathize with them, my question is why don't you? 

During the process of a wedding, the bride, groom, maid of honor(s), bridesmaids, parents and if you have one, your wedding planner, are already stressed out enough. The last thing you would need from a friend is more stress. Being a true friend means not adding on the stress. During my wedding, I would call up a few friends for coffee (they need not be named because they know who they are!) to actually vent about problems and the unnecessary stress I've already been receiving. And for that, I thank you all so much. I hope I was able to de-stress some of you during your wedding prep as well, rather than contribute to the stress. 

This doesn't just apply to friendship pre-wedding. It also applies to post-wedding. Bearing in mind that upon marriage, your friend and yourself no longer are alone. We all now have an extra person (or two, or three) in our lives now. If you honestly treasure your friendship, you can no longer view it as a two-person friendship. Every newlywed couple has to start learning how to live with one another, especially couples who are living with their in laws. Regardless of how you look at it, there's always some form of stress that comes along with it. As a true friend, would you really want to contribute to that?

To be honest, in my opinion, in times of weddings and marriages, do you really see who cares for you and who deserves to be called a true friend. Someone who loves you, someone who truly treasures your friendship.

A true friend never demands attention from you, but seeks to help behind-the-scenes. A true friend does not need to show your friendship to the world, but seeks to remind you of their value to you and you alone. A true friend does not need validation from you, but seeks to remind you of your own self-worth.

At the end of the day, to me personally, friendship is a relationship. You can drift apart, you can break up, you can realize that the friend that you have isn't the one you want. It takes work, effort and time. If you realize a certain friend isn't the right one for you, it's time to rethink your friendship.

And just like a relationship, there are times when you will have to break it up.

Friendship is one topic that is very subjective and personal. I am not here to give friendship advice. I am just merely giving my thoughts on what I have gone through myself personally. To the friends who have stuck by me, I thank you. To the friends who did not make the cut, I hold no grudges and wish you all the best. At the end of the day, our own happiness matters. I'm glad I found my friends.


Love always,
Puan Sheryl Ho. 

Our new beginning...

I am relieved and excited :)

So today, my parents and SammoBammo's parents met. We had the inaugural family meeting and it was pretty interesting. There were many many different topics of conversation. Of course the most important one, was about the marriage and the wedding. SB and I have already decided at the very beginning that we were gonna allow our parents (on both ends) to worry about the receptions and the cultural and traditional rituals. We will definitely come along for the ride, but today gave us a very clear picture of what our wedding will be like, which really excites me! :D

We have a long time of planning and moving forward but the most important thing on our minds are managing our ever expanding family, and since that's done, I am incredibly happy and excited.

This is a relatively short post because I need to go to bed now to get up for Bootcamp tomorrow!

Goodnight world! :D

Love,
DancerGal Sheryl!

Change in Life (Lives)...

For those of you who have yet to receive the news, I am now officially engaged :)

SammoBammo got down on one knee and proposed. Obviously I said yes, hence the sentence above. On 30th January when it first happened, I was in a state of shock and awe. To be honest, that feeling of shock still has yet to disappear. However, due to the nature of our relationship, we had to come down from cloud nine pretty quickly as we had to tackle some big personal issues.

We knew that upon the announcement, there were gonna be a bunch of people who were not gonna be happy for us. Not that it's a wrong thing, because they have a right to be unhappy with the decision that the both of us made. That being said, in this new phase of my life, I ask myself, do I really need these negative people in my life? The answer: OF COURSE NOT!

On the other hand, I am eternally grateful for those who are incredibly happy for me. We've been swarmed by congratulatory messages and those mean so much more to me. I have a great team behind me, helping to plan the wedding as well as give us advice on what to/not to do. That we really appreciate. We are honestly taking our time to plan, so PLEASE don't ask when is the big day, because both of us won't be able to answer you as we are not sure ourselves. Let me get to the real reason why I decided to blog about this...

Reality is beginning to sink in. That means, I am starting to accept the fact that I am getting married and is getting a new family. Emotions are enjoying this roller coaster ride. I would really APPRECIATE it if people (other than family and really close friends and people who I choose!) to not ask me questions about religion and culture. The relationship between SammoBammo and I have been going on for 4.5 years. This was the first thing we talked about, have been talking about throughout the relationship, and of course, now. I know those who care for me have opinions of your own, but I would really appreciate it if you gave me constructive advice now, rather than questioning my decision.

This emotional roller coaster is not exactly a bad thing. I know how some people say that I should just be happy and all, but I do believe that downs come along for a reason. It teaches me how to handle crap and friendships and relationships. I know who I want with me along with the ride. And for that, I will be keeping tabs on my planning with a wedding blog. I have yet to come up with it, but when I do, you will know. :) To those of you who really care and mean it, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. That's all I can say.

Thank you.

Stay happy and active!

Future Mrs. DancerGal :)

In the Life of DancerGal: 2014 BCAA Nominee Awards Party!

A total of 105 nominees were ecstatic when they were announced that they were eligible for the 11th BOH Cameronian Arts Awards (BCAA or Cammies) The evening, hosted by Alexis Bistro, The Gardens Mall was truly a wonderful experience. It was such a joy to see arts practitioners from all genres of performing arts, gather together. One can only imagine the amount of creativity brewing within the community.

The theme for this year’s Cammies is “Pop Yeh Yeh” pays tribute to the 1960’s and the three legends that embody its spirit of creative freedom. The three legends are none other than Tan Sri P. Ramlee, Dato’ Usman Awang, and Datuk Krishen Jit. This was all announced by emcee Malik Taufiq, who himself was a recipient of a Cammie at the 7th Cammie awards.

Personally, there were some standout nominees to me. For dance, it would have to be Flatland which I was able to watch. Choreographed by Suhaili Micheline and produced by TerryandtheCuz, this one-of-a-kind piece was nominated for 6 out of 8 categories under Dance.

For musical theatre, there are two main nominees that catch my eye. Firstly, The Producers by PAN Productions. Being a musical theatre fan, I can’t help but remind myself of the time I first watched The Producers, the movie-musical. I remember the songs and the depth of the musical which PAN Productions and specifically director, Nell Ng, managed to help us understand the characters better and made it very wonderful to watch. The Producers is nominated for 6 out of 7 categories under Musical Theatre. Secondly has to be the amazingly written and composed piece by Nick Choo, The Edge. I watched The Edge four times and I cried for all four. Having had a personal experience with suicide (no, I have never attempted suicide!), this musical really touches people right in the heart. It was such a joy to watch and is dark and deep in a way that I really enjoyed. Not to mention, the music was memorable. The Edge is nominated for 6 out of 7 categories under Musical Theatre as well. Wow, that’s quite a tight fight.

Regardless of the categories, here’s wishing all the nominees all the best and may your work continue to motivate others to create and work magic to the performing arts industry. In the awards, we may all be competing against one another, but we cannot forget that we are all in the same industry. In order for the industry to prosper, we will need to share our knowledge and creative ideas with one another. Who knows? Your ideas may become reality some day.

Thanks a huge bunch to BOH and Kakiseni for inviting me! :) I had a great night out and was pretty bummed that I missed the other 2 events though :( 

Apologies for the lack of updates!

Hello readers! :)

I'm really sorry for the insane lack of updates. I have been somewhat jobless for the past 3 weeks, but I also have never been happier, and busier. Since I left my job, I have been working on myself physically (going back to Bootcamp), artistically (being extra nerdy with Monday Show) and emotionally (I have more time for myself!). This can only mean one thing, a very much happier and relaxed me!

So, in terms of my job, I have been freelancing as a writer for an online radio portal, brainstorming with a friend to take part in his company, and writing articles for someone dear to me. I think I have enough, if not more than enough, to keep me occupied in terms of work.

In terms of artistically, I have been really giving my all to my Monday Show classes. Been watching and researching musicals and singing and dancing. This week, the assignment is Sound of Music and Mary Poppins. Pretty easy right? But try comparing the movie to the staged version, the past to the present, the West End and Broadway. Yes, that's what I've been doing for the past week or so. Of course, Julie Andrews is perfect to me. I've also been in researching into musicals of the Emerald City to look into the soundtracks to find songs that I like and we could possibly working for a recital. I've also been insanely into Newsies. Been looking into the actors, actresses, their past and present jobs, etc. Okay, I may sound insane, but it's really so much fun!

Mary Poppins

Sound of Music

Newsies

Wicked

In terms of physically, well, Bootcamp is Bootcamp. But here's the thing, I do Bootcamps in the evenings of Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Yes, just before heading over to Monday Show classes. In the beginning, it was physically difficult, but now, I'm starting to get used to the routine and I feel healthier and definitely fitter. Can't wait to whip myself back into shape! 

So those are my updates for the past three weeks. I know I promised to update way earlier, but this is my life now. It's filled with music, song, dance and nerdy stuff. This is the beginning of my new life. It can only get better from here :) Time to start my new life, with my new family (Monday Show) and of course, my new business partners! 

Thank you to everyone for your support and I will do my best to blog more often! Do expect some posts to be of musicals. When it's my turn to do my assignment for #Musical101, I will be blogging so that my Monday Show colleagues can read it as well. 

I love you guys so much! 

My beloved Monday Show Family! This is only part of them... 

The loved ones... :) 

Here's to a new beginning :) 

Love always,
DancerGal Sheryl!

In the Life of DancerGal: New Toy! :)

Last night, I got my hands on my very first Digital Single-Lens Reflex (DSLR) camera and it was the Nikon D7100 (source image below) and a lens (Nikon 55-300mm VR)

Nikon 55-300mm VR
Photo credits: www.taringa.net

Nikon D7100 with kit lens
Photo credits: www.prweb.com

I am superbly excited to take on a new journey with my new camera and I cannot wait to start blogging more photos. I am in the midst of scouting for a good watermarking app/software (other than the insanely expensive Adobe Photoshop/Illustrator) to include more photos into my blog and I am thinking of the possibility of starting on vlogs, considering that now I have part of the equipment. 

Took this trial shot this morning over breakfast... 

Do let me know in the comments below if you have any options of good watermarking apps or softwares (preferably free-of-charge)! Also, please be reminded that your comments are moderated by me to eliminate trolls from my blog. Regardless of what people might think, at the end of the day, this blog is a personal blog, to capture my personal feelings, thoughts and opinions. Comments, feedbacks (both good and bad) and questions are most welcomed. Haters aren't. 

Love always, 

DancerGal Sheryl!

Self-Reflection: Relationships

I have never blogged about relationships and I've never really seen myself as a professional cos I've honestly only had two, and have been in my current relationship for the past 3 plus years. This blog post DEFINITELY isn't gonna be lovey-dovey, nor is it going to be comparing the two relationships I've had. This is just for a reminder to myself to keep my head in the game and obviously, look at the bigger picture.

So why wouldn't I give advice to other couples? Well, to be honest, unless you are a certified therapist, you shouldn't be giving any form of advice. Why do I say this? Every relationship is different. Every partner, even though you are the same person, will be different which will lead to different scenarios, different circumstances and most definitely, different personalities.

I think the difference in myself between the last relationship and the current one is definitely my maturity. I still am super "manja", but I think there's a different demand now that I am more mature. I have also learnt a lot about myself and I will continue to discover myself. My partner would have to continue to learn about me, as much as I will continue learning about my partner. In my current relationship, because we are also on the road of finding our paths in our respective careers, it can sometimes be quite frustrating. But the best part about this is, we learn more about each other, sort of at the same time. And what I like to remind myself here, is that we are not there to help solve each other's problems, but just for support. Of course, trying to help would be great, but the main deal here is to support one another. When the one you love supports what you do, that's 60% of the battle won and the frustrations gone.

To me, love isn't just about saying "I love you", but actually showing love, support, care, commitment, dedication. A relationship when you're in your teenage years, it's mostly about exploration. Learning to be responsible and accountable to and for someone. When you're my age, it's more than exploration. You don't exactly have the time. I think what took me aback was a talk that I heard by Nick Vujicic.

For those of you who know me well, I come from a family whose parents are separated and I live with my mum. My dad obviously lives with the other party. Since my first relationship, I've always been fearful of adultery because of my background. Thing is, although I wasn't cheated on technically, I would still say that I was cheated on, because three weeks after we broke up, my ex was already with someone new. But I am honestly grateful that I went through that relationship. He taught me a lot of things about relationships. Especially what NOT to do.

According to Nick, FEAR stands for False Evidence Appearing Real. This fear is a seed that will soon grow into a tree and bear fruit. I've had the fear of adultery for a very very long time. Even with my current partner. But then, Nick said something. Once the seed is planted, it will continue to grow and grow no matter how much you try to stop it. The only way is to just UPROOT the damn tree. And then, when I got a hug from him, that was when I decided that I would uproot my fear. So I did just that. I decided to take the plunge and just uproot my tree of fear. I've never been happier.

My current relationship seems a bit more on the calmer side now. Haha. Of course, my partner has been an absolute gem, helping me through so much. My insecurities and my dramas. The poor chap has suffered, I believe. So now that I've grown up (a teeny bit!), I think it's time for me to at least give this chap a smoother journey and ride it out. At the moment, we just want to enjoy our lives as single people. We know we are committed to each other, and we know that we want that future, but for now, let's just enjoy our lives. I think for me, relationships tend to be a lot easier when you remove the element of expectations. You want him to say "I love you"? Ask for it. You want him to kiss you? Ask for it. If you don't ask, you won't get and you can't get disappointed if you don't get it.

To me, and again I reiterate, this post is meant as a reminder to myself and not an "advisory" post. I am very happy in my current relationship, and as we continue to grow and learn more about each other, may we grow stronger as individuals and continue on this journey feeling more confident each day.

I love you.

Love always,
DancerGal Sheryl!

In the life of DancerGal: How to make Generations X, Y and Zoomers Happy and Productive at Work?

Greetings from the land of DancerGal! It's been quite a while since I updated this little fella so here goes!

About a week back, I attended quite an awesome talk on "How to make Generations X, Y and Zoomers Happy and Productive at Work?". The speaker was this awesome lady called Cheryl Cran (yes, we have the same name! How cool is that???) and she's a leadership consultant. I know most of you might be thinking, "What's that?" so I'm gonna try and put in my own words about what she does. Cheryl's job is to basically make both employers and employees change or adapt their leadership or communication styles so that the company as a whole can be taken to much greater heights. She does this by breaking down the different types of people working in the company, which is mainly the different generations of people within the company.

TMI Consultancy Sdn Bhd which stands for Transformation Managed with Inspiration. 

This talk was organized by TMI Consultancy Sdn Bhd and hosted by Hotel Istana, Kuala Lumpur. It was pretty awesome as we were given special treatment by the staff of Hotel Istana and TMI was an amazing organizer!

It was fun from the second Cheryl stood on stage! We had so much fun, and not to mention, I embarrassed myself by going up on stage and did the "Gangnam Style" in stilettos. Probably not exactly the smartest idea, but I'm so happy I did it. :) That was our so-called "warm up" session, getting to know each other and Cheryl enticing us with AWESOME music selections. We danced to songs like YMCA, Twist and of course, the one and only GANGNAM STYLE!

Me going ballistic when I heard the Gangnam song... :P (*embarrassing!*)
Photo credits: TMI Consulting Sdn Bhd (Facebook)

Cheryl and I doing the Gangnam Style dance... Kudos to PSY!
Photo credits: TMI Consulting Sdn Bhd (Facebook)

We then sat down after all that huffing and puffing (well, for me at least!) to start on what we actually came here to do - Learn about inter-generational people, their attributes and how we can make our workplace a more effective, efficient, productive, peaceful and relaxing one. It's pretty stressful to have to deal with people from a different generation, but what is awesome is that when you learn about the positive attributes of one another, you actually realize that everyone is pretty cool and sometimes, that generation gap is what makes each and every one of us, more human :) Together with Cheryl after the lunch break, we created a Twitter hash tag for the talk as well. #TMIGenerations2013

The set up on our tables. A folder for our notes, a TMI clapper, and name tag! 

DancerGal and her TMI clapper

Cheryl speaking on inter-generational workplace
Photo credits: TMI Consulting Sdn Bhd (Facebook)

I was tempted to write "DancerGal", but I wasn't there as a blogger :P 

The awesome Sheryl and Cheryl combo! 

I can honestly say, I learned a lot about my own generation (Gen Y!) as well as the positive attributes about other generations and I am proud to be surrounded by people from all the generations, including the millennials. What really caught my interest was not only Cheryl's stage presence, but unlike many speakers, she wasn't boring at all. She admitted that she was a Zoomer with the attributes of a Gen Y and I totally agree! I also managed to do a quick email interview with her to learn more about her as well as what motivates her and some words of encouragement for us Gen Ys! 

DancerGal (DG): From an economic and financial background, what encouraged and motivated you into getting into consultation and leadership training? 

Cheryl: While I was in my career in banking and insurance I conducted training sessions and was speaking early on in my career. I was a leader at the age of 23 and found that I liked the constant learning and growth that came with leadership. When I left banking in 1994 I interned with a consulting firm and then was hired by an international seminar company to provide seminars on leadership. In 2001 I wrote my first book and my business has grown from there.

DG: Generally, those that read my blog would be from Gen Y. Would you have any advice for those of us who are struggling to find our passion?

Cheryl:  What I admire about Gen Y is that they are really keen to do what they love, to stay positive with their work and to make a difference. I don't really have advice rather I would recommend that a Gen Y find a mentor in the field they are interested as well as do an internship to learn about the field. ( I don't have space to mentor as I have clients I do this with right now) Read the book "What Color Is Your Parachute" and get a skills analysis done by an employment agency. This will help determine the best way to use your skills and to find fields that are aligned with your skills.

DG:  What would be the best and worst attributes of a Gen Y, since I am one myself?

Cheryl: Gen Y's are eager to get ahead and to contribute in a big way. The greatest thing about Gen Y's is their desire to help, to share ideas and to work as a group. The Gen Y's that I have worked with would benefit from learning to integrate their energy and passion with business results. Today's CEO's are still the Zoomers and Gen X and they are looking for Gen Y's who can provide technological ideas and creativity to help improve business. I find many Gen Y's could learn more about the business side of the company they are working for. In addition Gen Y's would be very smart to work positively with their Gen X or Zoomer bosses- a Gen Y who helps their boss looks good will always get ahead more quickly.

DG: Any words that you would like to extend to my readers or myself? :)

Cheryl: Staying positive is more than a mindset, it is a way of looking at life. Gen Y's are very important to our future, we need your energy, passion and technological savvy. Focus on building your interpersonal skills with the Gen X and Zoomer, focus on continual learning, read both business books and personal development books. Attend conferences and events where you can learn the 'how to's from successful leaders and business owners.

Thank you so much, Cheryl, for taking the time to answering questions for my blog. I truly appreciate the fact that she took the time to answering my questions. Learning more about one another's personal attributes and how we can contribute to our workplace and helping it grow as a whole was definitely a great experience and I will definitely take these lessons with me. 

Thanks again to TMI Consultancy Sdn Bhd for having me at the event, and thanks again to Cheryl for opening my eyes to my own abilities and strengths! 

I do hope that I get to dwell deeper into such topics and share more of it right here, on my blog! 

Love always, 

DancerGal Sheryl! 

In the Life of DancerGal: Malaysia Social Media Week '13 WelcomeCocktail!

So yesterday evening, I attended the welcome cocktail for the Malaysia Social Media Week 2013. It was super fun and I had the pleasure of meeting quite a number of people whom I've gotten to know via Twitter but never really had the opportunity of meeting in person :)

The event was held at Berjaya Hotel, located next to Berjaya Times Square. My attire for the evening was relatively simple yet elegant. I wore a black dress from Kitschen (RM 59.90) paired with my beautiful Melissa Wings heels in nude (RM 475.00) and a black clutch from H&M (RM 99.90). I thought the ensemble would be under the category of smart casual. It was simple, easy, no fuss. Although note to self, I need to start looking into designing my own name cards and carry a smaller (and thinner) wallet with me for such occasions :)

I arrived insanely early, and so I decided that I would go for a quick cuppa at the Starbucks located in the mall itself. After the cuppa, it was still pretty early so I decided to be a nerd and look around RadioShack for some nerdy loves. Got myself a chic case for my phone by Uniq. The colors are so pretty (lilac and light pink!). Anyway, this cost me RM 99, but pretty worth it considering the fact I don't buy cases very often (or at least, I'd like to think so!) :P

After the shopping, I decided to take a break from all that shopping and hang out in the lobby at the hotel. I then got in touch with Aswin (tweet handle: @aswin_tweet), from My Events as well as Social Media Chambers. We finally met for the first time and I stole this shot off him while he was busy working :P

Then, I found out that Syafique was already on the 14th floor. Syafique, as most of you may know, is the founder of MotivationMY.com and is also the official online media partner for MSMW '13. I am so proud of how far MMY has come along and I'm honored to be one of those who have been there to watch it grow :)

Also met with Cherish, Syafique's colleague from Astro Awani. Have seen her on Instagram and Twitter, but haven't actually met her in person. So happy to have finally done that.

Also met with a couple others whose names are big in the industry like Christopher Tock of EYE Project and Social Grooves, Veron of Social Grooves, etc. It was pretty awesome :) I will let my photos speak for themselves from here on out :)

I must say that on the first night, I knew that the rest of the event was going to be awesome!!! <3 blog="" care="" experiences="" my="" nbsp="" on="" other="" p="" soon="" take="" will="">

Love always, 

DancerGal Sheryl! 

In the Life of DancerGal: FIRST Award EVER!

Ok, fine. My title might be a teeny bit misleading :P

Anyway, here goes. I've received something called a "Versatile Blogger Award", awarded to me by the awesome Syafique Shuib, founder of the awesome motivationMY.com and a friend :)

*sheepish* I promised that I would blog once a month, but have yet to keep to my KPIs :P Will promise to come up with posts soon! *note to self: PUT INTO ACTION!!!!*

With this title, comes some responsibilities! Part of the rules as a recipient of this award, I have to post the award on my blog, share seven random things about me, and nominate seven people for the award. So, let's start with the 7 random things (or I'd like to coin them, weird about me!) :P 

1. I am a HUGE HUGE HUGE eSports fan. Note, I said fan and not player. Have stopped playing StarCraft 2 for quite a bit now, due to time and hardware constraints, but I am determined to get back into the game. For now, it's pure watching, and coming up with my own analysis about the games. (Please do not hesitate to add me on B.net if you have an account. My ID is DancerGal - will update you on my ID tag later!)
2.  I am a performance artist in my own right. I enjoy singing and (honestly!) think that I am quite vocally strong. I also am a dance instructor and I do ballet, tap and hip-hop. I have something coming up that's pretty interesting, but I can't disclose too much details yet. Will do it when all details are final :) 
3. I love to challenge my brain and feed it constantly! When I was in school, I honestly hated studying. Maybe now I'm sort of making up for the lack of studying as a child, but at this point in my life, I literally dislike brainless activities. To me, any activity that doesn't involve me hurting my brain a bit, doesn't really work for me! :P
4. I love to challenge myself physically as well! I am a insane person who goes for Bootcamp. Honestly, the experience isn't that bad, and I adore the idea that I lose insane amounts of weight once I start getting back to my eating right habits and drinking tons of water. :) If I don't calculate the months that I've been missing, I've been in Bootcamp for about 13 months now! #proud
5. I love to EAT! Hahaha! This is interesting! After my last one about losing weight, now I say I love to eat! LOL! Well, I honestly do. I indulge in my foods (not too much, of course!) and I do spend quite a large amount of $$ on my personal F&B each month. Not to mention, Alexis and Starbucks are kinda sorta my favourite F&B joints! :P But oh well! :)
6. I have very low tolerance for people who do NOT appreciate Friendship! I would be (as some people would call it, and so do I!) a very weird friend to have. As a friend, I would feel the need to tell you the truth no matter how bad it hurts. Sadly, not many people are able to accept that. Some even have taken the insane step to consciously avoiding me due to this "weirdness". Honestly, I don't think it's weird, as I want my friends to be the same with me, but I am glad that I have true friends who appreciate this side of me. Not many, but even one is enough :) 
7. I enjoy spending time with some of my cousins (*ahem* CHARMAINE HO!) and although we are family, I somehow feel that we are more like friends. Like we can hangout, especially our routine Karaoke sessions when she gets back from her studies ALL THE TIME, we can do some random stuff and we always enjoy ourselves :) Looking forward to more time spent with her soon! :) 

Okay! So that's seven random things about me, and now it's time for me to nominate seven other people to receive this award. However, please bear in mind that I do NOT follow many, so here goes nothing: 

1. Ceddy Lopez 
2. Debbie Elara or her handy craft blog @ http://www.crafty-heart.com/
3. Carmen Wong
4. Magdeline Wang
5. Jacqueline Teo
6. Dennis Lee
7. Last but not least.... whoever who runs this blog:You Know You're In Cempaka When... 

So I've done my nominations! Back to you guys! :) 

P/S: I know I've been a bit slow on my posts lately, but I'll be back soon. I promise okay? :) 

Love always, 

DancerGal Sheryl! 

In the life of DancerGal: Hitting the "Refresh" button on "LIFE"

It's almost the end of August. Here's my updates for the past month or so...

Haven't been playing SC2 for the longest time, let alone Diablo 3...
Haven't been to Bootcamp in TWO months...
Haven't been blogging, although I have THREE half-written drafts...
Haven't been running (at least 10km!) within the past two months...

My fitness is BLERGH...
My SC2 level is BLERGH...
Not to mention, feeling FAT and LETHARGIC almost everyday!

So, what exactly have I been doing the past couple of months? Working, sleeping, eating.

So what's the problem? The problem is, I AM NOT HAPPY!!!!

So, what can I do? Time to hit that "Refresh" button. Wait, what?!

Credits: blog.cachinko.com

Yes, you heard me right! I'm going to hit the "Refresh" button on my own life, and it all starts TODAY! Spent about 4 hours plus watching MLG last night (Leenock was declared the Champion :) Mr Chubby Cheeks  ♥

Credits: majorleaguegaming.com

Hence, yesterday at SammoBammo's place, I collected back ALL my gaming gear (mouse, keyboard and headphones) and decided that I would spend AT LEAST an hour a night training. Watching MLG made me realize, while I dream to be like them someday, it will never happen unless I do it myself! :)

Having being a fan of StarCraft 2 for quite some time now, it's been taking me a very long time to get to where I am... While I understand the game relatively well, my mechanics are REALLY BAD! Why? All because I never really bothered to put in the effort. Well, no more. From now on, every night, at least 2 games I will play! All in the name of self-development of eSports!

Then there's my fitness level.

It's been two whole months of Bootcamp that I have missed. Went back today. Felt like CRAP! Threw up in the middle of a circuit. But here's the thing. After throwing up (ok, maybe I should stop saying that so that you don't feel nauseous!), I felt like this wasn't me. I don't want to be like this. I want the Sheryl/DancerGal who could pull off an entire session and even go out for a movie after. I want the Sheryl who watched what she ate, so that she didn't feel lethargic/fatigued after the session! I WANT THE OLD ME BACK!!!

There is only ONE way to doing that, which is actually GOING BACK and doing all that!

Then, there's my barely updated blog.

As most of you may know, I now (should technically) be a regular contributor on the MotivationMY blog. Guess when my last post was? Pathetic.

So with that, while it may be a very tiring move, a very bold move, it's time to hit the refresh button on my life! How?

1. Starcraft 2: Make the effort to play more, train harder, and just simply not make excuses. Watch more streams (where possible) and watch more tournaments (speaking of which, I am downloading the GomTV app for Mac so that I can watch GSL! BOOYAH! :P )

2. Bootcamp/Fitness: Train harder, watch what I eat, and (DO MY BEST!) not to miss any sessions, participate in more runs, and make a conscious effort to train my runs with SammoBammo. Push myself in OBC sessions and make sure that I don't go easy on myself!

3. Regular updates and contributions: Consciously make the effort to contribute to AT LEAST one post a week! Writer's block is a LAME excuse and should not be used in Sheryl's vocabulary!!!

4. Miscellaneous: Try your best to not screw everything else in the process!

Sounds impossible? No, it's not, and it won't be! Wanna know why? Three simple words: FOCUS, DETERMINATION, and PASSION! I love and enjoy all of the above! I want to be better not for anyone, but for myself!

There is no room for "second best" or "complacency" in my life. Either you work your ass for it, or you get stuck living a mediocre life. Your choice.

Before I end my blog post, do find below, some encouraging posters that I hold very personally and it could not get any better than this (source: http://www.facebook.com/StrongIsTheNewSkinny/photos_stream)

Love always,
DancerGal Sheryl ♥