I know I keep saying I'm going to start blogging and then my page is usually blank for months. I think I was able to post so often back in dental school was because I was writing for my friends as a way to keep up with what was going on in my life. Most of my experiences dealt with people who didn't read my blog so in a way I was able to stay anonymous.

Now that I've been back in New York for the past 3 years I can't write about what happens with me because my posts would be about my friends who also have access to my blog. So the purpose is somewhat defeated. I'll try though. It might come easier after Wednesday. I might have a big announcement to make soon.

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I've really enjoyed ballroom dancing again. I had a lot of fun dancing back in high school but never really had the chance to do so again until coming back to New York. I went to Lincoln Center's Midsummer Night Swing once in a while but the short lesson was unfulfilling and made me want to learn more.

I love the dance studio I've been going to. All the instructors are great and they each have their own unique style of teaching. It's funny how I was even introduced to the studio. I found out from a girl I met during speed-dating. So while my experiences with the girls have been absolute disasters during speed-dating, at least something good came out from it. Now I've even been able to get some friends to join me and we all have a great time. I've been trying to learn both smooth ballroom (foxtrot, waltz, tango) and Latin dances (salsa and merengue).

My dance partner made a really good point about why we have so much fun. It's a great escape from the real world. We dance in the moment but still dance thinking about the future because the guy has to think about what to do for the next move and the girl has to be able to follow. Each is challenging in its own way.

I enjoy ballroom dancing too because it's structured. I have no rhythm so I was never good at dancing in clubs. It's probably really mean for me to say so but it kind of makes me feel good when I'm able to nail a move, and then see some guys really struggle. Just this past weekend, one girl got so angry with her boyfriend because he really had no clue what was going on. She was yelling at him and even hit his leg to try to go in the right direction. The dance instructor had to come over and tell her not to get so fustrated. (sigh) The things white guys do for Asian girls.

I also like to think I'm a decent leader. We usually rotate partners during each class so every guy has a chance to dance with every girl. Another reason is because there's usually an uneven number of guys:girls. Sometimes before we rotate, my partner (at that moment) will thank me. This is usually just etiquette but sometimes I think it's because we performed the routine without any problems and they've had trouble with the other guys.

Today during my salsa lesson we were rehearsing a particular move. My middle-aged partner told me that I must have missed a move because she's never messed up like that before. I apologized because I thought I really screwed up. But I didn't think I could have been that off because we were practicing that same move the previous week. I didn't change what I was doing though, partly because I still didn't know what I was doing wrong. My next 4 partners all thanked me and one even told me that I was the first guy who got it right so far. I guess the middle-aged woman thought I was doing it wrong because the guys ahead of me were butchering the move. Vindication is sweet.