Carpe Diem!

Somebody's Antsy 

I'm so happy you all are reading this right now. Likewise, I'm so happy it's Friday, and I get to update you about my life in Cardiff. This week has been an eye opener for me. It started off with, "I don't think I belong here" and became "My voice sounds alien" and then "I need to be in Australia"… so you'd be surprised to hear that by Friday it has come to this: 

"I cannot wait to see where this experience takes me."

Doing Nothing, Accomplishing Everything

Look Natural!

Last weekend, Laura and I visited Merthyr for our friend Emma's 30th birthday party, masquerade themed. The party was a trek, but well worth it. Laura and I danced the night away and perhaps were too intense:  we scared most other dancers from the dance floor! Oops.

Mysterious yet Wild

Topsy Turvy and oh so Yummy!

Something I learned from this experience:  sometimes it is best to let loose. In the past, I've had so many nights that I'd spend at home because I'm preparing for my next gig with the St. James Choir or because I need to organise around rehearsals. Being here and doing just that - being here - makes me less pedantic about things I could be doing and more prone to allowing things to just happen.

We had one-on-one sessions with Anita this week and she said, "Sal, you just need to let go. Rather than concentrating on doing it right, you need to fail. You need to be okay with getting it wrong." Man, has that helped me immensely. I realise I have a huge guard up, and I'm hindering my full creative capacity by being a natural, but safe, improviser. Well, I'm trying desperately to just do something stupid, and this week has definitely resulted in progress.

It's All About the Food

Okay. So I may have the appetite of a baby hippo right now. We are exercising daily, and ergo, I am eating inordinate amounts of food. Coming to my aid are Adina and Tommy. Tommy and I have been cooking meals for one another all week. It has been sheer bliss eating his cuisine (his father is one of the top 100 chefs in China) and likewise, I am floored when he likes my dishes (the latest was a honey-soy-garlic chicken served with greens and rice). 

Enjoying his Own Creation

Adina is Jewish and insisted on preparing shabbat dinner for us tonight. It was delightful! She had the two candlesticks lit, and said prayers over our food, then I started singing from "Fiddler on the Roof." Needless to say, Laura and I ate and ate to our heart's content. Here's us eating while trying to be civil for a photograph.

Mmmm sweet potatoes… Feigned Composure for the Camera

And Per Usual…

We concluded this week with a dance-off! 

Adina Wells:  Professional Headbanger

Sal Wins "Most Awkward" Award at School Dance

I'm in a Happy Place

And have happy people in my life, near and far.

Everybody, Come On! Put a Smile On :)