You can dance if you want to...

Instead of training tonight I went with a friend to see the Paul Taylor Dance Company at NY City Center. As you may or may not know my background is performing arts so I always enjoy the chance to see some, even if it means missing some KF. :D We had a lot of fun, but I must admit, I spent a lot of the performance, (which was very good), thinking about the dancing in terms of kung fu. In the various pieces I saw elements of one handed ceshoufans, the staff form sacrifice, modified versions of tengkong fanyaos, head flips, mabus and a multitude of other moves. I have always respected dancers, and even more since I started training because they combine all the strength, flexibility and power of kung fu with the added necessity of making it look graceful and effortless. No panting, no unconscious sound effects, no pained faces. Everything perfectly controlled. I don't think I will ever be a dancer, but kung fu is still, as Sifu says, a way to "express yourself." Tonight definitely left me inspired to train harder and strive for more control, elegance and expression. But not forgoing the fun of some explosive chi sound effects...

Happy Moon Festival

Last night was Chinese Moon Festival (or Mid-Autumn Festival) night when the moon was supposedly biggest and brightest. A bunch of us from the temple went by the water to gaze the moon and eat mooncakes. (How did it go - by the way? I didn't go because of a wicked ache in my belly.)

But I have always been fascinated with mooncakes. Apparently, there are many many versions of the cake. In Thailand, my favourite kind was with durian and lotus seeds filling.

I found this site with pictures of how to mold and make snow-skin mooncakes (the non-baked white skin ones). That solves the mystery of how mooncake skin looks so pretty and delicate!

Look how big the moon was!!! (Thanks Richu.)