Funniest Harry Potter list, EVER!

Things I Am Not Allowed To Do At Hogwarts

1. I will not wear my DEATH EATER AND PROUD OF IT! shirt to school.

2. I am allowed a rat, cat, toad or owl. I am not allowed a python, snow leopard, tasmanian devil, or pirahna.

3. 42 is not the answer to every question on the O.W.Ls

4. I am not to Owl copies of the Evil Overlord List to suspected Death Eaters.

5. I will not put books of muggle fairy tales in the history section of the library.

6. I will not claim that my 'X-Files' tapes are "Auror Training Videos"

7. I am not authorized to negotiate peace treaties with Lord Voldemort.

8. I will not follow potions instructions backwards just to see what would happen.

9. I will not tell first-years that they should build a tree house in the Whomping Willow.

10. My name is not "The Dark Lord Happy-Pants" and I am not allowed to sign papers as such.

11. It is not necessary for me to yell, "BAMF!" everytime I Apparate.

12. I will not steal Gryffindor's sword from Dumbledore's office and use it to patrol the hallways.

13. I am not allowed to sing my own personal spy music while wandering the halls.

14. Asking, "How to you keep a Gryffindor in suspense?" and walking away is only funny the first time.

15. It is generally accepted that cats and dragons cannot be interbreed and I should not attempt to disprove this theory, no matter how wicked the result would be.

16. I will not say the phrase, "Dude, get a life." to Voldemort.

17. If the thought of a spell makes me giggle for longer than 15 seconds, I am to assume that I am not allowed to do it.

18. I will not yell, "Believe it.....or not!" after any of Dumbledore's speeches.

19. I am not allowed to declare an official 'Hug A Slytherin Day."

20. If a classmate falls asleep, I will not take advantage of that fact and draw a Dark Mark on their arm.

21. Starting a betting pool on the fate of this year's Defense Against The Dark Arts teacher is tastless and tacky; not a clever money-making concept.

22. Seamus Finnegan is not "after me Lucky Charms"

23. Calling the Ghostbusters is a cruel joke to play on the resident ghosts and poltergeists.

24. I will not lock Slytherin's and Gryffindor's in a room together and take bets on which house will come out alive.

25. I will not give Hagrid pokemon cards and convince him they are real animals.

26. I will not teach the house elves to impersonate Jar Jar Binks.

27. Bringing fortune cookies to Divination Class does not count as extra credit.

28. I will not charm the the suits of armor to do a rendition of "Knights Of The Round Table" for the Christmas Feast.

29. I will not dress up as Voldemort for Halloween.

30. I will not sing, "We're Off To See The Wizard." when sent to the headmasters house.

31. I will not tell Sir Cadogan that the Knights Who Say Ni have challenged him to a duel and then have students yell, "Ni!" from various directions.

32. No matter how good a fake Australian accent I can do, I will not imitate Steve Irwin during Care of Magical Creatures class.

33. When McGonagall asks me a question I will not answer in complete seriousness, "I think Albus is good looking too Professor."

34. I will not hold my wand in the air befor casting spells and shout, "I have the power!"

35. I will not start every potions class asking Professor Snape if today's project can be used as a sexual lubricant.

36. I will stop referring to showering as "Giving Moaning Myrtle an eyeful."

37. I will not use Umbridge's quill to write, "I told you I was hardcore."

38. The Giant Squid is not an appropriate date for the Yule Ball.

39. "I've heard every possible joke about Oliver Wood's name." is not a challange.

40. I will not change the password to the prefect's bathroom to, "Makes getting clean as much fun as getting dirty."

41. Remus Lupin does not want a flea collar.

42. I do not weigh the same as a duck.

43. I will not refer tot he Defense Against The Dark Arts teacher, "Kenny", even if he is wearing an Orange parka.

44. I will not scare the Arithmancy class with my Calculus book.

45. I will not tell first years that Professor Snape is the Voice of God.

46. I am not allowed to make lightsaber noises with my wand.

47. I will not try to magically animate my marshmallow Peeps.

48. I am not allowed to give the Gryffindor's Pixie Stix.

49. I am not allowed out of my dorm when Ministry officials are here.

50. I will not tell Professor Trelawney that I prophesized her death.

51. I will not refer to the Accio charm as "The Force"

52. A wand is for magic only. It is not for picking my nose or banging on my desk, no matter how bored I become.

53. First years are not to be fed to Fluffy.

54. Professor Flitwicks first name is not Yoda.

55. I will not take out a life insurance policy on Harry Potter.

56. I will not bring a Magic Eight Ball to Divination Class.

57. I will not call Dumbledore Santa during the holidays.

58. I am not allowed to introduced Peeves to paintball guns.

59. I will not ask Harry if his Scar Senses are tingling.

60. I will not sing *bibbity bobbity boo* when McGonagall is trying to teach.

61. I will not put a *Kick Me* sign on Draco's back.

62. I will not ask Harry who died and made him the boss.

63. When Death Eaters are attacking Hogwarts I am not allowed to point at the Dark Mark and yel, "Off to the batmobile Robin!"

64. If asked in class what Avada Kedavra does, yelling, "It does DEATH!!!" may be correct but it's not the manner in which one should answer.

65. I will not make jokes about Lupin and his 'time of the month'

66. Gryffindor courage does not come in bottles labeled "Firewhisky"

67. Using the Enrogio charm on certain parts of the human anatomy is not permitted on school grounds, even for entertainment purposes.

68. It is inappropriate to slip sample bottles of Selsum Blue into Professor Snape's personal mailbox.

69. I will not impersonate the Swedish Chef in potions class.

70. First-years should not be encouraged to befriends the Whomping Willow.

71. There is no, nor has there, ever been a fifth house and I am not the founder of it.

72. Albus Dumbledore's proper title is 'Headmaster' not 'My Liege'

73. I will not use Slyterin and Gryffindor first-years as Xmas decorations.

74. A time turner is not a 'Flux Capacitor' and I should therefore not install one in any muggle cars.

75. I am not allowed to use silencing charms on my professor.

76. I am not a member of the Spanish Inquisition.

77. I will not claim there is a prequel to Hogwarts, A History that explains all about Bilbo Baggins.

78. I will not sing the Badger song during Hufflepuff-Slytherin matches.

79. "Draco Malfoy Takes It Up The Arse" is not an acceptable Quidditch chant.

80. I am not Xena: Warrior Princess and I will not use war cries to signal my entrance into class rooms.

81. I am not allowed to paint the house elves blue.

82. It is a bad idea to tell Professor Snape he takes himself to seriously.

83. I will not start food fights in the Great Hall.

84. It is not necessary to yell, "BURN!" every time Professor Snape takes away points from Gryffindor.

85. I am not allowed to to begin each Herbology class by singing the theme song to, "Attack Of The Killer Tomatoes."

86. "Y'all check this-here shit out!" is not an appropriate way to announce that you are about to perform an experimental spell.

87. House Elves are not acceptable replacements for Bludgers.

88. I will not ask Dumbledore to show me the pointy hat trick.

89. "To conquer the earth with an army of flying monkeys" is not an appropriate career choice.

90. I am not a sloth animagus.

91. "Springtime for Voldemort" is not an acceptable suggestion for the class play.

92. I will not tell Ron and Hermione to "Get a room" whenever they start to fight.

93. The Forbidden Forest is forbidden for a reason.

94. I will not greet Professor McGonagall with "What's new, pussycat?"

95. I will not introduce the Jackass movies as inspirational ideas to Fred and George.

96. I will refrain from calling the Weasley twins 'Merry and Pippin'. I will also refrain from calling Harry and Ron 'Frodo and Sam'. It probably isn't smart to call Draco 'Legolas', either

97. I will not perform Potter Puppet Pals in front of all of the Great Hall, no matter how enjoyable 'The Mysterious Ticking Noise' is.

98. I will not sing the entire Multiplication Rock series during the Arithmancy exams.

99. I will stop asking the Arithmancy teacher what the square root of -1 is.

100. I will not convince Ron Weasley to follow the butterflies.

101. I will not poke Hufflepuffs with spoons, nor will I insist that their House colors indicate that they are 'covered in bees'.

102. I will not add 'according to the prophecy' to the end of every sentence in Divintation class, just to raise my grade.

103. Providing Peeves with a case of Dungbombs was a socially irresponsible action and I will not do it again.

104. I will not sing 'Defying Gravity' during Quidditch practice.

105. I am not to tell Nearly Headless Nick that he would lose his head if it wasn't attached, that is just cruel.

106. The four Houses are not the Morons, the Borons, the Smartarses, and the Junior Death Eaters.

107. Yelling 'To infinity and BEYOND' was only funny the first time I took off on my broom.

108. Telling Draco Malfoy to 'Make like a ferret and bounce' is always a bad idea.

109. I am not allowed to tell the first years that there is a fifth house called 'Sparkleypoo' an I am in it.

110. Putting fake spiders all around Ron Weasley's bed is not funny, especially not when he tries to jump out the window.

111. Spiking the school's supply of pumpkin juice is not funny, no matter how much fun we had that night.

112. Potter 7 Voldemort 0, is not an appropriate T-shirt slogan.

113. 'Accidentally' dropping Polyjuice potion with Luna Lovegood's hair in Snape's drink is a very unhealthy hobby

114. I am not allowed to steal Professor Flitwick's wand, hold it over my head and laugh as he tries to reach it.

115. I am not allowed to draw a smiley face on my arm and tell everyone it's the new Dark Mark.

116. Should I chance to see a Death Eater wearing a white mask, I should not start singing anything from 'Phantom of the Opera'

117. I am not to stare at the Great Hall ceiling during dinner in the winter and cry 'My god, it's full of stars!'

118. Seamus Finnegan does not have a pot of gold under his bed.

119. I will not ask if Professor Lupin has had all his shots, such as rabies. Nor will I ask it of Professor McGonagall.

120. Professor Snape's proper given name is not Princess Silvermoon Fairywing Glimmer McSparkles.

121. Breaking into song during Potions class is not acceptable, especially if the song is 'I feel pretty'

122. There is no house made of candy in the forbidden Forest and it's wrong to say so to first years.

123. I will not tell Professor Trelawney that my teacup says she's lying.

124. I will not tell Snape he needs to go to his "Happy place".

125. However tempting it may be, I will not send Voldemort a Christmas card telling him how much we all love him, even through these difficult times.

126. I will not tell Umbridge "Voldemort says, 'Hi,'" every time I see her.

127. A hug is not all Snape needs.

128. I must not spread rumours that Lucius Malfoy is, was, or ever will be known in Death Eater circles as "Dobby's bitch."

129. I am not allowed to attempt to breed a liger.

130. I am not to tell Professor Snape to "turn that frown upside down, and you get a beautiful smile".

131. I am not to refer to Draco Malfoy as "a little boy who just needs a hug".

132. I am not to tell Moaning Myrtle, or any of the other ghosts for that matter, to "Get a life".

133. I am not to start a "Who can blow up their cauldron first" contest in Potions class.

134. When the stairs change, it is unnecessary for me to sink to my knees, wailing in agony, and/or scream, "Wheeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!"

135. I am not to use the Floo System to play a game of "Ultimate Tag".

136. I am not to ask Draco Malfoy if I may borrow his hair straightener.



Youtube clips of the day:

The Mysterious Ticking Noise from Potter Puppet Pals. This vid won a Youtube award for "most views" or something like that (can't remember exactly). Anyway, it's hilarious!




Wizard Swears, also from Potter Puppet Pals. Cauldron bum! Son of a banshee! Voldemort's nipple! Hagrid's buttcrack! Expecto Patronads! Floppy-wanded dementor boggerer! And of course, the incomparable Elder Swear...




Professor Snape bring Sexyback. I always laugh in the parts where Hagrid goes "yeah!":

Feeling lonely and unloved...

Well, the Broadway Bound summer dance camp starts tomorrow, and I'm hoping it will lift up my mood. Most of my summer was boring and this week was especially horrible. I'm not going to go into details, but I feel abandoned by most of my friends, and even by God.

And why was this week so horrible? Well, they got married yesterday. I almost cried at work a few times, and I still have marks in my hands from my fingernails digging into them (I was clenching my fists for most of the day). Nobody seems to understand how painful this situation has been for me. I was an emotional wreck all day today, and I feel that God has officially slammed the door in my face. Well, He's been leading me to doors and then slamming them in my face for quite some time now, and I'm beginning to think that maybe He enjoys taunting me. And even if some will try to tell me that He might be trying to lead me to another door, well so far He's locked me out of the palace and sent me to the poorhouse door. Finding another door is not worth it if I have to leave the palace and go to the poorhouse. God was too busy having fun at their wedding to even care that I was practically living out the mad scene from Giselle. I've had setbacks in my religious faith many times, but never a faith crisis till now. I guess it started last year with the robbery - I felt that maybe God protects his favorites and leaves the rest of us to fend for ourselves, and I just don't happen to be one of the favorites. Even over a year later, I still have some symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, yet some people seem to think it's fun to mention the robbery as if it were a joke. But now after more setbacks and slammed doors, I'm beginning to think that God enjoys slapping me just to see how much I'll cry.

I feel like Giselle from the ballet story - she went mad and died after finding out that the man she loved was betrothed to someone else. Or maybe the little mermaid from the original story - in the real story, the prince marries someone else and the mermaid dies. Or Professor Snape from Harry Potter - he never stopped loving Lily even after she married someone else, and after she died. And he died while trying to protect Lily's son Harry. I found hope last year when I met someone else in Seville, but that didn't last. Whenever I fall in love, I always fall short in some way. I might have to settle for a lonely single life, or a mediocre relationship with some dud. Maybe I'm just not worth anyone's heart.

I don't know when or if things will get better. The dance camp might lift up my mood, I hope. And after I move to Montreal this fall at least I'll have a fresh start. Right now I just need some caring, and prayers (though at this point I don't know if prayers will even help me). I just can't take it anymore...

Youtube clips of the day:

The mad scene from Giselle (Carla Fracci as Giselle and Erik Bruhn as Albrecht). It shows exactly how I feel. Even at 4:53 Giselle looks at Countess Bathilde as though saying "I thought you were my friend...":



But even in death, Giselle still loved him, and saved him from being danced to death by the wilis (ghosts of broken-hearted girls). Here Giselle (Svetlana Zakharova) expresses her love for Albrecht (Roberto Bolle). I've noticed she has a similar physique to mine (she's 5'9" with super-long legs) so it makes me think of myself as Giselle in this vid. As for Roberto Bolle - most beautiful man on planet Earth, world's most perfect legs, body of a Greek god... I could go on and on:



This song really describes my loneliness this summer:

So You Think You Can Dance? I know I can, baby!

Well, I spent one FABULOUS weekend doing Broadway Bound, and what a weekend it was! From Thursday to Monday, we were dancing pretty much non-stop, and learned so much choreography in such a short time. In my group, we did a Latin jazz number to JLo's "Let's get loud", some of us also learned some step dancing (and I had never step danced in my life!), and the whole group also learned some original Broadway choreography from Hairspray. We also did a yoga/pilates dance workout with someone from the Charlottetown Festival, and some gymnastics (tumbling, aerial silks, etc).

But the absolute most exciting part of the whole weekend was having the celebrity teachers here. Lisa Stevens - the choreographer of High School Musical - taught us some stuff from HSM. And of course, there was Travis Wall! Actually, on the day that Travis was supposed to come in, Heidi got us all together at the start of the day and said "Travis isn't coming". We were all like "whaaaa....?!?!" but noticed that Heidi was smiling so it was obvious she was kidding. Anyway, the airline lost his luggage (boo Air Canada) so he couldn't come in till later that day (his luggage did come in later, but Heidi said "we can't have him without his hair products!"). But when he did arrive, it caused quite a stir! Some of the kids were by the third-floor window of the studio waiting for him to show up, and when I heard them all screaming, I rushed over and saw a dude with a blond mohawk walking out of a car and crossing the road. It was him! I screamed like Mary Murphy as soon as I recognized him! Later, when he came in, everyone was excited.

Anyway, he taught my group some contemporary choreography, and I was soooo starstruck at the beginning! At the start of the class, he was facing the wall and getting stuff ready, I was standing right behind him and couldn't stop gawking at the back of his head. Tessa and Michelle were giggling hysterically because I had an obvious starstruck look on my face! Anyway, at first I had some trouble with the choreography and kept thinking "he must think I'm such a spaz..." but after a while, I was thinking less about "the incomparable Travis Wall" and getting more into the dancing, and I really enjoyed the dance. He taught my group two short dances (we performed one of them in the showcase), and also did a turning workshop with the whole group (he does the most amazing turns ever). Holy frig, I can't believe I got to learn from Travis Wall!!!!

Anyway, the showcase went great, and Travis performed an AMAZING solo! Holy frig, he is one of the best dancers I've ever seen! He was definitely the star of the show. After the show, he also signed autographs and we took pics with him. Here are mine:




Jealous much? Hehehe...

I also auditioned for That Dance Show. I didn't get in, and at first I was really upset about it. I figured this was my last chance - I'm getting old (yes, in the dance world, mid-20s is considered "getting old") and I thought that if I didn't get this gig, I'd have to resign myself to a life of only ever dancing as a hobby whenever I can afford it, and never improving much more than this because many teachers, choreographers, etc often don't take older dancers seriously. I thought "I'm done, this is it. It's over for me - I'm worth jack shit as a dancer and I'll never get my heyday." But after Broadway Bound was over, I found the silver lining on the cloud...

Heidi said "I wanna talk to you..." and at first I was thinking "oh no, she's gonna tell me I'm no good and don't have what it takes!" but she told me that she loves me to pieces, that she can see that I have a true passion for dance, and that I basically have the head (she had told me several times before that I'm a smart dancer with a good body/mind connection) and heart for it. So she wants to put me on scholarship for the 2-week dance camp she's running this summer (connected to That Dance Show) and also train me personally to work on technique (according to her, technique is my only weakness). I was amazed at that. I couldn't believe what I was hearing! I NEVER thought that anyone would be willing to take me under their wing as their protegee like that. I didn't even ask - she was the one who offered it! And after that, I felt much better about the whole thing. Technique can be learned and improved, but when it comes to smarts and passion - you either got it or you don't (and though smarts/passion can grow, they can't really be taught/trained). I figure if she offered to let me take the camp for free, and take some of her own time to train me (hehehe... she says she wants to drill me and make me sweat my hiney off - just like Felipe!), she must really believe in me! Plus, I also remembered Travis saying he got rejected the first time he auditioned for SYTYCD, and look at him now! Plus, even when he was on the show, he got critisized a lot by the judges when he had to do dance styles he'd never done before. Also, Donyelle from SYTYCD started dancing at 18 (and does not have the ideal dance body), and she's amazing too.

In a way, I kinda feel like Sayuri in Memoirs of a Geisha when Mameha offers to train her even though Sayuri is older than most apprentice geisha at that point in the story. I'm not doomed as a dancer after all, and I'm going to keep going as long as I can...

So yes, even though I didn't get into the show, I still got a happy ending. Well, I shouldn't say "ending" - you haven't seen the last of me!

Youtube clips of the day:

The incomparable Travis Wall (hehehe... love the Bart Simpson hairdoo!)




Travis and Donyelle dance contemporary:



Travis and Donyelle get torn to pieces for their quickstep:



Travis and Benji (aka Tranji) dance a dorktastic hip-hop routine, Mary and Brian both scream!

Guess who's coming to PEI to teach dance at Broadway Bound...

TRAVIS WALL!!!!!!!!!!

Yes, I'm serious. Travis Wall from So You Think You Can Dance. Yes, THE Travis Wall is going to be in town next weekend to teach in the Broadway Bound workshop. And I'm going to be there! Holy frig, I can't believe I'm going to learn from Travis himself, he was one of my favorites in SYTYCD. When I got Heidi Ford's message about it, I was like "Travis Wall?!?!?!" and freaked out. Of all places for him to come - little ol' PEI! I ran into Heidi today and she said that her sister worked with him on Broadway so that's how she got the connection. He was supposed to do some other gig that weekend but it got cancelled so Heidi booked him for BB. He's going to teach a workshop AND perform a solo in the showcase. Oh my gosh, I'm still practically bouncing around in excitement... I'M GOING TO MEET TRAVIS WALL!!!!!!!

For those of you who don't understand how huge this is - if you're a jock, it's like going to a hockey camp or training session led by Sidney Crosby.

And of course, I'm going to audition for That Dance Show during BB. I ran into Ben at the music festival (he sang after me), and he thinks I have a good chance of getting in. I didn't get into Anne and Gilbert, but I think they were mostly looking for teenagers. That Dance Show is supposed to be more grown-up.

Speaking of the music festival, I sang in 3 categories this year. Folk song (She's like the swallow), sacred solo (Ave Maria), and musical theatre (The Sound of Music). And I did great in all 3! The adjudicator loved me and gave me a lot of great feedback. The only one she critiqued was the folk song, but it was the first one I sang, then I used the criticism to improve my next two and nailed them (she had no critiques to give me those times). My teacher thinks I've improved a lot since I first started taking lessons with her, and I think I've come a long way. Canadian Idol can kiss my ass - it was a long time ago anyway and I have risen above all that old crap.

Actually, something that also helped in my performances at the music festival were thinking of things from Seville! I thought of La Macarena and La Virgen del Rocio while singing Ave Maria, and thought of the city when singing The Sound of Music - the flamenco music, white doves flying all over the Maria Luisa park (my heart wants to beat like the wings of the birds...), ringing church bells (my heart wants to sigh like a chime that flies from a church on a breeze), the river flowing through the city (to laugh like a brook when it trips and falls...), etc. Holy frig, it was all so long ago, but I still remember it so well...

All my dance teachers think I've improved in dance too. They loved my choreography in The Works (the student choreography show), and my performances in the end-of-year show. Actually, the dance I choreographed was inspired by someone I met in Seville. When I first heard the song (Mio Bello Bello Amore), the lyrics described exactly how I felt about Mauro when I first fell for him, so this dance was to thank him for giving me the strength and the will to love again. So it's not just for him, it's also for whoever I'll love and will love me back someday (if there is someone out there who'll love me in return). Apparently, he's still in Seville and was hired at La Carboneria (that was on his MySpace), but I know nothing else about his life. It was about a year ago that I met him (I remember it was around the time that Jason and Steph's daughter was born, and she's now a year old today). Well, even if he never loved me back, whether or not we'll see each other again, and whether or not he'll ever want to see me again, I'm still thankful he came into my life when he did - someone like him was just what I needed to convince me that I can love strongly again, and to inspire me to think more of what I want and don't want in a man and of things I want to do in life.

My latest dance obsession - the Argentine tango. Someday I want to go to Buenos Aires to learn/study it. Like I did for flamenco in Seville (now that I have a passion for flamenco, I definitely want to continue that when I go to Montreal). Also, apparently Montreal has a good tango scene so I might start there...

Aaaahhhh... can't wait till next week - Travis Wall is gonna be here!!!!!!!!

Youtube clips of the day:

Travis Wall performs a solo on So You Think You Can Dance:



Travis and Heidi (the SYTYCD contestant, not the one organizing BB!) and their bench dance (this one made me cry when I first saw it - it's the story of my love life):



Mio Bello Bello Amore from Cirque Du Soleil



My latest inspiration. I have long legs - they would look hot in a dance style like the tango:

NO8DO - A year ago tonight...

...was when I first set foot in that magical city called Sevilla. I've been so nostalgic lately... I miss Sevilla every day, and long to be there again. My time away was full of magic and awakenings, and it changed me. I did have a few bouts of bad luck but I'm still glad I went. I learned and gained from every trip I've had, but Sevilla was definitely one of the best.

I'm performing my choreography next week at the Mack in Dance Umbrella's student choreography showcase. It's a ballet/contemporary piece done to "Mio Bello Bello Amore" from the Cirque Du Soleil Zumanity soundtrack. I don't know if I'll perform it in the big recital at the end of this month though. We'll see...

I'm home sick today with laryngitis. I couldn't go to work because I can barely talk. Hopefully this won't last too long...

Apparently, the auditions for That Dance Show are coming soon (though Heidi didn't give details yet). I figure if I get cast, I'll stick around for the summer till the show ends, then go to Montreal. If I don't get cast, I'll probably stay for Nancy's wedding in July, then leave. And in Montreal, I'm seriously thinking of taking a CELTA certification course (CELTA is one of the highest certifications for TESL - teaching english as a second language) and then teaching English for a while. Getting certified as an ESL teacher means I can go abroad to teach, but I don't think I'll do that yet (besides, unless the EU loosens their anal-retentive limits on allowing non-EU citizens to work there, there's no way I'd be able to teach in Spain or anywhere else in the Schengen zone without having to sort through a huge can of worms - way more trouble than it's worth). But I don't want to be a school teacher - I DO NOT have the patience to handle a class full of rowdy kids or bratty teenyboppers. Teaching isn't my dream job, but it will do at least for a while. The ideal teaching arrangement that I'm hoping for would be at a language school like the one I went to in Seville - small school with small classes (my class had less than 10 students), adult students who are paying for the course and want their money's worth (which means they're taking it seriously and not using it as an excuse for a vacation), and students who already have some knowledge of the language (in my class, we could all hold a decent conversation in Spanish) and are mostly looking to refine their skills.

Youtube clip of the day:

Watching this vid made me so nostalgic that I started getting teary. All those images of Sevilla, and I remember on the night the feria opened, there was a group of young guys singing this song in the fairgrounds and I danced to it. Oh the memories...




More nostalgia - the song in this vid is the one we warmed up to in Carmen's flamenco class. I also remember a gitano with long curly hair and brown skin playing it on the piano at La Carboneria late one night (and I remember him kissing my hand once when I was standing by the piano)...




This one is just too beautiful to leave out...

Foul weather, dance improvements, parades, and La Macarena

Heh, long time no blog... Anyway, winter was foul this year and the groundhog was wrong when he predicted an early spring. The weather is still nasty and I'm getting really sick of it. Last month, we had that ice storm that blacked out the Island for a long time - in town the power was out only a few hours, but out in the country, some people never got electricity back for a week. Yikes... at least the days are getting longer with Daylight Savings Time, but I'm hoping the weather will improve soon.

Broadway Bound was fun, and there's another one coming in May that I want to get involved with too. Plus, I also auditioned for Anne and Gilbert, and Heidi (choreographer for A&G, and BB) wants me to audition for That Dance Show so I'll go for that too. I also did a student choreography for Dance Umbrella and auditioned for that too (3 pieces are getting picked for the end-of-year show). I wasn't sure about it at first because I figured I'd get told that I have bad technique and/or expressiveness, but in the end, the teachers liked my piece. Right before the audition, I was thinking stuff like "Whatever you feel, just dance it" (that's from Center Stage) and "Dance it like you mean it! Think - Felipe!" to get myself to dance more expressively (some of my teachers thought I wasn't expressive enough), and it worked! I'll know soon if it got picked. Actually, lots of people liked it, and I'm glad I auditioned - it let me know I improved a lot over the past few years.

So Holy Week is this week, but it's so boring here compared to Seville. I remember the daily parades with all the nazarenos in pointed hoods, guys carrying huge floats with religious statues (apparently, these floats weigh over a ton) all over town, the marching bands playing music, etc. I really miss it... When I woke up the morning after I arrived in Seville, I could hear the drums pounding outside the hostel and I figured it must be a Holy Week parade (I had read about them on the internet before going).

Youtube clips of the day:

Rocio Jurado sings sevillanas about 4 of the most important Holy Week processions in Seville - La Esperanza Triana (the hope of Triana - the first Mary statue), Jesus del Gran Poder (Jesus carrying the cross), La Macarena (do I even need to explain this one?), and El Cachorro (Jesus dying on the cross, and yes I know that "cachorro" means puppy/kitten, but there is a story behind the nickname!):




I found this one just now. Wow... The parades are so beautiful, and the end part of the vid really touched my heart. Those little kids in costume are soooo cute! And I remember the rain at last year's Holy Week - Antonio told me that his brotherhood couldn't even do their parade because it was pouring on the day they were supposed to go. And I remember seeing several nazarenos walking barefoot (on cobblestone streets - ouch! And Neal, cool it with the kkk jokes, alright? There is a huge difference between a nazareno and a klansman) and the wax on the streets marking the paths where the parades had passed:




La Macarena leaving the basilica during her procession. Notice all the people - Sevillanos think of her as the queen of Seville, and everyone wants to see her. That basilica is where I went for Sunday Mass for 2 months, so I got to see her in the church every week:




Pictures of La Macarena. Isn't she beautiful? Looking at pics and vids really doesn't compare to seeing her in person. I know some people will think "it's just a statue!", but looking at her directly made me feel as though I were looking at the Blessed Mother herself, and that she was trying to speak to me:



Yes, my love for the Blessed Mother has been much stronger since my stint in Seville last year (I can't believe it's been almost a year since I first set foot there...), and though I don't consider myself to have a true devotion yet (to me, it takes a lot more than just a strong love for a saint to have a real devotion), it's getting there!

Happy New Year? I'll just have to wait and see...

Well, 2007 is over and the new year is starting. I don't really know how to describe the past year - I've had some of the best times in my life, but also one of the worst. And aside from 3 standout months while I was travelling, the rest of the year was just average. That's why I've decided to definitely move off the Island this year - if I stayed, I'd only get to enjoy life during the few times I get to escape, and the rest of my life would be boring. At least in Montreal, I can start with a clean slate. Many of my friends have moved on and started a new phase in their lives, and it's time for me to do the same. It seems like some of us are drifting away from each other and meeting new friends, and some of us have just changed so much over the years that it would be good to make changes like that. Of course I do have friends whose friendship I value, but those aren't the only friends I'll have in my life. I met lots of new friends while in Seville, and I'll continue to make new friends after I move to Montreal. You win some, you lose some, I guess...

Nothing lasts forever. People change, times change, things change. And if the changes are so big that you can't adjust, why bother sticking to something you just don't like anymore? I just found out they're engaged, which brought back the old heartache again. I forgot it for a time last spring, when I was in a place far away and crazy over someone else, but that one didn't work out so when I found out that they were back together again, old feelings of depression that I thought were long gone started coming back, and though it wasn't as bad during the fall since I never saw either of them, I knew I couldn't be friends with her again. I don't care if my friends think I'm being reckless for breaking off a friendship with someone who I once considered to be my best friend, I knew that if I wanted to keep my sanity, I had to break ties with those who have hurt me. Keeping that friendship would only hurt me in the long run, so I have to do what I have to do. I'm not running away from my problems, I'm weeding out the things that have given me problems, and preparing to find happiness elsewhere. My friends advised me to find a good church-going Catholic guy, but every time people say that, all it does is make me think "I once loved one. I wasn't worth his heart."

Maybe I'll find love in Montreal, or elsewhere. Or maybe if I do, either I won't be worth his heart to begin with, or someone else will butt in and ruin any chance I might have had. I don't know, it seems like everyone I know is either getting married or having babies. Well, I'm not ready to have children, but years ago I figured I'd be either married or engaged by now. Though I remember what Antonio told me about the Spanish perspective on marriage - in Spain, most people want to be able to buy their own place before getting married, but since housing is expensive in Spain, most people can't afford it till their late 20s at the very least. So most Spaniards don't get married till their 30s, and they also have fewer children. He said that when he was in the US, he thought it was strange that some people he met there (and friends of friends) were getting married in their early-mid 20s. Actually, I remember he and his friends were mostly around 30 or so, and most were still single (both the men and the women). Actually, he said that people in general have the same viewpoint in many parts of Europe. I like that approach - no rush to get hitched and no need to pop out brat after brat for the next 15 years.

In other news, I'm doing Broadway Bound this week (and during the weekend too). I won't be able to go to the UPEI retreat because of that - Neal told me there were spots open for non-students, but in the end I had to decline because BB is something I'd been wanting to do for a long time and I might not have another chance. Anyway, BB is basically an intense dance workshop mostly on musical theatre dance, and at the end, everyone involved is in a showcase. This is apparently the fourth one, and since I wasn't able to do the last 3 (found out too late and couldn't get the time off work, and the third one happened while I was still in Seville), I jumped at the chance this time. I handed in a form for vacation time at work weeks ago as soon as I found out when it was going to be, and I got it! Yay!

In dance classes last month, I've been improving on some things. A year ago, I couldn't do multiple turns (I could land a clean single pirouette and double jazz turns but not much else) but last month, I was doing multiple fouettes! I've been doing well with singing too - I sang at my music studio's Christmas recital last month and got lots of compliments. In Montreal, I'll continue with song and dance, and I also want to get into more acting and learn to play the flute.

I was browsing around on YouTube a while ago, and found some clips filmed by tourists at La Carboneria during the time I was in Seville, I checked them out, and thought maybe I'd spot myself walking in the background or sitting in the audience. But I found two of me dancing! I remember that night - it was about a week after the robbery and I was finally starting to enjoy life again. After the show was over, I was dancing with some locals - in both clips, I'm the girl in the black pants and black/white top, with a silver flower in my hair:

Clapping out the compas and getting into rumbas -



Bailando por Sevillanas (dancing Sevillanas) -




Another flamenco gem I found - the bailaor (male flamenco dancer) in the white outfit is none other than Felipe the firecracker himself!