What Dance is This?

"Ed Sheeran - Thinking Out Loud [Official Video]" is a YouTube sensation with over 1 billion views and counting. You can watch it by clicking here.

According to Wikipedia: "The video was released on 8 October 2014. After first 24 hours, the video had over 2.7 million views on video-sharing website, YouTube. As of January 2017, it has over 1.46 billion views, making it the 20th most viewed video on the site.The music video received four nominations at the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards including Video of the Year and Best Male Video."

In this video, Ed Sheeran teamed up with Brittany Cherry in a captivating dance routine with his song, "Thinking Out Loud", playing in the background. Kudos to Sheeran for passing off as a professional dancer with the stamina, poise and seemingly effortless agility, and to Cherry for her sleek masterclass dance moves.

Their synergy has produced something that neither of them could not have achieved on their own. Sheeran is great as a singer and his other videos such as "The A-Team", "Photograph" and "Lego House" are popular on YouTube, but a far cry from "Thinking Out Loud".

As for Cherry, she is an accomplished professional dancer and was a contestant on season 10 of So You Think You Can Dance. Her performance in this video with Sheeran is a standout from her various dance clips on YouTube.

Apart from Sheeran and Cherry (and their 5 hours a day for 3 weeks of practice), there are many other factors which contributed to the huge success of this video such as: the lyrics of the song; the soulful music with influences of rhythm and blues; the location at the Crystal Ballroom of the Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles; and the directors, Murray Cummings & Jason Koenig.

I think the winning edge of this video is the choreography by Emmy-winners Tabitha & Napoleon D'umo (aka "Nappytabs") and the training help from Paul Karmiryan. Their inputs had made this dance routine so sublime as to resonate with the romantic ballad -- making the dance and music intertwined as one.

The dance made sense to me as it flows seamlessly with the music-and-song. There was nary a dichotomy between the two. I think what has happened here is that we can, like what George Balanchine had said, “See the music, hear the dance.” 

Balanchine's further illuminations include: 

“Dancers are instruments, like a piano the choreographer plays.” 

“The choreographer and the dancer must remember that they reach the audience through the eye. It's the illusion created which convinces the audience, much as it is with the work of a magician.” 

My conclusion is that we are actually enjoying this video in 4-dimensions with music-and-song that we can both hear and see, and dance that we can both see and hear, and we (millions of us I would think) are thus engaged from the start to the end. The dance has mirrored the music-and-song, and vice versa.

So, what dance is this? Some say its Rumba ballroom dancing. I think its Rumba with the influences of a refined "L'Apache" -- a stylish Parisian street dance. 

Please click here to watch a raw French Apache dance with moves such as the acrobatic flip over-the-shoulder adapted in Thinking Out Loud. 

Afterthought

Many a dance routine has left me befuddled with why I didn't get it. I feel better now as I can 'blame' it on the sub-par choreography. 

Watching "Ed Sheeran - Thinking Out Loud [Official Video]" has been an education for me on a dance that works.

The Rooster is Great Again

According to the Chinese Almanac this is the year of the rooster which takes place once every 12 years. 

Clearly, the rooster will rule the roost with prominence during the 15-day lunar new year celebrations from the garden (among the plants) to the kitchen (think Swanson's chicken broth).

This time round though, notwithstanding its distinctive comb, the rooster is facing some competition from a certain a distinguished North American personality who may albeit not have a penchant for yu sheng (raw fish) which is popular for the festive season.

Click here to learn how to administer your own new year toss involving yu sheng like an expert with family and friends!

Gong Xi Fa Cai! Nian Nian You Yu!

Ulu Pandan Park Connector

On 21 January 2016, I explored the Ulu Pandan Park Connector after a hearty breakfast at a coffeeshop next to Clementi bus interchange. 

Fuel for the walk -- mixed porridge and kopi O (black coffee).

Ulu Pandan Park Connector spans from Commonwealth Ave West along the Sungei Ulu Pandan Canal to Ayer-Rajah Expressway, passing by Ghim Moh estates, Holland Groves estates, Mount Sinai estates, Clementi estates and Sunset estates. 

Click here to read more about it from the National Parks Board.

From the bus interchange, I strolled along Clementi Avenue 4 under the shade of trees such as the one below before reaching the Ulu Pandan Park Connector.

The sun was out and the people out there on the community deck were like chameleons basking in its warmth and golden rays.

An eclectic lot of people doing their own thing in the sun.

At this location, if you were to turn left you would be heading towards Ayer -Rajah Expressway. I took the right turn and walked towards Commonwealth Avenue West.

Yup, it's a la walking on sunshine here.

A field of workers giving the grass a much needed trim.

Upon reaching Clementi Road, I turned right and crossed the road using the overhead bridge. Alternatively, you could turn left and cross the road at the traffic light junction.

A haven for exercise buffs and users of
personal mobility device.

A stretch of condominium.

A cyclist warming up before his ride.

A fine specimen of Bird's Nest Fern.

Striding on at one's own pace and mode of transport.

Rest stop and rain shelter.

A gentle reminder to dog walkers.

A group of runners starting-off.

A volunteer of a corporate event  had kindly obliged with a shot of this placard.

Bungalows are a plenty on this stretch of the canal.

A close cousin of the lalang?

A White Egret contemplating its next move.

Drainage water dashing into the canal.

Bananas for the taking if you are hungry enough!

There are several fish here. Ain't seen no "No Fishing" sign.

A segment of the canal bank is painted green with moss. 

This stretch of water is teeming with fish.

Commonwealth Ave West is within sight as the trail ends.
Upon crossing it, you will reach Buona Vista MRT station.

Looking back, the distance from Clementi Road is 2.1 km.

It was a great walk and I even took a detour into the Mount Sinai estates and Holland Groves estates.

To cap it all, this senior fitness buff (introduced himself as Mr Quek upon my prodding) had just dismounted from his Unicycle and was raring to have another go at it. 

He was kind enough to let me film him on his return trip (if I was willing to wait). 

Mr Quek launching-off on his one-wheeler.

As with life, you gotta keep the balance as you move forward.

By the by, Mr Quek made his return trip and I was rewarded with the following video clip. He made my day. Hope you will enjoy it, too! 

Enjoy this clip of Mr Quek in his element.

If you are interested to learn more about parks in Singapore from someone who has visited most of them, then please click here for George's Photos of Singapore Parks and Park Connectors Blog.

Twelve Cupcakes Revisited

Further to my post of 25 December 2016 on Twelve Cupcakes, the following is a further sampler of their famed cupcakes for you to drool over.

Btw, as reported by TODAY on 24 January 2017, Twelve Cupcakes has now been sold to Dhunseri Group, one of India's largest tea producers, for SGD 2.5 million. 

Also, on a sombre note, the sale was completed soon after the founders' divorce was made public on 31 December 2016.

Thank you, Jaime Teo and Daniel Ong, for bringing us Twelve Cupcakes. We wish you well on your next chapter.

TAPPED Birch Water

When you tap a rubber tree, you get latex for making stuffs like tyres and rubber bands. With maple trees (sugar maple and black maple, predominantly) you can extract the saps for making its eponymous syrup. 

Well, it's not rocket science, and Tapped, a British startup, has the ingenuity to milk the Finnish birch trees for a natural source of water with a novel paperboard-based packaging designed to look like the trunk of a birch tree -- a distinct departure from the normal plastic or glass bottles.

Photo credit: tappedtrees.com

According to its website, "For centuries, the Finnish birch forests have been tapped for their sap in spring. More commonly known as birch water, it’s said to keep skin youthful, bones strong and a twinkle in your eye."

Also, according to Wikipedia, "Birch sap was a traditional beverage in Russia, Latvia, Estonia, Finland, Lithuania, Belarus, Poland, Ukraine, France, Scotland and elsewhere in Northern Europe as well as parts of Northern China."

The science of birch water is that in winter the tree would store vital minerals and vitamins such as calcium, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, zinc and vitamin C in their roots. When spring dawns, the water is filtered up the trunk to nourish the tree.

At Natural Living Ideas, Sierra Bright outlines the following 7 reasons for drinking birch water:

1. Lower cholesterol

2. Weight loss

3. Supports liver health

4. Clearer, brighter skin

5. Faster wound healing

6. Joint pain relief

7. Reduces cavities

Click here to read her article in full. She will even teach you How To Make Your Own Birch Water!

Tapped is persuasive with regards to the anti-oxidising manganese found in its birch water and I think it will only be a matter of time before it is listed as a source of manganese at The World's Healthiest Foods (whfoods.org), which currently lists the following as excellent sources on manganese: cloves, oats, brown rice, garbanzo beans, spinach, pineapple, collard greens, cinnamon, raspberries, black pepper, beet greens, Swiss chard, strawberries, kale, turnip greens, mustard greens, summer squash, turmeric, sea vegetables, garlic, basil and bok choy.

Afterthought

Prior to birch water and Tapped, the birch tree connects me solely to the poem Birches by Robert Frost.

Stuff'd with Inspiration

A salad bowl which is inspired to inspire. No kidding.

Come closer and read a sample of its label.

Welcome to the Menu Board of Stuff'd!

Let the kebab fire up your appetite!

Whaddayaknow, they even wish you an Amazing Day when saying Bye!
How not to love Stuff'd like this?!

To me the best takeaway is that the staff at Stuff'd are service-oriented, at least in my experience here. Their stance came across to me as: What would you like? More of this and less of that? What else would you like? No problem.

While there is no seating, it is well suited for the tribes of people on the go or eating on the go and I think the reasonable pricing is just compensation.

Everything -- the location, unique selling proposition (kebab, burrito, quesadilla), customer engagement with inspirational words, decor, sleek equipment, menu, fresh food, etc. -- adds up, but I would still maintain that it is the service-oriented staff who would win repeat customers. This is the connection that will be stuff that lasts after the meal. Bon appetit!