Dance. It's good for you.

*This is a long blog post.  I got carried away.

For those of you who like to get down, I hope this post moves you to turn up your music and let loose. I have this saying "It's not really a party if your're not dancing." That basically sums up how I feel about my favorie past time.  Growing up in the 80s and 90s, music videos were a huge part of my musical experience. Have fun discovering and re-discovering the videos I've linked below. These videos have shaped how and why I can't hear a good beat without wanting to move my body.

• MICHAEL JACKSON- For me, dancing bascially begins and ends with Michael Jackson. Being born in 1980 and having two older sisters lined things up to have MJ be a big influence on me. The album, Thriller, affected music, dance, and culture. This is not an overstatement. The way MJ used dance in his videos to tell stories really captured my attention as a little kid. The images from his videos are still clear in my mind over 20 years later.  
 
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• Thriller- This video literally made my jaw drop. Never before had I seen anything like this. The elaborate costume and iconic choreography changed music and music video. It's a 13 minute clip, so feel free to fast-forward.  
• Beat It- This another great example of storytelling through dance. It draws from West Side Story, martial arts movies, and the competitive nature of breakdancing. Note how there is no dancing until halfway through the video, when MJ sort of walk-dances through some scenes. When the dancing actually starts, it explodes onto the screen.  
• Billie Jean- I've chosen the Motown 25th Anniversary performance as the video here. The orginal Billie Jean video is great, but what MJ did for this performance blew my mind and still inspires me today. MOONWALK! I wonder how he must have felt on stage just before the music started, knowing that he was about to tear the roof of the place.
• Hip-Hop videos that left a lasting impression on me from age 9 to age 13.
• Every Little Step by Bobby Brown- I remember catching this video on MTV when I was in 4th grade and saying to myself "I can do that". I got up and was able to copy the dance moves with ease. Then I thought, this is really fun. Note how Bobby Brown moves in and out of the choreography and his individual moves so seamlessly, its awesome.  
• U Can't Touch This by MC Hammer- Yes, this song became played out and uncool, but you can't deny the talent and unique style the Hammer brought to dance. Man, the contrast between spandex and parachute pants in the video is stunning.  
• Ice Ice Baby by Vanilla Ice- A lot of people remember the orginal video, but the choreography can't be fully appreciated between the scenes of Vanilla crusin in his 5.0 and the girl slow spray-painting "ICE" on the screen. Instead, I chose a live performance clip. Say what you want, but that dude could dance his ass off! Check out how he takes it to the next level at 3:45 on the clip.  My buddies and I memorized the entire dance and used to perform it at Catholic school dances. Awesome, I know.  
• Dancers and dance pieces I came didn't fully appreciate until later on
• Turbo's Broom Dance from Breakin- This dance so 80s and still great.  
• Singing in the Rain by Gene Kelly- Watch this. It is amazing. Gene Kelly was bad ass.  

• Time of My Life from Dirty Dancing- You love it. Some people like the part of this piece when Baby and Johnny are on stage, my favorite part is when Swayze (Johnny) leaps from the stage. The groove this guy has as he moves towards his crew of dirty dancers is fantastic. Then, when they move up the aisle as one? Classic stuff.  
• Jailhouse Rock by Elvis Presley- This dude could move! Check it out.
• I Feel Good by James Brown- This is pure unchoreographed groovin. What a great video!!One of a kind.
• Recent dancers and dance pieces that have influenced me
• Usher- I could do without the overtop female dancers, but this performance rocks. Check when he lets loose at 3:44.
• Justin Timberlake- The style and attitude of this dance piece is great. The music, clothes, and movement are all in the same vibe. It's pretty much a perfect live performance.  
• Beyonce- This video says "I am talented. Watch what I can pull of in one continuous camera shot." Genius. An instant classic.  
• Chris Brown- Ok, this guy has issues. Still, he is an undeniably talented dancer. This video put all that talent on display. Try not to be impressed by how he efortlessly moves through various styles.
• SYTYCD- This show has produced so many great pieces. Here are a few that were just awesome.
• Lauren and Twitch
• Chelsea and Mark
• The LXD

So that's a run down of some dance clips that I really appreciate.  Feel free to send me some clips of one's you enjoy. 

Recap: The Most Special Meal Part II- Joy Tsin Lau

I just came back from the second MSM with my brother.  He picked me up around 11:30 a.m. and we headed straight for Chinatown.  After a few laps around the block looking for parking, we found settled on the lot on Cherry Street that is right by Cherry Street Vegetarian Restaurant.  As we walked the half-block to Joy Tsin Lau, my anticipation was growing with each step.  It was on.



The front of the restaurant



The running-check: pre-feast

The first of many carts that we attacked

We were seated immediately at a table not too far from the kitchen.  It's a good spot to get the food as it comes out nice and hot.  For those of you who have yet to experience the spectacle that is dim sum, think Fogo de Chao with Chinese food on carts.  There are no green/red hand-held signs like Fogo, instead, servers constantly wheel the carts around and you select from the wide range of choices as they pass by.  Today, I saw a cart that featured a small griddle-thing on it.  Upon our selection of fried wonton with pork, the server threw the food on there and moved away taking other orders.  Two minutes later, she returned with our food piping hot.  It was awesome. 


 We started with traditional wonton soup and jasmine tea, then proceeded to go nuts selecting random things from there.  From what I remember, here are some of the foods we ate: shrimp on crab claw, pork buns, pork balls, shrimp in wonton, octopus (yes, octopus), chicken feat (yes, again), scallop and oysters with cheese.  That's all I can remember and the meal was only a few hours ago, sorry.  To put it simply, we ate a ridiculous amount of food for two people.

Octopus... yum

Chicken feet, one of my brother's favorites



After round one...

We ended up having 15 seperate servings of food!  It was glorious.  If you like Chinese food, you should definitely try dim sum.  It is especially fun in large groups.  Think tapas. 

The servers stamp your check as you dine

Joy Tsin Lau is a great traditional Chinese restaurant.  If you're looking for service where they chit-chat and explain every little intricacy of the menu to you, you won't find it here.  What you will find is great food served to you quickly and proudly.  That was fine with me for this meal.  I highly recommend Joy Tsin Lau to anyone looking for very good Chinese food.  It is a Chinatown legend and will remain to be for years and years to come.







My brother @ the counter
There was a long wait by 12:30

The Most Special Meal Part II was a success.  My brother and I feasted like champions.  Joy Tsin Lau is a place we came to with our parents throughout our childhood.  It was cool to come back as part of our annual meal.  The food is consistantly delicious and the decor is as classic-Chinatown as you can get.  I look forward to MSM Part III in 2012.  Who know where we'll be, but I know we'll have a blast and make another great memory.  If you have someone close to you and you both share a love for food, I encourage you to consider coming up with your own MSM tradition.  It's a really good time!

My brother and I outside Joy Tsin Lau

The Most Special Meal

So, last year, my brother and I were having lunch at Samurai in Bryn Mawr.  We were having some exceptional sushi.  I'm pretty sure we had each ordered some sort of sushi/sashimi platter, which came out to be more than 20 pieces per person.  We don't mess around.  Anyway, as we blissfully devoured our meal, we started looking over the menu left at our table.  What eventually came to our attention was this item on the menu:

The Ultimate Sushi Chefs' Boat (For Two)

This is NOT just any Sushi Boat. This is The Ultimate Sushi Chefs' Boat! Our Sushi Chefs Will Prepared The Most Exquisite and The Most Exotic Sushi and Sashimi Available Today For  Two of You To Enjoy. Served on Our Beautiful Sushi Boat. 135.00
(I love the grammatical errors.)

This simultaneously brought us to the same important question: If our delicious meal cost us each under $25 and had sent us into sushi/sashimi-induced ecstasy, what sort of heavenly dining experience could be had if we were to order "The Ultimate Sushi Chef's Boat (For Two)?!?

With our meal well underway, we knew we could not order "The Ultimate Sushi Chef's Boat (For Two)"; although, we did briefly consider it.  Nevertheless, this intriguing menu choice led us to the an idea... The Most Special Meal.  

Here's our basic line of thinking.  Every restaurant/chef must have a meal which they consider to be the most special on the menu.  It could be special for its ingredients, preparation, portion, rarity, or whatever; but the chef recognizes it as standing apart from the rest of the dining options.  So, we figured it would be a great tradition to visit great restaurants and simply order the "Most Special Meal" (MSM).  It would be a sort of restaurant bucket list / man v food / bizarre foods combination.  

Here are the guidelines we established that day.

1. The meal would take place between my Bday (7/4) and his Bday (8/5).  That gave us about a month every summer to find the right time.

2. We would compile a list of 50+ renowned restaurants, cut them into little slips of paper, and place them in the Most Special Bag (MSB). 

3. In addition to the list of 50+, we threw in some cities too- NY, Chicago, Boston, Baltimore, and D.C.  

4. Each year, my brother's daughter/my niece would pull the paper from the MSB for us and we would have to go to that restaurant.  Simple.  If she pulled a city, we would research that city's restaurants and travel there.  If she pulled a restaurant that had since closed for business, she would just pick another.  Every few years we would add some new restaurants to the MSB.  BTW, the bag is pink.  I'll get a pic of it up as soon as I can.  

Here are the guidelines for the actual meal.

1. We will accept the menu from our server and evaluate the choices, just to see what the lay of the land is.

2. When ordering, we would simply ask the server what the two most special meals are.  After hearing his/her suggestion, my brother and I would decide which of us would get what meal.  No debate and no going back.  We would eat whatever that restaurant considered their MSM.  

So how did our first MSM (2010) go?  It was great.  Funny thing is I don't remember what I ordered last year.  I know my brother had a whole fish that was spectacular, but I have to ask him what I ate.  We went to Tequila's in Philly.  Of course, we had to order some Tequila as well.  We went with a suggestion from our fantastic server.  He brought out each of our drinks by balancing the filled glass on his head while walking.  Yep.  It was bad ass!  The Tequila itself was seriously strong.  It kicked my butt so hard, I could only take a few sips.  Our server jokingly teased us and pointed to a early 

20-something year old female server who he claimed downs this stuff with ease.  She laughed at us too.  It was all in good fun.  So the first MSM was memorable and this year's should be as well.

Tequila's waiting area

Tequila's Bar/Dining area

Tequila's dining room

Our meals & mojitos



The glasses of tequila that defeated us


In a week we'll be heading to Chinatown, to a place we've been visiting for years with our parents.  We are going to Joy Tsin Lau.  It is a legendary restaurant in Chinatown.  They don't even have a website.  How's that for established?  They've been there as far back as I can remember and they simply work off of word of mouth.  We are going for some dim sum, which is Chinese a la carte brunch, for those of you who don't know.  Servers zig-zag all over dining room and you decide what you would like to eat.  Think of Fogo de Chao, but with all types of options.  The scene is usually loud and exciting and very entertaining.  I'm looking forward to it.  

 



My niece holding the Most Special Bag

A review of MSM part 2 is forthcoming.  

Fathers' Day

*Prepare for some mushiness in this blog entry.  
A few weeks back, I came up with the idea taking my dad on a canoe trip for Fathers' Day.  I gave him a call and he was totally on board.  I was excited too.  Why?



Was it because he used to take me canoeing as a boy and teach me all about being a good man?  Was it because we'd have lunch on the boat and he'd occasionally slip me a sip of his ice-cold Budweiser as our dog obediently watched?

Was it because he's always been an outdoorsmen who loves to get away from it all and find serenity in nature.  Is it because he believes that all life's answers can be found in nature, if you know where to look?


No.  Not even close.  My dad grew up working his butt off in Saigon and was in the army by the time he was 18.  He is a city-boy.  He got a whole lot of outdoor time during the war.  Nature is interesting to him, but not a place he goes for guidance.  My dad is a great dad, but he is quietly great.  He has made so much from so little and I have never once heard him boast.  To appreciate how cool he is, you need to watch the kind way he treats others and hear the great stories and lessons he thoughtfully shares.

In truth, there are really two reasons why I decided to take my dad canoeing this past Father's Day.  First, my dad is an incredibly generous man who rarely spends money on himself.  Beyond fiddling around on his guitar once in a while, he doesn't have any particular hobbies that take up his time or money.  I once bought him a book about a dad's dedication to his son.  I haven't heard about it or even seen it in his house since that day.

The book I bought him.

He is truly a "put others first" type of man and, therefore, a really difficult person to buy gifts for.  Seriously, he just takes hangs out with my mom, makes sure his grown kids are doing okay, works hard at his job, and takes care of his house, car, etc.  His greatest passion these days is spending time and playing with his little granddaughter.  It will be some time before I can get him one of those, so I was challenged with finding a meaningful gift.  I eventually came up with the idea of creating unique memories for him each Father's Day from now on.  I will find an activity or experience he has never had and would never pursue alone and share it with him each year.  This year?  Canoeing.


The other reason I chose canoeing is because I knew it would give us an opportunity to talk.  Actually, I was more interested in having a chance to listen to my dad talk.  With me, he has always wanted to explain life lessons he has acquired through tough times and challenges.  These talks were not always welcomed when I was a teenager or in my early 20s.  I didn't think I needed them and I wasn't sure my dad knew what he was talking about.  Now that I am older, I realize how much of that stuff I soaked up and how I much of my professional and personal philosophies come from things he said to me back then.

Even more important is how I now realize that it's not all about what I can get from these talks.  I now realize that, like me, my father wants and needs to express himself.  Listening is something I can do for him and it satisfies him more than any gift card or polo shirt I can buy.  So how could I make him happy on Father's Day?  Letting him be my father and giving him the opportunity to talk seemed to be be the best choice for a gift.  Canoeing seemed to provide a good space for this.

So I picked him up early Sunday morning around 9:30 and we headed out to Chester County for your 11 o'clock reservation for 1 canoe.  As I expected, we talked the entire way.  I can't recall every part of the talk, but he did give me some of his thoughts on work, finances, relationships, and family.  Looking back, its nice to know that what is constantly on my mind is also what my dad often thinks about as well.  I guess this is what I appreciate most about my relationship with him at this point.  He is still the impressive man that I have always looked up to, but he has become evermore human to me with time.  And as I learn more about him as a person, I'm regularly pleased to find out how similarly we see the world.  There are definitely numerous issues we still disagree about, but realizing that he still accepts me unconditionally in spite of our differences is the most important lesson I'm learning these days.  Its not about always agreeing.  Allowing those we care about to express themselves, learning about them, respectfully disagreeing, genuinely appreciating, but overall accepting them unconditionally is key.  It's often a challenge, but it's how you show you care.

Oh yeah, canoeing was a great time.  We both had fun.  I'm looking forward to another new experience next year.

The Summer Job

"What should I do this summer?"  This is a question that many teachers I know asked themselves each year.  Some are able to take time off and really go on vacation.  I and many of colleagues are not yet in this camp.  So what will I be doing with myself this summer?  I'm going to be working as a tour guide for Philadelphia Trolley Works.  I would include their link, but their website is pretty boring and doesn't really show the great job the company does in showing Philadelphia to visitors.  Here's a little better link. Yes, this is the company that oversees the "Ride the Ducks" tours.  But that is not going to be my gig.  No, no, I'm rolling real classy in the double-decker busses or sometimes the classic-looking trollies.  

If this is not a staged pic, these folks have never been out after sundown.  They are awe-struck by a night sky over a field adjacent to the Liberty Bell.  Great job looking amazed by the guy in yellow.  

I emailed the company months ago out of the blue and they invited me in for an interview.  I was offered the job on the spot and here we are.  Some details about the job that I found interesting:

- I have to purchase my own microphone with a 20 foot cord.  

- I can wear a hat, as long as it's a Philly sports team and it's all black.

- I need to be ready to duck while I give the tour, because tree branches can sometimes hang low.  Oww.

- The tour lasts 90 minutes.  That means I will be guiding the crap out of the tour.

- A thoroughly researched guide's guide is issued to all us guides.  It has so much info on Philly, you'd be amazed.  There are 21 stops on the tour!!!

- I could ride as many tours as wanted in order to research and prepare my own tour.  I've gone twice and was impressed. 

- I have to take a test to begin work.  The test is to give an actual tour with my supervisor taking notes for historical accuracy.  That will be fun.

So I'm scheduled to take my test in about 2 weeks.  I've been preparing, but there's still of work that needs to be done.  It should be an interesting job.  A nice thing is that I pretty much get to make my own schedule.  As someone who spends significant time in Philly, it really is the best way to see all the sights efficiently and conveniently.  I mean that and will be using it to draw pedestrian tourists to take my tour.  Tips are always appreciated.  They are split 50/50 with the bus driver.

Come see me on the tour and encourage the strangers around you that I am the most impressive tour guide you've seen in your world travels.  I'll break you off a piece of my 50% of the tips.  

I expect there to be some crazy blog posts to come from this job.  Stay tuned.

The Story of a Flashmob Dance

The AP Psychology national exams took place in early May.  In the weeks between the exam and the end of school, I'm able to do some more creative and fun activities with my students.  This year we some great psychology-related movies, but added something new to the routine way my courses have concluded.  We set out to execute a flashmob dance in the school.

At this point, I must give proper credit to the inspiration for this idea.  Since I met her, my GF has expressed a strong desire to take part in a flashmob.  I don't remember exactly why, but a few months ago I realized it would be a really cool thing to plan with students.  I told GF about the idea and once she overcame her disappointment of realizing she wouldn't be able to participate in mine, she was very supportive :)  A fortunate thing happened next.  On a random Friday after school around that time, I was goofing off with some colleagues, just blowing off some steam.  My principal stopped in and joined in with our winding down from the week.  Then, I'm not sure why, but he chose to share with us the wonderful YouTube sensation known as "The Honey Badger".  Correction, I know exactly why he chose to share it with us.  Simply put, the Honey Badger pretty badass.  We then got in to one of those YouTube show and tell sessions that sometimes happen.  Before he left, he shared a story about the party he attended the previous weekend and how an actual white tiger cub was there and how party goers played with it on a bed like it was a domestic pet.  WTF?  100% true, I promise.  The main thing I took from this online video sharing circle was that my principal is as cool as I suspected and he would probably be open to my classes throwing down a flashmob.  I spoke with him the following Monday.  Boom!

We had about two weeks to really prepare, which was good, but there was little time to waste.  A group of about three or four students and myself met about four times to choreograph.  We had to find a way to incorporate the 50 to 60 students who expressed interest in dancing too.  We agreed that the mob should slowly build and suddenly grow to the full group to give a element of surprise to those who witnessed it.  The initial song I suggested didn't inspire the students and we quickly settled on Angel by Akon instead.  I simply provided the location and general attitude I wanted from the dance and the students planned the rest.  It was really impressive how fast and how creative they were.  Within short time, we were prepared to show the three separate classes that wanted to participate.  After only 2 practice sessions for each class, the mob was ready to go.  We were nervous and excited to see how the three classes would blend during the dance, because we never practiced as one group.

The dance was planned to affect as many students as possible, but could not interfere with the actual schedule of the school.  We chose to dance in the main lobby of our school about ten minutes before homeroom began.  To gather witnesses, I had a popular colleague of mine announce "If you want to be in a good mood come to the lobby now.  Repeat, if you want to be in a good mood come to the lobby."  We had not planned for the number of students and staff who showed up.  It was crowded!

As we started, the music was difficult to hear over the large crowd, but the students caught up quickly.  Some people present were unable to clearly see the entire dance.  Nevertheless, my students went for it and we had blast!  The actual track of the song has been laid over the original sound, because the crowd noise drowned out the music.

Man, it was a good time and I'll remember it for a long time.  My students really enjoyed themselves and we received some nice comments from many people.

Happy to Be Here

This the final week of the 2010-2011 school year in my district.  It should be a good one, with 2 half-days and 2 full days to close up shop in my classroom.  It has been a very rewarding year, as they always are.  I have never ended a year without a feeling of accomplishment and appreciation for the opportunities my profession affords me.  I am not talking about the summers off.  They are nice, but I always work a summer job, which is a fun change.  I am talking about the countless opportunities to positively affect people everyday I go to work.  This is the best part of the job.  

This past Tuesday, we had commencement ceremonies at my school and it was a beautiful event.  I was assigned to field supervision and sat among the graduating students throughout the ceremony.  Even though I was in a suit, the weather was bearable and all of us on the field were grateful for that.  The students gave thoughtful speeches and I was proud to have personally taught all of them as students over the years.  The Valedictorian of the class spoke of his journey from India as a young boy to the place where is now.  I respected his choice to acknowledge his cultural history which, although unique among the audience, could be related to by all.  The Salutatorian reflected on his years and touchingly gave respect to a deceased classmate; his best-friend.  The Class President made comparisons to a track meet and provided a quote I wasn't familiar with, but was struck by.  She said "If you want to go fast, go alone.  If you want to go far, go together."  I think that will stay with me for some time.  

As I sat there among students with so much promise before them, among colleagues whom I greatly respect, and among families full of pride for their children; I felt so privileged to be in the profession that I am.  There are many students with whom I feel such a strong bond and care about deeply.  There are many colleagues who have made me a better teacher and person.  There are families with whom I have established relationships and who appreciate my role in their child's progress through school.  What a cool job I have?  I think about how much enjoyment I have everyday and how much of my work day involves joy and laughter and I feel very grateful.  

It has not always been smooth and there have been countless days of stress, frustration, and exhaustion.  But those days have largely become moments that come and go much less frequently than when I first began teaching nine years ago.  Nine years.  Wow.  It does go by fast.  My days now are full of great experiences.  The relationships I have with students, some over years and others over months, are dynamic and rewarding.  I have felt so flattered as I signed dozens of yearbooks these past few weeks.  I was speaking with a close colleague/friend, BA, and mentioned that I began teaching, because I wanted my life to have meaning.  I wanted to mean something to other people.  That may be seem like a selfish reason, but I think we all want meaning in our lives.  I happened to find mine in serving others.  As I wrap up this 9th year as an educator, what I find most rewarding and worthwhile is that I am confident that I have meant something to my students.  A life with meaning.  Some might say that sounds so typical of a dramatic and idealistic teacher, but I say so what.  This is where I find much of my inspiration and fulfillment.  If that seems odd to some, so be it.  Only the student and the teacher fully understand the special bond that grows over a year of effort, discovery, and laughter.  There is no other job that I can imagine which relies so heavily on caring.  Caring.  Yes, I know that sounds even more dramatic, but this is the one thing I do know for sure about surviving as a teacher.  Caring about the students is what helps one to persevere through the really tough times.  

So as I think about all the incredible opportunities the graduates will have at their new schools such as Stanford, Cornell, Penn, Georgia Tech, U of South Carolina, Rice, Tulane, Cal Berkley, Villanova, Penn State, I am full of pride.  It's a special feeling of pride that I guess isn't far from the pride a parent feels for their child.  But with all the different directions our students will now move towards and away from our school, I am made aware of exactly where I am.  My life has meaning and summer vacation is a few days away.  I am happy to be here.  

Future Posts: A Story of a Flashmob Dance, Father's Day, The Summer Job, and A Mid-West Wedding.