Dance: Book companion video #1

World ending predicted by Mayans did not happen. 2012 Xmas is over. Winter break is still ongoing. And we have a few more days to reflect 2012 and start 2013.

Using some of break time, we made a companion video #1 to our book "Beginning Argentine Tango: To the people who are interested in dancing Argentine Tango-This is how to do it". This video refers to a part of Chapter 1, "Argentine Tango has many styles". The biggest division among styles is whether the Tango is Show-oriented or a socially danced style.

Link to the book:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1468083473/ref=s9_psimh_gw_p14_d0_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=09P2SNASPKZB58V9W9EP&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1389517282&pf_rd_i=507846

Link to YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHhotSJshSI&list=HL1356578655&feature=mh_lolz

We are planning to make some more videos. Information is most valuable to people who do not have it. Hope this helps.

Life: a Formula for Mass Shooting

As a part of holiday reading, I am reading The Ten Day MBA by Steven Silbiger. I like the straightforward style of writing. The contents are not too complicated. I am enjoying it so far, and I will be a Ten Day MBA by 2013 (haha).

In the accounting section, the author introduces accounting basics, and tells about company information MBAs can get from accounting formulas and analyses.

I was thinking about recent mass shooting. Inspired by the formula, I came up with following formula for mass shooting.

Mass Shooting=[Sad Person]+[Social Factor]+[Mental Illness]+[Available Gun]-[Resistance]

Let's assume this formula is correct. To reduce mass shooting, we want to reduce Sad Person, Social Factor, Mental Illness and Available Gun, and increase Resistance.

Sad person does the shooting. He is a product of genetics, environment, education and (lack of) discipline. There have been and will be some Sad Persons in our society. Still we need to come up with ways to reduce their numbers.

Social Factor is an outside encouragement. The former Arizona congressman (along with others including a child) got shot by a madman, and it was argued that encouraging comments by some right wing politician might have influenced the shooter.

As Morgan Freeman pointed out, even a big coverage by mass media, " the man of the day" status, can be an encouragement to Sad Person.

You can include violent movies, TV and videogames in this category.

Mental Illness is talked in many mass shooting cases, including the Newtown and the Virginia Tech. Improvements in treatment, enforcement of medication, systematic patient tracking etc would be the efforts to combat this factor.

We can include this in the Sad Person category, but considering importance of social efforts on this issue, I make this an independent category.

Available Gun is an obvious enabler. It is an essential component for mass shooting by definition. 

Let's take another society as a control group. Japan has very strict gun control. Guns are only for the police, military and licensed hunters there. Citizens who carry guns are nearly zero.  In the country, mass shooting almost never occured. Yakuza (gang)-related shootings have happened in rare occasions, but they are usually among Yakuzas and the scale is far smaller. Of course there have been Sad Persons with Mental Illness who set out to kill people randomly. But only with a kitchen knife it's a lot harder for them to kill as many.

Availability of Gun in America is determined by many factors, including the legislation factor. There are many interest groups; lobbyists (e.g. the NRA), gun makers, distributers and pro-gun forces in society. Some people just don't want to give up the toys and proclaim the rights.

Here I don't fancy taking on entire gun issues. I will just point out that an available gun is an enabler for a Sad Person and is an essential component for mass shooting.

To make guns less available to a Sad Person, what can we do?

Resistance refers to factors that stop shooting on track. Watchful citizens for prevention, training for the police, an alert system for quick response, security guards, armed citizens, the ALICE training (an active shooter training program, an acronym for Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evade )...any force that can stop the shooter.

Guns can involve in Resistance. The fact complicates the overall gun control picture. Some Texans are running a social experiment of arming school teachers. I wonder how it willl work out. There should be a balance point for minimum shooting.

Gun control is talked about much currently. But in the formula, it is not the only thing we should work. We need to work on all.

Bottom line. I don't like mass shooting. I don't want to encounter one. I don't want my loved ones to encounter one. We got to do something about mass shooting, and this formula might help to formulate actionable plans. Even if you are a pro-gun, you can work to be watchful for mental illness issue, for example.

Life: Your advice is not for everybody

Terrible shooting incident. Particularly terrible part was that many children died. We tend to see possibilities in the future of the young, and the "possibilities" are endless. We feel shame for the loss of young lives much the same way as we feel regrets for something we did not do. Unrealized possibilities are limitless and weigh heavy on one's heart. 

Now I get back to what I wrote, titled "Your advice is not for everybody."

For me Facebook is basically a glorified and publicized photo album. Also in Facebook, people provide advice, anecdotes, personal experiences and their morals to others, freely and generously. It's good. The stories we tell to others also tell others about us. 

However, if someone tells others directly that "Your advice is not for everybody", a few will be offended, although they should say "Sure, you are right" and smile. 

Why offended? Because we tend to forget who "everybody" is. "Everybody" is a collection of people with different background, past, different positions for issues and individuality. One advice won't cover them all. Only one common thing among everybody is that we eventually physically die. Beyond that, we are different and we need to respect the fact.

Sales and Marketing people are forced to understand this concept. They know from experience that they can't sell one thing to everybody.  When they want to sell something, they analyze customers, segment the market, and try to identify their customer for improved sales.

Advice is something similar to commodity. Advice is an idea designed to help a particular situation, and the target "customer" may be more defined or limited than we think.

Let's take Suze Orman. Her cable TV financial show (is fun and I like it) is toward the financially uninitiated who likely belong to the lower class and the middle class. Her show is not exactly designed for the rich with high degree of financial education or with no concern for retirement.

Another example. "Theatricality and deception are powerful agents to the uninitiated... but we are initiated, aren't we Bruce?" (Bane, The Dark Knight Rises). Of course the Batman's firecrackers that worked against many didn't work against Bane. Most education work like that. You know and are prepared, or you don't know and leave an opening that can be vulnerable.

We all come to this world without knowing a thing, and during our personal journey in life we learn. As such, an advice pertinent to get a stage through may not be relevant to someone who has gotten past the stage, or has not reached the stage yet.

That is why even the Bible looks schizophrenic because the book is in a sense a collection of advice. The advices are targeted to a full bunch of different people. Some are valid to a group of people but not to other groups.

Wise people use discretion. Common advice for receiving advice is, "Take something that works for you".

Some professional advisers, such as medical doctors and lawyers, are not going to give advice so casually. Medical doctors require seeing the patient to make diagnosis. They require attention in person, even short, to stand by their diagnosis. Casual advice for an undiagnosed, clinically depressed person could be harmful or even get him killed. Knowing the worst case scenario,  the pros take their business seriously.

In contrast, in Facebook, we likely don't choose the "target". We throw it to our "friends" and hope it sticks to some.

The bottom line is, like medication, we need to know the advice we need, and use discretion to free and available advice that are floating around. To know which advice is relevant to me, I need to know who I am now, and who I want to be. I need to know where I stand, what I do, and where I need to change. The key is constant education and renewal.

It sounds like an endless cycle. But like Buddha said, "A teacher appears when you are ready". It's not the same, and the personal journey continues.

I'm writing this because the Year end approaches (if you believe the Mayan calendar, the world's end. haha), and the winter break is a major planning time for me. I am preaching to self. Think more. Now.

Life: "Where do we go when we die?"

My uncle Kiichi Yamada passed away early 12/6/2012 at age 69. Although he is said to have passed away in his sleep, it is a shame to hear such news. He was a good man. He was very kind to my family when my father had a stroke and some hard times followed. He hosted a party for us when we got married and were in Japan last year.

This morning with great sadness I sent a condolence card to his family. I pray for him and for his family.

This recent incident made me ask a terribly fundamental question, "Where do we go when we die?"

As I know there are many theories and assertions made by various religions and philosophers.

What we humans commonly have, eventually, is physical death. "On a long enough timeline the survival rate of everyone drops to zero," according to Fight Club. Even a very religious guy may have a hard time arguing against this premise. Certainly, the matter which constitutes our body remains in this world and may be recycled. But I don't think we call the matter "us" anymore.

So, the following argument relies on a premise that we have something else, a soul, or an entity that may (or may not) retain our individuality. And the title question can be rephrased to "Where do our souls go when we die?"

If we do not accept the premise, presence of a soul, the argument will be simpler. As the body dies, we cease to exist. We disappear.

So, destination-wise, there are only two major possibilities:

"(A) A person as the soul goes to another world (afterlife), or (B) We disappear."

(A) "Another world" can be one of the following three.

(1) Somewhere better (i.e. Heaven)

(2) Somewhere worse or torturous (i.e. Hell, Purgatory)

(3) Somewhere in this world (you reincarnate to someone or something else and live a life somewhat similar to this life; the "parallel world" theory may be a variation of this theory)

In this "another world" theory, usually the sorting process is taken care of by a god or a deity (e.g. The God, Jesus, Buddha, King Yama, Allah, Hades, etc). How long it takes for the sorting can vary depending on the religion. One may stay dead for a long time until Judgment day comes, or after an unspecified amount of time (short or long) one goes on to his next destination.

Theory (B) "We disappear," is common among not-so-religious people, including atheists, agnostics, secular people and scientists. This theory is a valid interpretation of what we can "see".

Some cultures favor one answer over others. Most religions accept the existence of a soul and discuss destinations and afterlife. As we grow up and see someone significant die, we acquire and/or choose an answer.  Since no one yet has physically died for sure and came back to life to tell his story in a credible manner, we have to live with theories without knowing a solid answer (we will know when we die, won't we?).

Every time someone close to me dies, I think about this question, knowing I will not get a solid answer but possibly a change in my perception.

But every time someone close dies, I am also reminded of the fact that this world is for us, the living. Where the dead go is actually god's business now, and may not be our business anymore. How we remember the dead, how they influenced us, and what ideas, notions, deeds, and actions the dead man left here, are more important.

Culturally speaking, Asian cultures seem to put more emphasis on continuing bonding with the dead. Probably it is a good thing. I will remember good things Uncle Kiichi-san did, and they will influence what I will do in this world's future. In a sense he still lives on.

Dance: what makes a show a show?

We are watching some Show Tango videos. We got an opportunity to perform, and are preparing for it.

This time we are not inclined to choreograph a routine. The promoter asked us rather not to, to preserve spontaneity of the Tango dance.

We are also not inclined to do small, tight embrace style either. The promoter wants a show and we got a big floor. We are encouraged to dance big. I guess the performance will be somewhat similar to strictly swing situation in West Coast Swing circuit, in which we know the partner but don't know the song. We got to improvise to the song, but we can be prepared to show a certain showy moves with the familiar partner.

This overall setting makes me wonder, what makes a show a show.

In Argentine Tango performance, there are many Milonguero or Salon style dancers who show just that style, meaning they dance what they would dance in a crowded milonga in a big, wide open floor. Of course they got applause from discerning watchers, for doing nice tight ocho cortado with the music, and for looking comfortable doing it, or something like that. If well done, they look like a nice little European car running on the narrow pavement road of an old European city.

However, when you are dancing to a broader audience who does not know much about Tango styles, it get's trickier. Large and tricky moves are almost always a better bet for such shows, assuming the executions are good.

Sure, eventually it is about the quality. But the quality of the Milonguero/Salon styles is tend to be less visible. Sometimes you cannot even tell the partner's quality until you dance with the partner. The quality is primarily felt, as Tango is a very sensual dance. In contrast, show-style exaggerations make the quality very visible.

Partner dance can be danced to your partner, or danced to the audience. This difference makes the major difference between the Milonguero or Salon style and the Show Tango.

Well, it's not a matter of which one is better. It is a matter of what we want to show in a show. As a performer we got to decide what to show and dance the dance.


Last weekend, we went to Quartz Mountain Resort state park for hiking. Somehow the wildlife activity was higher than our previous visit. We saw raccoons, deer, a porcupine, a skunk, an armadillo and many other bugs and butterflies. It was also nice to have a time to lay down on a boulder at night, look up the sky, and listen to the nature quietly. Nature is beautiful with both lively active side and profoundly quiet side.

Dance: Fandango De Tango 2012

We attended an Argentine Tango event "Fandango De Tango 2012" in Dallas last weekend. The event was over Thanksgiving weekend with 6 milongas, a show and many classes.

For a participant like me, it is an event. We only attended the Friday milonga, Saturday show and milonga. It was a mini-vacation for Thanksgiving weekend. But for the event promoters, it is a long process. They had been having the annual event for 13 years in Austin TX, and this year for the first time in Dallas, at fancy new Omni downtown hotel.

They invited high profile instructors/active performers for the event. The featured couples were Fabian and Lora, Carlos and Mayte, Guillermo and Fernanda, Diego and Carolina, and George and Jairelbhi. The performances were strong and the show was very entertaining. I love strong show tango.

Performers alone don't make a good event. There were serious Tango dancers and instructors in the milongas. In addition to folks from Texas, there were people from Colorado, Oklahoma (including us! hehe), Louisiana, DC, Canada etc. My wife was dancing with professional Ballet dancer (it was obvious he was no amateur). The people made the event real fun.


While watching the show, my mind was wondering. As it is, Argentine Tango is either something to watch (the Show Tango) or something to do in milonga (social dance). We do not have amateur show or contests, nor a large pool of show-capable dancers. In West Coast Swing dance circuit, they introduced amateur contest division years ago, and now it serves as a source or supply pool for gifted professionals and capable performers. I was wondering whether such contests or a system for bigger Tango community would ever thrive here.

Honestly, I personally don't like contests much, especially when it is for junior league, so to speak (sorry!). Besides, the appeal of the social Argentine Tango may not be very compatible with external Show Tango. They are different dances. But I can see the merits and demerits both. As I see it, Argentine Tango still maintains a somewhat cult-like status, and the dancer pool is relatively small compared with Salsa, Swing, or Ballroom. I guess what I was really wondering was whether there is any good way to promote this dance I love.

Sure, I already wrote a how-to book about Argentine Tango. But what else?

Life: Three types of roles in the game of life

Do you like game theory?

Let's say you can assume one of following three roles in the game of life.

(1) Enabler/helper/provider/giver
(2) Neutral/indifferent
(3) Naysayer/denier/refuser/taker

Which role would you assume to win the game?


Intuitively, role (1) Enabler/helper/provider/giver wins. And in real life, it seems (1) is winning, too, assuming you are enabling something positive (i.e. not enabling killing, robbing, destruction, or some sort of warfare).

Why? Because among the three the Enablers/helpers/providers/givers are the only people who generate something of value.

We live in a capitalistic society. The most primitive form of economy is, "you provide something (e.g. fish, meat), and get something (e.g. fruits, rice) in return". Later, money came in to mediate the process, and the lending and banking system complicated the appearance of the process. But the simplest form of economy remains the same, which is "give and take".

People who are Enablers/helpers/providers/givers are likely to get something in return. Others (the neutrals and naysayers) are not.

In the recent election, "jobs" were a big issue. But even when the overall economy is down, there are always some people who thrive. I bet they are the Enablers/helpers/providers/givers, who create something of value.

What would you enable/help/provide/give to others?


The Thanksgiving holiday is approaching. This is a good opportunity for me to ask myself whether I am more on the consumer's side or on the provider's side.

Dance: Learning a Dance is like Life process itself

Let's say you want to learn a dance. And you want to be good at it.

What should you do?

The very first thing you need is your will to do it.

Next, you need to learn the dance of your choice. The learning involves two aspects.

Aspect One: You need to learn what to do. It is knowledge aspect. A Dance is culturally defined and has certain rules.  A Dance has the dance-specific ways of doing. You need instructions or study. As it concerns brain, smart ones have an advantage on this aspect.

Aspect Two: You need to move your body to achieve "the dance-specific ways of doing". Since your body usage is something of a habit, you want to develop good habit, which takes repetition and focus. It takes patience.

Since dance is a matter of using your body, some take it very personal. Your body is the only thing in this world that is inseparably connected to you. Sure, it is personal, because it is you.

It may not be all fun as you originally thought. But your enduring will or passion can get you through the learning process.


As I think above, I realized that how similar the dance learning process is to process of life itself.

We were born without knowing a thing about this world. We suck at everything at first. We were only equipped with instincts innate to our body.

As we grow, we form our perception and understanding for this world. Pretty much all of them are told by someone else still. Guidance, teaching, mentoring, all provides us directions or explanations. They can be right, or they can be wrong. Your growth can influence your perception, and it can help you to distinguish the rights and wrongs in what they say. Our will and passion fuel us to do something. Our knowledge and instruction (guidance) tell us what to do next. But we need to physically move through it in a very personal manner.

Thus life process is like learning a dance.

Eventually, only a handful comes up with something that expands our perception and understanding. They might be an equivalent of great dancers, or any other "Greats" who create something new. I don't think this is for everyone. You can settle where you feel comfortable, and it is your choice.

Really, when some of the "top dancers" do a cool move in their dance, soon there will be a lot of imitators, and the new move becomes a standard move in the dance. We can even identify the moves popular in 2005, 2006 etc, and who might have started the popularity.

Boy, dancing is so human.

Life: 12 % of truth

The US Presidential Election is over. Political posts in Facebook are gone, mostly.

We saw many political ads on TV, many of them made by an ad company. According to an msn article, when someone else run fact check, the rate of the political TV ads telling truth was 12%.

12% of truth?! You are better off not believing anything they say on TV, and you are 88% right.

There are patterns in deception. Out of context, exaggeration, diminishing, focus on some other issue (red herring) , an argument without control or proper comparison, are common ones.

When what we see on TV are untrustworthy, what should we rely on in the future, like, for next election?

Let's say this trend will continue. We will see even more political "factually challenged" ads in the future. What can we do about it?

It's to guard our perception. I am imposing myself a couple of rules.

My number one defense is 'focus on the source' rule. It is not true nowadays that value of an idea does not change by who is saying it. The internet allows all people to speak up. Not all opinions are generated by great or fair minds. Too many are generated by manipulators. Too many are not even generated, but distributed by people robotically pass on lies. Too bad.

 My number two defense is 'know yourself' rule. If I know I tend to lose my cool head when it comes to a particular issue (e.g. gun control, abortion, healthcare, welfare on the lazy, parasitic government programs, race issues, class issues, woman's rights, misogamy, gay marriage, student loans, housing bubble mess cleanup, bailout of big companies, foreign policies, war, military, tax, job ... anything), it helps to keep my head. You can come up with your position with your own head instead of following whatever some radical radio/TV guy says.

It comes down to "use your own head, and don't follow whatever others say."

My politically active Facebook friends. I have got enough data to judge you as a source. You can speak out as much as you want, but don't expect to be heard or taken seriously if you have been BSing too much. TV ad guys who make 12% truth ads. You, too.


We celebrated our Anniversary yesterday. It feels like one year just flew by. Amazing. During the year we published our book "Beginning Argentine Tango"; also did some other things together. We'll get some other projects done this year. Looking forward to it.

Life: $100 startup, Presidential election

Over weekend I was reading "The $100 startup". It was a good read. I'd give it 5 stars if I'd write a review.

In an episode, it was a product launch day, and the business owner was busy taking care of positive response of the market (lots of orders). Then there was a disgruntled customer Dan, who wanted to tell the business owner what was wrong with the product according to him. The busy business owner just refunded him and moved on without wasting his precious time in the product launch day on Dan's comment.

I found the episode funny. That Dan guy would be very unhappy even after he got refund.

Another episode in the $100 startup says that cheap customers are worse in terms of complaints. That sort of confirmed my belief.

Overall it was a good read. But I see the book is a how-to book, meaning if I don't do the things directed [ to start up a (micro) business], the book would mean little to me.

Fortunately the book gave me some usable project ideas. I will work on them.

 

The US Presidential election is here. It has been an ugly battle, unfortunately. What I see is a battle between aggregated interest groups. "Anyone whose wallet's about to get lighter (from The Dark Knight, 2008)" resists and screams.

The defense budget makes about a half of the government spending. People who benefit from the half (military-industrial complex) will not want to accept anything less. Education, healthcare, social security and other spending make another half. People benefit from the half (also big industries) will be unwilling to yield, either.

It is clear which candidate supports which segment more. It is also clear to me which candidate I am hoping to win. I do not fancy sending US military abroad, again. But some people do, and probably they make money or other form of satisfaction out of it.

There are many political issues. Above references are only a few examples. My position does not always align perfectly well with existing political package, so that I'd have to choose lesser evil after weighing on the issues. The voting is tomorrow. Let's see how it goes.

Dance: Argentine Tango, the Show and the Original

On Oct 26-27, there was a guest Argentine Tango Instructor Enriqueta Kleinman from Buenos Aires to OKC. The iDance studio owner Hazel Lopez is a big fan of the style Enriqueta teaches, which is the Milonguero style danced in social settings in Buenos Aires.

I danced with her. She was a very good, strong Milonguero-style dancer. It was a pleasure.

She was a strong advocate for the Milonguero style, which is an Argentine Tango style closest to the "original".

Why do I have to use such a strange way of talking about a style?

Argentine Tango as we know it is a dance known worldwide. Tango has captured people's attention and incite fantasies. That is why it spread. The fantasies are so powerful. 

Certain professionals cater to the fantasy through "Show Tango". Movie moves, You Tube moves, Dancing With The Stars moves. They are all fair game. 

The show professionals are generally skillful and can do very athletic, attention-getting  moves.They use the shows to spread the Tango, and in part for their living. At some point in the history, the show tango developed to its own dance. And it divided the entire Argentine Tango world.

There used to be and still is a very different Argentine Tango dance, so called the "original" Argentine Tango. They are social dance, and not limited to the "young and skinny". 

A group of Argentine Tango dancers are trying hard to combat the unstoppable spreading of the fantasy version of Tango, by teaching the original version "Milonguero style" and "Salon Style", and by trying to communicate that the Show version is NOT what they call "our dance", original Argentine Tango.

Enriquetta was one of such instructors. They are like evangelicals or ministries, trying to properly educate the original form of Argentine Tango. Since the dance started in Argentine as a part of the culture, they demand cultural respect.

From their eyes, the Show Tango is adulterated version of Tango.

True. Shows are something you usually see on YouTube, and are far more attention-getting. In doing, they have sporty appeal and fun. Although it takes serious efforts for the show to be presentable to others (Choreography, skills, graceful execution), just do it in figures is an easy way to start. It would be pain for these Argentinean instructors to witness some dance completely different from the original is marketed as Argentine Tango with the same name.

For the "Original" style, it is not about the show. In general, on stage the Milonguero style pale in comparison with the show-oriented styles. But the appeal is in the tight conversational connection and improvisational freedom. If you can tune in to the appeal, it certainly is an addictive dance. When was the last time you got someone's complete attention? When was the last time you paid so much attention to someone else, or "Gazed" into your partner?


In a social dance setting when you dance constantly with new partners, it becomes somewhat similar to martial arts. You can feel how good the partner is. The clue is a mixture of attitude, ability and smoothness. In some cases when she is extremely good, you can almost feel it like she is radiating it. I had some partners who actually gave me goosebumps. To get the "feel" doesn't take long. It is like first impression, formed in 3 seconds but it rarely is wrong.

Strangely, the feel is not always visible. You never know until you dance with the partner.

Okay I digress a little. Today's my blog entry is to make it clear that there is a big divide in Argentine Tango; "The show, and the social (original)". Both have their own charms. In dancing Argentine Tango, you need to be aware of it.

My suggestion to the divide? Try them both. Do both well, but don't choose sides. Have respect for both. Both have charms. Enjoy both. 

Don't assume someone good at one cannot do another. Imagine you can do both well. You would be kind to both and enjoy both, wouldn't you? 

Dance: Dance Teacher's Dilemma, Video Planning

What's the difference between teachers in dance and in other subjects?

The level of students, or the diversity.

When you teach math for six graders, you have a certain expectation for what your students know and can do. College biology, the same. Some students may be under-prepared for the course, or have different ideas about the course. They may or may not flunk or drop out. Others may be exceeding at the course content. The student may be at an eighth grade class but he can be ready for tenth-grade materials. Unfortunately in a class setting, the teacher cannot necessarily make big changes to the course material itself to adapt to a student who is out of the scope of the class.

Independent dance teachers have to teach people with very different levels, and in many different settings, such as in a large group class, in a small group class or in private lessons. It is like the same person teaching from sixth grade to graduate school students.

For a group class the teacher can make a previous announcement and roughly define the scope of the class. Things get trickier in privates. They need to determine the student's level on the spot, and work with them with the material appropriate for the student.

And in dancing,  knowledge for the particular dance, the student's physical ability and skills for moving well, and the student's motivation and purpose, all these parameters come in different combinations.

For example, you have to teach Argentine Tango to an accomplished salsa dancer who can move well in general, but has never danced Argentine Tango and knows very little about the Tango... a situation like this is quite common.

And the material...most of the time learning is a step-wise process. Students need to go through basic concepts and moves, then move to more advanced applied concepts and moves. You cannot embellish your step when you are having difficulty executing a basic step with good balance. 

Is it appropriate to tell a student material that he is not ready for yet? I am not certain about that.
Some teaching and concepts appropriate for and understood easily by advanced dancers may not work for an intermediate-level student at all.

So the teacher needs to make a judgement call when they teach a student in a private setting.

Many people want to believe that they are good, and that they are ready for very advanced materials and concepts. The "want" can be part of the cause of the student's slow progress. Have patience and practice to get past a level, so that you can go further ahead. The "want" can override the patience.

To me this looks obvious, and for many others it is obvious, too. But there are always people who see things otherwise.


Recently I was watching an Argentine tango instruction video on YouTube.The instructors seem to be good dancers, and they were talking about show-type Argentine Tango, which is a tricky issue because it is a very different "Tango" when viewed from the eyes of traditional Argentine Tango danced in crowded milongas (Argentine Tango parties). The video was attracting a variety of opinions including negative ones from apparent "Traditionalists", about their dance being too spacious, or for showing little passion.

 I don't think the criticisms were on target. For me, it seems to be an example of the difficulty dance teachers face in dealing with the masses. With YouTube videos open to anybody, the teachers cannot talk to their correct target students.

For our book "Beginning Argentine Tango", the prospective readers are people who are starting, or at an early stage of Argentine Tango dancing. As I heard from the reader response, some were quite positive, such as  "yours was the best" from an early stage learner. I was very glad to hear that. 

In fact, we are making some companion videos for the book and will release them on YouTube. We are hoping to make the scope clear, so that the videos are viewed by the correct target students. 

We have not set release deadlines yet. Holiday season and what not. But we do hope the videos will be viewed by people who find them helpful and useful. 

Life: Sport, Politics and Religion

Ah. Sport, Politics and Religion.

We have been advised not to talk about religion or politics, or even sport sometimes, in a social setting so casually. People can get mad at you so easily when these topics are involved.


A common thread among the three? All of them are designed to divide people. They effectively segregate people, instantly. When we talk about them, we set ourselves up in a situation in which we must choose.

Our team vs their team.
Our party vs their party.
Our religion vs their religion.

The situation implies "us OR them". After the choice, we are now us friends or them enemies. Not all see it as "us AND them". Only few claim independence from the confrontational Us/Them dichotomy.  However, the choosing majority won't let off the refusing-to-choose crowds so easily. Undecided, indifferent, uninterested, agnostics, atheist.......why do these words always carry a hint of negative connotation?

Yet, they (Sport, Politics and Religion) are so popular. A reason may be that they can give you instant friends in this uncaring world. When you are feeling you are alone, weak, helpless and nobody, living in cold darkness, it is very tempting to have "friends". The many "friends" are huge incentive.  Wear dark red and go to OU football game. Say "Vote for Romney".Walk in to a Christian church and proclaim "I am Christian". You get half-a-stadiumful, forty-something-percents of the nation of, and a churchful  (and indirectly more) of "friends".

From the eyes of this incentive theory, no wonder after some crisis people tend to go church/temple/shrine. When we are scared, we want assurance and peace in mind. Having many "friends" appeal to our primal instincts for self preservation. Many birds flock together so that their chance of survival goes up. Or so they think.

Yet, this divisional mindset can be very harmful. They come with a price. A lot of people have died because of Religion and Politics. A few even for sport. Everyone knows how nasty "They" can be.

However,.......

So many people are committed to their choices. I don't think they would want to change that, and I won't even bother trying to change them here. I say, suit yourself.

But for a few people who are tired of the choice-oriented mindset and people, I present a few advice I came across while I read books.

First, you can question the "friend" incentive. The perceived "Friends". Are they really "friends"? When the game is over, we go home. The election is over and it turns quieter until next political event comes up. A bunch of people saying nice comforting things to each other....how will that help you, seriously, in a real spiritual sense or in your personal growth? Oftentimes, the nice words from "friends" lull you into inner doldrums and prevent you from digging yourself actively into deeper self, where a lot of religions say the God is.

And, you can question the choice-oriented mindset. A branch of Buddhism suggests to be free from the choice-oriented mindset. For example, read "A Still Forest Pool".

The choices can lead to attachments, which bind your mind, your spirit, and therefore you. The change in mindset leads to "enlightenment".

This is so alien way of thinking from Western success principles and make-it-happen attitude. Yet it works for some if you seek.

I wouldn't say I am enlightened or free from choices and attachments. On the contrary, I enjoy choices and attachments to some extent. I have my own belief and moral system I like to adhere. I may not like it if I am forced to replace them.


I used to think theology is a biggest waste of time, because it leads to nowhere. There are many explanations given, yet too many are just assertions or quotations and not answers.  I am luckier than ancient-medieval theologians who were bound to their time, though. I am better informed with all books from all over the world across time, and the internet resources that connect them and allow me to compare them.

This today's blog entry is just a note.  I don't think I can make a big clever statement today. But I feel like I would enjoy chewing and comparing these various thoughts over time.


We are debating whether we go to Tulsa for Oktoberfest, or stay in OKC and go dance in the evening.

Life: "I tried. It didn't work". Now what?

Everyone has heard this phrase before. "I tried. It didn't work."

The phrase can communicate with many nuances. What do you hear?

You might be hearing him saying,

"I couldn't get it work, and I gave up. But I don't want to hear you blaming me for that. I don't want to admit someone else might be able to get it work, either. You should stop trying and give up, too. Be like me".

You might be hearing her saying,

"I tried this way and that way. These ways didn't work for me. But some other ways or some other person may be able to get it work. How about, you try the other way?"

What you hear really depends on you.

When you get it work, he would likely be unhappy because you sort of showed who he was.

When you get it work, she would likely be happy because you are a hero who completed a difficult task. Or, she could be jealous, perhaps?

So what?

Conclusion 1: Your thought process and perception make a huge difference in your world. Choose wisely.

Conclusion 2: To get something work, two factors are important ( [The person's skill or ability] and [The way the person is doing "it"]). When something is not working, you got to focus on these two first. But after some unsuccessful trials it is also important to question what you are trying is valid. Perseverance is generally a virtue, but can be a vice.


Note to self. It might be interesting to write a short comedy using this. I used to watch a British TV comedy series "Coupling", and in some episodes they cleverly used the "perception discrepancy" technique. I loved that show.


A review article we wrote this summer is being considered for publication with minor revision. I was working on that today. We will send the revised manuscript to the editorial office shortly. Hope it gets accepted soon.

To answer a question, no, I am not watching Dancing With The Stars this season. So I cannot talk about that.

Dance: Good Dance=Good Habits

I meant to write something about this year's Nobel Prize for physiology, announced yesterday (10/8/12). But I won't go into details here. There will be better articles everywhere soon.

In short, developmental biologist and pioneer stem cell researcher Dr. Gurdon, and Dr. Yamanaka who discovered a (surprisingly simple) way to reprogram differentiated cells (such as skin cells) to stem cells, they share the prize.  Their work had such a huge impact on the research field. It had been rumored for a while that their work, especially Dr. Yamanaka's, would get the Nobel Prize. It has come true, and I am very happy for them.


Last weekend I went to Tulsa to attend a West Coast Swing event, Tulsa Fall Fling. It is a nice small-sized event, and I enjoyed dancing with friends and watching friends dance.

There were excellent dancers and there were dancers who looked like beginners. I just used the expression "dancers who looked like beginners", because the way a dancer looks does not necessarily correlate with how long they've danced or whether they are actually beginning. No matter how long you dance, if your way of dancing looks like that of beginners, your dance level would be that of beginners. 

Dancing is an ephemeral live art, and is somewhat cruel, too.

One thing I thought at the event by looking at dancers of different levels, or appearances, was that "Good dancers are basically dancers with good habits".

I saw some champion dancers dance. Even in a social dance setting, they dance well and they look outstanding. If you keep watching, you start noticing their habits. They have their default body usage or moves they do. Holding an arm here this way, bending a knee in that angle for balancing for the spin, hijacking and walking around playfully...those kind of things. And they look balanced, responsive and overall better than dancers who don't do these.

If you think this way, you can formulate how YOU would develop good dance habits and look good.

For example; Imitating an instructor's demonstration in front of a mirror is a time-tested way for dancers to improve. Using slow motion and pausing is another way to train your body to have good habits. Even if the move is the same, there are variations in execution that look good, and variations that don't. Study good ones. Forget bad-looking ones.

As you are trying to develop habits, repetition is necessary. "Did-it-well-once" doesn't count. "But-I-am-doing-it" without forming good habits means nothing. You need to do it hundreds of times until the good moves just show as your second nature, or your habit.

Like any other habits, you made a choice to dance in your way at some point, consciously or subconsciously. If you want to kick a bad habit and install a new (better) one, you need to work on it consciously.

Thinking about changing yourself would be the first step. Asking someone who you can trust and can coach you about your habits would be the second step. The third step would be physically moving and practicing good moves until they become your habits.

We are creatures of habit, after all. And eventually we are defined by what we do and the quality of it, not by what we are thinking of doing or trying to do but not doing.

Master Yoda, you were right.

Life: About a new friend

Last night we went out to a Sushi restaurant Sushineko in OKC to meet my wife's friend and his family. He and his wife, both in their late 20's-early-to-mid-30's-ish (I'm not really sure), came from Indonesia, worked hard in the US in retail industry and are living apparently happy with two young sons. We were invited because my wife is helping him editing his book. Yes, he is authoring a book about his experience and advice in spiritual and financial affairs.

He appeared to be a very nice, talkative and funny guy. His impersonation of Sylvester Stallone was hilarious. He teaches mixed martial arts, which was evident in the size of his upper body. I also heard that he is very religious and wrote a manual for the ministry before, although we did not really talk about religion except for him asking permission for emailing about scripture study meeting at the end of the night.

Come to think of it, I once read a manual for Evangelicals. The manual was advocating Evangelicals to be attractive. Yet, I have seen so many Evangelical attempts that were more repulsive than attractive. Be loud. Shout. Use scare tactic. Talk long regardless of what others think. Endless citing of Scripture........they seemed to be concerned more for themselves rather than the ones they were preaching to. I'm not sure, were they even trying?

I digress. Back to him. He was very nice, and was one of rare guys who seem genuinely happy with his religion. Being attractive may work for him. Actually, probably the strategy works only with guys like him.

I have not read his manuscript at all, so I cannot say about it much now. I hope he completes his book project and publishes it. Only completed projects count. The book will be an achievement for him.


A grant deadline is approaching. I will be busy for the preparation for this and next week.

Science/Life: Information quality

I use Facebook. Many of my Facebook friends are from the dance floor, and I don't pick them based on their political affiliations.

As such, as the US Presidential election nears, I receive some (a lot of) political posts from both sides.

One (actually two) of the recent posts made me think about the quality of information flying around in Facebook and other places.

First, read following recent speech by President Obama in the original form.

"The future must not belong to those who target Coptic Christians in Egypt – it must be claimed by those in Tahrir Square who chanted “Muslims, Christians, we are one.” The future must not belong to those who bully women – it must be shaped by girls who go to school, and those who stand for a world where our daughters can live their dreams just like our sons. The future must not belong to those corrupt few who steal a country’s resources – it must be won by the students and entrepreneurs; workers and business owners who seek a broader prosperity for all people. Those are the men and women that America stands with; theirs is the vision we will support.

The future must not belong to those who slander the prophet of Islam. Yet to be credible, those who condemn that slander must also condemn the hate we see when the image of Jesus Christ is desecrated, churches are destroyed, or the Holocaust is denied. Let us condemn incitement against Sufi Muslims, and Shiite pilgrims. It is time to heed the words of Gandhi: “Intolerance is itself a form of violence and an obstacle to the growth of a true democratic spirit.” Together, we must work towards a world where we are strengthened by our differences, and not defined by them. That is what America embodies, and that is the vision we will support."

A few days later, two photos based on the same speech appeared in my Facebook homepage.

This is a classical example of "out of context" slander. The picture on the right was posted by at least two guys. One guy said "Hey, read and learn, liberals", then showed the picture on the right. Another guy is a religious guy, whose latest post says "FAITH-My faith in God is unshakable", and the picture came with "YOU DECIDE!!!!!".

With all due respect as a Facebook friend, I do not think the way they handled the speech and the information was trustworthy or honorable, or even "godly". In the future I would have to listen to what they say with a certain skepticism.

They may or may not speak something good or truthful in the future. But the "Boy who cried wolf" effect has already kicked in.

As a scientist, I generate and examine data. The quality of the data is very important for this job. Trained scientists assess the quality of the information and quality of the source.

For general matters like politics, we do not generate primary information. Most of the time we act on what someone else says (hearsay). That is why assessment of the source is critical.

In case of politics, this kind of information skew can come from all sides. That is why I am minding who says it in the individual's level.

These Facebook friends have failed to provide good information regarding politics. Should I trust what they say about politics? I'm not sure. If you think I'm that easy to manipulate, think again, if you ever think.

Dance: Dancer's Aura

Great dancers have dancer's Aura.

When I was watching "This is it", a documentary film about Michael Jackson's last unfinished tour, a choreographer auditioning the backdancers was saying, "......But if you don't have that goo..that ooze coming out of you, not gonna get the job". The "goo/ooze" is that Aura I am talking about. The goo comes out when they dance. That goo separates good and great dancers.

Sure, it is not exactly scientific. But the notion is universal. Chinese called it chi. Holistic medicine practitioners called it life energy. Martial artists and healers like the notion, whether it is real or not. Real or not, no one denies exceptional presence of Bruce Lee in his films or of Michael Jackson on stage.

I have seen dancers who have the Aura, and I feel fortunate. Some were Broadway dancers. Others were champion WCS dancers. Dancers with the Aura were so amazing, almost overwhelming sometimes. I can be very critical while watching dancing. But when I see the dancers with the Aura, I prefer to shut off my critical brain and just enjoy the dance with the sense of awe.

As a matter of fact, it is easy to be critical to someone who do not have it. They are like dancing naked without the protection of the magic of dancing. What they are trying too hard to do is almost painfully obvious.

Once I read a comment by an old classical music critique/conductor, "I am only interested in geniuses nowadays". My confession is that I began to feel the same way as a watcher of dance.

Feisty? Yup. Sorry about that.

I recognize that this ridiculously high expectation needs to be tamed. By definition geniuses are rare, and the genius performance takes long time of making. 

Actually I found a way to reconcile. If we know how to recognize the work of genius, we can begin to see a flash of genius everywhere, like God's grace sprinkled everywhere. In that way I should be able to enjoy watching a lot of dances.

Life: Uninstall Negative apps

I have read many self-help books, success principle books and life-hack advices. Western culture is somewhat (quite) different from Japanese culture I grew up in, and I read these books to figure out "how it works" in the US.

Once you go through certain volumes, there is a point at which you notice that they are telling you the same things over and over. There are certain sets of behaviors that likely give you success, and other sets that likely fail you or do disservice to you.

Then, why don't we just do the positive stuff?

Unfortunately, as I notice, there are so many negative notions or concepts that conflict with the positive stuff. We pick them up while we grow up. I call them "Negative apps".

The terminology is coming from computer, obviously. When a computer has some issues, a troubleshooting IT guy starts looking for programs and apps that interfere with the main operating system. Once he can identify the conflict, he can uninstall the conflicting program or app. The entire system operates better afterwards.

I think this applies to us people, too.

Once you notice your own "Negative apps", efforts for uninstalling them should follow. It is an act of self-help.

It's not complicated. It is simple. An example would be: unless you uninstall "Money is evil" belief (a negative app), it is unlikely for you to take actions to make money. That kind of things.

If you simplify people's behavior in this way, you can interpret our behavior in different ways.

An example would be religious conversion. Sometimes people get so stressed out from their lives and feel current operating system is not working out at all. They attempt to get rid of old operating system entirely, and install something new that works better (so they think). That is my take for the desperate Born Agains. For the modest or cultural Born Agains, it may not apply.

In case of Born Agains, the new operating system is relatively well-pre-formatted, with established dogmas, other users and installation assistants and all.

Another way for change is a paradigm shift. You try to change your perception to the world, or to a particular subject. Many eastern religions and philosophies advocate this approach. Paradigm shift may or may not be a change as drastic as Born Agains. But it is a way to bring changes in a deeper level.

Sometimes it is helpful to act like a troubleshooting IT guy for yourself. Identify Negative apps and uninstall them. I too had (or still have) some negative apps. But after I started thinking this way, it has been easier for me to see myself more objectively and to identify the apps operating in me.

Try to find your apps. It is fun, surprisingly.

Dance: Swing dance should swing

Okay, a dance tip, "Swing dance should swing". What does that mean?

To answer it, I want you to answer a question. "What is Swing?"



Here is a picture of a swing. You know what it is and how it works. You sit on the seat, and start swinging.

Now, think about the motion. You don't move at even speed on the swing, do you? You 'swooosh" and say "wheeee" at the bottom, and you gradually slow down and there comes a moment of pause at the end. Then you start swinging backward. Slow, then fast (wheeeee), then slow, and a pause. Repeat.

Yes. Swing motion has built-in quietness (pause)-slow-quick contrast. And that motion should appear in the swing dance.

West Coast Swing is a member of the swing dance family. It is danced in a slot. When you see the WCS from side (from the viewpoint a slot looks longer), you should be able to see the swing motion.

In the view, the leader is the support of the swing. The follower's motion resembles to that of the seat of a swing. She is the moving part, and the man provides solid and less-moving support.
WCS leaders use compression and release to create the swinging.

Great WCS leaders such as Kyle Redd or Jordan Frisbee are particularly good at creating the swing motion. I love to watch the WCS dance by these guys. Especially, Jordan Frisbee makes big contrast in the pause-slow phase and fast phase in his routines, resulting mesmerizing swing effect.

However, the effect cannot be achieved by the leader or the follower alone. Both should know what to do to create the "Swing" illusion. She should be able to move fast and slow, and take time to pause. Leaders. If you move around too much, sometimes it can work against the swing motion as a couple. You got to give immobile reference point for her motion. Beginners often end up looking sluggish or some kind of struggle, because they don't know this notion....yet.


Personally I like swinging in WCS. However, WCS has differentiated to many styles. There is a group of WCS followers whose style is more oriented toward precise foot positioning. There is another group of followers who like to wiggle and roll in place.  Some of the followers may not like too much swinging, probably because they feel rushed. Since I prefer to create swinging, it takes extra care and slowdown to dance with them. You see, know your style preference does help to diagnose your partner's style and to get the dance work.

If you think your swing dance is not swingin', give this swing concept a try.

Life: Why School 2

It is past the Labor day. The hot summer is ending and school has started here in the US. My previous blog entry (5/14/12) "Why college, why school?" happens to be the most popular entry, and I feel like writing my opinion about it again.

My wife is heading to school to study a subject (international business) and get credits for it as well. We had discussions as to her purpose. Why do you pay money/tuition and spend your time to go there? What is the purpose?


I went to the best university in Japan that has produced some Nobel prize winners. I studied at school for a long time until I got my PhD for molecular genetics (officially Biophysics, because the department happened to be Biophysics. My thesis adviser changed his research subject to molecular genetics after he got his position at the Biophysics department). On top of that, it is a common practice for biomedical researchers to do a post-doc, another extended period of training, and I did that, too. After all my experience, my take on schooling is that you go to school to prepare for the real deal. You go there because your current ability is insufficient for the real deal. You use school for training and improvement. It is a moratorium period, when you can improve yourself and become someone useful for a service or productive in a subject of your choice. Having a protected time to achieve the goal is great, and schooling is the time for your preparation for the real performance. Don't expect high paycheck when the quality of your service is not high.

Of course there will be counterarguments.  A lot of people go to college by default. When they are young and fresh off high school, many of them think college is a place to find out what they will do in the future, or a place to find out what they want to do, or are good at doing. In other words, they are just buying themselves time.

I say it is late.  If they don't have goal or purpose already, they better start thinking about them seriously. Think of Olympians. They have done their sport for years. At the age of 18, they usually already have 10 or more years of experience. No wonder they perform well and are amazing. Having a goal; that is the cause of the current difference between who had a goal and who didn't.

The reverse is true, too. When you are good at what you do, I don't think schooling, for whatever it is, is your high priority. Of course you can always learn more to be the best, but the need may not be urgent.  When you are very good at something, you'll likely find yourself in a position of teacher rather than a student. You can legitimately ask, "Do I need to go to school to improve my game or business, or not?" For them, practice may be a better way to learn and improve their game.

Actually, people who are good at something have gone through a lot of learning experiences already, and not necessarily in a form of school. For example, people who make a lot of money basically like the subject of making money. They talk about it, they read about it, they find like-minded friends, make plans to make money and implement them. And they are serious about it. Their minds are occupied by the subject. That is when they can make a serious amount of money. Going to a business school may not replace or add to the hands-on exercise.

Once you get past a tipping point, conventional schooling (lectures, discussions, exams etc) is taken over by your self-teaching and learning, and the grade will be given in the form of something else. That is what happens in life.

What I would suggest to a student is a shift in his/her mindset. Switch from a passive learner to an active learner with a goal, to become a real deal.


With all I said above, I still do value schooling highly. Even if you attend school without a clear goal, schooling experience should help you in some ways. For example, a course you take out of curiousity can expand your scope and may change your life later. Life can be longer than you think. For another example, each course has a syllabus, and it should state the direct scope and expectations of the course. Eventually you should be able to use what you learn in the course somewhere. A seemingly useless biology class may help you to distinguish scientifically sound diet programs from unhealthy and unreal religio-sci-fi claims. An apparently useless history class may help you to understand the backgrounds of active political factions and save you from their mind manipulations. History can be a rich source of lessons, too.

Ignorance is not bliss. There are many people with agendas in this world, and ignorance will be on you. Because of that, I believe education is critical, whether in a form of school or not.

......However,...

I love "Forrest Gump". His approach to life is entirely different. He lives in the present. You don't need to plan things and make them happen in the future to be happy. Happiness is a state of your mind, and you can find happiness any time you can. If you can live like him, my argument above is like a piece of "make-it-happen" schemer's opinion. But I don't care. If you can live like Forrest, I am truly happy for you.

Dance: event, Dallas DANCE 2012

Dallas DANCE is an annual West Coast Swing event held over US Labor day holiday weekend in Dallas, TX. It is a big event, boasting 30+ Invited National and regional champions, many up-and-coming competitors and totaling 1500+ dancers. The daytime workshops and competitions, and late-night social dancing that last up until 6AM or so, together make a lot of fun.

I started going there around 2003, as Oklahoma City is reasonably close to Dallas, and in recent years have been using the event as my annual WCS vacation. No competitions, just for pleasure. I even proposed to my then-girlfriend last year at the Dallas Fairmont hotel on the Friday. She is my wife now, so it worked out (hehe). It makes it so much easier to remember the anniversary ;)

This year I was dancing with my wife a lot of times (of course), and did not do social dance as much as I did in some previous years. But when I did dance socially, I wanted to dance nicely and smoothly with all the partners. I don't like rough dances, and I assume it is the same for most followers. I love comfortable, fun and smooth WCS. For competition purposes, emphasizing speed contrast and making the dance dramatic, even gimmicky, is a valid approach. But why should I do that for social dances?

Also, I love to dance with the music. I don't like mechanical practice of the moves. It can be a turn-off if she is just cruising or going through motions instead of dancing, no matter how good she is. However, it is up to her. WCS has a lot of unleadable elements, and as a leader I need to work with what she's got anyways.

My wife is in the process of improving her WCS, and the event was a great learning opportunity. She did learn and progressed a lot just in the three days. We may be able to come up with a nice Swango (Swing-Tango hybrid dance) routine or something. 

A big event like that is like a school where all people go, from first graders (beginners) to graduate school to professor-levels (champions). You can identify all levels of dancers, and can learn something from all. You can also identify where you are, dance level-wise. Knowing where you are in the crowd can be a wake-up call. Even shocking to some. I told my wife not to be frustrated even if she is not dancing like champions. Learning is a stepwise process and results don't come overnight. Developing neuromuscular connections and acquiring a certain "dance hunch" can take a long time. Rushing doesn't work.

As many dancers were there, the attending dancers have their own reasons to be there. Some have vested interests for the event. The event organizers are concerned with the business aspect and work their a**s off for it. Some professionals are there mostly for teaching, where the money is. Competing dancers work their a**s off to present their best dances and to please judges and audiences. Their efforts may eventually return as fame or some other form of results. Others come to meet friends and to be entertained, with no worries about how many competitor points they make.

After 26 years of running, the Dallas DANCE community has a system and rules, some of which  are unwritten. Some people are well known celebrities and can be comfortable. They enjoy the community they are in and enjoy the system they invested in. Others are newcomers and are trying hard to establish themselves. A proud sense of achievement was all over the dance floor, and it was nice to watch. I would like to believe that what binds people together is their shared interest and love for the WCS dance. Only the ways of involvement and expression vary.

It was a good opportunity for me to think about many aspects of dance as well. As a business, as an art, as a social medium and friendship, as a measure for communication, as a source of pleasure, as a medium for a sense of achievement.....etc etc.

Yes, I enjoyed the party. There are many dancer friends I dance with only once a year in Dallas. Thank you for the dances. I am looking forward to coming back next year. See you later.

Life: Bucket list vs Batman (or, RIP Phil 2)

I went to Phil Washburn's funeral ceremony last Saturday. (See Aug 21/2012 entry "Life: RIP Phil").

There were many people. It turned out that they were from all different circles he belonged to. They wanted the ceremony to be something of celebration rather than mourning, and it succeeded. It was a very nice and memorable service.

Even more surprising was the variety of things he did in his life. His "in memory of" video was like someone's bucket list. What he did, in addition to pioneering IT job, include wrestling, Tae-kwon do, swimming, mountain climbing, hiking, triathlon, sky diving, volleyball, exercise class, and dances and dances (Argentine Tango, West coast swing, ballroom, country-western, folk dance, etc). Once he went to Argentina to dance Tango there. He "gave up Volleyball" to make time with Karen, his last girlfriend. The episode was hilarious.

Certainly the family wouldn't have a problem presenting what he did. It was already impressive. What I knew about him was only a piece of him, as in so many cases.

I don't think all of what he did reached to master-level. But he did well for most, and he did reach a master/champion-level for some. And the sheer variety, activity, and the passion behind them, were very, very, impressive.


In the reception afterwards, we were talking about how my service would be if I dropped dead now.

My wife said, "He loved dancing. .......A lot."  Haha, that's good enough.

That's good enough. But what can I add to it? I am not sure about sky diving. But I certainly will add many to what I got so far.


Actually, to be truly memorable, you need to take the "Batman" strategy. Batman is a vigilante, a fearsome punisher to the criminals. That is who he is. Like the Batman, you represent one simple idea or slogan. Then "you become entirely different. You become an ideal.", according to Liam Neeson character in the Batman Begins. I find it true.

When we understand something or someone, our understanding begins with a simple, short one-liner. Take Abraham Lincoln. Who was he? A US president. What did he do? He led the North during the American Civil War and freed slaves. Then I can go on for details.

Or take Columbus. He "discovered" America in 1492. That's how we remember him. All his atrocious acts as a conqueror are left for college students to study in history class, but they are not really what he is remembered for.

This process of establishing identity can be seen pretty much everywhere, regardless of it being for a person or for a business or a brand or a product. Only when the identity (or the message/slogan/ideal) is sharp enough, it sticks to the minds of others.

Sure, we have all different aspects. I am a son, husband, scientist, dancer, author, blogger, cook, driver, handyman, teacher, boss, team member, customer, neighbor, etc etc etc. But which aspects represent me? That is up to me. We are flexible being and we become what we are over time by our choice. It is a fascinating aspect of life.

Thanks to Phil, I am inspired and taking my time to think about what I am going to add to my life.