Salsa Mob!!
Last night I went to dance with a group called Salsa Mob. They're mostly people from the Salsa club I usually go to, and they put on flash mobs where they dance salsa in various places :) Sometimes they're invited specifically to elderly homes or youth centers (lol, the contrast!) and sometimes, like last night, they just choose a place where they know there'll be music and get together and dance there. In cases where they're invited, they bring the music and the place takes care of sound/lights.
Here's a compilation video of some of the shows they did:
Last night there was a "Sounds of the Caribbean" music show at the marina by the mall at a city near the beach, and the group got together via Facebook and we all just showed up and danced there :) I've been a member of the FB group for about 2 months now but I never managed to get to any of the events - last night was my first.
It was so. Much. FUN. K was there and several other people I know from the club; I'm on friendly terms with most of them, and after last night with all of them :) We danced outside, which was a nice change from the stuffy club full of strobe-lights and too-loud music. It was very humid, though, by the sea, we were all sweating like mad by the time the show ended XD We danced 3 or 4 Rueda circles (all the dancers in a circle, changing partners) and whenever the music allowed, LA, Puerto-Rican, or Cuban-style salsa, Bachata, or Cha-Cha-Cha (in pairs). It was really fun :)
After the show ended we lingered at the mall and eventually settled at an ice-cream place on the promenade. One of my favorite guys from the club (the photographer, who at one point I thought had a crush on me. He still likes me and we flirt, but it's not serious. He's just very sweet, and a very good dancer, so I like to give him props) was there and he snapped a bunch of pics, I hope he'll upload them to his FB sometime soon so I can share :)
There was also one guy who I know by sight but never talked to and never danced with - turns out, he's very good! I'll have to make a point to dance with him now at the club :) We flirted pretty heavily - or at least so I thought; he claimed to be very intrigued by me - but he's surprisingly old(er than me - 27!) and also lusting after another girl. He's appointed me a friend and a shrink, to help him with this girl... oh well, guy-friends are always fun :)
There's also another guy who I remember vaguely from the club. He struck me as pretty arrogant, but it turns out he's okay. And I think he likes me. He complemented me on wearing contact lenses and on my recent haircut - he said I look much more friendly and inviting. This kind of struck a nerve with me, because the night we broke up, Noam said I sometimes look intimidating and uninviting at the club, which is why guys who don't already know me never ask me to dance. That really saddened me when Noam said it, and this guy last night mentioning that I now look "more inviting" pretty much confirms it. But oh well.
This guy also unashamedly asked me if I am, or used to be, Noam's girlfriend - he immediately after realized that it might be the latter and I might therefore be hurt by him mentioning Noam, so he amended and asked if I was part of his "gang". I very coolly and casually said, "I used to be Noam's (sort-of) girlfriend; we dated for about a month and then he pretty much dumped me two weeks ago." That's exactly the way I said it. And for a moment the two guys were stunned into silence; and then they laughed. They said "Man, you're so awesome, you're almost like a dude. We mean this in a good way, of course!"
And that was really fun to hear :) Honestly, I pride myself on being pretty guy-cool. I like action and comics movies, I can tell dirty jokes, I play pool. I swear on occasion and I'm not above a burp after a drink, which can be tequila and not just girly cocktails. I play frisbee at the beach instead of just lying there getting a tan, and I fill gas at self-service. I'm pretty cool :)
I'm ... at a pretty good place right now, regarding my self-image. Noam didn't exactly shatter my self-confidence or anything, because I know the problem was with him and not in me; but he did bring me down for a couple of weeks. The haircut has done me wonders, and last weekend I spent a few minutes really looking at myself in the mirror, wearing just panties and bra, and I smiled at my reflection and said, "I like the way I look." Sure, I wouldn't mind a few centimeters of fat off my thighs or half-a-cup-size up in the chest department, but so far I'm working with what I've got. I like my glasses as a fashion accessory, and the contacts are just for comfort purposes when I'm dancing. There are several birthmarks which I'm a bit self-conscious about, but I cover the one on my chin with make-up and the rest don't bother me so much. I'm slowly but steadily losing a little bit of weight and I'm good with my stomach and my hips. I love my navel-ring and my earrings and my tattoo.
I'm hot and I know it. It's a pity that I (and society) judge myself on whether or not I have a boyfriend, but it'll happen eventually. I want a relationship for me, not for everyone else. There are things in my attitude that I still can change for the better, but all in all, I like myself. And that's a good thing to be able to say :)
Here's a compilation video of some of the shows they did:
Click to viewLast night there was a "Sounds of the Caribbean" music show at the marina by the mall at a city near the beach, and the group got together via Facebook and we all just showed up and danced there :) I've been a member of the FB group for about 2 months now but I never managed to get to any of the events - last night was my first.
It was so. Much. FUN. K was there and several other people I know from the club; I'm on friendly terms with most of them, and after last night with all of them :) We danced outside, which was a nice change from the stuffy club full of strobe-lights and too-loud music. It was very humid, though, by the sea, we were all sweating like mad by the time the show ended XD We danced 3 or 4 Rueda circles (all the dancers in a circle, changing partners) and whenever the music allowed, LA, Puerto-Rican, or Cuban-style salsa, Bachata, or Cha-Cha-Cha (in pairs). It was really fun :)
After the show ended we lingered at the mall and eventually settled at an ice-cream place on the promenade. One of my favorite guys from the club (the photographer, who at one point I thought had a crush on me. He still likes me and we flirt, but it's not serious. He's just very sweet, and a very good dancer, so I like to give him props) was there and he snapped a bunch of pics, I hope he'll upload them to his FB sometime soon so I can share :)
There was also one guy who I know by sight but never talked to and never danced with - turns out, he's very good! I'll have to make a point to dance with him now at the club :) We flirted pretty heavily - or at least so I thought; he claimed to be very intrigued by me - but he's surprisingly old(er than me - 27!) and also lusting after another girl. He's appointed me a friend and a shrink, to help him with this girl... oh well, guy-friends are always fun :)
There's also another guy who I remember vaguely from the club. He struck me as pretty arrogant, but it turns out he's okay. And I think he likes me. He complemented me on wearing contact lenses and on my recent haircut - he said I look much more friendly and inviting. This kind of struck a nerve with me, because the night we broke up, Noam said I sometimes look intimidating and uninviting at the club, which is why guys who don't already know me never ask me to dance. That really saddened me when Noam said it, and this guy last night mentioning that I now look "more inviting" pretty much confirms it. But oh well.
This guy also unashamedly asked me if I am, or used to be, Noam's girlfriend - he immediately after realized that it might be the latter and I might therefore be hurt by him mentioning Noam, so he amended and asked if I was part of his "gang". I very coolly and casually said, "I used to be Noam's (sort-of) girlfriend; we dated for about a month and then he pretty much dumped me two weeks ago." That's exactly the way I said it. And for a moment the two guys were stunned into silence; and then they laughed. They said "Man, you're so awesome, you're almost like a dude. We mean this in a good way, of course!"
And that was really fun to hear :) Honestly, I pride myself on being pretty guy-cool. I like action and comics movies, I can tell dirty jokes, I play pool. I swear on occasion and I'm not above a burp after a drink, which can be tequila and not just girly cocktails. I play frisbee at the beach instead of just lying there getting a tan, and I fill gas at self-service. I'm pretty cool :)
I'm ... at a pretty good place right now, regarding my self-image. Noam didn't exactly shatter my self-confidence or anything, because I know the problem was with him and not in me; but he did bring me down for a couple of weeks. The haircut has done me wonders, and last weekend I spent a few minutes really looking at myself in the mirror, wearing just panties and bra, and I smiled at my reflection and said, "I like the way I look." Sure, I wouldn't mind a few centimeters of fat off my thighs or half-a-cup-size up in the chest department, but so far I'm working with what I've got. I like my glasses as a fashion accessory, and the contacts are just for comfort purposes when I'm dancing. There are several birthmarks which I'm a bit self-conscious about, but I cover the one on my chin with make-up and the rest don't bother me so much. I'm slowly but steadily losing a little bit of weight and I'm good with my stomach and my hips. I love my navel-ring and my earrings and my tattoo.
I'm hot and I know it. It's a pity that I (and society) judge myself on whether or not I have a boyfriend, but it'll happen eventually. I want a relationship for me, not for everyone else. There are things in my attitude that I still can change for the better, but all in all, I like myself. And that's a good thing to be able to say :)