I have a new little resolution. I’m going to make more of an effort to compliment people, if I notice things that are compliment-worthy.

Being winter, I’m back to wearing my Gallery Serpentine Coat of Awesome. This morning, the following has happened:

• Random guy in Starbucks: “That is a fantastic coat.”
• Lady standing beside me at traffic lights: “I just love your coat. Where did you get it?”
• Colleague in elevator: “That is an awesome coat.”

I’ve also had shop assistants in my favourite clothing store demand to know where I bought it – they were quite upset when the answer was “Australia” and thus “not easily accessible”.

Anyway, the upshot of it is that a) compliments are great, and I believe in paying it forward b) this coat was worth every penny of the nearly six hundred dollars I paid for it.

I’m a bit stuck with dance. The zouk and salsa classes that I want to do are both on the same nights – and not only on the same night, in different places, but at the same TIME. As a result, I’ve settled for doing a lower level of salsa class (improvers rather than intermediate), just to have SOMETHING. Somewhat to my surprise, my salsa teacher told me not to bother paying – just show up, practice, and help out the newer dancers.

My zouk teachers aren’t teaching intermediate right now, either. So, in order to have something, I stepped back to their improvers classes (and, you know, I’m still learning/improving/refining the basics). Last night, they told me not to bother paying – just show up, practice, and help out the newer dancers.

I’m really chuffed. It’s nice to feel like I’m competent at something, albeit at a lower level. Really nice.

The dance studio are running a zouk performance course, for the Salsa Ball in August. The routine was created by William and Paloma (the world champs) and I’m going for it. It’s bound to be hard work, but I actually think I’m ready for the challenge.