Casa de Latinos

I’ve been planning to write this article since June 26th but I’ve been putting it off till now. And seriously …. I don’t know what to say. I guess I am a little shaken over the loss of a great personality that is larger than life.

His passing is so sudden, this goes to show how fragile our life can be.

I used to be a very dedicated fan of his music, back in the 80′s. I grew up following and memorizing lyrics of songs like Beat It, You’re Not Alone, Heal The World …. and slowly, I grew out of it as I got busy with living my life. Occasionally, some of his songs caught my attention …. Bad ….. Black or White.

I must admit, I am guilty for taking him for granted. I hardly pay attention to him or his music anymore. But now that he’s no longer around …. I am beginning to feel the loss. When I first heard about the news of his passing on 25th June … my first reaction was …. hmm….ok. Then I began listening to his old songs, his old MTVs and old memories came flowing back.

I recalled the first album I bought … which was a cassette tape. And I played it on my old Denon hi-fi player which was considered the state-of-the-art audio equipment of that time. My time. Haha. And blasting “Beat It” and “Billie Jean” as loud as I could through the king-sized speakers are considered cool and rebellious.

When he sang in “We Are The World” … we all sang along. And waved. And what about the other song ….. Heal The World. I could still remember the lyrics that goes …

Heal The World
Make It A Better Place
For You And For Me
And The Entire Human Race
There Are People Dying
If You Care Enough
For The Living
Make A Better Place
For You And For Me

This is one song that can bring tears to my eyes. But not the only one. And this won’t be the only article about Michael Jackson that I am writing either. As long as his memory still lives in me … I will continue to play his music and write about him.

For now, I am hunting for his Smooth Criminal “Moonwalker” movie. I’ll hit the music stores and see if it’s available. I used to have it …. unfortunately it was a VHS tape and it got mouldy very soon.

You may be looking for a place the whole family can enjoy. Perhaps a romantic vacation or a place to meet people. At the same time you want great value for your money. Seem like an impossible task? Then maybe you haven’t considered cruising. With so many destinations and so much to do on today’s ships it is becoming a very popular alternative to more traditional vacations. Hold on a minute, you might be thinking, “cruises are not for me”.

Not anymore. Dance clubs, sports facilities, live entertainment, movies, classes, casinos and supervised children’s activities are just a few examples of how cruise ships are catering to people of all walks of life.

One of the main benefits of cruising is it’s all inclusive nature. The cost includes all the meals, 24 hour room service, cabin and entertainment just to name a few. Once you’re on board you’ll be amazed at the variety of activities and land excursions to choose from – or you can choose to do nothing but lounge on the deck.

Get ready to be pampered in a safe and relaxing environment. The high quality and worry free environment will make it a true escape from the “real world”. And what other vacation hotel lets you go to sleep at night and wake up to a new country at your front door every morning?

Enjoy fine dining every night at your reserved table. Go ahead, taste several appetizers. Try more than one soup. If you can’t decide between two salads, have both. Every night indulge yourself with such international entrees as Beef Wellington and Duck a l’Orange.

And never say no to desserts that can include such masterpieces as Baked Alaska. Every meal is an event designed just for you. So satisfy your every craving, and then walk out of the dining room without ever paying a bill.

Oops, eat too much? Staying in shape is easy. Every floating resort has a spa facility featuring state of the art gym equipment and aerobics classes. And you’ll love jogging on deck in the fresh sea air. Then relax, have a massage, steam or sauna or just a dip in the swimming pool. If you think you’re always surrounded by other guests, think again. On your ship it’s easy to find a quiet corner to contemplate the sea, read a book from the library, hold that intimate conversation or just count your blessings.

Whether you’re a newlywed or celebrating your 50th anniversary, you’ll feel the special magic of being on a ship miles out to sea. Which isn’t to say singles won’t enjoy a sea going vacation. As a matter of fact they’ll have a blast.

Whether you love musicals, hard rock, country or big band you’ll find ships playing your song. In the showroom you’ll cheer the Vegas-style revues. Don’t plan on deep conversation in the high energy dance club; save your talks for the friends you’ll meet at the sing-along piano bar, or for each other as you stroll along the deck before turning in.

Nothing on earth compares to the value of a cruise vacation. One low price covers just about everything. All your meals are included. Almost every shipboard activity is included. Even the entertainment is included.

Compare that to most land vacations when you’re constantly faced with the added expenses and hassles of reservations, valet parking, buying theater tickets, looking for transportation and searching for things to do.

Oh.. and what land vacation can take you from one exotic destination to another while you dance and dine or dream the night away! On a cruise your ship is a floating resort and in the morning they bring a new island or country right to your front door!

But… Only take a cruise if your idea of the perfect holiday requires…

• romantic destinations
• hassle free relaxed atmosphere
• outrageous personal pampering
• unpacking your bags once
• five star dining and gourmet cuisine
• 24 hour complimentary room service
• activities galore to keep you AND the kids happy
• outstanding nightly entertainment
• spas and fitness facilities
• an opportunity to sample paradise islands and historical cities – in comfort
• ease of having my family and friends join me
• very, very affordable prices

Beauty, wonder, glory. They surround us, but do we notice? Do we rush through life at such a pace that the things that really matter appear as a blur…if at all?

Prisoners at the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center or CPDRC are considered the most dangerous offenders in the Philippines. But thanks to four hours of dance lessons a day, their behavior has been transformed. Previously, Cebu prison was a wretched place ruled by rival gangs. But when the warden introduced dance lessons, everything changed. “Everyone became friends”. Now the prisoners spend most of the day practicing new routines. These prisoners became a worldwide sensation when a video of them dancing to Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” was uploaded to YouTube by Byron Garcia, the security consultant of the Cebu Provincial Government.

Byron Garcia originally wanted to introduce a program at Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center (CPDRC) where inmates would exercise for an hour each day. He saw waves of prisoners in the exercise yard and thought it looked good. He also claims in a British documentary that his inspiration came while watching the movie The Shawshank Redemption in particular the scene where the sounds of Mozart’s Figaro flood the prison yard.

Garcia initially introduced an exercise program where the prisoners marched in unison, starting out with marching to the beat of a drum, but moved on to dancing to pop music; he began with one of his favorite songs, Pink Floyd’s “Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2)”. He chose camp music such as In The Navy and Y.M.C.A. by The Village People, so macho prisoners would not be offended at being asked to dance.

Garcia’s first upload of prisoner choreography was the Algorithm March, but this was almost entirely ignored. But the next upload Thriller had a massive response.

This YouTube footage, uploaded in mid-July, shows the prisoners dancing to the Michael Jackson song “Thriller.” The skit features Niere, playing Jackson, and Resane, as the “girl,” along with more than 1,500 other inmates performing in the background. To date, the “Thriller” video has garnered almost 15 million views to date. There’s even a Wikipedia article on the video itself!The prison now even has its own official choreographer teachers, like Vince Rosales and Gwen Laydor. Some prisoners are chosen more prominently for more sophisticated routines while the general prison population (sometimes up to 1500 inmates) participate with simpler more accessible routines.

So if dancing can change the lives of these inmates at the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center, imagine what it can do for you. So if you haven’t tried dancing, it’s not too late. You never know where it might lead you.

Here are more video performances from the inmates at the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center.

I Will Follow Him
Haruhi Dance
“Canon in D – Pachabel”
Soulja Boy
“Jump”
Radio Gaga
Do The Hustle
Jumbo Hotdog
“Rico Mambo” 2

New, innovative ideas are born on a regular basis but few succeed be it for lack of passion or follow through. Some ideas can start off being incomprehensible but with constant hard work, courage and mostly perseverance, guts and will, can create a chain of successful reaction and become a landmark achievement.

Salsa Cruise Asia 2009: Dance With The World is a 6 days 5 nights event starting 22nd – 27th November 2009 on board Legend of the Seas. It is aimed at promoting healthy lifestyle through a dance-themed cruise vacation featuring more than 30 international dance instructors and performers thereby attracting dance enthusiast and travellers alike from all over the world to participate in this event. This event is expected to be attended by participants from all around the world whilst travelling across 3 exotic Asian destinations from Singapore to Malaysia and finally, Phuket, Thailand on board the cruise ship.

The SCA’09 is organised to promote appreciation for dance activities to non-dancing audiences while providing a platform for emerging dancers to perform and develop these skills. The increase of interest will eventually position Malaysia as host to performing arts events of international standard. SCA’09 will provide an excellent platform for organisations and companies seeking branding opportunities.

As a continued effort to create awareness from the official launch, SCAsia Sdn Bhd, the organisers of the SCA’09 has created a series of events to help sell, market and promote the event. The key factors during these awareness campaigns are to CONVERT, REVIVE and MOTIVATE participants of the SCA’09.

CONVERT is aimed at non salsa dancers who may have two left feet but want to still be part of the salsa experience.

REVIVE is aimed at ex salsa dancers who no longer participate or dance but still have an undying passion towards salsa.

MOTIVATE is aimed at active members to continue their interest in salsa.

Here are some of the events organized by SCA’09 since January 2009.

• Salsa Cruise Asia 2009 Official Launching
• Salsa Cruise Asia Pre-Chinese New Year Party
• SALSA CRUISE ASIA 2009 INTERNATIONAL TOUR – AUSTRALIA
• Salsa Cruise Asia “Romantic Pink” Salsa Party
• Salsa Cruise Asia 70′s Havana Night Fever
• Salsa Cruise Asia Masquerade Salsa Party
• Salsa Cruise Asia “Venezuelan Colors” Salsa Party
• SALSA CRUISE ASIA 2009 INTERNATIONAL TOUR – SINGAPORE