Hectic is the word (2)

This weekend has been a b.l.a.s.t.!
But I will start recalling the past week first.

Salsa classes are getting tougher, and on Monday, everyone was having difficulty at following.
It is to be expected, especially for people (like me) who don't actually practice the steps or actually go to social places to dance.
Our instructor said we HAVE to.
So my gal friend and I decided we should do something about it (stay tuned...).

On Tuesday, I went out dinner with a friend whom I haven't seen in months.
She just came back from a trip to Hong Kong.
As it is her birthday today (Sunday), I thought it would be good to meet up with her to present her pressie in advance.
It was a great evening spent, as we were updating each other with our respective news.
But it was a tiring day for me too, as I had to carry out a work-related interview with a rather enterprising young local entreprenuer.
He and his business partner are only 28, and they had this business running since they were 22.
What's amazing is that they had started out as garage programmers.
And their success is in the speed with which they respond to customer requests over the years.

Wednesday saw me postponing heading down to a place where the Salseros and Salseras usually hang out.
That's because I learnt that a female cousin from Malaysia - whom I haven't seen for 5 years - would be heading this way on a business trip this coming Friday.
Being youngish and single, my cousin is the kind who likes to party.
Like me, she previously got her degree in the UK too.
And when she heard that I was going to check out that Salsa place, she was keen to join me too.
Although my cousin doesn't know Salsa, she has learnt Latin dance before.
So I had it postponed to Friday night when she was here.

Wednesday, Thursday and earlier-half of Friday saw me transcribing the interview data like crazy.
I have RSI, so I made sure I didn't tax my fingers too much with the typing.

Come Friday, I didn't get to finish the transcription till 8 pm.
Which meant I was late at getting to my cousin's (she has been staying at a local hotel).
And at meeting another friend of mine after.
I took an overnight bag with me as I was invited to bunk in with my cousin.
It was fun, as I've never actually stayed at a local 5-star hotel, other than the one time when my local college was holding a Proms night when I was 18 and I shared a room with 3 other girls.

Friday was SO FUN.
My cousin and I, and my girlfriend first checked out the Salsa place.
It was crowded, and many people on the dance floor were good!
Then we got bored and decided to go to my favourite watering hole to drink and chill.
So I had to inform my 2 other guy friends (2 more couldn't make it) about the change, with a third guy saying he couldn't make it.
He said in his text message that he was tied up.
I replied "Enjoyed being tied up". Ha.

At my favourite watering hole, one of my guy friends and the rest of us shared 2 bottles of red wine (not a lot, I know).
We also had cheese platter and a small pizza to go with our wine too.
At the time, there were only 4 of us.
Then we went to search out another friend of mine.
He was clubbing nearby.
Initially, my gal friends and I were joking, saying that one of us ladies should get into the club to look for him, and pretend it was his wife or girlfriend - just for a laugh.
It would be great fun, as he is someone who can take a joke.

Anyway, we decided to go clubbing when we met up with my other friend.
It was wild - we went to an R&B club.
It was called Gotham Penthouse, I think.
Thinking I was out-of-touch with the latest R&B music, I discovered that I was very familiar with many of the songs played!
The DJ was good too, as the continuity of the songs was smooth.

I also had a great time teasing the 2 cute-looking squids in the fish tank!
No, I WASN'T drunk.
In fact, I was the most sober one out of the lot.
And that was despite having had probably a 1.5 glasses of red wine, 2 Tequilla shots, a Whiskey sour, and a Gin and tonic for the whole evening.
Everyone else was like feeling sleepy or happy.
Isn't that sad???

Then again, it means that I had been able to moderate my alcohol intake.
I had the nibbles from the cheese platter and drank plenty of water in-between drinks.
Which probably explains why I didn't get the usual alcohol-induced allergy of rashes the morning after. :o)

Didn't get much sleep at the hotel.
My cousin and I only arrived back at the hotel shortly after 6 am.
Broke my all-time record of getting in after 5 am...over a year ago, I think.
Ha.

Not that I have the habit of staying out till this late, mind you.
In fact, I hardly had that opportunity - in my earlier years of adulthood, my parents would be ringing me repeatedly on the phone as soon as it went slightly beyond 12 am.
Or they would make me feel gulity that they had stayed up all night to wait for me, despite me telling them NOT to.
Being the filial one, I ended up giving in to them.
But I lost out on a lot of opportunity to hang out till late with my friends at the time.
But I shan't complain.
Because I know they meant well.

Moving on...I didn't get home on Saturday till late afternoon.
That was after having treated my cousin to a Japanese lunch.

And later today, I am going out for another sashimi dinner (ha)!?
I am particularly looking forward to the black sesame ice-cream dessert afterwards.
Yum!

Next week is another fun-filled week.
At least 2 social appointments have been lined up...