Nirmal Merchant

The weekend began with birthday celebrations for Chryss.. Chryss also leaves for Greece this week and her return to NYC is uncertain.. A Full Bright scholar and a puppeteer by profession, it was our love for dance that bonded us together.. She was devoted to tap-dancing.. and to see her belly-dance was a spectacle not to be missed.. Chryss.. come back soon..

Temperatures are soaring high here in New York. On Saturday it nearly touched 99*F.. yeah I know for Mumbaites this is nothing to be alarmed about.. but trust me the Sun here hits you harder than back in Mumbai. Determined, however, to step outdoors, I walked to the nearest theatre playing "Mad Hot Ballroom" (MHB) with the intention of enjoying the AC if not the movie.. But ended up enjoying the movie more.. My salutes to the instructor of the Indigo team.. you brought out the best in your students.. taught them how to feel the music.. and let it flow through their bodies as they swayed so gracefully to the beats of Merengue, Rumba, Swing and more.. Your passion for dance and your unlimited faith in your students were very inspiring.

I had buckled under pressure of work and social engagements.. I hadn't been to the gym regularly.. so decided to partly recover the loss by pumping some good iron at the gym on Saturday. And then rushed to the Crowne Plaza Hotel at Times Square to attend the Empire State Ballroom Dance Competition. I was invited there by my dance instructor Franko and Kristina who is a professional ballroom dancer. To my delight I saw one of the dance instructors from "MHB" in the lobby.. Kristina and Christian were performing in the Open Latin Professional category and they stood 4th. Kristina looked awesome in her Tarantula creation.. Had a great time being quizzed by Franko on the beats, the music and the dance that could be performed on it.

Sunday.. was beach day.. decided to go to Sandy Hook.. with my friend Chuck.. grabbed our bikes and took the ferry from World Financial Center.. and voila you were on the beach in less than an hour. We biked all the way to the north beach and then settled on Guinisson.. As far as I can remember, I have been in the sun for hours back in Mumbai but never experienced the heat of the sun so intense as on the beaches here in the US.. inspite of layers of sun-tan lotion.. Tried body surfing.. but the waves were too choppy.. Chuck who is an ex-marine.. had a field time.. Met Melissa.. a vivacious beauty with an adventurous spirit and a jolly good sense of humor.. very extrovert and social... Messi I look forward to meeting you again and biking around Manhattan..

Had wonderful dinner at Mama Mexicana. A must visit place for New Yorkers..It rained heavily on Sunday night.. Missed Mumbai.. wondered how 38 inches of rain in two days would have felt like..

More later..