I love "Mad Hot Ballroom"!

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It's actually a documentary about schoolchildren in various New York public schools picking up ballroom dancing for a national competition. The children from the schools are mostly kids from single parent families or who have parents are low-educated (can detect it from the way they speak their English). The middle-class children in New York get to go to piano or dancing classes, but these kids don't get the same treatment. This is a free programme that the local schools do to help these kids learn to live life with a purpose, and to give them something they can be compete in.

It's interesting to see the children's transformation from clumsy and awkward beginners to seasoned dancers. And to see how they learn the way of life through the contests. They talk about their feelings about dancing with the opposite sex, their feelings about disappointments. Yet through it all, even after the anguish not understanding why they lose out to the other schools in the heats, the faces brighten up with their optimism for future.

One thing I noted: I believe I am right to conclude that the children in the show are more innocent than Singaporean kids. They are easily contented with simple rewards and encouragements. Whereas in my experience working with local kids, most Singaporean children are very cynical at just about anything. They somehow think they know what are we up to, and assumes by knowing that, they are smarter.

I think street kids a.k.a. latchkey children are more receptive to concern and attention shower upon them than the comfortable little emperors/princesses in most Singaporean households. Sure, it takes up more effort to care for them, however, it's most heartening when they sparkle in their own ways.

So anyway... Go watch the movie. Rent it, buy it... It's fun and it's touching. It's not adorned with Hollywood blitz. Just a simple and sincere movie about believing and never give up. Nobody would think they need less of these, right?

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Ok, the reason why I blog tonight is also because I am feeling very restless. My intepretation exam is this coming Saturday. Practing consecutive and simultaneous intepretation from English to Chinese and Chinese to English is hard! :S I could barely catch up with the speaker on the MP3 files :( I didn't achieve much, and it's rather demoralising to know that I am really bad :((

Aiyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.... So frustrating and sianz.. :(