MACAM MACAM MALAYSIA

Firstly, it was the stupid MRR2 closure which had caused a living hell for road users like me. They had to close it to repair the hairline cracks on 30 out of 33 pillars, which were initially thought to be only 18 cracked pillars. Short by 12 pillars? Don’t know Maths is it?? They said they gonna take 4 ½ months. I doubt it. Looks like at least a year to me.

Malaysians: They always underestimate and never meet deadlines.

Secondly, the nude squat case. After big hoo hah to set up committee, this, that, everything – they only come to one conclusion. No more nude squat – after this thing had been carrying on for years, now only they realize it is degrading? Maybe it is necessary for drug related stuffs – I saw the same thing in Hong Kong movies before – this is indeed a standard procedure. But not till doing it repetitively 10x lah. Not tired meh? One thing is – they never seem to penalize the person who took the video. And as usual, Malaysians will take the setting up of a placebo committee as solution and get on with their lives.

Malaysian: They like to set up committee to show that they are serious about an issue. Then, the committee would remain as a white elephant – till another issue crop up and they will set another committee, then another and another. The number of committees set up would outnumber the toll collection booths in no time.

Now, the stink in the water. I didn’t take my bath the whole day yesterday as I remained almost in a comatose state for about 6 hours in the evening. When I woke up, I did some stuffs on my laptop and I found something stinks. At first, I thought it was me.

So I took my bath late at 9 pm and the smell got really overpowering. I thought it was the smell from the street, after the garbage truck pick up time. I was wrong. It was the water.

My 17 year old cousin speculated that it was culprit of the culled chickens due to bird flu. They buried them near the water dam that the rotting smell sipped into the earth and then, the dam. Quite imaginative for a 17 year old. I guess I know what she will be doing in college, probably some creative writing or advertising as she could blow things outta proportion – or maybe a good candidate to be a politician.

I learnt that, due to the heavy rain the night before (Saturday), the sewage sort of flow/flooded into the water dam. How could that be? How can they build a sewage reservoir anywhere near to drinking water?? Got use brain or not? That one, I am not too sure – even if I did go for a regatta once in Batu Dam. I remember a few people took their baths and answering nature’s call in the dam – they even have motor boats in the dam.. so…. No comment.

I hope the stinks would go off soon or else – I would still need to take bath with the waste water. I know I am an asshole at times – but I don’t have to smell like one.

PS. I don’t usually do social commentary like this.. not bad for someone who don’t really have time to read the papers. I only listen to the 10 minutes news in my car every morning.

Update:

The 30 sen hike in petrol? Damn! It was a lucky thing I am changing job nearer to home - like 5 minutes' drive away? Well, last night, after SB called up to inform me of the increase, and laymank telling me over the yahoo messenger - I didn't scramble out to pump petrol. Coincidentally, I was about to go to a friend's house to collect things, at the same time, checking out the petrol station. As usual, all those kiasus were there, jamming up the petrol station. It was 11.10 pm already, 50 minutes to go. I didn't wanna take risk and wait in line. I went to ta pao a tai pao instead.

IN THE END: LOVE

It’s 3 am and it’s raining. Usually, when the rain starts to fall, the house is quiet, and time seems to standstill; thoughts wander.

What is life, if there is no love?

Love can make or break. It is a risky game. If one hasn’t tasted the forbidden fruit, one will not know how sweet it is. But when one do, all hell breaks loose. One has to be responsible to deal with the consequences; good or bad.

Many people mistaken lust for love. They are not the same. They are just interchangeable. Towards the end of the day, when youthfulness fade, wrinkles surface, passing of time taking its toll on the physical being, if there’s still love in the end, then one has won.

There is no guarantees that love will be at the end of the road to greet you but I am sure everyone works hard towards achieving that goal. Don’t fret if things don’t happen the way they should or could have been.

One just needs to learn to surrender all. That’s when love buds begin to grow, even in the coldest winter.

It’s still February. The feelings' overwhelming.

DATELESS IN SELAYANG

For the past few days, I had been spending time with an ex colleague of mine, Cili Padi, yakking just about anything under the sun. Apart from bitching the usual stuffs about work, the two of us lamented over the fact that we lack of dates. Both of us seem to have the same taste in men – age, looks, what wheels the men drive, etc don’t matter, we are prone in dating non-Chinese or half Chinese, men with incredible wit, and most men we are seriously interested in are usually taken. Just too bad.

Cili Padi complained about men she dated, telling her – the right person always comes at the wrong time. Whereas for me, the men I dated, used to tell me – the right person always comes in the wrong size.

It has been sometime since I last dated. Most of my dates come from the internet. In fact, I met most of my good friends online – James, Kat, Pilot Boy, Ed, just to name a few.

Well, going out with Ed does not count for obvious reason. Sekinchan Boy doesn’t count either because he thinks I am a man and I think of him otherwise. The Monk and I slept on the same bed and yet nothing happened, except both of us snored till morning and he had to fart while sleeping. Takeshi, well, we are merely BKT connoisseurs and he calls me “dude”.

I kinda miss the good old days when I dated ferociously. Call me promiscuous or whatever – I used to date 7 men in a year.

So, where have the good cowboys gone?

I am not particular about looks coz I am not a looker myself. God made my mother pretty – unfortunately, all her genes are recessive. The only nice thing I inherited from my mother is probably half of her million-dollar smile.

I am okay to date a man as long as he takes care of his personal hygiene. Before your mind starts to run wild on possible bedroom romps, let me give you an example.

I once went out with a guy whose eyes were so red and watery. Shit kept on oozing out from his eyes, while we were having tom yam. As he was talking to me, he kept on rubbing his eyes, and then wiped it on his shirt. I tried to remain optimistic but his eyes were uncooperative. He blamed it on lack of sleep. The scene from Ally McBeal disgusted over the lack of table manners of her date kept playing in my mind that instant.

At the end of the day, I seriously don’t think I could go out with someone with no basic personal hygiene. He could always arrange another day of meeting, when his eyes decided not to give him too much trouble.

As I am quite a practical person, I don’t think there would be any fairy tale like dates in this era of dating. You know – the love at first sight thingy or you-are-made-for-me kinda shit. Apart from the few amusing people that I had dated, there were also a few men who couldn’t wait to get into my pants (and I thought I have no sex appeal).

A colleague of mine asked me today whether I would like to join her to register at MCA Cupid’s Club to try our luck. I politely declined and wished her all the best. She complained lack of men too; at the same time, telling me, she doesn’t really like socializing. HUH? Then how the heck are you supposed to get to know men? You have to go out! I doubt men would come knocking at your door if you live like a nun.

Some friends find it rather odd that I never find anyone despite having such a large circle of friends. Instead, I helped in pairing up other friends. They said I should be doing this favor for myself first. Well, nobody would be interested in a woman looking like the blue mascot of TMNet.

We wish it were as simple as our parents’ yesteryears. My mother met my dad in the amusement park; where my mum worked. My dad, a soldier then, went to the park for some entertainment to kill time. They courted and got married.

My boss, Sugar, met her husband in a Christmas party. Speaking of which, Sugar tried to relive her success by match making me with her husband’s eligible friends when I went to her house warming party late last year. The plan fell flat because she was making it too obvious and I couldn’t forget the look on the men’s faces when being introduced. Some of them were rather shy and some of them shocked. I guess, anyone would be rudely shocked to be introduced to the uglier version of TMNet Mascot. Two out of six men (not bad lah, score 33%) gave me their business cards (proud to say they are the cuter ones – ha ha!!) – but I have misplaced them. Shame on me. Opportunity flying off the window, just like that.

Hotbabe YY wanted to introduce me to this hairy hunk by asking me to join them for a movie in Mid Valley. (She showed me a partly naked picture of him taken in their Redang trip – Ooo.. nose bleed). I did go but I was too tired to stay. I bid them goodbye after the movie and didn’t even look at the hairy guy in flesh before I left. There were some other girlfriends ogling and practically swarming him – that was why I didn’t even had the chance to have a proper look at him.

Anny – aiyoh.. She mailed me many pictures of her eligible friends for me to choose from. Macam catalogue book ala Vietnam Bride? But this one comes free of charge. Ha ha.

Over the weekend, my third aunt asked me if I needed help to find a partner. I just looked aloof and pretended I was a wax dummy.

I know my friends and relatives meant well. Even fate (during one “kow chim” session in temple) told me I should use the service of an intermediary in order to find the match. But, I think, probably it was meant for me to be alone.

Or I was just telling a friend – maybe I should change my sexual orientation and be a lesbian, as I seemed to score better luck with women. I wonder when will Snow invite me to her all-lesbians pool side party again? Wah.. those tiny bikinis!!

Hot Momma Sharon came to town last week and we went out for coffee. She told me about her Indonesian maids – having sex every night with different Bangladeshi guys. She even caught them red handed doing it under an unused truck. Geez. Even maids are luckier?!

Ah well, probably you people think I am such a fussy pot. How to be fussy when I have no choice at all? I would like to think this as a natural selection. Probably I just don’t have the good genes to propagate that God made me a spinster.

I could never find someone who would at least love me as I am and pray for a better luck in my next life. I wish Cili Padi good luck though.

CHAI BOI WEEKEND

Chai Boi is a delicacy for the hokkiens – in the event that there were too much left over; everything would be chucked into a pot and salted vegetables added into it to be cooked as new dish altogether.

This is how I described my last weekend.

Sasha in the pool, the four great ladies, PD during low tide

Since, our aunts from Taiping were here in KL for my cousin brother’s registration on Valentine’s Day, we persuaded them to stay longer and took them to a retreat in Port Dickson.

When you have four elderly ladies traveling with you, expect to see these:-

(1) All food would be taken care of, as they hated to dine outside. They always think it is cheaper to cook them and will not pay hefty sum of money for crabs.
(2) All the left over during Chinese New Year would be brought along as picnic food. (Shrunken mandarin oranges! Yucks!)
(3) They wake up at wee hours in the morning and kick up a fuss in the kitchen to make breakfast for you.
(4) There would be numerous washing of clothes. (Mom will kill me for photographing her undies!!)

Granny's undies, medicines, instant noodles, scattered slippers

(5) They would cover you with blankets in the middle of the night.
(6) They would pack your bags even if you specifically tell them not to.
(7) They would take medicine/tablets together with their kopi-O kaw kaw.
(8) They would nag you to go to bed even if it was only 11 pm.
(9) They would stuff your mouth with food that they could lay their hands on and always think you haven’t eaten. (Hello – look at this size!! I grow fatter just looking at the food!)

(10) One thing that surprised me was; they didn’t make the beds.

As they went on to visit some relatives in Senawang (an activity which I wasn’t too keen); I was glued to the sofa in the apartment to watch some reruns of movies (I think I had watched Raising Helen 3x in a day) and dozed off in between. I reread Rumi’s Book of Love over and over again.

Feels like being at home on a holiday.

File under: Kindred Spirits

IN LOVE

In love
There is no right or wrong
Black or white
Good or bad

In love
There is only give and take
Only forgive and forget
Without regrets

In love
We only live in the present
The past left behind
The future's blind

In love
Time stands still
To discover each other
Like prized treasure

In love
It drives you to the brink
Of hope or despair
Of recklessness or care

In love
Is to let him know
Without him
There will be no you

In love
Is to see him happy
To see his smile
That runs a mile

In love
Is to love him unconditionally
Letting go when it is due
And live life anew

I wrote this sometime last year to comfort a friend, lost in love. I hope this would be comforting for those in need of it too.

Special note:-

I had classified my posts accordingly - Travels, Glutton, Jiwang, Bitchin' and family for ease of reference. (Check out the side bar - Gina's Grooves.) I know VJ would be delighted. Heh!

LIFE BEGINS AT 30?

This week had been hectic.

Firstly, my cousin brother’s marriage registration in Thean Hou temple on Valentine’s Day itself together with 142 other couples. I took the day off to be the photographer. There was an unexplained horrendous jam that morning. I was glad though, that I turned out at the nick of time to snap pics while the group of 143 couples congregated to take a group photo with the Chief Monk and the organizers of the mass marriage registration. The sun was bright and the sky was blue. All in all, it was a good day to get married.

Blessed Wedding

Tomorrow night, our family will be adjourning to Port Dickson to celebrate the wedding. It is going to be fun, having our beloved aunts from Port Weld, Taiping with us. I have yet to recover from my tragic sunburnt though.

My birthday celebration was taken to the top notch this year. As much as I wanted to keep it simple, my friends had other ideas. I was surprised with a bouquet of gerberas and a cake at the Loft. At home over the weekend, my sister bought my tarot-reading cousin sister (her birthday is one day earlier than mine) and I, a vanilla ice cream cake. The kids were too excited that they blew the candles way before we finished singing the birthday song. My office colleagues took me to lunch at Dome and put a candle on a brownie with vanilla ice cream. Most memorable of all, Ed baked me red velvet cake and invited me to dinner with his close friends. I am 80 years old this year – considering the amount of candles I extinguished over the week.

A reader previously suggested that I should list down the presents that I’ve gotten for my birthday this year. As I have emphasized in a reply to her; it is not the presents that serves as a measurement of a friendship; it is always the thought that counts. I would be happy enough if my friends remember my birthday and send me a text or call me to wish me or if they insist, take me to lunch or dinner, which most of my friends did. If they don’t remember, it is also fine. It is hard to remember someone else other than your most loved one on this special day.

I don’t look forward to receiving things from people. I feel that it’s a waste of hard earned money – and also at times, things given might be impractical. Friends who know me best; understand that I don’t expect anything from them on such occasion. Nevertheless, I thank them for the kind thoughts and generosity.

Ed's Italiano dinner and Red Velvet cake!

Four singletons were invited over for dinner at Ed’s place on Valentine’s Day. I jokingly remarked, was it because we were singles that Ed took a pity on us and cook us Valentine's Day dinner. Or maybe it was his selfish agenda to keep him company? Ha ha. He knew I was kidding.

This group shared the same sentiment of being single. We were not exactly happy being single, as we could get horny at times...err.. I mean, lonely. Having someone with you doesn’t guarantee you being happier either. It depends on the way you look at things. In our society, especially the Chinese who emphasizes on inheritance, we were very much pressured into finding a suitor to bring a family up. It proved to be more difficult when you are gay. How are you supposed to tell your parents? I admire Ed for his courage and will, in not conforming to the norm of the society, at the same time, agonnizing over the pain that he had gone through to finally accept that he’s a homosexual.

For me, I think, whatever actions we have taken, would be accounted for. We live to be answerable to ourselves and also to God (if any) when we die. It doesn’t matter what other people think. As long as we had done our best to live and love this life, it is good enough. It is important to learn to detach ourselves from a nagging problem. Every problem has a solution. You need to look beyond your problem, seek help if needed and do not dwell in them for too long.

A friend’s friend died in a scuba diving accident recently, which caught all his friends, off guard. He was at his peak in his highly charged career and was ready to start a family. The unexpected happened, he died doing the hobby he loved most. We pray that God would bless his soul and hope that he is in better hands now. When it’s time, it’s time. Nothing can escape fate.

Life is indeed too short to be constantly worried about too many things. No doubt, life is unpredictable and impermanent; there are still things to look forward in life. My birthday had proved that there are people out there who loved me for who I am, and accepted me for my shortcomings and weaknesses.

So, what did I wish for my birthday? Simple. I hope each and everyone of my friends would remain positive and safe. As for the 5 of us on the Valentine’s Day dinner, we hope to remain positively single.

I think my life began way earlier before pushing 30. My instinct tells me that, at 30, it’s going to be as good as it gets.

BALI ESCAPADE: THE LAND OF THE SPIRITS

The Sacred Places

Bali indeed lives up to its other name, the Land of the Spirits. Everywhere you go, you see temples. As the majority Balinese are Hindus – about 90% of the total population, you can expect festivals happening almost every other day. In fact, along our stay there for 5 days and 4 nights, there is always signboard on the streets advising us to slow down to observe rituals taking place. Every morning or evening (once a day), locals would place offerings, consists of flowers, rice, cookies and joss stick at their doorsteps to ward off evils. If the offerings are being placed on the altars, they were meant for the divine beings.

My guide, Wayan Mudra, told us that Balinese hardly leave their own country as they had to fork out a lot of money for festivals alone – birth, death, birth of the gods, family tradition, etc in which the cost to have all the festivals ranging from at least RP500,000 (RM200) to millions. It is not easy for them, as their income per capita averaged about RP1 million (RM400). Even a child who is still in the womb would be taxed even before he/she is born!

Each temple has several sections. One is the public compound where people would congregate to watch dramas, plays or even cock fights. Cock fights are not for gambling purposes. They would need to have a festival to have cock fights. Other than that, it is considered illegal. Either cock has to bleed and die in order to appease the spirits in the temple.

I can’t remember functions of the other sections though. It has something to do with the Trinity Hindu Gods.. I have short attention span at times.

There are rules to be adhered before entering temples. Ladies, if it is the time of the month, you are not allowed to go into temples. Visitors should dress decently before entering temples. For those people who are wearing shorts would be required to don on sarungs (available for free at the ticketing booth), before entering.

Puri Tampaksiring a.k.a. Tirtha Empul

A 10th Century temple. As we were passing by this temple, on the way to Gunung Kawi, I saw a lot of people gathering in the temple for a festival. Wayan said, Tirtha means “water” and Empul means “rise”. The spring water arises from the ground. The holy water from the spring is used to ward off evil spirits. WY and I had a go and washed our face with the holy spring water like other Balinese who were performing prayers there.

The banyan tree here is already more than 1,000 years old. Everything here is old but amazingly, well maintained, despite most of the statues were covered by moss.

Puri Taman Ayun

It’s a Mengwi’s royal family shrine built in the 18th century. The temple with a foremost garden, in which the layout represents heaven, where celestial maidens and deified ancestors relax and play.

We could just watch from outside as tourists were not allowed to loiter inside the temple. The graceful multi-roofed meru (pagodas) towering above the walls like the lofty masts of a huge ship.

Puri Danu Bratan

Situated next to Lake Bratan, built around the 17th Century. When we went there, it was drizzling. Everything is covered with fog. It can be quite cold up here. We were lucky enough to have time to snap some photos before the area was sealed with thick fog.

At Tasik Bratan, they have water activities such as canoeing. The water here is not used for drinking as the cremated ashes were thrown into them. Geez. I wonder where did they get water to cook our food? I refused to think about it.

It’s a harmonious fusion of Hindu and Buddhist shrines. On the lake, there is a two multiple meru (pagodas) sitting at the edge of Lake Bratan. Within the vicinity, there is a stupa (memorial shrine) of 4 buddha niches around its sides facing the four major compass directions.

Puri Tanah Lot

This is probably the most famous temple in Bali, built in the 16th Century. If you had gone to Bali, and never been here – then consider yourself haven’t been to Bali at all.

While we were waiting for the magnificent sunset view, we saw a few tourists trying to cross the waves during high tide into the temple. I won’t do that if I were them. I was given the understanding that, there were poisonous sea snakes living in the caves and rocks around the base of the outcropping, believed to be guarding the temple against intruders.

The snakes, were believed to originated from the sash given by a legendary Hindu priest, Danghyang Nirartha, who requested a temple to be built here to commemorate his visit.

If I were to go again, I would join the westerners at the restaurants by the sea for a better sunset view.

Goa Gajah

Carved out of solid rocks in the 11th Century, believed to be by a divine being, using only finger nails. If we could believe in UFOs, I think this is also not a hoax as the design could be so intricate and delicate that I swore I could feel the eyes of the elephant face following me everywhere I go.

Inside the cave, there is a T shaped lorong – where there are hollow spaces enough to fit a person, usually used for meditation. At the end of both junctions, there are shrines for Lord Ganesh and the three lingas.

Overlooking the cave, there is a bathing area, which is now defunct. There are 6 voluptuous female figures pouring water out of a jar. Colorful fishes could be seen swimming in the ponds.

Puri Luhur Uluwatu

Built in the 11th Century, also by the same legendary Hindu priest, Danghnyang Nirartha and this was his last before he passed on.

The sight of the cascading limestone was maginificent to behold. Soothing cool breeze from the Indian Ocean caressed your face while you admire the beauty of clear turquoise sea water beating against the whiteness of the limestone cliffs.

Be careful of the "guardian" of this temple though! Wild monkeys are everywhere. You are advised to take off your spectacles, ear rings, necklaces, hats etc. Hold on tight to your cameras and bags.

This is our definite favorite temple, so far.

There are other temples which we haven’t covered, but basically, they are almost the same – with Hindu inclined designs and multi roofed merus and canti bentar.

This is the last post on Bali. I hope you guys did not get woozy after reading the marathon blogs on Bali! Take your time to read through or just feast your eyes on the pictures while I take a break from blogging for awhile.

I love Bali! I hope you guys would love it too!

Source of info: Wayan Mudra & a little bit of help from Insight Pocket Guide: Bali (Discovery Channel)
All pictures of Bali here are taken using Canon Ixus50.

BALI ESCAPADE: THE SCENERY

The Scenery

Bali boasts a variety of beautiful sceneries around its islands. The landscape of Bali is unpredictable - you have volcanoes, lakes, rice terrace, high terrains, limestone cliffs, waterfalls, clear turquoise oceans, etc. The list is endless. A definite place for photobug freaks like me.

Gunung Kawi

A twin volcano – one is dead, the other one is still active. Since it is a tourist infested place – there are quite some ruthless peddlers, some are little children, who couldn’t stop bugging you to buy things from them, even if we had told them, we were not interested. I was kinda disappointed that I had to take pics in a haste. I would love to walk along the stretch of downhill road, to slowly take my time to snap pics if not for the unruly peddlers. I saw corns being dried in the sun, villagers giving offerings to their individual family shrines, clothes being dried on the grass instead of being hung up, ladies carrying things on their heads, etc.

Rice Terrace

It was pouring as we were coming down from Lake Bratan and Bedugul, much to our dismay. Bali experiences rainy seasons from December to March. So, if you want to plan your holidays, might as well go to Bali after the rainy seasons. We were lucky though to have caught the Gunung Kawi not covered by fog.

This rice terrace pic is taken at a villa/restaurant along the road from Bedugul market. The quality of this pic is compromised due to rain. Chotto sumimasen.

Nyang Nyang

On our way from Uluwatu, Wayan, seeing that I am such photobug freak, decided to drop us at Nyang Nyang for a photobug session. We had to pay for drinks before even entering the villa. This place consists of a few private villas, built for tourists who prefer tranquility and peace. The garden is well maintained. It is a great place for honey mooners.

What I liked most, is the pool side restaurant, overlooking the very blue Indian Ocean. You feel as if you were at the end of the earth, looking downwards at the white sandy beaches against the infinite skyline of the Indian Ocean.

Simply breath-taking. I was glad that Wayan took us here. He deserved a BIG TIP!

Agriculture farm in between Kawi and Tampaksiring

Being a KLite, WY is not used to seeing trees of fruits. Unlike me, the village pumpkin, I know how ciku trees look like. I even climbed one before. Here, we get to see leaves and trees for our everyday use or consumption, which we totally ignorant about.They sell all kinds of agriculture goods - vanilla stick, cocoa powder, fruits, Balinese coffee, etc. We even get to sample the cocoa and coffee here before buying.

This is the first time that I ate salak.

Wishnu Garuda Kencana (WGK) at Jimbaran

This place lies the biggest statue in the world, and it is even bigger than Statue of Liberty. It is indeed big – provided that the project is completed. Unfortunately, project had been halted due to lack of investors.

It is going to be a major tourism spot, boasting the biggest monument in the world, with its own shopping compound, major offices and an open air stadium (pic 3). It would take another 20 years to realize this.

There will be carvings on the limestone walls (pic 2) once the project is completed. For the time being, since project has been halted, the place is scarce of visitors. The lack of people was also being contributed by the fanatic terrorists attack on Jimbaran Beach last October. Sometimes, I find it quite devastating and plain stupidity to have caused so much unnecessary hardship to your own fellow countrymen, pursuing incomprehensible agendas using violence.

The Beaches

It was a shame that we hardly spent time on the beach while we were at Bali as we were too busy shopping. The only time that we had our time in Bali, is Kuta Beach on the evening before our departure the next day and Nusa Dua beach on our way back to hotel from Uluwatu.

Kuta Beach

This is where I decided not to put on sun block – as I thought I would only be at Kuta Square for last minute shopping. We stopped by Kuta Beach to check out hot bods on surf boards. Kinda disappointed that we didn’t see many. Kuta beach caters for beginners. Those hardcore surfers get their adrenalin rush at Southern beaches or Northern beaches for higher waves.

Nusa Dua Beach

Looks like Perhentian Islands to me. Only more organized and cleaner. You don't get durian skins floating around the place where you snorkle! This is where you get all the 5 stars hotels. Perfect place for honey mooners as it is quiet and away from the hustling and bustling Kuta.

Sunsets

I think I haven't traveled far enough to see sunsets from other parts of the world. But the one in Tanah Lot is suffice for the time being. Taken on the backdrop of the Indian Ocean.

You will not miss any sunsets in Bali. Find any spot, and you would get to see magnificent sunsets along the beach.

These sunset pictures were all taken at Tanah Lot. If I were to go to Bali again (which is almost definite), I would love to watch the sunset at Uluwatu.

BALI ESCAPADE: THE MAKAN PLACES

The Makan Place

As this was a full board trip, our food was well taken care of. The food over there is very much bland compare to our food in Malaysia, probably the lack of use of spices. Obviously, we were taken to places where spices are used sparingly to suit the tastes of the tourists. The portion of servings was too big for two people, so we invited Wayan and Adi to dine together with us.

It is advisable to go venture on your own at the small stalls. But, not recommended for people with weak stomach.

Perama Tea House at Lake Bratan

Humongous portions. Nothing to brag about, the taste of the beef is funny. They called it sapi here. The fried rice is smashing though.

Selera Bandung, near Kuta

Both of us particularly loved this restaurant for the famous serving of a fresh water fish – which I couldn’t recall the name. It is prepared in Javanese style – deep fried and comes along with a plate of soya sauce with cili padi.

Babi Guling

Everyone advised us not to miss this specialty of Balinese food. The best can be found in Ubud. As we were already overstuffed with pre arranged food, we made a pass while we were in Ubud, and had this after our trip to Uluwatu on the last day.

Bintang Beer

At only Rp8,000 (RM3.20 - you may get cheaper if you buy them from K-Mart), indulge this drink – I loved it for the fact that it is less bitter compared to other brew. Something like a light beer.

I prefer this over KilKenny anytime!

Coffee

Balinese coffee trees, which are grown in Bali, cater for local consumption only. The taste was rather bland, almost like charcoal.

We had a go at this Uno Coffee Cipta Indonesia, (UCCI) office near Kuta.

Here, we were treated like coffee connoisseurs – having 4 shots of coffee and tea at a go. Actually we are not connoisseurs. We are just coffee addicts.

It is nice to have met a fellow Malaysian, Mr Lee from Ipoh, who is running his family coffee business here in Bali. The head office is in Jakarta, which has a history of 60 years; specializing in Indonesian coffee. Coffee trees were grown on volcanic soil in either Sulawesi or Java.

The highly marketable coffee of Indonesia is Toraja Arabica coffee, grown on the soil of Toraja Highlands in South Sulawesi.

There is also a special coffee bean, called the Peaberry – its coffee bean comes in pairs. I was told regular coffee beans can be split into two but not this one.

The coffees are superbly aromatic. The taste is not as “kaw” as our most loved local Aik Cheong coffee, as they were not mixed with oils/butters when they are roasted. I was told that Indonesian coffee contained 1/3 caffeine compared to other normal coffee and has lower caffeine content compared to Coke!

What we loved most is the Peaberry chocolate – milk and sugar were not added, even if they do taste milky. The special thing about this bar of chocolate is the 12 Peaberry beans in every bar. WY and I perked up after helping ourselves with a few servings of chocolates. Chocolates are indeed aphrodisiacs!

UCCI’s offices in Bali

JL. By Pass Ngurah-Rai, Komp. Ruko
Tuban Plaza No. 38 Kuta Bali 80362
Tel: (0361) 759 439, 763 797

Or

Monkey Forest StreetPadang Tegal, Ubud, Bali 80571
Tel: (0361) 974 252

P.S. I hope my explanation is accurate enough – as I had promised to mail Mr Lee once this post is out. (In exchange for some discounts on the purchases – ha ha!)

BALI ESCAPADE - SHOPPING SPREE

I will randomly post the stories of Bali as I had been to too many places at such short period of time that I actually lost track of the names of the places I visited!

Before the trip, I was given a few pointers by friends who had been there and loved everything about Bali. Among the few good advices, I find these few handy:-

(1) Don’t bargain with the peddlers on the street, unless you are serious about buying something from them, or else, they would continue to bug you till your earwax fall off.
(2) Wear sun block all the time (which I conveniently ignored on the last day as I was lazy, and had to pay hefty consequences of having disgusting skin flakes on my neck line and face now.)
(3) If you were to buy anything, negotiate till at least 50% off the initial offer price.

I didn’t think much during the entire trip. The previous worries or problems that plagued me – no matter how petty, miraculously slipped my mind. It is THAT relaxing. I was feeling totally at ease. Bali feels like a second home.

The itinerary is almost fixed for every arranged tour. Very commercialized.

Places that we had been this time, in this particular order:-

Kintamani tour: the Barong show, Mas, Celuk, Gunung Kawi, an agriculture farm in between Gunung Kawi and Tampaksiring temple, Tampaksiring temple, Goa Gajah, Ubud, UCCI Coffee head office.

Bedugul/ Bratan/Tanah Lot tour: Puri Taman Ayun, Lake Bratan, Bedugul Market, rice terrace, Tanah Lot.

Southern Bali tour: Uluwatu, Jimbaran, Nusa Dua

The Traditional Show

Barong show

“Nothing out of the ordinary. Just some dancers with big eyes rolling. You won’t understand shit about it. Don’t waste time.”

That was what the agent told us, when we booked our trip package at Matta Fair last September when we enquire about the show.

Somehow, I was quite surprised that it was still included in the itinerary and it turned out to be fine. Just that, the information given in the leaflet to the tourists is totally way off context and inaccurate. I did some studying on my own and appreciated the show more. It shows goodness always prevail in the end.

The Shopping Places

Bali is well known for its artistic handicrafts. Most of the stuffs being sold here reminds me of Jonker's Walk in Melaka. The vast difference is the price and also, the variety.

Mas, Celuk

A bit overrated. This is the place famous for higher end wood carvings, stone carvings, authentic paintings and also silver and gold. Of course, being there on the first day, I didn’t buy as I was preserving my money for some other stuffs as requested by friends – beaded shoes, cheap wood carvings, cheap paintings, etc. I prefer to have a go at haggling for prices at local markets rather than galleries which cater for tourists with more spending power.

Ubud

We were disappointed that the people here didn’t really give us much way to bargain. I couldn’t apply the 50% rule here. Further, there seemed to be lack of variety. Probably, we just didn’t have the mood to shop. I ended up with some really neat post cards.

Tanah Lot

A shopaholic’s heaven.

Apart from breath taking scenery, like other markets, Tanah Lot offers a whole range of colorful handicrafts, ranging from beaded slippers to t shirts, paintings to artistic carvings, sarongs to bags.

Here, I bought most of my stuffs as I was advised that the things here are cheaper compared to other parts of Bali. And I get to apply my 50% to 70% rule here.

It was an indeed putting my thin patience to test when it comes to shopping with WY. Even if we were in KL, we hardly shop together.

I was ultimately annoyed when WY kicked up a fuss when she was selecting beaded shoes – too loose, too big, not symmetrical, etc. For a price of RM8 per pair, I guess we should exercise moderation when it comes to selection. I tried my best not to look pissed but to no avail.

Here, I gotten 7 pairs of beaded shoes, bags and t shirts.

Bedugul market

A fruit and vegetable market like the Cameron Highlands. Heck! I haven’t even been to Cameron Highlands. People from all over Bali would congregate here to get fruits and vegetables almost at cost price. A box of strawberries is going for only RP8,000 (RM3.20!!) and that was considered expensive. During peak seasons, the strawberries could come at only RP5,000 (RM2.00).

Here, you get to see vegetable vendors peddling their goods on their heads. Wayan Mudra, our guide, told us that the ladies here have very strong necks. They always carry things using their heads. When it comes to collecting paddy harvest, it was the men who would harvest the paddy and it was the women who would transport them on their heads to the warehouses. I guess the term, “break neck speed” doesn’t apply to the ladies here. Heh!

Here, I got myself 5 metres of batik with phoenix motives at RP100,000 (RM40), which they said is quite expensive. For me, I think it’s worth it. According to Wayan, the batiks originated from Java and I couldn’t possibly get them in Malaysia as Muslims are prohibited from wearing clothes with animal motives. I checked with my clerk. He was telling the truth.

Nusa Dua market

A rather quiet place to cater for the holiday makers staying around the area. As almost every market offering the same stuffs, I bought wood carvings of little owls and beaded purses. Slightly more expensive compared to Tanah Lot.

Kuta Square

The handicrafts here are more defined compared to other places that we went to. When we were passing by a shop selling beaded shoes (not again!!), I quickly distracted WY’s attention to somewhere else. I was too late. She went into the shop and complained that the designs here are far more intricate and neat compared to other places that we had splurged our dough. My heart screamed “MURDER!!” but reminded myself of the 5th Commandment of the Bible, “Thou Shall Not Murder”.

Here, we got our paintings and some really nice fridge magnets. I spent a total of RP1.2 million (RM480) on shopping alone.

FLOWERS, CHOCOLATES & LAMBORGHINIS

What a girl wants? What a girl needs?
Whatever that makes her happy.

I was surprised at work yesterday afternoon with a bouquet of vermillion gerberas, given by fellow fei chai gang members. I shouldn’t have started the flowers giving tradition – we started with Ms Lactose’s birthday last year. I know how expensive it is to get me flowers on my birthday (Yes! Valentine’s Day). Sekinchan Boy teased me, asking me, if this is the first and only time that I got flowers? Hell, no! Ha ha! Apart from graduation, this is probably the 4th time I received bouquets on my birthday. I heard the roses prices had increased by 275% this year?

A dinner meeting was initially scheduled tonight to meet up with fellow fei chai gang, to distribute souvenirs that WY and I bought for them – t shirts for the guys and beaded purses for the girls. I was also contemplating on not going home early to avoid the massive jam on Jalan Kuching due to Thaipusam. A dinner with friends would be nice.

I didn’t think that they would actually throw me a party. Well... kinda.

WY and Pornstar Tiffany bought me a chocolate cake from Secret Recipe.

Mr Bee Stung Lips bought me a Flaming Lamborghini at the Loft.

To add to all the fun, Mr Bee Stung Lips knew the very beautiful Agnes – a friend of my sister's since secondary school. She was sitting next to BSL when we arrived. She stared at me with her big beautiful eyes. I looked at her with my poor night vision; my mind boggling back and forth, scanning a rather familiar face. We screamed and hugged. We knew each other since 14 years old. Others joined. Even Jovy, my beautician and also, her sister, Grace and assistants, came along to crash party at the Loft. Talk about fluke!

It was a pleasant evening, very much indeed.

Thank you guys for the little surprises. Good things indeed, come in small packages.

BALI PREVIEW

Sunset at Tanah Lot

Selamat siang, people..

I just got back from Bali today and I am very tired.

Apart suffering from sun burnt (consequences of not applying sun block even for a mere 2 hours), both our luggage bags were tampered with the moment we arrived at Denpasar (my bag was ransacked and WY’s lock was broken – thank goodness, nothing was missing) and lack of choice in local food (everywhere we go, we had chap chay!!), everything else was simply divine.

Oh yes, bad news. I suffered from a shut down when it comes to taking pics. I was kinda disappointed that I ran out of inspiration. Probably I was hypnotized by the soothing sounds of the gamelan that I totally lost my bearings; or probably you just need to be there to admire the beauty of the intricate designs of the ancient temples yourselves. Or maybe I was just too relaxed to do any thinking at all. The temples, albeit dilapidated by the passing centuries, still stood tall and grand. The scenery was simply breath taking.

I will write when time permits as I have lotsa things to catch up and loose ends to tie since my absence... wish me luck in my Nihon-go exam tomorrow!

Later.

RANDOM LUNAR YEAR PICS

Hello! Gong Xi Fa Cai! I just got back from my trip to Port Weld (Taiping)-Balik Pulau(Penang) -Simpang Ampat (Perlis). It was just a small gathering among close relatives. I didn't go anywhere while I was bunking at my relatives' place, apart from staying put in their homes, away from the scorching sun; watching DVDs upon DVDs, just to kill time.

The traffic was horrendous. I wish you people safe journey home this weekend. Drive carefully. Don't use emergency lane, for goodness' sake!

Here are some of the random pics I took at the 3 different places. I just need some warming up before this weekend's Bali escapade! Getting kinda rusty for not fiddling with my camera for so long!

Left to right:

First row: Flowers in Selayang, fireworks in Port Weld, Pan Mein leaves' flowers!

Second row: Uncle's carpentry zone, leafy insect, white brinjal, weird vege (can be eaten - the leaves, that is) - all in Balik Pulau

Third row: Farmer neighbour, the small road towards my late grandma's house in Balik Pulau

Fourth & fifth row: Scenery on the highway, from Simpang Ampat. Taken from a moving car. Stuck in the jam - due to a truck on fire.