friday nite was spent at La Bodega, Bangsar and KL Hilton with jason crimson (who was leaving back to New York the next morning), weng, anna, and of course the bf.
: one of my many favorite drinks in the world - white wine sangria : :)
: my lambshank :
i forgot to snap the other fav of mine each time i'm at bodega the sauteed button mushrooms ~ yum
: at KL Hilton for coffee and 'mind games' later on : only those who were there will understand the meaning of 'mind games'
my hot mocha latte
: pressies from jason! all the way from new york : he got me a lip gloss and mood | yearn perfume, both from Victoria's Secret
and for mr tay, he got him damn lots of cool funky new york shirts
and like, 6 huge bars of Hersheys chocolate
: saturday :
woke up, hungry. off we went to taman tun for lunch.
at Sri Paandi for banana leaf lunch
were leaving to collect our framed up paintings but it rained! not wanting to risk ruining our precious paintings (searched with much wasted blood and sweat all over bali ok!), we skipped it and will collect them on Monday.
dinner was at hartamas with gary and aiwen. arsenal was playing against MU and even for someone who doesn't watch football like myself enjoyed the game thoroughly. for some reason, i've been supporting MU since form 3. dad even brought brother and me to sign up as club members at MUFC in PJ ok! haha
anyways, good game really! even the cat was enjoying it.
: today :
I LOVE LOVE LOVE STARDUST!!!
i read the book many many years ago and for the benefit of those who doesn't know about Stardust, this wonderful tale was written by my all time fav author, Neil Gaiman. and ahem, i kinda like the movie better than the book :P
Lamia, played by Michelle Pfeiffer was fantastic! gosh, she was made up soooooooooo ugly! but she did have her gorgeous moments in the film, you'll see. Captain Shakespeare played by Robert de Niro was hilarious! excellent choice although initially i had doubts about him playing the cross-dressing pirate. but he was fantastic! arrrrr! easily my favorite character in the movie ;)
Yvaine played by Claire Danes was perfect, i thought. she portrayed it really well. i've loved Claire Danes back in the days of Romeo and Juliet with Leo Dicaprio :) and Tristan, played by Charlie Cox was ADORABLE. loved his look after Capt Shakespeare did a makeover on him :) :) :). not gonna touch on the storyline because you have to watch it to find out for yourself!
overall, it was a movie i would love to watch again and again. some of you might not enjoy the movie simply because this is a film strictly for fantasy lovers - the magic potions, spells, witches, magic and all that jazz. i.e. me, who kept whining to mr tay all the time, that i wished i was born in world of harry potter, so, ya, Stardust is undoubtedly, one of my fav movies for this year :) LOVE LOVE LOVE!
and oh, the theme song! the credits were rolling up and this song came up and it was lovely! told myself to go home and hunt for it and here it is - Rule The World by Take That. lovely song.
*youtube works best with IE and for some reason, the videos don't appear in firefox? i dunno why.
I'm not much of a gambler - especially online, but if I were to get into the world of online casinos - Online Casino Bluebook would be a good site to check out. Established in 2000, this website provides information on the loosest slots on the web, best playout percentage blackjack and the largest online casino bonuses.
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day 3 and we were on our own. we did not use the scooter at first, as we decided to check out the shops nearby. there were soooooooooo many shops to see, so i say it was a pretty good choice to stay there.
celebrity spotted!
*snap snap snap*
"yo, get out of my face, will ya?"
*tee hee*
eeeee... baby / toddler footprints in clay
then, along came the spastic...
so spastic man -_-
we walked into a few shops and came out empty-handed. until we came to Sedana Lhoka, i told mr tay,
"Bi... i have a feeling we'll get our paintings from this shop!"
hehe, another 'boy and girl' painting can't help but snap a pic of it
we came out from the shop with 2 paintings. they are absolutely nothing like those quirky paintings that i have snapped. will show you next week when they're hung nicely on the walls of mr tay's home. we were the shop's first customer in the morning, hence, the good price for these paintings :)
we walked so so much and after getting the paintings, we decided to head back into our hotel to leave the paintings there and take a quick shower. it was a hot hot hot day!
after shower, we hopped onto our yellow scooter and it was more travelling on foot and bike for the day. the beauty of renting a scooter instead of a car, is that you can park your bike just about anywhere you want to. so at any instances that i shout out, "stop! here!", mr tay will park the scooter and off we go :) with a car, i doubt you can do so.
i changed into my miniskirt again, wore a bikini top inside and a rainbow poncho over it. loved the poncho for its colors and with its thin material, making it really comfortable for walking under the hot scorching sun.
my miniskirt is senget again. i swear, it keeps moving all the time!
LUNCH!
: before the meal :
: after the meal :
ooo... i like
we visited the first hotel that we stayed in with the gang in 2005! this was really a CHEAP hotel so it was nothing to shout about but it brought back memories :)
wah... their minimarts sell Hershey's Milk!
and even Starbucks on the shelves! why 7-11 here don't stock these i wonder?
dinner at
: seaside :
beautiful lanterns hung on a tree! we are sooooo changing to a new camera, my ixus just don't work well during night shots, i'm not sure why :(
mr tay's chicken
my mahi-mahi! (fish) niceeee, they gave generous amount of 'bok choy' beneath
If you are looking for toner cartridges, ink jet cartridges, solid ink, fax supplies or other useful things for your desktop PC, I highly suggest inkers.biz, an on-line shop where you can buy all that, and more. Easy navigation around the website with all their products sorted out into categories (see above links) on the left menu.
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If you're interested, do visit Inkers.biz for more information.
since we did not do the touristy thing in 2005 with the gang, we decided to book a one whole day tour for day 2. we called up this guy, Made (pronounced as Madir) who was recommended by Susan (mr tay's colleague) who went to Bali recently. Made was also recommended to Susan by another fella from Maxis. seems like the whole of maxis is using this particular tour guide. hehe!
Made picked us up at 9am after our scrumptious breakfast in the hotel. no, not club med. we only checked into club med on day 4. accompanying Made was sweet Little Mita, his 10 yr old daughter. he showed us the map and the highlighted places that we will be visiting: (will insert the names of places here when i get hold of the map at home later)
ok pics.
from a simple block of limestone
it metamorphs into these precious figurines
some of my favorites
i'm drawn to this, i dunno why
i love this one!!!
and this, is the infamous Ramayana and Sita figurine
Made told us that the King used to take his baths in this. a bit the keras right?
hehe, i couldn't help it them C-cup boobies are just too nice
temple visits were next.
i usually dread temple visits as i'm not really a fan of such stuff. hence, the not-so-enjoyable holiday to Cambodia last year. trust me, visit Angkor Wat and that's it. it's enough! don't go crazy over the 1 million temples there! you will only end up with a pair of sore feet and blisters at the end of the day. the rest of the temples were really nothing to shout about as all of them looked the same! ok, except for the one in Ta Phrom where they shot Tomb Raider. i didn't regret that one coz Angelina Jolie wuz 'ere, woohooo!
ANYWAYS
balinese prays a lot. A LOT. Made explained that they will line up on the grass spots above in a single file and pray
before entering the temple area, you will need to donate and wear this sarong irregardless whether you're a female or male. the sarong is provided free. many many colors!
mr tay in red sarong and that's Made in purple sarong
shy little mita
next temple visit pics after this. from this temple, we were off to an art centre. usually, if you are being brought by a tour guide to such places - art centres, places selling sculptures like the above pics, or even woodcraft centres - you really shouldn't buy because prices are usually more expensive and your tour guide actually gets a cut from it. not saying that i don't encourage helping your tour guide earn some moolah but seriously, the prices were wayyy off our budget.
and being the mr tay he usually is - he must always SECURE THE PARAMETER first. so how could he've bought anything from these first few spots when he had not secured the whole bali parameter? don't emo at me baby, you know it's true :D
ok, back to art centre.
this piece has been worked on for FIVE MONTHS by the artist above i stood there for like 20 min just staring at him paint
i took a pic of this art and later realised that this piece of painting is currently very happening in the whole of bali, particularly in Ubud. almost every art shop is selling this
and i also did a spot on for this one too! as it was featured in club med as i later found out on day 4. there's a pic which i took of it being hung on the walls of club med, will show on day 4's post i had liked this for its vibrant colors
hehe, quirky!
ooo, i like this one
boy and girl or girl and girl?
tummyache? pregnant? muahahaha
next stop, wood-carving centre. wait, no pics of me ah? wait la, let me vomit back all the pics that i took first can or not? heh!
i lke this one
mommy and baby
so funny right!!! this was the first mask he picked and put on. omg, i nearly didn't want him to take it off and spend the rest of the hols wearing that. hahahahaahaha
this one not cun la the next one is...
PRESENTING... FORBES TOP 50 MOST GORGEOUS
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-
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so cantik sial
:)
:) :)
eww. can you spot his kuku?
up next, we went to visit the rice paddy fields grown on terrace hills. the view there was absolutely beautiful.
next, all the way up Kintamani. loved the air up there, as cool as Genting's. tour to Kintamani was an impressive experience where the Kintamani area has very beautiful panoramic view, encircled by mountain atmosphere with the windblast from Mount Batur. Mount Batur according to Made is dead as the gov has announced there will be no more eruptions.
you see the black area at the foot of the mountain? those are ashes
the restaurant Made brought us to for lunch buffet style
the view from the table we were seated
i can't believe for my entire 26 years of existence, i have not tasted this fruit! I LOVE IT!!! didn't know what it was but took it anyway i smuggled some out to give to Made and Little Mita Made said, these are Passion Fruit. i thought it was like some weird indonesian fruit which has a name like Buah Ganjil but no, it was all along a Passion Fruit. wtf!
Passion Fruit!
satay babi. mmm sedap!
poser
proof #12345 that mr tay takes better pic than me
pointy tointy
more temples... yawn.
balinese bathing in the water they believe to be holy water
mr tay in different sarong
me hiding my fugly sarong
next up, shopping! mission: to purchase paintings
this is ubud. ubud is HUGE. can literally walk until you die. this is Ubud Art Market, though we didn't see much paintings sold over here.
mutated Nemo
got out of Art Market empty-handed and came out with a bottle of a much-needed Bintang. ahhhh...
more walkings!
ubud has many little shops all over the town and it takes quite awhile to cover the whole area. mr tay had to secure the parameter, remember? so make sure you put on a good pair of shoes.
spotted on display in one of the shops SO CUTE! I LIKE!
by now, we were seriously looking for paintings to purchase. so we went in to practically EVERY art shop there was there in ubud. it was important for me that we both agree on the paintings. no point buying the one i like, hang it in the house and each day mr tay goes emo at the painting right?
we both liked this one very much. I SPOTTED IT FIRST!
but it had some stains on it and the shop owner said it was the only piece he has. so after asking for permission, i snapped a photo of it and showed to the other shops that we went to. this lady told us, there was none here in ubud other than the one we saw in the previous shop and the nearest place which has this was REALLY far away. aiya, why can't i fancy easier to find paintings? hehe.
by now, my legs were on the brink of snapping into two. took a rest at this cutesy stairway. I LOVE!!!
so cute ya!
we seriously walked for like 2+ hours, i think. so did we find our paintings at ubud, you ask? hehehe, not telling till day 3 post.
then just down the road, we had dinner at the famous Bebek Bengil aka Dirty Duck Diner.
lotus ponds and paddy fields surrounds this restaurant
we chose this spot over the tatami-style ones because my legs were killing me! after walking for 2 hours straight, i couldn't be arsed to have to cross my legs just to have dinner!
not showing you the pics of my Bebek Bengil dish and mr tay's pork ribs (it was fantastic, the ribs!) because you really have to try them.
instead, showing you this Russian Pie. content: kahlua, vodka and the rest of the cake ingredients
***
finito of day 2! i have just posted over 90+ pictures, i hope your laptop did not crash :P
Made sent us back to our hotel and we spent the night watching Gremlins 2 on tv. it was the ONLY show available at that time! Made was an excellant tour guide, he explains very thoroughly and lengibly, so if you want his contact when you're down at bali the next time, do let me know! already recommended him to Hooi Siang & Angeline since they might be going to Bali during this coming deepavali hols.
day 2 was extremely tiring! however, it rained while we were sleeping, so it was really nice :)
i keep looking at my arms. i can't help but keep stealing glances at them.
*type type type*
*pause*
*look at arms*
*type type type*
*look at right arm*
"so niceeee!" *beams*
just because they are tanned now, hehe! i am naturally really fair which i hate hate hate because it's damn fugly to be fair/white. sorry la, dunno why jap girls dig being fair but to me, it makes you look damn unhealthy lor. no offence to fellow fair lady friends of mine who are reading this ya :D
i did not slap on some tanning lotion and purposely did not bake myself under the sun when i was in bali this time, because eii, i'm getting older. very prone to freckles, brown spots and other shit spots these days. so, really cannot sengaja cari pasal under the scorching sun unless wanna end up looking like lindsay lohan (close up).
not sure whether i was being over-concerned but i spotted like 3 brown spots on my face! or freckles? i dunno! the worse thing is, i'm just not sure whether they were there before! help!
but it's alright. there will be come a day when i have made enough $$$ to help fund myself a jar of miracle cream to rid off those fugly spots. (or should i just go laser them off). freckles are cute when you're like 3 yrs old but when you're 26, it's fugly. why do you think they keep harping on 'flawless skin'?! sheesh.
i have maybe 2-4 more weeks to admire my tanned arms, shoulders (albeit a little burnt), chest and BIKINI LINE! and then it's back to being Snow White again. urgh.
p/s: btw, snow white is the most boring-est lady lead for Disney, IMHO. i liked Belle for Beauty and the Beast and Ariel, The Little Mermaid!
I love games! Puzzles and word games being my absolute favorite. My preferred games would be of those that need strategizing skills. Awhile ago, if you remember, Elaine has burnt tons of games for me and I am still playing them up till today. Think, my favorites so far have to be Alice Greenfingers, Chocolatier, Fairy Godmother Tycoon and Sally Salon. Lately, I have started playing more online games. I keep finding games that I like, or someone passes me a link to a game that they fancy. Having said that, I would like to join an online casino and see if I can earn some money. I will have to learn up some of the games first because I have absolutely no idea about the rules yet. There are many games in the online casinos which looked really fun! Maybe I'll work up the nerve to try it out soon!
mr tay hadn't shaved, hence, the 'banduan kajang' look.
you will come to realize that SR's cakes are horrible when you've tried La Manila's we were there because mr tay wanted a pie.
at 5pm, we were at Sierramas / Valencia area for mr tay's ex-boss' raya open house. omg, rendang, ketupat, nasi impit, cupcakes!, satay ayam (no babi), and LOTS OF CUTE KIDS PLAYING NINTENDO WII.
hah... the games the lucky buggers get to play these days. back then i had to be contented with just hopscotch, police-and-thief, pepsi cola, guli, congkak, and 'getah' (my fav). no barbies. i never liked barbie. oh ok, my mom got me one for one of my birthdays. and within the same day, barbie had her head turned 180degrees with her 'sweet' face in line with her butt. there were no more barbies after that.
ANYWAYS
after stuffing ourselves silly, it was F1 racing all the way to my parents place for dinner. told mom, we'd be there by 7 but only got there by 7.30pm, resulting in dad calling at 7.27 growling, "where are you guys? i'm hungry." haha, grouchy-nya
ok pics time. taken from parents' place.
one of the many beatles posters hung around the house
my ex-room. poster (of good quality) nicked during Kent 961 elevation party at Mines 18 seems so far away *sob*
mr tay reading the papers my piano my brother's drum set my mother's fugly cushion covers (she likes floral stuff)
my sony bravia
more evidence that my dad is a Beatles freak. it is important for you to know that i wasn't kidding when i wrote THIS *click*
THIS. was the infamous Scrapbook i was telling you about! dad had started on it since highschool a prized possession, really he won't let me sell it on eBay *pout*
DAD DREW THIS!
handwritten lyrics of all the beatles' songs
p.s i love you, mr d
dad even tapao-ed the chinese press and the malay papers as well but i didn't take any pics of it
dad the matador
limited edition watch in guitar casing, which dad won in some contest
the 3 pics on the top were drawn by dad
you just don't see this genuine passion in kids these days, do you? i mean, how many of us actually creates scrapbooks of Justin Timberlake or Angelina Jolie? i like Rachael Yamagata but i don't go cutting up pics of her, handwrite all her lyrics and stuff, so i'm actually very proud of my dad
so, if your daddy is also a fan of The Beatles, do drop me a note and we'll see whether we can hook them crazy fans up
p/s: and in case you're wondering, yes, he is still trying to get a spot in the Malaysian Book of Records for having the most collection on the Beatles.
The holiday season is drawing near and if you would like to travel abroad for an unforgetable holiday, now would be the ideal time to start planning your trips.
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first 4 days at kuta, ubud, seminyak and kintamani
aladdin picked us up at 8am. being the 'nenek' i am, we only got into the cab at 8.20am.
at the airport, we checked in our bags, bought newspapers and off for a McD's brekkie.
ok, pictures time.
: things you can do with a pen and the barf bag on the plane :
he was seriously ignoring me!!! let me tell you this - he was reading Honour Among Thieves by Jeffrey Archer for the 3rd time, after having never finished it successfully for the 1st and 2nd time. so me without a book, had to resort to self-entertainment.
i drew quite a lot of crap on My Barfbag (1st pic), Mr Tay's Barfbag (2nd pic) and a whole lot more of nonsense on Stolen Barfbag from Mr Tay's Left Neighbour. barfbag was stolen while he was sleeping, and got a smack on the hand by mr tay who went, 'oi, stop stealing other ppl's barfbags! what if he wants to puke???'
nah, he didn't look like someone who would puke on airplanes anyway.
ANYWAYS
we rented a scooter for 30,000 rupiah per day for 5 days. that was like, only RM 12 per day. the first time we were at bali, we rented an avanza but that was shared amongst 5 ppl so that was totally worth it. this time around with just the 2 of us, this scooter was perfect.
would be even more perfect if it was pink.
mr tay said, 'they don't have pink.'
bollocks. tons of mat salleh ladies were riding on pink scooters on the streets of bali!
so we got a yellow one. which was fine actually coz i like bright colors.
first stop: a place to feed them hungry tummies. went to this bar restaurant and, helloooo bintang! it's been awhile!
beer has never tasted THIS gooooood
bintang beer - our staple h20 whenever we are at bali
my nasi goreng bali if you notice in most bali menus, they serve their nasi goreng with crackers and satay babi (often with just 2 sticks)
my boyfriend's soto ayam
entrance to our hotel booked 3 nights here as we extended our stay
dinner was at lovely ku de ta. i loved ku de ta for its classiness, lightings and the option to sip your wine overlooking the beach.
photo is borrowed from the kudeta website here *click*
prices are a little steep though, but trust me, the view and ambience is totally worth it. with 2 main courses and 1 bottle of wine, our bill came up to 850,000++ rupiah, which was about RM340+. so ya, be prepared to pay the extra at ku de ta.
we had to come back to ku de ta, because it was THAT beautiful. our canon ixus just wouldn't do justice to it, as night shots are crappy so, if you want to see more images from ku de ta, pls visit the website.