Welcome to my Paradise! Day 2 til Day 4

So okay..Day 2 in Bali.

After a good night sleep (ooohhh!!!after 6 months!!but my body clock kept waking me up at 4am and 6am - CKD's feeding time!) and yummy breakfast at the hotel (sorry..no piccas of breakfast buffet..too hungry to bother!) we got our fave (our only actually) supir - Pak Eddie to take us around Bali at 9am.

Macet!

Our first stop for the day was at Sukawati Market. If you ever go to Bali, Sukawati Market is the place to go because all the things you see them selling at the shops near the beaches, you can find all of them here at the fraction of the price (after rigorous bargaining of course!). Much of the damages to my wallet were made here. I bought 2 pairs of slippers, 7pcs of dresses for CKD, 3 jumpsuits and a dress for moi, 4tops for my mom & MIL, 2 sets of mengkuang bags (6 bags!), 3pairs of kids shorts made from indonesian batik, 2 pair of shorts for suami and 1 for me and suami bought a wooden hand-carved chess set and a ciggie box (for Hasno) all around Rp800,000 (approx RM280)...heh! Bargain much??? Umar bought 2 HUGE paintings for about Rp300,000..and Tariq did some damages too (but he actually managed to get lower prices than we did!!!)

Sukawati Market - you can also buy other art crafts & paintings here.

 We came in early because they were just opening their stalls at the market. It's VERY congested in the market so I was feeling a bit claustrophobic for a while, and all those incense they were burning (a constant smell in Bali..they burn it everywhere!) caused suami's sinuses to act up. So we took a short break and had some Bakso & teh botol by the roadside! YUMMY!!!

brunch! Bakso & teh botol

food stall beside Sukawati Market. Halal food.

 After the damages done at Sukawati Market, Pak Eddie took us to this place to have lunch. Sorry I can't provide you further details as where and WHAT this restaurant name is coz there was no signage whatsoever. Suami merely mentioned to pak Eddie that he wanted to eat Bebek Goreng (fried duck) and he took us to this beautiful place with delicious food!! At first I thought it was someone's house due to the lack of signage, but it was a really nice open air restaurant somewhere in Sanur area.

small pondoks as the seating area

the ever famous indonesian jus alpukat - Avocado & Chocolate juice. Tastes like soursop to me. Pak Eddie said it's good to help reduce high blood-pressure.

my lunch - bbq fish, with vege, soup, sambal & rice - Rp 17,000!!!and it was REALLY yumms!!

suami doing his Ong Bak pose at the entrance to the restaurant.

 After that we stopped by Pasar Oleh-oleh Bali in Denpasar to get some more crafts. The place is like a big warehouse selling crafts, aromatherapy oil-soap-salt sets, and more. Tariq found a nice Rose aromatherapy set that he bought for his wedding hantaran here. I found some nice mengkuang coin purses I bought for my officemates and suami got his fridge magnets. The stuffs sold here are at a fixed price so no bargaining done, but it's not so expensive either. However, the choices are quite limited. I personally feel the Geneva Wholesaler warehouse in Denpasar (kot..) has better choices although the price are quite the same.

It was also here that I won an RM10 bet with Umar..heheh!! There was this HUGE metal dick (yes..that part of the male anatomy) outside of the store and Umar said "If you take a picture hugging the dick..I'll pay you RM10" hahahah! I'm not posting the pic here (it's on my fb tho..) coz posting it up my blog was not part of the deal!hahaha!

Next stop was at Discovery Mall at Kuta which is your typical shopping mall. We went there coz I wanted to look for some Project Pop CD. CDs are soooo cheap in Indonesia, especially if it's their local artistes! Sadly I didn't find any, but instead I got Glenn Fredly's album (forgot the name) and Tevin Campbell's (yeah!ol'skool!!) album for Rp25,000 each!

outside Discovery mall. They were already posing towards me until a little boy wanted to inter-frame but changed his mind on the last minute. Hence the guys laughing and looking right towards the little boy. I think the picture turned out better than i intended it to be.

<3 this pic of suami & i

After that we headed back to the hotel. It was about 5.30pm but it gets darker earlier in Bali so we thought it was almost 7pm or something.

We got back, rested for a bit and then thought of having dinner at the same Nasi Padang shop we discovered the day before. But it started to rain so we just had dinner at the hotel. We were planning to go to Hard Rock Hotel that night to check out a friend of mine performing at Centrestage, HRHBali.

Widya and her new band - Sterling Band was rocking Centrestage that night. Glad the guys enjoyed the band and was nice catching up with Widya too. She was one of the original T-Rex Band members, but decided not to tour anymore. So I didn't see her the last time T-Rex was in town.

Rock-on!

Widya rocking the stage with the band

Even Widya commented that I'm bigger now..sigh..takpe! I have a plan underway!!

The boys shooting some pool..

Cool poster by the toilet..:P

Sheila on 7

We did do more cam-whoring after the show but it's in Tariq's camera coz I ran out of battery for my camera.

Day 3 we all decided to just stay-in and enjoy the beach and the hotel for a bit. The boys went surfing..AT NOON..with NO SUNBLOCK! So padan muka suami who suffered massive sun burn afterwards!heh! I was nicely sleeping in the room and when the boys got back, they took it to the swimming pool pulak. So I sat by the pool and did some catching up on my reading (Lipstick Jungle by Candace Bushnell that has been collecting dust in my room for almost a year now!)

from far it looks like from a james bond movie

but the love handles..cannot tahan!!hhahahahaha!

Evening came and we were supposed to go to watch Kecak dance at Sanur. But dear Pak Eddie got stuck in traffic for 2 hours because of the ceremony in and around Kuta. So when he finally got to the hotel we said lets go for dinner. He took us to this local food court at Tiara Dewata Shopping Center in Denpasar. Food was so nyums I forgot to take pictures..heh! After dinner, suami wanted to get a motorcycle helmet for himself by the many helmet shops along the road. He found one full-faced helmet that has dual visor for Rp540,000 which is considered WAYYY cheaper than here in KL. But the helmet hunting experience was fun coz I got my ultimate fave pic throughout the entire trip..

Priceless!

 On the way back, we got stuck in traffic again in Legian street. But we didn't mind so much. There was a lot of interesting stuffs to see along the streets of Legian.

music was blaring so loudly from this club..vi ai pi..VIP yo!

The Legian Monument for the previous Bali bombing..ironic that it's right next to the vi ai pi club. you won't see me clubbing there fo'sure..

this dude was actually spinning on the back of a pick-up truck by the road in front of HRC Bali! damn cool!

Suami and I decided to call it a night after that. But the boys went out to Centrestage again afterwards but was disappointed by the band performing coz it was not Sterling. Sterling was performing at HRC that night.

Last day in Bali..Morning was spent packing all the stuffs bought. Had breakfast and chilled out for a while before checking out of the hotel at 12noon. Our flight was at 9.25pm so we had loadsa time to kill before heading to the airport. I still had a few stuffs I wanted to get for Matahari Mall at Kuta Square so the gang decided to rent out motorbikes to do our final exploring of Kuta before leaving.

Pening layan mat rempit 3 orang ni!hahahaha!

Mushroom heads exploring the streets of Kuta & Legian on motorbikes!

 As much as I had fun in Bali, I was more than glad to leave..Who wouldn't when you have this bundle of joy waiting for your back home!

was missing her all thru the trip!

I had loadsa fun in Bali and having suami and the boys made it even more fun..it was a much needed break for me, but I'm happy to be back. Wouldn't mind another similar trip, but maybe not anytime soon..perhaps next year..

Welcome to my Paradise! Day 1

*cue lagu Steven and the Coconutz - Welcome to my Paradise*

Yeah!Just came back from Bali on Monday from a 4D3N trip. Best! This was my second time in Bali and I told suami that I want to do and go to places which I didn't get to the first time we went there. And explore we did!

Our flight was at 9:30am on Friday morning and we almost missed it! haha! what a great way to start the trip eh? Ni adalah gara-gara tak cek boarding time and semua dah lepak mode! haish! So anyway..we were the last few people to board the plane..habis tercungap cungap berlari dari departure area!hahah! owh..LCCT has changed..makin besar dan agak confusing at first..oh well..

preparing for take-off

hehehe!did i ever mention that suami HATES flying?

oh!just a word of advice, if ever you're flying Air Asia, please don't take seats on row 11 or the hot seats..you can't recline your seats...think sitting up straight on a 3hour flight....

blue skies!!

Welcome to Bali! Yeay!!

Our UNdesignated tour guide..Umar!hahaha!

Umar's 'other half' Tariq!:P

We arrived at around 1pm. There was a bit of traffic all around Denpasar and Kuta because of some full moon ceremony that apparently happens only once every 10 years. I asked a local and she explained that it was a 'Cleansing Ceremony' that takes place throughout the week up till the full moon. I tried asking cleansing of what..but didn't understand what she was explaining..But..the ceremony caused 'macet' (traffic jam) all over Kuta.

We checked-in to our hotel in Wina Holiday Villa, Kuta and found out that we got upgraded to the suite! YEAHH! Thank you Husni!! Guess all those recommendations we made to friends going to Bali actually paid off..:)
*psst..psst..anyone going to Bali, give us a holler so we could hook you up on a good deal for your room rates!

Totally 'Suite'!

Just FYI, ALL Holiday Villa hotels (there's 2 in Bali - Kuta & Sanur) and 2 other (i don't remember..but one is in Nusa Dua) are the ONLY hotels that serves halal food..

So after we have chucked our luggage into our rooms, suami was already hungry-borderline-cranky..but since we haven't explored the town yet, we decided to just have McD as our first meal in Bali (so adventurous..NOT!!)

After that we walked all the way to Kuta Square and back to Kuta Beach. Did some damages at the shops there but I think my sunhat was worth it (Rp60,000 for 2!)

I didn't go in..but the pinky-ness is soo cute!

my Rp60,000 sunhat modeled by suami and me!

Spot the real monkey plis...

Layan je lah..

Kuta Beach..cranes are from this soon-to-be BIGGEST hotel in Kuta

the boys..

Didn't try his bakso..funny!!

Then we took the wrong junction into our hotel and ended up exploring the streets of Legian..One wrong turn we didn't regret..hehe! Discovered some interesting shops and items..including a mat salleh running butt naked on the streets!!hahah! What an interesting first day in Bali kan?
 

It's legal there..they even make deliveries to your hotel. I don't do organic nor any sort of 'happy' substances so..sorry, no review :P

Suami purchased a few. I think the guy selling the stickers had more fun reading them to us than we did!haha! Or he was prolly on some mushroom juice..

Wall of stickers..

A wall of graffiti we came across. Apparently there are quite a few of these "Love, Hate, Love" graffiti around Bali.

Like art burst from his belly

Diamond idea!

Our first night there was spent chillaxing at the hotel. We had nasi padang at a shop we discovered on our wrong turn and it was yummy!!

So okay..that's it for day 1. Overdose on pictures already. I'll update on the rest of my trip next!

Welcoming the 30's

Today has such nice digits - 20-10-2010 so I thought of unveiling this plan that has been cooking up in my head for quite some time now. In fact a sneak peak into the plan has already made an entrance in my previous post.

I'm turning 30 next year..

It's a big milestone for most and I guess me too. I remember when I was entering my 20's I couldn't wait to turn 21 coz it was the legal age to go into clubs (not that my first time to clubs was at that age! :P) So it was not really inspiring to turn 20. But 30..although I may not have enough wisdom, but I think I may have enough maturity.

So here's my "Turning 30" list.

1. Be more active
2. Be more charitable
3. Be more presentable
4. Be more productive
5. Be more knowledgeable

Notice that my list is not specific THINGS to do? Coz I think, it is more important for me to GROW rather than just doing stuffs. Plus I didn't put specific number of things to do coz maybe this would be my -things to achieve in my 30's..I have a mission here..and my mission is to become wiser with style! LOL!

Anyway, here's why I came out with my list..

1. Be more active
I have been such a couch potato these past few years! Nothing! No sort of physical activities! I mean, I used to be such an active person..sports, outings, *clubbing* :P! And I walked everywhere when I was in uni! (Ok..maybe that was bcoz I didn't have any car..) And I was sooooo skinny! (Borderline hot!*perasan*) Now I'm just lazy and fat. And I hate it! So, my first attempt is let's be more active! Already I have a few plans up my sleeve (kan bikjah kan?) I will most definitely blog about my be active activities!

2. Be more charitable
This is very subjective..charity doesn't mean donating money to a shelter or what nots..it could mean anything! But it doesn't mean I won't get involved in charity events. So for this part, charity events I join will definitely be blogged..but charity of the heart, maybe I'll try and share in a more discreet manner. Don't want to come off as being insincere about my charitable gesture now do I? Also, a plan is on its way with this one!

3. Be more presentable
Owhhh! My mom has been nagging me left and right about my appearance and dressing. She feels that I am just letting myself go. I feel so too..I mean, I'm fatter than I used to be, I can't fit into my pre-baby clothes no more (need a new one anyway!I have clothes from when I was in high school!*cue wardrobe makeover!!*) And I hate!hate!hate! to doll myself up! I mean I do dress appropriately for functions or events, but I need a makeover..I'm no longer a twentysomething student-single person..I'm turning 30, a wife, a mother and a professional (ke?!?). I need to look the part..a stylish one at that too! So my experience in my wardrobe options and personal grooming experience I shall share here!

4. Be more productive
NO..not baby making productive! LOL! Tho the idea is not chuck out entirely either!haha! But productive in the sense of achieve more in life..owh! You'll understand what I mean with being more productive when I tag my be productive activities (clue: sewing machine!)

5. Be more knowledgeable
You can have knowledge but you won't necessary have wisdom..but knowledge is still essential to gaining wisdom. There are sooo many things that I have always wanted to learn, do and go..all which knowledge can be achieved. So yeah..put that on the list!

I will try to do as much as I can for these 5 items and we see how I fare on my next birthday (or should we give me a year + 1month - say 20-11-2011?) when I will round up all that I have done & achieved within that period of time? Sounds fair?

I would like to do one of those 365 things within 365days thingy..but I have to be logical here..like I said, I'm a person with 3jobs (Wife,mom,work!) Plus this isn't a race. Its more of a journey with a cause..I don't want to be a drifter anymore. I want to have a purpose in life where I don't lose myself in it, but instead, I find myself and hopefully make me a better person at it too!

So..bring on the 30's!! Hope I'll find more joy and happiness in it too!

Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device.

Volunteer at the ZOO!

Gosh! It's been ages since I went to the zoo. I think the last time I went to Zoo Negara was in 1998. I had a gathering with my TKC friends after our SPM.

So last Saturday, my company organized a volunteer program at Zoo Negara as part of our Environmental Program. You can find out more about the program here --> Zoo Negara Volunteer Program It was definitely tiring..but FUN nonetheless. Since this time I actually got nice photos to share, I'll narrate through the piccas la ok?

Group Assigning

So we started our day bright and early! Assembled at the company at 6.45am and made our way to the Zoo by 7.15am. We had to reach the Zoo by 8.15am. Late comers will be denied to volunteer. Once we were there, we were briefed and asked to get into groups of 10 (there was 73 of us!). Then the supervisors from the various areas of the Zoo picked which group was going where..It kinda felt like a meat market actually!hahaha! They were going like "Haa! Aku nak group ni! Yang ni ramai orang laki" "Takyah berebut! Ramai orang kita boleh pilih harini!" Seriously!

 So we went out separate ways..

Going to the Bird Kingdom - all smiles before the work!!

Feeding them swans

Breakfast break - the nasi lemak at the canteen sedap..

Small snake..Thank god I wasn't assigned to the reptiles and amphibians..

Camel in the background..cool eh?

That is my Chairman giving instruction to people to clear out the roof!haha! haiya...out of the office also still giving orders..LOL!

Now you see me sweep & smiling...

But this 'friend' of ours is lurking in the cage..she cried after the pic was taken..apparently the puma was making some pretty scary loud noises..too much for her too handle! :)

This is my group - Mammal Kingdom. We're cleaning out the drain of the Hyena's Habitat. There was 2 Hyenas and them huge!!!

Hahaha!This one my MD, and other dept bosses (and a couple of staffs) kantoi curi tulang watching the show!:P

"You betta clean 'em well! *Roar*"

Happily cleaning the lion's den..literally!!

I like this shot..no narration here..

Haruslah enterframe kan?hahah! Clearing out the Porcupine's Habitat. They are soooooo cute!too bad no piccas when we were feeding em.

Binturong's Habitat..scaryy!!!you can't see them, but those are electric wires installed.

The Reptile Kingdom group

And this is ALL 73 of us after a hard day's work! FUN!

We couldn't take any photo's while we were doing our work but we could assigned one person to become our official photographer. I personally think our photographer had THE MOST tiring job! He officially made more than 3 rounds in the Zoo looking for us all!!heh! and he took nice pictures! So kudos to him! There are plenty more piccas but I'll load em up on FB la.

The day ended at 4.30pm but for most of the group, they were already enjoying the Zoo by after lunch..:P But that's our first 8hrs of volunteer work at the Zoo!

My take on Volunteering at the Zoo?? You should DEFINITELY try it out at least once! Go take your company there or round up a group of friends (group volunteer program needs min 10pax up to a max of 100pax, must be above 16yrs of age) or go as an individual. 40hrs of volunteer work there gets you a certificate or some sort of recognition. But to me..I don't need the certificate..this was my first volunteer work that I've done but it definitely won't be my last! *item for my "Things to do Before 30"*

I've already extended the idea to my TKC friends for this volunteer job..I think I want to ask the rest of my friends to join in the fun too.

So what are you waiting for...go book your date for the volunteer program already!!