Kelong at Bintan

So some of you know that I have been to a kelong at Bintan earlier this month - ostensibly to get away from the vissitudes of life - can't believe that one would have to take leave, to get away to do nothing.

This kelong is really cool, there is NOTHING to do there. No swimming (cuz got jelly fish), no volley ball (cuz the beach is wet wet wan) but alot to eat la. Is really rustic, it's like all old and made of wood.






and i lurve it because it is literally out at sea, with virtually no other guests except my party. (there were some ppl coming for meals but that's fine)











and the whole nobody else around feeling really really allowed me to focus on reflection - think i shared before that i am the most at rest when i face a huge expanse of sky or sea or land - here i had sky and sea. it's really good. as cliched as it sounds - it really induces harmony - the whole one with nature thingy. I dont believe in the Zen stuff - but this oneness feeling is really really [fill in the blank!!] - beats any spa man..



picture at night..





it's beautiful, you literally fall asleep and wake up to the sound of waves.. we were joking about how we , okay fine.. i was joking about how since i lurve it so much, i should like just marry a fisherman, then everyday i can wake up and sleep to the music of the sea! but the sobering thought was, what about the nice handbags and jackets i have right - then cannot use already.. so wasted..

so no fisherman's wife for me.. hahahha.. unless of cuz he rears koi.. lol.

but i lurve this place.. must go back some day!

Rocky

On Friday, I decided that I would NOT tolerate the incessant and irratic swelling of my right eye - it is not chioh. So i went down to the National Skin Centre to investigate the cause of the swelling. The dermatologist decided to carry out a "patch test" on me - so now my back looks something like this.



Except of course, my back is much prettier and not scarred - muahahahaa. The patch would be removed after 48 hours - thereafter the swollen patches would indicate the product that i am allergic to. (i checked with nurse already - the swollen patches on the back wont leave scar wan - of course la, else how to wear nice low back wedding dress right)

I suspect that I may be allergic to my Kose anti-wrinkle cream - GASP! what if it IS true - of all things to be allergic to!! Just HOW am i going to prevent my aging???

ANYHOWS.

This is the season to be married. Just over the last two weekends, I attended the weddings of two of my classmates.

Which brings us to the topic of rings and men. Just how big is big enough? I am talking about the rock of course.

One of my colleague sports a ring with a rock half the size of my nail (that's very big for diamonds even though we are talking about my little finger). It flashes in your face ever so often and much as I try hard not to stare or drool, one can hardly help herself. Another colleague saved me the embarrassment.

Male Colleague: I hope you dont mind my asking, but your ring is huge man.. (Takes opportunity to stare at ring) How much did it cost him?
Female Colleague with Asteroid Ring: I don’t know. He said an arm, a leg and a kidney.

Male Colleague is dumb struck because it probably was, in all likelihood, true. In another country not far from us,we COULD have purchased that and maybe more with the same price.

Which brings us to the topic of men, which really warrants another post, but I just want to say, for the avoidance of doubt, that I WOULD marry someone who earns less, and is not a professional. I mean, if all other requirements are satisfied, why not?

But we were talking about rings.

Apparently, the market rate is such that the guy has to get a ring 4 times his salary to show his sincerity. That's dumb. That depends on how much his salary is in the first place right? 4 times as much could be peanuts (literally and NOT in the nkf sense) or it could be absolutely ostentatious and .. and .. be a complete waste of money that would nevertheless make jasmine a very happy girl.

Meanwhile, I'll just make do with this!



cute horh, S$4.90 at some funky shop at Marina Square.

Don't worry. I won't wear that to work.

Ubud Part (iii) : the rest of it

I know this is long over due, but hey! Better late then never!

So I was saying, we went for spa at Ubud, after that, we went to makan at this supposedly famous restaurant - the duck, DEEP FRIED was allegedly super good..



the very interesting thing about this restaurant was the whole set-up. After walking past the reception, you enter into the restaurant proper. The eating places are packed in little or large pavillions flanking .. imagine, padi fields! So we kinda literally look over the padi fields as we are eating ..

I think the toilet is behind the tower here.. hahahah.. but you see the padi fields..initially i wanted to like wade in and pretend to plant rice, but it looked kinda gross, like it was really wet, like padi fields should be? the mud was like caked and unevenly wet and ...... you get the drift - i stand from far and see la hah..



and more padi fields! it's beautiful, i think how relaxed a person feels is directly linked to how much of nature, and expanse of nature he or she is exposed to - whenever i face the ocean, or have an unblocked view of the sky, or in this case.. see many many padi field - i am like.. okay, forget about the submissions, the deadlines, the everything, just.. n.u.a.h..



you cant see it here, but there were ducks ambling over the padi fields.. ducks that very possibly end up as lunch, as in this case! our lunch!



After lunch, we decided to roam the streets of Ubud until our legs gave way and taxis would come to the rescue.


streets all low rise - cant recognize the cabs



architecture




okay so i told you earlier that not many good photos of me in Bali, like this one.. sigh..




so much colour!



so there are all these funky art shops all over the streets in ubud, since it's an arty village - like all kinds of crafts made there..



i saw a really interesting picture..



and here's a close up.



and they have these scary looking masks as well..



So my colleague and I were walking down the streets when he pointed out this to me.. PAPAYA TREE!



And he was right because I was VERY amused by the Papaya tree - Singapore I never see mah - plus this one had SOOO MANY PAPAYAS!! and then i looked further down..



even more papaya trees!! haha.. (singaporeans!)

Anyhows, i took some pictures of the temples there - all the sculptures of worship items wore sarongs - and it's all with the same prints.



finally, went for coffee - check out the nice bag i bought..



Finally, I took a picture of something i NEARLY stepped on, and was VERY horrified when i discovered what it was.



I only took it after my initial IMMENSE relief that i didnt step on it. Heh. Oh well.

=)

How I LURVE kids.

this one is a prize.



anyhows, I am going away to Bintan for a short while so won't be blogging as much. Will try to come back with more photos.. and I am not even done with Ubud photos yet! hhhaha

World Map to Young Singaporeans

This partner in my firm sent me an email with the following caption,

"am not surprised this approximates reality, having come across young Singaporeans who do not know their geography!"



*guilty look*

I don't think I am so jialat la.. but remember how i always have to run to the atlas after conversations with clients cuz I dunno which part of the world a particular port is in??

but u dont say, i used to top the class/ standard in geography - human geog la.. heh.

Talk about being THICK headed.

hahaa.. enjoy!

Judging a Book by its Cover

So this is a book I actually bought because of its cover.

I don't do that often, bookworm that I am.. heh.

Book is about the autistic 15 year old Christopher John Francis Boone, and how he sets out to investigate the murder of his neighbour's dog - simply because it was important to him to do so, and because it was interesting. Christopher is an amazingly intelligent young man with a superbly logical mind (confirmz plus 100% he is smarter than me!) So his endeavours at investigating the murder is complicated by his condition because he has problems adapting to the "real world". Christopher cannot decipher what people really mean socially because he takes them at face value.

I got this definition of autism from the BBC website, "Autism is a lifelong neuro-developmental disability that affects the way a person communicates, and severely limits their ability to relate to others in a meaningful way, develop friendships or understand other people's feelings.... People with autism have a triad of impairments in social interaction, social communication (verbal and non-verbal - they don't understand the meaning of gestures, facial expressions or tone of voice) - and imagination."

So anyhows, in the course of his investigations, he stumbles into another mystery, unexpected twist - which cuts at the very heart of human nature.

*dramatic sigh*

This book is ficitional, and some have criticized his portrayal of the medical condition as trite ... well, whatever, it nevertheless stirs up acute sentiments in me.

This book got me thinking, two issues mainly:

(i) this world is really too complicated. christopher has a problem because he takes people for what they say, or appear to be saying, really - just how much pain has been caused by tongues that run amok, or are careless? just how many times do we encounter situations where things are just made more difficult because people just wont let their yes BE a yes, and their no BE a no? I am not talking about women being coy here, like how when they say yes, they really mean no. *rolls eyes* i am referring to normal human interaction which is complicated by politics and vying and what have yous.

I think the world will be a better place if people would be more sincere and humble to one another in their interaction - to your bosses, colleagues and secretaries; parents and relatives; teachers and schoolmates..

too many have said that the sincere and nice guy would 'lose out'. i disagree. and i intend to continue to be sincere and nice to people, all the days of my life.

note - being sincere and nice doesnt mean that i agree with being a doormat, you can still be firm.. but that's another story.

(ii) i should be thankful for who i am.

Christopher's condition reminds me that there are people out there who really have it bad. Of late, I have had the opportunity to meet with people who have lost their sight or hearing, or are facing various medical conditions. You know, in the past, I used to wonder why God didnt make me smarter, or less 'assertive', or richer, or whatever - but that's really ungrateful..

Think most of us should be, I definitely should be, thankful that I have all my 5 senses, have the ability to express myself and communicate with other people, and am in a generally loving environment.. Was flipping through Newsweek the other day and saw a picture of african kids taking an exam in a really dowdy room, and we have kids all over the world with no childhood..



or we dont even need to look far - just in Singapore, so many teenagers out there who are suicidal because they have nothing to look forward to, or the many ex-cons wanting to reintegrate into society. the list is endless..

the world would be a much happier and better place if people would quit complaining about how their lives are, and start looking outwards.

think about it. did you make the world a better place for anyone in the last week?
when was the last time you showed a little kindness?

it's free you know.


so the song by Glen Campbell goes, "Try a Little Kindness"

If you see your brother standing by the road
With a heavy load from the seeds he's sowed
And if you see your sister falling by the way
Just stop and stay you're going the wrong way

You got to try a little kindness
Yes show a little kindness
Just shine your light for everyone to see
And if you try a little kindness
Then you'll overlook the blindness
Of narrow-minded people on the narrow-minded streets

Don't walk around the down and out
Lend a helping hand instead of doubt
And the kindness that you show every day
Will help someone along their way

You got to try a little kindness
Yes show a little kindness
Just shine your light for everyone to see
And if you try a little kindness
Then you'll overlook the blindness
Of narrow-minded people on the narrow-minded streets

You got to try a little kindness
Yes show a little kindness
Just shine your light for everyone to see
And if you try a little kindness
Then you'll overlook the blindness
Of narrow-minded people on the narrow-minded streets

Honouring my Papa

Yesterday was my Papa's birthday! So i took him and my marmee out for dinner at some restaurant near our place..



i wish MY BROTHER!!! was home..

it was nothing much really.. just some simple fare.. but it was good to have some time to spend with the family, especially when i am soo soo soo busy..



more and more and more, I know that I have to be deliberate about spending time with people.. especially with people that i really care alot about, but sometimes may take for granted precisely because we are close..

You know, it's precisely because it was all so simple, yet so appreciated, that makes me especially wanna honour my Papa on his birthday..

Today, on the train ride to work, I was counting the ways I should really thank God for my Papa, and I list them now..

1. I want to honour my Papa because he loves my Marmee very much.



And in loving her, taught me and MY BROTHER!! the role a husband plays as protector and provider.. and also demonstrated what a loving relationship between a man and a woman should be..



i think it's so amazing and beautiful that they can still be so loving after 26, or is it 27 years of marriage??



2. I wanna honour my Papa because he is a father that disciplines his children..



i mean you dont see me and MY BROTHER!! like that, when we were younger, we really got it from him when we were out of line - like when we werent conscientious in our work, or when we were rude to our elders, etc.. it was tough love. I firmly believe that if my Papa and marmee didnt do what they did, MY BROTHER!! and i wont turn out the way we are now..

3. I want to honour my Papa because he believes in the value of a good education.

Despite being only primary school educated, he showed, through his actions and decisions that he believed in the value of a good education. My parents tried their best to ensure that MY BROTHER!! and i got to the best primary schools while we were young.. even though times were tough when we were growing up, my Papa agreed that my Marmee should stay at home to care for and teach MY BROTHER!! and i, all the way till we were like 12. and he used to wake up to send me downstairs to take the school bus when i was in primary one and two.. and when we got a car, ALWAYS woke up early to ferry MY BROTHER!! and i to school every morning ..




4. I want to honour my Papa because he lived simply himself, and always gave us (my mom, MY BROTHER!!! and i) the best he knew how..

and it pains my heart that simple fare touches him so.. i remember at points in time when we were growing up, he took two jobs a day at some times to make ends meet.



5. I want to honor my Papa because he taught MY BROTHER!!! and i the value of a hard and honest day's work, and not to let others look down on you because you do not have as much as them.

Okay I am actually tearing now.. I think for whatever his shortcomings (who don't have), I've got a GREAT DAD.. somebody translate this to mandarin for me, or pray that I have time to sit down and write it in mandarin myself! or maybe i should give it to him for his birthday next year.. hahahaha..


but it's not all so "heavy" here.. check out the pictures I took of my Marmee and me..



you guys cant blame me for lurving to pose.. i take after my mom.. heh



she made me take this one.. hahaa.



Yayyyy!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY PAPA!!!

HAHAA at Raffles Place!!

So today I went down for lunch, and guess what I saw!!



initially i was wondering why they were pushing rubbish around at raffles place .. so unglam.. then i was wondering why this rubbish so strange, got a persons' legs sticking out.. and i was wondering if they were real.. before i realized it was actually an ad!

(yuarh la yuarh la.. i very gullible for raw-yer)

WALKING INSTALLATIONS! (ay i know what are installations okay, i did one for my Art at 'o' lvls dont pray pray!)

then I saw another one!



another angle!




actually an ad for corporate training.. this MUST be one of the most intelligent ads i've seen!

and finally on the way back, i saw them again.. this time i asked them to stop so i could take a picture.. hahaha..


i will definitely want to be part of an ad like this.. i mean, as in be in one of these orange jump suits.. not the one with the legs sticking out!!!

haha!!

Ubud Part (ii) - SPA!!

So, i was saying that the best part about Ubud is the spa.

My colleague introduced us to this SUPER attas place, the Uma Ubud... and I had like a three hour spa there.. paid like two hundred sing but it's worth every single cent.. let me show you around before i get to the spa bit..

(got the pictures from various sites, other than the ones i took myself)

when you walk in, the first thing that catches your eye is the swimming pool,




So the best thing about this resort was the incredible amount of space and plants it has around.. super relaxing. and these plants were natural, like a garden, but not like wild and all over the place like unkempt.. so it's a pleasant cross between a garden and nature.




contented sigh.



so you go from place to place on these tiled floors, flanked by well groomed plants..



as with the resort i was stayin at, the places here were also individual lodgings.. except that it was like two hundred USD a night i think.. gulp.

sigh.

And, so we were walking through all these places till we reach the spa, which is a part of a resort ...



and they had such LOVELY KOI!! (yes yes, i stand corrected.. is KOI not COI..)



do u know that some people actually install like thermostats in their outdoor pools to keep the temperature of the water optimal for KOI growth.. and i dont even sleep in air con room lorh.. but having said that, these KOI are lovely..



even the plants by the pool are lovely.



so at the counter,



we had to choose what we want.. which was all really pretty foreign to me.. i look very xiao jie but i dont really pamper myself.. i havent gone for a facial in my entire 25 years can.. heh. in the end we settled for the Javanese Royal Lulur Bath - which was some beauty routine that the Javanese queens used to go for..



so after we made up our minds, we had to go down this passage way...



and down to the place where we get ready for the spa.. but we got really distracted along the way, cuz everything was so pretty..



and because u can trust me to take spastic pictures of myself.. hahha



So anyhows.. this Lulur bath thingy, and I quote, "Lulur is a beauty ritual from the Royal Palaces of Central Java . This gentle exfoliating treatment begins with a Traditional Massage. A body scrub with aromatic mixed spices precedes the application of cooling yogurt and a relaxing flower filled bath. This treatment concludes with a soothing application of body lotion".

Whatever it is, is super shiok.. and this is what actually happened.. i took the picture of the internet since i cant possibly take a picture whilst going thru spa right..



I didnt realize it could be so shiok to have yogurt on u..

so after three hours, we emerged from this place.. suitably relaxed..




I strongly recommend this place for honeymoon!! Must go for the spa!