Bali

Prior to leaving for my Bali trip during the Raya holidays, I asked some colleagues who have made recent trips there how much I should bring and if I should convert them to USD or Ruppiah. The answer I got ranged from RM700 (???) to RM1500, to convert to Ruppiah. I can tell you here and now, they either lied or they *puasa-ed all the way during their trips there!!

Why?

Simply because it's a tourist destination. The locals hiked the prices up to 200% upon seeing a potential *waterfish!! That's when all the training I got when shopping in *Haadyai comes into good use - bargain like crazy! But fret not, most of the shops/outlets/stores/people there sell almost the same things so if the owner of a shop looks yucky, move on... :

- handicrafts
- wood/stone carvings
- t-shirts, *batik-styled clothes
- paintings
- cute stuffs
- aromatheraphy/smelly things to burn/put on your body/to display somewhere at home
- etc

There are some really nice shops in the more upmarket areas along the Kuta road to Seminyak, but they are quite expensive tho'. Perhaps I've had too high an expectation, coz I was a bit dissapointed that the place is not well-kept and quite polluted. Especially the Kuta town which has traffic crawling all the time! Since it's a one-way road on a single lane that has cars parked on both sides, a crash and everyone will be stuck in town for the rest of the day! Or rather, *gostan!!

But still, if you're a first timer in Bali, do visit the town just for the feel of it. It's quite a popular spot at night, especially Hard Rock Cafe which had a really long queue the day I was there (of course, I had better things to do than to wait in a 500m line!).

We hired a driver who took us around the island, stopping at some places of interest. Really worth it - from 8am to 10 pm, for only RM200!! On the remaining days, we just hanged out @ our hotel in Nusa Dua. Our hotel is very beautiful and has a wing that clings on to the cliff (well, looks like..) and another wing which spans across the beach. There are many swimming pools, and a giant water slide too! They nearly imposed a ban on me just so that I won't hog the slide every second!! Kidding. The beach is really nice... long stretch and all.. but hotel food is also quite expensive tho' :(

Bali food is nothing to shout about, just the ambience/atmosphere which is a bit different, especially if you visit those classy places like Bumbu Bali (expensive but worth the first try just to get an experience). My fav is Made's Warung which serves a variety of good and delicious food at reasonable prices. The place itself is pretty cool too.

So if you want to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city, go Bali! But if you're really rich, go Maldives!!!

*
puasa = fasting for Malays during the Ramadhan
waterfish = victims/someone who is easily lied to. ~ In this case, buyers who get 'special' tourist prices
Haadyai = a place in southern Thailand
batik = The art of decorating cloth using wax and dye; originates from the Javanese "tik", meaning dot.
gostan = reverse. Previously there was a heated debate in Penang about the construction of a one way flyover, and the politician of the opponent party said, "..if there's an accident in front, we'd have to gostan all the way back down!"

Of groans and moans...

Ever had a colleague who groans and moans all the time? One that likes to do that especially loud, just so that you know he has a lot of work to do/is stressed/etc etc?

Well there's one here, sitting about 5m away from me. It's really annoying and irritating, especially when I'm in such good mood everyday. Heee...

This groaner/moaner likes to talk loudly too, and I dubbed him the Loudspeaker. I bet he's the scouts Commander in high school! The highest level of his torture to all others sitting around him is his whistling. Everytime he does that, I have to play my MP3s and cover my decent ears with my good ol' Altec Lansing. All my life I had never heard anyone who could whistle a more out-of-tuned song than him! He's the winner of all things impossible!!

Cheers, here's to Mr. Loudspeaker!

Zoom!

One of my fans have been harassing me for not blogging for a while now. Well, it's just more than a month-wat! Miss me so much ar? *SS

Yesterday I had lunch with a bunch of colleagues and somehow, the topic of drivers speeding on the roads to work came up. And then quickly, everyone pointed at me with a nasty look. What?!

"If you see a dark green car approaching you, move aside quickly! Get lost!!" One said.

The other added, "See the number plate PDR and run for your life!".

Suddenly everyone's exchanging information on my driving. Wonder what's so scary about it. Oh, btw, I am a safe driver :) *innocent look* Hey, I started driving since I was 16 - with such experience, don't you think so? Always looked left-right-left before turning, brake when the traffic light's red, never speed when cars on opposite road are flashing me '*signals', etc..

Ok, so, I love driving fast. So??? Well, I say that driving fast doesn't mean that it's not safe. Driving slow can be a hazard too! Protest!!! You just have to be more alert while driving and make sure that you can cover the entire horizon-lah. One look, can see left/right/up/down/rear.. *showing off*

Sometimes, I wonder if I got nicknames such as 'Speed Demon' because I am a lady. Guys can drive like there's no tomorrow, ladies can't even speed past 80km/h??!! What a biased world!

When I joined my current company, I found out that there's this Go-Kart club. Raised my eyebrows, and the next thing I know, I'm in a kart! Whoopie, now I can drive like there's no tomorrow too - and nobody will care! Wrong!! Rules rules rules. As human, you can never have freedom, can you?! Go anywhere, there's rules. Stay at home, there's rules. In the toilet? Er....

Of all the clubs that I have joined in my life, I can say that Karting is one of my fav. Why? Simple because I dun need to run/jump/walk/do funny stunts - just sit in the kart and step the pedal away!

Did I hear fear? Everyone I know tells me that it's a dangerous sport, etc etc.. Well, any sports can be dangerous if you dun practice precaution. Even just sitting can be dangerous if suddenly a tiger appears out of Calvin & Hobbes comic strip and attacks you!

The point is, you must always know your limits. And the car/kart's limits. Understand how each other works. And how both work together. Try out different techniques to learn how to handle your car/kart in different situations (sounds like a pro, eh?). It's a relationship thing here. And the best thing is, the centre of gravity is so low, you'll never trip/fly away. Ok, unless you got itchy and hit another kart-lah.

So, if you're interested, come for a ride in my car. Be a good Samaritan and help prove that I'm a good and safe driver. I'll show you what driving is all about... but after that I'll have to bill you for the handle (on my car door)!!

*SS = 'Syok Sendiri' in Malay. Means entertaining oneself by showing off
*signals ~ the drivers in my country are a cooperative bunch whenever there's a road block/speed trap ahead...