Travel back in time ... to Bali

I am reminiscing those enjoyable pleasure moments I'd had in Bali.

I feel like traveling again. Where to? Istanbul. I like exotic places.

However, there is always a but following - I don't think I can splurge on any vacation at the moment. I have started to feel guilty on all my over-indulging vacations. I should have some plans for my future. Maybe I can travel in my memories, in histories, in photos this time. That cures :)

It took me 2 hours to reach Ubud from Nusa Dua - for the very famous "Babi Panggang" - grilled pork. It looks very 80's for me, this little packed wooden hut :)

All pork ribs are made to order. Aren't these huge, tender-looking pork ribs sinfully tempting?

The menu. All written on different boards and hung on the wall...

Awards & certificates are all lined and displayed on the wall too. Frankly I was amazed by all the accolades given to this really humble place. I was already sweating like the pork ribs being grilled while merely sitting in the restaurant for less than 10 minutes.

(You don't wait to be seated. This place is always packed with tourists / locals from all over the places. You either grab a place with the fastest speed, or you share the long table with other guests, which is sort of fun as you get to make new friends)

I had rice with the gigantic grilled pork ribs. The special chili sauce (drizzled on top of the rice) was so good that I thought of buying a whole jar of it for my mom, she will love it for sure. My tour guide (who is also the girlfriend of my ex-colleague) gave me a "WHAT?" look when I told her that I wanted to buy the sauce.


Well, I didn't buy it at the end.


The ribs, the rice and the sauce were perfect match. So tender, so flavorsome. I kept quiet the moment I sank my teeth in the tenderness of the ribs. I hadn't got much time to talk apart from telling her that it was really good. I spent most of my time lingering in the ultimate pleasure of having the ribs.


I didn't regret for not eating other signature dishes such as Babi Guling or Bebek Pengil. It's okay, I can always go back, but with a travel partner this time :)


By the way, I was quite shocked when I got the bill as it was relatively pricey for a place like this. Oh, millions of Ruppiah :)


Headed to Tagallalang after this lunch, smelling exactly like I have been marinated and put on the pit, grill to perfection. Well, that doesn't sound really sexy for me, I like myself smelling like Versace.


Naughty Nuri's Warung and Grill
Jl. Raya Sanggingan, Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
(Across the road from Neka Musuem)
http://www.naughty-nuris.com/

The Ubiquitous Depression

I am not quite used to living my life aimlessly at the moment. That somehow depresses me. I can feel the depression everywhere, sinisterly teasing me.


Came back to the city 5 days ago. Realized the biggest advantage of me being in the city is - I can finally wear perfume again!

(I was once allergic to perfume in the island where I suffered from rashes on all the spots I wore perfume, how strange that such thing only happened in the island. God knows why was it).

Apart from clearing some knick-knacks in one of my luggage, I have not unpacked my 25-kg suitcase. My clothes are still folded nicely in there. I am expecting something, I know too well but I don't want to put so much of hope in it anymore.


Went back to my late grandma's place today. It was hard to believe that she has gone. In the car, I was asking myself what do I expect to see when I have reached the house she used to stay. I got the answer the moment I set foot in the house - I sensed loneliness, and silence that I never like. How she smiled when she saw me, the way she asked me about work and how she teased me for working too hard and should spend some time looking for a partner rang vividly in my mind again. I don't like this, I really don't. I want her back.

Sunset in the island. Is that what they are talking about? The curse thing? People who once worked here will come back eventually? I don't know but well, I don't mind going back as tourist though. I seriously missed the dining sessions. I want Chardonnay and Merlot by the beach.

Merlot at Laundry Bar, The Curve, Mutiara Damansara

Being born and raised in the city, I know too well that my heart is way too connected to this fast-paced bustling place. However, sipping Merlot in a mall was just somehow not as satisfying as what I used to do in the island - where I was accompanied by the evening breeze, sound of waves and sometimes, the famed sunset.


Maybe I should really be more aggressive and get my time occupied with works. Work chases depressions away. I want to be a workaholic again :)


Off you go, loneliness and depression, don't pretend to be my friends.


Lotsa love and bless me...

Auf Wiedersehen

 

Posting this 6 hours before I head to the airport and go back to my city hometown. Looking at this photo (where I worked in the island), I feel obligated to write a summary on what I have done while being here for 372 days.

• Slightly depressed when I first started.
• Moved three times and stayed in three different quarter / apartment.
• Packed and unpacked in one day (which makes me an expert in packing now).
• Slightly tanned. 
• Gained weight (please don't ask my current figure if you see me now or I get very depressed).
• Traveled alone twice.
• Got real drunk twice.
• Met great media partners from everywhere.
• Don't have many friends but a few real interesting people who I love to spend time with and to cherish the friendship.
• Met someone and done something I never thought I will be doing.
• Met someone who cooked for me (As mentioned in my blog, I always have a soft spot for someone who can / is willing to cook for me).
• Lost someone special (my grandma, I mean).
• Drank so frequently that during my last week here I drank almost every alternate day?
• Truly enjoyed Veuve Clicquot, Moet & Chandon and Prosecco here (Don't think I can splurge on them back in the city so often anymore).
• Loving red wine now, thanks to Mei.
• Ate too much Italian food (but still loving it).
• Rode a motorbike for more than 30 minutes (I have never been on bike for so many years and definitely not anything more than 10 minutes).
• Walked on the beach at night.
• Sang Katy Perry's "Hot & Cold" for so many times during New Year's Eve party last year, which was insanely fun.
• Most importantly, being here has someohow turned me into a calmer person. I am not as temperamental as I used to be now. Much better, in fact.

Lotsa love to everyone who has contributed a precious chapter in my life...
I should stop writing else I will start to feel melancholic again :)

Four for Four Seasons

I am supposed to start packing now. In fact, I should have started yesterday. Anyway, don't give a damn at the moment because I feel like writing this, while everything is still vividly clear. Had my farewell dinner at Four Seasons Langkawi on Oct 23rd with Anniek and Eelco (both Dutch), and Mei, who is somehow "Dutch-ish" due to being in the Netherlands for five years (she speaks Dutch, not to forget a Dutch boyfriend as well).

Walking around the resort compound which looks pretty much like maze, but everything is so fabulously amusing. This place somehow makes me feel like getting married (again).

Ahem, single woman, stop dreaming and come back to your blog.

But hey, this place is gorgeous and I would love to take my wedding photographs here. 

Well okay, I am just trying to express how amazing this resort is. Saw heaps of pretty wedding photos taken here though...

I seriously love this beach. This is so much nicer than the other parts of the island. Seriously. I could stay here the whole day, reading book, sunbathing, have cocktails or Moet  & Chandon... what a life...

Enjoying the famed sunset at Rhu Bar...

Was on the phone for about 15 minutes. Walking aimlessly by the beach while talking. Like this artsy photo taken by the geek.

Photo courtesy of Anniek as I was too busy on the phone @@. Look at the sunset. Unbelievably romantic...

 

 Al-fresco dining area of Serai - the Italian / Mediterranean restaurant at Four Seasons. Our table was the first one from left.

Here started the dinner after one round of drink at Rhu Bar. Look at the girls' expressions. Guess they were concentrating on speech.

Prosecco and sparkling water. Love them in an unexplainable way. I am sorry, I wasn't the one ordering the wine so I seriously can't remember the name of it. And, I am not a Sommelier even though I am dying to be one nor I am brilliant enough to tell which vineyard produced this wine just after one sip (The water, of course, was S. Pallegrino)

Anniek, me and Mei. Gosh, they commented that I have this "Joe's face" that appears in all photos so I had to do something different...

Eelco and me...

Amuse bouche courtesy of the restaurant.

My appetizer - deep fried calamari and prawn with spicy tomato sauce (which wasn't spicy at all). It wasn't fantastic even though the seafood was definitely fresh as I found them a lil' too salty

I can't comment on this salad as I didn't try but it looked pretty decent.

Anniek and Mei had the same "Chef's Special" three-course that night. Their starter - Sliced Rare Yellow Fin Tuna, Orange Segments, Green Beans, Fennel Salad and Olive Tapenade. Very nice presentation.

Pinot Noir for the main course. Again, wasn't order by me. He did mention the name though. Cloudy Bay Marlborough if I am not wrong? I have somehow changed I guess. I feel more comfortable with red wine these days after two years of my usual Chardonnay / Riesling.

Note: Two years ago, I puked immediately upon finishing a bottle of Chardonnay followed by a bottle of Merlot. I seriously thought it was Merlot's fault for making me looked ugly. That's why...

My main course - Roasted Sea Bass with Cauliflower Broccoli Guazzetto and Spring Onion Smashed Potatoes. Was great. Seriously I was half-stuffed after the appetizer so I didn't finish the whole main course.

Roasted Lamb Rack. Can't comment much on this as I didn't try as well. Heard from Mei that it wasn't quite "rare" even though she asked for it...

Three-cheese Lagsane

My dessert - Mixed Berries Sorbet. I've had better I must say... This was too sweet for my liking...

Exquisite dessert platter, courtesy of the restaurant as well. I only had the biscotti even though I am a big fan of chocolate as I was way too stuffed for more food.

A "full-moon" farewell party. Headed to Rhu Bar again for more drinks after dinner. Lying on the day bed, chatting, constantly yelling that I felt offended for being the only one who does not have any clue on Dutch apart from "Schatje" and "Dankjewel".

We strolled along the beach. Trying to enjoy the sand and the breeze as much as I can.

I will definitely miss all the laughter we had. It was such a lovely and perfect evening. In fact, one of the best I have ever had here...

I have started to feel melancholic now. I think I am going to cry so bad on Wednesday.

I am going to miss you guys so bad, even though Mei, I am not in the Top 50 list for your wedding, haha...

"What time do you start on Wednesday? 9 am? Okay, I am going to make you cry starting from 9 am"

(Please be kind to me Anniek dear)

Oh, another discovery. I was perfectly fine last night even after Pina Colada, Prosecco, Pinot Noir and Bombay Sapphire. Not even a slight dizziness. Guess my biggest enemy will be beer, always.

Entrance to the resort. A hot spot for photography :)

Four Seasons Resort Langkawi.

Jalan Tanjung Rhu, 07000 Langkawi, 

Kedah Darul Aman, Malaysia

Tel: + 604 950 8888

Sunset. Sea. Sanity. Sentiment. Songs

I will be here for another two weeks. Two pathetic weeks? I don't know. I have been sort of "dying" to leave but I reckon that I will miss some stuffs that I get so easily here.

I am pretty sure I will miss drinking, reading, lying, sunbathing, daydreaming at the beach.

"When I think back on these time and the dreams we left behind..."

(Listening to Faith Hill's There You'll Be)

I will definitely miss restaurants where you can take off your shoes and feel the sand between your toes. 

"I am all out of faith, this is how I feel.

I am cold and I'm ashamed lying naked on the floor.

Illusion never changed into something real.

I'm wide awake and I can see the perfect sky is torn.

You're a little late, I'm already torn"

(Listening to Natalia Imbruglia's Torn)

How can I resist the dine-and-wine sessions by the beach, accompanied by sound of waves, stunning sea view (and sometimes good looking guys passing by)

Caramelized Banana Crepe with Coconut Ice-cream that made me felt heaven on earth

"Y Como libro el corazon
Nos ensena que hay temor
Que hay fracasos y maldad
Que hay batallas que ganar"

(Listening to Il Divo's Heroe)

Yes you are right, I am trying to be as dramatic as the sky here...

My mind was wandering and wondering...

People tend to take things for granted. 

You don't realize how much something / someone meant for you,

until the day you live without it /  him / her.

Out of sudden, I was feeling melancholic...

Was it because I missed someone?

Or was it because I lost too much?

"The first cut is the deepest and I'll try to love again" 

(Listening to Sheryl Crow's The First Cut is the deepest)

Nobody knows what is in the future.

Live as if you are gonna die tomorrow...

This somehow pushes me to see what kind of person I become as time goes...

The Brasserie, a new French restaurant at Pantai Cenang, Langkawi.

I love this place. I love the couches and everything white here.

Should I have my last best memory here?

Look What We Have Done

One fine Sunday, myself and my two besties in Langkawi, Mag and Yun got all-dressed and went for a "romantic trio" dinner at The Datai Langkawi. I guess no further flowery description needed for this classy resort?


We have sort of planned a series of "farewell-dinners-in-nice-posh-restaurants" and The Datai was one of them. (And unfortunately, the only place we managed to make it)

Get my make-up done in the car (just came back from KL the same evening) and tried to take some shots in the car, with Mag speeding like Lewis Hamilton's girlfriend...

The iconic horses of The Datai Langkawi. They somehow remind me of Palace of the Golden Horses. Okay, both are horse...

After an exhilarating (and somehow scary) 1-hour drive to this secluded resort, we reached there 25 minutes later than expected. The resort looks stunning. Oh, didn't I mention that we were having dinner at the Pavilion, their Thai cuisine restaurant?

I will feel so sorry for myself if I never had anything from their wine list. The wine menu is huge (literally) and good to be used to bury yourself in if you have a cold war / fight with your dinner partner. Just kidding, you wouldn't want to fight in such a nice place...

I have made a big mistake for ordering S.Pallegrino sparkling water that I love to death. I was not instinctive enough to know that both Mag and Yun DO NOT like sparkling mineral water.

A. Kuentz, Riesling, Alsace, France 2008 - my first glass of wine. Was good. Later I had a glass of Rolf Binder South Australia Chardonnay followed by a glass of Brown Brothers, Late Harvested Orange Muscat, Australia 2009 dessert wine.

Khaw Phad - Thai Fried Rice. The adventurous trio actually asked for "Very spicy" when being asked by the attentive waitress on our preferred level of spiciness. I can only say that we are well-trained, as everything was not spicy at all. We had a Tom Yam Goong as well but I have reserved my effort of taking a photo of that as it was not very impressive (I'm sorry). Well, we were "impressed" by the correlation between the price charged and the portion served. Anyway, the fried rice was pretty good.

Gai Phad Kreung Thed Thai - Stir-fried Chicken with Spring Onion and Thai Herbs. Very savoury and I love the dish served in fine clay dinnerware. I must stress that I like one of their little touches - plates were all heated before served, this definitely keeps the food warm (so that we can spend more time talking but not eating cold food later)

Yam Woon Sen Jae - Spicy Glass Noodle with Beancurd and Mushrooms. Appetizing but not too surprising.

It was a great dinner in a nice restaurant anyway. Of course I will always remember what we have done in The Datai. Hundreds of photos taken, endless laughter and of course, Yun, the broken macaroon. Guess it will take quite some time for us to be together again to have such an enjoyable night? I will definitely miss you girls.

Lots of love...Xx

The Datai, Langkawi
Jalan Teluk Datai
07000 Pulau Langkawi
Kedah Darul Aman, Malaysia

Tel: (604) 959-2500
Fax: (604) 959-2600