la isla bonita

Hola people!

Got back from Bali a few weeks ago with my best buds PY and NZ. And it was amazing! This was my return trip to the island paradise and I must say the magic is still there. I explored more of the island this time around and got to see things that held me breathless. Last time, I only concentrated on Kuta and all it's chaoticness and urban happening and beach boys. This time around, went out to Tanah Lot to visit the gorgeous temple in by the shore. Which is only accessible during lowtide. Went to Ubud, not really sure why we went to Ubud but we did. Saw lots of paddy fields. Enough to last me a lifetime. Went to Jimbaran where we stayed in the gorgeous Puri Bambu which is a paradise in itself. Such a secluded and quiet place. I daresay we were the noisiest there. The four days quickly ended (as all good things normally do) and we were soon back to the old status quo. But the memories and the feel of Bali is still with us.
Us doing what we do best. Camera whoring. This is officially our first pic of the trip!

PY wrote a brilliant review of our trip. Check it out and the pics too. Honeystar's Paradise Bali.

Our first night in Bali was spent in this hidden place in Legian called Bamboo Bed and Breakfast (BBB). Someone misread it as Banana Bed and Breakfast when i smsed him. That certain someone needs to get a stronger pair of glasses ;) BBB has 8 pretty rooms. The doors are pink in colour which is in contrast to almost everything else in the place. After checking in and all, we ventured out on foot. And walked and walked and walked. Exploring everything in sight. The sun began to set and we found ourselves on the beach. We then walked some more in the dark and found ourselves in Kuta! We eventually found our way back to BBB. Kuta at night is different from Kuta at day. But you never feel the sense of doom or danger there. You're perfectly safe. We played cards on our first night. Old Maid, Happy Family, Snap, Fishing. It was sheer childhood fun. It was simple yet enjoyable. Cos we were laughing and talking about things. We then ventured out to McDonald's for a bite. Which was a good half hour to get there. Came back and carried on with our "girltalk" And being typical A-listers we had E on the whole time to keep us up to date with our friends in Hollywood.
The pink doorThis is my fav bathroom of all the places we stayed. The mirror was huge. It was big and airy and it was outdoors. And it had this amazing showerhead which I'm still raving about til today ;)

Next day, we did a little shopping and changed hotels to Massa Inn in Kuta. Can you believe we passed this place twice or was it thrice the night before trying to locate it and we never did! It's like it popped out of nowhere! The location of this hotel is good. Right smack in the middle of the infamous Poppies Lane 1. Altho Poppies Lane 2 is where it's at now. We went down to the beach. Didn't do any Sports Illustrated shots cos we were afraid for our cameras. So I'm leaving that to ur imagination. The girls were in bikinis and I was in board shorts. I frolicked out into the waves. Enjoying it's caresses. The girls stayed on the beach doing their thing. And their thing on this day was getting sand into their bikini bottoms! We didn't manage to get a good tan despite the sun being superstrong. But it was amazing being on the beach. Checking out all the semi nude guys.

Massa Inn. Not gonna show you the interior. Nothing to shout about.

At night, we did our thing. Clubbing. Or at least the girls did. I met up with Derrick and we had a little chat away from all the noise. We started the night in Macaroni which had very interesting interior deco and their bathrooms were mirror mazes! This is the sink.

This is us, in the room about to head out.

We had pre-party drinks then I saw batman arrive on his bat-bike. The girls lived it up in Embargo where they got hit on left and right. So proud of my ladies that night. Wish I could have seen them in action. Got home, drunk and we bought this awesome too die for greasy pizza as after party snacks!

The next day, we visited a local performance show. I think it was called Barong Dance or something. I tell you, the drama in this show is worst than some of the drama you find on soap-operas! And the costumes!! Amazing!

The best part, we couldnt make out what was happening at most parts so we started guessing and I think we were pretty satisfied with our conclusions. This is us at the show. Post hangover!

After the show, we went to this place with gardens and gardens and intricate ornaments and very detailed carvings. It's owned by some rich guy who decided to make it a public place. Very nice of him. It's sort of like a secret garden thing.




We then journeyed to Sukawati to get tons of cheap stuff at bargain prices. We were literally in heaven! We did a quick pitstop in Ubud to check out the paddy fields. And along the way to Tanah Lot, our driver banged into this woman on a bike. It was very comical actually, cos I was asleep and I woke up just in time to see her in front of us and then sailing into a ditch (or at least I think it was a ditch, PY and NZ said it wasn't) But she survived to die another day and so did we. Needless to say, we were wide awake after that. We weren't very happy with our driver before this incident cos we were convinced he was taking us for a ride. He must have recognized us as the celebs we were and was taking us to all this paparazzi-infested places. Damn him. Can't even remember his name. And after this accident, we didn't like him even more. Stupid fool should keep his eye on the road.

But once we got to Tanah Lot, it was a whole different story. The beauty and majesty of the temple and the shores were amazing!! I was truly spellbound! A temple on the beach. How more inspiring can you get.








The last pic was taken by that fabulous photographer NZ. PY and me call it our honeymoon pic. Isn't it simply gorgeous? Check out the sky. It's so white!

We finally checked into Puri Bambu in Jimbaran. That wonderful place secluded away from prying eyes. Jimbaran has nothing to offer but peacefulness and relaxation especially if your hotel is anything like Puri Bambu. We had initially decided to walk out for seafood but decided to stay in and pig out on room service. But not before a dip in the icy ICY cold waters of the pool. It was freezing but invigorating! We spent the night talking and chilling. Tired from the day's adventures. I think we passed out one after the other.











Following day, we took the shuttle to Kuta where we did our last minute shopping in I think three hours. We had only one thing on our minds and that was to shop shop shop. The girls introduced me to LUSH and my money found it's home. Also bought tons of donuts from Krispe Kreme. And we went mental buying DVDs which were unbelievably cheap!
Lush goodies



Me trying very hard to crack open the donut box. It's built like a timebomb! But doesn't my hair look amazing?

All in all Bali was paradise. Had a blast. Especially because I went with two of my most favourite people in the world. The things we did, the stuff we shared. It was not only our mind and body that got relaxed and renewed but also friendship grew tighter. This was our first trip overseas together and I'm proud to say we had an amazing time.

This is my 5 fav Bali moments.

1) When we were in Puri Bambu, NZ had told us that it was so amazing that the rooms came with microwave ovens. Me and PY looked at each other spellbound. Really? It turns out it was the safe box. We had a very good laugh.
2) Massage. The massages were cheap and unbelievable. As you may have noticed we are very indulgent people. So we indulged in massages. The ones we had in Kuta was so relaxing. And the ones in Puri Bambu were satisfying.
3) When we staying in BBB, for some reason, our air-cond had a mind of it's own. It kept on switching off and on thru out the night which drove PY mad. At some points it was hot, and at other points it was cold! Madness.
4) Playing card games in BBB. Such a delightful time. Reliving our childhood and laughing trying to outdo each other esp me trying to keep a straight face playing old maid. I still laugh thinking about it.
5) Bargain hunting in the streets of Kuta and making jokes with the local merchants and trying our best to slash the prices. We rock at shopping.

candyboy

This was taken on the last day in Bali. The hotel was Puri Bambu located in Jimbaran. It's an extremely gorgeous place. Quiet and beautiful. So much greenery and lushness. Feels like walking into a whole new world where war and crime do not exist. We were inspired to have a little mini photoshoot. This is mine. With a tree. Don't look too much into it. Check out the tree and it's branches and even the background. Very scenic. I like the shots alot. Taken simultaneously by the ever stunning Honeystar and brilliant Nazi.




Very GQ magazine material ;)

summer love

I was recently posted to Kota Kinabalu to fly the flights from that base for 2 weeks. Actually about 16 days. I was very apprehensive at first and thought what did I do to deserve this? I had alot going for me in KL and I had alot of planning to do before my trip to Bali end of the month. So tried as I could to swap it with someone, I couldn't. So with a heavy heart I went for it. And guess what? I had the time of my life!! I was a huge hit over there. HUGE HIT. Stayed in Promenade and was treated like a king. Everything was walking distance. Spent my days there walking from one point to another. Just walking and taking in the sites and letting the locals take in my sight ;) I was a regular tourist.


This is the view from my room.



Spent the first few days exploring and sightseeing. I love doing this. Just walking and getting lost in the surroundings. Met up with Azhar I think my 5th day there and he took me to the markets where everything is extremely cheap, colourful and FRESH. Check out the veges and esp the chilies! The colours! And i adore vege.. I wanted to buy them which was ridiculous.



We then went to the seafood section. And the smell had me retching. Even now looking at the photos, I can still smell the seawater and the blood and all the fish. Lord.. I'm feeling woozy. But the fish were extremely fresh. You can still see some of the gills moving. And there were so many varieties. From stingrays to crabs and weird coloured fishes and HUGE fishes. But the smell..

And some of the fishmongers were cleaning and gutting the fish and you could see the innards being pulled out. I could have passed out. But truth be told, some of them were hunky! The mongers not the fish. And they were topless ;) Leave it to me to notice men in a bloodbath.




And until today I cannot tell what this is. Some weird underwater plantation. And I'm not sure what is in the plastic containers either. They look like intestines. Or gall bladders.


After that, we walked thru the clothes part of the market and got approached by porn peddlers. Then we went to look at massage parlours. And got approached by a particularly hot massuer named Jimmy who guaranteed a good massage. Very good. I should mention here that in that 2weeks I was in KK, I must have gone for like 5 or was it 6 massages. I must have tried every place the city had to offer. But none gave me a happy ending ;) Even Mr Jimmy.

Flying in KK was a breeze. The flights were short and simple. The heat however was unbearable. Could have died. But survived. Part of the city, somewhere after LeMeridien towards Hyatt had a park. And in this park there were all this weird structures which to my eyes served no purpose. They looked like pillars. Patrick says they're pots. I'm not too sure about that Patrick..



And at one point there was this huge splash of colours on the buildings! I was very intrigued. I'm all for colours. These buildings are flats with shophouses at the bottom. And it's quite cosy walking thru them. And you can get from point to another by walking using the elevated colourful pedestrian walk. From this mall to the next. Very ingenious.



There was this gelato/ice cream place near my hotel called Scoops. Which was a bad idea. Cos I was there almost every other day. And each time I tell myself I must take a pic of what I ordered. But it never happens. Cos after one spoon or one lick, I just couldn't stop. So to make up for the lack of gelato pic here, here is the overall look. The taste is to die for! Esp the chocolate orange! Smooth and tart.




So there you have it, my 2weeks went by in a flash. And what I thought was gonna be the death of me turned out to be the highlight of my year thus far. I met such interesting and wonderful people. Patrick being one of them ;) Really like the city. It's small. Quiet. But I don't think I could live there. In that 2 weeks, I've explored every nook and cranny of it. If I lived there, I'd go mad with mentalness. I also had the time to check out the islands Manukan and Sapi but I didn't take photos as I had left my phone back in the hotel. Didn't want to risk me dropping it or misplacing it. But the islands were nice. Esp Sapi. My return trip to Sabah would be to go to Sipadan. Someone close recommended it alot. I even had a free hair highlight! How cool is that? Yes.. I now have blonde highlights. It was silver initially then got switched to blonde. For free. Don't ask how or why.

On recommendation of my heartbeat HoneyStar i checked out this wonderful place called Little Italy. And the food is to die for! Very good Italian cuisine. Took pics of my first visit. Didn't take photos of my subsequent visits. Their bread basket comes with 4 varieties of bread. And their pastas are handmade. And the drinks come in cool pitcher like glasses.



Upperstar (about a block away) had nice drinks and ok ok food. Cheap drinks and the atmosphere was excellent. The view was amazing as we were upstairs on the balcony and you can people watch. But my eyes kept coming back to the person in front of me. The smoky silver of his hair kept caressing my thoughts ;)

All in all, KK was good to me. Very good. I enjoyed it alot. And am definitely pondering making a coming back visit. Lots to look forward to on my return trip. Azhar and the girls say I should. And I just might. But i'm also glad to be back to the old status quo. Nothing like home.

makes me wonder

These are recent pics taken at Nazlyn's sister's wedding. A good event. Really felt the family love and togetherness and it was great seeing Nazlyn glow from all her pride and love. I was so proud of her. Running around getting everything and everyone together and yet she looked so poised and elegant at the same time.


This is us. Me, Nazi, Vis and PY. The awesome foursome. This is one of our last times together as a foursome cos Vis is now with SIA and that means Singapore has claimed him. But don't we all look amazing?! Esp Nazi with her eyes all done up.


And this is us doing what we do best. Gossiping.