Pausing for Gluttony

Jyn got a couple of free nights stay in one of the Hydro Hotel, Penang.
I had dinner on Friday night, so Lisa, Jyn & I left KL at about 7am on Sat morning. Without Starbucks. GROAN.

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Review: The Twilight Saga: New Moon

Lord have mercy.. this series made me feel like a pedophile.
Granted, it's the characters that I'm enamoured with, and Edward is technically 109 years old... but Still!

Jacob's 6-pack alone is worth the price of the ticket.
Someone please tell me he's legal.
Also, there are 4 or 5 others like him.
Yummy.
I certainly want to see more of Sam!

Whoever did Edward's lipstick, take away her makeup brushes. She needs to leave the industry.
However, Edward half naked, is Edward half naked.
THANK YOU.
REALLY.

Bella is irritating, but I've said before that the screen Bella isn't half as endearing as the book Bella, and the book Bella is a whiny brat to begin with.
No, I did NOT like book 2, so I didn't expect to like movie 2.

I wouldn't pay to watch it again, but am a big enough fan of the series to buy the DVD.
And Jacob's abs help. *grin*

Review: 2012

Special effects were Amazing!
The story is predictable and rehashed, but then again, I really was in it only for the effects.

Woody Harrelson did crazy REALLY well!
I recognized Amanda Peet from Studio 60 (I still mourn that loss), but she did nothing special.

Go see it.
If what I heard is true: that Roland Emmerich is leaving the genre, then Go See It.
The effects are WELL worth the price of the ticket.

Eddie Izzard, you Queen of my heart

Norman had never heard of Eddie Izzard. In my quest to find clips to introduce Eddie to him, I fell in love all over again. :)

I find it sad that he eventually caved & stopped cross dressing...

Igudesman and Joo: Kamu Batu!

I had a WONDERFUL time! RM170 bought us seats in the slightly elevated section, darn close to center. OMFG... they were HILLARIOUS! And BRILLIANT!

I had never noticed that the West Side Story and The Simpsons had Anything in common.

Igudesman did what I call his Mr. Bean impression, punctuating the violin pieces with gangly thrusts of knee and bum. That 1717 Santo Seraphin violin he plays has the sweetest, roundest sound you've ever heard.

Joo is by any definition, a piano virtuoso. At one point, he was playing a piece from BELOW the piano. Lying down, face up, below the piano, he just extended his hands to cup around the keys, and played 10 full bars of a classical piano piece. My jaw hit the ground so hard, I spent the next half hour picking up my teeth.

This made me want to go out & get a piano & start playing again. I had more or less given up the instrument... or so I thought. When I get my house, I'm Definitely getting myself a clavinova or something similar. I had no idea I missed music this much.

Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along-Blog: Laundry Day

Norman: How can you not have seen Dr. Horrible????
It's Barney Stinson.
As a mad scientist.
Out to rule the world.
To music.

4 VERY good reasons to youtube.
And I LOVE.
Bless you, Norman!

A Random question

Someone: ... Don't you want to get married?
(I was at a relative's wedding. The question was inevitable, really.)

Me: Sure. If the right man rocks up.
Someone: Aren't you afraid of growing old alone?
Me: I'm more afraid of waking up with someone I don't want to grow old with.
Someone: But nowadays it's so easy to get divorced... If the relationship sours, just divorce lah.

I was stunned into silence.

In chinky speak,
"Just get SOMEONE, ANYONE. Get married, don't like, can divorce mah. Easy only."

I don't have an answer to that.

Review: This is It

I really enjoyed myself!

It's a "Making Of" type of thing. Very interesting footage of rehersals, concept discussions, the 3D Thriller release, props, stage toys, etc.

The 11 principle dancers came damn close to making me cry in the first 2 minutes. They were just *YUM*... black/white wife-beaters always push the right buttons *laugh*

Michael was portrayed as a consumate professional - he knew every song, every key, beat, mood, effect... He knew what he wanted, and how to get it from the people around him.

I've always thought him an entertainer, first and foremost. His songs are catchy, his moves, mesmerising. This movie did not disappoint.

He will be missed.

Sometimes ah...

How can a man who knows so little, have so much to say??
SIGH

Be Still My Beating Heart

I love it when you hold my hand
Enveloping mine
Strong, firm, comforting
Even if it's when we cross a road
Be still my beating heart

I love it when you hold me from behind
Your chin on my head
Your breath on my hair
When we're just standing in queue
You soothe my restless heart

I love it when you stroke the back of my hand
My breath catches, I dare not meet your wicked eyes
I know your lips are oh so close
And I know that soon, soon...
You quicken my lustful heart

I love it when you call my name
That name only lovers use
On the phone, against my skin, in my ear
Brings a blush to my cheeks
Be still my beating heart

I love it when you laugh out loud
That sound that resonates deep in your chest
It's like I'm swept up again, surrounded by you
All is well in our little world
You make light my heavy heart

I love that I know your stories, and you, mine
That I know your fears and plans, dreams and secret ambitions
And you know that I'll be there, even if it's just to listen
That I know which spots tickle
You soothe my lonely heart

I love it when you nod as if you care what manga I'm raving about
I love that you understand what a geek I am
What my family means to me
How insecure I am, how I hide it still
You know my aching heart

I love it when you catch my eye from across the room
I love it when we sing duets in the car
I love that you know the order of Kiss, Coffee & Cigarette, first thing in the morning.
It's the simple things...
Be still my beating heart

Review: Law Abiding Citizen

You HAVE to watch this movie.

Its stars Gerard Butler and Jamie Foxx.

And Jack Dalton.
Well.... it's really Bruce McGill...
But any decent fan of MacGyver would be going "Jack Dalton! So old liao!"
*laugh* Well maybe not *exactly* like that...

It's tastefully violent, though I confess... a girlie moment had me muting the sound (Read: stuck my fingers in my ears) in one scene involving a circular saw.
It certainly made me look at my mobile phone in a WHOLE new light.
You'll see what I mean.

Engineer has wife & daughter. 2 men break in, murder + rape wife + daughter, didn't manage to kill Engineer. Robber 1 makes deal with DA's office to roll over on Robber 2, even though Robber 1 is actually murderer+rapist. Engineer begs DA not to settle, but DA more worried about maintaining his 96% conviction rate. 10 yrs later, ppl start dying.

The story is an age-old one of revenge but though the central plot isn't new, it's very well told. It keeps a good pace, the unexpected shocks easily holding your attention. The emotions are believable, and hey, it's Butler, which is always nice. *laugh*

*So* worth the price of a ticket. Just make sure you leave the kiddies at home. It's not a pretty movie.

Manga

As if there wasn't enough addiction in my life... I had to start reading Manga too.
GOOD GRIEF.
In the last week or so... I've finished:
446 volumes of Naruto
376 volumes of Bleach and
54 volumes of Vampire Knight
in ONE WEEK.
Or so.

For the uninitiated, that's a Friggin lot.
a WHOLE friggin lot.
I miss sleeping.

It's my party and I'll explode with joy if I want to

You wish you had my friends. You really really do. :)

It was a pretty good birthday already - only got out of bed at noon, quick lunch, yoga at 3, dinner with family. Supper with girlfriends would wrap it up nicely. It was the Mid-Autumn festival also, and Ann had asked if I wanted a mooncake as a birthday cake *laugh* I politely declined in favour of Caramel Banana Pancakes (YUM!).

Was supposed to be ready 10-ish, pick up Sham and meet Choon & Jason someplace or other. Sham calls me and says get ready, will sms/call when time to leave.

So I'm dressed & lazing about till it's time to go. She calls, and says ok let's go.
My dogs are going berserk outside, and I can barely hear her...

Then it occurs to me that I'm actually *hearing* MY OWN DOGS on the phone as I'm talking WITH her... There's this SURREAL moment when I'm processing this impossibility, and my legs are moving on heir own accord to the window, I look out & what do I see?

I see Sham, Choon, Jason, Sugee, Michelle, Chris & Kipsy walking down my road with LANTERNS!!!

LANTERNS!!! [insert dance of joy here]

I had told my dad on the same day that my lantern days were over... I was SO Wrong, obviously! *laugh* They sing Happy Birthday outside my gate, I hug them, all the time squealling something incomprehensible in a high pitch tone. *laugh* They had cupcakes & everything!!

We went to a mamak in Lucky Garden & ate & drank & laughed & told stupid jokes...

It was PERFECT.
Just PERFECT.

Boys

Is it just me or are there a lot of *really* cute guys in X Factor this year?

Keith Floyd dies of a heart attack

Keith Floyd, whom I call the drunken chef, passed away yesterday. Apparently, he's been long fighting bowel cancer, but died from a heart attack.

I used to watch his cooking shows on TV. He was quite funny.

His food didn't look like it would be especially tasty - I remember, he actually did a couple of episodes in Malaysia, and I was horrified when he cooked something he claimed to be noodle soup. He didn't saute any of the spices nor the garlic, and I was quite convinced it would be like drinking the noodle cooking water - ewww...

But he was quite funny.

Patrick Swayze dies of cancer

Patrick Swayze died today in LA after battling pancreatic cancer for nearly 2 years. He was 57.

"Patrick Swayze passed away peacefully today with family at his side after facing the challenges of his illness for the last 20 months," said a statement released last night by his publicist, Annett Wolf.

I remember him best from Ghost, which of course, made me cry. Several news articles quote his famous line: "It's amazing, the love inside. You take it with you."

Even while undergoing chemotherapy, he put in long hours on the television cable drama The Beast, claiming, "When the statistics say you're a dead man? You go to work."

Of Dirty Dancing, I remember more that he wrote "She's Like the Wind" (for his wife). He was Hillarious in "To Wong Foo Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar". I've never seen City of Joy, but I think I'll put it on my list for the upcoming holiday.

Marketplace

Chris wanted to check out Marketplace - some club in town. Having never been there, a Saturday night out dancing seemed like a good idea. We got there before 11. The place was practically empty - we're early, I thought. Let's just get a couple of drinks & chat a while.

People started trickling in. We didn't pay much attention. Once, when I was randomly glancing at the crowd gathering around the bar, I noticed that a) There were an awful lot of gay guys at the bar and b) I was the only female in the room. I asked Chris if he had brought me to a gay bar. He blinked & asked me how I knew the guys were gay. *laugh* We have now established that Chris needs to work on his gaydar.

It did turn out to be a gay bar. Or at least, a "gay night" at that bar. *laugh* We didn't really care. The music was a bit too techno for my liking, but it was pumping, and there was a great energy in the room. The dance floor was PACKED. We could hardly move, but move we did. The smoke they pumped in, I didn't like... but I suppose it made sense with the laser light show.

I, of course, TOTALLY enjoyed myself. There was eye-candy galore, and I didn't have to worry about sending the wrong signals. I was most amused at Chris' reactions. *laugh* He was a gay bar virgin, and it sometimes showed.

Yes, baby. No one gives a fuck if you know who they are, what they're doing there, who they're with and who they leave with. No baby, don't worry, I won't let anyone take you home. *wink*

My market value has never been so low... *laugh*. I think there were maybe another 5 women in assorted areas... but it felt GREAT to have not a worry in the world, no eyes on me, and the most WONDERFUL of all, no queue for the restroom. I kid you not.

Review: District 9

I couldn't hack it. I had to go home & watch cartoons to go back to my happy place. I felt ugly and dirty.

Movies are my preferred form of escapism. It is for this reason that I prefer supernatural (eg. ghosties & ghoulies) to the twisted realism or the really twisted (eg. Saw & Psycho). If it gets too scary or gruesome, I can just pooh-pooh it away, because it's not real/it's just a movie/we're not really like that.

District 9 was too real. I didn't know what lies to spin to myself to make me feel better. We, as a species, are UGLY. We're manipulative, profit-worshipping, weapon-toting, lie-spewing, UGLY. I wasn't sure when I teared up, whether I was angry or sad. Maybe both.

The surest sign of intelligence out there is the fact that they haven't contacted us.

In many ways, it was a good movie. However, it held too shiny a mirror up to humanity for my liking. When you see so much filth all in one go, you start to forget the sparks of kindness, love, charity and honour we're capable of when we remember to try. I choose my rose-tinted glasses, damnit.

I wouldn't watch it again.

Review: Beyond A Reasonable Doubt

Waste of time & money.

The "twist" is predictable & hastily done.
Scenes from when she's rescued in the car park to the end are absurd.

In the words of my fellow Malaysians:
Like that also can ah?????

Review: The Ugly Truth

Gerard Butler is the Hot.

The movie had copious amts of profanity, used to garner gasps of "omg I can't believe he said that". The movie on the whole, was funny, albeit with the predictable endings & (not-entirely-successful) attempts at charm that are part of the formula of its genre.

The good: Gerard Butler is the Hot. There was a lift scene, which prompted Lisa to comment that it was "so Grey's" *laugh*.

The bad: copious amts of profanity that detracted from the charm of the movie. It's hard to focus when the censorship board kicks in. However, I was VERY surprised at how much of the script *did* get through the board.

The ugly: nothing really. I just couldn't resist adding this in. *grin*

It's an easy watch. Fun and light. Wouldn't pay for another ticket, but wouldn't mind watching it again on TV or downloads DVD or something.

Bleach

Bleach is one of my not-so-secret indulgences. I was lucky enough to have caught on late, and had 225 episodes to be obsessive about. Jason, for one, has been ensnared for... 4 years now? Something like that. I don't know whether to thank him or slap him for this obsession I now harbour. *bleh*

However.

WTF is with this Arrancar arc??? We're talking about having started this arc in Season 6. It's now Season 12 and they're STILL battling the Espada. No, they've only just INTRODUCED most of the Espada. Come on already will ya?? This is worse than The Bold & The Beautiful that I mocked my late-grand-aunt for.

As filler episodes go (and mind you, they have filler SEASONS), the Zanpakuto coming alive is more entertaining than some.

However.

GET A MOVE ON ALREADY will ya?????? I'm about to lose interest. Seriously.

15Malaysia

I'd just heard of 15Malaysia recently. Yes, I'm slow and generally clueless. It's a project where 15 Malaysian filmmakers make 15 short films about all things Malaysian, generally on a shoe-string budget. Some deal with Hillarious misconceptions and stereotypes (eg Potong Saga & Halal), whilst others tackle not-so-funny issues like nationalism, gangsterism, morality, etc.

I was Particularly surprised that One Future was allowed to exist. I would have thought that we weren't as tolerant as that. Perhaps there is hope for us after all.

Malaysians: I hope you get the pun on "Potong Saga". Yes, it's "chinkified" Proton Saga, but it's also literally Potong Saga. As in a saga about Potong. Yes, I am HIGHLY amused. *grin*

Some clips below, and official website is http://15malaysia.com

Halal:


Potong Saga:


One Future:

Igudesman & Joo

Are coming to Malaysia!! :D

According to their official website:

Monday 16. november 2009
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - with Gidon Kremer
BEING GIDON KREMER: The Rise and Fall of the Classical Musician
Igudesman & Joo with Gidon Kremer and the Kremerata Baltica
Announced : 18-06-2009 17:16:05

Tuesday 17. november 2009
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
IGUDESMAN & JOO: "A Little Nightmare Music"
Announced : 18-06-2009 17:16:22

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - with Gidon Kremer
BEING GIDON KREMER: The Rise and Fall of the Classical Musician Igudesman & Joo with Gidon Kremer and the Kremerata Baltica
Announced : 18-06-2009 17:16:06

I CANNOT wait!! [insert dance of joy here]

For the uninitiated, youtube clip inserted below. :)

Shades of Llaby!

This *so* brightened up a grey morning.
OMFG it's *so* cute & *so* funny... and SO embarrassingly familiar. *laugh*
Dalenn and ... sitting in a tree... You know who you are... ;)
LMAO!

Random Thought...

Irene & Renu are like an old married couple with men on the side...

Please get ready...

Just a sample of why I love Irene, having lunch with Irene, and how Irene enriches my life. Renu, is subject for another story.

Irene:
I was in the bathroom near the pantry today when I saw a small, tiny, li'll cockroach wriggling on the floor. It looked like it was suffering. Like it was half dead. It was crawling across the floor painfully & difficultly.

Renu:
So you killed it?

Irene:
I put LOTS of tissue paper over it. Then I said a little prayer for it. Then I told it, "I'm going to put you out of your misery. Please get ready... I hope you reincarnate soon." Then I stepped on it.

Renu asked if Irene had flushed it after, but that was a dumb question. Irene would NEVER touch it. There isn't enough Dettol in the world.

Why you shouldn't add your boss in Facebook

Got this via email today:



HOLY CRAP!
I want to laugh, but I first have to pick up my jaw fr the ground.
"Dumb fuck" seems so inadequate.

Yasmin Ahmad

Some called her Malaysia's Storyteller. She made some of the most progressive films I've seen, and certainly ALL of my Favourite ads for Deepavali/Hari Raya/Chinese New Year/Merdeka. They were funny and poignant, and were all about unity, love, roots and racial harmony in our world where we're struggling between competing in this modern world and holding within ourselves, our history, culture & values.

Some of her movies were banned from local cinemas because they were too progressive: a Really sad reflection of our protectionist reality.

Children are born colour-blind. It's only later that we develop prejudice and hate. Her ads always made us up to be cross-cultural, filially pious, mindful of our values, history, friendships... as if by putting it on TV, she could somehow make it more real... more true. She had hopes for us as a people, I guess. I always thought maybe she thought we just needed reminding once in a while, of who we were meant to be.

"Yasmin, 51, collapsed while presenting a working paper at Sri Pentas, the headquarters of the private television station TV3 on Thursday and was rushed to the Damansara Specialist Hospital... (She passed on Saturday night). The cause of death is believed to be due to brain hemorrhage." - NST

I think it'll really hit home this Hari Raya - which is fast approaching - how much we'll miss her. What a Real Loss.

My favourite ad:

Houston, we have problemces...

Head of Department, in a presentation during a Strategy Retreat:

"... we have to take action to rectify all our department problemces."

'nuff said.

------

Edit:
Actually, I might have misquoted him. I really didn't register ANY other part of the sentence except that last word.

RIP, Jacko & Farrah

Via SMS:
Dad: Ur king of pop, MJ, died of heart attack. So, finally he Beat It. Uh.
Me: Farrah Fawcett passed too. Guess the angel went back to heaven.

And you wonder where I get it from.

P/S: The "Uh" only registered several minutes later. My dad is a Genius.

Review: Blood: The Last Vampire

Total waste of money.

The demon/vampire figure they came up with was a joke.
Literally.
Like the whole theatre laughed at how ridiculous it looked kind of joke.
Like I nearly snorted my Sprite kind of joke.

Saya was better than Jackie Chan in the old days of Drunken Master. She could whoop like 60 vamps, single handed, without a scratch.

Character development was limp. We were all waiting for SOMETHING to happen. ANYTHING.

The ending was crap.
After all that build up, it was a real let-down.

Wouldn't watch it again if you paid for tickets.
Well, maybe if the popcorn was good...
Must find my DVD. I'm sure the anime version wasn't that bad... or was it?

Review: Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen

WTF was that cyborg/robot that can mimic human skin/WHATEVER doing in that movie??????
Never mind that she looked uncannily like that alien in Species, but did her robot have to channel Species too???
Desperation isn't an excuse - the franchise is doing Monstrously well.
So ... WTF?????

Also...
If you're going to kick Devestator's arse, with one shot (and let's not focus on how you're trying to please WMD conspiracy theorists with that "top secret rail gun"), why can't you do the same with the other damn robots? Are they further from the sea than that one particular bot climbing that pyramid?
WTF?????

It isn't fair that Constructicons get a role and Dinobots were left out *pout*
Roland, particularly, was miffed.
Though there was a nice leopard-type-bot that was quite nicely animated...

Never mind the 2 somewhat irritating robots you chucked in as spare change (personally, I thought they were kind of cute in a redneck/stereotype latino way)...
But to have a DREAM / WHITE LIGHT SEQUENCE to re-form the matrix from DUST?
SERIOUSLY.
WTF?????

Having ranted, the special effects were Excellent. The transforming robots, particularly, got the royal treatment in CGI. Really Excellent Stuff.

Optimus' voice made me wonder if it's wrong to want to hump a robot.
Bumblebee got a larger roll. Yay! :)
Those actors in uniform? Yummy!

I got emotionally involved when they killed Optimus. Yeah yeah I'm a wuss, whatever.
They've got some nice writing - really funny sequences - but honestly, you'd be hard pressed to remember them when the nice shiney robots enter stage left.

I'm definitely going to watch it again.
And leaving my ranting at the door, I'd probably notice more of the shineyyyyyy...

Cost Rationalisation

Email fr my president:

Cost rationalisation is about cutting wasteful expenses or unwarranted expenses.
It's about spending wisely.
It's about cutting "bad costs' (a management term).
It does not mean we do not spend when we need to invest in growth and quality.

We need hand towels.
Cleanliness is godliness.

Thank you

-----
Reading between the lines, me thinks his bathroom has run out of paper towels.
Rest assured, Pres.
I've informed the cleaners.

H1N1

Please to be washing your hands often.
Please not to be wheezing/coughing/sneezing into my airspace/officespace.

Thank you very muchly.

Pearls before swine

Click on image for larger image.
http://comics.com/pearls_before_swine/2009-06-14/

Youtube: Taylor Swift meets Coldplay

Me likey.
I just *works* somehow... :)

Love Story (Taylor Swift) meets Viva La Vida (Coldplay)
Piano - John Schmidt
Cello - Steven Sharp Nelson

Voices of a Distant Star

I found it!

The anime short that made me cry.
I first saw it about 2 yrs ago - surfing Astro, flipping channels.
There was no indication of its name.
I sat, mesmerized for 20 minutes.

It's ACHINGLY beautiful.
Made entirely on the director's Mac, voiced by the director & his fiance.

Mikako, a middle school girl, is drafted into some advanced Space Program sent to find the Tarsians around Mars and Jupiter. She leaves behind her soulmate, Noburo.

They communicate via some email sent through mobile phones. As she moves further and further into the star systems, it takes longer and longer to get each message through. Years pass between messages. Noburo tries to move on - live his own life, but he cannot seem to let go. His heart stops every time the phone beeps.

There are flashbacks of her childhood with Noburo - flashes of rainy afternoons spent talking at a bus stop, bike rides together, of watching the starship wakes claw across the sky.

As the battles rage on, ships are lost. Both wonder - even as he receives the messages, is she still even alive?

He's old enough now to join the navy. There's some vague indication that he's joining the rescue missions for the missing or destroyed ships.

I both hate and love the fact that the ending is left ambiguous.
She drifts off during a battle. We never find out if her mothership has been destroyed, leaving her helpless in space, surrounded by the enemy.

It's the ultimate long distance love story.
And it made me cry all over again.

Bali was ...

Sunset at Uluwatu.

The way the flights worked out, we only had 3 full days in Bali.

Day 1
Flew in, checked in to the Bali Prani Hotel at about 10pm. Had the BEST Martabak & Terang Bulan Evah! Some road side stall a few meters to the left of the hotel.

Day 2

We caught the Barong Dance, then checked out a centre that specialised in hand-wrought silver.

Apparently, the Barong dance used to be the highlight of any evening - it has elements of the supernatural in its stories, and some of the actors used to go into a trance and channel specific spirits and the like. However, our guide said that they only have morning shows now... which are less scary, but also less interesting for obvious reasons.

An hour's driver later, we were swept up by a most majestic view of the Batur Volcano. It last errupted in 1965 or something like that. We could actually *see* puffs of white smoke escaping from fissures in the ground close to the vocano. It was still very much alive!



The tour included a Luwak Coffee Plantation, the Tirta Empul Temple and Goa Gajah. It was hot & muggy - and long drives weren't fun.

Later that night, we checked out Hard Rock Cafe. Quite a good band playing, but the place was dead. If Asia 7 is ever in your neighbourhood, they're worth a listen! The lead singer, particularly, had the energy of a small nuclear generator. *laugh* AB2 was *most* impressed!

Day 3

On the itenary were Nusa Dua, Turtle Sanctuary, Pacung Highlands & Tanah Lot. The "glass boat ride" at Nusa Dua was really disappointing. We could hardly see anything. Apparently by late morning, the fish have been fed so much that they're not interested in swarming the boats. You get a better trip any day in Redang.



The Turtle sanctuary isn't so much a sanctuary as a petting zoo. Lots of photos, but beware the locals - the guides will ask you outright for tips, and those who help run the place tried to bar my exit, demanding "donations".


The drive to Pacung Highlands is a good 1.5 hrs. NOT fun. Kipsy didn't sleep, for some reason. I was forced to entertain us with my venerable arsenal of dumb jokes. *grin*

Upon arrival, we were led to the Pacung Restaurant. Food was not worth mentioning, but the view was Gorgeous.


After lunch, we stopped to see a lake of some sort... but it was rainy & wet and the air cond wasn't working. I was muggy and miserable, and I didn't feel like trekking along the lake ridge to see some smallish temple dedicated to (agricultural) fertility. So AB2 and I stayed in the van.

Another long and taxing hour's drive later, we stopped in Jimbaran for a beach-side dinner. The sea air was as cool as the ambiance... :) We left in a much better mood! Kipsy and I jumped into the pool the minute we got back to the hotel. Ahhhhh....

Day 4
We had a free morning, so we had a nice lie-in and breakfast, then high-tailed it into Kuta for Shopping. The first stop, though, was a Balinese massage. RM35 for 1.5 hours of bliss, doing absolutely NOTHING whilst being massaged with fragrant oils... Definitely something we didn't want to miss!

Kuta Beach is ... eeh. The sand wasn't the whitest, finest or any-est. The water wasn't the crystal that surrounds Redang. However, the waves were a real magnet to surfers! It was fun perusing the peddlers that lined the shady beach front - they had a myriad of trinkets, food and souvenirs that included even a smallish bow & arrow kit!

Poppies Lane is decidedly dingy at night, but it was a good place to shop in the day. The narrow alley is *packed* with souvenir shops and food outlets, and quite a few hotels. We stopped by Bamboo Corner for lunch. Kipsy's friend had recommended the place, and we were certainly not disappointed! Lobsters for RM31! And ice-cold Bintang beer REALLY hit the spot!

We made it back in time for a quick dip in the blissfully cool pool. The guide then picked us up & whisked us off to the highlands of Uluwatu in time for sunset. I had SUCH a good time taking WAY too many pics of the sunset. Uluwatu is a MUST see for tourists - the view is Breathtaking.



The Kechak Dance consists of a large group of men chanting "kechak kechak" as an acapella accompaniment to a dance. It is a nice mix of traditional movements, costumes, comedy and is a short snippet of the Ramayana. Hanuman, for one, was giggle-worthy :)

We managed to get some Babi Guling that evening. It wasn't all that - tasted like basic roast pork to me. The crackling was hard enough to chip a tooth :( However, the Flying Gurame Dinner we had after Uluwatu was the BEST meal we had as part of the tour. AB2 says it's Sundanese, so I'm still not coming back to Bali for the food.

We met a friend in Hard Rock Bali that night. She was on her honeymoon. Paid about RM35 cover because PADI was playing. Not a bad band, but I think I enjoyed Asia 7 more. Truth be told, I could have done without it. I was dead on my feet, and hadn't packed. There was no place to sit, and we hovered restlessly. Finally planted our arses at a "reserved" table - lucky for us, they didn't show before we left, so we could at least rest our sore feet.

Left a bit before 1am. Packing ensued, then restless sleep before our wake-up call to meet our dawn flight.

I love travelling with AB2 and Kipsy. They're game for almost anything, and their easy camaraderie suits me. It may have been a better holiday if we hadn't tried to see the whole island in 3 days. As it was, I think it was too taxing for us to really appreciate the sights, sounds, beaches and mountains. I need a holiday to recoup from the holiday.

Or maybe I'm speaking for myself... I may be getting too old for this! *laugh*

---
Edit: More photos here

The PERFECT Monday

Hard Rock Cafe, Bali

Re: Application for vacation

To whom it may concern,

We received your application re: above.
We regret to inform you that you have not been selected for the interview process at this time.
This is due to you apparently applying for a Vacation, as opposed to (I'm guessing) a VACANCY(?) & due to the fact that I refuse to hereafter address you as "SAVAN The Great".

Thank you, and have a good day.

Regards,
Me.

--------
From: SAVAN The Great [mailto:emailadd@hotmail.com]
Sent: Sunday, 17 May, 2009 6:31 PM
Subject: application for vacation

**Actual names and addresses have been altered to protect the intellectually challenged.

What's in a name?

A Heck of a lot!



Actual website here

Other languages need to be consulted before selecting names for kids/projects/products/etc.
For obvious reasons.

Cibai /chee-bai/; Hokkien; (n) - vagina.
A common swear word in Malaysia.

Kipsy Fatt

The durian pancakes in Du Viet (Uptown, same row as HSBC), are delectable.
This, however, is not a foodie post.

Said durian pancake came with a sprig of mint leaves.
What does Cheech suggest we do with the mint leaves?
What, pray tell?

"Who would like to slide the mint sprig between your butt cheeks?"
(And believe you me, the Cantonese version is WAY more hilarious)

There was a whole second of silence & blinking before the laughter and inevitable mocking began.

I do *not* know where the idea came from, but there was some vague reference to recent photos of some Chinese actress whose bf apparently sniffed her butt when applying lotion to her back & legs.

She's now registered in my phone under "Kipsy Fatt", which I suppose is an improvement from "Sex Change" ... but that's another story. *grin*

My Engrand very powderful

Me:
I've been practicing my engrand.
Since my HR manager kindly reminded me that my boss still hasn't written email saying I dun need to go for engrand crass.
I figure since that trainer punya gaji so high, may as well get my money's worth.

Girlfriend:
hhahahhahahah
why do u hv to go for engrand crasses again??

Me:
cos my boss say he whole department need to go for engrand crass to improve the speaking skill.
so they can be more confiden when they speaking to others people
and when they speaking the others people can easy to understand clearer

Girlfriend:
lmao

Me:
summore hoh, HR Manager say the staffs must can submit emails they usually type one.
so the trainer can see what level they can do ah.
then trainer can seperates them one into the different category to training them same levels one.
easier ah.
so I must learning to type like this also.
so she can be see the levels I can do ah.
and be to put me into the correct place loh so I can be learning propery.

Susan Boyle goes Viral

If you haven't already seen/heard Susan Boyle, you NEED to youtube her.

No really.

Think Paul Potts, but for Broadway... and WAY more incredulous.
That it is one of my favourite songs does *not* imply bias.

I must confess - I was Entirely skeptical.
No, I lie... I was downright SCARED.
I mean... she looks like an amateur wrestler, for crying out loud...
And that hair... o_0

Anyhoo...
Youtube link: HERE
Embedding disabled by request, apparently.

My dog ate my blog entries

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
=)