Travelog, Bali (Nov 12, 2007)

Nov 12, 2007 - Tour Day I

To view the map in detail, kindly visit:http://www.baliguide.com/bali_map.html

We started the day at 8am, had breakfast at the hotel. It was already bright and sunny at that time. The sun sets at around 6:15am and by 7:30am it is already hot(off course, as their island is nearer to Khatulistiwa). As usual, you did not want to have anything except scramble egg but I managed to feed you with fried nasi goreng. Before deciding to have meal at the hotel, Ayah took the effort to ask about the food prepared. Taking into consideration that the population is 90% Hindus and most of the food served and prepared non-halal way, we were very particular about the food. Luckily, the waitress told us, they only served and prepared halal food as most of their visitors are Muslim, mostly from Middle East.

We started our tour at 9am. We rented a small car including the driver which costs us 350,000Rupiah/day.

The driver, Madek, took us to Barong Dance which was 30 minutes away from Legian. They said, when you are in Bali, in order for you to understand the culture, it is advisable to watch at least one dance show.

This mythical dance was about good versus evil. Barong is a character of mythical half man half-dog, lion-creature with bulging eyes. Barong is the "Lord of the Forest" and magical protector of Balinese villages. The opponent is Rangda, the evil witch. The Barong dance epitomize the eternal struggle between good and evil. The background music is gamelan, it rings madly and intensely when both creatures fought ferociously. I did not really concentrate on the show as you were moving around, back and forth, lying on the floor, and also move from one chair to another. Luckily, Ayah chose the back seat and there were not many people at the back then. You did not really interested with the show, none of it amused you! So do I, my dear!hehehehhe...I think only Ayah attentively watched with awe.

The show - not really good caption.

With the dancers. One of them whispered we needed to pay them after picture taken. Gross!

After the show, Madek drove us to Ubud, the northern part of Bali where the climate is a bit cooler. Ubud is known as cultural heart of Bali. Every village that we passed has its own art's specialty, be it silver, batik painting, art painting, sculpture or carving. Different village had different traits. The people were very articulate with the hand-work. As Ayah put it that they do not even had an art degree for the good arts inherited. We did not buy anything from the art shop as most of the items were quite pricey. Ayah bargained for the painting he liked but did not manage to get with the price he wanted, and decided to buy from other places later. It turned out that the good painting was only in Ubud, and not elsewhere. Poor Ayah!

The road to Ubud.

Next we dropped at Ubud Market, where we happily did our shopping. You really had a good time running here and there in the market. Most of the items were very cheap compared in Legian, or Kuta. Imagine a piece of silk(silk pareo that matched with kebaya) only costed 150,000Rupiah equivalent to RM60. Here, those kind of silk is around RM120 the cheapest,RM300++ the most! Among the things we bought were carvings, silk pareo,home ornaments, fridge magnets, your decorated pencils and beaded slippers for souvenirs. What a retail therapy for us!

Entrance to Ubud Market. Check the jovial faces!

We spent our time for almost two hours in the market. We could not find any 'promisable' restaurant nearby for lunch and Ayah decided that we had quick lunch in the car. Me and Ayah only gobble bread and biscuits. You had instant "Nature's Own" porridge and milk instead . Tired, you dozed off in the car after the meal. Then, we headed to Lake Batur. On the way, we stopped to view the padi terrace down the cliff. Madek told us, the terrains were mannedly kept. Only Ayah hopped from the car and snapped some pictures closer to the cliff. The 'greenery' really soothing to the viewers.

The mannedly padi field.

The scenic drive over a small roads overlooking beatiful rice terraces brought us to the mountain village of Kintamani which about 5,000ft above the sea. It offers spectacular views of Lake Batur and volcano. According to Madek, one could cross the crater lake below the still active Mt Batur and visited the village. There were a number of backpacker tourists that visited the village before.

The active volcanic mountain.

Mt Batur and the crater lake, Lake Batur. Can you spot the village below the mountain?

After that, we stopped at the coffee plantation where Ayah bought few packets of 'Bali Coffee'. You were still sleeping at the time we arrived at the 'secret' plantation. Why did I say that? We could not recognised the entrance to the plantation as the gate was closed. Only the tourists guide or the drivers would notice the place, and if the tourists wanted to stop by then they would pull over. There was a plaincloth man guarded the gate and would only open it when the driver 'signalled' to drop by. When he opened the gate, it was quite a big parking space for the visitors which could not be seen when the gate closed. Only Ayah and Madek hopped from the car and made a tour about the plantation. According to Ayah, there was a hut where they showed how the coffee bean been fried and pounded. Then coffee would be served to tourists. Beside coffee, cocoa also been planted there.

Tourist enjoying the fresh coffee at the plantation.

You woke up before we left the plantation. Right after that we headed back to Denpasar and on our way back, we stopped at Tampak Siring to visit Tirta Empul, the temple with holy water shrine. Next to the temple, was the presidential palace with modern architecture.

Ayah asked Madek to drive us to Bali's Bakery and then to Wong Solo for the dinner. We did buy some cookies, bread and few pastries and they were quite pricey indeed. We also bought few cuisine for Madek and family. Ayah pitied him, as we did not stop anywhere for lunch and as a result he could not have his lunch too.

We had our dinner at Wong Solo. We ate as if we broke fast during first day of Ramadhan month, really starving! We ordered five dishes for the dinner. The food was so good, even you finished your plate of rice with a bowl of 'sayur asem' soup. When we got back, it was only 9pm and after we cleaned ourselves, we went out again. We strolled along the narrow lane and checked out few designers' boutique. I had a pair of Birkenstork's sandal! To Ayah's dismay, the store did not have his size of the preferred sandal. It always hard to find an oversize shoes or sandal for Ayah. Usually, if the store has, then it always be the expensive one for him. What an expensive feet!

Travelog, Bali (Nov 11, 2007)

My Dear Jasmine,

You, Mama, and Ayah had our first overseas trip together when you were 2yrs+, and it was an 'advance' 4th wedding anniversary for Mama and Ayah. This is just a momento for you, since I believed you will be reading this log which I do not know when. So, happy reading my gal!

Nov 11, 2007 - Departure day

We had our brunch at Desa Melawati, near 7-Eleven after fetching up Mama Tok, Ayah Ngah and your cousin,Abang Eric. Abang Eric didn't even know the three of us will be having vacation, instead he assumed that all of us were sending Ayah off to Bali for business trip as usual. Since Mama Tok was still around, Ayah decided to left the car with her(while we were on holidays), and she could drive around nearby(she decided to visit your cousin, Erja). As LCCT was 65km from our place and Ayah didn't want Mama Tok to drive back that far, Ayah Ngah came to rescue. On the way to LCCT, you vomitted and Ayah then stopped at PLUS rest area after KLIA toll booth.

Two days before that you had mild fever and luckily we managed to bring you to your usual paed. That night your body temperature rose and you really had high fever. I felt guilty, doubt, and even confused whether to bring you along to Bali with your condition, but Ayah reassured that you would be ok. A day after, your body temperature came back to normal, but you had the flu, vomitted and 'merengek' all the time. It was your cousin, Baby Syamil's 'cukur jambul' function in Shah Alam and only Ayah attended. We wanted to give you full day rest before departure the very next day. Around 6pm, when we felt you were a bit better, we went for Zuhayr's birthday party cum raya-open-house in Melawati nearby our house.

In LCCT, after check-in, we mingled with Mama Tok, Ayah Ngah, and Abang Eric for a while before they left. Abang Eric was a bit confused why the three of us check-in. It was then he acknowledged we were having our vacation, and not sending Ayah off for usual business trip. Excitedly, he insisted to bring him along next time we were having holidays.

With Mama Tok and Abang Eric at the LCCT.

We boarded the plane, AirAsia and it took off at 16:50pm as scheduled. In the flight, mostly were Malaysians and few foreigners. Expectedly, there were 'Indons' as well. We were heading to their motherland and no doubt we could find them in the same flight. These 'Indons' I guessed the same foreign worker group who 'helped' out our country with labour shortage problem. They didn't look like the 'expats', and that's why the pathethic me considered them belong to the group.

The three-hour flight journey was very stressful for you. You sat still for not more than five minutes! You were busy with rolling up and down the window panel the first half an hour, and the crew had to remind us for not bothering with the panel while taking off. Oh Dear! What should they expect for a toddler your age to understand that. I, myself still do not get it until now why we should roll up the window panel while taking off. Restless, you urged us to carry you along the isle to and fro. "Ma, ukunggg la....",that was what you said over and over until I picked you up and went strolling along the isle. We had no choice but to obey as we did not want other passengers got annoyed with your loud scream. After few rounds, Ayah took his turn to entertained you. We did colouring together, doodling, 'sticker' game and reading your story books in order to distract you, hoping you could sit still.

Strolling along the isle.
Among the activity to entertain you.

Not really a pleasant view from our seats.

We arrived Denpasar at 19:40pm as scheduled. Upon arriving, the people from the hotel we booked earlier had already been waiting for us. Off he drove us right away to our hotel, Bali Sorgawi, situated in Legian. Legian is just 20 minutes away from Denpasar and 10 minutes away from Kuta.

After check-in hotel, we had our dinner at the nearby 'Padang' stall. As usual, you only had boiled eggs. Ayah really 'struggle' to finished off the food. He had no choice than to chew the food. Then we strolled along the very narrow lane(though it's two-lane) and only one car could pass on each lane at a time. We passed by few designer boutiques but unlucky for us most were already clossed. Finally that night we managed to check out the massage outlet and had our foot pampered. The masseurs were really good at their work and also nice. They managed to entertain you as well. All matter to Ayah and me, was that we had a very good relaxing foot massage. We paid 50,000Rupiah for the service, and that was our first activity in Bali.

Jasmine with Veil.....

Lately, Jasmine like to be clad in veil. People says picture tells all. Above are few pictures of her, posing with her favourite veil.

Happy Anniversary!

GOD's the most gracious! Happy fourth to us!

Happiness Has Been Your Gift to Me
All these years of melody and pain,Pleasure, hardship, wanton rhapsody,Pure delight and hard, wind-driven rain.

Years do not add up to love and glory:All things rest on non-things far more true.

No note is so sustained throughout our story;Nothing but your love, and mine for you.

In our lives must always be confusion:Very little lost in Time is clear.

Even so, the whirlwind's an illusion.

Regarding the few things we hold most dear.

So you have chosen me, and in that choice.

Alone I find my refuge and my voice.

Reality is made by our own will:

You made my world and hold me in it still.

by Barry Taylor at Turlough O'Carolan.

Cupcakes Anyone?

Hehehehehhe....Started as a hobby...saje suke2, then I got few orders came in. Initially it was from my officemate, but now, orders come from others too....thanks to 'words of mouth advertisement', especially my boss, KZ, and our close friends.

Here are few captions on the cuppies we(me and my husband) customised according to the clients' needs and functions.

What a small world!

Last fortnight, my husband delivered the cupcakes order to a friend of his friend in Bukit Jelutong. The order was meant for kiddos' birthday. It turned out his friend's husband is my long time friend. Her husband is a family friend to my husband's friend, W. I knew P since our college time in Kuantan. While in US, P, studied at the neighbouring county where my colleagues and I bought 'halal' meat from his place.

P passed over his business card to my husband and few days back I gave him a call. Thru him, I found another good friend, A, whom I knew since MRSM years. P knows A since they work under the same company. It was almost 10 years since the last time we contacted each other. All I know that A is married and had been travelling around following the F1 team, collaboration between his company and Sauber.

Wondered what A is up to now, I emailed him, just to say hi to a long lost friend. To my surprise, he called me, and we seemed so 'busy' catching up each other stories. A then updating me with other circle of friends.

What a small world! I really meet my friends again! Praise be to ALLAH for this great moment! And it also reminds me not to be 'unkind' and 'cruel' to people as you may meet the same people again later in your lives.

Perforated Duodenal Ulcer

That's the term the doctor mentioned to us on last Saturday, 3th November 2007, and basically it's:

"What is a peptic ulcer? A peptic ulcer is a hole in the gut lining of the stomach, duodenum, or esophagus. A peptic ulcer of the stomach is called a gastric ulcer; of the duodenum, a duodenal ulcer; and of the esophagus, an esophageal ulcer. An ulcer occurs when the lining of these organs is corroded by the acidic digestive juices which are secreted by the stomach cells."

My dad had been complaining stomach pain right before raya and his health had been deteriorating since then. GP only suspected gastric problem as my dad already had it and had been prescribing usual medicine. But last Friday, he asked my mum to bring him to Putra Medical Centre as he could not bare the pain anymore. (Me, brothers and sisters headed back to Alor Setar once being informed his admission.)

The specialist who attended him performed the endoscopic procedure at once. A flexible tube is inserted through the mouth to inspects the stomach, esophagus and duodenum.The result showed that my dad had ulcer in the stomach and he has a big hole in the duodenum. Duodenum is part of the peptic in our body. In other word, his duodenum already worn out! But the most scary thing is, his chance of surviving is very slim. The doctor needed to perform operation in order to save his life. Before the operation, the doctor explained the consequences we might face. Considering his age(my dad already 80yrs old), the chances of surviving in the operation is 50%. But if we put the operation on hold, his conditions will getting worse and we do not want to see him suffer the illness much longer. We have no choice but to agree with the operation and 'tawakal' to Allah.

I haven't seen my mum been so worried than before. Worst still, she cried and blamed herself for not believing my dad. She told us that dad had been complaining the pain to her for quite some times, yet she still assumed it was just normal gastric. Watching the nurses pushed my dad to the operation theater, she said to my elder sister,KI, " Mak rasa bersalah sangat tapi Mak redha dengan ketentuan Allah. Semoga Allah bagi keputusan yang terbaik untuk Bapak." We(me and KI) tried hard to hold our tears. We told her to be strong and mum could count on us should anything happen.

The operation went well for almost 3 hours. We thanked Allah for it and the most important thing, my dad survived the operation! Even though he was in ICU after the operation, he didn't have to use any life support as he was half conscious after the operation. He only needed to 'puasa' for few days. After five days in ICU, and showing no major complications, they transfered my dad to normal ward. Alhamdulillah! Praise be to Allah!

Now, still warded, our du'a is only for his speedy recovery. We are hoping, especially my mum, that dad will be discharged soon.

My Darling Jasmine

This morning I was late to work due to 'excessive' hour of sleep...hehhehehehhe....
Last nite went out dinner with my in-laws and the food was really good. My husband said he never knew that his soul-mate cud take that much compared to my last pregnancy time. I really enjoyed the food. Most probably after a month of fasting, I really craving for food. Immediately reaching home, I dozed off together with Jasmine .
And this morning, while I rush for work, Jasmine also rush herself to get me prepare her for tudung. I just ignore her hoping that she'll stop begging me. She just stand there watching me getting ready. Realising her mum doesn't pay much attention to her, she comes near me , " Nak uudungggg....mama, uudungg". She also bring her favorite tudung to me. "Mama nak cepat la dik..lain kali la...tak payah pakai la ye..." Tears start to roll down her rosy cheeks. Feeling guilty,(before she starts wailing, as I don't want my mum-in-law to hear - she's at our house for a quick visit) I quickly put the tudung on her. Shame on me to ignore her in the first place, and it really touch my heart to see how obsess she is with the tudung. Deep in my heart, I pray that she will obediently, freely 'tutup aurat' when the time really comes.

Jasmine - 2yrs 1mo 19days

Jasmine is already 2yrs1mo19days. Time flies so fast. I cud still remember cuddling her with no difficulties, but now she's already 14kg++ with 91cm in height. When she's not in good mood, she'll beg me to carry her instead her Ayah. Murmurs in soft voice,"Ma, nnak ukungg...", then if I say, "Suh Ayah la dukung...Mama tak larat nak dukung adik la..."(i call Jasmine adik), she'll definitely scream out loud, " Ann nnaakk Ayaahhh!!!!!"(means she doesn't want Ayah to carry her)....
And that is when my husband would make funny face at me as if saying,"Excuse me, she wants you....Don't envy me dear!I cud sit back and relax now. Tata!!!"
Since last week, Jasmine likes to wear veil(tudung). Every morning inspite getting us ready to work, we also need to prepare her with her favorite tudung(hers is Tie Rack!). Surprisingly, when she wears tudung, she wud behave and sit nicely while in the car, on the way to her babysitter's place. At first, me and my husband tried to distract her with her baseball cap,but it wudn't work. I wud rather put the tudung on her than suffering her loud scream. Usually the tudung wud only lasts on her the most is an hour, after that she's willingly take it off herself.
It is so cute to see her in such mannerism though a bit tiring at some points. But me and my husband enjoy every bit of Jasmine!

Class....

Got back from Product Briefing, new investment product with new strategy....Mind is somewhere else when zeeta mentioned ,"this product is similar to previous foreign investment"...Zuup, automatically my mind wandered on some other subjects....my blog...how to organize in a better ways....

Back from the briefing, learn something from hetz ...stuf to download to organize photos.
A bit 'techy' for me though...
Will try to catch up.Promise!

Rambling.....bla...bla...bla....

Last weekend, traffic was so heavy...damn heavy!
I guess it was due to raya open house galore. Raya-open-house's host rushes for the weekend open house. This is already half-way of Syawal, can't imagine towards the end of the month when everyone rushing to fulfill the invitation like mad. The traffic wud be heavier that time!
Last Saturday, instead of two invitations, we cud manage to go to one house only. Mostly, time was spent on the road. The same thing happened on Sunday. Worst, we cudn't even bid farewell to one of our friends that's off to UK on Sunday nite. To think over, this is how gradually this small element change people's attitude towards one another. We no more have ample time to fulfill every invitation, to meet friends, or even visit relatives. How sad!

Entre....

Alhamdulillah...at last, I managed to create my own blog...family blog actually.
Delay...delay...delay...
PROCRASTINATE is a thief of TIME!
But today got inspired when I checked that most of my friends are blogger.
As what some say," if u can't beat 'em, join 'em".....hehhehehehe...
So, this is my first entry of my real, own blog!