back from bikini paradise - part 1
-photo taken at Dreamland on 26/08/06 by gracieyes, as im writing this, im recalling all the good things that have taken place at bikini land. the delicious lasagne at
warung italia, the nice sunset at
semiyak, the surfer boys and strong waves at
dreamland, the great music and embience at
Escape &
Maccaroni...
this trip was a refreshing and adventurous one, as compared to the first one. maybe because it's our second trip, we skipped a lot of the cultural dances, island tours, cruising etc. money was well spent on good food, tremendously cheap massage treatments going at 40 000 Rup (equavalent to SGD$8) per treatment and shopping!! like how mr. metrosexual often imitates the salesgirls, "cheap cheap...i gib u good pry (*price)!" i had my go at bargaining for bags and wristbands and everything else...im never great at it (i admit!) but as i rationalised, even if i were to cut price by 10 000 Rup, it's merely paying SGD$2 lesser. which is like~ duh?!? bargain for the sake of bargaining ;)
and what made it interesting was we rented motorbikes to travel around the island. mr. metrosexual knew his way around. he's been to bali millions of times. he led the way. yeah, with this simple mode of transport, we travelled to various beaches, eating places and explored shopping malls and backlane streets which i haven't been at all. it's my first time being a pillion rider. my heart jumped a few seconds on my first ride. after a few rides, i got used to its speed. it's fun! thoughts of benny flew back to me. (he offered me rides on his bike on many occasions in the past. that happened when he was still alive.) anyway, bali drivers are generally ok. they aren't as reckless as those city drivers.
the evening rides around the island reminded me so much of australia. perhaps bali is flooded with ang-mohs, especially aussies. many restaurants catered to the taste buds of the europeans, americans and aussies. the weather's cooling in the nights. and the street lightings went off after 12 midnight. pubs opened till late. and tight security in crowded pubs and restaurants. especially at Hard Rock Cafe Hotel, the pub's packed! the music was great! security was even tighter, since the second bali bombing. was at the bombing memorial stone, which recorded names of those who passed away during bomb blast. many ppl still stand in silence in front of the stone, whilst others snapped pictures. (well, if you wana see it, you've gota wait till bomb blast anniversary next month. it's now under-construction.)
to me, the highlight of the entire trip was the beach visits. we rode to various beaches - semiyak beach, dreamland & kuta beach. they were so beautiful. im utterly awed by its serenity and marvellous view when i stepped into each of the beaches. if i were to choose, i'll choose dreamland. as its name connotes, it's paradise there. the sand's soft. the winds rustled in the air. the waves meet the sands at shoreline. the sun's out. the weather's good. and thanks to the fine weather, i got my bikini tan - golden brown. i like it when i could look healthy once again. for the first time, gracie is sunburnt!! yes, my skin's peeling right now...
in short, it's been a great trip! good recharge. mr. metrosexual said, "it's not a question of "will you come back to bali again?" it's more of "when will our next trip be?" ;) yes, he said it right. i'll come back for you again - Bali.
~gracie left a note at 2:41 pm
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
"Fill My Cup"Ever heard of this joke?
Huge breasted women wear bras with the brand
TriumphMedium breasted women wear bras with the brand
BeedeesWhat about small breasted women?
..
..
..
..
..
..
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Sorella (Sorry-la)... :) lol
i'm so sorry if you din find it funny! but when i first heard it, i just laughed so hard....perhaps you found it a lame joke or not funny at all. as i thought about it, i feel that it's so true!
big breasted women pride themselves because they own a pair of huge stuff which inevitably attracts lots of men. (perverted men, maybe) metaphorically, they 'triumph' over smaller breasted women. however, i have finally realised that the pair of huge stuff may be a burdensome lump of fats which they carry around. jogging becomes a more difficult task.
small breasted women on the other hand are always hoping their flat chest could one day grow bigger. some go for plastic surgury; while others let it remain the same size. i guess the general society's consensus is to recognise the HUGE and put down the TINY. and sadly to say,they are turned down with "Sorry la...". im not just talking about breasts here, but other aspects too! like...wealth, cars, houses, property, fame...etc
but if you were given a chance to ask God to fill your cup today, what would you ask for?
a food for thought~ ;)
~gracie left a note at 1:30 am
Sunday, August 20, 2006
Super Sunday!woke up today feeling great! maybe i have found a way to spend it alone. it's been difficult for months. have been too used to spending sundays lazing around without a purpose. today - something different.
i have been tasked to write a ST supplement news report to be due on first wk of September. no, i'm not a journalist. ain't a reporter. but it excites me a lot when the webmaster broke the news to me on Friday: "gracie, i need you to write me an article featuring the upcoming Singapore Biennale 2006 and it will be featured on ST." "Straits Times?!?" i exclaimed. mr. webmaster teased as he continued, "yes...gracie you'll be famous overnight!?" "Right~!?" i chuckled.
well, knowing this makes me nervous, yet excited. mixed feelings. it's fulfilling my long forgotten childhood dream. have always borne the hopes of becoming a journalist one day when i was much younger, but the flames of hopes died off over time. never an opportunity to develop the skill of writing, even tho' gifted with the passion to express. now, a chance for me to conduct formal interviews and write an interesting (i hope) article. but, how to write? the first line is always hard to start.
wanted to get inspirations and ideas from magazines at the Orchard Library. i haven't been there for the longest time. i remembered reading books and listening to jazz music at one corner of the library during my holidays after A levels...and since then, i have never stepped in there again till today. perhaps i have lost interest in reading. today, as i returned to this place, i felt i have a new-found hobby! a renewed passion to sit down and get myself comfy in the serenity and spend some quiet time with my best companion - books.
anyway, ravaged through magazine shelves to look at how other writers position themselves when reporting events. admired at how journalists and writers flavoured their articles with humour and wit. i'd say writing magazines and reporting the news are quite different from writing a blog entry. i wished it could be as simple as blogging. i guess knowing that it's going to reach a wider group of audience means that the content and presentation have to be more attractive and captivating. i must say i had a lot of fun reading the magazines like Teenage & Female & Her World. the mags did capture my attention for the longest time. of cos, i spent the rest of my time browsing through travel guides and fictions. borrowed a load of them back...*smile*
indeed, i have a super sunday today! even though i spent it alone, for once i felt that singlehood isn't that bad afterall! ;)
~gracie left a note at 7:12 pm
Thursday, August 17, 2006
Break-UpTwo words. Powerful words. Hurting words.
i have been avoiding these 2 words for the past months. these two words 'reappeared' and caught my attention while i flipped through
The Newpaper during lunch time just now. started reading the experiences of different famous stars from Mediacorp. you may think that famous pop stars had a sweeter time in their secret lives and relationships? NO. they shared tearful memories of sweethearts. heart breaking break-ups for some. intensified agony for others.
was particularly drawn to Jaymee Ong's line, "The break-up was one of the best things that has happened to me." WOW! shocking! why? she continued, "Because the day that you wake up and you actually feel okay- and of course you still think about him but when it doesn't hurt anymore - that's when you become a lot
stronger and
learn more about yourself."
that's so true. perhaps it takes time to heal wounds. wonder why tears don't come to me so often now. maybe i've grown to accept the way things are. life goes on.
~gracie left a note at 2:02 pm
Wednesday, August 16, 2006
Culture Shock!i really wonder if im still suffering from culture shock today, after being back in sunny sg for 1.5yrs now. perhaps i'm too used to the australian lifestyle and culture that i found it unacceptable to be treated this way at a tau-sa piah store today.
was queuing up at a rather high-class tau-sa piah store (er-hem, shan't reveal more details) this evening. was waiting for my turn. when it was mine, i saw that the lady at the counter was busy. so i waited. she was engrossed with the stamping of vouchers and she just took her time. well~ i waited. i waited for her to notice me before i called for my tau-sa piah order. ok, 1 minute past. i was still standing in front of her and she happily stamped her vouchers. being trained to be really patient when i was in australia, i waited for her to notice my existence. i feel it's simply rude to shout my orders when others are busy. she taking advantage of that, simply bochap* (Teochew word- meaning heck care)! when she looked up finally and i thought i could get her attention, she turned around and started talking to other passer-bys.
when finally the next customer came and shouted "give me tau-huey! pack back!", she immediately just processed the order while still talking to the other passer-bys. Man! i was disgusted! in the end, i followed the singaporean way and said quite loudly - "AUNTY! I want 1 tau-sa-piah! Pack back!!" i shook my head with disbelief, when finally the order was processed.
perhaps im really 'australian'. i simply feel it's rude to interrupt someone's work and demand service to be done immediately and effectively. and it's even more rowdy to shout at someone to ask for something. Service - something lacking in singapore, maybe. or perhaps people here are more used to responding when asked. or perhaps it's sg culture which cannot be extracted from society.
staying here means living with it, if we can't get rid of it!
~gracie left a note at 11:28 pm
Monday, August 14, 2006
Miss Fattyi feel fat! thanks to a good job that allows me flexi hrs to good food and break times, i'm accumulating lumps of oil! eee...disgusting, but true.
maybe it's difficult to believe me! you'd need to see my overflowing tummy oil to believe that the once skinny-bone is having an obesity problem here. my mum was shocked when she saw my three-month-pregnancy-tummy look alike. she simply shook her head in disbelief and said, "it's time for aerobics, ming!" yeah - i agree.
looking at the calendar makes me feel anxious now. 8 days to bikini land and i'm stuffed! how am i going to enjoy parading down the beach when i've got 3 lumps of fat jiggling in the air?!? die...i can't imagine myself in bikini! superbly embarassing.
i called for help this morning. wanted to 'last min hug buddha leg' (Chinese idiom for last minute-ness) and to start jogging today. im hoping to lose some fats before i step into bikini paradise. but i guess that won't help...too late!
and just today, i'm stuffed with breakfast at 10am, lunch at 12.30pm, fruit platter at 1.30pm, tao-sah-piah at 4.30pm, dinner at 7pm. sigh~ food almost every 3hrs!! sounds like the dietary pattern of a pregnant woman! how am i going to lose that lumps! im beginning to understand the agonies of being called a miss porky or miss fatty.
eh, it's not funny! don't laugh! i hope to take good shots of bikini paradise, but maybe not with miss porky in it. we'll see ;)
~gracie left a note at 11:48 pm
Sunday, August 13, 2006
9 days to bikini paradisethanks to mr. metrosexual, i'm beginning to count down!! 9 days more to bikini paradise. he asked, 'have you bought your nicest bikinis yet?' man! this guy is so eager and enthu about this trip! i can't wait too!
as the days draw nearer, i can't help but also feel excited! no itinerary this time! so it's just free and easy for 5 days~ :) definitely looking forward to spending more time at the beach, chilling out at beach restaurants and enjoying the 'bikini time'! don't ask me what's 'bikini time', cos' i have no idea what that is also. i'll make sure i bring my camera and the bikini my besties bought me last year!
many have asked me: 'why bali again??' well, perhaps i'm in love with the place after my first trip there earlier this year. i love the sand, the sun and the food there. i lived like a queen and i get served like a princess for once~ :) but more so, i feel that it's a place of simplicity, relaxation and quietness.
i din go down to the beach the other time - cos' we packed our schedules with day tours and fun. main aim of this trip -chill out and relax! i think i need time with myself...time to be close to the sun once again. i've been living in 'winter' for the longest time. haven't gone swimming and i find myself losing touch with 'summer'! mr metrosexual told me that 'the sun's out' at bikini land...so i'm looking forward to getting myself 'chao-ta' or charcoal-black this time! really need a tan and need to feel healthy again!
bikini paradise, i'm coming! wait for me...
~gracie left a note at 6:37 pm
Thursday, August 10, 2006
Perspectives
picture by TheRaven1988@deviantart.comi have been thinking of taking up photography lately. something new. abstract art. fantastic! photography is about having a perspective. if you aren't a photographer, then you can also be an art appreciator. trying to see things from the artisan's eye.
perhaps it's easier to be an artisan than to be an appreciator. an artisan creates, designs and develops an idea from within. an appreciator ponders over the design concept and inspiration of the artist. more difficult.
i have been going through www.deviantart.com and immersing myself in the designers' world. some impressive work caught my eye inevitably. perhaps being not the artist, i don't fully comprehend the backgrounds of every piece displayed. but somehow, it seems like a huge art gallery or museum in there. for all those interested, click on!
guess viewing these art works has been a soothing remedy for my soul. or rather, i'd say it's rejuvenating? or maybe, therapeutic. indulging in the art pieces has allowed me to see things from another perspective. in life too, we don't usually get our way all the time. when we don't get full control over things, sometimes we end up feeling insecured, at a loss or even frustrated. we want things fast like instant noodles. we want things perfect according to our own standards. we demand quality services because we paid for our 5% GST. we lodge complaints when we aren't satisfied with what we get. we aren't happy ppl. why? we haven't learnt to see things in another light. we think we are right -
all the time. we think we are
always on the losing end. we think that the other party is
always at fault. we think that we are the ones feeling the
most hurt.
really? maybe it's time to let go. let go of my own stubborness. let go of my own ego. let go of my own persistence. i wonder if it's a good change. ironical. on one hand, letting go means losing my own identity. on the other hand, insisting my own ways isn't going to work in some instances. but realised recently that standing from the other side of the bridge somehow makes situations look simpler. simpler because you would understand better why the other person reacted in that way. why he chose not to relent to your demands? why he never seemed to understand what you mean? why he chose to be ignorant? why he never does things in the way you expected? why he said those
hurting words?
sparing a little thought for others and becoming an appreciator of other's feelings, reactions, tantrums, temperaments could be tremendously difficult. a superbly challenging task, i'd say. but it can be done! i guess as you willingly view their artistic portraits and learn to appreciate their perspectives, maybe you'd realise that it's a good piece of artwork afterall! a brilliant and unique one of a kind too!
we are not
always right. we are not
forever saints. we may think life's unfair. but what's more important - depends on how we view things. Perspectives.
~gracie left a note at 10:26 pm
Wednesday, August 09, 2006
happy birthday, singapore!woke up this morning -was glad that it's a PH! slept super late this morning and was suddenly awoken by e's sms at 7.18am to be exact! sat up and asked myself: "am i late for work??!!" came to senses that it's national day! phew ~ slammed my head back on pillow and continued my dreams. the next minute i woke up -the clock read 11.45am
lazed home to fix up my blog. yes, if you have been a frequent visitor of my blog, you would notice the tremendous overhaul in here. surfed and searched and updated myself with the latest blog skins and designs. being in design school helped a little in art appreciation, i guess. *chuckle* time flew quickly. was looking fw to ndp.
didn't have tickets, unlike some people! [yes, i'm referring to you. lucky you! got free tics!] well, staying home wasn't a bad idea also. need not squeeze. and the national tv showed every detail of it. my eyes were practically glued to the tv. no pop-corns. nothing. just viewing it could get me into the most craziest moods. perhaps not many have seen the 'hot and frenzy' gracie jumping around like a monkey. but yeah, there i was singing to myself during commercial breaks all those national songs i could remember since young.
perhaps you need to be away from home to really appreciate the lyrics of those national songs written every year. for all those who left for overseas career or studies, you would agree with me that you missed saying the pledge with honour and singing the national anthem. it's no kidding. it felt so good to be able to gather around with the other singaporeans while i was at melb to sing the anthem and waving the singapore flag on national day together. such nationalistic feelings only become stronger on national day! i recalled those few years when i was away from singapore, i used to long to fly home just to watch the national day parade.
and yes, whenever i listened to the song "Home" sung by Kit Chan for NDP 1998 at melb, i remembered feeling homesick. and yes, those lyrics spoke to me and have encouraged me to move on.
this year's national song - wow! ain't i glad that i'm home!
This is my home
She's everything to me
Grace and beauty
In all that you see
My island home
Wherever I may be
I never will forget her
Nor will she forget me
Chorus
And I will sing
A song of home
A land of peace
Where dreams are born everyday
My home
Wherever I may be
I believe
You will always be a part of me
My island home
Home of my family
This is my future
Where I want to be
(This is my future
This is my home)
~gracie left a note at 11:08 pm
seeing is believingdo we need to see to believe that there is love? or can our hearts do the feeling when the knots are tied? is there really a need to verbalise it? or does body language tell a million stories?
im thankful that God has given us feelings. there are moments of exhilaration, happiness, pain and sadness. through such emotions, we could relate to one another. some emotions are shortlived and temporal, while other feelings remain no matter how hard we try to runaway from it. the irony is: sometimes the worst feelings stay with us forever, but sweetest memories gone in seconds. more often than not, we choose to remember pain, whilst forget the nicest things in our lives. all in all, emotions do tricks and wonders to our daily routines. it paints our lives with rainbows. sometimes red and sometimes blue. without it, i think life's pretty much colourless or gray.
elmo's been around for months now. he's been taking time to add colours in my life. if we could calculate the amount of colours he added, then i'd say he had been trying to pour many pails of ink over my life. lots of red, yellow and orange, i'd say. he's been adding pretty colours. elmo told me yet again yesterday "gracie, you know i like you...i really do". i hesitated for awhile. perhaps it's over msn that he revealed his feelings once more and i don't trust it. how do i know if it's true love when one could type "i like you" to almost millions of girls with the same message. i replied, "if only i could see your eyes when you said those words". he knew what i meant.
do we really need to use our eyes when we find true love? yes! you can witness true love. you can see true love. you can find evidence of true love. i believe we all can! when love is put in action, you feel it with your soul and you see it with your eyes.
~gracie left a note at 12:53 pm
Sunday, August 06, 2006
boy! it's been donkey years now!today is j's birthday. wished i could be around for his birthday surprise. missed melb birthday bash and surprises man! met gaz online on friday night and he told me he's planning something big for j. well, i wrote a short funny note + silly song to j. hopefully gaz could sing it to him, on my behalf. anyway, that's what friends do to each other on birthdays! ;)
i wonder if it were coincidence, but gota meet j's besties yesterday at church. haven't really chatted with both c and jes for the longest time, ever since donkey years ago. wow - time flies. i remembered how c and jes used to tease me and make fun of me when we first knew each other at church when we were younger. used to hang over long phone conversations with jes a lot and chatted about every single thing about friends, emotions, relationships, love, family, history and future. just like other besties, we kinda got into life's fast motions and we kinda lost touch with each other. saw him at church yesterday and was quite amazed at myself when i initiated our lunch catch up session. he jokingly mentioned, 'hey, i've gota girlfriend ok!' and well, i laughed it off saying, 'it doesn't mean we can't have lunch together?!?'
i guess it was really a good move to lunch with c and jes. perhaps being out with these two guys have made me smiled over little lame jokes they cracked along the way and laughed over some stupid stuffs together. these guys have helped me laid off my own burdens in some small ways. haven't been out with guys who watched out for my needs for a long time. glad that these guys did care about whether i need water, my legs were tired on heels. they were worried for my safety until they sent me off at my doorstep. don't i feel privileged to be a girl? was a protected species last night! ha! ;)
im thankful because i'm beginning to find my friends again. it's been so long that i've been living in my own world. perhaps everyone's busy in their own little worlds. however, our friendships we have established in the past have never failed or fade. yes, time may draw things apart; but friendship remains just the same as it was before!
~gracie left a note at 2:31 pm
Thursday, August 03, 2006
msn catch upwe haven't seen each other for 1.5 years. woh! it's a long time man! and for once after so long, i saw his name popping up on my MSN screen. he prompted me. ain't i glad that he still remembers me!
well we were childhood friends. remembered those days when we used to go home together. all through the journey, he would entertain me with his jokes and his sharings. we would talk till the cows come home. because we're both in love with swimming, he told me so much about everything under the sea. we chatted about school, soccer, leadership camps and everything under the sun. slowly as the years went by, our friendship drifted a little because life has caught on with us. for many years, he became my hi-bye friend.
got reunited again when we were at aussie land. when he first dropped by my place at bayview, i thought there would be awkward silences and moments. but somehow i remembered the ice was broken within minutes and we started our chats like we used to before. things got a little better. we met each other more frequently. we chat almost every time he came over my place. don't ask me what we chatted about, cos i simply couldn't remember the details. i just remembered there were many moments when we prayed together, discussed about church ministry together and of cos, had fun with everyone.
the australia's experience pulled us closer. we still talk about the monkey's business and crap. more so, we would talk about our plans, our goals, our future, our struggles. he would spin a few dishes and invite a bunch of us over his place for potluck. or he would come over my place and we would all cook a sumptuous meal altogether.
now that im back here in sunny singapore, i missed those aus days. and as i chatted with him over MSN, it just brings back memories of those days when we used to chat and laugh about silly things at melbourne. told him: "hey it sounds like we were back on the couch at bayview avenue." oh well~ now that everyone has moved on with life once more, we could only reminisce the good old days.
im sure meeting him on MSN was a 'God-sent'. been feeling down over life issues lately. no one was on MSN that evening. couldn't have caught up with him if i were out that night. and i'm just glad that we could talk to each other once more after 1.5yrs. somehow i felt as if i took a strong doze of 'friendship - booster' vitamin! just like Popye, i regained my strength - my emotional strength after chatting with him. he has made me to understand that true friendships always stays. no matter where you are, no matter how long you haven't been in touch - you would still be able to 'click' when you meet again.
to know this at this stage of my life is a real blessing. im glad to know that true friendship still stays. to have him say "sister, i'm right behind you!" has encouraged me to move on. sometimes i feel that life has been moving on too fast lately and that im moving along alone. [thanks man! i appreciate it! ]
since the chat, i have been searching for my life goals. i'm beginning to find new life. difficult at first, but slowly i guess everything will fall in place. gota find my smiles in hoops and yoyo lately.
~gracie left a note at 11:22 pm
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
horroscope - gemininever believed in it, until i read it yesterday. super accurate for this one!
[You may be having second thoughts about a romantic situation today, dear Gemini. Commitment is scary! You may be wondering whether you are compromising your freedom by declaring your love for just one person. This is normal, and others who have gone before you would tell you not to worry. Your need to do what you want, when you want, doesn't have to fall by the wayside. You get to decide whether and how much you want to change.]
~gracie left a note at 10:59 pm
