Libuurr :D December 2016 Vacation

To get some peace and quiet, and to get back perspective, I say one must go to vacations :D

The sense of exploring new streets and places, the serenity of a place other than home, those are needed. One must not be denied their rights to a holiday.

During the last week of 2016, me and my family went to 3 cities – Jogja, Solo, and Salatiga :D

These cities, I LOVE.

JOGJA

We started quite late in the morning. By 12 pm, we reached Magelang. I wasn’t feeling very well – I do get carsick during long car rides sometime. But Es Eny and their delicious food saved me! :D And then we walked a tiny bit around Es Eny, and found this tiny café that was cozy and modern. Very cool.

We reached our hotel in Jogja, Tentrem, at around 3 pm. I continued reading “Padang Bulan”, which I started during the car ride. I was enjoying it so much! <3 and="" doing="" father="" gym="" her="" hit="" meanwhile="" mom="" my="" p="" sister="" the="" thing="" was="">

Our room had a balcony, and there I lounged and read. Oh I love the warm weather, and the sound of the pool accompanied me from afar.

Around 5:45pm, we headed to Ayam Goreng Tojoyo for dinner! It started drizzling, perfect! :D

It was good. But, kind of unsatisfactory (the portion was on the smaller side, and I prefer our usual place :p). We drove around Jogja for a bit, then finally decided on Il Tempo Gelato dessert :D YUM.

At around 8:30pm, we went back to the hotel and rest :)

The next day, while my dad & sister enjoyed the hotel’s breakfast buffet, me and mom enjoyed chiffon cakes. And it was mom’s birthday! :D

I finished “Padang Bulan” and CANNOT contain myself. SO GOOD!

My sister brought us some boiled egg as well :p

We headed to Jogja city mall at around 11am. Trying to catch the 12pm movie of “Passenger” :D 

While waiting, I went to Gramedia and bought the sequel to “Padang Bulan” xD And something else HAHA. Not sorry.

“Passanger” was AMAZING :) Love Chris Pratt & Jen Lawrence :) Touching, sad, intense.

We went shopping for a while, then grabbed lunch at Gudeg (Yu Djum?). It was 3:30pm ish. It was delish! But we couldn’t wait to get to our next city:

SOLO

We arrived quite late. Maybe 5:30 pm ish?

Again, my dad and sister hit the gym – he later went to the pool instead. I began “Cinta di dalam Gelas”. To be honest, this one is not as satisfying as the previous one :’)

But anyway.

We were still full from our super late lunch, but we went for dinner anyway :p Nasi Liwet Bu Wongso Lemu. DELISH!!! The wait was worth it ! The portions were on the smaller side, tho. Giving us some room for dessert :)

After dinner, we went around the city. It was beautiful at night :) But sight-seeing was not the main reason for our car-ride. We were trying to find Markobar! :D And it was a really cool experience!

The place was very cool and hip. The flavours were creative! But I personally prefer the regular kue bandung batter. This one’s a bit denser. Regular kitkat, green tea kitkat, nutella, ceres, cheese, toblerone, oreo. 2 slices were enough :D

Our room in Alila was bigger than our parent’s :D The view from the 26^th floor was amazing. The bathroom were HUGE and lush.

The next morning, me, my sister, and my dad went to the gym before we grabbed breakfast downstairs. I did 40 minutes of walking on the treadmill. I miss walking down Fitzroy and Carlton :’)

After breakfast – which was not filled with sugar :D – i went to the pool for a quick splash :D It was windy tho. We were there for approx. 20 minutes :)

A quick shower, then TV watching time, before checking out from the hotel :’)

It was beautiful :’)

We drove by the Hutan Kota before having a Nasi Timlo lunch. Delish. Authentic, warm, fresh. Then to the famous Toko Roti Orion for the roti semir and mandarin. Serabi Notosuman was next – I love the choc flavored one :D

Then we went to Laweyan, a small district in Solo which was flooded with small batik shops :) Shopping time! Oh I love batik. But not all batik suits me, so finding the one was exciting, but once I found one I was quickly bored :p

Luckily there were a few photographic spots :D

Once we satisfied our batik craving, we hopped into our car and went to Salatiga :)

SALATIGA

We had to go the round way, and it was taking twice the time it usually takes to get to Salatiga from Solo. But it was okay :)

Once arrived, we went straight to Bebek Goreng ABC, right in front of our hotel Laras Asri.

YES. This is my kind of ayam goreng :D much more satisfying than the one in Jogja, portion-wise and flavor-wise :D The sambal tomat was also delish. Each portion of chicken was accompanied by one cobek of sambal, and I finished mine with a burned lips but satisfied soul :D

We checked in to the hotel, arranged our stuff, then me and dad headed back out to have some fried rice in a small but nostalgic kiosk, Nasi Goreng Om Djing. (Nostalgic for my dad, not for me yet). He had some chicken+pork fried rice and tea. I wanted some iced chocolate milk, but they ran out :( It was quite late, and they’d already run out of a few things. My dad’s fried rice was the last portion of rice they had :D They also ran out of noodles. The smell in that place was unbelievable. The menu is simple and homey, but I think what makes the place special is their smoking hot wok and coal burner used to make every single dish. YUM. We waited for maybe 30-40 minutes, but it was well worth it.

Then we hunted for some roti bakar bandung (toasted bread). Our usual merchant had already finished selling :( But this other one that we found was very skilled and their roti bakar was yummy! :D Me and dad brought this back to the hotel, where we all enjoyed it while watching Mata Najwa ^^

The next day, we had a small breakfast of Orion’s roti semir while watching Pirates 4 which was playing on the TV :p For the ‘real’ breakfast, Pecel Madya! DELISH.

Went back to the hotel for more TV, then checking out followed by lunch at the infamous Es Cobra! :D Again, as we were still quite full from the hearty breakfast, we shared a portion of ayam goreng modern, nasi liwet (a specialty), and es cobra, es kencana, and es kelapa muda. :D:D

We stopped by Toko Roti Tegal for some bread, toko oleh-oleh and bought some snacks to give to some people, before heading back home J

It was recharging, refreshing, calm.

But as always, time seemed to fly when we were having fun. (Or when we were sleeping in?) :)

I love this family time which I craved every time I’m away. I wonder how many more of these kind of holidays we have left, as our worlds seem to be changing so much and so quickly. :’)

I also love how we get to explore the same old places and the new ones :D

CANNOT WAIT FOR THE NEXT HOLIDAY! 

CHEERS!

-*^^*-

Christmas 2016

This year was no different to any other years, in some ways :)

But this Christmas I learned something very important:
that Joseph and Mary, both were not 100% sure of what was happening. They were confused, maybe even scared. Supernatural things were happening, and they did not know what to do.

Yet, one thing that they did do, was that they made themselves available to be used by God for His glory.
Despite (maybe) being overwhelmed, Mary said with humility and faith: “I am the Lord’s servant. May your word to me be fulfilled.”


Welcoming the King of kings into the earth was also such a joyous time! The angels were so excited, as I believe they knew what Jesus would be able to do for His children. So were the shepherds, and the wise men. They couldn't hold their praises and worship. So should our attitude be during this wonderful time. We should accept this gift of life with cheers, and share them to people around us.


Lastly, what a privilege it is for us to 'celebrate' Christmas :)
How loved are we that the Lord Himself came down, left everything He already had, just so that He could die for us. He wants to have a relationship with us, and He endured everything.
We get to call Him Father. We get to call on His beautiful, mighty name. 

The name is Jesus.


How wonderful is Christmas!
 It's never about the gifts, ornaments, traditions,
it's about celebrating life, joy, and peace of that joyous night!

Merry Christmas!
CHEERS!
 
-*^^*-

Exam week 2 Semester 2

What more can I say than that it was a combination of hell & fun :D

I was quite stressed out: I felt like I knew nothing & so I tried to cram everything in.
Result: The minute I walked into the exam hall, I literally forgot everything. Names, theories, all of 'em. Fortunately, you can *probably* get by without knowing those.

But aside from the studies, and after the exam, it was all fun! :D

Got to spend an evening with pizza and music & ice cream,
another day with music and laughter my stomach hurts and Korean fried chicken and chips,
took a few walks under the moonlight of Melbourne,
had talks on the food court with a cupful of milk tea, celebrating our home country and the semester,
a trip to South Melbourne market,
a few shopping sessions,
and a final night in Melbourne for this semester, with a Korean BBQ dinner & gelato for dessert.



Now, it's time for a 3 months rest I've been craving:
books to read, stories to imagine, hours and hours of sleep. a bit of swimming, more of snacking and baking, and putting my gear back on before the next semester/year.

It always looks scary from the outside, but Christmas is here and my family is here so why worry? :)


It's ONE YEAR of uni done!!
2 years in Melbourne down, 2(-ish) more to go? :)


CHEERS!
-*^^*-

November 07, 2016

Today was fun :D

Went to Kitkat Chocolatory in Melbourne Central to 'customize' my own bar of kitkat :D
$15 for 7-8 fingers of choc & wafers, with mint, salted caramel, and honeycomb sprinkles. Yum! xD

Watched Dr. Strange :D
Love the casts -- Tilda Swinton, we finally meet again <3 -="" :="" amazing.="" benedict="" but="" cumberbatch="" dimension="" effect="" i="" love="" mirror="" p="" post-credit="" scary="" scene="" special="" the="" was="">
Had a choc top while watching - gonna be my new tradition, one that I'll miss when I go back home for good :D

Shopped in a pop-up sale - a skirt for $8 xD

Visited my friend's house in the suburb - so nice!
Oh I love suburbs. Had a lovely dinner & talk as well ^^
 
Even though the weather - wind and rain - went crazy in the afternoon,
as the day approaches its end, the weather just turned into the most loverly and behaving attitude ^^
Quite 'warm' in a way.


Tomorrow, hopefully will be another fun day :D
Studying has decreased but has not stopped - but tomorrow we shall shop! ^^
 1 week to home. Yes.

CHEERS!
-*^^*-

EXAM Week 1 Semester 2

YEAY! My exam week 1 finishes right here :)

Just submitted my last essay of the semester! 1000 words, 2 stories, a ton of headache, but 1 relieved smile afterwards :)

"Rewarded" myself with Indo food & yogurt - but we all know it's just how I roll :)


Now that I only have 1 more exam to sit in, I can truly say what a beautiful day it has been,
and what a heck of a semester I've been through! :)
Loving every second of it. Even the frustrated, stressed out moments :)


Now to packing & thinking of home -
and a bit of songwriting? :)


<33 p="">

CHEERS!
-*^^*-

SWOT-VAC Semester 2

Day 1
Baking :D
 & some studying
But snacking too :D


Day 2
Studying
Passing time being an extra for film :)
Hanaichi for dinner :D

Day 3
Stayed at home (at my room)
Youtube & snacking & studying

Day 4
Studying @Uni from 11am-6pm

Day 5
Studying
snacking
icare!
Krupuk party ^^


Day 6
Shopping
Youtube-ing
cooking: beef stew ^^
And, now, blogging.
While watching Narnia, Spiderman, and 50 First Dates


Next  week is going to be a hard work.
But the week that follows will be fun.

:')

To exam weeks!

CHEERS!
-*^^*-

Week 11 & 12 Semester 2

WOW.
My head was in a much better place in week 11: I started preparing some for exams and assignments, trying to figure out an algorithm of studying, etc etc.
And then week 12 came.

It's so scary to think that 2 semester is DOWN from my 6 semester ! :)
I'll have approx. 72 weeks here, and 24 of them is down.
Wow.

I was quite bumped honestly :')
Saying goodbye to 2 of my tutors from last semester as well - which were special!
Saying goodbye to 2 incredible amazing complex tantalizing subjects which I still could not comprehend but had a lot of fun learning.
Saying goodbye to a group of people whom I never had the chance to get close to but was always so funny and dynamic :)


Yet I must say, the thought of home still feels so far away.
Just this morning I went to the supermarket and hopped on the escalator/travelator, and I was suddenly transported to the airport. The thought of it made me want to go to bed and sleep the day off, but I don't want to either.
             I want to munch on cookies. xP


I've let myself go a bit crazy this semester, especially these past couples of weeks. And I don't know whether it's a good or a bad thing, but it's not so bad (?)

The weather is still miserable.

Exams and essays and assignments are miserable.

But thank God I got the chance to learn all these stuff and live in this temperamental city and eat all these yummy food and meet all of these amazing people :)

3 weeks to home - can't believe 3 weeks can feel this long.


Cheers,
-*^^*-

Week 10 Semester 2

Honestly, this is another 'less' productive week. But I'm trying to make the most of it :)

My sister was still here for the first half of the week, so that was fun :)
We went around the city, shopped, went sight-seeing, watched a movie with friends, ate good food, take picts, etcetc :D

The weather on Thursday was the BEST. It was a hint of - not only spring, but - summer! :D
I had a tutorial outside, on a cafe then on the grass. Then, wanting to make the most out of it, I bought a hot choc and sat outside with my ipad, studying :) That night me and some friends went for gelato xD

Friday wasn't too bad as well :) It was cloudy, but still quite warm :)
Went to a book sale - got 3 books for $3!!!! xD xD Got myself poem books - unusual for me, but I thought why not. A perf gift for a friend as well  ;)

This morning was not too cold (yet?), but it was sunny :) Woke up late, did a lovely groc shopping, and had the most INCREDIBLE nutella donut for brekkie xD



I'm honestly very scared of not doing well in these last couple of weeks. I don't want to disappoint people - my parents, my tutors, and myself. But, if I live my life to the fullest, have fun, stay healthy, isn't it enough?


A question to ponder as we enter the sacred week 11. God be with us all.
Time to put my head down, write a 2000-word essay, start prepping for exam.
See you on the other side, me.

Cheers,
-*^^*-

Week 9 & Mid break semester 2

I was very unmotivated during week 9. I knew that mid-break was coming & I was too excited :D

So basically I tried to do as much work (which was not much), and I got to enjoy my mid break not doing much :):)

Although, it’s also because I was too weak - I had flu & allergies :(

But luckily my sister was around to take care of me -- even though she might have given me the viruses xD

Mid break was well-spent resting at home, recovering, but also having fun :)

Shopping, walking around the city, marathoning Grey’s Anatomy season 1, waking up late, but also drenched in the rain!! 

Anyway, even though it was ‘unproductive’ in some sense, the rest I took was precious. I re-read a few old books, watched new movies..

It felt like swimming and coming up for air. From here on, I’d have to dive deep, so the burst of air was refreshing and recharging.

I have 5-6 weeks to go, but I’m freaking out. Will I do well?

I just hope I remain sane.

cheers,

-*^^*-

Happy 20th birthday to me :)

When I was younger, I always looked forward to my birthdays. I’d wake up very happy, have a great day, and I’d be a bit sad as the day came to an end.

I realize that nowadays that joy disappears.

These past few years I’ve been asking myself, what is a birthday? What does it mean? Why should I celebrate it? It’s not an achievement: it’s not that I’ve done something. It’s just given to me. Or rather, it just happens to me.

And birthdays are not different to any other day. We just make it ‘special’.

I might need a few more birthdays to change my mind :)

But what I got today is a family that cares for me. Friends that think of me and are happy for me. And that’s more than enough. The warm weather today (and a really good mark) is a GLORIOUS bonus.  GLORIOUS :) 

 But people matters most.

The time I spent with my Creator is also on the front line. The chance to just enjoy His creation, His gifts, and to dedicate my life again to HIM was precious.

So maybe birthdays are about relationship? About re-analyzing who really cares and who you really cared about and want to spend your (birth)day with.

As for me,

I’m so glad I have the right people around :)

-*^^*-

Week 8 Semester 2

This week has neither been good nor bad. It wasn't totally okay, but it was not a horrible week. It just sits in the middle... waiting for a mid semester break :(

This week was filled mostly by rainy and cold cold days. Very torturing - can't  wait to come back to the embrace of my tropical Indo!

This week I went and watched a play, 'Oriel' at La Mama Courthouse, which was so close yet so far away :') And I had a great time! It was an amazing play.

This week I am much more relaxed than the previous weeks - yay! Though I can't let my guards down, yet. 8 weeks down means I still have 4 more to go + break + swot-vac + exams! :') Hanging in there...

This weeks I have plenty of interesting conversations ! :p

I have been enjoying this week, but really, I can't wait for next week :'))

Or rather, I cannot wait for the end of the semester!!! 

The flight home has been booked, the trip has been planned... 

Just need to wait for days to tick by :')

I'm not ready for exams and stuff, but can no longer wait! :D

Anyway,

week 9, be nice. And then mid break, let's have a great time :D

CHEERS!

-*^^*-

"Ants"

Imagine a world without flowers. Too drastic? Alright. Imagine, then, a world without ants. The small little black animals, always in a group, always in the back of our minds whenever we have something sweet laid out at a picnic or at home. 

Imagine a world without them. The difference might not be apparent. And it is tempting to think that it wouldn't make any difference. But you see, it will.

It would shift out mindsets completely. How we think of having food lying around. 

We will never have the memory of ant chalks. Of watching ants march to and fro, hovering over our tables then heading to their colonies, hiding somewhere beneath our houses. 

It will truly change our worlds, even though the difference is ever so slightly. 

 

For a group of animals whom we don't even know their thoughts or function, they hold such distinction in our world. Let alone you, the beautifully and fearfully made, the one with a heart, soul, and talents.

Week 7 Semester 2 - Tastings Week!

My fave week of the semester yet! :D

This week I was involved in a production called 'Tastings' as light operator :)
It was SO much fun seeing these original pieces created, directed, and performed by passionate people.
I was blessed to be working with the most incredible team.

Last night at the after-party, I began to feel the withdrawal syndrome symptoms xD
But it felt like finding a widely opened door. So many possibilities in the future! :):) PTL!

I was also trash-eating all weekend long x_x    xD  but it was so good.
Might or might not include excessive muesli bars, chocolate, chips, KFC wings, pasta, grilled cheese sandwich, and PB&J sandwich. Yums. Ooops.


'Treating' myself by doing less workload this week feels kind of good :p:p
But I really would have to start on my assignments asap. Why? Because I want to treat myself with another 'less work' week :D


 It starts to get real from here. The hike. It gets shorter but steeper. Just have to focus, work hard, look around, and find the fun. It's worth it, hopefully.


To week 7, and all the amazing things past and ahead,
CHEERS!

-*^^*-

Week 6 Semester 2

WOW I can't believe it's done!!!! It's officially half way down (the semester) and half way to go! Yes there'll be the mid-semester break and swot-vac and exam week, but wow :):)

It was NOT an easy week. So tired! Many late nights, finishing up an essay that is yet to be submitted soon :') I miss reading books, story books. I miss watching movies, TV series (though I think they're on a summer break, so not much new content is coming. But still..)
I was also doing lots of preparations for the coming weeks, especially for next week! But will tell more next week :D


The weather here in Melbourne is just crazy. This noon, it was HOT :D But later at night, it got cold x_x
One day it was cloudy, the next it was shiny, and of course then the rain came. Gotta love it :)


A lot of things are happening simultaneously, the goods and the bads. Although, that's not very fair to say -- everything's good: some are way more fun than the others. But that's okay. These are the experience we all need to go through, to hopefully have a better appreciation of life and all that's in it - and of course the ONE Who gives it to us :)


Honestly my back is killing me - so tired from just thinking, let alone doing things. So I'm gonna finish up - wrap things up (hopefully),
sleep nice and sound,
have a great week-end,

and enter the new, exciting second half of chapter 2 :)


CHEERS,

-*^^*-

Week 5 Semester 2

So stressful :'(
So different than week 4, but if it means 1 week closer to home, I'll bear it :')

Had multiple sleepovers because I don't want to stop functioning :')
Praise the Lord for the beautiful friends I have living near me that are ready to welcome me any time :)
But walking, delish Indo lunch, & baking does help! :D
Made cream puffs & redvelvet brownie cheesecake this morning :D yumelicious.

OH and I found this video of James Corden and Coldplay, and I could not stop listening to it !! :D Go and have a listen :)

I just can't wait for this semester to end :")
I can't wait for the holidays! I'm missing people at home. Looking at what they're doing, looks like they're having lots of fun! Moreover, I'm wearing a typical outfit that I'd wear back home and it made me miss Christmas & New Year a lot.

My brain could not stop churning, I really wish I could just run to the finish line.
But HIS grace is still with me nevertheless.

Cheers!

-*^^*-

Week 4 Semester 2

Wow.. What a week!!

I didn't do a lot of studying, which is always nerve-wrecking to some extent for me.
But instead, I get to experience this city all over again ^^

With some family members coming to visit, I took the time to lay my studies aside and just enjoy family company & enjoy being a 'tourist' in this city.
Someone once told me that being to comfortable and 'homey' in this city is 'dangerous', and now I know why. This city has quite a lot to offer, but you really need to keep your eyes open.

I got to go places I've never been before: Phillip island! :D SeaLife! Melbourne south wharf, Ben & Jerry on Collins, Royal Botanic Gardens. What a beautiful city :):)

This week also marked the 71st year of Indonesia. It breaks my heart not to be there, but I know one day I'll give back to my country :)


For 6 days I enjoyed the company of family, having people around me almost 24/7, which is so nice (especially when you're spoilt xD)
BUT now coming back to my little cozy room and getting to enjoy some times alone, feels nice as well :)

At least before it gets too quiet and lonely....

But I have assignments due real real soon, so that's going to keep me up nice & up.


1/3 way done, and in 2 weeks, I'm 1/2-way there :)
Ah, until the next break, I'll keep holding on.

Cheers!
-*^^*-

Week 3 Semester 2

By far the most intense week of the semester.
Maybe I over-do some things? :p Is there really such a word.
It just really dawned on me that studying leads to assignments, and I love one and not the other :')

BUT it's going to be worth it! :)
Next week some family members are coming, so it's going to be FUN and exciting and relaxing :)
Taking a step back from studying is going to be SO good. (Not a total step back, but I'll relax a bit, whilst I can :) )


Nevertheless, this week has been fun :)
A friend stayed over - which was different, but quite nice to have a company for the night as well :)
Bought raisin toast - yum. Delish, simply.
Walked to Fitzroy - twice ! ^^
An opportunity to join a production - we'll see how this goes :)
Another blessed iCare
A song-writing session at church followed by prayer :)
Crepe: 'jam doughnut' ^^


Even though it's hectic, honestly I feel like I'm using the most of my time enjoying my life as a uni student :)
But it's quite intense as well - I spend literally from the morning to night reading/studying/catching-up. SO tired, but that's what being a student is like? :p

Can't wait for next week!
As for now, 0.25 of the semester is done! :)


CHEERS!
-*^^*-

Week 2 Semester 2

Still quite unsettled -- two new tutorials and a decision yet to be made in the next week regarding another tute.
But so far, so good! :)


I can't believe we only have 10 weeks to go. 10 weeks are a lot. But it's 2 less week to worry about :)

Essays are coming, and I'm terrified and pumped at the same time - good! :D


It's been warmish-cold here in Melbourne this week. A good and a bad. I miss summer, terribly. But at least it wasn't below 0.

Had the chance to catch up with friends over hot choc and pizzas, had our first icare since the holiday with pizza party, had a sneaky, impromptu sleep over too! :p

Walked to church - like, literally walk - with a friend this morning.

Oh I love week 2.


But I still miss home - the people at home. They're all uploading pictures and videos of IFGF Conference. And I'm here. Cold. Quiet. Aaahh! But I'm sure the time will come when I'll join them for a conference, in a few years time maybe :)


Now that the engine's warm, let's get a real wriggle on!


CHEERS!
-*^^*-

BALI 2016 - Day 4 & 5

DAY 4

I realized how sad I was waking up that morning. Only 1 more sleep till my flight to Melbourne. 2 more days of being with the people I love most in the world. But I was in Bali, the most incredible place, surrounded by these people, and I could only be grateful.

For our final breakfast at Jaen, (I think) we had the Mie goreng, bircher (Cuz we couldn’t get enough of that!), and also Eggs Benedict. Simply delicious. Okayy with the eggs benedict, it was like their own ‘creation’ à poached egg with toasted hollandaise sauce. One of the two eggs were poached quite runny, and the other one was just set. I prefer the runny yolk, but some liked it set. Either way, I think it can do with a little bit more sauce, but the other condiments are nice!

My dad had to go to the notary, and since we were moving to another hotel, we packed our bags and went with him. Me and my sister – for some reasons – decided to stay in the car. Yep, under the heat of Bali. We survived, thank God. It was so so hot in there. Even with the windows rolled down and the air con turned on every now and then. Phew.

BUT what made us really excited was that we were heading to Lao Ta. Porridge! ^^ Okay, so there was this porridge (or congee) place in Semarang, but it closed down :( So Lao Ta is my go-to place now. We had the minced beef-yolk congee, the seafood congee, greens, and cakwee :D YUM.

My sister wanted to buy new shoes – and she could only get it in a particular store. So we visited the mall and got her the new shoes. We also bought some pop corn in the mall’s cinema à one of the best caramel pop corns I’d ever had. PERFECTION. Crunchy, sweet, yummy.

Then it was beach time! :D We checked in to the hotel, had a change of clothes, and went straight to the private beach. Everybody came along :) It was quite cloudy, so it wasn’t too hot. Actually, it was not hot at all – I didn’t get any tanner! But it was beautiful. Me and my sister got to take a walk along the shore with my dad – who, of course, then walked super fast to the point that we lost him and could not care more :p We drew some things on the sand, and took tons of pictures. The tide was super low that day. There was almost no waves on the shore; it formed like a small swimming ponds along the shore. Lovely.

After the walk, I laid down for a while, put on some music and read a few pages of (one of) my favorite book. Then we took a quick shower, before heading to dinner at Bali Collection. We chose Bebek Tepi Sawah. It was quite expensive, but so good! I had chicken, obvi. It was smoked and slathered with some yummy sauce. I ordered a fresh coconut and got a HUGE coconut fruit – blessed! The table next to ours ordered fresh coconut as well and got only a small one, for the same price.  But anyway, then it was shopping time! With heavy eyes I went to the supermarket, looked for some breakfast drinks, then we all went to Sogo and shopped some more. I think I got two tees, but I left one in Indo, and only brought one to Melbourne. It was a Giordano special edition tee – I’ll put a picture of it some time :)

We drove around the Nusa Dua area, then headed back to the hotel. Me and my sister hung out in our parents room for a while, watched TV and lay on the sofa, before heading to our own room and fast a wonderful sleep :)

DAY 5 :’)

The hardest day of the entire holiday. I don’t want the holiday to end. But that day still present itself as exciting, so one didn’t have the reason to just stand down and do nothing.

We rented 3 bikes – 1 tandem bike and 2 regular bike for family of four :D We cycled around Nusa Dua, and spent around 30-45 minutes. The seats were the most uncomfortable seats! Yet it was so fun :D I hadn’t cycled in years, so it was refreshing :)

Then, my dad and my sister went to have breakfast in the restaurant, while me and mom ordered the Asian Breakfast to have in the room. We got fruit juice, coffee, nasi goreng, fresh fruit, and we also ordered a side of sautéed mushroom. We bought a tiramisu coffee and some bread at the supermarket the night before, and we have some of that as well.

Afterwards, we headed to the beach again :) Just like the previous day, it was cloudy. But I didn’t wear my sun block this time – I needed me my tan! So rebellious :p

Me and my sister took countless picts again, and walked to the opposite side of the beach that day. But the wave, unlike yesterday, was gigantic! They were almost vicious! X_X I braced myself to stand just at the tip of the shore, to get some of the residuals of the waves. But one or two huge one did catch me and my sister – and it was fun!

We didn’t get to lie down for too long on the seaside, because we had to check out from the hotel. Very sad, but the adventure must continue. We said goodbye to the hotel who had become – somewhat – like our second home in Bali :p We’d been there for so many times, and it never failed to bring smiles to our faces.

Because we had such a late breakfast, we decided to go around the city first before grabbing lunch. My sister needed to exchange her newly bought shoes, so we went back to the mall. (I couldn’t resist myself from buying a choc waffle – YUM). Then we went to Discovery mall to park our car, (check whether their Mark & Spencer had the food section, and it didn’t,) and walk to Bubba Gump Shrimp :D

I’ve only been there once, although I did visit the one in New York. To be honest, I think the food was average, but it was the atmosphere and uniqueness of the concept that drew me and my family back here. We had a selection of seafood and chips, calamari ring, and to finish it off, a slice of the chocolate chip cookie-cake.  Woot-woot! It took me and my sister back to New York. We were sooo full but so happy. Oh, dad also got a complimentary choc ice cream for checking-in on Facebook. Obvi.

We went back to our car, then moved to another mall (the third one that day :D), Beachwalk. This was another ‘ritual’ that me and my family did. We didn’t spend too much time there, though. We headed to Zest Legian, to shower, pack, and had dinner in Jaen.

Then it was time to go.

We were all very quiet in the car. And thinking back to that day, I started tearing up. I could feel that we e all wanted the day to be longer, the vacation to never be over. But life must go on!

We parked the car (after circling the airport as we couldn’t find the parking area), dad had to carry my luggage up and down the staircase as we did not know where the elevator or the bridge to the main airport building were, but eventually we made it. We hugged it out, I went in to the check-in area, queued the long long que to the security and immigration gates, then rushed to the boarding gate.

It was not easy, but I thank God that we’d had a beautiful time together as a family, rediscovering this beautiful island that God had made, and we’d spent our time well.

Now, second week into the semester, I’m already planning our next vacation :p

It’s one way of keeping myself sane – and it will be wonderful to have the time just for the four of us, hiding somewhere away from the ‘crowd’ :D

CHEERS!

-*^^*-