Word of the day: Poche

18 Dec 2011 Leave a comment

by Little Sumo Girl in Bali, Cool Stuff, Fun Spots, Travel Tags: , , , ,

Went swimming today at Taman Segara Madu in Canggu! It had been ages cuz the water had been extremely dirty and mom & dad were a little scared to go into the ‘green’ water. It turns out it was clean today – Yeah for me! Unfortunately, halfway through my practice I was distracted by these 2 couples in their 20-somethings, who obviously did not know how to swim cuz they were in the Kiddy Pool with me…

I don’t mind sharing the pool with others, but then they went to get a basketball to try to shoot into the hoop that’s hung on the edge of this decorative ‘bridge’ they have over the pool. During the entire time they were there, I did not see the ball go into the basket – not even once! That’s when mom and dad started saying ‘Poche’. Everytime we would hear the ball bounce off the water or on the edge of the basket, which was quite rare cuz they weren’t even close to getting close to ‘net’…Michael Jordan these people were Not! So I chanted along, louder and louder: Poche! Poche! Poche!

I learned later on that “Poche” means to ‘Suck’ in pure and proper ‘Québecois’.  I just hope they were not ‘Frenchies’ cuz that would be quite rude, if they actually understood what we were saying. Anyhow, I don’t need to apologize cuz I didn’t even know what the word meant – I just like the sound of it and I could actually Pronounce it…

Also, cuz of them I did not get to practice my kick-kick-kick, paddle-paddle-paddle, bubble-bubble-bubble & my new favourite drill: Streamline! So that was REALLY “POCHE“!

My first musical instrument

14 Dec 2011 Leave a comment

by Little Sumo Girl in Bali, Cool Stuff, Fun Spots, Travel Tags: , , , ,

Music has always been a part of my life, even when I was not in the real world yet. I don’t know if all parents do this, but I remember even when I was in mom’s tummy I would regularly hear music.

Now, I’m starting to recognize some of the tunes that she used to play for me, or sing for me. I sometimes still have nightmares of the time mom & dad went out with their friends to sing together (Karoake, I think it’s called) and dad did a very loud and pitch-y rendition of Madonna’s “Ray of Light”….Can you imagine how scary it was for me!

I’ve always loved music and moving to the beat. I’d like to think that someday I can show my moves on the dance floor. I’ve recently moved on from just bopping my head to the beat, to actually dancing!! My next step was to start making my own music. Then, if I take acting classes I could become one of those popular Asian ‘Celebrities’ who do everything (Sing, Dance, Act). Oh! One catch is that you have to be Cute-sy/Girly! Don’t think they like tomboys like me… ah well!

So back to my music…Let me introduce you to my first musical instrument – The Jegog! I discovered this here in Bali. It’s a local instrument made of Bamboo that have been partially cut in half lengthwise. The ‘pipes’ are assembled together so that you can strike them with two mallets “pangguls“, sorta like a xylophone.

We had one at our house and my friend, Komang has shown me how to play. Well, he’s really patient with me cuz I just like banging on it. At first I wasn’t even able to hit the keys I was just banging on the sides, but trust me I was trying my hardest – I was banging that thing with all my might! I think I’m lucky that I didn’t break the Jegog, othewise my friend Joel would be really upset with me. It’s actually his Jegog, that he received as a gift, and has been nice enough to let me borrrow it while I’m staying in Bali.

I still remember the two times we went to this beautiful villa in Sidemen area (East Bali) called Surya Shanti Villa, they also had two jegogs that I’d played with. They were conveniently placed in the common room and it was perfect for me to practice while mom, dad & their friends were enjoying their cool Bintangs as I provided the nice ambiance music.

My first Jegog!

Reading sounds

13 Dec 2011 Leave a comment

by Little Sumo Girl in Bali, Cool Stuff, Travel Tags:

Now that I’ve started to learn the alphabet and that I’m starting to get my head less mixed up between the different languages I’m learning – all at the same time mind you (Cantonese, French, Bahasa Indonesia, Balinese and English)…

I’ve graduated to the adult-activity of ‘reading’ instead of just flipping pages in a book, and ripping them apart…

I don’t know if this is how it’s supposed to be done, but I settle into my comfy chair, open the book and start gliding my index finger across the page and start reading “Mish-Mosh” aloud…Irregardless of the book or the text I’m reading, the words always seem to read ‘Mish-Mosh’…It must be a problem with the books that mom & dad are making me read…hmmm…

Is this normal? Do you always make the same sounds when you read?

Here’s the book I’m currently reading. Unfortunately, my Bahasa Indonesia has not been improving that much since…It’s ok, I’ll just keep at it for a while and hope it gets better, otherwise, I’ll just tear the pages out – that’s really fun too!

Learning Bahasa Indonesia

Word of the day: Papa dodo

08 Dec 2011 Leave a comment

by Little Sumo Girl in Bali, Cool Stuff Tags:

I normally have a word of the week, but since I keep saying this Every Single day, I figured that I should note this special expression: “Papa Dodo!”

When mom comes to my room in the morning to get me out of bed, the first thing I do is run to their room, and what do I see: Papa lying horizontally, eyes closed and fan blowing! So, this starts my first count of “Papa Dodo” for the day…And that is assuming that I haven’t already been practicing in my bed…

Then, in the afternoon after my lunch and play time, I will go for a little nap. Sometimes before I head for my own “dodo”, who do I see horizontal again, eyes closed and fan blowing…yes, you guessed it: “Papa Dodo!”. On occasion, I’ll see him after my nap, but it’s a pretty consistent pattern. I guess dad and I are on a similar schedule. Although it is the second occurrence of the event, I tend to repeat the things I say many many times over and over & very, very fast, so the count will probably be at 15 “Papa Dodo’s” by now!

And finally, when the day is over and I’m just chilling out with mom and dad on the couch, who do I see with his eyes closed and fan blowing again? Yes, I can’t fool you: “Papa dodo”!! It gets really hot and muggy here in Bali, so the fan is essential here – but the fan is a requirement for my dad irregardless of the climate he’s in… so I can probably hit upto 30 “Papa dodo”s in one day.

I really don’t understand why he needs so many naps considering he’s always sitting in front of some screen, making these clicking sounds. Whereas I’m busy running after balls, riding my horse, taking walks around the block, hanging out with my Posse…So it makes sense for me to be sleepy in the afternoon…I guess that’s just what happens to Ol’ folks…Man, I’m not looking forward to that – what a waste of the day!

Note that I sometimes throw in a few “Mama Dodo’s” in there too, to mix it up a bit… 😉

Look of the Day – Classy Girl

08 Dec 2011 Leave a comment

by Little Sumo Girl in Bali, Fashion, Travel Tags: ,

Sometimes you just gotta go out with Style, or in my case just find something to wear that is not dirty or that’s already at the laundromat…In this heat, I tend to change clothes 2-3 times a day, so my limited wardrobe gets used up pretty quickly.

As a pick-me-upper, I went for a dress in traditional patterns (don’t know why but it reminds me of Greek or Russian patterns? But I don’t really have a clue, I’m obviously no expert in the matter). Then to boost the Glam-factor, I took out mom’s Jackie O sunglasses. Although still a little too big for me, they instantly bring this outfit up a notch. Now, if only I can get them to stay on my nose…

All dressed up!

If only I could look as chic as Jackie

Oh, and just wait til I’m ready to wear high-heels then I’ll be smokin’. For now, my comfy sandals will have to do!

The other advantage to this dress, besides being all classy & girly, is that with the colourful patterns, I reduce the risk of getting hit by the crazy motorbikers here in Bali!

Family Day

07 Dec 2011 Leave a comment

by Little Sumo Girl in Bali, Beach, Cool Stuff, Fun Facts, Fun Spots, Restos & Food, Travel Tags: , , ,

Family day today….Yeah! I know it sounds silly, cuz I get to see my parents Every single day, but family day is a dedicated day each week, where it’s just us – no appointments, no meetings, no house-cleaning people, no Nanny (even though I love Ami, and sometimes I do miss her on family days too when mom and dad are too boring!)

Today was quite eventful!
1- Petitenget Beach – It was a bit cloudy so was not too hot so we could actually run around the beach without burning our toes, like last week. Sand castles and burying our feet in the sand…Ah what a great start to the day!

Building sand castles at Petitenget Beach

Where Is everyone? must be too early!

2- Bike ride to Denpasar – Perfect for a mid-morning nap!

Streets of Denpasar

3- Bird Market – Went once, but should be enough for me…
4- Lunch at Sakanaya/Ramen on Jl. Sunset Road – I was so hungry before we got there, but then I fell asleep when we arrived. It was perfect cuz I continued my nap while mom & dad ordered. Then, the lovely smell of the Ramen Broth gently woke me up. First words out of mouth? Mum-Mum (ie. LET’s EAT!).

Sakanaya & Ramen Restos - Yummy!

Ooh, the Char-Siu ramen in Miso soup was delicious – I am a little sumo afterall! The fish cakes from Sakanaya were also yummy, but the burrito that dad ordered was a little weird. For older folks who actually eat raw fish, I would probably recommend the Sashimi plate (good quality and very reasonably priced), or go for a fried or grilled fish. Although this spot is set on Jl. Sunset Road which is a busy road with quite a bit of traffic, the setting is still quite nice with tables set outside on a deck.

Just look out for the huge Blue sign with “RAMEN” written vertically and the “SAKANAYA” sign is in front. You’ll see it on Jl. Sunset Road heading from Kerobokan towards Kuta.

They supply for “Ryoshi”, a very popular Japanese restaurant here in Bali. Here is the truck loading up before making the rounds to bring the fresh goods to the restos.

Ryoshi Truck Loading Up

5- Pit stop at home for a quick shower to take off the sand from the beach
6- Bike ride to Kuta – Good afternoon nap (Man, the traffic was so bad. Kuta was actually worse than Denpasar, if you can believe it!)
7- Chill out at home for a nice dinner and a cool Bintang!

Bintang anyone?

Ok, I didn’t really drink the Bintang, but I tried to

Did I say I LOVE Family Day! It should be everyday! xx

Bali Zoo!

07 Dec 2011 1 Comment

by Little Sumo Girl in Bali, Travel Tags: , , ,

Since I was little I’ve loved animals… I don’t know if it’s cuz all my toys are animal-shaped or that most of the characters in my books are animals, or that mom and dad like to show me animal sounds… Which I recognize pretty well, and am able to start imitating for the most part. My faves are the Cow, Horse, Elephant, Dog, and Fish (I know, it technically doesn’t make a sound, but I can move my mouth like a fish does under water – bubble, bubble!)

Since coming to Bali, I’ve also been hanging out more with the local ‘animals’:cows, chicken, roosters, ducks, dogs, snakes, cool birds, ,…Not to mention the endless amount of ants, mosquitoes, geckos, Jeckos, and other unknown insects and reptiles…

I’ve been waiting for mom and dad to bring me to the zoo here, and they finally did today!

Well, it wasn’t exactly the Bali Zoo, it’s actually a place called the Bird Market on Jl. Veteran in Denpasar. They don’t only have birds there, they have all sorts of animals. It’s sorta like the zoo, without an entrance fee and it only has two little alleys with animals on display? Ok, it’s probably not as cool as the REAL Zoo because they don’t have Tigers, Lions, Elephants and any exciting animals like that. However, there are still some interesting creatures to check out!

There were: Bats, Owls, Big Lizards (with large poop), a real Mean-looking Rooster (good for cockfights I presume, which is a very popular ‘hobby’ for the men here), and colourful chicks…

Big Lizard - Big Poop! Yuck!

Mean-looking Rooster

Colourful Chickies

My favourite part was when we saw the painted little snails. They were so cute with their colourful shells with different faces painted on. You could actually buy a little house and pick out a few to bring home with you…Yes, they actually move!

 

Painted Snails - Super Cute!

It’s really weird, the big stands in the middle of the two alleys of this ‘Animal Market’ actually sell Silver Jewelry and semi-precious stones, in addition to displaying the weird creatures.

Although I was quite excited to go at first, I was a little uncomfortable after a few minutes. Some of the animals don’t look very happy and appear to be in need of a better environment. I will spare you the images, but seeing cute bunnies crammed together in cages that are too small, and monkeys with neckcuffs, among others was quite disconcerting.

Unfortunately, we did not spot this huge poster at the entrance until we were leaving – but it can give you an idea of what’s on ‘display’ inside.

Poster at entrance of Bird Market

It was a very hot day and almost lunch time, so we luckily did not stay too long.

I think I’ll stick to the cute animals in my books for now!

OMG – Jiwa Bali…what have you done?

06 Dec 2011 Leave a comment

by Little Sumo Girl in Bali, Fun Spots, Travel Tags: , ,

Last Monday morning, as I just finished breakfast I saw mom rushing off to what I thought was her weekly swimming class, but instead she was in yoga gear…Hmmm?

She came back almost 2 hours later, red as a tomato and dripping from head to toe…She looked a bit weak but had a rosy glow about her ( Ok, it turned from tomatoe-y to rosy within an hour or so) Perhaps she had been in the sun for Way too long?

She was complaining about the heat and seemed to be lacking energy pretty much all day. She had to take a sudden mid-morning nap which even I’ve stopped doing several months ago!  She looked like she was a bit drunk, but in a good mood all day – Just like someone who took a calming drug and was doooiiiinnnggg thiiiinnngs reeaaalllyyyyy slooowwwlyyy….

It turns out she had gone to Jiwa Yoga Bali to try her first class of Bikram yoga. It’s the kind of yoga where they heat the room up to about 38deg Celsius, while you try to execute the 26 yoga postures and 2 breathing exercises. As if it wasn’t already hot enough here in Bali, she had to go put her body up to that challenge! She decided on the spur of the moment and had not eaten since the night before and had not taken plenty of liquids the day before, which is probably why she was so Slllloooowww afterwards.

She was drinking lots of water, Es Kalapa and Pocari Sweats (some kinda of Clear Gatorade-like drink) later that day to replenish her body with fluids. I’d say within 24 hours she’d recovered nicely and was back to ‘Normal’. She started to teach me a few new yoga poses at our daily practices – so that was the fun part for me…

Although her first Bikram class was a bit tough, she liked it enough to go back for more on Wednesday…and she brought dad along too! Don’t know how he survived cuz he sweats so much just sitting there doing nothing…

Well if you’re interested in maximum stretching in extra heat, go check out Jiwa Yoga Bali…Apparently it does a body good and it’ll keep you wanting more…

JIWA YOGA BALI
Jl.Petitenget 78
Seminyak, Bali
Phone : +62 361 841 3689
Email: info@jiwayogabali.com

http://www.jiwayogabali.com/

Look of the day – Hip-Hop Cool

04 Dec 2011 Leave a comment

by Little Sumo Girl in Bali, Beach, Fashion, Travel Tags: , , , , ,

I’m not so much into the girly-girl look, but on occasion I like to dress up and make myself feel ‘Nice’…

Today was NOT one of those days…I felt like being comfy to run around, and not worry about dirtying my clothes. Well I don’t really worry about that cuz I don’t do my own laundry! Besides, I normally change my look about 3 times a day, not just cuz I feel like it but mainly out of necessity! With all my activities, my clothes just get dirty, and since I still haven’t perfected eating with utensils, well meal time is pretty rough on my outfits. Besides, with the crazy heat, it doesn’t take long before my B.O. becomes absorbed in the clothes…Ok, sorry for the ‘nasty’ info, but that’s just a fact a life when you live in a VERY Hot spot such as Bali…

My everyday look is more tom-boyish, sorta like Ami who helps me pick out my outfits. Today, I added a little hip-hop feel with my accessories, the tie-Cami and the Furr-y sandals! You must be asking why would I wear long-sleeves in this heat, but when you’re riding the motorbike under sun, you do need long sleeves to protect your skin. When we first arrived in Bali, we found it absurd to see all the locals with jackets, long pants, gloves and socks but after 20 mins on the bike, we GOT IT…well, my parents got it, and ever since I’ve been riding with long sleeves. It’s a bit hot, but hey when you have a cute Red Cami with a little bling on the side, it just ups the Glam-factor to your look.

I must admit that the furry sandals were a bit hot today, but somtimes you gotta pay to look good and they’re just so fun and cozy!

Please observe the Camouflage shorts – These are a MUST-HAVE in Bali, well if you want to look like a local. They ALL have a pair, young, old, boy or girl – you gotta have a pair. Mine stand out a bit cuz they’re pink.

My Beep-beep Tank top is just nice and comfy, and great for muggy days cuz it’s so light.

Finally, to bring a little feminine touch to this look, my hair was tied in two little side buns…and it helps keep me fresh so that my hair doesn’t stick to my sticky neck. Now, as I practice my dance moves, I’m just about ready to perform to a NappyTab’s choreography on “So You Think You Can Dance”….If only were taller so I could dance with Twitch, I wish!

Hip Hop Look!

Please don't stop the music!

On Location: Dancing to Lady Ga Ga Tunes at home – Rah Rah Ah Ah Ah

How to get the Look:
Beep-Beep Tank Top: Local Brand (Hypermart – Galleria Mall)
Camo Shorts: Zacasha (Jl. Kunti, Seminyak)
Tie-Camisole: Guess (Batik Boutique in Denpasar)
Sandals: Unknown brand bought at Local market (Negara)
Hair: Two side buns à la princess Leia

I can’t hear you

03 Dec 2011 Leave a comment

by Little Sumo Girl in Cool Stuff, Super Power

You know when your parents just keep talking and telling you NO, it can get really tiresome and rather annoying to hear them say the same thing over and over again.

Here’s a really cool trick that I discovered accidentally. I find it quite handy so I will share this special tip with you!

Earlier this week as I was having dinner, mom & dad had started to sing their same ol’ song of ‘No-No-No’ again. And I accidentally put my two index fingers in my ears. I noticed that their annoying voices had lowered quite significantly and I could not hear them as much. You must put both index fingers in each ear simultaneously for maximum effect! Of course you still hear a muffled sound, but no annoying “No-No-No don’t touch that”, and “Finish your meal otherwise no dessert!”…

One really cool thing about this technique is that you can have a bit of peace and quiet, and they have no clue that you’re no longer listening to what they’re saying. I confirmed this on several occasions, where I discreetly applied this technique and they just keep on talking and talking. This worked on mom and dad, so trust me this Totally Works…and They are absolutely clueless!

Try it out and let me know if it works for you!

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