Waka Waka

19 Mar 2012 Leave a comment

by Little Sumo Girl in Cool Stuff

A few weeks ago, I went to a dinner party and got to meet up with some ‘old’ friends….

When you’ve been away from your home country for some time, it’s always nice to hook up with your close friends and loved ones and reconnect. It usually doesn’t take me too long to get over my initial ‘shyness’ and then we’re all happy and playing together. Particularly, when my buddies are about the same age and size as me, and have tons of toys to share too 🙂

We had a blast playing together, enjoyed a yummy home-cooked meal (my favourite ‘Pou-Let’, ie. chicken) and crispy winter salad, and delish sweet potato salad (gotta make sure mom get’s the recipe for that!)

But the highlight of the night was definitely at the end of the evening, when the lights came down…and no it was NOT bedtime!! But instead it was Party Disco in the dark time, with DJ Clean in the house!!! Our lovely hostess MH gave us little glow in the dark bracelets (mine was pink!) and we were dancing the night away! My fave was the ‘Africa – Waka Waka’ song by Shakira…you can ask my parents, who must be tired of hearing me say Waka Waka every few nights so I can shake my bootie…Hey, what better way to burn off those extra winter calories, by dancing to great tunes.

Note that I do not have Shakira’s talents of belly and bootie shaking…to my dad’s relief! But I’m working on it!

I’m still trying to master the “Jump in the Air” move, and actually get a split second of air time…

Who cares how silly I look as long as I’m having fun….DJ, Please don’t stop the music! (as Rihanna would say!)

 

 

Simple pleasures of life

13 Feb 2012 1 Comment

by Little Sumo Girl in Cool Stuff, Restos & Food

Sometimes it doesn’t take much to make your day! I was having lunch today and was not too impressed by what mom & dad had to offer: Leftovers that just didn’t get my taste buds excited.

So mom brought out some cherry tomatoes, and I just wasn’t interested. By then, I’d already lost my appetite. But they insisted so much that I decided to taste one just to please them a bit. I put the entire tomato in my mouth and then… it happened! As I bit into the cherry tomato, a mega explosion of tomato juices squirted inside and outside of my mouth! It was so powerful that I had sprayed my dad’s face as well as the window, which was almost a meter away. Mom and dad were cracking up, and I couldn’t help but laugh as well.

Needless to say, I had to take another tomato, and then another, trying to extend my reach with each bite…It was fun and nutritious at the same time. although a bit messy. Mom had to take out the Glass Cleaner after lunch…but it was all worth it!

Nothing like a simple Cherry Tomato to make our day!
Keep on smiling & Enjoy the simple things in life 🙂

Suddenly I’m an Onion

24 Jan 2012 Leave a comment

by Little Sumo Girl in Cool Stuff, Fashion, Montreal Tags: ,

About a month ago, I was chillin’ out at the beach, wearing tank-tops, shorts and flip-flops all day, riding the motorbike and enjoying the life in Bali.

After 3 very long plane rides, and at least two to three weeks of adjustment to my new environment, I’ve now realized that I’ve become an onion. Getting ready in the morning used to be so easy… Now, everything is 3 times as long, cuz I have so many layers. First there’s the Mammy Poko (ok, they’re called Pampers or Huggies here, but I still call them Mammy Poko), then the leggings and long sleeve shirt, then a polar fleece and an extra pair of pants on top of that, then on the feet there are the socks or UGG boots, which my mom wishes were hers!

UGG Boots - Indoors Only...Mom is so jealous!

All this is so that we can stay indoors, can you believe it!

Then when we go out, I have to wear a scarf, a tuque, my winter coat, mittens and let’s not forget the boots! This is when my parents are too lazy to put on my snowpants, on milder days only!!

 

When we come home, it’s time to peel each of these layers off, one by one….Hey, at least I don’t make you cry like an onion would…well, maybe I should I ask mom & dad, what they think about that?

PS. Big Thanks to Aunties Sas & Kaz for the UGGs and keeping me fashionable even while indoors…and don’t worry I won’t wear them outdoors, cuz you told me that is so NOT Cool!. And Thanks to Auntie M for the Snowsuit which keeps me warm and still looking cute, although a bit like an Astronaut from Outer Space…But heck, when it’s that cold outside, you don’t really worry about your looks anymore!

Happy New Year!

03 Jan 2012 Leave a comment

by Little Sumo Girl in Cool Stuff, Travel

Yeah! After a 30-hour+ trip and a transition from +30 degree Celsius in the sunshine to the wintery cold of -15 degree Celsius…I can say I SURVIVED!

I’m still adapting to my new environment and especially to the ridiculous time change, but so far life is good…although a bit tricky at times just to get out of the house (with the scarf, hat, mittens, boots and the bulky Astronaut suit to put on first)

And now that the Nice Man with all his gadgets came by this morning to install some cables into our wall, I’m back online!!

Thanks to all those who’ve been following my sunny adventures from Bali in 2011. I hope you’ll stay tuned into the new year. Who knows what’s in store for me in 2012, but I’m sure it’ll keep me busy!

Happy New Year to Everyone!
Wishing you All the hugs, smiles, food!, and Everything that makes you happy in 2012…

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… 😉

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

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!

Previous Older Entries