Little Sumo Girl

Book of the Month: Le Grand Livre des Mots

15 Jun 2011 Leave a comment

June 2011: Book of the month – My favourite author so far is definitely Richard Scarry…Well, my collection isn’t that big to begin with, but you gotta start somewhere…We got the latest edition of ‘Le Grand Livre des Mots’ before coming to Bali. My parents were so excited to have found it, cuz they stopped publishing it a few years ago and this new edition even has French and English in the same book, so I can learn both languages…Yeah!

Both my parents grew up with this book, dad in French and mom in English…So now the traditions lives on…I didn’t really care for this book a few months ago, but I’d say in the last month or so, I’ve really started to see how cool it is. My favourite pages are definitely the grocery shopping page and the dinner-time page 🙂 How can you not like pages filled with beautiful illustrations of food…Yummy! If only you could have the smells too 🙂

There are also plenty of animals in it, which allow me to practice the different animal calls! I can do the cow, the chicken, the dog, the fish, the elephant, the horse trotting, the crab/lobster snapping his claws, and I’m now learning to do the seal. Don’t ask me how, but dad is teaching me…The book can also be used as a great workout equipment. I lift it and drag it all around, helping me build stronger arms… Unfortunately, it’s not doing much for bulging belly…

Reading this book also serves as my cool down routine every night when I have my French lesson with dad…

If you don’t already have this book, I highly recommend it…You’ll have a blast! Oh yeah, one other fun thing to do is to tear up the pages…Mom & dad don’t really like that game though…

Le Grand Livre des Mots by Richard Scarry

Mosquitoes go into stealth mode?

14 Jun 2011 Leave a comment

by Little Sumo Girl in Bali, Fun Facts, Travel

Did you know that mosquitoes go into stealth mode? How do they do that? One minute you see them, the next minute they’ve disappeared. A few seconds later, you see them lurking about again, or you hear them annoyingly buzzing in your ear, but your hands are just not fast enough to Smack them!

Unfortunately, you know you were not just imagining them cuz a few hours later, you see those little red itchy bumps on your skin that tag you as the Victim!! And trust me, since living in Bali, I’ve been a victim many, many times…

Resto Review: Rumours

13 Jun 2011 Leave a comment

by Little Sumo Girl in Bali, Fun Spots, Restos & Food, Travel

June 12, 2011: Went for a simple friday night family dinner. We were originally going to another BBQ spot to have some ribs…mmmm, yummy! Even for someone who doesn’t have all her teeth. Unfortunately, they did not have a high-chair for me, so we decided to try ‘Rumours’, a popular restaurant on the busy strip on Jalan Oberoi.

They have security guards directing traffic on both sides of the street, since the parking lot is across from the restaurant. It may seem like overkill to have people directing traffic for a restaurant, but when you see the traffic on Oberoi, you will understand why this is handy, and almost essential if you’re a resto owner on this strip.

While still riding on the motorbike, we were able to quickly confirm that they had a high-chair for me, before turning into the parking lot. Ah, this is one practical side of having open-concept restaurants in Bali – you can just shut out to the staff from the street! Maybe next time, I can order my drink and appetizers from the street before getting into the resto! Boy, I’m starting to get lazy now that we’ve been living in Bali.

As usual, it was already passed my dinner time, so dad quickly skimmed through the menu to order my meal first, while mom was putting me into the high-chair. I don’t know what they’re so afraid of, it’s not like I’m a two-year who’s going to throw a temper tantrum in public!! This has only happened a few times, and only at home (They may beg to differ though!). Luckily, they brought us some bread with garlic butter to keep me busy!

Apparently, the price for a beer here is so much cheaper compared to other places. So my parents felt they had no choice but to order 2 Heineken’s – it’s too bad I still can’t taste beer – it looks quite refreshing. At least, I get to do a chin-chin with them with my glass of water!

My baked Eggplant Parmigiana arrived quite quickly and was very tasty. The portion was generous, but could’ve been a little warmer for mom & dad’s liking. However, for me it was just warm enough so I could eat quickly 🙂

Dad ordered the grilled chicken steak with veggies, which I had to taste of course. The chicken was tender, but unfortunately the veggies were not cooked enough for my 7-teeth chewing structure 😦 Boy, I can’t wait to have my molars out! Mom ordered the Special Rumours Sirloin steak, which is quite rare for her. Again, the meat was a little tough for me, but she seemed to enjoy it. But please bring on the creamy-buttery mashed potatoes from her plate 🙂

The mashed potatoes ended up being my dessert!! I liked them so much that the next morning, when I woke up, I was already salivating. Then, when I went down for breakfast, the first word that came out of my mouth was : PA-TA-TE! (French for Potato)

Food: ****
Deco/setting: ****
Service: ****
(out of 5 stars)

Rumours
Jl.Laksmana No. 100 Oberoi-Seminyak, Kuta, Bali 80361
Phone: 0361-738720-21 Fax: 0361-733269

Word of the day: Pa-pa-ya!

09 Jun 2011 1 Comment

by Little Sumo Girl in Bali, Restos & Food

Word of the day: PA-PA-YA!!!…Gotta scream it very loud to have the full effect. It’s my favourite fruit for now, but it also just means I WANT FRUIT – NOW!! Also, I just like saying it: PApeYA

Super Power #3: Bulldozer

18 May 2011 Leave a comment

by Little Sumo Girl in Cool Stuff, Super Power

Watch out! Here I come…I can now walk, and nothing’s going to stop me! I’ll walk over those toys lying around (oops, those are mine!), I’ll walk over your arms and legs when you’re sitting on the ground, I’ll walk over that super-sized cushion too…

Big or Small, Hard or Soft, I’m not afraid…I can walk over you, and without any shoes on too!

You can call me the Little Sumo Bulldozer!

Resto Review: Cafe Zucchini/Zuttion

05 May 2011 Leave a comment

by Little Sumo Girl in Bali, Restos & Food, Travel

April 3rd, 2011: After spending a rainy day at the Galleria shopping mall, we decided to go for some ‘real’ shopping in Seminyak. It was nice to come back into ‘town’ now that we’ve moved to the quiet country side.

Since it was getting late, mom and dad decided to stop for dinner in town rather than eating at home. We went to Cafe Zucchini on Oberoi (or Jalan Laksamana)

Dad was worried that I was starving so he ordered me a half portion of potato salad – OMG the bowl was HUMONGOUS! I can’t believe it was a half portion. I know I have a big appetite, but really that’s quite impressive. The salad had carrots, green peas, onions or scallions and was lightly tossed in Mayonnaise. Unfortunately, there was aneth/dill in it and this is a new flavour for me – not my favourite thus far 😦 We took the rest home to accompany the steak sandwich that dad ordered. The sandwich ended up being take-away cuz dad noticed another special item on the menu after already having ordered the sandwich.

The staff was really friendly and even gave me a tour of the kitchen – I guess they thought that my parents needed a break from me … Also, they gave me a small banana to tie me over til the meal was ready 🙂

Mom ordered the veggie tacos, which I found quite yummy (the white beans were nice in texture and the sauce was not too spicy). It was accompanied by a green salad and sour cream, tomato salsa and corn chutney.

Dad finally ended up taking the Bolognese Spaghetti, which is one of his all-time favourite dishes. I think he could eat spaghetti everyday of his life and be VERY Happy. Especially if he had unlimited amounts of Kraft’s Parmesan Powdered cheese to ‘sprinkle’ or shall I say ‘Pile’ on top of it. As advertised in the menu, this spaghetti did indeed taste like a homemade sauce that your mom would make for you!

Mom was really happy with her Latte too!

Service was nice and friendly. For those who like shopping, they also have a little boutique inside, called Zuttion, which sells men’s and women’s clothes and accessories.

Since writing this post, we have gone back and have not been disappointed yet by the tasty food offered at Cafe Zucchini…

Food: ****1/2
Deco/setting: ****
Service: ****
(out of 5 stars)

Cafe Zucchini
Jl. Laksamana (Oberoi) No. 49, Seminyak

No Really! I’m not drunk!

04 May 2011 Leave a comment

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

Learning to walk is one of the coolest things around. It’s amazing how a little practice everyday can bring fruitful results! In less than 2 weeks, I’ve made significant ‘strides’ on my two-feet 🙂

This past weekend we went to Bedugul to see the temple by the water. It was quite lovely, one of the prettiest sites that mom has seen in Bali so far…(Just a note between you and me though, she hasn’t done much site-seeing since coming to Bali, so there may actually be many more beautiful sites to be discovered…)

The two things that I really LOVED at Bedugul were:

1) The funny animal sculptures laid out all about the garden. It almost seems like you are in Disneyland, but you just don’t recognize the characters. There were lions, a fish, a pig, a zebra, a tiger, and even Bambi…

2) The gardens had lush green grass that you could actually walk on…Trust me, boy did I take advantage of this space! The land was quite flat and I was able to cover quite a bit of distance (and there were no snakes – that we could see anyway). Unfortunately, since I haven’t yet perfected my technique, I was not too steady. Head bopping every which way, falling on my bum every few steps (but luckily I have quite a bit of padding to absorb the shock, and besides the grass is much softer than the ceramic tiles at home). So with my arms flailing everywhere, my head and hips swaying, I really looked like I was drunk! Who knows maybe mom put some Tia Maria in my milk at lunch…

I think I still have to develop some of my core and stabilizer muscles to be able to hold my head, neck, hips and waist steady. Maybe I’ll ask mom to give me some basic Pilates lessons…

So although I look like I just drank a pack of 24 beers when I walk, I must admit that I’m quite proud of my progress in the last week alone – and to top it all off, Grandma was here to witness all this 🙂

– Was able to stand-up by pulling on a chair or bench for support

– Started walking while holding on to two adult hands

– Was able to take a few steps without holding on to any hands (although it was pretty much free-falling forwards until someone caught me in their arms) – this is quite fun!

– Was able to stand-up doing a wide squat (imagine a mini-Sumo in the first position before doing a Clean & Jerk – ref. Olympic weightlifting)

– Was able to walk holding on to only one adult’s hand

Finally now, walking on two feet, no hands… and looking like a very happy-drunk 🙂

Sunset in Bali

04 May 2011 Leave a comment

by Little Sumo Girl in Bali, Beach, Travel

Don’t really have much to say, except wish you could be here with me to enjoy the beautiful sunsets in Bali…

Sunset at Potato Head in Bali

Jawbreaker Sidewalks!

04 May 2011 Leave a comment

by Little Sumo Girl in Bali, Fun Facts, Travel

For those who have never been to Bali and are thinking the best way to travel with your kid around here is with your souped-up colourful stroller…well, you’re in for a nice surprise. The sidewalks here are ‘Jawbreakers’, when they actually exist!

Here are some examples of sidewalks that I’ve encountered thus far in Bali.

Word of caution to parents: Note that unless you are looking for a good workout in 35 degree Celsius weather in the hot sun, forget about trying to navigate your child in a stroller in Bali (unless it’s for short distances). Mom and dad tried to take me out for nice afternoon ‘strolls’, but ended up being exhausted and all sweaty instead. Also, if you think you can cool-off by entering some air-conditioned shops…Think again, that’s no easy feat either. There are normally uneven steps to get into a store around here – You’re in for some more sport!

Recommendation: Use the a sarong as the locals do, or any comfortable baby carrier. One advantage to this is that we get to turn either which way and observe all the action occurring on the street 🙂

Hati-Hati – Learning to walk!

16 Apr 2011 Leave a comment

by Little Sumo Girl in Bali

Lately, I’ve been experimenting with the ‘displacement on two legs’ thing, better known as ‘walking’. It’s about time to start evolving from 4-legged creature to a 2-legged person. Although, I am quite efficient and speedy on all fours, everyone else around me seems to be moving on their 2 legs. So I’ve been giving it a try.

Let’s just say that this doesn’t come without hazards. No one ever warned me that this is an X-treme sport. With all my natural ‘curves’, it is not always easy for me to keep my balance. But as the daredevil that I am, I still keep at it. Luckily, my center of gravity is low so I have a bit of an advantage there. A bump here and there is not so bad when it’s on the well-padded arms, legs or bum, but when you bang your mouth, that’s no so fun! Especially, when it’s on the hard ceramic floors or on the slippery stones of the ‘outdoor’ bathroom, which are quite popular in the houses here in Bali. The stones give a nice, organic spa look, but are not too user-friendly for the beginner walker, such as myself.

Despite the occasional ‘accident’ and temporary pain, I won’t give up on learning to walk just yet! I’m no quitter! And besides, I still have alot of places to go see here in Bali. However, I should perhaps start consulting my dentist to see if my parents should be preparing a little piggy-bank for my future braces…

Note: “Hati-Hati” means “Be Careful”…

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