Page 5

It’s me on Girls’ First Love

Yellow peeps, been awhile. I have many excuses to stop writing even though there are tons of thoughts and ideas I have had in my head. I did write a few but I decided to leave it on my draft; maybe I will change my mind and get it published. So, let me start it from the day I chose to quit my job at this wedding company. To be honest, I love this job; I love the environment; however, I chose to pursue my long delayed dreams . Dreams? Yes, dreams. One of my long delayed dream is having and running my own company. No matter how small it is, it would be still my own; my baby and I would be a proud “parent” nurturing my baby. I will write more on this on another post, now, let me talk about “girls’ first love”.

When I was younger, a friend of mind told me that girls’ first love is their Dad. I remembered I cringed and fell in silent. Then I thought maybe it is true, on my journey as a freelancer wedding assistant I have seen the moments when the dad walks the daughter down the aisles. Some were crying, some were smiling, some even crying and smiling repeatedly. Well, I cannot relate to this. Why? Because I had a very complicated relationship with my Dad. I do not have much memories of him, I could not recall those times when he was around. Some parts of me thought I was purposely leaving all those memories behind and some other parts of me thought I just never have those memories. Well, I need to get it cleared. My Dad was a loving, kind-hearted and gentle person and also an open minded, positive and always think 5-10 years ahead compared to others. He loved farming. He was a great farmer, at least in our community. He was a teacher once. He could be very easy to others but strict to me. That’s how I remember him. Plus, we did not get along well. I stopped talking to him when I was in Junior High School which then led me not knowing that he was sick, dying from brain tumour. He hid it himself, mum only found it out after he passed out at home. He experienced a lot of treatments before he given up and passed.

Bride walked down the aisle with her Dad

Even though he loved me so much (found out he kept my photo inside his journal. He was a kind of that sentimental man. He never told me how much he loved me, I do not think he ever told this to my Mum, brother or sister either. We never learnt how to express our feeling and it’s actually led the way I express myself. It has been hard for me to say “I care, I love you, I need you, I want you, I am sorry, I am wrong, please, etc…” simply because I never learnt. I eventually able to tell my significant other that I love him; it took months of not years to be able to tell him. Sometimes I tried to recall if I ever had more memories of us; I just could not find anything more. Maybe it is true that I chose to forget everything. Maybe I had trauma that I never realised. Maybe it is just the way it is. As far as I concern I do not regret it. For me, no point to regret what was happened in the past. The present what is important. Be a better person (well, I am trying). I never missed him ever since he passed away. Or I want to think that way? I do not know and I do not want to find out. I did cry when I lost him, maybe this is a reason why I chose to forget. Do I need to get hypnotised to awaken my subconscious mind? Nah… thank you.

Oh… Stop judging, before you started pointing your fingers out it would be best for you not to judge. There were reasons behind this event. Wait… on second thought, I will let you judge me. Don’t we feel much better after we judged others; after we bad mouthing them behind their back; thinking almighty and you are the perfect ones? No offend.

Then about the first love, I personally think that my first love has always been my older brother. How can I be so sure? I look up on him; I try to find a man who are the closest to his personality instead. He is the most loving brother in the world, in my world! I am the luckiest little sister. Also because I do not have much memories of father-daughter bonding. So, yeah… That is why I am certain that he is my “first love”. Some would hard to understand why in the world I has this complicated situation or why did not I try to make things right and better or why I was (am) so stubborn. I have no explanation nor theoretical sources for that either.

Recently, a friend told me that I have “fatherly figure” issue – just they she has it. She said that she could tell it from the people I idolise in. Say, Chris Martin of Coldplay – Jesus, he’s ageing like wines. Who else? Benedict Cumberbatch – ever since he portrayed Sherlock, I am falling. Daniel Henney – he is another man who is ageing like wines. Go watch Criminal Mind S14 onwards. LOL.

What about you? Are you Daddy’s little girl?

I am learning to express myself better. I keep reminding myself to say those words I need to say. It’s better to tell it as we never know what the future would look like. “Thank you and I am sorry.”

xox

Balinese Cuisine: Sautéed Taro – Taste of the village

Yellow peeps, I am a bit disappointed to my self as I have not post anything recently. I wrote some post but have not managed to queue it. I have been so lazy posting a blog post due to bad internet connection. As many of you, I am working from home and it means full house. Everyone using the same internet connection (me, my brother, my in-law and my 2 nieces). Lots of works to do. People are moving their wedding dates so,… 2020 would be an “empty” year for us. However, I am trying to look at the positive side. Say, it is the right time to tidy up, to make some efforts in re-organising our files, re-creating or re-adjusting our formats to ease our jobs. Basically, a lot of pending administrative works can be done now. We have been discussing on a new approach on tapping different markets too. Well, let’s hope for the best. My baby told me that Mother Nature asked us to fuck-off (excuse my language) after all damages we created. Personally, I agree on this. I do not have any better way to describe it. It’s a RESET for the world. We need to take a pause after all. Why would I agree on this? After the lockdown, I have seen significant changes on air quality. Cities like Jakarta a clear blue sky and starry night can be seen a few days after the official lockdown.

This virus outbreak indeed has two sides (I always think that every events have two sides of stories, pros and conts, positive and negative, profit and loss) it depends on which side we would like to see it from. Anyway, enough about it. Honestly, I stopped watching and reading news. It makes me mentally exhausted and anxiety creeps through my skin whenever I step out of the house. It is unhealthy. I should not feeling this way nor letting it clouding my mind as I would get worked up and stressed my self.

So, I am going to share a Village recipe. Yep, you read it correctly. This is a simple dish that is normally found in the village (my mother’s home village in particular). The main ingredients may sounds a little bit “weird” even for us in Bali. I do not find many villages nor people who would cook it and make it a dish. What is it, then? This dish is made of petioles (stalk) of taro. Just for your information, we use almost everything, from its corms to its leaves and it makes great dishes and also nutritious too. 🙂 Great?!

In the olden days, villagers would pick and cook everything they found in their farms. In my opinion, this is one reason why the elders of the previous generations had a longer life span. They ate well, clean and organic. Ah, organic foods are not new for them, yeah. I would be sharing more information on the nutritions fact of taro (this link may helps) but the recipe.

What do we need?

A few petioles

2 cloves garlic

2 shallots

2 chillies

A pinch of salt & sugar

1 tbsp oil

Water

What’s next?

Cut taro petioles into smaller chunks. In a mixing bowl, add in cut petioles and wash it thoroughly. Set aside.
In a sauce pan, boil some water. Let it boiled then add in salt and petioles. Boil for 3-5 minutes (depends on the thickness, do not let it too soft).
In a frying pan, heat in cooking oil. Fry shallots, garlic and chillies until it fragrance. Add in the boiled petioles. Sautéed for 3-5 minutes.
Serve it with hot steamed rice and meats. This is a true taste of the village.

Easy ya?! Have you ever cook any dish made of taro? Mind to share?

Simple seasoning is all we need to enhance its flavours.

Thank you so much for stopping by. Take care and stay safe, peeps!

Walla!! This is it, sautéed taro for a hearty lunch. Psst. A leftover veggies and pork was added into the bowl. Mum doesn’t want to waste any. :p

xxLovexx

Nibbles Anyone? Deep Fried Taro Frikandel

Yellow peeps, I am back with another home cooking recipe, it is actually my childhood snack and I love it so much. If you know Taro or locally known as Keladi or Talas in Bahasa Indonesia – is a root vegetable, it may called differently in different countries though. People in my home village (I guess people in other areas too) consume its edible corm and leaves. My mother loves it roasted or boiled, and I guessed my brother and sister too, but honestly your options are endless. The more creative you are the more variants you may create. :p

Deep fried taro frikandel is best with tomato ketchup. Hot sauce will do too 🙂

This frikandel is locals adaptation of Dutch Frikandel. In the olden days, our elders could not afford the Dutch frikandel, then they made their own version made of potatoes, taro and corns. When I was a lot younger, we sometimes made taro crisps, it taste so good although my favourite remain this deep fried taro frikandel version. It takes some efforts to begin with but the result, it worth it! As I have been staying home for weeks, I would like to reminisce my childhood moments by remaking one of my favourite snack. What would I need?

[photo of taro plant]

How to Grow Taro - Harvest to Table — Taro plants
Courtesy of Harvest to Table

Easy Taro Chips – 芋頭 – Snack on the go! – Toast & Honey — Raw Taroo roots
Courtesy of Toast & Honey

Taro Satoimo Peeled | Japangourmet's Blog — Peeled taro roots
Courtesy of Japan’s Gourmet

3 smalls Taro (you can use big ones if you like to)

1 tbs Bumbu kuning (yellow paste seasoning, I will share another post on how to create it)

1 egg (optional)

A pinch of salt

Chilli sauce or tomato ketchup

Cooking oil for deep frying

[photo of grated taro]

[photo of deep fried taro]

Let’s start cooking!

Peeled off Taro and washed it thoroughly.
In a mixing bowl, grated the washed taro. Add in bumbu kuning, salt and egg. Mixed it well.
Pour in the cooking oil on a low heat. Once the cooking oil is hot, in the mixed taro. Deep fried it until it is golden brown.
Serve it hot with chilli sauce or tomato ketchup.

Grated taro roots mixed with *bumbu kuning* (Yellow paste

When the wok is hot enough, then you are ready to fry

Do not over crowded your wok, they are a bit sticky (from the starch)

Almost there, fried another batch before it is ready to nibble.

Done. I like with Del Monte tomato ketchup, this ketchup taste the best (in my opinion).

Deep fried taro is best eaten when it is still sizzling hot

Should you hate the idea of getting these hassle, simply thinly sliced it, wash throughly with the mixture of water and salt, drain. Prepare a hot cooking oil and deep fried it. Your taro crisps will be ready in minutes. You may combine some seasoning powder too to add extra kick on.

Have you ever tried Taro? What do you think and how do you like it?

xxLovexx

Happy Vesak Day

Vesak Day
07 May 2020
May the peace be with us.
Buddha illustration courtesy of PNG Tree

Balinese Cuisine: Urutann (Balinese Sausage)

Yellow peeps, I come up with something new that I never done before. Born as Balinese, never came into my mind to cook Balinese cuisine. Why? On my defence, I have many reasons to avoid it. Maybe because I do not like its strong flavours although I would still delightfully eat it. Yes, I am that kind of person. LOL!! Maybe because I simply can not remember all the spices we need to make “base genep” – complete spices literally translated. Maybe because I chose to cook simple foods that allow me to be a little more laid back. Or maybe, it’s just me being too lazy. Well, anyway, the list will keep going on and on and on. But,…. I put a special interest in Balinese cooking recently just because I see my mother, she’s growing old and she’s the queen in the kitchen. Thinking of the flavours her hands created, there are times I am longing for her food. Therefore, I decided to start it. My first trial was making Balinese Sausage (Urutan) in the most traditional way, this is how the flavours come the best. It is about efforts, love and devotion. Also, it is the best time of the year to start it as we are welcoming the Galungan Festival. As long as I remember, Galungan is the only festival I will not be allowed to travel. We have many rituals on the day including the ancestral prayers, which is very important for us.

the process of stuffing the meat mixture into the small intestine

So, what do we need? And how do we make it? I posted a simple video in YouTube to help you get the idea, wasn’t a good video honestly as I made it with everything in hand, I did not have time to properly taking the video but I promise, as I grow and nurture my pages, I surely will make time and invest more love to produce a better video and photos.

Making Ururan Traditionally

Let’s get down to the ingredients and other details.

Ingredients:

500 gr Pork (a mix of meat, fat and pork skin), thoroughly washed and cleaned
Small intestine, random length – I used about 50 cm length (thoroughly washed and cleaned)
A bunch of fresh bay leaves (10-15 leaves)
Base Genep (this post from Janet De Neefe is a simpler recipe, not the one my Mum is used to make but can be used tho) or the one from Indonesia Eats is similar to my Mum’s, we skip the lemon grass. I think I will post my Mum’s recipe next

Hanging the *Urutan* over the fire place or we called it *paon*

Now, we get down to the big business.

On a big chopping board (Do you see our special chopping board, we made it from a whole wood), chopped the meat. We do not chopped it finely to get nice texture.
Once the meat is chopped, add in the fresh bay leaves. Chopped it along with the meat until it is mixed (or you may mix it with hand too).
On a big bowl or plate, pour all the meat and add in the base genep, mix it well. We are used to taste it by grilling a small part of the mixture over the fire place and covered in banana leaves. Adjust the taste.
Stuff in everything into the small intestine, slowly or it may burst. Used a tooth pick to make some holes for air flows. Tie both ends with bamboo string or cotton thread.
Cut into inch length and fresh fried it. Or if you are like us, we will hand it over the fire place to get those smokey flavours. We will keep it for 3-4 days before deep fried it.
Done. Best with hot steamed rice

This is how we are making Urutan traditionally. We use the small intestine as a tube, nowadays, we easily can get the sausage edible tube in store, however in Bali we are using small intestines that washed and cleaned thoroughly and it tastes much better. Trust me. Hahaha 😀 I would also like to write some stuff related to Balinese kitchen, I find it interesting and I feel the need to share it. Hope you like it peeps. Thank you for visiting my page.

xxLovexx

Cash or Cashless? And Why I prefer Cashless

Yellow peeps… How are you doing? I wish your weekend would be great and awesome! By the way, when I was writing this post, I was feeling pissed by one of the convenient store near my brother’s. I got so pumped up but then I thought it is useless to argue over this this as they will never understand. A penny or in my case IDR 100 could be a small amount. A small change that will never effect me financially. The thing is people need to see the bigger picture. This IDR 100 could value more than it was when we gather enough. Yes, it takes times and energy but look, for me it worth the effort. Why so? I put this penny for so many years and I could purchase some valuable things. Last year, I cracked my piggy bank where I stored my pennies and guess! I gather over IDR 200K over a year. It worth a single good meal in a decent restaurant and they still think it’s a small amount?!

Ah alright, I have not told why I got so upset. I casually bought some snacks, potato crisps, laver and yoghurt. It cost me IDR 17’900 (about AUD 2). I gave IDR 20K (about AUD 2.3) to pay which mean I would have IDR 2’100 (AUD 1 = IDR 9’000, as per exchange rate on 10 March 2020) change. (I am sorry, too many zero, I am talking about Indonesian Rupiah but the exchange rate would help tho). I expected to receive the full amount, again, I love money and even the smallest amount means a lot to me. What the cashier did, he only gave me the IDR 2K without saying a word. I would be okay if he said the IDR 100 will be donated to certain cause, let say to support free education. That would be great, I would be gladly donate more. Then, I slightly regretted my decision paying my stuff in cash, I should just go cashless. I pay the amount I spend. Yes, I am a cashless person. I manage my finance better with cashless as I could track my spending. This is the reason why I am only keeping IDR 200K max (AUD 23) in my purse just because I still need to pay some cash if I need to go to warung (food stall) or if I need to refill my tank and other small things. If I go to a traditional market, then having a cash is a must!

So yeah, in my opinion I have a valid reason to go cashless. In the other hand, for the past few years, I find people (most people if not all) are more convenient to go cashless. It is a worry free situation without sacrificing your needs. It is true we need to be wiser in terms of spending if we decided to go cashless. Debit cards and credit cards are my essential. Some expenses I pay through credit card (air ticket, hotels) and for my daily needs I prefer Debit card or privilege cards. I would go top up some amount and I will be good to go. For me it is more practical and convenient in so many ways. If we’re talking about pros and cons, I believe there are pros and cons in every way; whether it is cash or cashless. Again, this is purely my personal opinion. Some may agree and some may disagree, just I will not judge nor you will.

Courtesy of Bad Credit Cash Loan Lenders

What about you?
Would you prefer cashless? Or cash? And why?

For those who never been to Indonesia yet, I would love to share a little in formation about the currency. Indonesian Rupiah (often mistakenly with Rupee which is Indian currency) is internationally known as IDR or Rp for currency exchange. As per today, 1 USD equal to IDR 13’900 (buy). Yes yes, I agree it a lot of zero. That’s why it’s way easier for me to count in AUD. Hahaha… Anyway, I live in Bali so I am used to it. There are coins (IDR 100, IDR 200, IDR 500, IDR 1’000), paper from IDR 1’000, IDR 2’000, IDR 5’000, IDR 10’000, IDR 20’000, IDR 50’000 and IDR 100’000. It comes in different colours (although I found the IDR 2’000 and IDR 20’000 are similar in design and colour). Normally it has scenery or traditional dances in one side (tourist attractions or landmarks in Indonesia) and heroes or prominent figures in the other side. For your reference, in tourist destinations such as Kuta, Seminyak and Ubud prices on food & beverages range from IDR 20’000 (for a plate fo Nasi Goreng/Fried Rice in a small warung) and higher. Of course if you are looking for decent foods in restaurants you will pay a lot more, IDR 25’000 for a cup of cappuccino in a small cafe and IDR 45’000 for Cappuccino in bigger and more famous cafe. It is only giving you an idea about living expenses in Bali (I am not sure about other destinations, in Lombok some items are way cheaper whilst some other are much more expensive). An idea of what to expect in Bali. Some say Bali is expensive, and some are conveniently spend their years in Bali because it is way more convenient and cheaper. For me, Bali is cheaper than Sydney (definitely) where I consciously counting every cent I spent; slightly more expensive than Bangkok and Hanoi. But it really depends on the area and our preferences.

Okay peeps, until next time.

xxLovexx

One Pot Meal: Easy Fried Rice

Yellow peeps!! I come up with another One Pot Meal or should I call it One Pan Meal instead? On a fine Sunday morning, I woke up feeling Today, I would be moving out to my flat away from my family (my brother, in-law and my 2 nieces) just because I am about starting my new job in a new company. Honestly, I am very excited about this opportunity, the this is I never thought I would be this nervous thinking of moving out and live on my own. I have been staying with my brother and his family for the last 6 years, so… It would be a huge changes in my routines. The good thing is, there would be less arguments. I often argue with my niece, the older ones. Seems we have that aunty-niece rivalry. I do love her so much as much as the little ones, but she is just the copy of me. I am positive about it.

Alright, let me go back to my One Pan Meal. Living alone means I have to take care of my self from day to day meals and other stuff. It’s easy I can order food and get food deliver to my place which means I will break my effort to eat clean. I still eat Mc Donald’s once in awhile or having my cheese cake and a cup of cafe latte from Starbucks but this is not something I want to eat on daily basis. If I order my meals from those healthy vegan and raw restaurants, I can, I mean I can be broke. Not a wise choice, isn’t it. Also I like some particular flavours that others may not get used to it and I am afraid they don’t cook it this way or that way. Aha! You’re reading another part of me. I can’t really say that I don’t like fatty and oily food since I eat pork fats. I can not say I do not eat spicy either as I do eat spicy sometimes although from scale 1-10, I am 3 max. It really depends on my mood. I can crave for spicy food sometimes and the other times I may skip everything spicy. This is why I need to find a way to cook simple. I can not go full board like I am used to do at home.

So, this one pan meal is inspired from a cooking show that I do not even remember the name. (I am sorry). In the original recipe, the chef used rice cooker to cook this fried rice. I go from HMM… to AHA! Since I was too lazy to wash the rice cooker, I took the non-stick pan and gave it a shot! This is the first attempt and I can not say it is perfect, I guess I need 2 or 3 more trials to get the rice cooked right. I needed to add another cup of hot water on the process because the rice was not done yet. And what will you need? A pan!! LOL!!!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Round grain rice
1 tbsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion flake (I used Jay’s minced onion)
Sugar, salt & pepper to taste
3 small stalks Bok Choy (or other greens)
2 pcs smoked beef
1.5 cups water
Tomato (I used 1/4 part)

How to:

Place rice, smoked beef, bok choy and the rest of the seasonings in the pan. Pour water and turn the heat on medium low heat. Cover the pan with a lid. Let it cook for 15-20 minutes. Check on the water, if you need to add more water, please add it little by little.
Once it is cooked, mixed everything well. Serve it hot.

I made a single portion as I am eating alone. So sad! Would you like to try? We can different ingredients too to make it more colourful and extravagant. Despite it is cooked in a pan as one pan meal, doesn’t mean it’s that poor. Am I right? I will continue packing up my stuff. It’s about time to get going. See you peeps!

xxLovexx

The Day of Silence, Balinese Earth Day?

Yellow peeps, how are you? I am writing this post on Wednesday, 25 March 2020 on Balinese new year which is widely known as Nyepi. This is the only day full of tranquility, free from any pollutions and the only day you can silently reflect and ask yourselves what would you like to achieve in life. A lot of people do not know about this cultural event, some also feel it bored them to death and some are seeking to experience this very moment. I received some inbox in IG accounts I manage, asking if it is true Bali will be shut down on the 25th. I said, oh yeah, it is true. We are celebrating Nyepi. People are freaking out (the coronavirus issue makes it worse). So, what is Nyepi? Why do Balinese celebrate Nyepi? How do they spend it? I would like to share an insight on Nyepi itself. It may not fully details but I believe it would give you an idea of what Nyepi is.

Melasti ritual held by the sea. The ritual is followed by hundreds of people

What is Nyepi?

Nyepi is Balinese new year. The word “nyepi” is derived from the word “sepi” which is literally translated into silence or tranquility. Once a year, it falls in the new moon of the ninth month of Balinese Lunar Calendar (the month of March or April in Gregorian calendar). Balinese Lunar Calendar has a lot of similarity with Chinese lunar calendar. In the olden days, Balinese used the lunar calendar to understand seasons, auspicious days and more; whilst now it is still used but only a few people who can truly master it.

If we are talking about Nyepi, it means we are talking about a concept of living a balance life (in a small universe – our body and the whole universe). Before Nyepi, Balinese conduct a “Melasti” ritual that is normally held by the sea. So what is this ritual about? Melasti, for many, is a ritual conducted in order to purify the “pratima” – tools that are used on rituals/offerings; however, the meaning is way deeper than just purifying the tools, “melasti” means to call the consciousness of one self back in order to keep the universe in balance, hence the ritual is normally held by the sea as the sea is the source of life. Different villages will apply different schedule in conducting this particular ritual.

Then, one day before Nyepi (new year’s eve), a ritual called “Tawur (Agung)” – a ritual to present offerings to all beings will be held. This ritual has the same meeting to “melasti” as it means to keep the universe in balance but in bigger scale. Again, Balinese concept of living is balance and stability. The reason why Balinese do daily offerings (you may notice Balinese put an offering on a banyan tree) only because we want to live peacefully and in order to achieve it, we would “bribe” other beings (we believe in unseen beings – you may call it spirit, I guess it is the closest way to describe it) through offerings. Simply put, if you do not want to be disturbed by others, do not disturb others. Am I right? The Tawur (Agung) ritual will be followed by Ogoh-Ogoh parade. In the area like Denpasar or Ubud, the parade is the highlight of the celebration. Years ago, the Ogoh-Ogoh parade would be followed by fireworks, not now tho for safety reasons. Similar to Chinese Lunar New Year, we would create loud and noisy sounds to get the other beings away and leave us peacefully for Nyepi. Ogoh-Ogoh parade has became an attraction that attracts thousands of visitors locals and tourists. I have never been a spectator my self but I know how festive it can be. Hoho… Do not judge, I do not hate the parade. I just do not like overcrowded events nor places, I can not breath. 🙂

After all the festivities the night before, Nyepi will offer a completely different experience. Do not be surprised, even the Bali International Airport will be closed for 24 hours. Amazing, right?

What do Balinese do on Nyepi? Well, basically we do nothing. There are 4 restrictions to be followed that is called Catur Bharata Penyepian. Catur means four, Bharata means restrictions, Penyepian is a variation of the word sepi. What are those four restrictions:

Amati Gni (No lighting fire)

Amati Karya (No work – yeay!)

Amati Lelungaan (No travel – stay at home peeps)

Amati Lelanguan (No overeat or simply fasting)

From those four, I used to follow the whole rules but now, I keep eating. It is a doctor advise, it is not an excuse for me because I have a health issue that will not do me good if I fast. Sorry. But I stay at home, not working although I would still light a fire (peeps, I need some lights to get stuff at night, but I sleep with the light turn off, so it is all good).

Here, I would like to share how proud I am knowing this culture. When people begin discussing the Earth Day or Earth Hours, Balinese has been doing it for ages (it is 1942 Caka Year, meaning for over a thousand years). But, it is great to know people care more about the Mother Earth after all these years.

Why do Balinese celebrate Nyepi?

This question will lead us back to the concept of living a balance life. By taking a day to pause, to take a break, to unplug; we believe it will restore the energy of the universe, bringing back the positivity and to clear the air. Isn’t it feel good when we breathe a fresh unpolluted air? Can you remember the feeling of breathing a clear fresh air? When was it? We are thanking the Mother Earth, the universe that has given us a place to live; a chance to harvest the natural resources and such. It is only a mere one silence day that giving back the universe the chance to breathe the way do.

Balinese place offerings on Banyan tree and follow the Tri Hita Karana concept (will share further on another post)

What can you do in Nyepi? If I give a text book answer, it would be meditating. What? Yeah, this is what we suppose to do in Nyepi. We unplug, we reconnect ourselves to our higher selves and reconnect to the universe. But… We have been a slave of technology. Oh… Almost forgot, in Nyepi day there will be no internet access, no TV broadcast in Bali (stock up some films peeps), and in my area the local authority will shut the electricity down!! Creepy? Millennials would feel so. Imagining the world without an internet access is like facing an apocalypse. Hahaha… I am not exaggerating. A lot of people do feel that way, whilst I am not that successful to truly unplugging from the world (I am still dating my laptop writing this post, utilise the snail speed internet connection that luckily I have – the other providers have shut their service off for the next 24 hours).

If I do not have an internet, I normally read a book (either psychology, history or biography) or creating some crafts, like crocheting or accessories – I love beads and stones, I am used to create my own bracelets (loving my tigers eye stones bracelet), Mala beads (to meditate and cool accessory for my Yoga practice). I would have a longer sleeping time (sleep, eat, repeat). At night, I would sit outside (in layers, it is so freaking cold – well, the temperature is not even below 20, but it is cooler than in Denpasar where the temperature normally 27-30 degrees) looking at the stars. The stars shines brightly this time and I love it so much. In big cities, I remember it was no stars but haze. I would like to savour the moment, the only moment I can quietly communicate to the Mother Earth. Eventually, things would go back to normal the next day.

xxLovexx

COVID-19 (Coronavirus Disease), How it effects us

Yellow peeps, yes, it is a mainstream topic to write about but the thing is the rapid growth of new cases found all over the world is extremely devastating. When I was writing this post only a couple of days after the Canadian PM’s spouse was diagnosed with COVID-19. Surprising? I kind of have seen it coming, the virus spread rapidly but I never expected to influence and effect us this great. It is classified as global pandemic by the WHO. New cases reported in Indonesia which was for weeks was cleared, a British woman passed away on 11 March 2020 after tested positive of COVID-19. Twenty personnels (including the nurse) who interacted with the individual are now quarantine following the standard procedure that has been set.

So, I have shared that I have just moving to a new company; working as a wedding planner (an assistant to be precise). We have been working on some wedding inquiries for 2020 and 2021. Due to the COVID-19 cases, we have received a lot of questions as well as requests to cancel or to postpone their wedding. It is a huge hit for us financially, but we have seen it coming tho, This is an extraordinary case, all vendors also receive the same questions hence they are quite flexible to give the clients a 12 months time to postpone their wedding date (from the original wedding date). I also have met some people from hotels and villas also catering vendors with the same story. One of the most favourite wedding venues has 0 wedding in April due to the clients decided to postpone their wedding day. CRAZY! It is CRAZY. Bali hoteliers are suffering with occupancy below 30%. Normally, even during the low season (6 January – 15 June, 15 September – 5 December) it will not be this empty. I came for a meeting in Kuta area, for the first time, I found the empty street without any traffic. It never happened before (at least not after the Bali bombing, sorry to remind you again about this sad event. It still hurt me so deeply). Ubud centre, normally packed with tourists, now, there are still tourists but much lesser than normally it is. The Bali Governor has just issued a work from home decree. Schools, government offices are closed for 14 days. Only public services still serve. No public gathering to avoid the spreading of the virus. My company is considering to let us to work from home too.

Many hotels apply to reduce the working hours of the employees to cut their expenses. No more Daily workers as they normally have. One of the sales person I met during my site inspection to see a wedding venue told me that both she and her husband are working in hospitality, it is very hard for them to manage their daily expenses because of their income are far below their normal salaries. No service charge either. For some staffs, service charge is a huge help. I felt it also when I was working at hotel & restaurant. During certain periods, my service charge equalled to my salary. It was like receiving my bonus twice or more.

It is a very hard time for all. I also have to cancel my trip back to Sydney. It is a super inconvenience time for all. Indonesian who are travelling abroad are asked to return home immediately, got this official statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1VWVD5xJBjEfUhLnC0DcxMFVV-x_8hlSw/view]. A difficult time even for those who are not working in hospitality industry. I also received a news of New South Wales ranked first by state/territory since early March 2020. It reached over 150 cases per day with the highest risk age group 30-39 years old. Frightening right?! So, not going back to Sydney for now. A lot of you might have found the link to get an instant update for new cases or closed cases, but I would still share it anyway [https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/]. Finger crossed, these too shall pass!!

Good night peeps!

xxLovexx

One Pot Meal: Potato Pancake

Yellow, it’s me again with my one pot meal. This time I would like to share my new favourite dish for breakfast. I have been having it for 6 days straight, hohoho, so me. I could have the same stuff for days until I get bored. It was inspired by Korean street foods and I thought it would be great for my breakfast. It has the carbs from the potatoes, protein from the eggs, fibber from veggies. A great options for breakfast-on-the-go, although it is never been a good option having breakfast on the go. It is quick and easy to cook that’s a plus, another plus is I can prepare it on the night before and it can go straight to the pan in the morning. Hohoho… what an easy way to have a great breakfast. Ready?

Ingredients:

2 free range eggs
1 large potato, peeled and diced it thinly. Wash it clean.
1 medium carrot, peeled and diced it thinly. Wash it clean
1 large Chinese chives, chopped it thinly (optional)
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp onion flakes
2 tbsp potato starch/tapioca
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp white pepper
1/2 tsp coriander powder

Directions:

In a medium mixing bowl, add eggs, diced potato, carrot, Chinese chives, and the rest of the ingredients. Mix it well.
On medium low, heat the pan with some oil (just to layer the pan). When it’s hot enough, pour the mixture into the pan. Spread it evenly making a thin layer. Cover the pan and turn the fire into low heat. Let it cook for 3-4 minutes (depends on the thickness of the layer). Flip it and cook for another 3-4 minutes.
Tada! Serve it whilst it hot. I am not a fan of hot sauce, but it goes well with hot sauce or tomato sauce will do too.

Quick and easy right? It’s filling enough to replenish my energy after yoga. If you’re thinking to have it for breakfast, prepare it the night before and store it in a fridge. Have a great weekend peeps!

xxLovexx

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