It seems like such a long day cos so many THINGS have happened
in the most menial way to some
but eventful to me!
It began with me being able to sleep in. Oh how glorious it is to be given the leisure to sleep to my heart’s content, and arise when i want. Despite my being here for more than a week, i surprisingly still fall into the pattern of obtaining 5-6 hours/night. Not cool. I get exasperated with myself on the time i went to bed and circumstances in which i have to rouse.
But today, TODAY! Lexie didn’t wake me for breakfast and i dozed till 9:30am (everyone gets up at 7am here). Gawd it felt so good. GREAT actually. I had breakfast, did some work, refrained from freaking out at some people, and finally headed out for lunch by myself at 2pm. Bumped into a precious warung where i selected a small fish, to-die-for bittergourd, other veggie dishes, tempeh sprinklings, and a few unidentifiable dishes topped with red sambal, accompanied by teh botol. My bill was 25k rupiah. I gave the ibu a thumbs up along with my empty plate (save for fish bones).
Arvo was spent back on the laptop, and while awaiting for some answers to come, decided to take a break from the screen and float around on the pizza slice in the villa pool with my book on epigenetics. Munched on some strawberry pocky, targeted more emails, then got a message from Lex that Bal was headed to Azul for sunset. I didn’t think i’d make the effort to dress quickly and book an uber, but decided not to be lame and to catch sunset with people instead of holing myself up in the villa.
Got to the seaside bar, and couldn’t find him and his companion so i took a walk by myself on the beach so i could be closer to the setting sun upon the sea. Bought a bintang, answered more work messages on my phone, admired a boy flying a kite, turned down some beach masseuse, got invited for a night out by the beach boys (i giggled politely and ran off), then walked towards the main road after it turned dark.
Since i was alone, i was wary of my bag and tried walking with blonde-haired strangers as to avoid a mishap in an area currently reputed to be rampant with snatch thieves and… i don’t know what, but people warned me to be careful :p As i strolled past many stores selling dreamcatchers, my year-long desire to have a giant white one was ignited, and i stopped by a few to gauge its price (while also staring straight into the shopkeeper’s face as to decide whether i wanted to bargain with him).
I found one displaying from storefront to end dreamcatchers of all kinds – white, black, black with brown feathers, bright pink, yin and yang ones, miniature ones, multi-tiered ones… Before my thoughts could decide whether to move on or stay, i found myself asking the owner how much certain ones were, and we slid into an amicable bargaining banter.
After half an hour and getting the dreamcatchers i wanted down to a quarter of the price, it ended with me acting all cute and him going, “AH OKAY!!” There’s nothing like the satisfaction of winning a bargain you’re truly satisfied with… that dreamcatcher is gonna look perfect above my bed. I was so enthusiastic about it i even googled its proper way to hang – it must be extended beyond the wall if one were to hang it against a flat surface – it must hang free! (If you immediately thought of private bits we could be friends.)
I sat down on a chair and chatted to him while i paid the bill, and he brought up the topic of available vices in Bali. I told him those days were over but entertained the conversation anyway. I asked him how much green was, and he said 800k. I said it was too much, and wasn’t interested. Then i wondered if he could get me cheaper mushies than the current guy i know, and he quoted 300k. Internally perking up, i plotted getting some from him in the coming weeks so i can experience it with (hopefully) 2 friends i’ve never taken them with before. We exchanged numbers and i left in restrained glee.
Walking North, i gunned towards a Japanese restaurant i read some reviews about, suddenly missing my habit of indulging in Japanese food thrice a week. Having Japanese by myself is an affair i do not take for granted. I noticed three tables of Japanese families, which was a good sign. I ordered a tuna sashimi bowl, with a glass of white. “Itadakimas,” i said quietly to myself, silently thanking the fishermen and people who got that bowl of goodness in front of me, before digging in.
Thoroughly enjoyed it, taking my own sweet time, before getting an uber home for 20k rupiah (which is cheaper than that crap 30k minimum fee implemented by all blue bird taxis nowadays). When i got home, i discovered my key wouldn’t work and i couldn’t reach Lex cos her phone ran out of batt and the help had gone home. Messaged Bal who thankfully was on the way home, cos i was being munched on by mosquitoes. He arrived 15 minutes later to find me squatting on the door stoop (so i could protect my legs with my knee-length kaftan).
I was just so GLAD that he’d decided to come home then cos my phone batt was dying and i was already coming up with a contingency plan. Settled back into the villa and dealt with work again, admit screaming into my hands a little at how… ok don’t wanna say it. Be positive! After i was finally done around 11pm, i socialised with Lexie and her work colleagues Kim and Bal at the dinner table. We brought out the whiskey, wine and vodka, and next think you know – it’s 2am.
But hey, my heart is filled with some insightful conversations i had, and i can’t wait to spend more time with Kim this weekend. The plan is to: eat and cook and have no plan. The best kind of non-plan!
<3
