Coffee at Cafe Bali!

One thing I learned about my 2nd trip to Bali is that you really can't go wrong when it comes to food. Almost all restaurants that I ate at served good meals. Presented well and flavorful, rich with Indonesian spices, the only difference is WHERE you eat it. 

One thing you shouldn't miss out on mainly because of the beautiful interior is Cafe Bali. It's a quaint restaurant that makes you feel right at home. 

Beware though because you won't be able to stop taking photos of every corner of the restaurant. 

Although equipped with 2 air conditioners, the whole place is open air. I say, what a waste of electricity, but hey, whatever makes them happy.

One thing you should know is, NOVEMBER is their height of summer. It was scorching and the heat literally drained me of energy. All I wanted to do is sleep! Best time to go to Bali? AUGUST! 

Going back, Cafe Bali serves local dishes, dimsum, soups and all sorts of goodies. It was good enough to satisfy our hunger with a smile on our faces but nothing to write home about. 

I suggest coffee and dessert for Cafe Bali. Remember, not all restaurants serve decaffeinated coffee but this one does. Save your hunger for the other places I am about to post. 

Love love love the chandelier! 

Loved it so much that I couldn't stop taking photos of it! 

 

Food wise, I give it a 3. 

Cafe Bali

 Jl. Laksmana - Oberoi Next to Khaima 

Seminyak 

Phone: 0361 736 484

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Reunion at UNION.

This photo courtesy of The Yummy Traveler.

Our first night in Jakarta was a dinner at UNION in Plaza Senayan. It is the hottest place to be right now and TR knew exactly what I wanted. First class service and really delicious food. The place was packed! Even though we had reservations, we had to wait around 10 minutes for our table to be cleared up. Apparently, the diners just don't want to leave the restaurant and if I weren't so tired, I wouldn't have wanted to either. 

This is what we had.

Salmon that melts in your mouth. The sauce and salad made the dish perfect. 

Although they tried to make it look presentable, the TURKEY (seasonal) came out a bit of a mess but once we took a bite, it really didn't matter because it was tender, juicy and oh so yummy!

Foie gras! These two words are heavenly enough. 

This dish is actually quite simple but made complicated, in a good way. The noodles and soup taste quite similar to an instant noodle soup such as Lucky Me, Payless, etc.... BUT what made it extra special is the slice of Foie Gras, fresh mushrooms and crackers on the top. Outstanding! 

Gotta have them seafood! Seabass with huge scallops! MUST TRY!

My BFF's, TR and DL, reunion in Jakarta! 

What I don't love about it? Although it is open air, they allow smoking inside, even if it is also considered a family diner. 

I give it a 4-star. (Naks! Self-declared food critic)

UNION

Phone: (021) 5790-5861
Fax: (021) 5790-5863
Plaza Senayan, 1st Fl Unit Sogo
Jl. Asia Afrika No. 8, Jakarta

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PEDRO FIGHTS AIDS, 2011!

I love it when the fashion industry gets involved with any kind of Awareness programs especially when that company sells products that I love. For me, it is hitting two birds with one stone. I shop and therefore I help. 

In this case, PEDRO, a brand that embodies modern luxury and style with a line of footwear and accessories in a smart twist of timeline classic with international influence for men and women, is the fashion brand that I am talking about. 

Ever since the first case was discovered in 1981, AIDS has taken a devastating toll worldwide. A total of 33.2 million people who are HIV-positive are living with this fatal disease with new cases discovered each year. World AIDS Day – 1 December has become one of the most meaningful days of observance since 1988. It is also a key opportunity for the various voices in the world to raise awareness of the dangers of this disease and how it affects innocent lives.

Pedro is pleased to collaborate with Youth AIDS Filipinas Alliance (YAFA), with the launch of the PEDRO FIGHTS AIDS campaign. This movement aims to support the advocacy programs of YAFA. YAFA has been educating the public about HIV & AIDS, its modes of transmission and prevention. They are actively promoting HIV testing. They are also empowering the youth, both HIV positive and negative, to be proactive on the issue of HIV & AIDS in the Philippines.

To commemorate this meaningful campaign, Pedro is launching a pair of specially designed loafers for the men and ballet flats for the ladies. The PEDRO FIGHTS AIDS notebook (available in red and white) will be added to this exclusive collection to further stress on the importance of safe sex.

The loafers will be retailing for Php 3595 and ballet flats for Php 2595. 

The notebook will be sold at Php 450.

25% of the sales will be donated to YAFA.

The exclusive PEDRO FIGHTS AIDS collection will be available at all Pedro stores nationwide starting 1 December 2011.

Make a difference today and join this campaign to stop AIDS, to end suffering and inequities as results of HIV-related stigma and discrimination. It may be difficult, but PEDRO and I strongly believe it will help us to make a positive change to this global epidemic with every single helping hand and kind contribution received.

In truth, I really am loving the flats! The loafers look really cool! For PEDRO's FIGHTS AIDS Campaign, not only do I have more of what I love, I get to help spread awareness. Nothing can beat that. Buy na! Now na now na!

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Jakarta Domestic Airport, WOW.

Before I talk about my first dinner in Jakarta, let me tell you about Jakarta Domestic Airport.

NAKAKA-Inggit! 

You would never know that this is their budget airline airport (Air Asia) because to me, it looks 20,000,000 times better than our INTERNATIONAL airport.

The floors were spotless and even the toilet is clean and may bidet pa! Winner!

A hundred clean and orderly seats for waiting passengers. Real trees inside! Do you know that they have enough sunlight that there are no lights that were turned on. Saving electricity is the key to progress!

In their lounge, (only Platinum and Titanium cardholders can get in, thanks to TR!) I saw the cutest mini soda bottles! I don't usually drink soda but in this case, I had to try it!

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Mercury Retrograde, Strike 1.

I was booked a month before. Got the tickets, all packed and ready to go to my trip to Jakarta. I had them both in my hands, my passports, old and new. The old one is going to expire in 5 months time. I said to myself, "Do I really need to bring the new one? Anyway, there's still 5 months to go and it is just in Jakarta."

My FIRST dreadful mistake.

I got to the airport in time. DL got there in time. But once I got up to the counter, the head scratching begins. They didn't want to accept my old passport. I said, "WAIT! My new passport is just in Pen. I can have it brought here!" Manager said that she can only wait for 10 minutes and no longer.

I called AG and begged, "PLEASE get my passport in Pen and bring it to the airport as fast as you can!"

He tried. He really did. But it wasn't early enough. The plane closed it's doors. AG said, "Just wait there, I will pick you up and you can drive the car home but you have to hurry because I might be late for work."

As soon as he got to the airport, DL, who decided not to go without me, was informed that our luggage was already in the plane and it will take 30 minutes to pull it out. That means, AG couldn't wait for us which means we were to take a cab.

I decided to try to fix the tickets by going up to the offices. I was shocked!!! This is what it looked like on the 2nd floor of NAIA, Terminal 1. I can think of so many NAKAKA's!

NAKAKA-Hiya 

NAKAKA-Takot

 NAKAKA-Diri

NAKAKA-Kilabot

NAKAKA-himatay!

We left to go have breakfast and drown our sorrows at Makati Shangri-la's Circles. A wonderful treat came upon us when GM Reto Klauser saw DL and I being sad. We explained our reason for our morning breakfast and when it was time to pay, we were informed that he treated us. A smile appeared in our faces.

I called up my travel agent, ARK TRAVEL and asked them to find me a way back to Jakarta. This time, we were booked in Singapore Airlines, which is so much better than Tiger Airways, but we had to buy whole new tickets. HAY NAKOOO!!!! Mercury Retrograding! (Told you it's real!)

Finally, we were on the plane to Jakarta. And when we got there, TR brought us to our first amazing dinner at UNION. More on that on my next post. 

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Mercury Retrograde WARNING!

Don't believe? Well, BELIEVE it BECAUSE CANDY SAYS SO!!!

For now until December 14, 2011, DON'T buy appliances. When traveling, PAY EXTRA ATTENTION!!

Anyway, here's what it is about.

According to Rob Tillet, an astrologer for more than three decades, at 07:20 UT (Universal Time) Thursday, November 24th, 2011, Mercury the wise communicator—and universal trickster—turns retrograde at 20°06' Sagittarius in the sign of the Archer, sending communications, travel, appointments, mail and the whole wide world into a general snarlup!

Retro phases present us with a series of events over which we seem to have little or no conscious control, relating especially to the sign in which the retrogradation occurs—although this need not mean that our responses are outside our control!

Mercury retrograde gives rise to personal misunderstandings; flawed, disrupted, or delayed communications, negotiations and trade; glitches and breakdowns with phones, computers, cars, buses, and trains. And all of these problems usually arise because some crucial piece of information, or component, has gone astray or awry.

When Mercury is retrograde, it is considered to be a time of problems with interaction, travel and even the simple basic workings of things. It is also thought that the general averse aspects of a retrograde planetary motion carry over into the lives of the people born under them as a part of their lifetime astrological chart.

It is not exactly wise to make important decisions while Mercury is retrograde, since it is likely that such decisions will be clouded by misinformation, poor communication and careless thinking. Mercury is all about mental clarity and the power of the mind, so when Mercury is retrograde these intellectual characteristics tend to be less acute than usual, as the critical faculties are dimmed. Make sure you pay attention to the small print! Read more about Mercury Retrograde here.

In AstrologyZone, you can learn a bit more about MR!

What happens when Mercury retrogrades? You miss appointments, your computer equipment crashes, checks get lost, you find the car you just purchased during Mercury retrograde is a lemon. (Or, you hate your haircut, the lamp you bought shorts out, your sister hates her birthday gift.)

There will be countless delays, cancellations and postponements--but know these will benefit you in the long run. Don't fight them, although your frustration level and feeling of restlessness will be hard to cope with at times.

All machinery and things with moving parts--such as computers, VCRs, camera equipment, garbage disposals, and so forth, will reveal any weak links now. It is critical that you back up your data system and be more careful and vigilant than ever. Projects will demand more time and money than anticipated this month.

Now, I believe in all this because my Mom has always taught us the importance of the alignment of the stars and the fullness of the moon. The reason I am telling you to research on MR is because I want you to be prepared because in all honesty, my next post will tell you exactly how I was Mercury Retrograding to MAXIMUM LEVEL!

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Adam Levine "hate fitness for making him like a monster"

A hysterical expression of Adam Levine.

Adam Levine is now more avid practicing yoga, he admitted that he had enough to fitness. Adam felt that he increasingly looks like a monster after a few to fitness.

Yoga is another, she remove fat deposits and shape the body in a natural way to be seen and felt, "said Adam Levine.

Adam Levine looks cool and looks ideal with a blazer and black pants.

Adam Levine do not want to join fitness.

After switching to the method of yoga, Adam Levine felt her body more so ideal, as it looks now.

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