A wonderful award from a wonderful person

I left my blog many weeks ago, and I came back to a blog with award nomination. I was surprised and still am. I was touched and still am. I was happy and will always be. Thus, THANK YOU so much to http://duniyaku.wordpress.com/2014/04/11/an-award-for-me-yay-ness/comment-page-1/#comment-244 ;  a very lovely and a wonderful person whom I met during those first years of my working life. She was the reason behind my decision to join WordPress not long ago. She is also a kind of my strength in keeping up the commitment of blogging. Having said that, I definitely accept the award and subsequently, will answer all the questions as listed below.

If you were an element (earth/water/air/fire) what kind of element would you be and why?

Air. Air is freedom. Air exists with abilities to be here and there. Air is not trap in one place and not bound by anything except by the will of God.

What is your biggest fear?

Sleeping alone. Ironically, I was in a boarding school for my entire teenagers life and lived in a hostel with single bed. Also, I went backpacking to places I have never been before and I am going solo soon!

If your career had never taken off, what would you have been?

Hahaha..honestly I will pursue my interest in history and ended up being an archaeologist. I might be digging something, somewhere..

Are you a morning person, or a ‘night owl’?

Definitely, a night owl.

If you’re given a choice between becoming a world-famous ballet dancer, a neurosurgeon or a charity worker, which would you pick and why?

A charity worker; so that I am closer to the reality of life.

Do you agree with the saying that a man is ruled by his head, a woman by her heart?

Nope.

 

I personally count your award as a vote of confident for me.

Thank you again, raroto 😉

 

Tea and Cigars: Bali Style

I love Bali. This is the only place that I have gone more than twice and probably more. I love the sea, the people, the culture, the arts, the legends, the mountains, the paddy terraces and all in it. I would always try something new when I was in Bali. So during one of the trip with my best friends, we decided to do tea and cigars Bali style. The mission was to try as many of Balinese finest tea and coffee; and its famous homemade cigars as we can. Well, cigar is quite daunting for us because we do not smoke. So, the experience was somehow bittersweet; between trying something new and went against our so-called principle of not smoking.

Emm..the teas and coffees were marvelous. They offered us more than 10 flavors of teas and coffees to sample. We lasted to our fifth cups and surrendered. I prefer their flower teas rather than coffee. Balinese coffee is quite strong and too exotic for me. The most famous coffee, which I despised the most is Kopi Luwak or civet coffee. Kopi Luwak basically refers to the beans of coffee berries collected from Asian palm civet’s excrement (they are also known as toddy cats), once the berries have been eaten and excreted by these cats. Honestly, I cannot imagine drinking extracts of cat’s excrement; no matter how good it taste. Ahah, definitely not my cup of coffee.

 

As for the cigars, we smoked 5 flavors of cigars which made from flowers and herbs. My favorite was clove. We smoked like a chimney! Sadly, by the end of the day, all of us agreed we are better off without the cigars. We’ll make the worst chain-smokers ever if we decide to smoke daily 😉

 

Maybe it’s like becoming one with the cigar. You lose yourself in it everything fades away your worries, your problems, your thoughts. They fade into the smoke, and the cigar and you are at peace.  – Raul Julia

*that was exactly how I felt on that day, but my mom would definitely kills me for quoting this quote! Let alone the smoking trip. Unimaginable..