Justlife

I am not sure whether I am "katak bawah tempurung" or .... I visited Justlife Organic Store at The Gardens yesterday to purchase some organic food basket as a "get-well-gift" for a business associate.

Personally, I cant afford organic food on a daily basis so I hardly patronise these outlets but yesterday, I had a jolly good time browsing and educating myself with all the organic food.

I decided on quite a number of items and the total sum payable was quite a hefty amount. So, feeling good, I paid for the good via my credit card and was waiting for the lady at the check-out counter to bundle them into a bag but she instead told me ... sorry ma'am, our company do not promote use of bags ... would you like to purchase our recycled hand carry cloth bags at RM9.90 each? I said ... waaaat????

I got totally pissed off just that moment! She quickly asked me if I would then prefer to place all the goods into a box instead ... ya, ok, I understand & respect your company's policy about all those environmentally friendly issues BUT hey - how is your customer going to carry all those goods in a box? And I bought quite a number of bottles of honey, fruit juices, olive oil, etc ... so how to carry the box which will be darn heavy - with no handles???? And mind you, the car park or even a walk to the taxi stand will take you 15 mins okay!

Then I decided to call another guy (could be the supervisor) and asked him his suggestion on how I should solve this problem. I told him, if I knew about this "no bag" policy (read: its a "no bag" and not "no plastic bag" policy!) I would have not purchased anything there cos I still had more shopping to do. He then suggested he tie a string round the box so that it can at least act as a handle - which I agreed and thanked him. But this s#&*%@*& lady, just stare at me and did nothing!

Before leaving, I suggested to the guy who helped me with the box, that perhaps he should bring such feedback/situations to his management and for them to come up with a good solution for shoppers to prefer to carry their stuff in a bag.

Cos after all, this is Malaysia and if you dont provide a bag, some other store will - so sorry lah, dont think I will ever shop there again especially if I intend to do large purchases. Moreover, organic food is darn expensive ...so cant they at least provide free "cloth bags" or whatever you call them?

Maybe I am indeed very "kampung" ....

Musikhaus

Since it was a long weekend, I decided to enrol lil rascal for a trial class at Musikhaus (formerly known as Kidz Talent Lodge at Ikano Power Centre) at Bandar Utama.


This is his first time at any class or gathering with kids of any sort, so I was initally afraid he would be a big bully to the rest! Cos as you know, I dont call him a lil monster for nothing right?

We were a few minutes early and once he saw all those playhouses in the garden, our dear friend straight away headed for it! I, of course, expected him to do that .. knowing he's afraid of nothing!

Enjoying the slide while trying to show off his (unhairy) chest!





His very first time stepping into a "class" and there were 5 other toddlers in that session. We registered him into a "Bubble" class which belongs to toddlers from the age 18 months right up to 2.5 yrs. He was the youngest one there at 18 months :-) There are also classes for 0-18 months (so dont think I am kiasu okay .. those in his classes have already been attending for 3 months :-)

Before the class started, he was just to eager to play with his all-time favourite toy, balls! So teacher had to bring down the balls for him to play.

So teacher started off the class with balls lor ... which he loved! And as usual .. cannot sit still .. daddy trying hard to keep him in place .. hehe.

Tried to spin the ball away as per teacher's instructions.


There was also singing and music time, swinging and dancing, story time as well as "picnic" time where the little ones get to choose what food they love and then teacher will sing & explain a little on the food they choose .. hmm .. yummy.

And my "tai kor" below taking over the picnic mat!

Basically, the class involves listening to instructions, responding, interacting with others while having fun. I think it was a good class.

For a trial class, it cost RM35. One term of 10 classes costs RM300 and each class lasts 45 minutes. The have programs catered up to 7 yrs old and if you are keen, you may visit their website at http://www.kidztalent.com/.

Wordless Wednesday

A recent corporate Hari Raya Open House at the Sime Darby Convention Centre. Various orphanage homes were also invited.

Built-In Oven

I am one who likes to plan and plan ahead for one simple reason - limited budget - hahaha.

I am now on a look-out for a good and functional built-in oven and would like to know what would suit someone who is totally new to baking but very keen to explore her interest and who is willing to attend professional baking classes in the near future .. wah!

I recently visited found one retailer who is willing to offer me their brand new showroom unit Indesit oven for RM1,500. However, this unit is not the digital type and only has 5 basic functions incl on/off fan function. Do you think this is a good buy?

Buying Second Hand Cars

Not everybody can afford new cars. Now with the economic situation worsening and all things getting more expensive these days, many may resort to purchasing second hand cars.


Before you dive into a purchase, be mindful to do some homework cos this can save you some money as well as headaches.

• Check the current market value of the vehicle. There are guidebooks available from most newsagents that list the makes and models for almost all cars, given an approximate value with relation to age.


• Check the body work for corrosion, rust or any mismatch in color in the different body parts. If corrosion, make sure it is cosmetic rather than structural.


• Look at the general state of the engine. If you dont know how to do this, find a man who does! Check color of oil and coolant. Any thick black deposits (which is not a good sign)? Also check the mileage.


• Do a background research and check its history - where the car is from and how many accident records it has if any.

I'm sure all these information would help you identify a good deal.

STADEC

If you are in Kuala Lumpur and would like to find an all-under-one-roof outlet for all your renovation needs, do drop by STADEC. Its located at Jalan Segambut, just off the Duta roundabout.


Its like a mini exhibition mall with various exhibitors showcasing their products which include floor & wall tiles, bathroom and sanitary ware, kitchen & tap accessories, water filters, auto gates, washing machine & dryers, built-in ovens, hood & hobs, etc.


Its official opening is slated for Nov/Dec, so do give it a look-out if your reno or refurbishment plans are round the corner. They might offer some opening specials ...you never know.

"Seven Facts About You" Meme

I have read so many blogs with so many memes that I finally got one myself! Thanks to VG of Household Capers who was kind enough to allow me to have my few minutes of fame to shame myself to the whole wide world - hahahaha! But i enjoy it!

The rules of the meme are:-

(a) List the rules on your blog
(b) Share 7 facts about you on your blog
(c) Tag 7 other people at the end of your blog.

Since I am totally new to blogging, I am sure none of you know me well, so here's the 7 facts of myself.

1. I hate to be late even when I know others will definately be late!
2. I dislike last minute change of plans for whatever reason!
3. I love long straight hair but of course if one loves long straight hair, they are normally born without it .. so ...
4. I normally only try to make the same mistake once. If I do the wrong thing more than once, I would feel terrible and angry at myself or I would abandon the whole project!
5. I have limited patience. I can repeat the same thing once or twice to you (similar to no 4) but if you still dont get it, I will just shut up and you can feel the shiver in your spine!
6. I dont like spending unnecessarily so I tend to be a bit stingy. That includes clothes and shoes. Hmmm .. I also realise I am a bit more stingy with myself as compared to others (eg I am willing to spend to buy hubby/family/friends a nice gift but would never buy the same for myself).
7. I don't use make-up at all. The only time I use some make-up is for a dinner or an formal event we need to attend.

And now I am having a headache as to who I shall tag cos I already tagged those on my blogroll with my two other awards .. sigh! New blogger and limited friends is no fun eh?

Chicken Rice - $30

Do you fancy paying for a RM30 chicken rice???? Well, last year I got a shock when I first bought this for my office lunch!

I don't know if its the price that made me biased but when I tasted it for the very first time, I felt it was no better than the RM3.50 ones you get from the chinese stalls. However, after a few times savouring it, I must say it does indeed taste good.

I must highlight that this chicken rice is served by a 5 star hotel in the city centre. I usually do a take-away for office meetings and most of my guests quite like it. Some even take 2 portions in one sitting! Due to the location of my office, there are limited chinese food available in the vicinity, so the hotel's coffee house is the best choice - and the easiest too!

The Waiting Game

Every evening, hubby and I play the waiting game. Curious to know what I mean? This is no fun. Its serious stuff!

What I mean is either I have to wait for hubby to finish work or hubby has to wait for me at my office building lobby till I finish work.

You see, my boss is kinda special. He loves to talk. He calls for meeting all the time when he is in town and he can talk for hours. The rest just listens. So we have to wait until he feels like going home, only then the meeting ends. It does not matter if its 7 or 8pm, even 9 or 10pm. He is a night owl, so he wakes up (I think) really late say 12 noon and then heads to the office only around 2 or 3pm. Then his day begins.

So poor hubby has to wait & wait for me until god (*boss*) knows when and then we head to mom's place to pick up little one before we head home.

On days when boss is not in town, I will go over to hubby's place via public transport (the light-railed train) and then wait for him to finish work instead. He does not "suffer" as much in his meetings so my wait is pretty short on those days.

But I pity poor hubby ... thanks hubby for being such a understanding kind soul to me.

World's Most Expensive Dessert

If you were to be one of the richest person on earth, how much would you fancy paying to sink your teeth into the world's most expensive dessert?

Well, you dont really have to be one of the richest person on earth, perhaps any millionaire (not million-hair like me hahahaha!) could afford this.

So what is the world's most expensive ingredient .. in order to create this expensive dish???

Its called The Fortress Aquamarine. Available at Wine3 at The Fortress, Galle, Sri Lanka! Price ..... US$14,500!

This dessert, which debuted in March, was inspired by the success of the restaurant’s other gem-studded treat, the Bombay Sapphire Martini. The star of the show is an 80-carat aquamarine gem (the main ingredient?) that rests on a sliver of chocolate shaped to resemble the traditional stilt fisherman that’s part of the resort’s logo.

Handmade glass utensils (not included in the price) complete the presentation. And yes, diners can pocket the gemstone after polishing off the dessert.

And how many have been sold so far ..... none they say.

My running "pangsai" baby!

Hahahaha ...the title of my post makes you wonder?

When I was preggy, my MIL told me many stories about her grandson which she took care of when he was a baby & toddler. One of the strange thing that boy would do was, whenever he wanted to do his big business, he would be running up & down the house! I said "huh? so strange one ah?".

Never did I imagined that my boy now would do the same now as his Eng Keat koko!

Whenever my lil monster wants to poo poo, you can see him running up & down the house with a rather serious face, then stops for 2 seconds, trying to push it out, the continues to run again ... until he actually does it.

Strange - runs in the family I guess - cos my mom was a baby sitter for the past 20 yrs and after taking care of so many babies & toddlers, she has never seen a running "pangsai" baby! Not until she came across her own grandson! LOL!

Do not pump petrol till full tank!

I do not know how true this is but I always pump my tank full every time I need to refill my gas ...

A friend of mine sent me a forwarded email saying that many of us are unware that petrol pumps have a return pipe-line. Meaning, when the petrol tank in our car reaches full level, there is a mechanism to trigger off the pump latch and at the same time, the return valve (at the top of the petrol station) is opened to allow access petrol to flow back into the sump. But the return petrol has already passed through the meter, meaning we are donating back the petrol to the station!

Do you think I should take this seriously or it is just another hoax??? Anybody's wife/husband/son/daughter/relative working in any oil & gas companies that care to shed some light?

Gas cylinder expiry date

In Malaysia, gas cylinders are widely used in homes or even in restaurants & cafes. For me, I have 2 units at home, one as a back-up in case the other runs empty and the delivery man is unable to deliver on time to top up my supply.

Recently, someone told me that these cylinders have an expiry date and we should all learn how to read them.

They are usually coded in A, B, C or D and followed by 2 digits. Meaning if its coded A10, meaning it should expire in the first quarter of 2010. If it reads D13, it should expire in the 4th quarter of 2013.

Another hoax? Cant see any labels in my cylinders at home leh ...

RPK T Shirts - RM20

For those of you who have been following the local political scene and all those nonsense that's happening in our country, please show some support and say NO to ISA!

If you dont really know what I am talking about, then read it here.

If you are too shy to show up in person at the weekly candle light virgil held every Sunday at 8pm on the field opposite Amcorp Mall, at least lend a hand in some sales support of the t shirts.

The next meeting point for sales of these t shirts will be at the shops of Jalan Bangkung in Bangsar. Jalan Bangkung is situated between Bangsar Shopping Complex and the Jalan Telawi shops.

It will be held on Saturday, 18th October at 4:00 p.m. We will be there (even if there is heavy rain) for only ONE HOUR or until there is no one else around, whichever is later.

This sales is in no way associated with the shops there, so please do not park haphazardly but do get your refreshments from any of the eateries there ... if they are open:)

Directions:http://www.opusbistro.com/contact.html
(It's great to find a restaurant that provides a map!! If it doesn't load, just go back to main page then return to contact page)

Look out for Mr. Yeak, Su, and Mr. Lawrence who will be wearing the RPK t-shirts.

They will have stocks for :
Type A Black - S, M, L, XL, XXL, XXXL
Type A Red - XXXL
Type B Red/Orange - M, L

The t-shirts will be sold on a first-come-first-served basis. They dont accept pre-orders as there will be too many people arriving at the same time.

SO BE THERE OR BE SQUARE!

Feature Wall

As you may know by now, I have started my window shopping for interior & exterior designs, as well as furniture and electrical items (built-in oven!!!!) for my new home which will be ready early next year.

I recently visited a tile showroom along Jalan Ipoh and they showcased some external wall features which I thought looked quite nice.















The above two I think gives the wall feature some warm & solid texture whereas the one below gives it a bright, clean & light feel.

I can see that lighting plays an important part in creating the right ambience and to highlight the a certain section of the wall eg a poster or plant.

Which do you think looks nicer eh?

My 2nd Award!

Oh guess what - in a matter of a week - I got my 2nd award liao! Hurray! Another milestone for a new blogger - hehehehee.

This award comes from Pei Mun who normally blogs about her lovely angel, Kendra. She is such a supportive mom and blogger!

And here is my lovely award from her.











Since I dont have too many mommy blogger friends currently, I hope you dont mind me passing the award to:-

Sasha Bla Bla Bla
Agnes & Chloe
Mommy to Chumsy
Cooking Momster
Vicky Low & Chloe
My Lovely Mommy and last but not least
Wokking Mom

The rules of the award are:

The winner can put the logo on her blog.
Link the person you received your award from.
Nominate at least 7 other blogs.
Put links of those blogs on yours.
Leave a message on the blogs of the girls and boys you've nominated.

Have fun!

Ikea Hotdogs & Cuffypuffs!

When you visit the Ikea store at Ikano Power Centre, did you notice a kiosk selling hotdogs and curry puffs right outside the check out counters? And yes, its got a long queue all the time!

Well, that's one of my favourite stops after visiting Ikea.

In my opinion, they sell the best tasting, cheapest hotdogs in KL!!!! It is only RM2 per hotdog and you get to dress it the way you like it! They provide a help-yourself counter where you can load on onions, mustard and other sauces any way you like it!


The bun is just so fresh and soft and ... ooh!

And the curry puffs are so yummy & fresh & crispy that I just gobbled it within 5 seconds so that is why I dont have a pics to share it with you *smile*.

Continuous Sun for 36 hrs!

It is said that on the 17th of October, the sun will rise continuously for 36 hrs (a day and a half). Therefore, countries like the US will be in the dark for the same period of time.

This will mean that 3 days will now be combined into 2 big days! And they say this happens only once in 2400 years! How interesting!

Should this happen, aren't we lucky to witness it? Share this historic moment and information with your friends ... but if it does not happen on 17th October, please dont blame me yeah? I am also waiting to see if its true *smile*.

Double Turn Monster!

Read about Sasha's recent bundle of joy which she just realised had a double turn. When I read it, I could not help "sympatise" with her a little cos I have my very own "double turn monster" at home!











Remember those old folk tales that say that those born with a double turn are very very mischievous and quite a handful to manage? Well, how true!
Mine is such an hyper-active kid (see how large & prominent his double turn is!) and bad-tempered at times that it has even made me decide that one will be enough for me! No second baby although I long for a girl. Yes, its that serious!

Of course not all babies are that difficult to handle, but for me, having limited domestic support, I think one will be enough for me.

The Balloon Man!

Went to Ikea over the weekend and while on the way there through Ikano Power Centre, notice this gentleman who has a stall selling very creative hand-shaped animal balloon!


He can shape balloons into all kinds of animals like a Daffy Duck or the Pink Panther! He also shapes them into bicycles, sword, flowers and even into our national flower, the Bunga Raya! Cool eh? And he does it within seconds!

Should you wish to plan a birthday party for your little one, I guess this guy here can do wonders for the kids on their special day! You can find his contact at his stall.

Recycling Cartridges

Do any of you recycle your toner cartridges? I mean not recycle them yourself but sell the cartridges to the recycling companies?

Well I do. At least I know I am doing something good to the environment and not contributing to the already very rapidly growing rate of wastages be it in this country or around the world.

But these company pay you pennies while when they recycle and sell, they sell it for hundreds of ringgit! They are never willing to offer a better price although I tried to bargain for more, but on the other hand, its better than nothing.

Asian Food Channel

May I ask what is your favourite channel on TV?

Previously, I would only turn to the sports channels on Astro like 811 or 812 right up to 815 but for the past year, 703 is my favourite!

The Asian Food Channel is a pretty good source for all your cooking, baking and food needs. It consist of both local and foreign cooks with tonnes of recipes and tips for viewers.

My currant favourite is of course "Sugar", by pastry chef, Anna Olson. She makes baking look ridiculously easy and what I admire her most is that she hardly uses a mixer but instead uses just her magic hands. I really wish I had her talent.

I also enjoy watching Jamie Oliver's "The Naked Chef". He is such a character to watch, making cooking sumptuous food seem like as easy as ABC. Care to try his recipes some day?

Butterfly Award

Yippee!!!! Been blogging for 3 months now and I received my first ever award from my blogging-pal Josephine! Thanks pretty girl!












I feel so happy and elated, as if I striked the lottery! Ha! Ha! Sorry, can't help it - new blogger!

As per the rules of accepting this award, I wish to now award my fellow bloggers which I think have one of the coolest blogs I ever knew!

1. Little Corner of Mine - love her homecooked recipes!
2. Kitchen Snippets - love her original bakes & cooks!
3. Babe In the City KL - my all time favourite KL food blogger!
4. Household Capers - my new cyber-pal Down Under!
5. Mummy Yiau - my first ever cyber mummy through MJ Forum!
6. Health Freak Mommy - a great mommy-blogger ever willing to share!
7. Pei Mun - who helped me with my first ever link!
8. Kiasumum - 2nd mommy to help me with a link!
9. Papa Joneh - the only daddy linked to my blog!
10. 2 Little 2 Mention - my long time buddy for donkey years liao!

I sincerely hope you will accept this award from me, so, please :-

1. Put the logo on your blog;
2. Add a link to the person who awarded you;
3. Nominate 10 other blogs; (or only to those deserving ones???)
4. Add links to those blogs on yours;
5. Leave a message for your nominees on their blogs.

Congratulations and do continue to post your cool cooks, bakes and all your latest happenin's in your cool blog (*smile*).

Malaysian Prime Ministers

I can't help it but to do a double post today. As you many know, our dear Prime Minister has decided to handover his post & power to his preffered successfor, dear Najib. Read the latest from Star Online or Malaysiakini.

Yesterday evening, I heard that, according to some strange reasons or maybe coincidence, by history, or by chance, dear Najib would be the last of our Prime Ministers as they are decided by the word "RAHMAN".

So lets see.

R = Rahman (Tuanku)
A = Abdul Razak
H = Hussein Onn
M = Mahathir Mohamed (oh, who can forget him!)
A = Abdullah Ahmad Badawi (another one!)
N = Najib Tun Razak

So what is going to happen after Najib?

Rabbit Farm

During our recent visit to Colmar Tropicale, we stopped by the Rabbit & Deer Farm for our little one to visit.

This is the first time my little monster is seeing an animal face-to-face other than the dog & cat in our house (hahahaha!). I was pretty confident my lil monster would not be afraid of any of those animals cos I dont call him a lil monster for nothing you know ...

Trying to make monkey faces at the deer! Naughty fella!

And trying to squeeze the poor rabbit! And this guy only goes for all the white rabbits ... chasing them all over! Wonder why he does not like the others which are black or grey or spotted ones .. .which were cute too!

Entrance fee to this farm is RM3 per head (in addition to RM10 per head we paid to visit Colmar Tropicale) but if you intend to just visit the farm, you need not pay for the entrance to Colmar Tropical cos the gate to the farm is before the tickethouse into Colmar Tropical.

This place is perfect for a half day outing for the family but its a kind of place you would come once every few years I guess.

Sarawak Barley

I got a surprise package from my buddy in Kuching recently *smile*. She sent me a generous pack of barley from Sarawak, grown locally by the natives there. Thanks JT!















It taste rich and slightly creamier than the pre-packed ones I normally buy from the chinese medical hall ... hmmm... yummilicious!

Boil the barley in a pot of boiling water and add rock sugar to taste. A few screwpine leaves in the pot makes this drink very rich in aroma. When it starts to boil rapidly, turn down fire a little and boil over an hour or so. Or if you prefer the easier way, leave it to boil in a slow cooker. Turn it on at night and by next morning, you will have a healthy yummy barley drink :-)

You can enjoy it either hot or cold. My mom would usually cool them down and pour them into many water bottles and store them in the fridge for our hourly consumption as we would normally finish the whole pot by the next day *smile*.

Barcoding indicating country of origin

This is interesting to note. Each bar code has a unique code to show its country of origin ... as in where it is made from.

It is said that China has got 3 codes which is 690, 691 and 692. The example shown here is from Taiwan with its country code as 471.











Will check this out when I do my grocery shopping this weekend!

I'm late today!

I officially start work at 9 each morning but on most days I am in the office by 815 or 830 latest. This is because we leave the house early (before 7am) so as not to get ourselves stuck in a major traffic jam.

On most days it works fine but today was one of those nasty days. The jammed road was at least 2 or 3km long (my guess-timation) and finally we reach the bottleneck and guess what ... there was a car accident on the OTHER side of the road!

Oh my god, you Malaysian drivers!!!!! Why the hell do you have to be such a busy body!!!! Just drive on in your lane and just go where you wanted to go in the first place!!! See what you have done to other drivers on the road now? We are all late for work!

My Good Habit

I must have inherited this from my dad. Dad (he is no longer around ... must be somewhere someplace good & far *smile*) used to rise very early for work each day. He would then head to the newpaper company's head office to buy his hot-from-the-oven newspaper for the day and then head for work.

During his rest days at home, he used to read the newspapers first thing in the morning as well, covering every corner of it. He was a "serious no nonsense" dad but he knew about Madonna's latest songs *cheeky smile*.
These days the first thing I do when I get to work is to log on to the internet and read my Star Online. Even if I only have 5 minutes to spare, I would usually just cover the headlines and then start my work routine.

I see this as a positive habit and hope someday, I can inculcate this good habit to my little one.

Colmar Tropicale

It was the first day of Hari Raya and it being a public holiday, we decided to take a short drive out of town to visit Colmar Tropicale. It is located about 45 mins from the city and the roads were totally clear of traffic and was such a breeze to drive. Take the Bukit Tinggi exit from the highway (after Genting exit) and turning in, will lead you to a long winding road before you reach the top of a hill where this "french village" is located.









The last time I went there with hubby was before we got married and now several years later, sad to say, not much improvement has been made to this place to make it much more attractive.










This place has got a golf course too, so you will see large numbers of cars here on weekends as it is located on a slight highland with some cooling fresh air when the wind blows. There is also a Japanese Tea Garden (good for senior citizens) as well as a Rabbit & Deer Farm for the little ones. Worth a half day visit.

Cabby Drivers! Rude!

I dont know about other parts of the world but here, I find that the local taxi drivers are darn rude!

If you dont fit in into their plan as in where they "prefer" to drive, then they just brush you off! They even charge you ridiculously even though there are regulations on this. If they are in a good mood, they might use the meter. Else they will charge you a flat rate to your destination as they claim it is "out" of their way.

Especially so when there is a downpour (never mind if its heavy or not), they just drive past you even though they are not carrying any passengers. And if you are lucky enough to flag down one who is willing to send you where you wanna go, then be prepared to pay triple the amount you would normally pay!

And some taxies are dirty and smelly! The shirts they wear seems like it was not washed for days! Thats KL cab drivers! Nasty!

But nevertheless, there are very pleasant and nice drivers that I have come across. I shall not generalise them but just a word of caution to look out in case you meet some of those nasty ones.

Bali - The Paradise!

Do you agree? I mean, Bali is such a natural paradise that you would really wanna go back again and again just to soak into its god-made treasures. Our maiden trip there was for our honeymoon *smile*.

But of course, if you have enough dough (which we didn't have) to book yourself into one or two of the many private villas - its exactly like being in heaven!

I recently made some reservations (not for me - sad) and it really makes me feel like wanting to go back there for a short holiday. Especially when you browse through such breath-taking photo galleries in each of the resort's websites.

So if you are prepared to spend a mini fortune in Bali, do remember to check out some of the private villas in Anantara Seminyak, The Bale Nusa Dua, Four Seasons Sayan, Uma Ubud and Ahimsa Estate. Other private villas worth taking a look are Ritz Carlton, Alila Ubud, River House, Kayumanis & Como Shambhala Estate which is owned by a Singaporean.

And while you are there, dont forget the Kirana Spa! For food lovers, you should never miss Mozaic or Ary's Warung.

Gosh! What am I doing typing this - I should be on the plane!