Last of the non-venue posts..
Waka Gangga was my third choice. It is located up near Tabanan / Tanah Lot , and on one side there was the beach, and the other side was surrounded by rice paddy fields. Unfortunately the place was very remote and Quan for some reason didn’t like the sound of the crashing of the waves (seriously!?).
When we arrived for our site inspection, they were starting to set up for a wedding that night..
I loved the rustic ‘lanai’ style accommodation
and the villas were very open air…
We also sussed out Maya Ubud, and Ubud Village Resort while in Ubud however, the combination of having it in a public area , noise restrictions, and being away from the coast saw that these were not pursued any further.
Poolside deck where they have the reception dinner:
backup venue for the dinner:
backup indoor venue at the Maya Ubud. Probably one of the better indoor venues, up there with Chedi Club’s (which although beautiful, catered for only approx. 30).
starlight deck where the ceremony is held:
Thanks to Teresa, I am now the owner of a fabulous pair of nerdy glasses. Apparently they suit me. Even my boss said they were sooooo nerdy they may be considered chic. But she also told me not to wear them in meetings, because no one in the room would ever take me seriously. So i’m not sure where that leaves me. But anyways, here is Scarlett wearing them (yes, we are on first name basis).
But anyways, after a long lunch the other day, I realised that I had accidentally left them on the table at Tom’s Kitchen. Hurrying back, I had the following conversation:
Me : “hi there. I was just here for lunch a few hours ago over there. *points to table*. And I think I’ve left my glasses here”
Waitress: *looks around* “no, i don’t think anything has been handed in”.
Me: *disappointed face*
Waitress: “What do they look like?”
Me: *trying to be fashionable* “Oh they’re sort of black framed, thick?”
Waitress: *looks around some more* “no, I don’t think we have them”
Me: *trying to be super helpful and fashionable again* “They’re like the rayban wayfarers, but clear lensed”
Waitress: *looks around* “no, nothing has definitely been handed in”
Me: *one last effort* “super duper nerdy looking glasses”
Waitress: *lightbulb moment* “ohhhhh yesssss, we definitely have them. Here you go”
Is that a hint that nerdy = uncool?
Filed under: Events, Uncategorized | Tags: Bono, Empire State of Mind, Jay-Z, The Edge, U2, U2 360° Tour
So this morning, after 10 hours of sleep, I woke up knackered, and aching all over like an old lady who got hit by a bus. My neck is crook, my back sore, and my leg muscles completed stiff. All because of the dedication of my little bro to what some believe to be the greatest rock band ever.
Yes folks, it was a rather (shall I say), epic, day at the U2 360′ tour (feat. Jay-Z).
The day started off at about 2.30pm when we headed into Subiaco, on the way listening to the riffs coming out of Patterson Stadium of some old school U2 favourites. We then headed over to Gate 8 which was our designated entry gate only to be told by the event staff that they were still accepting people into the inner circle over at gate 24 (tickets that originally costed approx $300 and were sold out within 15 minutes). Of course, we rushed over to gate 24.
We lined up for about 1.5 hours at gate 24, only to reach the front of the line and have missed out by about 30 people!! GAH! Oh well, worked out really well for us in the end because where we ended up standing were probably the best spots in the house. Centre stage, right up close to the 360′ stage (not the inner circle stage which would’ve required some cranking neck moments) and separated from U2 only by a security barrier. As Naomi exclaimed “we can see the FIBRES on his hair!!!” .
But anyway, we waited for 2 hours at the front not wanting to give up our spots for shade or comfort before Jay-Z came on. A lot of people have commented on the odd pairing, and it was quite obvious with the crowd who didn’t know any of Jay-Z’s songs. Nonetheless, Jay-Z did a ripper of a job with what he had, and personally, I really enjoyed his show (especially Empire State of Mind).
(Jay-Z on the inner circle stage. But we still got a great view. The man has seriously lost some weight)
At about 8.30pm after 5.5 hours of standing up, U2 finally came on with a fantastic show, a great set, with great pace.
I could almost feel his sweat gravitating on me…
Lucky (on Unlucky) for Leon, he got some of Bono‘s backwash hee hee
The Edge playing some cool riffs around the 360′ stage
Mullen looking cute on his bongo drum
And one more of the man himself
Highlight for me was getting to hear “North Star” – a track that has not yet been recorded, but was brilliant and beautiful. Lowlight was the loser behind me who got into a fight , tussled with security, and then eventually got charged by the coppers (witness names were taken). It took awhile for the vibe to get back in.
Filed under: Crafts, Photography, Project 365 | Tags: christmas, lensbaby, macro, Project 365
At the start of the year, I decided it was finally time for me to get off my lazy bum and learn how to use my SLR camera on manual mode rather than “auto” everything. I did a basic course in photography and managed to learn about the technicalities involved in exposure, iso, aperture, shutter speed etc and the relationships between all of those.
Since then, Gav has been quite active in supporting our little group of wannabe amateur photographers. This month’s topic of focus is Christmas and seeing as though I spent the last few days sewing little Christmas stockings, I thought it was a perfect time to practice some new techniques.
Sewing in the night:
So out came a macro lens, attached to my lensbaby. I know lensbaby is either hated, or loved. For me, I have a love/hate relationship with it. I wished it would just autofocus, but I know the reason why I like it is also because it gives me random blurry dreamy state photos.
An attempt at macro: my really dusty sewing machine foot
I’m still struggling with focusing on the macro but that’s what this Project 365 and photography group is aimed at fixing right?
Another attempt at macro photography.. this time of the ribbon that was used to hang up the stockings
And the final products (quick photo, no attempt at adjusting the settings = overexposure)
When my friend Ayesha alerted me to the Alila group of boutique hotels, I was instantly smitten. Amongst my initial top pickings were Alila Uluwatu, and Alila Soori. Unfortunately, both required exclusive use of the property for a wedding so they were both definite no’s straight away. Too bad cause both looked AMAZING!
Alila Uluwatu and Alila Soori cut out of the picture, I then started to investigate the town of Ubud of which most people I’ve spoken to speak very highly of. Set approximately 1 hour away from the hustle and bustle of Kuta and Seminyak, Ubud is the cultural heart of Ubud. It is also the place to eat the famous Babi Guling.
Anyways, we spent a few days out in Ubud exploring the town, watching cultural shows and enjoying the much cheaper lifestyle (great food, great spas, good prices). One of the places we checked out was Alila Ubud which was just so tranquil and beautiful. Set amongst the jungles on a cliffedge overlooking the river, Alila Ubud is the place to hide away.
And while we thought it was beautiful, the allure of sunsets and oceans was a bit too much so while it ranked very highly on our list, it ended up coming in at number 2/3. So here’s to what could’ve been:
The amazing infinity pool. Unfortunately the photos don’t do it justice, but this pool was voted #16 most beautiful pool in the world. If we had our event here, the pool would’ve been lit up with floating candles, the lounge chairs removed for some dinner guests, and a band set up as well. That floating island would’ve also been perfect for speeches and photos.
The staircase that would’ve been lit up with 100 banana trunk candles
The rooms at Alila Ubud:
The ‘backyard’ of each villa is surrounded by a pond, and each villas has an amazing outdoor bathtub/spa set within the pond.
The gardens where they hold ceremonies. That pillar area is the main ‘stage’. And while you can’t see it from this picture, if you looked over that garden edge, you’d look down over the river many many rollypollies below.
And if it rained, the open aired restaurant serves as a back up venue:
Filed under: Family and Friends, Food, Me | Tags: hanami, japanese, perth, restaurant
On Thursday night we headed off to Hanami in Mt Lawley for a little birthday dinner with my family (minus my lil sister cause the lucky bugger is overseas in Japan at the moment eating real Japanese food).
I’ve always enjoyed Hanami. Decent food, good portions, and reasonable prices. However, with many non-flash restaurants here in Perth, the service is average , and the noise level is quite high though a large part of that is due to the restaurant being very popular – even on weekends.
My lil bro and wife
Between the four of us, we ordered ourselves some:
- Beef tataki – yummy tataki, good balance of raw/cooked beef, and tasty dressy. Wish they served tataki in a main size though. Sigh.
- Katsu scallops – massive sized scallops the size of a teenager’s fist, but if you ate away at the katsu coating, the scallops themselves had very little taste . I covered mine with the beef tataki dressing.
- Yakitori – my brother devoured this and I must admit, it was very flavoursome and tender.
- Chicken katsu sushi rolls – huge serving sizes made it impossible for me to eat more than one haha.
- Sashimi plate – *slurp*. Love fresh sashimi!
- Grilled capelin fish – this was interesting. I was a bit confused as to how to eat them. Do I eat off the whole head? Do I have to spit out the bone? What about the guts and all? Answer : just devour the whole lot. My dad enjoyed this, but it might just be because my dad is a typical asian adult who likes to eat fish heads haha.
Would I go back? Of course. But don’t expect to go to a fancy schmancy restaurant. It’s easy japanese at decent prices.
Ever since I turned 22, I have lied about my age. It all began when I restarted my degree in my third year of university. Instead of being with other 20something year olds, I was now beginning all over again with 17/18 year olds.
At the start of every semester, we’d go around the tutorial group and talk about ourselves by way of an introduction. Most people would say something along the lines of “Hi, my name is John. I’m studying arts/comm and I went to Mt Lawley High last year”.
Embarassed to be a whole three years older, I too would say things like that, or just not answer at all.
So ever since then (and it has been awhile), birthdays have generally been a low key event for me and this year was no different. Gone were the days of clubbing and big nights out. Instead, last night I played a little touch rugby (and scored a few tries thanks to the very helpful Rich, Jess, and potentially Rich again hahaha) and then the girls decided to throw a mini birthday dinner with a little pizza, soft drink and cupcakes.
To some, it would be a sad event. To me, it was just perfect! Low key, good company, no hoo-ha. Love these girls!
Quite often while browsing through cookbooks and magazines, I remark to whoever will listen that I reckon one of the best jobs in the world is being a food stylist.
I mean, styling food that already looks awesome? And then eating it when done? Jealousy much.
Anyways, I was trying out different depth of fields while styling chocolate chip choc mint cupcakes. Needless to say, several got eaten while playing.
Continuing on from the venues that did not make the cut, we also visited the Japanese themed Nikko Resort in Nusa Dua. Prior to coming to this resort, we had firm plans to have our ceremony and reception outdoors , however, on entering the Wiwaha at the Nikko, we started to lean towards the beautiful glass interior ceremony areas that are available at several venues. I mean, who would want to stand out there in 35 degree heat with their makeup and hair melting off them?
Unfortunately the Nikko, like many other places, did not make the cut as it required us to stop music at 10pm, guests to leave by 10.30pm unless they move indoors to a bar. Additionally, the Nikko is also located quite a fair bit away from the main stretch of Nusa Dua, on its on clifftop location.
Importantly, the Nikko Resort is also located out in Nusa Dua (the Eastern side of the island), we would not be able to see the sunset at all. Shame though, because the resort, being built on top of a cliff had some great views and had potential but was ultimately doomed the moment the wedding coordinator said “10.00pmf”.
The Wiwaha – the main area where couples have their ceremony. It is surrounded by a lovely lawn, secluded from the main part of the resort.
Fooling around at the entrance
The interior of the Wiwaha. It is currently set up for a Christian wedding, but they can remove everything inside and tailor make it to your requirements if you are no Christian.
For couples who prefer an outdoor wedding, you can get married at the end of the main foyer entrance. Not very private though as everyone entering the resort can then see you.
Part of the lawn near the Nikko Resort main area.
Being a kid at heart , one of my most favouritest (yes, that is a word) movies in the whole wide world (haha don’t I sound like a kid) is Transformers.
Imagine my excitement when I got to meet one!
Yep, we’re holding hands… I love him!
Girl Kae : Not witty enough for a smart title 
