Special Shirodhara Head Treatment at Bail's Dewi Fortuna Spa (Day 1)

Today was the first day of our trip in Bali, my girl friend and I have planned to have at least one massage everyday for our next three days stay in Bali. That should be one of the main purpose of coming to Bali, isn;t it ? After we finished our exquisite balinese lunch at Warung d'Sawah and "checking-in" at my friend's villa for a short rest, we excitedly asked the driver to bring us to a nearby spa for a good body massage. While the driver drove us around to look for a place to massage, most of the spa salons are fully booked until we reach this spa - Dewi Fortuna Spa. No doubt the first impression of the spa does not throw a "WOW" factor to us, what impressed us further was the wide variety of the spa packages in which they offer.


As we entered the reception area, we were greet politely by the masseurs while they ushered us to waiting area, serving us a cup of spicy ginger tea. One of the masseurs handed over the menu to show their incredible wide selection of spa packages available, we was really spoilt for different choices. Both my girl friend and I opted for a same package cost about U$ 65 per person (excluding tax). The spa package consists of an hour of traditional balinese body massage and Shirodhara head treatment.

After choosing the spa package, we are being showed to a scarcely decorated couple room that has a simple bathtub with amenities. After we wash up and changed to disposable under garments and robe, we lay down onto the bed while waiting the masseurs prepares for our traditional balinese body massage.

The masseurs worked on our bodies with their experienced hands, rubbing our back with adequate force. One of the most amazing was the masseurs' synchronised massage pace. Though we were both facing down, you could actually hears both of them clapping (part of balinese massage style) almost at the same time throughout the entire session ! What a sensory experience to both the body and senses.

After an hours of holistic body massage, the masseurs walked out of the room and brought in the apparatus for our Shirodhara head treatment. Shirodhara is a Ayurvedic head massage technique that drips a slow stream of warm oil onto the forehead. As it is our experience with Shirodhara, we felt a peculiar feeling while the oil slowly flow into the scalp. The masseurs then slowly massage our scalp periodically to allow the stream of oil flow evenly through our heads. As the process continues, the combination sound of oil dripping onto the forehead and the basin that is placed on the floor beneath our head, it creates a tranquil melody that ultimately calmed my mind before I fell asleep completely.

The masseur woke me up with a gentle tap on my shoulder, to indicate that we have to go to a room at second storey to wash off the oil from our hair. They have tended to us with ultimate care while grooming our hair. We might have ended the spa slightly over two hours but the masseurs still tried their best to attend to us. Unknowingly, it is already almost seven thirty, time for a nice dinner at Bawang Merah beach front restaurant.

Conclusion
pampered by their holistic Balinese massage and rejuvenated with their Shirodhara head treatment at reasonable price. Dewi Fortuna Spa indeed has taken good care for our well-being during this two hours of sensory experience.

Dewi Fortuna Spa
Jl. Bypass Ngurah Rai No. 38
Nusa Dua, Denpasar, Bali
Tel: +62-361-771322
Opening Hours: 9am to 10pm daily
www.grahabali.com/dewifortunaspa/
Travel Bali
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Taking Stock of 1 Year in London

Hello Followers of the J82Productions Blog! 

I am a new contributor on Jeffrey's blog and I have never blogged publicly before so any feedback and comments are welcome! In my posts will be a bit about my life in London, travels and food. If there is anything you would like to see or know about please feel free to let me know.

The Who
A born and bred Singaporean girl who moved to London exactly 51 weeks ago. I work as a Business Analyst in an Insurance company and have worked 7 years with my current company. An opportunity came up to move here a bit more than a year ago and am Thankful to have been the one to be given the chance to experience life here.

Whilst I count myself to be relatively well-travelled for my age (the travel bug clearly bit my Uni harder than the other Unis), there was one regret that I left Uni with. Half (or so) of my Uni mates have gone on at least one-semester foreign exchanges before, most ended up in Europe; and of course with it, lots of travels. I'm glad facebook wasn't common then, if not I might have ended up with a psychological problem. And by graduation, I felt like I was one of the rare breeds who haven't been to Europe before. I wasn't sore, but just a tinge of regret...

The Why
I've heard it many times before I hit this stage: people my age or slightly older than me grumbling about feeling lost, bored, frustrated, etc with life. I used to not know what they were talking about until I reached there myself. 

I think it might have been quarter/mid life crisis.

Lots of people have come to tell me how brave I am but I'm not as courageous as how these people perceive. I'd probably have NOT done it if I've never been to London, if I wasn't familiar with the local culture, if I couldn't speak the local language (so that means no other European country because you will be hampered - but that's another story for another day). I've been in this British company for 6 years, been to London 3 times over 3 years and spending a grand total of 2 months. So I think I have a pretty decent knowledge compared to the average tourist, so I'd like to believe I have a rough idea of what I was getting myself into...

And the weather - apparently a few people died of heatstroke when the temperatures hit 30 Deg C in summer. (Sorry, not funny but as a Singaporean where we'd be really Thankful if DAY temps ARE 30 Deg C, I just can't help wondering what these people did to end up that way).

The What
Over the past year, I felt like experiences of a lifetime have been crammed into one year and I don't even know where to begin. Moving homes twice, fixing an Ikea sofa from scratch (I'm very proud of this - how many girls you know built a freaking sofa by themselves?), cooking more in one month here than I have ever cooked in the first 20+ years of my life, changed about a dozen bulbs at home, watching more than a few live football games, learnt snowboarding, travelled lots, getting my bag stolen in Brussels (which had my most importantly worldly possessions plus passport - another story for another day), and then pickpocketed in Paris (and you would think I would be more careful after the Brussels incident, right?), and the list goes on...

I've had to look through at my pictures from the past year to remind me, I can't even remember everything! I hope its not because aging.

The How
I wouldn't have been able to do this without the support of friends and family - both here and in Singapore.

For friends in Singapore, I admit to have the FOMO-syndrome (Fear of Missing Out). But thanks to facebook these days and Whatsapp, we can still indulge of some of their idiosyncrasies even if you are not physically there. It is also a good time for you to filter your friends though - those who make en effort to see you when you are back, and those who don't seem to bother much. (Although I might have gone home a bit too often compared to others who're this far away....). So Thanks to all of you who remembered me and shown me love everytime!

On friends in London, I am glad to have met so many amazing people, you are indeed what I came here for. I wouldn't know what would happen to me otherwise.

I once hosted a dinner for 5 of us including me (yes, I can hardly cook and I hosted a dinner - that must be some kind of achievement in itself) and all 5 of us were of different nationalities - Singaporean, Malaysian, Hongkie, Japanese and Chinese - I am still very amazed by it till this day.

The When
Travels so far in the past 12 months include Brussels, Val Thorens (France), Oslo, Edinburgh, Manchester, Munich, Nuremburg, Paris.
Upcoming trips to Mallorca, Rome and Moscow.
Past locations include Barcelona, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Maastricht, Antwerp, Ghent, Cologne, and a few small towns within a 2 hour radius from London.

Lest you think we are living up the good life here and travelling, the truth is that: IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO TRAVEL TO EVERYWHERE DESPITE BEING STATIONED HERE because of 1) Money and 2) Time. The same problem that bugs us no matter where we go!

Ok that's it for now, sorry for the boring (no picture) rant that went on for too long, I promise the next one will be more interesting with photos!

Peko
London, Travel, UK
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My Long Sought Holiday ! Arrival at Bali (Day 1)

Finally, after four years of working in the Company, I get to take a break on my birthday and travel together with my girl friend to Bali ! While I was writing this post, my mom was bringing out the old albums and saw that the last time I went to Bali in 1995 ! Thinking of to post my childhood photo... erm. Below are some of the photos I have taken while I am being drove to Warung D'Sawah for lunch before "checking-in" at my friend's villa.
Travel Bali
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10 Tips to Enjoy Your Solo Overseas Trip. Safely.

I was surfing through the Facebook today and one of my friends who has been traveling in Europe has written a great post which I think should be shared with everyone ! I will keep the originality of the entire post, complete with explanation of the Singlish jargon.

When I told my friends/colleagues that I’m going solo for my Europe trip, I have reactions like: “Wah, sibei(very) brave to travel Europe alone. Dangerous. Confirm kanna(get) robbed/pickpocket” “You know hor(ya), that one time my so-and-so went to Europe with a BIG group and kanna(got) rob. So hor(ya)…” So now I’m back (thank god, safely), just thought to share some tips. Some of them might be useful to you; some seems ridiculous while others might just be crazy but these are what work for me.

#1: Traveling is meant to be fun and brainless. Which is fine. But do bring your common sense along. It will help you stay alive. (If there is a dark empty alley, DO NOT walk in. This is called common sense)

#2: If you are visiting some popular touristy areas known for pickpockets, walk with some random walking tour groups. Walking in big group reduce the chances of being targeted by the pickpockets. And you get free explanation and guide of the place!

#3: Dress like a homeless (Honestly, this is more of a personal preference. I usually don't care how I look when I’m overseas. Seriously no one knows me and I’m not there to hook up with some random chicks. So screw the hair gels, shaver and matching clothes). But I did saw some tourists who dress like a superstars walking along Champs-Élysées… So if your dream is to dress like Carrie or Samantha in Sex and the City and walk down Fifth Ave or the streets of Champs-Élysées, sure please go ahead. #4: Don’t hang your DSLR on your neck. Cause it scream “I AM A TOURIST VISTING YOUR COUNTRY”. Anyway iPhone cameras are good enough. If you die die need to have high resolution/professional photos of the scenery, just Google. Confirm will find a dozen of them. No need to take them yourself.

#5: Have two wallets. Got this advice from a friend. One is where you put your small change while another is to put the big notes and your credit cards. Keep the one with credit card safe (in your inner pocket of your jacket). So even if you got robbed, you can just throw the one with small changes at the robbers and run. I think it will work… If it works, please let me know: p

#6: Another advice from friend - Act like you being for a long while. Like an expat or student working/studying there.

#7: Be aware of your surrounding. If someone walks too closely beside/behind you (especially if the street is pretty empty), then something is not right. Walk into a shop or slow down to let him/her walk past you or walk into a more crowded street.

#8: Advice from friend – stuff spare cash and important contact details in your shoes. In case you got rob (including your jacket where you keep your second wallet), you still have some cash to head back to hotel and call the embassy or police.

#9: If you need help, approach the locals. An ex-colleague of mine once said this - ”To travel alone is to trust that mankind is naturally kind. You are at their mercy for help”. Well said.

#10: It’s a holiday. You are supposed to be relaxing, reflective and have an enjoyable experience. Don’t let fear of pickpockets; robbers robbed you of your experience and fun of traveling alone. Use a bit of common sense, you should be fine. If you let fear ruin your holidays or worse, stopped you from going, then you have already lost to the criminals.

These are just some pointers I have while I travelled overseas, and if you have any more advices, can share below!

Desmond Yong is the post contributor for this traveling advise. Do like him at his Facebook if you see him around. 
Travel Tips
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Two Day Affair at Kuching - The City of Relaxation

Kuching is the last station for my overseas trip in Borneo before returning to Singapore. We arrived at Kuching International Airport from Bintulu in the late evening and one of our friends picked up us and send us to Pullman Kuching Hotel which was estimated 30-minutes journey away from the airport. Despite being the third largest city in Sarawak, the traffic flow was smooth with minimal vehicles traveling on the road.

We went to Top Spot Food Court which was 5-minutes drive located near Pullman Hotel. It is a seafood centre that is located above a 6-storey carpark with magnificent view. Seafood stalls are neatly arranged in an L-shaped and hundred of tables and chairs filled up the enormous land space for selection of your own. Fresh vegetables and seafood are lined up on stall front and customer are free to select their favourite food and request for any cooking method to the waitress. The food was good and reasonably priced. Three of us ate a fish, clams, soft shell crab, noodle and vegetables that cost only RM 66 / S$ 25. After a fruitful dinner, it is time to return to the hotel for a good night rest.

Bukit Mata Seafood 25 Sdn. Bhd (猫眼嶺海鲜25有限公司)
Taman Kereta Top Spot Food Court
Kuching, Sarawak
Tel: +60 (12) 8099522 / +60 (19) 8899838 / +60 (19) 8891266


It was a  hectic second day while we visit few clients in Kuching around the industrial before coming back to the city centre. Even so, due to the smooth traffic in Kuching, we waste no time getting caught in traffic jams which we often have in Singapore, but managed to spend more time with the customer. One noticeable thing about Kuching was the human and vehicle crowd during the noon. It is amazing that you hardly see anyone walking on the streets ! You can see from the photos I have taken when I returned to our hotel in the noon, the streets are empty.


One of the scenery I loved is the Sungai Santubong river that runs through and meanders around the city. It is especially beautiful during the night.


Kuching has not undergone major development in recent years while the overall population is only around 325,000 people. Though it resemblance Singapore in the early 1950s-1960s, the slow-paced city is a good location for retirement. Time to packed my stuff and back to Singapore, the bustling city.

My girlfriend has mentioned before that Borneo is one of the top places she yearns to pay a visit and hopefully she settle down as a property agent and the dream will be realized soon. 
Travel Malaysia Kuching
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