Giving Birth

Just read today's Mind Your Body's article about C sections. The main gist of the article is that more women are opting for regional anaesthesia instead of general anaesthesia in C sections because the former is a safer option, with lesser health risks. As usual, the more I read, the more worried I become. Haha... I always get jittery.Hahha.... Since a long long time ago, I used to tell my mom that I would opt for a C section and not a natural delivery because I would rather fall asleep and wake up to the cries of a beautiful child in my arms... yelling and screaming and pushing to make way for the child sounds like a horrible sight to me. I am always so amazed at how my mom could deliver 6 children naturally... indeed, it is impressive! People from the olden days seem to have a higher threshold for pain! hahah... I am a scaredy cat, afraid of this and that... mommy asks me to adopt a child instead! Haha... so that I do not haf to go through all the birth pains.... But adoption isnt exactly the same as having your own child... it will feel different. That article talked about the risks of general anaesthesia that I had not known, such as choking on your own saliva because the induced sedative state meant that one's muscles would relax and one's tongue would fall back and this might be serious because the limpness in tongue might block the airways, hindering one's breathing. The natural reflex of coughing to clear the airway is also impaired during general anaesthesia. Wow... i didnt know that it can be that dangerous to undergo general anaesthesia. Well, so much for my ignorance. Always think that it's sth easy and safe, that involves only an injection and waking up to consciousness moments later. Perhaps that's why more women want to go for regional anaesthesia instead. It sounds scary to me too... haha... well, I am afraid of everything! Imagine yourself being aware of what is going on... the surgeons holding on to the knives and shapels, waiting to cut you up... hearing the clinks and clangs of the surgical instruments.... looking at the bloodied mess... miraculously not experiencing pain while u witness the process. Oh no, all these sound so so frightening to me! Now I know why less women want to give birth.... hahah...
Having second thoughts!

Abuse of Domestic Workers

Disturbed by the latest episode of In Cold Blood, a docu-drama series about how ordinary people could commit extreme and inhumane acts. I think I should limit myself to watching less of similar genres.... haha.. it's making me having nightmares... In Cold Blood, Confessions of a Crime, and now Unnatural ( its preview on the tv at sgh accidentally caught my eye...). The latest episode was about this cruel abuse of a domestic worker who was accused of stealing, by the family of 4. Their ways of abusing ranged from dripping wax on her, scalding her with boiling water, kicking and punching, and the most extreme form of abuse ( pulling out the maid's two front teeth). Those images kept on replaying in my mind.... oh no! I need to neutralise it with happy images! What was puzzling was that things still kept on disappearing in the house although the maid said it wasnt done by her. I believe her innocence though, since there was no point in lying as it wouldnt do her good. Perhaps it was the aunt's doing... And what was infuriating about this case was that the crazy family merely received imprisonment ranging from 6 weeks to 2.5 years! In my opinion, they should be sentenced to at least 5 years leh and be banned from hiring maids! For causing so much emotional and psychological hurt to the maid. Even though the maid has since replaced her front teeth, she still gets reminded of the traumatic event whenever she touches her teeth. According to her, it was 2 months of living hell and she is one of the few lucky ones to be able to escape. Towards the end of the episode was an interview with this fellow, who shed light on how domestic workers can seek help when they are being abused. He said it in a matter-of-fact manner, implying that domestic workers do not know that they can seek help and where to seek help... after that he listed down the helplines n blah blah.. Please la. Be more realistic. If you are the one being abused, and all your actions are being closely monitored, u think u can haf the chance to dial the hotline and call for help? Be thankful that u are not being locked up or tied up and have your movements restricted. This reminds me of Zimbardo's prison experiment on obedience.... Perhaps the family in question had assumed their roles and reminded themselves of the difference in superiority. Thus they treated the maid like dirt and abused her repeatedly... to show her who is with power. It's kind of scary...to learn that such forms of maltreatment are prevalent, even in this developed society.

So what have I learnt from this? Not to hire maids.. haha... You never know who you will become when you are armed with the authority and are constantly being reminded of the status difference... I hope all those maids who are still being abused would be able to escape, n move on to a caring family..
                   

Best Xmas Gift!

It was my best results so far! Gotten my first ever A plus and A during my 4-year stay in NTU. Thanks thanks thanks! I am so so contented :) Nothing more I can ask for! I was kind of surprised at my results as I was literally dragging myself to the exam hall... sitting through exams with panic attacks and a queasy stomach. And the wisest decision that I have made in year 2011 was to SU my forensic science! Yeah! I am so happy right now, can smile to sleep.... cant stop staring at results page....

Blowing bubbles

Caught this on a tv segment in which this bubble magician was able to enclose an adult in a bubble! It is indeed a beautiful sight that was created by something so simple... yet it is no easy feat. I was "wowing" during that 5 min act that seemed to last forever! Couldnt take my eyes off during the whole act. It was indeed breathtaking and miraculous. I was especially captivated by the part in which the magician "sliced" this humongous bubble into miniature bubbles, yet not bursting any! They should haf such performances in Singapore... I wouldnt hesitate to watch it (provided that I haf the $$$ haha)

Bubbles.... they appeal to almost all kids and adults :) Correction, perhaps to all females, who have a penchant for such stuff! Haha...Something so wondrous! Okay time to get my hands on those conventional bubble blowing kits! Have some fun blowing bubbles!     

Vegetable Farm Visit

Went to explore a vegetable farm located in Sembawang with elder sis, brother in law, mommy and daddy. I love these trips as they bring back fond memories of the past. My parents and sisters all grew up in a village and they cultivated crops and reared poultry themselves. I wasnt part of those memories as I was born when we shifted house to a HDB flat. So I kind of missed out on those. However, I could still vividly remember making trips to the village in my father's lorry when I was still a little kid. I could still remember my aunt brewing chrysanthemun tea for me and always happy to receive us. Brings back smiles to my face :) I guess those times were just simple, carefree, relaxed. My dad always says that when they were living in the village, diseases, cancers and other terminal illnesses were unheard of, or rare. However ever since they moved to a HDB flat, such illnesses became very prevalent and lots of people are dying from them. He blamed it on the newater haha... I guess he still longed to be back in the village, where everyone stay close knitted to one another and helped each other out necessarily. In my flat, sad to say, sometimes i dun even get to talk to my neighbours. Much less to help them out. That's why my parents always like to talk about these stories. Those are their common shared experiences.

Okay enough of grand mother stories. Walk through with me to the vegetable farm!

Water hyacinths! I still remember them from my primary 4 science!

 
     

      Cactus! Jessilyn once gave me one that looked like mickey mouse!

                                                 Bitter gourd

      This almost looks like a real dog isnt it? Fooled daddy. haha

                                                  Lime plant

         Sunflowers. A pity they are fake... It would be nice to grow them!

                  Chili padi. I havent seen these before...

                                             Gigantic pea pods   

                                 Love these little "huts"

        Daddy and me : D Took a rest as his legs were aching

           The succulent lobster meat, from the lobster porridge we ate for lunch. Parents were so happy to have them for lunch. Haha... The only chance in which they get to eat that would be during wedding feasts and the serving is usually small. Unlike this, really generous! But the price isnt cheap though...
Daddy has been obedient for this whole period, monitoring his sugar level and eating healthier than before, so i guess such indulgence is reasonable once in a while.

Verdict: I think we should have such trips more often, more importantly, as a family. Cuz most of the time I am the only one tagging along. Other sisters do not really like such stuff. But the more the merrier isnt it? And it's some quality family time spent :) Big sis says next outing is the science centre's dino exhibition. I cant wait! Haf been wanting to go for that for quite some time, but frens say I am lame... Looking forward to it!  

The camera is the best invention, in my opinion. Look at all these beautiful pictures that it can capture!

Early Xmas gift for myself

Xmas is coming! Counting down the days... My Dec Schedule is already packed.

4 Dec: Baking session 1

8 Dec: Meet up with Li Hui

9 Dec: Baking session 2

10 Dec: Family day at 3M

11 Dec: V's birthday

12 Dec: Mindef written test

15 Dec: Mindef written test

16 Dec: Check up at SGH

18 Dec: Meet up with Kania n Rong

22 Dec: Meet up with psy girls

23 Dec: Xmas celebration with louisa and gang

24 Dec: Xmas celebration with family

25 Dec: Xmas celebration with V

31 Dec to 3 Jan: New Year celebration at Macau

The remaining days not mentioned: FYP! 

Anyway I decided to reward myself for being hardworking for my exams (though the results are not out yet,

hope my efforts are paid off!) Decided to get this epilator for myself. Look forward to having silky smooth legs to welcome the Xmas and new year... No more stings from shaving and no more in grown hair! Haha...

Originally priced at $89, the price is now lowered to $66. Shall go down to tangs someday to make the purchase :) something to make me happy while still being sick. I predict I will get well by next week!  

Philips Satinelle Soft.



Mixed feelings

Exams are finally over! It signifies the end of the semester again. Mixed feelings. One more semester and that marks the end of my undergraduate term in NTU. Stepping to the workforce seems so near and yet so far. Filled with feelings of apprehension and curiosity at the same time. Meeting up with frens wouldnt be the same again once you are a working adult. As an introvert, socialising has been one difficult task that never fails to torment me. Haha. I make it sound so bad... It isnt that bad actually. Just that sometimes I just wish to please people too much. And I fear rejections. Since young, making friends on the first day of school always freaks me out, and the older I get, the worse it becomes. When I was younger, there were far less restrictions, I just go all out to do things without thinking of consequences. As you mature cognitively, you will think twice before saying things, ponder as to what choices to make. You arent that spontaneous as before. Haha... I guess it's because you come to realise that not everyone are nice and smiley to u. Sometimes I find this kind of sad.... being a kid seems more carefree and you treat everyone sincerely and genuinely. Kind of longing to be a child again... although it's impossible. I am too old at heart! That's why teachers always leave this comment in my report book: Yanshuang is a mature, responsible student who strives for excellence. Haha...

I like constancy and stability, apprehensive about novelty and risks. Too bad, changes are happening at almost every instant. Saddness looming in the air... yingjia has influenced me again. She always says that we should cherish every moment together as time is running out... things are going to be the same again once we are all working. No more stressing over reports, tests, exams, chit chatting during lessons, ogling at handsome guys.. (not that ntu has plenty!) It just sounds kind of sad. Brings back fond memories of the first day we met, as strangers during the orientation. Somehow I kind of wish that we can study for a few more years..... (not that i dun wish to graduate! choy!) Just that I wish to prolong all these moments. Okay, I shall enjoy my last school semester with my girls! And my guy as well.... Love of all of them!

Xmas is coming! Something to look forward to. I love the xmas lights and xmas trees. Time for pictures!    

Elated

Life has never been better than this! It is ironic to make this statement while I am cramming for exams. But still, take a breather and think of the happy things! All the best for all who are mugging hard.

P.S Tried out the Kotex Luxe sanitary pads that was given as a free sample! It's really an artpiece. Floral motifs imprinted on the surface. Took a while to admire them.BUT, it's not very practical. I mean I wouldnt usually look at my pad for more than a few seconds. Hence, I wouldn be bothered with aesthetic concerns. I wouldnt pay more just for that. Functionality supercedes physical appearance. Nonetheless, it still deserves a mention here as the prints are really nice. Haha. I'll still stick to my usual Laurier Superslim Guard. So slim that it feels as if it's barely there!

Heat Rash

Just had heat rashes and hour ago and they are slowly subsiding...It's not hives, according to my search on google.. Hives are triggered by food allergies, while heat rashes occur because of an increase in body temperature, usually associated with dehydration of the body. Small itchy bumps were all over my body and face. I wonder how long it takes to fully subside. I had it at 7pm while I was on my way back home after my jog... and I felt this unbearable itchiness. I felt it on my neck first. Two swollen patches. Then I got it on my thigh, arms, body. When I reached my lift lobby, I felt that my face was swollen and it felt tightened. Sister got a shock when she saw me. She said my face appeared twice as big. (but i bet she was exaggerating! It was swollen, but not to that extent.) The series of events that happened next were pretty chaotic. Mom was screaming at me, lecturing me cuz she told me not go a jog since I wasnt feeling that well at first. (FYI, I was having a slight flu n experienced heatiness, so i figured out that by doing some exercise, I can expel the heat that's trapped in my body, who knows that it will lead to this?) Mom then tried to made me apply some alcohol on my body( rice wine i think. Old wives' tale). Dad then yelled at her and asked her not to give me anything to aggravate the situation. The screaming continued and ended with a quarrel between the two of them. Now they are not on talking terms,again! I can understand that as both of them are too concerned over me. I am the apple of my dad's eye okay! Thus, he wouldnt want anything to happen to me. Only yanfen n aitee were pretty calm. The rest were making the situation worse, they were telling me how swollen my face was and how scary it was. Hence, these were not something supportive that a patient want to hear... Made me more scared. Aitee asked me to cool down and to refrain from scratching. And she asked everyone to stay calm. At least that's a kind of assurance that I'll be fine and I greatly appreciate it.

It was damn itchy! But I tried my best not to scratch as I didnt want to leave any scars behind.It isnt the first time that I had heat rashes, but it's the first time that I had it on my face! That was why I was really scared at that point of time. Being scared and feeling itchy all over wasnt the best combination ever, coupled with a family who was panicking. They made me feel as if it was fatal and I would suffer from negative consequences if i didnt seek medical help immediately. It's 9.25 pm now and my rashes are 90 % gone... cant believe it took so long! Bottom line is, the remedy to heat rashes are to cool down the body, by fans, or by drinking lots of water. In conclusion, this was a big ordeal that I went through... haha, and once again, my family showed that they cant handle such situations well. They need to stay calm. Okay, time for me to drink water again... been going to the loo for countless of times!

Youngsters Nowadays

The youths today are seriously getting from bad to worse....and this is no sweeping statement made. Chanced upon this article which reported about this girl who stole her parents' money to buy a LV bag. That's not all. She bragged about her prized possessions online. No sense of guilt, remorse at all. Just few days later, another teen boasted about slapping her mom to online netizens. Seriously, what are they trying to prove? It grossed me out to know that these are the future generations that will serve our nation...I am appalled and disgusted by their irrational, child-like behaviours. Perhaps they will outgrow this phase, the rebellious phase. I was once a rebellious kid, always arguing with parents, lying to them, but I am absolutely sure that I wasnt that extreme as kids nowadays. Children nowadays are bolder, less fearless of consequences and are more creative in devising schemes. It's time that their parents take these matters in their hands. Lecture them, cane them, or do whatever that will make them come to their senses. The rise of technology is doing more harm than good, in my opinion. Since these teens used the internet as an avenue to "showcase" themselves. Let's hope that one day they will realise that their actions are so immature that they are deemed as ridiculous. This may be the very reason why I dont think I will have a kid in future (although it's too early to say). Imagine your kid blaspheming you on online portal, screaming vulgarities on the streets, sniffing glue in a corner, engaging in all sorts of antisocial behavior, while you slogged your lives out at work just to provide a good life for them. It's plainly ironic.

The Importance of a Male Figure

Dad has just gotten discharged from the hospital. Home sweet home... These few days without dad around were pretty chaotic. haha... Yesterday I only remembered to wash the second load of clothes at 230 am... Mom did not remind me. Dad will go nuts if he realise that. I came to understand that we are too reliant on dad. He wakes us up in the morning, does the laundry, washes the dishes, buys papers, sweeps the floor. Practically everything. He has so many responsibilities back at home. This explains why he always feels tensed and uptight. On the other hand, mom does not seem to care much... and she's more relaxed. I think this is what is termed as gender crossover and it is evident in my family esp when both of them are in the stages of andropause and menopause. We always tell him not to get worried and uptight about the clothes.... but to no avail. He stays at home when it's going to rain so that he can immediately keep the clothes in. He has this obsession with clothes. We once nagged him about it and he got really upset and flared up. for me, i think it's okay even if the clothes are drenched... we haf so many sets of clothes so it doesnt really matter. Mom views it the same way as I do. During these few days, I sort of assumed the "fatherly" figure at home...and taking over his responsibilities haha... being jolted up awake suddenly to look at the clock, afraid that my sis will not wake up for work.... It's really kind of stressful. Somehow I can understand the stress that he has to go through daily... his whole day is fully packed with events... waking his daughters up, buying papers, hanging clothes out to dry, washing the cups and dishes, sweeping the floor. Only at around 9 pm can he get a breather. No wonder he is always tired. Tried to tell him to do things slowly at his own pace, but he just wouldn listen.... I guess that's just him. His priorities. I have told my sisters that we should learn to wake up ourselves so that dad can sleep in n not get so tensed..... It's time that we learn to b more responsible....n grow up...

I am happy today... lots of happy things happened :) Exhilarated.

A Cry in the Night

I just heard cries of help a few minutes ago.... It was so loud that I was distracted from my work. It sounded like some kind of family abuse. I vaguely heard a female voice, pleading for the beating to stop. The shrieking was creepily scary. It sent shudders down my spine. It sounded as if a father was beating up a child with certain tools... not the sound of usual caning. Sounded more like flinging whatever that came in handy at that point of time, furniture, chairs, whatever. I am deeply shocked. My imagination is running wild... badly abused child with bruises all over, mom in the background crying for help while the dad, who was drunk, continues with the abuse. I guess I have watched too many dramas... Perhaps the child committed a grave mistake that deserved punishment and this beating is just a once off occurrence. I am still pretty shaken though... the cries of help were scary... Hope the child is fine.

Shall listen to some relaxing pieces of music to calm my nerves down...

Completed merely 1/3 of my architecture slides with the help of my fren's slides as a reference. Still pretty confused over the terms construction systems and structural systems. So many things to do, so little time! Was too lazy during the past few days. Doing nothing except watching tv, shopping and doing my cs100 notes for like just a mere couple of hours per day. 1 day has 24 hours! Must fully utilize them. Cant feel the sense of urgency yet, perhaps because the deadlines are not that near. Recess week is coming, but that's when all the business starts! Here's a tentative schedule that I have planned. Hope I will STRICTLY adhere to it.

25 September: Forensic research in lib + b-day celebration
26 September: Architecture class as per usual + fyp research
27 September: Mindef talk at hiltons + research for forensic psy + detailed fyp outline
28 September: Finalize architecture slides + research for forensic psy
29 September: Forensic psy field trip and outing with girls
30 September: Forensic psy report + study for cs100 quiz
1 Oct: Forensic psy report + study for cs100 quiz
2 Oct: Study for cs100 quiz and forensic sci quiz

AHH!! Seems like there are so many things to do! 1 week is not enuff... panic! Okay... stay calm yanshuang. No more procrastination.

Side track a bit.... went to H n M on sat... it was really packed! Lunch hour madness. Queued a while for the fitting room (like 10 mins?) In the end I did not buy anything cuz the queue to pay was too long... simply not worth my time queuing just to buy 2 items. But i bought stuff elsewhere! A green cardigan :) My favourite colour. Hahah... Call me silly but I always wish that I can have cardigans of all the different colours..

Mad for Garlic

Here to recommend an eating place! Mad for Garlic! Explore the goodness of garlic in there. Definitely a must go for a garlic lover like me :) Rate it 4/5 stars... Been there like 5 times up till now. Ambience is good, but can be a little noisy when the crowd settles in. No reservation is needed, but if u want good seats, better do so? Went there to celebrate my cousin's birthday a month ago and it's still as good as ever.

The infamous calzone pizza that I will never fail to get.

Cousin getting ready to eat... haha

Other food recommendations: garlic snowing pizza, seafood cream risotto.
Do not try: dracula killer (it's just dipping bread wrapped with a clove of garlic soaked in olive oil. pretty messy and oily)

The End.

Fyp in Progress

Current mood: Excited and motivated

Guess what? I just requested this journal article about change blindness from levin lab! And it was really great that they emailed me the article. Cuz usually these websites would just ignore such requests. All excited and geared up about finding the resources that are needed for writing the 40 page report. Finally I can see some drive and motivation in me :) I guess working on something big individually does really requires some serious self-discipline. It's the wee hours in the morning... and I am happily reading my article on change blindness. Rare!

Beautiful Bali

Everytime I go on an overseas trip, I become more appreciative of Singapore. This time around, it's the same. I am proud of Singapore's CIA, the efficiency of the customs and the helpfulness of the airport staff. Had a short stay at Bali (4 days 3 nite)and although the duration was short, it was a memorable experience (minus the part abt me falling sick during the whole trip and using up to 8 packets of tissue per day). Our driver is really nice, though he did not speak much English. He's humble and polite, at the same time attentive to our needs. He stops the car whenever we asked him to and even added in more activities to our itinerary. Anyway I nv know that itinerary is spelt this way! All this while i always spell it as itinery. Until I was involved in the planning of the itinerary, then i learnt of the correct spelling. HAHA. Laughs. So ironic. For someone who is extremely particular about spelling.

Took this photo with this humongous bear from Harrods from terminal 1! So cute :)

Here's a run through of what went on during the 4D3N. We reached our resort at around 830 pm during the first nite. Hence there was nth much to do. Here's a look at our rooms.

Had to squeeze in that queen size bed with 2 of my other sis..on day 1. while the other 2 took the individual beds! For the rest of the days, I was allowed to sleep on the individual bed as I was sick! Finally some benefits of being sick.

Went to this minimart to get our dinner. Had Magnum ice cream for dinner on the first nite :) cuz it's darn cheap! It's only 10 000 rp (close to $1 plus sing)And guess what i spotted in the minimart! Yes! It's soyjoy but in strawberry flavour! We dun haf that flavour here in Singapore. I am a crazed fan of soy joy :)

!

The 10 000 rp Magnum!
After that my sis and I went for a swim in the pool near our room. Correction: My sis went for a swim. I was just playing with the water. It was a little steep though and the lighting wasnt good. So she swam for a while and came up. Here's us in our bath robes!

A look at the pool. Dark isnt it?

Day 2 started off with breakfast at flapjaks restaurant that is located in the resort.

My breakfast! Loved the crispy thick waffles.

The satellite dish at our resort.

The poolside during the day.
Here's our nice driver, waiting for us patiently while we were 10 mins late. His car is a new Subaru car I think? 7 seater.

Along our way to the first stop, I managed to take some nice photos of the shops nearby. Most were selling sculptures, statutes, buddha statutes. The handicraft is impressive. But I wonder what is their target group. Most Balinese are from low income families and I dun think they would want to purchase such luxury items to decorate their houses. Perhaps it's to attract tourists like us.. to buy and ship it home? Wild guesses.

Our first stop is to this place with this cultural Balinese dance. It's more of a play than a dance. Has a storyline but I could hardly understand as it was conducted in malay language.

This part was kind of r-rated (notice this thing sticking out)... Not suitable for kids. Most of the caucasians around me were laughing.. and their inquisitive kids bugging them for the explanation. Had us laughing for a while. Haha..

Yanfen and I with frangipanis sticking in our hair. Beautiful isnt it?

Next stop is Ubud monkey sanctuary. The monkeys were all around us! Ten times more monkeys than u can see in bukit timah! haha.. Captured some nice shots. One of the monkeys were trying to search for fleas on the other's body. So sweet!

Then we went to the Ubud art market where I bought my straw bag! It's really a heaven for me. I m obsessed with straw bags! Can add on to my current collection.

Had lunch at this Ibu Oka Babi Guling (suckling pig). It's not my type of food.. for this pork hater.. But it's this recommended food to try according to lonely planet. Hmmm guess it's subjective. In the end i ate this plate of vegetables together with rice. BuT! the veg isnt nice as well. They included coconut in it. Weird taste..

This is the plate of vegetables. Totally not appetizing.

The suckling pig dish my sis had.

After lunch we went to take a look at some rice terraces. Not the most magnificent one but still worth a look, according to our driver. Rice cultivation is another means of survival over there in Bali, apart from relying on the tourism industry as a source of income. This explains why entrance fees are required everywhere. Even when we visited the rice terraces.

Chanced upon these cute pinocchio puppets in the shops along the rice terraces. Wanted to buy them on impulse. Luckily I didnt. haha..

Next stop was to this place where we had a clear view of Mount Batur and Mount Agung. The air was icy cold up there, couldn help but shudder esp when I was still having a bad flu. It was real scenic. Magnificent and breath-taking. Cant get to see that in Singapore.

Sisters unite! Haha. I hope we dun look alike....

After that we went to see this coffee plantation and I am proud to say that I tried the infamous coffee luwak! The most expensive coffee in the world. Hmmm but taste wise, I think it's just a stronger version of kopi-o. Cant really taste the goodness in it. Perhaps it's overrated after all?

The luwak itself! So cute :)

Chanced upon different types of coffee. What amuses me was the male and female coffee. The coffee in the pot is the expensive coffee luwak.

Following this was a 2 hour drive to our dinner place... at Jimbaran. Jimbaran is famous for their seafood. The ambience is really good. The restaurant itself was situated near the beach. It was nice to hear the sound of the sea waves. (all the while my sis was freaking me out with the tsunami scare though...)The price of the food was not very ex too. Average 20 sing bucks per person. Try it next time if u happen to go to bali.

Right after dinner, we went back to the resort while we rested till 1 am. Met the driver at 230 am. The sky was pitch dark... the wee hours.. All because we were on our way to see the dolphins, in this place called Lovina and the journey there was very long. A total of 3 hours. The roads were pretty unstable as it was bumpy and I didn dare to catch a wink as I was worried of our safety. Esp when the driver wasnt well rested as well. Wonder how my sisters manage to sleep so soundly during the ride. I kept vigilant throughout.. esp through the winding, mountainous area. We reached our destination at 5 am but the dolphin watching thing hasnt started yet. Had to wait till 6 am as that was the operating hours. Captured some nice shots during the wait.

Finally it's 6am. And we set off to watch the dolphins! First we had to get on board this seemingly unstable looking motorised boat. Haha.. and there were no life jackets provided.So as usual, I was freaked out esp when I cant swim. No wonder we haf to sign this declaration form on accidents.. Haha... nonetheless,it was a great experience to be able to get so close to the dolphins. Couldn capture many shots of the dolphins as they can just appear unknowingly and unexpectedly...The boat ride was 1.5 hrs and all of us except for yanni went for it as she gets seasick easily. Cant rmb the cost. Should be around 40 or 50 bucks sing... The sunrise was mesmerizing as well. My first time catching such a beautiful sunrise!

After this we went to take a look at the Gigit Waterfall, the tallest waterfall in bali (but again how many waterfalls do bali haf? HAHA).

Our next stop is to a temple. We didnt manage to enter the temple as there were prayer sessions in progress. Hence we merely toured around the area.
I like this tree a lot, esp its roots. It's very beautiful.

They haf nice trees in bali, dun they?

After which we went to see the magnificent Jatiluwih rice terraces. A must- see! It's the biggest rice terrace in bali. And there's really a wow-factor. The farmers must have put in lots of time into maintaining the terraces and cultivating the rice crops.

Visited another temple known as the Tanah Lot Sea Temple. As it was built near the sea,the temple was only accessible during low tide. Though it was out of bounds to tourists, it was still a pretty sight. I saw many young kids peddling stuff such as souvenirs, postcards etc. It saddens me to see that they are doing that as a means of survival even at a young age. In addition, most of them were barefoot. It's dangerous to walk on the rocky beaches where there might be pieces of glass and other hidden hazards. My sis bought a couple of cards from them and I believe that's for a good cause.

End of Day 3. A day filled with excitement, fear and unexpected surprises. Haha.

The activities for Day 4 were short and sweet as we had to rush to the airport by 6 pm. The day started off with horse-riding! Something that i looked forward to because it's horse-riding on the beach! No way will I get the chance to do that back in Singapore. Hahaa..It's 65 Usd for 1.5 hours. Totally worth it. A must do! During the drive to the destination, something catches my eye. Yes. Peddlers can just go up to your car to sell stuff! Stuff such as papers, food, accessories etc. It's amazing because they do that despite the heavy traffic. And it's kind of dangerous as well. They have to be very alert. Cars, motorcycles are everywhere.

Reached the horse riding venue! Excited and exhilarated at the same time :)
There were many horses in the stable.

Getting ready.... love this pic as it appears as if my legs are slimmer. haha... praise for the photographer

Fully equipped! Mounting up the horse....

Yeah! Successfully mounted on the horse. Look at how happy I was!

Hungry! Let me eat...

Notice that my guide did not hold on to the reins of the horse...unlike my sisters' guides..Both pros and cons for that. He did taught me how to navigate. But in the end I still crashed into a tree. The horse kind of went nuts during high tide and it just rushed to the trees nearby. As the tree branch was too low, it was inevitable that I crashed into it.

Hahaa.. a good thing that only my arm was injured and i managed to stay on the horse. When my guide noticed what had happened, he then dashed to find me.. He was a couple of metres in front, chatting with the other guides. Anyway we still paid them handsomely as it was really a good experience. I enjoyed it when the horse galloped! It was thrilling and u had to really hold on to the reins tightly. Wouldn mind doing this again next time when I go to Bali for a second time.

The guide (eric) who made me crash.. haha

The best driver in Bali! find him if u are going to bali next time.

Home sweet home finally! On board flight klm08375. The air stewardess were polite and tended to my needs quickly. Overall, I am satisfied with their service.
Camwhoring session again :)

In short, Bali is AWESOME! I will definitely go back there someday!