Although I feel that it’s improbable for other people to be as careless as me…may I kindly remind you to be careful while opening your car’s door.

Please, don’t be like me, who accidentally opened the door with the tip of my nail.

Result?

November 2009 - Broken Nail

Broken

Yeah it’s broken quite deep. It exposes the skin below the nails, it bleeds. At the moment it’s ugly yellowy-brown colored  due to the disinfectant I applied. And I can’t remove the nail art either. Don’t want to imagine what will that sharp nail polish remover does the the wound.

It’s positive that I won’t be doing nail art in the near future either. Not until the thumb nail grows into a decent length :P

The Body Shop Mango Body Butter

The Body Shop Mango Body Butter

From www.thebodyshop-usa.com:
The original Body Butter!

Best if you want to: Pamper your skin with a rich, deliciously mango-scented cream that softens and moisturizes for up to 24 hours.

Best for: very dry skin

How it works:

  • Mango seed oil moisturizes the skin.
  • Community Trade cocoa butter is an excellent moisturizer that melts at body temperature, leaving skin soft and smooth.
  • Sweet almond oil provides essential fatty acids that help to repair skin’s moisture barrier, helping to restore smoothness and suppleness.

 

My Skin Type:
When it comes to body, my skin is dry all over. Very acne prone on the back too.

Packaging:
Wide mouthed plastic tub. Not the most hygienic packaging, but for this kind of product, there’s no way you could pack it up in a tube. It’s just too thick.

Texture:
Thick, but with some slip. Maybe because of the oils and emollient in there.

My General Review:
My first body butter. Expensive, yes; but it smells so good! :D I usually don’t like fruity fragrance, but the sweet smell of this product is not overpowering and is totally alluring to me. The moisturizing power is not disappointing. It may be heavy and greasy to some, but for my dry skin, I can slather this all over my body, and it sinks comfortably.

Of course, being a heavy butter, it does leave some residue. Maybe due to the oil content? But it’s much better than tight skin all over :D Overall, the moisturizing power is slightly above Jergens Ultra Healing.

The only downside (aside from the fragrance, which is delicious but may not be all that good for your skin :( ), is this butter doesn’t contain other skin goodness such as antioxidants. That’s a general problem with butter though…Even if they contain some antioxidants, the jar packaging will not be able to preserve it.

What Else You Need To Know:
Oh, if you’re a cheapskate like me, this product is downright expensive :P I’ve found cheaper alternative though, which I’m gonna share with you soon ;)

Application:
Anytime I feel like slathering this on my skin :D Mostly after bath or prior to bed though.

Availability:
Accessible at all TBS stores nationwide.

Price:
US$20 for 200ml tub.

Ingredients:
Water, Mangifera Indica (Mango) Seed Oil, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Butter, Glycerin, Cyclomethicone, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Lanolin Alcohol, Phenoxyethanol, Fragrance, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Xanthan Gum, Benzyl Alcohol, Disodium EDTA, Hexyl Cinnamal, Linalool, Amyl Cinnamal, Benzyl Benzoate, Limonene, Potassium Hydroxide, Sodium Hydroxide, Citral, Eugenol, Farnesol, Geraniol, Citronellol, Annatto.

Overall Rating:
4 out of 5. It moisturizes very dry skin and the fragrance is soothing. But it’s a bit expensive and it doesn’t contain antioxidants or anything advanced.

Well, something advanced will be rendered useless by the air and light anyway, if it’s put in jar packaging like this.

*This review will be cross posted in www.makeupalley.com under username Crescent_Shadow.

I’m so bummed I can’t take a proper picture of this one, because I love love love the result!

Oriental Black

Oriental Black

ETA: Another pic from my ol’ digicam, 3 days after the painting is done.  Care to find where it has chipped? :P

Anyway, my nails do grow fast, but the gap between the base of the nails to the polish is more noticeable than usual, I think next time the manicurist should paint it closer to the cuticles?

November 2009-2

Nail Gallery's Design

My bro’s gf recommended Nail Gallery for nail painting, but I haven’t had the chance to visit Plaza Indonesia. Luckily, they also have a salon in Mangga Dua! I made this yesterday…I was planning on yellow or maybe orange nails…but there’s a black design that really catch my eyes.  I have always interested in black nails..but always afraid that it’ll be too pronounced/contrast. Turned out black is really fun!

The manicurist was kind and able to adapt the design to my nail’s shape/length/size. Even though she made a couple of mistakes and it need to be wiped off, but the end result is damn pretty. The pink/red flowers on black background gives oriental feel, and there’s a tiny flecks of silver glitters throughout that really give dreamy look to the overall design :D

Unfortunately, Nail Gallery claimed that they have their root on Korea. They also use mostly Korean product: Gionyx and Odyssey Nail System. My base black polish is from Gionyx and it chipped only in a couple of hours! I proceed with house chores and it chipped some more. Blargh!! And I wanted to preserve the design sooo badly :(

Overall, I think I’ll be back, maybe trying out their extension service? :D Or bring your own base polish from your fave brand to ensure it’s more long lasting?

Either way…FYI the manicure+painting fee is IDR110,000 :) Acrylic extension is IDR350,000, while gel extension is priced at IDR370,000.

Jergens Ultra Healing Extra Dry Skin Moisturizer

Jergens Ultra Healing Extra Dry Skin Moisturizer

From www.jergens.com:
Penetrates through 5 layers of skin’s surface to start healing at the source.

Made with Vitamin 3, a blend of C, E, and B5, this lotion penetrates deeply to help heal extra dry skin. This nourishing formula will take even your roughest spots — heels, elbows and knees — from a state of extreme dryness to a state of lasting softness. This fast-absorbing body lotion goes deep beneath skin’s surface to lock in moisture for 24 hours of relief. With continued use, it actually triples skin’s moisture content, healing dryness at the source to prevent its unwelcome return.

My Skin Type:
When it comes to body, my skin is dry all over. Very acne prone on the back too.

Packaging:
I usually buy the huge bottle, it’s equipped with pump for easy usage.

Texture:
Rich lotion, but sinks in easily on my dry skin. May be too sticky for some, but it’s perfect for me :)

My General Review:
My body is dry dry dry! I have ugly dry patch on my hands, legs, and feet. So dry it’s papery and texture-y, like a desert! Usual light, perfume-y lotion won’t do. But they’re all manageable if I use this lotion religiously twice a day! :D

It’s been my go to lotion for a long time already, because it’s moisturizing enough, easily accessible, decently priced, and actually has a bit of antioxidant! :D The moisturizing power may be just tad lower than heavy body butters, so it won’t smooth or plump my skin as well as butters, but it’s okay since this product is more economical yet contains more antioxidant than most good body butters :)

Plus, since my skin is so dry, butters’ effect won’t last that long anyway :D

What Else You Need To Know:
Jergens have other great moisturizers with even more luscious ingredients, like Jergens Natural Ultra Hydrating Daily Moisturizer, but it’s not available in Indonesia! Dang! Will try to get my hands on it though!

Application:
Anytime I feel like slathering this on my skin :D Mostly after bath or prior to bed though.

Availability:
Here in Jakarta you can grab it from supermarkets or drugstores like Carrefour or Watsons. I like to buy it from my local cosmetic shop at Mangga Dua though, it’s cheaper.

Price:
If you get it from Watsons, the big bottle may cost almost IDR100,000? But at Mangga Dua….you can get it at around IDR85,000 if I remember it correctly.

Ingredients:
Water, Glycerin, Cetearyl Alcohol, Petrolatum, Mineral Oil, Ceteareth-20, Aluminum Starch Octenylsuccinate, ASCORBYL PALMITATE*, TOCOPHEROL**, PANTHENOL***, PENTYLENE GLYCOL, LECITHIN, ALCOHOL, Cetyl-PG Hydroxyethyl Palmitamide, Allantoin, Dimethicone, Glyceryl Dilaurate, CYCLOPENTASILOXANE, Stearic Acid, CARBOMER, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Sodium Hydroxide, DMDM Hydantoin, Fragrance.

*Vitamin C Palmitate, **Vitamin E, ***Pro-Vitamin B5

Overall Rating:
5 out of 5. Quite a heavy duty moisturizer with some antioxidants. I’d love to have more antioxidants in there, but I guess I can’t ask for too much, as the price is considerably cheap compared to some other great body moisturizer from other brand :)

*This review will be cross posted in www.makeupalley.com under username Crescent_Shadow.

What can I say? It’s my go-to sushi joint in Jakarta. Yep, it’s a kaiten sushi. Yep, it’s not authentic. So what? I can’t eat authentic ones, I guess. No raw food for me :P All the raw sushi below are for my bf, I only order cooked menu :D

Salmon Sushi

Salmon Sushi

California Roll

California Roll a.k.a The Solitary Sushi

Special Unagi Roll

Special Unagi Roll a.k.a The March Of The Sushi

"Abon" Sushi

"Abon" Sushi a.k.a Not-So-Tasty Sushi

Too bad my fave menu is not snapped. I always order a plate of Salmon Skin Fried there :P

My Beauty Diary Red Wine Sheet Mask

My Beauty Diary Red Wine Sheet Mask

From www.sunnanz.com.sg:
Firms and brightens skin complexion with the addition of anti-oxidant content. Skin becomes glowing, radiant and blood circulation improved.

All skin types, esp for dull looking and unfirm skin.

My Skin Type:
Ranging from very dry to normal/dry. Generally dehydrated, very sensitive.

Packaging:
A box of MBD Bulgarian Rose Mask contains 10 individually packaged sheet mask. I think the packaging is beautiful, albeit not eco-friendly. I wish they can stuck several masks into 1 box…like they did with Kose Clearn Turn sheet masks, without sacrificing the amount of essence in each mask.

BTW I see that Watsons Singapore carries MBD masks with different box now. Has the packaging been redesigned?

Texture:
The sheet is nice, not too thin. The cut is too wide, but is still workable. Amount of lotion in each sheet is not stated.It’s quite richly saturated in gel/lotion essence, but it’s not drippy. I can wear this while sitting without it being uncomfortable. After I removed the mask, the remaining lotion sinks in easily, leaving skin soft without sticky residue.

My General Review:
I first tried this when I have dry to very dry skin, and I was not impressed. It didn’t plump up my skin. No brightening effect to be seen either. I can’t really accept it, since this mask is actually is one of the ‘cleanest’ of MBD mask. The ingredients are yummy. It contains moisturizer, antioxidants, skin calmer with no irritants! Well…except for the fragrance; but I’ll live with that. Good news is, recently my skin is more normal than before, so I guess it’s time to give it another chance!

Even though it’s is already more normal, but due to 3-weeks of intense overtime work, it’s dehydrated on the surface yet still able to produce some oil. It’s very dull. Random acne and bumps here and there too. Bottomline; it was very unsightly.

So I did this mask nightly. After the first use, I see that my skin is more moisturized and less dull in the morning. After the third use, my skin is definitely plumped, hydrated, and is smoother. It’s not super bright, but the it’s definitely improving my skin’s overall translucency. It didn’t cause acne, but it didn’t heal the sporadic bumps. That’s not to expect from a moisturizing mask anyway.

What Else You Need To Know:
Other than this Red Wine variant, other MBD masks that have rather clean ingredients includes the Camellia Sheet Mask and Platinum Nanocolloid Sheet Mask. I’m partial to ingredients in the Mixed Berry Sheet Mask, and I’m waiting to see the ingredient list of White Peony Tea Sheet Mask. White Peony Tea Sheet Mask is not drenched in major irritants….but it doesn’t contain as much goodness as the MBD Red Wine or Camellia or Platinum.

Yeah, I’m a sheet mask freak of nature.

Application:
I use the mask after cleansing and toning my face. Leave it on until I feel most the essence is already soaked in, the take it off and wait until all remaining juice in my face get absorbed. It may be sticky for a while, but no worries. Once it’s soaked in, it’s all good and you’re left with soft, glowy skin. All I need is to top it off with an antioxidant serum and a light moisturizer.

Price:
I bought it at SGD1.30 per piece at Sunnanz, shipping and handling included. That works to around IDR10,000 each. Not bad.

Availability:
Not available in Indonesia, except via pre-orders. I usually buy this from sunnanz in Singapore, but now it’s also available at Watsons Singapore.

Ingredients:
Purified water, Propylene Glycol, 1,3-Butylene Glycol, Glycerine, Aloe, Arnica, Vitis Vinifera, Green Tea, Grapefruit, Hyaluronic Acid, Mucopolysaccharides, Yeast Complex, Albumin, Chamomile, Licorice, Nanospheres, Squalane, Watercress, Vitamin E Acetate, Bio-Active Silicones, Carbomer, Triethanolamine, Sodium Hydroxide, Xanthan Gum, Citric Acid, Butyl Paraben, Ethyl Paraben, Propyl Paraben, Methyl Paraben, Dimethicone, Tween 20, Lactamide, Fragrance.

Overall Rating:
5 out of 5. Moisturizing ability is apparent for normal/dry skin, resulting in smooth, plump, slightly brighter skin. If you have dryer skin though, I recommend you to try MBD Natto Sheet Mask instead.

*This review will be cross posted in www.makeupalley.com under username Crescent_Shadow.

L'egere White Multi BB Cream

L'egere White Multi BB Cream

Product Description:

ALL IN ONE FUNCTIONS
- sun protect + makeup base + skin cover + foundations for 24hrs

WHITENING & SKIN CARE FORMULA
- Acts effectively on irritated skin, concealing dermal blemish and helps skin rejuvenation with innovative active ingredient
- Blocking te penetration of UV rays and other harmful factors
- This silicon-based formula defines a natural, long lasting complexion with gentle calming effects of natual, plant derived soothing particles not only on oily and sensitive skin, but also on irritated skin following peel care

Good For:
- Skin that needs protection, irritated skin by peeling and laser procedures, sensitive and troubled skin

Applications:
- After following the daily skin routine, apply generously on face & sensitive area
- For skin protection and natural looking coverage
- Lightly pat a small amount of product over entire face in the final stage of basic skin toning

My Skin Type:
Actually very oily, but surpressed with BHA exfoliator. Results in generally ranging from very dry to normal/dry skin. Generally dehydrated, very sensitive, and acne prone.

My Skin Tone:
Some said I have very fair, Casper-ish complexion. Frankly speaking, that’s what you see in my FOTDs, but I personally think I look (much) darker in person than in those photos. Still, yes, I’m quite fair.

Bottomline: my skintone range is lighter than MAC NC/NW15 to NC/NW20.

I have neutral cool undertone.

Packaging:
Easy to transport, hygienic tube.

Color Selection:
Only a color available. I personally think it’ll best match NC20 to NC30.

Texture:
Light and pleasant. It’s not thick or balmy. It’s rather thin with a good amount of slip.

Coverage:
Sheer! It’ll just even out your skin tone.

Blendability:
Good! It blends effortlessly without caking up.

Finish:
Glowy.

Oil Control/Lasting Power:
I have rather dry skin so I don’t really know its oil control. I don’t have problem with its lasting power either.

My General Review:
Fuzkittie have this on her high regard, so I need to try it :D The color is scary mud looking, of course, but I still have my hopes up since it works for Fuz. But not for me, apparently! :( It’s clearly too dark for me, as I was testing this when I’m on my fairer side. I personally think it’ll be best for NC20 and above ladies.

Everything else about it is great though. The texture is very nice and is rather thin. Very easy to blend. Sheer coverage only, so don’t expect it’ll cover up your major skin woes.

Unfortunately, due to the bad color match problem, I can’t try this out quite long to test if it really have a healing properties. But at least, I think despite the claim, this product doesn’t contain any sun protection ability. No UV filter written anywhere in the ingredient list, no SPF rating either.

What Else You Need To Know:
Fuz compares this product with BRTC Whitening/Wrinkle Repair BB Cream, which I’ve also tested but haven’t write review of. Just know that I prefer BRTC, it’s a better match with my skintone.

Weird, eh? As both turns into same color with Fuz! :D

For a BB cream with texture as light as L’egere White Multi but with much better color match on me, I prefer Skin79 Diamond BB Cream. Now that one totally works on me!

Application:
Pretty standard, I use this after moisturizer and/or sunscreen. I always set it with loose powder.

Price:
I don’t know about its retail price in Taiwan, but I supposed it’s not so expensive. It’s around US$25 to US$30 in eBay, which I guess is already marked up.

Availability:
Not available in Indonesia, I think? Anya still have one on her blog sale though :) Or you can always try eBay.

Ingredients:
Arbutin, Cyclomethicone, Jojoba oil, Polyglceyl-4 Isoterate, Cetyl PEG/PPG-10/1Dimethicone, Bees Wax, Tocopheryl acetate, Propyl Parabem,Sorbita sesquioleate, Petrolatum, Titanium oxides, Cyslopentasiloxane, Iron Oxides / Dimethicone, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Magnesium Sulfate, Methyl Paraben, Sodium Hyaluronate, Marine Collagen, Rose Water, Centella Asiatica.

I’m not sure if the list is valid….as in, is it possible for this cream to be Arbutin-based? It’s even higher up than Cyclomethicone (which is a form of silicone, CMIIW).

Overall Rating:
5 out of 5. Great texture, sheer coverage. This really has potential, and it really looks great on Fuz :) But I personally can”t use it, the color is much too dark for me.

*This review will be cross posted in www.makeupalley.com under username Crescent_Shadow.

I’m not an avid swapper but from time to time, I do swap. Some of them are international swap. I never stumble upon any problem, but recently I was almost swaplifted!

Her nickname was l3oosh in MakeupAlley. She contacted me, inquiring about 9 of my stuffs, and willing to provide Stila palettes I was looking for. I agreed on 8. We decided that we would ship at the same time. I agreed again, despite she was reluctant to post up her product photos. All because she had 100% positive feedback.

I should’ve known better. The list was too good to be true. She cut the correspondence after I’ve shipped my items. Then around the same time, TONS of people were leaving negative tokens, claiming that they have been swaplifted.

Then I realized that she tried to scam 20+ people at the same time!

She deleted her account several days later, only to be back and created another account dubbed l3oosh1. She explained that the correspondence was suddenly cut because she was moving to a hospital in another state to battle a serious illness. That she was battling mail theft. That she already shipped her ends. That she didn’t intend to steal from anyone. That she’ll try her best to rectify all swaps.

I supposed that’s a lie.

Why? I contacted several people who leave her negative tokens and the truth is, at least one swapper already contacted Police in her area. Some bet that Police may have knocked on her door, forcing her to came out and returned all the things she stole.

The proof?

Some people was ready to testify that l3oosh gave them a forged mail receipt. Also, when she finally returned my mail, she swears that she already shipped her end to me.

Lie.

I never received her stuffs. I knew for a fact that my package was never taken from her local Post Office, because I always ship my stuffs registered :D

Moral of the story: beware, ladies. Positive tokens are not everything. And above all, I pity people who swaplift. Just what is the justification in stealing used cosmetics? Economic situation? Well, I personally think that’s still a crime.

I’m quite generous so I wouldn’t mind even if my items never get back to me, but it did, last week. Her local PO shipped it back to me for free. But it was a waste of time and postage cost on my end.

For reference, this is her addy. Just beware, in case she tried to do the same thing again, under another user name.

Beth Z

2750 Holly Hall St #1110
Houston TX 77054
USA

And for proof, I think I still have all her mails.

Good luck to you all in swapping!

ETA: This is her token page in MUA. I don’t want to sound like I’m discrediting her or something, since I get my stuffs back anyway. Just see for yourself what other swappers have to say about her.

ETA: This is the USPS package status. The PO sent it back to me on September 26, 2009 because it was not claimed within a month time frame. Click to enlarge.

USPS Status For Beth (Swaplift Case)

USPS Status For Beth's Package

The Body Shop Concealer

The Body Shop Concealer

From www.thebodyshop-usa.com:

Best if you want to: Effectively camouflage blemishes and redness with a wax-based, easy-to-blend concealer.

Best for: all skin types and tones

What it is designed to do:

  • Light reflective particles instantly brighten skin and reduce appearance of fine lines.
  • Non-clogging, long-lasting formula with a high level of pigmentation provides great coverage.
  • Non-greasy jojoba oil helps to restore skin’s moisture balance without clogging pores.

Packaging:
Chubby pencil, comes with its cap. It’s not an automatic pencil, you’ll need to sharpen it manually.

Color Selection:
6 colors listed in the website. I used the lightest one.

Texture:
Ugh. Waxy. Sticky yet powdery?

Coverage:
Questionable. The coverage is quite thick when it first applied, but then it’s all gone by the time I finish blending.

Blendability:
Bad. It’s waxy, but not in a smooth way. The sticky texture makes it difficult to blend.In the end you’ll wipe the product off your face.

Finish:
Cakey with very minimum coverage.

Oil Control/Lasting Power:
I wouldn’t know its oil control since I mainly use this sporadically on my acne scars, and my skin is rather dry so oil control is not tested on me.

However, this concealer is gone by mid day. Ugh.

My General Review:
The description above tells it all. This product was my first concealer, and it totally annoyed the heck out of me. Waxy, hard to blend, no coverage. Just cakey mess. And by lunch time it would have gone from your face.

This was my first concealer, and I was utterly disappointed in it. I thrown mine away. What a waste of money.

What Else You Need To Know:
You can sharpen it with a special sharpener that is provided by TBS. It’s USD5.50.

Application:
I tried to apply this on top of moisturizer, before foundation. Tried using it after foundation too, the results were just as saddening.

Price:
USD11.

Availability:
Available in TBS outlets nationwide. Color selection may be smaller here though.

Ingredients:
Ricinus Communis (Castor Seed) Oil, Octyl Palmitate, Nylon-12, Euphorbia Cerifera (Candelilla) Wax, Octyldodecanol, Beeswax, Sclerocarya Birrea (Marula) Oil, Bis-Diglyceryl Polyacyladipate-2, Copernica Cerifera (Carnauba) Wax, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Buxus Chinensis (Jojoba) Oil, Cetyl Alcohol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Bentonite, Calcium Sulfate, Tocopherol, Talc, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Wheat Germ Glycerides, Titanium Dioxide, Iron Oxides.

Overall Rating:
1 out of 5. Skip it, it’s not worth it. There are other better quality concealer out there.

*This review will be cross posted in www.makeupalley.com under username Crescent_Shadow.

Hehe I guess this is not a post worth waiting in this blog….plus it’s been almost two months since the trip; but anyway I thought I’ll post them up just as a personal notes.

I went to Bali on August 8, 2009 as a company outing program. Division, to be correct. There’s more than a hundred people participating. I was really reluctant to join it. Consider me as an acute anti-social being, please. I hate gaths. I hate outings. I love to hang out with closest friends and families only.

But the outing committee was consisted of several of my friends. And they were really persistent and kept on pestering me daily….in the end I succumbed.

I was scheduled to depart at morning from Jakarta with Lion Air, but there was major hiccup with the infamous new Boeing 737-900ER so the flight was delayed for a couple of hours and I had to wait for a substitute plane. Not a biggie for me. I’m quite patient when it comes to such thing :P

I’m not so patient when it comes to flying though. I’m too afraid of it :P Much like PW, I enjoy the view but am dishearted by the fact that I’m flying up above :P

See? Aren’t the clouds pretty?

The Sky Underneath AirAsia

The Sky Underneath AirAsia

This is shot by a friend in another plane though. He flew with AirAsia. His pictures with a Canon SLR are so much better than ones taken with my old iPhone 2G :D Look at the blue sky! I’m so relieved to see such a clear, blue sky (instead of the grey-ish, polluted sky in Jakarta). Then I’m disheartened again to find that this sky is several thousands feet from the ground. Plus the fact that the plane I was riding actually emits green house gasses :(

And the next second I thought the plane had gone to Antartica. I see tons of ice!

Cloudy With A Chance Of..Ice

Cloudy With A Chance Of..Ice

Then I realized that I’m several thousands of feet from the ground. And I was disheartened again.

I arrived safely at one peaceful afternoon in Bali. The bus picked the group and fetched us to Erlangga for a little shopping. Then straight to Jimbaran for dinner. We sang and dance until around 10, then the bus took us to the hotel.

Now I was thinking that Aston Bali should be a 4-star hotel with nice rooms and services. Well, the room was nice, indeed. But the service at Aston Bali was less than acceptable.

First of all, they double-booked some of the room. My room was booked to someone else in the group too, so I had to wait until they sort it out. Took them an hour or so to give me a room! Mind you, all rooms had been booked by our committee days before. Why would Aston made such mistake?

I was already tired when I got into my room and found out that they didn’t put on any towels. Oh, wow. I called the room service twice because it took them sooo long just to provide me with a couple of towels.

The towels were handed to me about an hour or so later. At 1 in the morning. What the heck, Aston?

Thus my first day was ruined. Sort of.

The next morning we all went to Tanjung Benoa for water sports and games.

Tanjung Benoa

Tanjung Benoa

Arriving @ Tanjung Benoa

Arriving @ Tanjung Benoa

See me? Still pale. It was about to change in a couple of hours.

Anyway, I hate games so I didn’t participate. It was the time of the month so I didn’t do any water sports. So I was lazying around the beach, chatted with friends in between their water sports session, and helped keeping their possessions safe when they were doing their thing.

More like helped burying their possessions under the sands, actually :P

Scraping Sands @ Tanjung Benoa

Scraping Sands @ Tanjung Benoa

Don’t you think I need a slimmer set of legs? And arms, apparently. Damn those fats. I gained 5kgs after 2 years ot working.

Anyway, people lamented on how hot and bright the day was, but for me the weather was perfect. It was bright and sunny, and wind was blowing, making it really comfy to sunbathe. And I did sunbathe, just like a special cute being I found on the beach.

The Sunshine Dog @ Tanjung Benoa

The Sunshine Dog @ Tanjung Benoa

Hmm….he does look like enjoying every bit of the weather, doesn’t he?

I didn’t get burned at all though. Friends kept on calling to remind me not to get burned under the sun.We had lunch together at the beach hut, it was from Padang Sederhana, and it was delightful.

Here are some of us, posing after lunch. I think I have gotten a bit of color :D

After Lunch @ Tanjung Benoa

After Lunch @ Tanjung Benoa

The horror started hours after that. I thought it was my usual gastric problem, but then it really hurt, and then I was throwing up badly. Then I know for sure I was poisoned. By the delightful Padang Sederhana.

Luckily, my father equipped me with some important drugs. Being a a little bit of med-freak family, I knew what drugs I had to combine to fight the bacteria. Then I laid down for a couple of hours, felt better, and get ready for the dinner party.

2nd Day Dinner

2nd Day Dinner

As good as it may felt, the bacterias still reigned and I couldn’t eat anything besides the soup before I ran to the toilet and threw up again. Whew! I took more med, called a cab and go back to hotel. My committee friends already rushed some other victims back to hotel earlier, and when I was in the cab I was called by a friend who informed me around 20 people had collapsed and apparently a doctor was already called. Geez!

I spent the night helping my committee friends looking after the sick ones. Consider me lucky, due to the proper med I was taking earlier, my condition was much better compared to the collapsed ones. Some of them got fever due to the infection, even.

Thus my second day was ruined. WTH, Padang Sederhana?

Third day, I was supposed to check out at around 9a.m. and went shopping at Sukowati. No chance, we were busy checking up on other (sick) participants, some of them were still beaten. After much waiting and debating, it was decided that the ‘healthy group’ would carry on the shopping activity, while the sick ones would rest at hotel and took taxi to airport later in the day.

Unfortunately, apparently the bus was filled with….careless ladies. They insisted to shop at Khrisna, again. Despite the fact that the schedule was already very tight. And then they shopped, and ran late, and insisted that the airline already informed them that flight would be delayed. Go figure.

Worse, the team leader was stupid enough to gather our plane ticket. I thought that she wanted to queue for us, but would still walk together but I was wrong. She walked in to the check in counter with our tickets, and left us behind. WTF? FYI, in Indonesia, you can’t get to the check in counter if you don’t have a ticket. And the leader left us with baggage outside the check in area.

After much talking with the security, one of us were allowed to go in. She came back with some boarding passes, but not all haven’t been checked in. The leader haven’t checked me in because my ticket was an online ticket, she needed to checked it in a different counter. WTH…..I shouldn’t have given my ticket to her!

And to make matter worse, last boarding calls were heard on the speaker. And I wasn’t even checked in. Delayed flight my ass!

I queued (thank God I didn’t have to checked in any baggage), ran to the gate, and managed to get into the plane at the last minute.

Thus my third day was ruined.

I swear I’ll never join any company/division outing in the future. It was disastrous, it was filled with too many people (esp. girls) who love to run late, yet couldn’t even figure out what Gate should she run to after seeing a boarding pass. Not a good combo.

It was a waste of money. I could have used the money to fund my first Singapore Trip which happened in the following week.