Posted January 15th, 2012 in Louisa.
We arrived here, in Paradise, on Thursday evening. It was a long and wearying journey that saw me bursting into tears as we boarded the plane in KL and cry for the first part of the flight. When we arrived at the villa in Ubud after a 90minute drive from Denpassar airport we looked at a lovely white Villa thinking it was our home for the week.
It wasn’t.
It was the staff quarters.
Our new home was to be reached by and outside lift that carried us down into the voluptuous rainforest before depositing us on a quaint pebble path leading to something out of a movie set. No words can do justice to this stunning place.
The villa has 5 permanent staff, all here to look after our family of 8 during our stay. I’ve just returned from the kitchen where I found the night watchman. I didn’t realise the lovely man who made me coffee this morning, when I stumble bleary eyed from my luxury room into the outdoor lounge room by the pool, had been up all night. When I left the kitchen I noticed he wasn’t there anymore; I found him
again waiting just outside our room with a torch to help me navigate the steps back inside.
This afternoon I went for a spa treatment. I chose a place with good reviews on trip advisor more than willing to pay a bit more. Yesterday I saw a spa facility with a 60min massage for 55.000IRD ($5.50) or a package for a out 200,000IRD ($20) Today we paid a little more than that and as we left the lady commented that I’d given her too much. I’d left a $10 tip…what’s the appropriate amount when you’ve just paid $28 for a 4hour pamper?
This morning I bought a pair of sandals for $3. She’d been asking $15 but yesterday I saw the exact same for .90c. I’ll haggle but not over $2. The Architect bought some pants and left me to haggle. The starting price was $13, we bargained for a minute and then she said “you can afford it” and she’s right. I can.
I am so grateful to be here, I honestly can’t imagine a more idyllic setting. But from the comfort of my cool villa, I’m left with the uncomfortable question…What do you do when your paradise is someone else’s poverty?
If you liked this post you might like to subscribe to stay in touch.RSS feed. Thanks for visiting.
Posted January 8th, 2012 in Louisa.
There’s a mantra in blogging circles that you should write for your readers, not yourself; Darren Rowse calls it, loving your readers. It’s sage advice and normally I’d take it.
Not today.
I’m writing this post from a rainforest cafe, by an idyllic beach at a 5 start resort in Langkawi Malaysia. I’ve spent the entire day in my swimmers, hanging out with my kids, watching them splashing in the water and generally relaxing. Am I telling you this because I think you’re going to be interested? Not today – listening to someone else waft on about the amazing holiday you’re not having is rarely my cup of tea, so I don’t expect it to be yours. I’m writing this because something amazing is happening to me…
I’m relaxing.
When the hours roll into days and you lose yourself in the full enjoyment of your family it’s…well, I’d forgotten just how special it is.
So today I’m writing this if for no other reason than as a little reminder to my future self – something that says “Hey Louisa, you know that holiday you’re thinking of taking? Do it!.
Posted January 4th, 2012 in Family, Louisa.
I was emailing a friend today and started to say “Enjoy your break, you deserve it” when I stopped myself. Does she deserve a break? Yes, of course – but probably no more than anyone else, by which I mean – most of us work hard, parent thoughtfully and could all do with a bit of down time. Does that mean we take it when we can?
No.
What struck me about this particular friend is that she’s wise. Having a break with her family isn’t something she’s doing because she feels she deserves it, it’s something she’s doing because in her wisdom she realises it’s a good way to start the year; to rest and reflect but also to look forward but mostly to build into the relationships that matter most in her life – her husband and children.
None of this she told me of course, it’s inferred by the way I see her live and watch the choices she makes for herself and her family.
Today I’m thankful for this lovely wise friend for reminding me that taking a break isn’t something we ought to do because we deserve it nor is it some great indulgence. Taking a break is something we out to take seriously, because when we rest we reap huge rewards without ourselves and in our families and thus beyond those places – into our communities, work and friendships.
So, are you taking the time to rest this January? If you feel overwhelmed even by the thought of it (as I did when The Architect was planning this current holiday) then what one thing would need to happen or change in order for you to find the space to rest. Start with that question and see where you go…
With love and wishes for good rest.
xx
Posted January 3rd, 2012 in Louisa.
This is my third trip to Malaysia, and I’ve got to be honest and say that before marrying The Architect it had never occurred to me to come here – which would have been a shame as there’s a lot to love about this country – mostly the food and the shopping!
My first visit came a few months after we were married when The Architects grandmother passed away. We arrived early in the morning and upon arriving at the house the family decided they wanted to go for Roti Cenai at Devi’s. It was about 7am and we’d just gotten off an overnight flight – curry for breakfast was not on my mind.
It didn’t take long for me to develop a love affair of my own with Teh Tarek (a really yummy Indian tea) and Roti Cenai. Yesterday it was our first stop for the day, it probably will be again today!!
As it’s so hot here one of the main attractions are the shopping centers. Unlike it Aus where you wouldnt plan a family meal at a shopping center restaurant, here there are some great places to eat in the big centers. Last night we took the kids for dumplings and they were incredible!
(On the shopping front, they include all the main shops from the US and UK ~ Zara, Top Shop, Gap etc ~ and a few from Aus including Pumpkin Patch. The last time I was here I was pregnant with Bliss and a lot has changed since then- yesterday I found a whole mother & baby wing of Megamall which I’m sure I haven’t seen before.)
One of the curious thing about traveling to foreign lands is how even the little things are different. If you’ve ever been to America then you’ll identify with me about the bread – it’s really sweet, not at all like Aussie bread. Right now I’m writing this while drinking a cup of tea – it’s Twinings English breakfast with a bit of milk and sugar and it tastes really different because of the milk.
On that note it’s time to brave the day – it’s 7.10am here and the sun has only just risen.
Do you like to travel? What’s your favourite thing to discover in a new place?
Posted December 31st, 2011 in Blogging, Louisa.
Today marks 5 years of blogging! I can’t quite believe it. In that time I’ve written 886 blog posts with 7349 comments on them. Whether you’ve read one post or hundreds, thank you so much for joining me on the journey!
Here are some of my favourites from the years gone by…
I started this blog pre-children, and it was very boring. Occassionally I wrote about things of value though, like this post about Patience, Gentleness and Humility.
In 2008, 4 days before Bliss was born and while I was overdue we bought a house. It was a stressful time! This is a house we didn’t buy but it still made for An Interesting Morning.
After Bliss was first born I wrote a number of silly little ditties…I’d forgotten about this one but maybe I need to (rework it) and revisit it…It’s called You’re Just The Way You’re Meant To Be
In Feb it will be 10 years since I left my hometown of Sydney and moved to Melbourne. During that time I’ve had to start all over with friendships and it’s been quite hard at times. Becoming a mum was quite a turning point as I thought about What Makes A Friend.
In 2009 friendships got hard and I may have had a little meltdown about it… the blog also slowed down. I shared a bit about my experience with the Baby Blues and most fun of all, we went to Vietnam for 3 weeks!!
2010 and Little Bear came along…watching the kiddos build their relationship has been beautiful! I thought a lot about whether We Can Really Have It All and the blogosphere achieved something amazing with Christmas Presents for Christmas Island!
Phew! What an amazing journey. Thanks for joining me on it – bring on 2012!!
Posted December 31st, 2011 in Blogging, Louisa.
This is the 268th blog post I’ve written this year, yikes! Of all of them, I’ve pulled out the 11 most popular, according to Google Analytics…just in case you’re looking for something to do this NYE ;)
Open letter to Jackie O
The response to this post was incredible! Viewed over 5000 times, shared over 300 times on Facebook and 500 times on twitter, I was amazed and heartened by the response to this.
Rainbow cake
Rainbow cakes are all the rage, here I share my tips and recipe for the ultimate rainbow cake!
How To Throw A Circus Party
Ditto above! Throwing a wonderful party doesn’t need to involve the perfect lolly table, it can be colourful and loads of fun much more simply.
Me time
This post shows up very highly for search terms like “I’m cheating on my husband and I don’t know how to tell him.”
Nudity is good for you
How old is too old for a boy to be in the women’s changeroom at the gym/public swimming pool??
Jacinta Tynan and the Happy Mum
Being a Mum is easy peasy and so is sleep deprivation. Unfortunately I didn’t get the memo.
Unwelcome
Bullying is a sad reality and has long term effects, I was saddened by how common this experience is.
Battle of the Baby Butt
I find this hilarious as the reason this post is popular is because of the image – you’ll have to take a look to see what I mean!
Drinking at home alone with kids
I got thinking about whether it was responsible for me to have a couple of glasses of wine when I was home alone with the kids. The comments were fabulous!
Help I don’t know what to do with my 3yold
We went through a rough patch and I didn’t know how to cope – I mention giving Bliss a smack and it became the focus of the conversation.
Smack down
The conversation about smacking kept going here as I realised I’d inadvertantly opened a can of worms.
Honourable mentions:
Blogging, Popularity and Community (How not to blog)
Follow your heart – love, marriage and Kim Kardashian
Looking In The Mirror At 30
Do you have a favourite post that you have written or read this year? Let me know in the comments below.
Mummble
Stitch Baby + Kids
