Happiness is…

doing free shots with the cute waiter on a random Saturday night!

The Bar or the Boy?

For a Friday at work it was a terrible day and so off to the local cocktail bar for big cocktails we went! On Fridays my colleagues split into three sections: the lame ones who go home, the rough ones who go drink the local beer at the local pub and the fun ones who head downtown for half priced jumbo cocktails. The place we go has huge drinks for little money and so it’s become a traditional place to unwind.

There is also a very very cute waiter who seems to always be working when I’m there. We always kind of flirt but last night it was really fun and very obvious. The good thing is that we finally got each other’s names. The bad thing is that he thought I was Australian… The good thing was that he brought me a “special” drink that was filled with candy on skewers and glow sticks and was really a sight to behold. He also was speaking English with me which hasn’t happened until last night. Now seriously, nothing will happen there except for some fun Friday flirting and nothing can happen. I like the bar too much to risk a bad situation and not being able to go back there. My English friend S tells me that one must take his or her local pub very seriously and never get involved with waiters or “barmaids” as he put it. The pub is too important. While that seems a bit extreme I think I have to abide by that. Maybe he just enhances the overall experience but he isn’t worth risking losing the best cocktails in the city over. Oh so nice to see I have my priorities in order!

Oh and I heard from the Engineer. He has returned from 9 days of solid grape picking… whaaaat?

Hmm..oops… hmmm

So yesterday was the Carnivale Parade which meant that drinking began at 12:30pm and went til.. later. It was a good time but a few details are somewhat foggy in my mind. At today’s recap.. MB told me that I admitted to being totally in love with someone. I have no recollection of admiting such a thing but apparently it is the third time I’ve done it. Third time I’ve admitted to being totally in love with the same boy. Is there any truth in drunken ramblings???

The 2:58am Tram

A few cocktails after work turn into a few more and suddenly what was supposed to be a night of a couple casual drinks and general relaxation takes a very different turn. With a quick jaunt to MB’s house, a bit of make up application, the borrowing of a fanastic boobtastic shirt and a couple very strong run & cokes… we’re off.

The night is fun.. the clubs are good.. some better than others.. nothing overly catches my eye.

Then on the 3am tram back home I’m listening to my iPod and trying to stay alert enough to be get off at the right stop. I look sideways and see a rather nice looking guy sitting there holding a map. He looks a bit confused. I smile. He comes closer and apologizes for not being able to speak German. I assure him that it is not a problem. He asks me what stop is his. We talk for a few minutes. He’s from Paris and here for the weekend but will move here in October. He asks for my email address and I actually give him the correct one. We are at his stop. He smiles and leaves.

I smile.

Hey you! Way up there!

One thing that I really missed when I lived in Asia is tall boys*. I am more than making up for that now though. Saturday night was fun because I was surrounded by them. It’s a great feeling to reach up and put your arms around a guy’s neck. It’s a great feeling to feel small or rather just not a giantress. Saturday night I met a lot of boys but my favourite was this tall German one. He was the perfect height. Tall enough that I felt short in comparison but not so tall that I would get a crink in my neck if I looked up at him too much. I just felt nice and pretty with him. He was really sweet and fun to dance with.

Now that the sad truth is that apparently German boys have no follow-through but I feel like I’m just getting used to this game again.. so it was fine with me. I’ll wear my more aggressive underthings next time.

*As a note.. I don’t mean to make my shorter male readers feel inadequate. I have dated shorter guys before but after spending three LOONNGGG years in a country where most people were shorter than me.. I almost view a tall boy as a right I have earned!

Til 4 in the morning.. or 5 or 6…

Had a big night out last night! Went to Carissa’s for dinner and some pre-drinks with a few people and then met up with some random work-peeps and a few assorted others downtown for a few drinks and the night just kept going. I should have known it would when the first round of drinks we ordered came in salad bowls! Yes..

We later moved onto some club somewhere. I have no idea where I go when I go out. Benefit of being the new girl is I just follow the experts.. which works out well because they know the good places. So we found ourselves in this crazy basement for a while where everyone was just going mental and then came upstairs for more air. I met lots and lots of cute boys! I’m still very much in the “looking” stage but it was lovely to be looking and be looked at! Granted that the one who spent the most time chatting me up was an Aussie. What’s with that?!? Anyway it was good fun!

We missed our late tram and so had to wait a while. I went with the IT Guy down to the train station for some early morning McDonalds which has never tasted so good. Finally walked in the door as the sun was coming up. It was worth it though!

I do like the feel of the bar scene here. Although there are an alarming amount of stag parties.. ridiculous but amusing. However, the boys are really rather tall and lovely… and who cares about language barriers when it’s 5am???

Friday Night Fun

Liking it more and more…

Yesterday after work I went to the pub for drinks that were paid for by the school! It was a good turnout and it was cool to just sit outside and sample fine German beer with everyone. Also important to note that I sat knee to knee with Adam. He’s really quite lovely but I’m not sure.. however it seemed like we were always touching.. in that kind of.. oh my knee is touching something.. oh that’s his leg. He invited me over for a BBQ with a few of the others but I ended up going downtown with two other friends… yep two NEW ones! He’s having another BBQ tonight.. and apparently this is his 4th this week.. so I don’t think I need to rush on over. I did find out that he’s single.. and apparently a bit of a player at the moment but a really decent guy as well.. hmmm.

Drinks lasted a good long while and when it started getting dark I took the tram downtown to meet up at Lily’s place. She’s got this really wicked place right on the main downtown street and so it was a bit of a headquarters. Lily has been at the school for a year or two I think and Carissa is in her second year.. and she’s Canadian! Anyway the three of us had some wine, sang a couple karaoke songs and then they took me out! It was really a fun night! Both girls are total party girls and both of them live downtown.. so methinks I could get in lots of trouble if I hang out with them lots.. YAY!

It was wicked cool being out last night. The streets are alive and bustling and there are hundreds of different places to go out. We went to some Irish pub for a bit and then Lily went home because she was feeling ill so Carissa and I stayed out. We went to some cool cocktail bar with the world’s best mojitos and then a few others from work met up with us. Everyone was just really nice and fun. This one guy .. the IT guy apparently has a thing for me but.. well.. he’s the IT guy.. and fits the stereotype. However, he is really friendly and sweet and it’s always good to be friends with the IT man. So yeah.. he, Carissa and I went to this bizarre dance club for a while where we had more drinks and ended the night with a shot that totally burns your entire body. It wasn’t comfortable but if you come visit me.. you’re having one! So we danced and we drank and we ate crappy after bar food.. actually it was the best pizza I’ve ever had.. and then we all said goodbye. The IT guy lives across the road from me so he and I took the tram back and it was good. He will be my little geeky brother from now on. 

Anyway it was a fun night and I love the people I work with.. the group of people who go out are awesome and everyone is so nice and accommodating and I think I’ll definitely be frequenting the downtown area for many moons to come!

Sorry this is all rambling but I am slightly hung-over, over tired and scattered.. but I’m happy!!!

Holiday routines are the best routines..

Well I think MK and I have pretty much perfected our holiday routine. We have always traveled well together in that we feel the same about spending money on the same things.. we like doing the same things and we enjoy the perfect blend of laziness and activity. It’s all rather ideal.. We went out the other night which was hilarious. We are into meeting the most random people and making big happy groups of people.. it beats the regular Bali make outs with strangers. We developed a bit of a following the other night.. which included several aussies, one who kept a snake in his shirt, a couple korean girls, an aloof indian guy and this crazy guy Steve, who I’m sure was on something because NO ONE can dance with such energy the whole entire night! It was good though…

So back to holiday routines.. I really shouldn’t blog on holidays.. my brain shuts down… We wake at a leisurely hour, put our bathing suits on and sloppy beach wear and have breakfast.. then usually we hit the beach for a good long while. We walk the beach and chill in the sun with our books. Then mid to late afternoon we walk back to the hotel and spend some time chillin by the pool and eating a late late lunch. Sometimes we get massages.. then as the sun goes down we get two large Bintangs and sit on our balcony and watch the sky turn various shades of pinks, purples, oranges and then black. Once the sun goes down we shower or watch movies or just chill and then head out for a long late dinner. It’s bliss really. Then depending on our mood.. we go to big noisy Kuta for a big noisy night or we just walk around or come back to the hotel to chill. It’s all very lovely really.. and the best part??? I still have the better part of a week! Blissss…..

Last Big Weekend…

Down to my last Monday working at this place! Hard to believe it has been three years! SJ came over last night and we grabbed some dinner and then enjoyed some rye and coke. She has figured out the science of a perfect one and happily while trying to pack her place found a whole bottle of Canadian Club. It was a good night and we talked about all sorts of things. SJ and I arrived here at the same time and so did all the orientation and first weeks stuff together. She’s been a bit of a rock for me since moving here. Our friendship is very big sister/little sister and doesn’t require a lot of work or maintenance. We don’t see each other that much but when we do.. we talk about absolutely everything and it’s always good. She’s called me on a lot of stuff over the past three years but I never get defensive about it. She’s “good people” and I really will miss her!

Prom was a success! My dress was NOT. I went to get it on Saturday morning and it was atrocious. How do bad dresses happen to good people?!? So I need to figure out something to do with it but I hates it! Fortunately I had packed a little black one and so with a few last minute pullings together I ended up looking okay. It was a good prom and the kids looked great! It was wild though… seeing them decked out in $3,000 gowns.

Then I took a cab into the city and met up with MK, GT and PAM at The Dharmawangsa for killer chocolate martinis. We were going to head to X2 but my students were having their after prom party there so we hit up Blowfish for a few hours and danced the night away. We spent the night at The Alila, a cute little hotel and it was a nice way to spend the last weekend here! The club was good and the music was great for a consistent few hours. The vibe in the place was cool.. just people having a good time but enough freaks to keep it interesting. I hadn’t ever gone out with GT and PAM before but it kinda worked.

So here is this week. Only 4 days with kids and a final morning to clean up stuff. I’ve got some fun things on this week so I’m thinking it’s going to fly. It’s craaaazy! And then there is Bali….

A whole lotta nothing much

OK so while I know I just wrote about how it felt like I just turned off a switch.. it’s proving more difficult to keep it off. I mean I do well with the whole, out of sight-out of mind thing but that isn’t happening right now. Got a text from PAM (Perky American Minx) last night saying she was coming into the city to meet up with the Brazil boys and do I want to join in? It was nice of her to invite me along but at the same time it makes me kind of upset that GFG hasn’t contacted me at all to ask and it makes me wonder what he was doing while she was texting me in front of him. Then it also makes me wonder what he is telling her and what she may be doing with him. It’s that not sharing my toys.. even when I have thrown them out. The thing is though.. it’s one of those things where in my head I know that this GFG person is NOT the guy for me.. it’s just I don’t like it to be smeared all over the place in front of me. However, this was MY decision to walk away from it.. so I gotsta remember that and not go down that stupid emotional path.

There is a definite thing going on with me.. when I’m being strong in my head.. I’m getting a way clearer vision of what I want in a relationship and the thought of being in a happy functional one is much more appealing than frightening. This is progress I think…

Next up.. random boys who have been living in the woodwork for ages seem to be popping up out of nowhere. It’s weird. Last night I was with CF at a concert featuring MK and got this random text from some guy I met at a club here when I was out with Jimmy last.. um.. maybe October/November? He was asking if I remembered him and wanted to get together for drinks or dinner. I don’t really remember him very well.. partly cause he was dancing behind me the whole night.. but Jimmy assured me he was good looking. Anyway I won’t do it but it was just weird.

The other thing is this very entertaining boy wrote a post about how he’s gonna do this JuINoWriMo in July and I think I have become inspired to join him. It’s a writing challenge kind of thing where people commit to writing 50,000 words during the month of July. It emphasizes quantity over quality but the point is.. it gets you writing and it gets you to be creative. I think I have lots of time in July and it might be a good stress release and break in between packing etc. Plus keep me from getting all loopy as I tend to do when I’m back in Canada. I have a basic idea already and it might be good to be forced to get it on paper. So yes.. methinks I gots a summer writing project!

Lastly, today is my last fun Saturday in the City with my girl MK. I’m not totally sure what we’re up to but I think it includes some spa treatment and general fabulousness. Although I’m really not looking forward to the spa thing as it involves another kind of Brazil. But pain is good right!?! Um.. yeah I’m not convinced either. Anyway it should be a lovely day overall so I’m looking forward to it.

So that’s all for now.. ain’t life grand!?!

Blonde minority

I love the 4 day weekend! Yesterday MK and I headed into the city for the afternoon and night. It was a very good time! Had dinner at a favourite place which was amazing as always and some lovely wine. Then went out to a couple clubs. We were supposed to meet up with a new group of guys we have sort of distracted.. more on that later..Anyway back to clubs. The first one was recommended by a guy who used to work here and after all his hype, we were less than impressed. Supposed to be a vodka bar but was just really really lame. People just standing around looking blank. Local girls doing their thing and no one really having any kind of fun. Even when the local boys jumped up on the bar and danced.. um.. weird vibes.

So yes.. we finished our drinks and headed to a big dance club. It was packed! MK and I were the very visible minority but we fully embraced it. The only blondes in the whole place. It was just lots of crazy crowded dancing but tons of fun. We attracted quite a following, as we tend to do in such situations, but we just went with it. Met two guys from India who happened to both be taller than us.. so that was nice. They helped us ward off bad attention.. haha.. They had also seen us at the previous club and informed us that while it was once a great place, it was more of a hooker bar now. That explains a few things! Anyway it was all friendly fun. As we were making our way off the insanely packed dance floor we passed another white dude and he called out to us and we laughed and yelled hello. Then this local girl comes up to MK and very obviously and rudely pushes her away from the guy. OK. I hadn’t been dancing in a while and it was great to just let loose and have fun. Only a few weekends left so need to make the most of it…

We stayed at a nice hotel and I got to have real bacon for breakfast! Can’t get much better than that!