Bali Perspective

Yes it is beautiful. And no I did not get "Bali Belly" What I got was sun every day, blue water poolside and beachfront

Offerings everywhere, often consumed by the local street dogs and cats. (I stepped on one by mistake - any idea if this brings me bad fortune?)

Beautiful scenery including Batur volcano, last active in 1972

Batur Hot Springs

Rice terraces on the approach to Ubud, the "pray" of "Eat, Pray, Love". Most yoga centric place (or yoga-tastic according to my friend Alison) I have ever visited.

and this very modern incredibly beautiful hotel, the Karma Kandara is perfect for cocktails at sunset.

Consistently good food, including fresh seafood, once with our toes in the sand, waves in front and Balinese dancers behind
Jimbaran Bay Seafood Restaurants

Funny combinations,
including this
Italian/Indonesian restaurant

When the exchange rate is 1 Euro to 15, 500 Rupiah
do not be qlremed when you see the bill!

and also, our local hangout for the week, a Greek/Indonesian bar/restaurant called Panterei with great appetizers and drinks.


Amazing cocktails, the best of all at Karma Kandara called Vanilla Passion, with vanilla vodka, passion fruit juice, caramel and fresh vanilla beans. The passion fruit kept it from being too sweet.

Two beautiful beach clubs:

Ku De Ta a rather swanky joint with a view of the surf for cocktails and a poolside table for dinner

 Potato Head, a cool place,
 perfect for pool or beach 
during the day and drinks 
and dinner at night

Ancient temples, including Tanah Lot

Tanah Lot is claimed to be the work of the 15th-century priest Nirartha. During his travels along the south coast he saw the rock-island's beautiful setting and rested there. Some fishermen saw him, and bought him gifts. Nirartha then spent the night on the little island. Later he spoke to the fishermen and told them to build a shrine on the rock for he felt it to be a holy place to worship the Balinese sea gods.^[3]

This little blog would not be complete without mentioning the journey there of 21 hours, or back of 22 hours, stopping at Singapore and Doha. My friend usually has access to the various airport lounges, but my very economy ticket prevented my entry. In her words "I have never been kicked out of so many places in one day!" Oh well, it allowed us to stretch our legs between very long flights.

What do I know today that I didn't know before?
I was in desperate need of a break full of sunshine, water and sand to get some perspective on life.
Bali gave me that and more.
I have never met so may people who smile with their eyes so often.
If you sit still long enough in Bali, someone will apologize for doing something nice.
If you sit still too long, well you will get run over by a motorcycle.

Embarrassing moments Part 2: At work

Perhaps surprisingly many of my most embarrassing moments have occurred at work. A few examples come to mind.

When I first went to work at a New York ad agency, I very much wanted to make a good impression. My first presentation to one of the departments was arranged, but for some reason the meeting room we had reserved was not available. We decided to make do with a lesser used room. As I positioned my chair at a comfortable angle to the audience, I realized one small flaw with the room design. Power outlets located on the floor meant there were gaps large enough for a chair leg to fall into. Imagine the delight and surprise for all parties when my chair leg fell in a hole, leading me to do an almost perfect somersault. I did not land on my feet, but the speed with which I attacked that dismount resulted in a blur that could have led the judges to believe I scored a perfect landing. It certainly was an ice-breaker!

My next attempt at an ice-breaker was less successful. I was hired at another company to participate in an unpopular organizational change. No one was in support of this change, meaning I was in a constant battle for resources. During one of these "negotiations" I hopped up from the table to write something on the white board. Upon returning to my seat I noticed a rather odd piece of fabric at my place. Yes in fact at the start of the meeting I was wearing a cute little convertible bra  with detachable straps. And yes one of the straps had detached. And yes one of my colleagues (all men by the way) had placed it on the table for my retrieval and their amusement I suppose. No graceful recovery on this one.

In case my colleagues were not yet impressed I gave it another try. During one important presentation, I was feeling a bit stressed and even uncomfortable. I found myself trying to rearrange the designer top I was wearing, one I had no issue with in the past. At one point I touched my collar and felt the tag which should have been inside and on the back. Yup, inside out and backwards! Designer labels should be displayed I guess.

So, question of the day: are embarrassing moments more common during stressful situations, or simply more memorable?

See also Embarrassing Moments

The Third Taxi

The Third Taxi

Have you ever been in a taxi and felt afraid?

It’s happened to me three times — each time differently, but never forgotten.

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The first time was in New York City.
I took a limo from my hotel to the airport. Once I was inside, the driver suddenly announced the price had gone up — by fifty percent.

When I refused, he started shouting. The volume, the unpredictability — that split second when you realize you’re in a moving car with someone angry — it’s a peculiar kind of fear.

I did the only thing I could think of. I asked for his chauffeur’s license number.
To my surprise, he stopped shouting, drove straight to the airport, and dropped me off at the agreed price.

Apparently, he was missing something more than manners

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The second time was in Paris.
A short late-night ride. The fare was eight euros. I handed him a twenty.
He yelled that he had no change and threatened to keep the whole bill.

It was dark. I was alone. The doors were locked.
Then I heard voices outside — my neighbour, who runs the wine shop downstairs, was just finishing a tasting. He and his guests came out to see what was going on.

And just like that, the tone shifted. The driver made change. I went upstairs.
Grateful, but shaken.

---

The third time was today.
And this one left a mark.

The meter was already at €20.70 when I got in — before the car had even moved.
I pointed it out politely.

He exploded.
Told me to get out of his taxi immediately.

The door was locked. For a second, I just stared at the back of his head, trying to decide whether to argue or stay quiet. The street was half-empty. I wasn’t sure where we were.

I said I’d leave when he dropped me somewhere safe.
He kept shouting — louder, faster — while I noted his taxi number and called the company.

Before I could finish, he pulled over, grabbed my arm, and pushed me out in front of an office building.

His hand wasn’t rough, but the shock of it was.
Fear has a strange texture — half physical, half disbelief.
One second, I was arguing; the next, I was on the sidewalk, phone in hand, heart racing.

For a moment, I just stood there, trying to decide whether to cry or laugh.

Moments later, I called another cab. The driver was calm, polite, and professional.
The fare for the whole trip? €24.

A Forrest Gump kind of day — you never know what you’re going to get.

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Fear changes how you think.
You don’t reason; you triage.
You learn that calm isn’t the absence of fear — it’s what you build to survive it.

So I’ll ask again:
What would you do?