Ripples of Soundful Beach [Gili Trawangan Short-Stay!]

Okay. Sojourn, I said.

Meaning: a temporary stay. It is actually a week stay before heading off to Bali that is more likely a long-holiday for me to say, but I just found the word and instantly in love with it. Plus, I had been in this magical place that is properly fit for extravagant word uses: Gili Trawangan Island. 

  

I never thought this place exists in Indonesia. No. Actually, I know places like this exist in eastern part of Indonesia, but Gili Trawangan is pretty close to Java. Three Gili Islands can be reached just about 15-20 minutes boat ride from Lombok (and 3 hours from Bali--which definitely sounds a lot like a seasick!).

That. Magical. Sea. Do you notice three shades of blue that is captured perfectly, so easily? 

Talking about vibes. This is a place for you to take a deep breath and enjoy the beautiful scenery. Many restaurants and cafes are providing you various kind of chairs and beanbags for you to lie, read, or simply chill during the day. If you are more of adventure person, you can also do dive, snorkel, and even swim. When the sun is down, people gather, eat barbecues, and listens to reggae band. As the night gets darker, you can party below the moonlight with the sound of ripples from the sea. Ya, that is pretty much heaven.

Major transportations: Delman & Bicycle! Well, cycling is a lot funner, obviously (and mostly free from your hotel), but riding delman is convenient when you are carrying your luggages by the time you arrived or leaving! It costs me Rp 80.000/ride from the pier to hotel.

Honestly, none of the food I is necessarily super delicious, but it is quite good. For some reasons, the price is higher on the eastern part of the land; maybe because there are where all the good hotels are located. For a so-so taste, I prefer buying something from good looking place and enjoying the view offered. I haven't really heard a notably popular restaurant around, but if there's any, I'd say The Ombak Sunset, and it's all for their infamous Instagram-worthy swing. 

Say Hi to the ever so popular swing!

People gather and queue to take a photo here. I guess it is a "thing" to stand in the swing, but do watch out because it's quite slippery! (No, nobody got hurt when I was there.)

Speaking of accomodation, I'm staying in Aston Sunset Beach Resort, and have nothing to complain about! It is really arguable considering that I haven't stayed anywhere else, but I personally think that it is the best hotel available in the island.

 

For someone like me who definitely find pleasure in quite surrounding and breezing afternoon, Gili Trawangan is another level of nirvana. There is something alluring in their pathless beach, gentle ripples, and sunny shades that keep me falling in love. What do I do now, I think I caught a sea fever.

Much Love,

Michelle

(REVIEW) Crazy Rich Asians / Love at the First Sight! (2013)

Crazy Rich Asians, by Kevin Kwan

It was a love at the first sight! I honestly fell for Crazy-Rich-Asians, word by word, instantly when I saw it, back in an airport's bookstore when my flight got delayed for hours. I've never thought CRA is this good; I ended up reading it until the very last page all over my vacantion time.

The main story goes around Rachel Chu and Nicholas Young, who captured my heart just with a few sentences of him. Nick is a hearthrob, but you'd definitely love cousin Astrid Leong as well. Astrid's storyline is serving as the main side-dish of the novel, but it ended up having all my interest especially at the beginning of the book when Rachel and Nick's haven't developed too much.

This is a story about crazy-rich-Asians. No, they are not just very rich. They are China-rich, and we'll be introduced to Nicholas Young's entire China-rich family and friends, based in the chic Singapore. Although Nick is the only heir to The Youngs of Singapore (which practically the closest thing to a royal family Singapore can get), he's living low at New York as some university-professor. This is where he met Rachel Chu, a collegaue. Rachel is our pretty, smart, and lovely professor-heroine. Rachel has no idea who the hell she actually dated for two years, until Nick invited her to his bestfriend wedding in Singapore plus an Asia Tour holiday.

Nick might be a prince charming, but everyone around him seems furious about The Chu girl who is not The Chus from the plastic industry from Taiwan. Especially the girls--oh yes especially the girls, when Nick happened to be the most eligible bachelor in the whole Asia. And while Rachel needs to face a gang of girl bullies straight in her face for having Nick in her arm, Nick's Mom Eleanor Young is even more troublesome. Not only doing a whole investigation of Rachel's family before they even met, she is also ready to do everything necessary to ruin her son relationship.

This is not another Cinderella story. This is not a rich-guy, poor-girl cliche. Nick is not even another rich-guy. The big family of The Youngs, Shangs, and Tsais (apparently to be some big-related, respected old money clan) is leaded by Shang Su Yi, wife of Sir James Young, who possibly inhereted so many (including a palace, because mansion is understating) from her own father. Nick is the only Young between his cousin (who are either Shang or Tsai, or Leong). The whole family has been expecting him to marry a girl from their people.

Although the story is pretty much telling us about how bad and crazy these rich people are treating Rachel, not even because she is Nick's girlfriend, but simply because she comes from the working class, right in the modern world of Singapore, we learned every details and another aspects of their seems-to-be perfect, glamour, and lucky life. And thankfully, not everyone is treating Rachel so bad. Nick's bestfriend Colin Khoo is one of them who don't. Colin (who is roguishly handsome with an unruly shock of hair that makes him look like a Polynesian surfer), is former most-eligible-bachelor himself before his engagement to fabulous Asia's Kendall Jenner, supermodel Araminta Lee. I know I've loved Colin more than I ever should just with his potrayal description, and he is then delivers as someone which are happy and funny, but in truth suffers from depression of his crazy-rich-life. And didn't I tell you already about Astrid Leong?

As I read and read the lines of Astrid's pages, I can't help but to think of Japanese supermodel Kiko Mizuhara somehow. It'd be great if Kiko is ever thought to play the potrayal of Astrid Leong. Astrid is the epitome of effortless chic; one of the few from her generation that get it right, they said. She is that dazzling beauty, unique style, haute couture, and what I'd like to call designer-hipster. Everyone is dying to know what she wears to where and what she pairs when, and whose design she buys.

Astrid is leading a perfect life, or at least it seems to be. She is the it girl of Singapore, wife of hot/handsome IT-guy Michael Teo who was sexy enough to model a swimwear for charity (a couple good looking enough to be gazed at with a mixture of envy and derision), and a double heiress of The Young and The Leong (she is grandma's favorite too). But is Astrid happy? She thought she is, as she's making annual spring trips to Paris for couture fitting, coming home to little prince Cassian Teo and, hiding hundred-thousand dollar dresses she bought from his husband's disapproval. Though, the saddest people are they who don't even know they are. Her life is shortly scattered, and just then she realizes that she has been missing too much pretending to be happy.

Sure you'll envy the infinite Louboutin collection and private jets, only to realize that life is not that simple. Money doesn't necessarily buy happiness. Not the long term one, at least. We learned that some people, even, suffers because they are rich. Of course richness is not a sin, but if we'd to give up our love, family, and soul for that; would you still hope to be one of these crazy-rich?

Crazy Rich Asians is one hell of a reading. It was an instant love. It was funny, crazy, and pleasantly entertaining. The good news is, sequel China Rich Girlfriend is already out and I'm so buying it next time I got home!

Michelle, xx