Sleeping in Singapore? Dreaming of Bali......

What is this thing with me and sleep.
I want it.
I chase it and I love my bed but somehow I'm running on a separate clock seemingly.
I just returned from an amazing 9 day trip in Bali and I had NO problems sleeping there
so I cannot help but wonder if it's just in Singapore that I have such a hard time sleeping soundly.

I have always been a night bird, a self proclaimed 'more creative' at night kind of chick.
Although I love mornings, and the smell of dew and the crispness in the air
and eggs done sunny side up,
my imagination unwinds more at night.

Bali was fantastic.
We got to enjoy the luxuries of the Ayana Resort and Spa for 3 nights
where we had drinks at the Rock bar (quite an incredible piece of architecture),
did yoga under a bale,
visited my good friend Fa's treehouse in Kabar Kabar and chill in Brawar.
We also got to hang out with Luke Stedman who is just an amazing guy with no chips on either of his sun-kissed shoulders.
I think we always expect famous or successful people to be difficult or snobbish
but I think it's important to understand how many and what kind of people they have to deal with and face and meet everyday.
And how difficult it must be for them to relate to people especially if they travel a lot and spend time with people only for limited periods of time.
It gets hard to invest time and energy in people you may only see a few times in your lifetime.
And I find when you are open, honest and receptive to people ...
there needs to be certain guards up within oneself to protect your heart and personal space.
I know Luke has done a lot of interviews for surf magazines and press in Hawaii where he surfs professionally and people read about him and watch him all the time.
That probably makes them feel like they know him.
And I can see that Luke has taken that responsibility well and tries to use it as best he can to inspire others and motivate them.
Anyway it was beautiful to spend time with souls like that.
The end of our trip we spent up east. Near Klung Klung.
The Bali Safari and Marine park has a lodge called Mara River which put us up for about
1million rupiah (us$120) in a cozy cottage room which has a balcony
overlooking part of the safari park.
So you wake up to antelopes running through your 'backyard' or
rhinos drinking from the moat outside your room.
The restaurant sits next to the lions den and most meals are accompanied with roars and frolicking or just plain lazing.
Quite amazing dinner entertainment, if I must say so.

The most lovely thing about Bali, I find, is the feeling of oneness you feel with the
Universe when you are there.
When you witness the morning rituals and the evening blessings.
Whether it rains or shines or the sunsets are gorgeous or cloudy,
the energy on the island
reminds you of how easy it is to be happy, simply.

Waking up every morning in Bali was a joy, knowing that the people you were bound to encounter would bring a smile to your face, or inspire you somewhat,
with a kind gesture, or a message of peace, or a happy glint in their eyes.

And it's such a karmic place where lessons are sent swiftly and reality is what you make it.
I guess now that I have shared a bit of Bali with you, I can sleep easy.
I can go to bed in hopes that I'll dream of the island tonight.

*Yawn*

Bali as Home

Now I can understand how living in Bali in 2007 turned my life around.
In every aspect. Love. Career. Life lessons. Sorrow. Independence.
I still do not know now, if I made the right decision to live there so soon in my life.
Bali is Balance. And power. and Karma. Living there has it's price.
To have a lifestyle so filled with freedom, tests the soul respectively.
Bali is the core of ying and yang.
There is such a magic that marries the mystical and rawness of the island.
And Bali never fails to lure you into it's wondrous spell of bliss and abandonment.
It is a secret love affair.
It is one I care not to discuss casually and I find myself often making excuses to justify my coyness on the subject.
It is my time out and an awakening all wrapped up in padi fields, impulsive bike rides with the wind in my hair, visiting sacred lands, making magical friendships and feeling exhilaration like you've never felt before.
As I deepened myself in that cocoon.
Living the life like I dreamed, the rest of the world faded from my memory.
Nothing else mattered and all I knew was Bali.
Day after day, sunset walks ,mountain trails and the long drives through the countryside as well as, a few drunken nights I would crawled into bed trashed.
Those lovely beach walks calmed my mind everyday and I developed an inner peace which I still use in much needed situations today.
Bali makes one take the time to understand people. You do things that make you or whoever you are in Bali with, happy. You share everything. You steal nothing.

The thing is, I look at my pictures from back then... and I can see the change in my gaze, and the warming of my skin tone. It's the Bali blessing I guess.
I think it was because Bali helped me develop spiritually, I spent my 30th bday there and I still believe up to this day.. that something shifted in me that day.
It was an extremely intense and confronting time for me and Bali seemed to cushion my fall and was the rock I so needed at that point in time.
I know that I will always be bonded to Bali by some magical silver cord because when I think of Bali today,
my heart still flutters. I am still curious. I still want a little bit more.
Like a love affair, like a drug.
I crave it. And when it stings, it scars me.
But every time I leave it, it burns a wee bit more.

So Bali... I love our love affair.
Til we meet again....