spa experience

Hello. It has been one crazy week.
Work. Emotionally. I am physically tired.
My whole body (esp my neck) is in pain.
No, I did not run a marathon nor did I do anything physical.
In fact I had a very good massage about two weeks ago.
I guess it is just one of those days.

Anyway, one of the very few perks working in THIS resort is the spa trial (not very sure if other resort with spa has the same thing). Every time the spa gets new therapists, they will invite the staff to try the new therapists’ services and comment their performance. I am not ashamed to admit that I look forward to this and I am always the first few to sign up. Hey, I can never afford spa for myself.

I took the Ultimate Indulgence package that costs RM700++. *evil laugh* I usually take the massage only but I think I deserve a treat for all the work I’ve been doing and the very little pay I am getting. That was my first - full spa treatment experience. I was nervous because I wasn’t sure what to do. I did what most people would do - surfed the net to learn the spa etiquette but the information I got wasn’t so helpful. Or maybe I keyed in the wrong key word. Spa+Etiquette+Jacuzzi+Nude.

When I arrived, they gave me the usual warm and friendly greetings. Bla bla bla. They were telling me about the spa and all but I was too busy admiring the decor to listen. Fyi, there’s two spa at this resort. I’ve only been to the smaller one, which was pretty cozy and nice enough. But this particular spa, the so-called main branch, was WOW. Balinese concept all the way. The workmanship was beautiful. With the traditional Balinese music playing in the background, it felt as if I have walked into a different country. How cool is that? Very.

They led me to the Deluxe Spa Suite. The place was bigger than my living room! They left me for a while so I could change. They provide bedroom slippers, towels and disposal underwear only certain people could fit. *rolls eyes* Oh well. First on the treatment list was the Aromatheraphy Floral Footbath. I know there were three different oils but I chose the lemongrass (or was it ginger?) for reasons I do not remember. Aching feet? Anyway, I was actually a little shy and embarrassed with my feet who in dire need of a good pedicure work but the therapist was professional enough not to gag or anything like that. *phew*

Next was the Lavender Body Wash. I thought it smelled more like cucumber but anyway it refreshing although a little cold. It was raining heavily outside and though they switched off the fan, they cannot control the temperature of the centralized air cond. With only thin sheet covering my body, I was really cold but the rain made the whole experience more calming and relaxing. There is just something about the rain that I like.

After the body wash, I had the Traditional Body Scrub. Again there were choices of scrub and I can only remember two - Coconut something for something and Balinese Coffee for detox. I chose Balinese Coffee. I smelled so good I wanted to lick myself but that would definitely freak those therapists out. I wasn’t so sure what was I supposed to feel after the body scrub but I do feel very clean.

I looked like the Swamp Thing with all the coffee scrubs. Hee. I was asked to take a shower before the next treatment. The shower room was HUGE. You could tango in there. The showerhead is the kind you fix on the ceiling to give the rain effect. I am so jakun, I know. It was really nice but I didn’t want to get my hair wet. So I had a pretty awkward shower with me walking in and out of the water, with my head moving in every direction because I couldn’t find a shower cap. I know I could ask for one, but at that very moment, doing the ‘Must-Not-Wet-Hair’ move was the logical thing to do.

After the shower, I was given the choice of Aromatheraphy Floral Bath in the jacuzzi or Herbal Steam in the steam room. I wanted to look like the model in their spa brochure, so I chose the jacuzzi. Was really really excited about it. *woohoo* But my excitement didn’t last too long though. Fyi, I wrapped myself in a towel and before I went into the jacuzzi, I had a little debate with myself. Should I go in with or without the towel? The therapists were going around cleaning the place up. The jacuzzi is outside the treatment room but the door to the jacuzzi was a glass door. I am sure those therapists were professional enough not to peek BUT I was SO shy and self conscious I went in with my towel and all. I know it’s stupid considering the therapists had already seen most part of my body *giggles* but I would like to keep those unseen parts, unseen.

While I was in the jacuzzi, all I could think about was how heavy those towels were in water and how do I change it for my massage later. I also poured myself some ginger tea and sipped them slowly as if sipping tea in a jacuzzi was nothing new to me. *winks* I finally told myself to just enjoy and forget about the towel and before I could start doing that, it was already time for the massage. So I hold on to my towel tightly, grabbed a dry towel nearby and changed gracefully. Those years of changing my school pinafore to sports uniform without having to undress completely definitely came in handy.

The massage I had was the Mandara Massage. Mandara Massage: Our signature treatment. A relaxing massage performed by two therapists working in concert employing a blend of five approaches: Japanese shiatsu, Thai Hawaiian Lomi Lomi, Swedish and Balinese. Pure pleasure. If I have another set of hand I would give the massage four thumbs up. Yes, it was that good. It was so relaxing I actually dozed off. When they stopped the massage to do the facial and foot massage, I was so sad. I pouted until one of the therapists slapped some cold lotion thingy on my face. It smelled like fruits. The facial and the foot massage weren’t as great as the Mandara massage but it was good enough.

The whole treatment lasted for 2 hours and 30 minutes. I wish it would last longer though. After the treatment I felt really good, the headaches stop, the muscle wasn’t aching anymore. I felt almost like brand new. Well, you know what I mean. Hee. Now I know why some people are hooked on to all this. This is definitely a great way to enjoy life and pamper yourself.

Now I think I would call the spa manager just to say hie. If I’m lucky, I could try their famous champagne jacuzzi. *giggles* Next time I will definitely take pics.

something stinks and it's not me.

CNY 2007

Chinese New Year 2007 pictures at my place and my aunty's place in Penampang.

New Year 2007

I know it's already March, but hey I just got these pictures, my internet connection is still down, and I just got myself a thumbdrive. *yay*

under the sun

Another delayed entry.
The past few days were a blur.
I am sure I still have other gazillion things to do.
Don’t I always?

My last weekend was supposedly great but honestly it didn’t feel like it. I went to the island with my son and some friends. The weather was almost perfect, almost because personally I think it was a little too hot but everyone else loved it.

While the rest went swimming and sun tanning, my son learned the art of sand kicking. He refused to get into the water and prefers to kick sand or play ball. Most time I had to make sure he doesn’t eat sand but after that one time when he accidentally got sand in his mouth, he knows sand is friend and not food.

He was a little too attached during the trip. Yes he have never met any of them, but after a couple of hours, I feel he should at least warm up to some of them who tried and tried to get his attention. He gets upset if I talk to other people. He will demand I take his picture every time he sees me pointing my camera someone else. Hee.

My Ekiel frowns like an old man.

Everyone had fun. My son had fun.

Another delayed entry.
The past few days were a blur.
I am sure I still have other gazillion things to do.
Don’t I always?

My last weekend was supposedly great but honestly it didn’t feel like it. I went to the island with my son and some friends. The weather was almost perfect, almost because personally I think it was a little too hot but everyone else loved it.

While the rest went swimming and sun tanning, my son learned the art of sand kicking. He refused to get into the water and prefers to kick sand or play ball. Most time I had to make sure he doesn’t eat sand but after that one time when he accidentally got sand in his mouth, he knows sand is friend and not food.

He was a little too attached during the trip. Yes he have never met any of them, but after a couple of hours, I feel he should at least warm up to some of them who tried and tried to get his attention. He gets upset if I talk to other people. He will demand I take his picture every time he sees me pointing my camera someone else. Hee.

My Ekiel frowns like an old man.

Everyone had fun. My son had fun.

dancing angels

Every time I watch a musical or any movies that has people singing or dancing in it, I get all warm and tingly inside. I cannot explain this crazy obsession of mine though I suspect my long forgotten dream of becoming a superstar is not completely forgotten. I was seven. My friend wanted to become the queen.

"William: You're just a silly girl arn't you. Jocelyn: Better a silly girl with a flower, than a silly man with a horse and a stick... [walks away] Wat: It's called a lance... hello... "– A Knight’s Tale

I watched A Knight’s Tale the other night (Heath Ledger is so yummy!) and I just LOVE the medieval dance number and David Bowie’s Golden Years. It’s SO going to be in my wedding song list. Heh? At the beginning of the song/dance, there was this bit where you can hear "An... gel..." In my head I can see a group of angels sleeping and at that very moment, they would wake up, some disorientated, some stretching, some giggling and one by one all the angels would start dancing happily and freely. I wish I could dance like them, beautiful and without a care in the world.

Thank goodness it’s the weekend.
Have a good one.

thursday a bore

I have an article with a deadline but I have no idea how to write it. I love writing but I am no expert in report writing. What can I write about a crash that happened thirty-one years ago? With little information I am lost. How am I going to hand in a three-page article on this? *banging head on keyboard*

I was watching CSI last night and I found one scene a little too... I don’t know. You tell me.
- A man died. Victim’s wife was upset, obviously.
So, this is pretty much like the real life right. But what I find surprising is when the wife said something like "How are we (she and the children) going to survive? Who’s going to pay the bills, petrol, house loan..."
I find this disturbing because her husband just died and all she worried about is her finances? Yes, I know people handle "situations" differently. I just hope when I die, people would cry for me and not other things.

I had a weird dream last night. I dreamt my brother’s girlfriend told me I have a secret admirer. Hee. I asked her to describe the admirer to me. She said he has long hair, up to his knee. Wtf? Even in my dreams I can’t escape universe’s little jokes on me. *sigh*

Happy International Women’s Day.
I love being a woman because all I need to feel good about myself are some make up and a pair of high heels.

a blur

I am having a bloody headache. I wonder if this pain has anything to do with my vision because the world is a little blurry these days.

How do we know what we see is... what everyone else is seeing, you know, the norm?

I know this girl who started wearing glasses, thick glasses, out of the blue one-day. She then told us she didn’t realize her vision was bad until she checked her eyes by chance. We were curious, I mean didn’t she realize her world was a blur? When asked, she simply replied "Oh, I thought that is how the world is. A blur". There you go. I couldn’t come up with a better explanation myself.

Every time when I feel the world is against me, or when I need to make a hard decision, I will always think of that girl. She reminds me that sometimes life isn’t what I think it is.

peer pressurable

Peer pressure.
I SHOULD be too old for this.

I always go on and on about how the younger generations always gives in to peer pressure and them not being their own individual. Yes, I do realize that there is no age limit to this trouble. Admitting to that is like admitting that I have that problem too. But I don’t. Because. I am too rational and matured to be peer-pressured, right? Right?

The question of the day is this.
Is everyone really who/what they say they are or is everyone pretend to be something they’re not just so they can fit in?

Peer pressure is a nasty business. Yes, we SHOULD stand firm on what we believe in but it’s a big and scary world out there, surely you don’t want to face it all alone. Though most time we try to be level headed and make the right decision, it is never easy especially when the temptation is something harmless, or so we think.

Social acceptance was/is like the key to happiness. People refuse to accept it but this is true. To belong in any group of people, is that not social acceptance? Maybe I’m confused but I am sure I have a point there, somewhere.

I didn’t think peer pressure would be such a big deal to people my age. I was pretty sure our confidence and maturity would help us to reason our need to fit in and find ways to cope with it. That’s not the case is it? I champion common sense. But when common sense fails me, I do try to come up with an excuse. An acceptable excuse, not a super lame one.

Me: You don’t smoke so why are you smoking now?
X: I figured that since everyone is doing it I might as well do it. Besides, I don’t get anything by being a nice girl.

Seriously? I thought only sixteen-year old would come up with something like that.

I think the saddest bit was I didn’t know how to respond to that statement so I mumbled "Second hand smokers are more prone to cancer". Yes, I need someone to kick me in the arse. BUT She was going through a bad phase in life so I do try to be nice.

I wonder if I sometimes handle circumstances like her. Do I do things because everyone else was doing it? I suppose I do. I am no party pooper but it’s common for me to find myself dragging my big arse to some event/outing that I rather not go or involved in things I rather not do. Involved as in being there with the Inconsiderates wishing I could just disappear. In fact I remembered the short time I was alienated because I spoke my mind a little too loud to someone who is plain mean. She came to me complaining about our friends behaving a little too wildly in public, so I too voiced out my concerns. She later went to those friends, bitching that I am judgmental and bitchy. But hey, I stayed the whole time when they make a fool out of themselves and me, and I made sure everyone got home safely. Not a friend? ANYWAY, I learned to keep my mouth shut.

Although most time I managed to resist temptations from doing things I disapprove, there are times I just give in. Like I said, I am no party pooper. Though it doesn’t mean I am going jump off a bridge just because my friends are doing it. No sir. The craziest thing I did involves only hangovers.

I am sure despite the pressure to be perfect for everyone else, all the time, we can still just be ourselves. Though sometimes I am confused, I mean since when am I a princess of some exotic island who was kidnapped and later abandoned at this part of the world? - Hee, I learned that after some time, people who truly care for us would accept us just the way we are. With my mom, it took me years and she still knows very little about me. Life should be that way. Different people, different parts of me.

At the end of the day, life is about making choices. I just wish people who made their choices would stop blaming other people when they f*** up. Seriously. I don’t.