Adventure of the Good Lorax : Bintan, Indonesia

I think not much word is needed as the pictures will tell whatever it is that needs to be told. *Another way of saying that I'm lazy.. ;)*

The ferry..


Arriving at Bintan Ferry Terminal ;)


The refreshing lemongrass welcome drink


The beautiful sea shells with starfish mark on it. :) Such a pretty little thing.


Us.. ;)


The beautiful setting for romantic dinner


The super clear warm sea water..


The fishermen boats and huts



The huts along Trikora Beach (Pantai Trikora)


The white sands of Trikora Beach. The sands here are all very soft and while. Almost like flour! :)


These pretty rocks seems to be scattered everywhere in Bintan..




Another pretty view from the humble fishermen hut where we eat our lunch.


Our lunch! This is super delicious! :D


I can assure you it's cooked. ;)


No need to explain this one.


The humble fishermen hut




This is where we eat our lunch.. :)


Rainbow at the end of the road


Pasar Oleh Oleh, where we can buy any souvenirs of Bintan. With tourist price, of course :P


Hope you enjoy these pics as we are ;)

Sushi Etiquette

This is a true lifesaver! :D

Now you know what to do when you're invited to a hip sushi bar.
Turns out that I still did few of the things in the "DON'T" list, like mixing the wasabi with the soy sauce :D


via theworldsbestever.

Japan's Recent Epidemic : The Thrift Bug

In all the glories of some $15-20 billion worth of Japan's luxury market that's so strong it can breeze through the difficult times of the 70's and the 80's; Japanese people can still buy $100 worth of melons or S$1000 handbags, Louis Vuitton bags or some Hermès scarves. This very fact makes luxury products in Japan seems almost like a mass market.

But not anymore.

Nowadays, seems like more and more Japanese are getting in touch with their senses and getting so big on cost saving, even the umbrella sales went up because most people don't want to spend their money on taxis and prefer to walk in the rain.

Which is environmentally friendly and I support that very much. :)


Read more of this very interesting article in the NY Times

the art of living a good life : the Kerala Study

What if I tell you if there's actually a place out there in the world where the greatest possession they ever have in their house is only cooking utensils, a wooden bench, and a few stools (without cushions, that is); and still they all literate, have a low birth rate, and a high life expectancy?

Just in case you didn't know, this 3 factors (literacy, birth rate & life expectancy) are the main accounted factors to measure an index call PQLI, for "Physical Quality of Life Index,"; and if an area/ city/ country reach a high score in this index, means that the people in that particular area are basically living a good life. And this place, scores 82 out of 100. :)

But how can you even considered to be "living a good life", when you only makes US$ 298 - US$ 350 a year?

Strange but true, and this is exactly what's happening in Kerala, India.
Click here for the complete document & fascinating facts.

Anyway, whatever happens behind this beautiful anomaly, it surely proves that you don't have to be rich to live a good life, and therefore, be happy.

In this highly materialistic & capital worshiping world we're living in, money is, apparently, everything. Or so it what most people believe.

By earning more, people tends to consume more; in the hope of having a "better life". (see diagram below)


But did you know, from study conducted some years ago by Charles Hall, a Syracuse professor; shows that every American dollar or its equivalent spent anywhere on earth triggered a series of events that, on average, consumed half a liter of petroleum.

I'm not actually suggesting you to buy nothing (but it would be great :) ), but at least, consume more responsibly.

So in the end, as it was already performed by the Keralians, you don't have to worry about being a sad loser without your stacks of money. Happiness is all in your mind, and by consuming less and living lightly on Earth, you will also be happy :)

on tv tonight : Land Diving (Naghol/ N'Gol)

where : Pentecost Island in Vanuatu
attraction : young men jumped off of some 30 meters height tower of
feebly wooden structure, as an initiation to adulthood.



So, I just saw this documentary on tv tonight, and it's so interesting I have to write and share this, to everyone of you out there. :P

So the image above must be already quite familiar (taken from http://www.pentecostisland.net/ and http://www.vanuatuatoz.com/). Well, it's a scene of a male adulthood initiation ceremony in Vanuatu, called Land Dive or Naghol, or N'Gol.

This feebly-looking tower has several different level of heights, starting at the lowest which is 20 feet (6 meters!!) to the highest of 30 meters, to initiate young men of different ages. Those who leap from this lowest point is mostly young boys in the age of 7 or 8. So each year these boys will continue leaping until he reaches the top level (30 meters), and thus considered as a respectable adult. Or die trying. Ha! :D

These brave divers jumped with nothing but 2 strings of lianas (wood vines) fastened on both of their ankles. And the kind of jump that was considered perfect is that the diver's hair or shoulder should touches the ground. Therefore the Dive Committee (or something like that) already ploughed the soil to "softened" it, to make sure of a "comfortable" landing. Very convenient, yes?

Anyway, the most interesting part about Land Diving, is of course, the history of it. Land Diving is a ritual that already went on since centuries ago, and surely for more to come. But did you know what started this ritual in the first place?

Well, apparently it's a woman! :D The first and the last female land diver.

So there's this tale about a woman who ran away from her husband, because he beats her. She ran and hid up on a tree, where her husband found her. Her husband (called Tamale), told her to come down, but she refused. Then Tamale climbed the tree and try to grab his wife, when his wife suddenly leap towards the ground. The angry Tamale jumped after his wife (what was he thinking?!) not realizing that his (smart) wife already tied liana vines to her ankles, thus she managed to land safely on the ground.

But Tamale did not.

So this Naghol/ N'Gol festival is celebrated with men diving from a tree top tower in a display of their strength, and to show the world that they would never ever be tricked by women again, as Tamale had been.






HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!






I found this highly amusing. LOL. But I wouldn't indulge myself on explanations.

Anyway ..

Of course there's another version of the festival's history which is to celebrate the annual yam harvest. And the daredevil's act of touching the ploughed soil with his hair/ shoulder would ensure another harvesting success for the next year.

But so boring, right? :D