Pimp your ride, Bali-style

The Dewata Scooter Club Rally is being held this up-coming weekend, (Dec. 27 and 28, 2008) in Ubud Bali. Interesting scooters are already arriving and Paisley is looking forward to the festivities.

Merry Christmas

During his recent trip to Bangkok Thailand, Paisley made some new friends at Cabbages and Condoms, part restaurant part health awareness program. Founded by former Thai senator Mechai Viravaidya who believes "birth control should be as cheap as vegetables", it's now run by Thailand's Population and Community Development Association.


Santa and Sidekicks, Cabbages and Condoms Restaurant, Bangkok Thailand

Salomé and Paisley wish you all a Merry Christmas!

Little gifts of no intrinsic value Vol.4

Chroma, free desktop wallpaper (detail)

Why not start the new year with a new desktop wallpaper? "Chroma" was inspired by a bubbling pot of melted chocolate sauce and is part of the Source One wallcovering Exclusive2 Collection. (Visit this page for the actual recipe)

Click on the pixel dimensions closest to your screen resolution, then click the "download" button in the new window. If you have a Mac, drag the image into your "Pictures" folder, then go to Preferences> Desktop & Screen Saver> Pictures Folder and choose the image. (Paisley is unsure how PC users accomplish this, but it must not be too difficult). Here are the links:
Chroma desktop wallpaper 1024x768
Chroma desktop wallpaper1280x1024
Chroma desktop wallpaper1440x900
Chroma desktop wallpaper1920x1200

A trip to the Ikat Village

Paisly loves pattern and in Bali, patterned textiles are everywhere. People wear them, statues wear them and even buildings wear them, (on special occasions).

The most traditional Balinese textile is the Endek, or weft Ikat. While the warp is one color the weft thread goes through a complicated process of pre-stringing, binding and hand dying to create a multicolored fabric. The characteristic "fuzzy" edge of the final weaving is the result of the slightest stretch or misalignment of the thread during the weaving process. Each linear foot of Endek ikat is the result of many skilled hands and many hours of work.


The undyed weft is prestrung and small sections are bound with plastic ribbon which acts as a resist.


After the weft is hand painted with dyes in small sections, it is washed, dried and bundled.


The binding is carefully removed, the threads must not be cut. Splicing the thread back together would shift the design.


Great care must be used to assure the weft doesn't wander creating too "blurry" a motif.


At this shop a ceremonial kamben (or sarong, 40" wide x 2.3 yards long) costs only about 22,000 rupiah or $20 US dollars.