This year the Bali style

 Intimate Apparel company invited 20 fashion bloggers to NYC for their Style Summit. The following day they hosted magazine editors for a similar Summit. There Bali presented company history, corporate culture, new products, philanthropic efforts – and featured celebrity stylist Jen Rade as well as a makeup session with Moani Lee. Attendees had professional bra and shapewear fittings, and received goodies including MAC cosmetics and Bali intimate apparel.

I was thrilled to be included on the short guest list of bloggers at the 1st day Style Summit. I arrived in NYC early on a Monday morning and had the day to roam the city with an old friend. After lunch in Chelsea, photos at Washington Square Park and getting lost in Times Square, I returned to the Paramount Hotel to settle in and get ready for dinner.

12 bloggers and a handful of Bali employees and PR reps broke bread and broke the ice at Thalia. (I had a crab cake appetizer with grilled pineapple salsa, mushroom duxelle ravioli fresh pasta with aspargus, grana madano cheese in a truffle sauce and a bit of creme brulee.) At dinner I sat between Chassity of Look Linger Love and Natalie of She Takes on the World. Nearby were Nancy and Brianna from Bali who loved to gossip about our thoughts on all things worn under there.

On Tuesday we took a van to the Bali offices and started at a breakfast spread. (Obviously they remembered to feed us). As at dinner, we had assigned seating once we entered the meeting space. I was next to the adorable Lindsay from Prior Fat Girl.

Bali had provided iPads for each of us for the day, but they had some kind of password protection so we couldn’t live Tweet, but Lindsay figured out how to circumvent that and we Tweeted away all day! Tables placed in a U-formation not only allowed us to see each other and hear each other, but also created a makeshift runway for models to present Bali products!

The theme for the event was LBD, which in the fashion world often means “Little Black Dress”, so that was the icon for the event, but here LBD stood for “Live Beautifully Daily”. Bali believes in beauty from within – and women finding beauty every day, and in their every day lives, to live richer lives and find confidence in everything you do. As do I!

We started by going around the room to say off the top of our heads what “Bali” made us think of. Many of us had a view of Bali supplying only classic and mature styles, and they were out to prove us wrong today! Although many Bali products stand the test of time and have been top sellers for YEARS, they have also made room for new technologies, styles and patterns while remaining affordable and supportive. One blogger said her mom took her to buy a Bali bra for her very first bra!

My favorite set shown at the Summit

Our brief background history lesson on the Bali Company, part of the Hanes Brand group, included a slideshow of vintage Bali ads that we all loved. Their mission hasn’t changed much over the years – beauty coming from confidence has always been a theme for Bali. The Bali Double Support Bra, which includes 2 layers of fabric instead of foam lining to add shape and support, was introduced in 1980 and is still a #1 seller today! The Skimp Skamp panty introduced in 1993 is a #1 seller as well. It’s high waisted, retro look is imitated these days by Lady Gaga and Katy Perry.

Bali was the first brand to offer “concealing petals” – a bit of fabric at the front of each cup to conceal the nipple. They like to think of their products as providing beauty for her, as opposed to sexy for him – but the models sure looked sexy in those bali products! From new bra fabrics to stretch lace shapewear, the look of things to come for Bali is quite pretty!

Not only does Bali focus on confidence, they do it without breaking the bank. Most of the bras we saw were $32-$36, and are sometimes discounted down to $20. Where can you find Bali? Not often at the high tier department stores like Bloomingdales, and not at the mass chains like Target, but at the mid-tier stores like Kohls and Sears – in most malls across the US.
For the past 3 years Bali has donated to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, and they plan to continue those efforts as well as introducing a new charitable institution that Bali Facebook Fans may have the chance to vote on! To be able to cast your vote, follow Bali today!

Surfing Di Bali - Bali Surfing - Lokasi Surfing Di Bali

Surfing Di Bali - Bali merupakan tempat berlibur dan berwisata yang menyenangkan. Selain itu Bali juga memiliki banyak pantai yang indah dengan ombak yang indah, karena itulah para surfer terkenal didunia memilih Bali untuk menghabiskan waktu dan bercanda dengan ombak yang menantang. Ada terdapat banyak lokasi untuk Surfing di Bali. Ada pantai yang bisa dijadikan rujukan buat pemula yang ingin belajar selancar. Namun ada juga yang dikhususkan untuk yang sudah mahir atau expert. Ada banyak paket wisata yang menawarkan itu untuk anda. Sambil menikmati pesona keindahan pulau Dewata, kegiatan surfing juga menjadi semakin menyenangkan

Karakter pantai di Bali memang cocok untuk melakukan kegiatan selancar. Hal ini hampir sama dengan wisata Pulau Lombok yang eksotik dan menarik. Disana disediakan pula tutor bagi anda yang pertama kali mencoba olah raga air ini. Jadi jangan kuatir dan mencoba keindahan ombak di pantai bali. Lokasi surfing di Bali juga seringkali disebut sebagai salah satu tempat surfing terbaik di dunia. Banyak yang telah mencoba dan memberikan rekomendasi untuk mencoba. Berikut ini beberapa lokasi surfing di Bali yang sepertinya pantas untuk menjadi rujukan dan dicoba bersama dengan teman atau kerabat yang sama2 suka dengan surfing

Pantai Kuta
Pantai Kuta, tentu bukan nama yang asing bagi Anda. Pantai yang begitu terkenal ini juga cocok untuk kegiatan berselancar. Mulai pagi hari hingga menjelang sore, pantai ini dipadati oleh para surfer yang baru belajar hingga yang sudah pro. Event- event lokal dan internasional sering kali diadakan di sini.

Pantai Padang-Padang
Kawasan pantai ini terletak di kawasan perbukitan dekat Uluwatu. Dengan pasir putihnya, pantai ini juga menawarkan berbagai pesona untuk dilihat. Untuk Anda yang beginner atau baru belajar surfing, di sini banyak guide lokal yang akan siap membantu Anda hingga bisa mencoba olahraga surfing termasuk memberikan info kapan saat terbaik untuk surfing.

Pantai Balangan
Pantai ini berada di dekat pantai Padang-padang. Dulu tidak mudah untuk ditemukan, karena belum ada akses jalan bagus ke sini. Tapi kini sudah ada akses jalan yang bagus dan pantai ini mulai banyak dikunjungi terutama oleh para surfers.

Pantai Uluwatu
Pantai Uluwatu memiliki ombak yang cukup besar dan sangat cocok untuk peselancar internasional. Di sekitar tempat ini ada banyak pilihan akomodasi atau penginapan yang menawarkan berbagai variasi harga.

Pantai Medewi
Pantai ini terletak di kawasan sebelah barat pulau Bali, tepatnya di kabupaten Jembrana

Villa Rental Bali Style
Vacations are something that families, couples, and individuals the world over look forward to every year, or twice a year for the lucky ones. Unfortunately, families, couples, and individuals are having more and more financial difficulties so spending money on the unessential vacation is impossible. Many people take to saving money using creative and useful methods in order to afford luxury vacations in far off lands.
Spending money you don’t have isn’t wise, but saving money is always a good idea. Why not save money throughout the year and spend that money on a luxury vacation…that doesn’t cost a month’s worth of income?
What if you could live like royalty in an island paradise without having to own the crown jewels. Yes, luxury accommodations are available, especially when you forgo the uselessly pricey hotels and do villa rental Bali style. Renting a villa in Bali means that you are getting the most luxurious accommodations and you’ll be able to afford them easily.
So what does villa rental Bali style include? Well, what about award winning customer service? What about 24/7 room service, including hot breakfasts? What about daily maid and laundry services? What about 24 hour security to help keep yourself and your stuff safe? Do those things sound like something you could afford at a pricey hotel? Well, what about in-suite bathrooms, full kitchens, state of the art sound systems, and entertainment centers, satellite TV, free WiFi, local cellphones, transportation, guided island tours, private beach access, and private pools?
All of those things are available when you decide to vacation while doing it all villa rental Bali style. Who doesn’t like to wake up in their own private villa along the sunny beaches of Bali? Who wouldn’t love to have guided access to the deep forests, haunting hilltops, and historic ruins of this amazing country? Bali has so much to offer, and if you’re willing to take it, you don’t have to pay exorbitant prices for the honor.

Villa rental Bali style means that you are given the most luxurious rooms, the best customer service, only the best dining and cuisine, only the best shopping, only the best local and international entertainments, and only the best of private villa amenities—all for prices you can afford.

If you find yourself scrimping and saving every dime so that you can afford a high priced vacation to a common location, you should consider taking all the dimes and nickels you’ve already saved and renting a villa in the exotic and beautiful island of Bali in Southeast Asia.

No matter what you’re income, you can find a villa and vacation package that is just right for your budget. If you can’t afford the 10 bedroom villa, maybe you should spend less and pay 0 USD per night for the private 4 bedroom villa with the private in-suite bathrooms.

Bali was meant for everyone to enjoy, no matter how much they make. Everyone can vacation when they do it villa rental Bali style.

Are you planning to have a wonderful vacation with your loved one’s? Then, look no further than IndoVillas. Indovillas is a world leader in providing spectacular Bali Villas and Bali properties for anyone looking for a relaxing Bali holiday. Visit http://www.IndoVillas.com for more information about villas in Bali.

: History of Bali

Bali was inhabited by about 2000 BC by Austronesian peoples who migrated originally from Taiwan through Maritime Southeast Asia.^[3] Culturally and linguistically, the Balinese are thus closely related to the peoples of the Indonesian archipelago, the Philippines, and Oceania.^[4] Stone tools dating from this time have been found near the village of Cekik in the island's west.^[5]

In ancient Bali, nine Hindu sects existed, namely Pasupata, Bhairawa, Siwa Shidanta, Waisnawa, Bodha, Brahma, Resi, Sora and Ganapatya. Each sect revered a specific deity as its personal Godhead.^[6]

Balinese culture was strongly influenced by Indian and Chinese, and particularly Hindu culture, beginning around the 1st century AD. The name Bali dwipa ("Bali island") has been discovered from various inscriptions, including the Blanjong pillar inscription written by Sri Kesari Warmadewa in 914 AD and mentioning "Walidwipa". It was during this time that the complex irrigation system subak was developed to grow rice. Some religious and cultural traditions still in existence today can be traced back to this period. The Hindu Majapahit Empire (1293–1520 AD) on eastern Java founded a Balinese colony in 1343. When the empire declined, there was an exodus of intellectuals, artists, priests, and musicians from Java to Bali in the 15th century.

Tanah Lot, one of the major temples in Bali

The first European contact with Bali is thought to have been made in 1585 when a Portuguese ship foundered off the Bukit Peninsula and left a few Portuguese in the service of Dewa Agung.^[7] In 1597 the Dutch explorer Cornelis de Houtman arrived at Bali and, with the establishment of the Dutch East India Company in 1602, the stage was set for colonial control two and a half centuries later when Dutch control expanded across the Indonesian archipelago throughout the second half of the nineteenth century (see Dutch East Indies). Dutch political and economic control over Bali began in the 1840s on the island's north coast, when the Dutch pitted various distrustful Balinese realms against each other.^[8] In the late 1890s, struggles between Balinese kingdoms in the island's south were exploited by the Dutch to increase their control.

The Dutch mounted large naval and ground assaults at the Sanur region in 1906 and were met by the thousands of members of the royal family and their followers who fought against the superior Dutch force in a suicidal puputan defensive assault rather than face the humiliation of surrender.^[8] Despite Dutch demands for surrender, an estimated 1,000 Balinese marched to their death against the invaders.^[9] In the Dutch intervention in Bali (1908), a similar massacre occurred in the face of a Dutch assault in Klungkung. Afterwards the Dutch governors were able to exercise administrative control over the island, but local control over religion and culture generally remained intact. Dutch rule over Bali came later and was never as well established as in other parts of Indonesia such as Java and Maluku.

In the 1930s, anthropologists Margaret Mead and Gregory Bateson, and artists Miguel Covarrubias and Walter Spies, and musicologist Colin McPhee created a western image of Bali as "an enchanted land of aesthetes at peace with themselves and nature", and western tourism first developed on the island.^[10]

Balinese dancers show for tourists, Ubud.

Imperial Japan occupied Bali during World War II. Bali Island was not originally a target in their Netherlands East Indies Campaign, but as the airfields on Borneo were inoperative due to heavy rains and considering that Bali Island didn't have that kind of rainfall, it was soon decided by the Imperial Japanese Army to occupy the island. The island had no regular Royal Netherlands East Indies Army (KNIL) troops. There was only a Native Auxiliary Corps Prajoda (Korps Prajoda) consisting of about 600 native soldiers and several Dutch KNIL officers under command of KNIL Lieutenant Colonel W.P. Roodenburg. On 19 February 1942 the Japanese forces landed near the town of Senoer. The island was quickly captured.^[11]

During the Japanese occupation a Balinese military officer, Gusti Ngurah Rai, formed a Balinese 'freedom army'. The lack of institutional changes from the time of Dutch rule however, and the harshness of war requisitions made Japanese rule little better than the Dutch one.^[12] Following Japan's Pacific surrender in August 1945, the Dutch promptly returned to Indonesia, including Bali, immediately to reinstate their pre-war colonial administration. This was resisted by the Balinese rebels now using Japanese weapons. On 20 November 1946, the Battle of Marga was fought in Tabanan in central Bali. Colonel I Gusti Ngurah Rai, by then 29 years old, finally rallied his forces in east Bali at Marga Rana, where they made a suicide attack on the heavily armed Dutch. The Balinese battalion was entirely wiped out, breaking the last thread of Balinese military resistance. In 1946 the Dutch constituted Bali as one of the 13 administrative districts of the newly proclaimed State of East Indonesia, a rival state to the Republic of Indonesia which was proclaimed and headed by Sukarno and Hatta. Bali was included in the "Republic of the United States of Indonesia" when the Netherlands recognised Indonesian independence on 29 December 1949.

The 1963 eruption of Mount Agung killed thousands, created economic havoc and forced many displaced Balinese to be transmigrated to other parts of Indonesia. Mirroring the widening of social divisions across Indonesia in the 1950s and early 1960s, Bali saw conflict between supporters of the traditional caste system, and those rejecting these traditional values. Politically, this was represented by opposing supporters of the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) and the Indonesian Nationalist Party (PNI), with tensions and ill-feeling further increased by the PKI's land reform programs.^[8] An attempted coup in Jakarta was put down by forces led by General Suharto. The army became the dominant power as it instigated a violent anti-communist purge, in which the army blamed the PKI for the coup. Most estimates suggest that at least 500,000 people were killed across Indonesia, with an estimated 80,000 killed in Bali, equivalent to 5% of the island's population.^[13] With no Islamic forces involved as in Java and Sumatra, upper-caste PNI landlords led the extermination of PKI members.^[14]

As a result of the 1965/66 upheavals, Suharto was able to manoeuvre Sukarno out of the presidency, and his "New Order" government reestablished relations with western countries. The pre-War Bali as "paradise" was revived in a modern form, and the resulting large growth in tourism has led to a dramatic increase in Balinese standards of living and significant foreign exchange earned for the country.^[8] A bombing in 2002 by militant Islamists in the tourist area of Kuta killed 202 people, mostly foreigners. This attack, and another in 2005, severely affected tourism, bringing much economic hardship to the island. Tourist numbers have now returned to levels before the bombings.