Last Saturday, dear friend and Texan Mary Justice, with her ever-debonair husband Steven Croll, hosted a boot-scootin’ birthday bash for their divine-looking son Cabot on the sands of their beachfront yard of their fabulous villa. Decked out in Stetson hats and Lou Casey boots, the couple, with MJ’s visiting mother, Judy Watson (in town from North Carolina), welcomed guests to the fab Cowboy-themed bash. Complete with horses, real-life cowboys (including Australia’s original “Marlboro Man” Gerard Reinhardt) and massive amounts of food catered by Seminyak’s newest café-cum-deli, Grocer and Grind, the 70-odd guests hoed down on ranch-style barbecue foods of guacamole, chorizo and gourmet burgers, plus well-received lashings of Cowboy Crusher cocktails – yee-haw! As for the birthday boy and guest of honor? Well, he just turned six! Now, covering a six-year-old’s  birthday party may appear out of sorts for this column, but as experienced in Bali (and dare I say, I am guilty of it myself), there is no such thing as a kid’s party without the even bigger kids - um, that would be us, playing the lead, if not starring role. The days when Mum or Dad would drop you off for a two-hour birthday party to sit around a plastic-covered trestle table in the back yard and feasted on

An abundance of cigars, free-flow drinks and giveaways were eagerly enjoyed by members and guests as hundreds of people gathered to celebrate the official 1st Anniversary of the Canggu Club last week. With standing room only at the packed-out outdoor pool bar and masses of people seated on the club’s expansive lawns chowing down on a gourmet barbecue prepared by Australian Exec Chef Brad Harrison, it was all systems go! In full swing on the poolside decks was DJ Gus Till (UK) who, as ever, superbly picked the crowd’s musical penchant and gave ‘em what they were after. Woo-hoo! With a giant screen showing the club’s progressive history from its inception, a massive two-meter-long chocolate birthday cake was wheeled out and carved up by the club’s well-loved GM, Jean-Phillipe Bernard (who was man about town last week with pal and Hollywood actor Mel Gibson). The festive atmosphere and endless fun ensured members partied well into the night – with no prizes for guessing how many revelers would have been on the alka-seltzers the next morning. Ouch!

A gaggle of girls gathered last week at Villa Lilybel, home of businesswoman Melissa Lynton, to toast nothing other than their fabulous solidarity and sisterhood. Chin-chin to that! A wonderful mix of camaraderie, chattering women and chilled bottles of bubbly and sauvignon blanc went down well, as did platters of anti-pasti, cheeses and pizzettes shared amongst the convivial crew of bon vivants. Stories and recent experiences were swapped under the hostess’ alfresco dining pergola and lounge by guests that included Phillie Gebbie (with her gorgeous new baby boy), Lesley Campbell, Fifi Kerr, Ana Deroiij, Dalia and Ester Alfandary, Philippa deLeonardis, Jane Swinson, Mary Justice, Louise Henry, Julie Bauber, Enrica deMello, Anmarie Myers and Luli Orchard. The soiree was such a treat it inspired a monthly gathering (no surprise there), with all the women in attendance happily vying to host the next do. Thank heavens for our sisterhood – whatever would we do without it!

Book-worming my way up the mountain amongst the masses to attend the launch of the 4th Annual Ubud Writers and Readers Festival at the Ubud Palace this week was a treat. It’s rare that I head up to the hills but sometimes it’s well worth the effort. I did miss the opening speech by Minister of Culture and Tourism Jero Wacik (which, by all accounts, was said to have fallen flat anyway) but made it in time to make the book launch of the first English translation of the Javanese epic The Centhini Story – which centers on art, music, divination, erotic knowledge, religious speculation and mysticism. The masterfully poetic words were condensed to give guests an entrée to the delicious epic, with a narration of the story beautifully delivered by Jogja-based French native Elizabeth Inandiak (who also translated the text into French). Accompanied by some very erotic and steamy dance performances – sound effects and all - which left some guests blushing at the passionate public orgasm scene, it was an eclectic start to the week-long festival which has been lauded by Conde Nast Traveler and Harpers Bazaar as “one of the world’s great book events.” Seen at the launch were Made “Stranger in Paradise” Wijaya, Australian Home  and Away producer Ray Harding, Aussie actress Claudia Karvan’s father Arthur Karvan, Sculptor Fillipos, architect  and interior designer Popo Danes and wife Melati, Seniwati Gallery’s Mary Northmore, Sarita Newson and author Jamie James, who was MC for the launch. Whilst Festival Director Janet De Neefe entertained the massive lineup of international writers at a private welcome dinner, others bookmarked the bar Tara and Odeks’ Ary’s Warung as the place to whet their whistles post the launch, including Biasa’s Susanna Perini, Indo Multi Media’s Alistair Spears, photographer and writer Jill Gocher – who is also launching her coffee-table photographic tome titled Asia’s Legendary Hotels at Periplus Bookstore, Ubud, on Friday evening - film producer Melissa Hasluck and Australian mega-journalists Jacqueline and Margot Lang.

OK, I admit it – I’m a virgin. Well, a SKAL Lunch virgin at least. Ashamedly after almost eight years on the island, I have never attended a SKAL, or any committee-type organized lunch such as BIWA or Rotary – why I don’t exactly know, but there you have it. So with my chastity belt firmly in place, I headed down to the Laguna Resort and Spa in Nusa Dua for my first entry to this tourism industry group, not really knowing what to expect. And I’m glad I did! Overcoming my shyness (stop laughing), I noticed some very familiar faces at the luncheons Café Lagoon destination – Debe Campbell who is back in town for a couple of weeks and looking fab with a trendy new buzz cut, recently pregnant Jo Macfarlane, whose baby is due in April, Andrew Charles, Ruth Zukerman, Malcolm Scott and Rob Kelsall, amongst others, but there were also a ton of faces I have never seen on the island all out to lunch (excuse the pun!). Expertly organized with toasts, raffles, prizes, speeches, international guest welcomes, fun fundraising “fines” dished out by charming Discovery Kartika Plaza GM Urs Klees and swift service for the 100-odd crowd who dined on a three-course menu of Citrus and Virgin Olive Oil-Marinated Lobster Medallions with mango salsa, tomato chutney and chardonnay pearls, a main Duo of Braised Beef Short Rib and Slow Roasted Lamb Rack with a butternut puree, Bedugal valley asparagus, mushroom-stuffed zucchini blossom and a desert buffet to satiate even the biggest sweet tooth. I noshed up, networked and nosed down a few cab-savs all within a superbly timed two-hour lunch schedule which was accomplished almost to the minute! Membership to SKAL is encouraged, with official members enjoying scrummy monthly lunches and special events throughout the year. I’ll scull to that!

Oh dear, has Mel Gibson got into a wee shot of bother this week! The pint-sized 51-year-old star (who was recently on probation for drink driving) was whooping it up at The Living Room in Seminyak last week without a “dry argument.” A bevy of revelers, including an array of girls not shy of wanting a piece of his block-busting Lethal Weapon, were seen giving Mel a mother-tongue taste (literally) of their local Indo talents. Enjoying a semi-private booth at the popular bar with two not-so-bouncy bouncers in tow, the megastar was clearly in intoxicated form, at one stage even doing a Tom Cruise-a-like jump on the lounge and shaking his mel-icious booty on the sofa and table top. Mel’s reps have denied the rumors, with his agent saying, “He was drinking those non-alcoholic tropical drinks they serve over there.” Puhleease - does he think we are all primates hanging from the trees or what? Hah! The very congenial star appeared by his very merry behavior to be intoxicated by the heat or tropical Bali vibe and was partying like a rock star and most certainly painting his wagon red! Sources tell me Mel was staying at Bali socialite and property developer Tina Shazelle’s villa in Seminyak, while on a buying spree with his interior designer to deck out Bali-style a new pad he’s purchased on 25,000 acres in Costa Rica. The new GM at the Canggu Club, JP Bernard, met the man and said, “He’s a really fun, fun, funny guy.” Claims the Braveheart star was here to speak at a local chapter congregation of Alcoholics Anonymous (ironically located at the end of Bali’s bar strip on Jl. Dyana Pura) were not surprisingly unfounded. Mel recently received a favorable response from a Malibu judge at a progress hearing, with his lawyer noting he had completed four and a half months of AA meetings and paid his fines. The judge said Gibson’s AA participation was now voluntary (clearly!) but that he must appear at the next court date in Malibu, on February 15, 2008. Perhaps he should drop in for a non-alcoholic cocktail here en route – my shout!

Vivacious leggy blonde Sarah Sellick hosted a last-minute, spontaneous BBQ bash to push the boat out on her 39^th birthday this week. Although small on numbers, it was large on laughs, with a gathering that included the likes of Lucienne Thynne, Mary Justice, Peter Kerr, Bridget Parker, Elise and Michael Phillips, Andrew McLatchie, Arndt Buller, Luli Orchard, Hetta Thynne, Melissa Lynton, Anmarie Myers, Ana and Maurice Deroiij getting well-whipped into the thick of things – especially the chocolate birthday cake (handmade by partner Michael Travers … awww) and cream profiteroles, most of which were worn on various guests’ body parts – ahem - than what was ingested, giving new meaning to having your cake and eating it (or licking it) too! A sizzling array of sumptuous meats were presented barbecue-style as were buckets (literally) of beer, wine and spirits which saw the well-baked stayers spontaneously combust on the make-do dance floor, giving happy snappers of the evening an eye-shuttering workout. Uwah!