It was size XS...

I went to one of clothes shop in Bali. Browsing and wandering inside for about 20 minutes, until I decided to buy myself a shirt. The brand is quite well known, and I often bought my shirt from this chain shop, back in Sydney.

When I requested the assistant for size S, she shrugged her shoulder.
"I think you in size M, or L, mam. I will suggest medium as start."

I rolled my eyes. Medium?

Assuming that I know my body better than her, I confidently grabbed size S. And opened it. Hmmm....she might be right, S look quite small.
So, I grabbed another one, M, and walked to change room.

What happened next is beyond my imagination. M was way too small for me. I can see my whole upper body struggle inside this tight shirt. They seems want to blow! And my belly...OhMyGod! I'm not even having courage to look at it.

I frantically looking for help from the assistant, to get me size L. She walking slowly toward me with L in her right hand, and she gave me what-I-told-you-and you-didn't-believe-me sort of look.

With L in my hand, I start to be optimistic. Oooh...no...L still doesn't look good on me. I definitely need XL!

I'm whispering to the assistant that waiting right outside change room, and she handed me XL in a second. She must've laughed at me by the time I put XL on my body.

XL clearly the right size. I handed it to the counter, paid, and walked as quick as I can from the shop, tried to avoid the assistant polite smile (enough smiling, I know what you're thinking of me...my not-so-confident-devil-side spoke in my head...)

I walked back to the hotel. Suddenly I missed Sydney, where I can be confident with my S (or sometimes XS...!), where I can comfort myself that with 152cm/56kg, I'm not big. I still can buy clothes on Petite section at Department Stores.

From that moment on, everywhere I'm going in Indonesia, I felt like my eyes always as alarmed as eagle to scanned everybody around as 'big' as me. Not always successful though, since I found that all the women (ok, not all....almost everybody...) in Indonesia are so skinnier than me.....oh gosh.... (Sigh…)