Saturday night we went to the Yak Magazine‘s annual Yak Awards party at KuDeTa. It was fantastic fun with free flowing Moet, and vodka shots sloshing out of an ice sculpture at the oyster bar. Trays and trays of kinky canapes kept the usual Seminyak crazies from drinking on an empty stomach. Among the slew of Ubudians in attendance, I found painter Jason Monet with a plastic cat around his neck and a busted leg. Bruno wore all white with ancient chalcedony round his neck. This sartorial splendour made him a bit of a hag-magnet and he spent most of the evening beating off old new agers and trying to get back to the bar.

19 awards were bestowed upon a rather random range of recipients. Some of the choices left me a bit puzzled, or yawning. Others I endorse wholeheartedly, including Biasa for best ad campaign, The Breeze for best sunset venue.

Jocelyn Cunningham, the force behind KuDeTa‘s continuing success, took the Woman of the Year award (above, with Nigel Simmonds of The Yak). She’s certainly splendid, but I have to say that KuDeTa itself doesn’t thrill me like it once did. The atmosphere feels harder, colder, and more crowded than in days of yore. Maybe they aren’t doing enough offerings.

Last year’s venue for the awards bash was the Sentosa, which seemed more magic, more “wow”.  Its configuration works better for a big party, too. It’s also more spacious than the section of KuDeTa used for this year’s awards.

It seemed a bit odd that KuDeTa kept the restaurant and the north bar roped off for use by the general public, while the lawn and the south bar were given over to the party. Paying customers on the other side of the rope must have felt peculiar watching us all guzzle free booze and cavort riotously at a party they were not attending. On our side of the rope someone quipped, “I guess we’re their entertainment tonight.”