Cerita Si Oma

Geek in Heels posted some tweets that were remarkably funny in 2011. This tweet below is, for me the winner!

Nothing against marriage or pregnancy, I am just celebrating the fact that I am still single (but no longer available, alas :P) and no extra baggages to look after. Well, I should enjoy this state while I can by doing some travelling, pampering myself, going out more, and learning new things. Never would I stop doing those things, but I reckon when you have extra baggages, you will be more considerate. Let me know if I am wrong :) But let me enjoy my moment,... *I can hear myself singing "hallelujah!"*

I always wanted to write my own book. While I am still struggling to get my first book done (yes, I have very limited time and sometimes uninspired :( ), I got to take part in 11 projects 11 days by NulisBuku.com I sent 3 flash fictions and all 3 fictions are published in the 3 diffrent books, titled Menari (dance), Cemburu (jealousy), and Bimbang (doubt). These are two of them You can buy them via www.nulisbuku.com I am so proud! And I am even more motivated to get my first book done. Please wish me luck!

There are now more than 7 billion people in the world with the expectation of almost 10 billion by 2050. And according to the BBC world , i am the 4,815,122,350th person. You know what amazes me? That I still matters in this world. At least I know I do matter for my family, my close friends, and for my work (otherwise they would have fired me by now :P). And I know that I matter in God's eyes. That also amazes me, that I am the 4 billionth something person in this world, yet I still matter and yet God still knows me by name.

If online shopping happens in real life, I won't be happy

Awesomeeeee!

"Blackberry didn't work!!" Although I always said that I would NEVER be dependant on this smart phone, I panicked a bit when my Blackberry didn't work on Monday. First, because my main communication tool to maintain the long distance relationship is indeed Blackberry. Second because I am always scared when my phone died (after the prior experience of Blackberry crash when I was in Indonesia for holiday). But apparently it is not me, it is Blackberry. They have this problem with the server because of data server switch (or something similar). The problem started in Europe, spread to Middle East and Africa, and I heard today Brazil, India and possible US are also affected. So yeah, Blackberry #fails! But the funny thing is to see how we have become so attached, so addicted to this modern device. In the past, we could have been simply happy with the postcards and post mails. And what even funnier is, true story, I totally forgot that there is another feature on your phon...

Most of my previous weekends have been occupied with trying out some recipes and experimenting with new ingredients, but this weekend, we went to taste some at the Taste of Amsterdam. This four days event was basically about trying out food and learning how to make new, interesting food. We came on the last day, which appeared to be the most beautiful day of the week. The sun was shining and the temperature was perfect! So, you can imagine how packed it was. We went around trying wine, beer, cognac, limoncello, cocktails (oh wait, it was only me that did that :P), and of course, we tried lots of food. If I still can remember (I might forget things not because the intake of the alcohol, but because the many sorts of food we could taste), we tasted the tastiest tomato, raw seafood mixed with red onion and lime (peruvian food), the yummiest spare ribs, english pie (my nostalgic snack), biologic cookies (that cost 1 euro per cookie, yes, you read it correctly!), vegetarian sandiwich spread...

I know I have been disappeared for quite a while. No, no, I am not going anywhere. I am just busy (classic!). I have been occupied with these main things, of which some are really shallow, hedon stuff. Yeah, that's a disgrace, I know. But well, without my fiancee being around, and me suffering long distance relationship AGAIN, I should learn to entertain myself, no? So, these following things are main activities now 1. Drie dwaze dagen game This is an online game created for the promotion of the biggest and craziest shopping sales at the famous, dutch department store, de bijenkorf (comparable to Sogo, in Indonesia). Yes, yes, it is shallow, but well, I have never been a game player, but it's kinda fun and addictive. The rule is very simple. You need to fight to be on the first person on this virtual queue :P 2. Masterchef Australia and cooking and baking :) Am a huge fan of masterchef australia (especially a big fan of Poh from season 1), and also into cooking and baking latel...

the best part is "I surrender some,..." This video made me laugh, yes, but it also made me ponder that we, church, do sing this kinda songs in our heart and mind. I do, sometime.

I always want to move every time I hear this song, especially when listening to these covers. Any Indonesians covered this song yet?

I am not particularly a big fan of SATC (sex and the city), but well, as a female creature, I have watched some of the episodes (especially the last season) and both of the movies :) Yup, guilty! But reading the article by Thought Catalogue has made me realise how bad this series has lied to all women in the world. You can read the 5 Lies Carrie Bradshaw told me and decide yourself whether you have been deceived, too. As for me, number two is the biggest lie. Darn! 2. You can thrive financially in the city just by writing a column a week about your life Perhaps the most unrealistic aspect of the show was Carrie’s lax work schedule. Homegirl only had to write one column a week in a crappy newspaper and still managed to make rent, buy designer clothing, and eat out at fabulous restaurants. No wonder she had to whore herself out to Mr. Big. She needed to make ends meet! I always wondered why the emotionally unavailable old fart was even an option in her love life. Then I saw h...

(click here to reveal the future) Alas, Inception concept might never happen, even in the future. And I hope I still live in the year 2805 to get to meet WALL-E. I guess what I need to do is to survive till 2035 and sign up for the time-travel experiment. I can do this! :) via TheNextWeb

If you didn't know, last week was the 66th independence day of Indonesia. Merdeka! Being abroad, I didn't celebrate it at all, really, but I was really involved in many different tweets around this topic. I was trying to find the best outfit to show that it was my independence day celebratory attempt, but alas, I couldn't find any red top to go with my white jeans (and no, I am against red trousers). Thus yes, I wasn't very nasionalist, but,.. having said that, my interest of Indonesia, specifically Indonesian politics has grown stronger every day. It all started in 2009 , when the recession struck almost every nation, and Indonesian seemed to be doing just fine. Sri Mulyani was the woman behind the new, tough tax regulation. Being the minister of finance at that time, she did a quite serious reformation in the ministry of finance. I adored her effort and her vision to make Indonesian citizens to have trust in their government again. This is what was, an...

isn't our life a bit sad? I wonder maybe I should just be a stay at home mom and enjoy my life more? And write books for sure! :) Still feel guilty that I haven't had the chance to finish my first book I promised to Ega to be published in his self-publishing site . I am sorry, my inspiration is no longer my inspiration, unfortunately (#nomention) So, the morale of this blog post, I guess, is to try to enjoy your life more? or for me, it'd be to live as healthy as possible so that when I am old, I will still be active and have energy like those old, dutch people, who still travel from Timbuktu to North Pole! :) via Haha.nu

via Geek in Heels

Read his books Follow him on Twitter and watch this Stand Up comedy video Watch part 2 Watch part 3

should I say more?

It's been almost one month. And long distance relationship has never been so difficult. I remember when I first signed up for this challenge in the year of 2002, the first time I left Stefy to go to the Netherlands. As far as I could remember it, it wasn't this hard! I guess what makes this time so different is our commitment. In the past, we were still in a dating-for-fun kinda commitment. Yet, we are now more certain about our future plan. And also we've been together in the same city for these past 3 years. That's why it is so much harder now. That's why the appearance of this link to an article on my Facebook Wall this morning was very appealing. Not that it eased the difficulty of my long distance relationship, but this article could have been an answer for my loneliness, if I chose to :P The most niche (and bizarre) sites for finding love on the Internet Apart from my several attempts to find an online boyfriend through mIRC when I was still in junior high - w...

How often do you get this response from a friend, or colleague? And how often do you get this from your close friend of even your boyfiend or girlfriend, or your partner, or your husband or your family? I find it kinda disturbing when people don't really have opinion, especially if they are quite close to you. Especially when it comes to choosing place to go, or place to eat. A: Where are we going for dinner? B: Up to you A: What do you want to eat? B: Um,.. I don't know. Up to you. A: Chinese? B: Umm,.. we went there last week! A: Italian? B: Hm, it's crowded on thursday evening A: Indonesian B: Oh, come on, we can cook Indonesian ourselves! A: .... *not talking anymore* Why don't you just say what you want! and even if it means not going anywhere for dinner, it'd be better than saying 'up to you!' I guess living in a country, where the people are very direct, has taught me to express what I think or what I feel. And I kinda expect people to do the same. Do...

If you live in the Netherlands, are frustrated with the weather, and think that umbrella is just hopeless, you are just like me! Until I found Senz Umbrella, the famous, strange umbrella that works well against strong wind. Well, I was very proud and positive about this umbrella, until it was broken 2 weeks ago. I wouldn’t blame the product, though, because the wind was too strong, coming from many different sides. When my umbrella was R.I.P, all I could do was sobbing inside. It wasn’t an easy decision to buy this umbrella. Due to the abnormal price for one piece of mini umbrella, I had to think a lot before buying it; but finally I bought it! I was overly positive about it. I promoted to my colleagues who had frustration about their broken umbrella. But not after 2 weeks ago! I was sad and regretted my decision buying this too expansive umbrella, yet still broken in the end. As a social media geek, I thought, hmm,.. let’s try to find Senz Twitter or Facebook account. Just for fun, I ...

It's been more than 2 weeks ago when I landed to this wet and cold supposed-to-be summer of Holland, after my 1 month summer holiday in Indonesia. And it has also been more than 2 weeks that I have res-entered to the LDR - long distance relationship. I couldn't believe myself for doing it all over again. After being in LDR for almost 5 years, I remembered making an oath not to be in this cruel LDR cycle again! But here I am, or let's say here we are, again. If you ask how I am so far, I'd say on the weekdays, it's okay. But on the weekend, this is when the emptiness started to creep in. Missing him is not the worst, thanks to the technology ( do I hear a Hallelujah?), but his presence is really missed. Since we lived in the same city, he often was at home cooking dinner for me. Or we often went for movie or dining when we felt like it (or when the weather allowed). And weekends were always our favorite! We went to traditional market, experimented with some recipes,...

So, here I am, spending one month of vacation in Indonesia. If you miss me, just drop a comment here :P or if you are in Indonesia, we can always try to arrange a meeting Although, I'll have limited access to my digital life. Ciao!

It's been the busiest time of my life where work overlaps with fun, sadness, stress, holiday, travelling,... I am currently experiencing so many different things at the same time, which make me unable to feel any particular feeling for a long time. I take this as a benefit, as I don't really linger on my sadness or stresss too long. Next month I am going back to indonesia for holiday, and Stefy is going back for good. This is not a good thing. I hate another farewell, another long-distance relationship. C'est la vie Starting July, this blog will be filled with some stories about long-distance, about sadness, about our fight, but maybe also filled with some stories about our preparation for the wedding :) How are you all? How's life treating you?

I am feeling kinda romantic today. so, allow me to share some of the most romantic pieces from my most favorite films. “I love you. I am who I am because of you. You are every reason, every hope, and every dream I've ever had, and no matter what happens to us in the future, everyday we are together is the greatest day of my life. I will always be yours. “ – The Notebook (2004) Spongebob: "What do you usually do when I'm gone?" Patrick: "Wait for you to come back." (Love Actually) "I am just a girl standing in front of a boy asking him to love her." - Nothing Hill (1999) "Tell me how I should be. Just tell me. I'll do it." (Blue Valentine) (The Wedding Singer)

Looking forward to watching this movie :)

I believe you have heard about the shooting drama happened last weekend in a small town in the Netherlands, called Alphen aan de Rijn. The morning of Monday 11 April, all headlines of the national newspapers were: WAAROM? (or WHY?) I reckon this headline can go with any bad circumstances in our lives: a relative passed away, continuous financial problems, jobless situation, tsunami, war, poverty, breaking up after having been together for a long time, your partner is cheating on you,... you name it! Why?! That's often what we ask when something bad happens in our lives. We try to find the reason why such bad things happen: is it my fault? did I do something wrong? is it God's punishment? did s/he actually love me? am I not good enough? am I stupid? is it karma? And we are often stuck in this drama of asking why, of finding explanation to what happen to us, to our society. I guess what we need to ask instead is How? or What can I do to change this circumstance? Finding solution ...

Have you seen this film called Blue Valentine ? If you haven't, you should! In fact, you must. Blue Valentine ain't a chick flick or drama comedy that is just like any other chick flick or drama comedy. This film makes you think, make you ponder about relationship, love, marriage, courtship,... This film makes you question: when the love has gone, what should you do? The funny thing is that Stefy and I watched this film when we celebrated our one decade anniversary (yes, you read it correctly, one decade, 10 YEARS!). During the film, I kept asking myself, would it also happen in my marriage? In the end, Stefy and I had an interesting discussion about this film, about our relationship, and what we should and shouldn't do to prevent having similar issue. We can conclude, in the end, that falling in love is easy, staying in love is challenging, yet it is possible :) Despite the gloomy feeling after watching the movie, we both love the soundtrack!

it's definitely spring! Because all the songs are so cheerful, and I am happy!

Despite my gloomy mood, this song has been able to cheer me up :) Also the weather is pretty friendly Here it is: Plage van Chrystal Fighters, covered by Chef' Special

Sadness and difficult moments often get me to open WordPad and write. Like now! This is that very time when I feel really down and again question what I should do. Yesterday, I tweeted: I know that God is good, but why do I often misunderstood His goodness? A friend replied by tweeting: So that we will be surprised and amazed by His helping hand. This difficult time is, I guess the most difficult of all, yet this time I know better: blaming God is never the anwer. Questioning Him is frustating. Worrying is a waste of time. But, what should I do? I don't have a clue! What I know is that I need to stay positive, think straight, find a solution, do my best, and let God to take care of the rest. God is working mysteriously. Like Rowan Atkinson in his film Keeping Mum said: God's mysetrious, deal with it! Your prayer, support, encouragement, tweets, message, comments, or anything,... will be very much appreciated.

very interesting video. so are you what they say a typical person?

This weekend, Stefy had a football match, and having known this for a while, I have planned a saturday away with some friends. So, here I am, just came back from a very meaningful gathering that has given more than happiness and relaxation. A few things I learned today: There are no boundaries in friendship. Being a friend for someone means you just got to accept both this friend's good and bad sides. Even if you must always be the one, who should have a bigger heart, a forgiving heart. You just can't stop being friends! Hardship, happiness, distance, time, money, mental disorder, success,.. nothing can cancel a friendship - unless you say so. A spouse is someone, who is not always giving you good, easy time. A spouse should be someone, who will always challenge you, giving you hard time, if necessary, for the sake of being a better person. Finally, I learn today that a couple is two people sharing their dream - not necessarily have to share the same vision - but they should un...

When asked to join, I was perplexed what Okonomiyaki was. So I googled and found an explanation on Wikipedia : Okonomiyaki is a Japanese savoury pancake containing a variety of ingredients. The name is derived from the word okonomi, meaning "what you like" or "what you want", and yaki meaning "grilled" or "cooked". Due to my curiosity, I went to dinner with my friends, and was really happy to finally enjoy a portion of Okonomiyaki, or the waiter told me, Japanese pancake. In the end of this first time experience, I can conclude that I quite liked Japanese pancake. Yet, it is not something I can (or would like to) have every month, if I still want to see the same number on my weight-scale. The taste is very savoury - salty and heavy. As a truly Indonesian, I would add some spicy sauce (like Sambal ABC) to the pancake. The place is too small, so you kinda need to squeeze in. yet the good thing is everyone has to reserve to be able to eat there (or ...

It's a little bit late to upload this post, but why not? :) Last month, Stefy celebrated his birthday. And as a suprise (I love surprises!), I booked a table in a vietnamese restaurant in the Hague, Little V. Some friends have been mentioning this restaurant to us, but we just never had the time to try. And in fact, you need to reserve your table before coming. It's always busy! So, there we were, for stefy's birthday dinner. To start, we ordered nothing else than the famous vietnamese spring roll for appetizer! I used to have a vietnamese roommate, and she made a tasty spring roll. Hoping the spring roll would be as good as, I was very happy that it definitely tasted yummy! The dip made the taste even more yummy! For main courses, we ordered something with white fish, stir-fry beef and veggies, and seafood curry. They all taste WONDERFUL! Love them so much! We also ordered fried rice (instead of only white rice), and it tasted just like Hongkong fried rice in Indonesia. Yu...

A new year should be started with a new resolution. It's kinda part of the deal, toch? Thus, to honor that tradition, here are some of my new year resolution: 1. Start and finish reading the whole bible. This has ALWAYS been listed in my New Year resolution, but always ended up being wiped off. But, this year I will give it another try. And this year, this is my priority! :) 2. Seriously start to plan my wedding: to decide when to get married is the priority, which then will be followed with other details like venue, dresses, etc. And also to be wiser with saving money. 3. In relation to my second resolution, I need to plan my future job: what will I do when I go back to Indonesia. Will I be a teacher? Will I be a lecturer? Will I open my own business? Resolution number 2 and 3 might be a bit confusing for you who haven't really met us in person. Stefy, my fiancee, and I are currently living in the Netherlands. He is going back to Indonesia, just before summer 2011, and my work...

This post should have been posted before the end of the year 2010. But let me share my final thought of 2010, and wish you a very happy new year 2011. The year of 2010 is about facing the reality and making choices This midnight, looking back at the past 12 months I've been through, I questioned myself what I have done, what I have learned. I pondered on what good things happened - any luck or fails? There have been tons of things happened to me. I started this year with a visit to Indonesia, meeting my friends and family, which had given me more clarity that I would go home to Indonesia at some point, soon. It was followed with my temporary project working at the embassy of Republic Indonesia, which was a definite eye-opener about the reality I would face in the future. Then the luck happened! Actually God happened. I was given the most precious gift: I got a proper, always-been-my-dream, job. And these are the highlights of my 2010. But the number of things I have learned are mor...