Sunday, December 20, 2009

Uyah Amed

One the places we went in Bali last month, was Pantai Amed. This is located on the north-east shore of Bali.
The sand is volcanic black & the land view is the majestic mount Agung & its two sisters mountain.
It is much much quieter than Ubud or Kuta. Yet, there were many cottages & simple hotels all along the shore. Most of those who gather here are those looking for serenity or, like us, seek for the beauty of under-water. We stayed in the first hotel along the shore, called Uyah Amed. Uyah, in balinese, means salt.
The location had a great view of the triplet mountains of Mount Agung & its 2 smaller sisters. However, what was more interesting & eye-opening to me was the life of the traditional salt farmers all around the beach. I had awaken at 5.45am to hunt for the sunrise, and took a stroll along the beach... what was different of this place compared to any other balinese beaches (or any other in Indonesia) I've stepped on, was these salt farmers walking up and down the slopy shore, scooping fresh water with tin fan-shaped buckets from the sea, carrying them over on their shoulders for about 50m up to the land & before throwing them on the soil-bed and raking them to sun-dry thru-out the next few days. The bucket loads weight easily at least 50kgs... and I think they did at least 50 trips in & out of the water. . Their foot trail were embedded deep into the rocky black sand. Many of them were women (I know the men are not sleeping.. I saw them the night before, sailing to the sea, to hunt for fish). As you and I know, salt is not expensive, but yet their efforts are so abundant. I will leave the pictures to speak for itself...

Friday, December 18, 2009

Life of Pi



You know it's a good book if u can't stop wanting to read it (I felt it with this one)

I always thought this is a story involving serious philosophy about life, due to the word "Pi" (3.14) in its title.

Actually it's a fantasy robinson-crue kind of story. More like Tom Hanks in "Castaway"
I thought this novel would make a good movie, but I felt it would be almost impossible to find a very good child actor to play the main solitary role. Moreover most of the scene will have to be focused on a small lifeboat with sea backdrop. I'm not sure this would be visually appealing cinematically.


Then i found out Ang Lee has already secured the right to produce this as a movie


Most famous cover of this book is the one on the left below, but the one i bought is as per the right image.

The ending has an interesting twist. It made me felt that a storyteller could tell us many versions of a story, but how would u know which one is the correct one? One also needs to follow his heart to believe what he believes. I guess the ending somehow relates to the beginning which talked about the different faiths men have.


Sunday, December 13, 2009

4 new books to my wishlist


One of my top-ranked favourite smells is the fragrance of new paperback fiction books stacked together. The more there are, the stronger the smell lingers in my senses... It just evokes me of imagination, travelling mind, and unfolding stories... Browsing thru racks of them on a recent bookshop visit, these are my most recent book-wishlist:


1. Life on the Refrigerator's Door (Alice Kuipers): quote from amazon.com: "Beautifully told through notes left on their kitchen fridge, this is an intimate portrait of the relationship between a hard-working mother and her teenage daughter."

2. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Stieg Larsson): A crime-fiction thriller from a Scandinavian writer, first of a trilogy. The writer is deceased, shortly after delivering the 3 manuscripts in 2004.

3. Stern Men (Elizabeth Gilbert): Fell in love with her book "Eat, Love, and Pray". Would love to read this other book of hers, about a woman and 2 lobstermen,

4. The Time Traveler's Wife (Audrey Niffenegger): Now being made into a movie, the story reminds me of "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" involving a guy with an age-reversal genetics abnormality...


But for now, am happily reading "Life of Pi" --- hard to put it down :) will share more once i finish the book :)

words in the Advent Calendar


Quoted from the sermon today "Some people make a preparation 2 weeks beforehand for a holiday... How about preparation for life after eternity? How much does it take?"

Friday, November 27, 2009

DIY Crafts











Recently, I've come across several DIY (Do It Yourself) projects that yield to beautiful hand-made craft, and this can be made by you, yourself. Here are some of my faves today:




Wednesday, November 25, 2009

wise words

In my most recent holiday (that just ended today), I came across a small wooden signboard while driving along the Bali north coast road. Its carved words glued on my mind:
"And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years."

Some googling done & it turns up this is a famous phrase originated from the late Abe Lincoln. I love this quote. It reminds us to make use of our precious time wisely and beautifully, to live each day meaningfully and to be always thankful for the guiding force from above that blesses our everydays :)
PS: Picture taken is the "Bunga Desember" or flower that only blooms once a year in Dec ("Blood Lily"). My mum grows some in her few precious pots & this morning they bloomed a bit faster (being November) but just in time when I was visiting. If a flower that cannot talk nor walk knows when to bloom & follow the annual cycle (almost) truthfully, how a human's life should even bloom more beautifully...
Have a good day everyone!

Saturday, September 12, 2009

Missing Bakso

Yesterday, a friendly colleague took me out for Lunch in Chinatown, after hearing I'm missing Bakso/the Indonesian meat ball soup. Coincidentally she had planned to go there with her friend for a 'beef noodle' lunch. Turned up that they have Bakso as well in this part of the country, yay!

Verdict? It tastes different than the one back home, & aside from the meat balls, they also added slices of beef meats & tripes/offals (I initially thought that this was the cow's inside skin, but actually it's the lining of their stomach) and some sort of thick saucy paste (minced beef & chilli?) which completed the flavour of the soup. I like it very much.

Another blog has a review on it, click here if interested :). And my favourite foodblog eatingasia has it as well :)


Here, eating noodles is slightly more complicated than back home, where u usually only have to choose either to go with mi kuning (yellow noodles) or bihun (Vermicelli). I guess being closer to the country origin of noodles, ie. China, made people here have more varieties of noodle to offer. I still have to remember the different chinese names for the types of noodles, so I can order properly next time (usually these old stalls's servants dont speak english). Currently, this is what I've gathered:
- loh shue fun (rat tail noodle)
- hor fun (thick flat rice noodle)
- bee hoon
- yellow noodle (sang meen)
- Pan Meen (board noodles) <-- This is special dish, usually served with minced pork & ikan bilis (ikan teri!)

You also have a choice to eat your bakso soupy or dry, unlike our bakso which is always eaten soupy :)

Note: Picture taken from http://kampungboycitygal.blogspot.com/2006/06/shin-kee-beef-noodles-specialist.html



Sunday, September 06, 2009

Afternoon Stroll at Pasar Kramat


One of our most frequent groceries shopping spot is the nearby Kramat Wet Market. Being a 'city' girl, I do most of my shopping in hypermarkets like Carrefour, Tesco, Jusco or Cold Storage. Sadly however, I've not been able to find fresher meats compared to those sold in Kramat Wet Market. The quality of meat, beef especially, in the hypermarkets are 80% horrendous.
Anyway, this afternoon, we dropped by to Kramat Wet Market, where in place of its open-air parking space, tents selling foods for 'buka puasa' were buzzling with people, sellers & buyers, mixed together. I love lively atmosphere like this, where people mingle actively, yet still in a peaceful manner. Lots of various things sold. We bought Roti John (bread in the form of baguette, but texture is same as hotdog sandwich bread, with thin layer of omelette spread in it plus mayo+ketchup), chendol ice (nothing beats Penang chendol), and local glutinous snacks.
One of the drink stalls was selling Chrysantemum Tea in plastic bags, as pictured above. Lovely isn't it, they actually had the flowers in it!

Saturday, September 05, 2009

Tomaeto or Tomaa-to please?


Not sure what's going on in this town. I've gone to 3 major hypermarkets here & 1 expat supermarket, and cannot find a single tomato juice in store!
Not sure whether it is banned here or they actually put this drink in some other section of the shops, like in the 'ketchups' section? But i had checked there as well to no avail.

There's only one more place to check, those japanese supermarkets, like Isetan.

Friday, September 04, 2009

Back Dorm Boys

TGIF. It's Friday. This lightened my morning. Have a great weekend opener!

Monday, August 31, 2009

I close my eyes.
I feel the soft wind breathing over my face.
I hear the waves breaking on the fine sands.
I hear the palm leaves battering against one another
I hear children playing over the pool,
and still with eyes closed under the cooling shades,
All I see is green of the grass, blue sky, and clear water.
My heart beats slower, my limbs feel relaxed. Just my idea of a perfect day.

Penang 30th August 2009, Afternoon at Batu Feringgi Beach, Holiday Inn Cafe.

ps: Who needs to go away a thousand miles for the most perfect place on earth, when perfect comfort is just nearby. I believe there's something beautiful everywhere you go & I'm glad I found my moment in Penang.

Sunday, August 16, 2009

Phuket Bliss


Finally! we went to Phuket, just a 4 days 3 night trip, but it was a refreshing (and much needed) holiday. Great things we did:
1. Snorkelling and swimming in the gorgeous blue turquoise waters of Ko Phi Phi Islands
2. Lazing around the picturesque Maya Bay
3. Sea-Canoeing thru the cave tunnels in Ao Phang Nga lagoons
4. Finding the bohemian secluded beach of Leam Singh.
5. Shopping in JungCeylon (too little time)
6. 1 hour thai massage, first time in my life. so invigorating!
7. Sunset at the windy PhromPaet Cape
8. Eating thai street food, meat satays!
9. Enjoying the friendliness and the smiles of the Thai people
10. Renting a car for a day and beach crusing all the west facing Phuket Beaches...
This trip to Phuket is our first, but not the last hopefully! I can almost hear its beauty calling us back for another trip :) We will be back :)

Saturday, August 01, 2009

food galore

Last night, after a surprisingly good day at my office - finally managed to complete my last report for the month without having to stay back late! - we went out for a late dinner (me & hubby).
We went to Changkat Bukit Bintang, and ate in The Social :)
A small eatery place, with a pool table upstairs, alongside other similar food&watering holes on the popular alley, esp among foreigners. I got to say this was the best food i ever tasted so far in KL. It's got a 'mat saleh' price, but they do ensure the taste levels up to the expected standard. Service was also great & we ate al fresco just on the side of the street, with the cool night breeze of KL. Hopefully will be back again!

There are other food spots I want to try...:
- Yong Tau Foo - Ampang Area. apparently it's the best in town.
- Pan Mee - Jln Burung Babarau , Taman Bukit Maluri, Kepong. My colleagues introduced me to various pan mee around office, and now i cant get enough of it :)
- Ma Maison - apparently serves good french resto (with free flow salad bar) + excellent service.
- GrooveJunction Sri Hartamas - for a jazzy ambience :)

Oh no wonder i've been growing to the sides :)

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

getting updated

Kompas ePaper.com http://epaper.kompas.com/ had just a facelift! Actually, more of a skeleton lift. It's faster & easier to browse and read.
I still do browse this beloved indonesian paper once in a while, though I wish I had more regular time to do it. I love the various news coming from hometown, critics, economy, social life... It's more spicy & variant, compared to the news put up in the local newspaper here... sigh...

Sunday, July 19, 2009

My Little Happy Perks Lately

* Just came back from a SG Weekend Trip. It caused quite a major shopping spree & overhaul to my working clothes closet :)
* Meeting my brother in Bangkok 2 weekends ago & tasting the delicious fragrant pad thai and tom yum soup :)
* Sleeping over in an almost closing down hostel, old but clean and cosy :) I loved the backpacker's atmosphere esp during breakfast. It's just so laid back & really felt like a holiday.
* Went to Penang 3 weekends ago, and had asam laksa :) very nice! and walked around the old town & had a nice long swim in Batu Feringgi Beach (in a pool!) with a dear friend.
* Switching my foundation to MAC. It is Quality!
* Finally bought my Narcisso Rodriguez (for her), I think I also like his latest fragrance which came in a cold metal bottle, just like a whisky bottle.
* Having a nice meal in BlueJazz Cafe in Bali Lane SG, with Margarita to close the night :)
* My husband who is forever patient with me & does not sweat over little things.

Moving On

On my last few days before I moved from Jkt to KL in May... I've thought hard on what things I would miss out of this city. On top of my list was:
- the easiness of getting pampered in comfortable & clean salons or massage parlours... I've had a couple of favourite places already, and not to mention the affordability.
- modern batik shirts and dresses. I loved window-shopping for this, esp in the last 1-2 years, the creativity has evolved so much & I love the rich motive & print put onto a youthful cut.
- all the various delicious food spots I've discovered in Jkt.
Only after a few weeks in KL, I discovered a weird feeling that caught me off-guard. I was missing Jkt in an unexpected way. At first, I didnt really know what, & in my mind I was browsing for all the possible things, but still... this feeling is not somehow related to a particular activity or matter... Only then, it dawned on me.. that I've actually missed the 'sense of belongining', the feeling of actually belonging to a City.
Yes, the fact that I've stayed in dear Jakarta for over 7 years & having the city as the witness of all the things I have gone thru in that timeframe, has probably made me somehow 'rooted' to this city. A feeling which I've never felt before in the various cities I've lived in prior to this.

Oh well, now that I know exactly what I missed, it's time for me to put the 'dot' and move on to another chapter. Life goes on.

Sunday, April 26, 2009

25 Things About Me

It's been sometimes I've blogged... Things have kept me occupied... more of this later... but for now I'll just post something I've meant to put since some times ago....:

25 things about me
I've been tagged by quite a few people on this in FB, but i will just write it here.. Maybe I'll take a look at myself in 10years time & rewrite this again & see how will i respond again :). Note: I must say these are pretty random things about me, but I did try to think of them in chronoligical manner.

1. I spend time on my blog mostly when my husband is not around. Yes, it's sort of an activity to pass time for me, but I do enjoy it & it's just sort of a mental note for myself primarily.

2. I am addicted to the Internet. I've been surfing the net heavily since 1996. I was studying in Singapore. To be able to surf at that time, I had to go to govt internet booth at city's center, a bit far from my hostel. I also worked as a part time internet booth clerk in Uni, so I had ample internet time as well.

3. Before the internet came, I already fell in love with computers since 3rd grade... my dad had the Apple II, the first consumer PC & it was so cool. I learnt fast typing from an apple game, destroying enemies by shooting fires from a spaceship by typing the right letters.

4. My hobby during primary school was reading. I learnt reading even before I went to kindergarden. When both my parents returned to Balikpapan from a Jakarta trip, I could already read & they were really surprised. That was because my Mum often read me books with simple words aloud & my Daddy wore a lot of Tshirts with simple big letters on it that I kept asking how to read them.

5. One of my favourite childhood books was the Trio Detektif Series. My fave character of the 3 kid-detectives was the one who loved reading & analyzing clues, and was part time librarian. I even dreamed of being a part-time librarian in my hometown library where i borrowed these books, but I moved out of the town too soon later.

6. I learnt roller-skating in Balikpapan thru a week-end club. I already learnt ice skating before that, so it was not tough, but I had another friend in the same complex who was really good at it, especially at her natural body balance. She is now a known girl surfer in the country. I guess some skills, you are born with it.

7. Talking about natural skills, I know I will nost stand a job which involves a lot of talking and meeting different people thruout >80% of my work time. It just tires me physically somehow...

8. I am very good at blind memorizing. I could memorize 40 essays, each had at least 3 folio pages of words, to prepare for my high school history exam in SG. And this really word by word. But I am very bad at remembering song lyrics or play music tools. I dont think i can even recite ONE full song with correct lyrics right now & I am blind with music notes. No feeling whatsoever when it comes to musical talent.

9. I chose civil engineering for my undergrad degree because when small i really liked playing LEGO, and that was about building houses & complex & I didnt want to do architecture cause it didnt involve as much maths/science as i wanted.

10. Towards graduation, i realized i preferred working in a desk-bound environment, and not so much going out of the office or even going out of the island where i was in (Java), so that led me after one step to another to Citi.
ps: i didnt think of moving out of the country as an option at that time..

11. I met my husband in college, but was just good friend with him at the time. It started with strings of eMails... after abt 2 years i havent heard of him.

12. We had this stupid joke during college that we should marry one another if after xx years (forgot the xx, maybe it was 5 or 10) if both of us have not gotten married yet. Turned up we didnt have to wait for that xx years to get married with one another.

13. I am not good at cooking, but i still try to cook. sometimes it works, at least just for my taste.

14. I had received 2 barbie-alike dolls as xmas present, & I found them in my bathtub at xmas eve. I really believed it was from Santa, as I was in Paris at that time and thought that Santa was really alive & went flying around in the Western part of the world. It was quite funny for my parents because thruout my xmases in Indonesia prior to that, I never had been fooled by Santa, as I didnt believe Santa could fly all the way from Europe/America to Asia!

15. I always loved water sports. I loved swimming when i was kid, then tasted canoeing, then i just discovered snorkeling last year & it was FUNtastic.

16. I was a silver medallist canoeist with my double partner in an open national championship in.. singapore (yes, i know so small population), but we were very happy and proud about it.

17. I just got promoted & I am quitting my current position this mid-year. I am very happy that I will quit with my level. My mentor told me once that I should not quit Citi before I reach this level and I didnt think I would reach it this soon.

18. I hope I get a job when I join my hubby in KL ** amin... **, but if not I have taken the risk anyway.

19. "You can't turn back time". That's what i believe & this is my motto in joining my hubby in KL. What I am doing it right now, I believe will lay a good strong foundation to a lasting relationship & our 'family'. ** amin... **

20. I just discovered a new hobby, and that is SLR photography. It's amazing how pictures can be delivered & there is a big unknown world in this territory. My dad & my brother already fell in love with it. It's probably in the gene.

21. I had lasik surgery for my 2 eyes 2 years ago. Now I dont wear glasses anymore, but in fact when I see, I feel like there are like slim halos around my eyerim, especially on the left. I think the sharpness is only in the center of the eyes. It's good enough for me to see, but that is why I dont encourage other people to take the surgery now. Wait for maybe 5 more years, the technology is developing very fast & will be much more accurate.

22. My parents call me plastic girl, because I fold my legs really close to my stomach when I'm on the dinner table chair & it's become a habit until now. I think it's my natural position when i was a foetus/in the womb, so I can't be blamed :)

23. I silently cried when i sold off my first car (alone offcourse). It kind of caught me off-guard that I had such a sentimental feeling for my Daihatsu Xenia. I guess it brought back all the memories when I travelled alone in the car from/to the office, accompanying me thruout my early career-life, preparing for my wedding (a lifetime commitment), and preparing for my new apt (my first investment). It really was a faithful car who never complained & was by my side all the time, in good or bad time.

24. I've put Sagrada Familia Barcelona as my personal number one place to visit before I die, but I've visited it in 2006. I was really pleased and a little bit shocked I already accomplished it so early in my life. Maybe I should have aimed higher? :)

25. I still have many dream places to go, but my top favourites ones would be:
- Karimun Jawa Island, Raja Ampat Papua, Belitung/Bangka Island. Yes they are all in Indonesia & i'm a white-sand turquoise-blue-sea beach lover.
- A second-round trip to Europe, including Berlin, Spain, Paris, with my husband and my SLR cam.

Note: This was written sometime in Feb 2009 I think... but I just saved it on my laptop.
Update #25: Have just crossed Belitung off my list, just visited it this month! Great Place & most awesome natural gigantic pool (aka, sea) to swim in to date...!

Thursday, March 05, 2009

Wide Lens Wonder


I've always been fascinated by wide lens pictures. Whether it's to shoot buildings, scenery or even person photography. I love the exageration effect it produces and makes you feel really close to the ground or the scene.
Here is a link to a good collection of them on DPS.
Note: Photo on the left taken by Wvs

Saturday, February 21, 2009

Choices and Direction


At the end of the day, it's what matters most to you that gives you direction.
Life is about choices, and i believe that will guide me.

I don't know yet what lies ahead, but I know this is one of the best decisions I've ever taken.

May His presence be with us...

Wednesday, February 04, 2009

The Waiving Man

This photo of Bush & Obama walking in the White House is taken by AFP & found from quite an interesting article on Bush's most memorable pictures during his presidency tenure. Please pause a moment before continuing reading, and look at the picture again. What do you think is going on in the picture?

Excerpt from the article:
ERROL MORRIS (Interviewer):
Yes. Why do you like the picture so much?
VINCENT AMALVY (Photo Editor of AFP):
We don’t understand what is going on. Why does the shadow appear? I suppose it’s a shadow of somebody else beyond the corner. But the picture is only of two guys walking. It’s a profile of George Bush and Barack Obama. And he’s near the Rose Garden of the White House. And so in the back is a shadow of somebody who says, “Bye-bye.” And it is looking like a joke, but it is amazing.


My initial thought of the picture was that there must be some bodyguard behind them, trying to stop someone (presumably the surrounding press agents) to approach nearer... But as one of the article's readers' comment pointed out, it's actually Obama's shadow (you can see a little bit of his finger under Bush's cheek, that becomes part of his shadow). What intrigues me is that even the editor himself can miss the factual circumstance of a photograph. It just reminds me how perception of readers can be so much altered by a selection of photos put on a newspapers or even video shootage on the news.

Sunday, February 01, 2009

Wise words from Seth Godin


From the blog of a business guru:

What are you good at?

As you consider marketing yourself for your next gig, consider the difference between process and content.

- Content is domain knowledge. People you know or skills you've developed. Playing the piano or writing copy about furniture sales. A rolodex of movers in a given industry, or your ability to compute stress ratios in your head.Domain knowledge is important, but it's (often) easily learnable.

- Process, on the other hand, refers to the emotional intelligence skills you have about managing projects, visualizing success, persuading other people of your point of view, dealing with multiple priorities, etc. This stuff is insanely valuable and hard to learn.


While I don't really agree that Content is the easy one & Process is the hard part. (I think it can be well the opposite actually). I like the way he separates the attributes necessary to market yourself into the 2 sides. We always strive to achieve both.

Clearance Sale!

I don't usually get goodies at Sale, that's why I don't usually go rushing for them, unless I really know I will find what I need. But yesterday, I decided to push for my little luck once more & went to Plaza Indo for a book sale. So as to prepare for a possible disappointment, I went there to also watch a movie (Bride Wars!), and I even had a back-up movie (Bank Jobs) in line.
However, when I stepped into Ak.'Sa.Ra and digged futher in the fiction section.... waw... books at idr 50,000 & 100,000... and then I still thought 'ah they must be selling only the ageing displayed books that noone wants to buy...'. But what do u know... I actually saw a few familiar writer names and they were in that 50,000 rack... This must be a lucky sale for me...

I got myself:
- Haruki Murakami "Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman" - Collection of Short Stories. I've read his book on Norwegian Wood before & he does have a certain style: if it was a fabric, it would be soft delicate linen, if it was an activity, it would be strolling in the park. airy & breezy.
- Irene Nemirovski "David Golder". I've enjoyed her Suite Francaise a lot.
- Aravind Adiga "White Tiger" - This one not on discount, but I wanted to buy one of the newer best selling books around. The story set was in India, perfect! I'm currently loving books with a particular country & culture setting. It makes me feel like travelling when reading it.
- Muriel Barbery "The Elegance of the Hedgehog". I've never heard of her/the book before, but the cover review was interesting & I couldn't resist the material of the cover, it was smooth like a photo-poster print, but a little bit thicker.

I was thinking to buy Kazuo Ishiguro's 'Never Let Me Go' as well, but I was not sure if my eyes would last reading the 8-sized fonts novel. Sigh... it was also selling at $5.

Friday, January 30, 2009


My 5 days January trip to Jogja was mostly spent indoor and recovering (& by that I meant lazing around). My dad had quite a bunch of cool dvds on the table & there was enough selection for my time-span there. Three of them had Brad Pitt in it. All of them were good and interesting movies, Pitt is either so lucky or really knows which contract to choose.
- Curious Case of Benjamin Button (Watch this if u want to see Brad at his best flawless facial skin, like when he was starring in Legends of the Fall 14 years ago)
- The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (There's been many movies on the real-life american version of Robin Hood, but this one focuses on how his life ended...)
- Burn After Reading (Pitt plays a dumb guy & Clooney keeps looking older, I still wonder why it was not titled Burnt After Reading)

Facts about these movies:
- 'Curious' was directed by David Fischer, who directed Se7en that starred Pitt as well.
- Shiloh (Pitt's daughter) played in the movie as well as the baby version of Cate Blanchett
- 'The Assasination's director of photography was Roger Deakins, who also handled 'A Beautiful Mind' and was cinematographer for 'Revolutionnary Road' & 'Fargo'.
- 'Burn' was written & directed by Ethan Joel Coen brothers
- I've come across the Coen brothers a lot in articles/spreads but never really noted what they are known for. After some online research, they are known for 'noir' taste. In fact one of my all-time favourite movie Shawshank Redemption was directed by them! Their other movie that i have watched & also on my luv-list is Fargo.
- Most of past Coens films had Deakins as Cinematographer (see 'The Assasination'). Words has it that the only reason 'Burn' was not cinematographed by Deakins, was because the schedule conflicted with the filming of 'Revolutionnary Road'.
- My fave pick out of the 3 is 'Assasination'. I was in awe of the cinematography rendered. I will write a separate post on it :)

Sunday, January 25, 2009

Halo

I've been re-running the videoclip & enjoying the song "Halo" by Beyonce endless times.
Both the song & movie got this ethereal feeling right from the beginning.
I think beautiful does not need to be complicated. And this simple clip was what it was about.
Just cuts of light ray, snapshot of a couple's daily life, and Beyonce is already striking thru.

Just love it.

ps: There is also a rendering of the same song by amateur duet Rin on the Rox. They gave the song a 'happier' feel, quite worth to look at, so I'll just put it here. they've been featured in Ellen Degeneres Show!

Friday, January 23, 2009

day dream

....And I hope you realize, this isn’t just happy snappy positive thinking. Rather, it is a call to use your waking hours to think deep and dream big. For this will open you up to new realities, just as Edgar Allen Poe once said, “Those who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream only by night.”... (Chris Orwig)

Saturday, January 17, 2009

B'day Day :)

Location: Bali
Menu: Pork Ribs at Bebek Bengil, Dinner & Chocolate Cake at Double-Six :)
Activities: Strolling at Ubud, night beach swimming at Seminyak, and chilling out at Kudeta. Thanks to a company of great ladies!
Best Moment: Floating on my back in the waters, looking up at the starry sky & counting my blessings... :)
Most Precious Advise Received: It's a matter of choice: You can stay as you are & do no change, OR make a conscious change (for a better of me)

Welcome to another year :)

Saturday, January 03, 2009

Lightroom Rave

This holiday, I've been playing with raw shoots & lightroom!
It's FUNtastic :)
Since I bought my SLR, I've actually been so far very satisfied playing shoots & direct publishing, no editing in photoshop whatsoever (except for cropping) - 'cause shooting it right at the first time has already been a challenge in itself .... That is until I discovered Lightroom & Raw files processing. It's fun & simple, so much easier than using photoshop!
Here is a very good tutorial website, where I've been downloading & reading its videos & tips: http://www.lightroomkillertips.com

Friday, January 02, 2009

Technology bites


Just discovered picasaweb's face detection technology. This s/b the coolest tech-gig this year or something! Just tag a name to a photo's face, & it will suggest other faces belonging to the same name! And it's scaringly accurate...
Wow... u can't really hide from anywhere nowadays... it's amazing, yet pretty creepy too!