Books Geek

Can't resist the smells of paperback... I think my idea of relaxing (other than getting a good javanese massage with the lovely oil scent) is being in a bookshop, choosing 2 or 3 favourite books, & sit in a quiet coffeeshop at the corner of the bookshop to start savouring the books, with a cup of delicious hot mocha coffee.
Today I bought 3 new books:
1. Ramayana (supposedly written in child-friendly style, aha!). I've tried reading Mahabharata when I was in primary school, but I gave up, even just remembering the names made me dizzy already. So hopefully, this time I can read and understand one of the great legends left by our ancestors...
2. Traveler's Wife Tale: amazing love story, it seems. I feel like I need to hear one these days :)
3. A Collosal Failure of Common Sense: Someone said one can learn a lot of things from this book. Hopefully it gets me something, in my attempt to try to understand the essence of the finance industry :)

The fourth book in the picture is a book I'm currently reading, "Lords of Finance". Purpose: Same as point 3 above :). Looking back at history.

ps: Have added some accessories shopping to the pic: a silvery simple necklace and a black headband with oversized glittery "manik-manik" ribbon - both from Vincci Accessories. Another thing I can't resist buying these days :)

Hope your weekend was great, because mine was :)

Everything you do, I do it with heels!

I love and love this movie! Hilarious, it's been sometimes I watch a movie with excellent dialogue (Last time was "Juno") & Tina Fey was awesome! Brilliant comedian. . The story is about a married couple, with some years of marriage & kids... In an attempt to keep the 'spark' of their marriage alive & kicking, the pair went for a nice dinner date downtown, but something unexpected happened... and the movie is about what happened in that one night!

It's one of those movies with so many punch lines, that make you laugh out of your seat with repeat. Everybody in the cinema cracked with hearty laughter so many times. Not to mention, that the storyline combined, action, romance, and comedy at the same time. There are many movies that successfuly combine 2 of these 3 elements together, but all 3 & come out victorious? Hmmm.... I dont recall any actually. 

And you know the last part of the movie, where the list of actors & movie crew starts to roll up & people start to leave the room to avoid the exit jam? Well, for this movie, nobody in the audience actually got up! we were just sitting there, content with big grins on our face till the end of the actors list (We were nicely awareded by behind-the-scenes laughter-breaking cut-outs :) )  

Most memorables lines from the Movie:

- Honey, everything you do, I do it .... with HEELS!

- If I were to do it (the marriage) all over again, I would always always choose you - EVERYTIME

PS: Screenplay was written by Josh Klausner, who also wrote Shrek 3 & Shrek Forever After. He was also 2nd Unit Director for Shallow Hall, and Me, Myself & Irene. Director is Shawn Levy (Nights at the Museum).

A personal update

CK has sailed away for work and will be in the sea for 2 months or so (I hope it's faster than that).
So here I am, all by myself again, zoomed into an apartment somewhere down in a city. This situation feels like a deja-vu of where I was 1 year ago :), only now, somehow I feel a little bit 'more-secure', I guess knowing the trip is just for a shorter period (by our standard) & we will be soon reunited again to normality, really help.  When I was still in Jkt & he was somewhere out there, we did not know until when it would be like that. Thankfully it only lasted for 1.5 years.

Well, our past arrangement in Jkt had made me think of new activities to occupy my time, and that's how I ended up taking SLR lessons :).
Now, I am thinking to take one the asian language courses... have not decided yet, would it be chinese, or japanese? But then again, I'm not sure I can force myself for classes, as I've been feeling my energy has just been drained too much for work. Anyway, none of the classes in YMCA that I'm eyeing have an opening this or last week.

So here I am, on a Sunday, bumming around . Thankfully yesterday was a fun-filled day with a friend, shopping and exchangies stories over brunch & late lunch. But I do hope next weekends, I will have more fruitful days.

ps: Image taken by me on a memorable trip to Ujung Genteng 2008 September.

Pretty Glove Not

I don't know what you call the pretty craft below, but I've always loved french lace, especially those that get transformed into a modern kebaya. Classic at its best, yet contemporary.
Little beautiful things spark up my life.

This is hand-sawn by Denis of La Camelot. Link from Simply Hue

Don't you think they will look really beautiful with a short-sleeved kebaya or during a ring-exchange ceremony!

Back from Hong Kong

What a bliss to be able to take a break & go on holidays. Thanks to a friend who got sent over for training & very detailed research of another friend, we had a 5 nights-6 days complete sightseeing, wallet-emptying (Shopping!), and belly-satisfying trip in sometimes-sunny-sometimes-freezing-cold of Hong Kong. Would like to post a longer article on this, but for now, this picture will do. I love buzzling cities, full of people and energy!

Taken from upper deck of the Hong Kong Tram, from Causeway Bay to Central (above)
And view of a smaller street, at Central (below)

View of Hong Kong skyscrapers from the Peak (2 below)

Up in the Air

This morning we woke up early, even earlier compared to weekdays, for a 1/2 hour ride to Putrajaya, the Malaysia's administrative capital. So glad that we made it ontime for the rising of the balloons & their passage above the lake. I was waiting to capture them with the shadows in the water :)

The festival is annual & will finish tomorrow. Pls visit http://www.myballoonfiesta.com/ for more details.

The dream-walker

Have you ever wished that the clock would stop ticking for some second? Well, as hard as I wished, I know it wouldnt happen. I wake up with exactly the same beat in my head as yesterday & not a tad slower! Well, I guess even in our dreams, we walk, we dance, and we also run... Hope everyone is recharging this weekend!



(Stop-Motion Video by Oren Lavie - Her Morning Elegance, made of exactly 2096 still shots!)

An image for the weekend

There's been some really hot domestic issues back home on the Century case. I am not a fan of politics or going to talk about politics here. Although media/newspaper/tv in Indonesia can be considered free-press style, I've witnessed recently that their views or coverage stories may be geared towards a certain side, possibly giving the wrong understanding or incomplete picture to the public, instead of educating. How then can we trust the the report, as far as objectivity is concerned? Anyhow... I do not follow this particular issue closely, but I do believe in the professionalism of our MoF and I do hope she remains at her post. Too many good things she has done to this country and should continue to do.
For now, I prefer to treat myself with excellent pictures taken by the photo-journalists. Here's one to enjoy the weekend:

Lomography Loves Indonesia Expo - 26Feb10 Grand Indonesia - Photo by KOMPAS/Kristianto Purnomo

Happy tiger year!

Paper lampions on bamboo poles at the Curve

Bukit Tabur (East)

(Photo originally uploaded by Munkeat Photography)

A place to go one of these weekends:
Bukit Tabur or the Klang Gates Quartz Ridge is located at Taman Melawati, north of KL. After 3 hours of hiking & rock-climbing, you will be able to see a sight just like above.
Helpful links
1. How to go there: http://www.backpackingmalaysia.com/stories/hiking-at-bukit-tabur (good links at the bottom)
2. Pics along the trail : http://www.jamiesoon.com/bukittabur.htm
3. How to go down the ropes/treacherous areas : Thetrekkers.blogspot.com
4. Facebook group TheTrekkers has updated images of the place & may just be able to get fellow hikers to go with the same timing.

Safety first though: good traction shoes, gloves, water, comfortable pants.

Cherating

What to do in a long weekend:
1. Recharge at a sunny Cherating beach, sipping fresh coconut: Done
2. Forest tracking along 7 layers of Waterfall, following tapir trail: Done
3. Quiet gliding along the dark Yak Yah river for countless fireflies watching: Done

PS: Would I do this all over again? 100% Yes :) (as Randy Jackson would say it)

Yee Sang - Chinese New Year Salad

At a pot-luck event in the office, I was introduced to a chinese-thai type of salad, called Yee Sang.
It has the most rich and various flavours all combined into 1 dish. Looked up for the recipe & found it here.
I dont think the ingredients are easy to find, but I shall note it here, in fear I forget soon the name of this wonderful dish.

ps: This dish is usually served to mark the Chinese New Year festivities & symbolize long health and prosperity, similar to the chinese long noodles served on birthdays.
*image from HelenGu.blogspot.com

The evolution of Books (Another musing on reading)

Shortly after Amazon came up with their portable eBook reader "Kindle" in Nov 2007, Steve Jobs was quoted saying:
"It doesn't matter how good or bad the product is, the fact is that people don't read anymore... The whole conception is flawed at the top because people don't read anymore.". He also stated that in the previous year, 40% of americans read books only once or less a year.

In a recent interview with Malaysia OUM (Open University), Mahathir, an ever-interesting Asian leader of these decades, was asked about his opinon on reading:
"Reading also improves your perception of things and trains you to analyse and understand complex matters. The more you read, the more you acquire the experience of others albeit through the eyes of a skillful observer. Even if you are reading a story book, your ability to solve problems increases because you have, at least read about it."
"To encourage lifelong learning, you must instil a reading culture. Lifelong learning starts with reading, and can become a habit, just like reading."
I'm a firm believer in life learning experiences thru reading, whether it's a simple book, comedy, drama, novel, travelogue, history, even comics! Reading opens windows to different mindsets, different cultures, different journeys, and all that can be simply 'operated' from a lazy sofa in your own home, on a sunbed besides a cosy swimming pool, or while waiting for your name to be called at the doctor's.
I surely hope this wonderful learning experience will continue to be passed on, no matter how the media will evolve (from manuscript, to paperback, to Kindler & then to iPad :) ).

ps: Gizmodo was right, Jobs, shaker of the Pop Culture evolution, was indeed cooking something better than Kindle at that time :). Hail to the new iPad :) - just announced 3 days ago - 27 Jan 2009.

Namul in the Banchans

Since C has a Korean working colleague, he starts introducing me to Korean Restaurants. I have not been really familiar with korean cuisine, except Bulgogi (in Pasaraya BlokM that i keep coming and coming again) & Bimbimbap (My favourite used to be in T2 Cengkareng, but i think they are not there anymore).
After a few resto tries here, I've become quite fond of some of their vegetables side dishes. Korean restos serve mini side dishes "Banchan" while we wait for our main course, in tiny little plates, that remind me of Padang style food serving :).
The variety includes their famous vinegar-and-chilli-fermented cabbage - Kimchi - which unfortunately I still dont like :) They also serve sweet mashed potato, softened peanuts, cucumber slices, but my favourites are their fresh boiled vegetables:
- Spinach Namul (Sigumchi Namul)
- Asparagus Namul
- Bean Sprouts Namul (Sukju Namul or  kongnamul muchim)
I've been a lazy snail in cooking, but if i were to cook vege-s soon, I think I will try the above recipes. They seem so simple to make isnt it.

*pic taken from worldfoodguide.com

10 Random Things on KL

Inspired by this posting, a faithful indonesian blogger who constantly blogs on things related to Japan only, here are 10 random things about KL:

1. KL's air is pretty unpolluted (esp. compared to Jkt). It is easy to get the light blue clear color of the sky here, except during the dry season when forest fire smokes fly from Sumatra. Around the vicinity of the city, it is easy to see greens & forests. In fact, from Carrefour shopping center, which is just 5 mins drive from my place, the view from the gate is limestone hills covered by dense tropical forest.

2. KL itself is actually a small area. The hustle bustle happens much in its surrounding area, more popularly called the Klang Valley, consisting of districts like PJ (Petaling Jaya); Subang; Shah Alam... This would be something like Bekasi or Cikarang or BSD, but much more integrated to the city center & same level of infrastructure. Malaysia's manufacturing industries, residential areas of people who work in KL, hyper-sized malls are spread out in this area.

3. KL & the country has an excellent road infrastructure standard. Highways are all of the same quality in all parts of Malaysia, with well manicured trees along the road & lightings are excellent.

4. I do still get confused of some Malay words, which sometimes just make me smile. eg: Toko Hiasan Dalam: I've thought this is a lingerie shop, but actually means interior design office. A building with signboard on its roof writeen "Ibu Pejabat Kepolisian": thought this was a building where all the wifes of the policemen gather for meeting (macam Dharma Wanita). Actually Ibu means "Main", pejabat means "office". ie. Main Headquarter of the Police.

5. I am very pleased with the existence of the LRT (mrt-like) network, which i can take btw office & home, rather than going thru the packed roads by car (+nightmare in finding carpark space). It's clean, cold, and they are expanding the wagons from 2 to 4, yippee! Plus, they stop right in front of my condo & in front of my office, so it's very very convenient for me :).

6. Malaysia has received about 25millions of visitors last year, whereas Indo has made it to barely 6 millions. I can name you so many wonderful places in Indonesia & so much more beautiful & captivating (and i do mean this objectively)..., lots of them still untouched by international mass-tourism, especially the beaches that I so love.... from Pulau Weh, Belitung, Ujung Genteng, beaches past Wonosari, Amed in Bali, Gili Islands, Raja Ampat, Derawan, Wakatobi.... In brief, they are countless. But what a contrast, in terms of numbers of visitors, isnt'it? Even if let's say i cut the number of visitors by 1/2 because 50% of them are Singaporeans, which I presume most of them go to Malaysia to see their relatives or just short educational school trips, it still leaves the number at 12 mio, 2x than my country's visitors :(. It does show something though, that Malaysia tourism campaign & tourism management has been successful. Also, the feeling of personal security and ease in finding places is also an important factor for a tourist when visiting a country i guess.

7. The other thing about Malaysia that makes it a favourite place for tourists to hop to, is it is the homebase of AirAsia air carriers. Its location is perfect for connecting flights to other gems of South East Asia: Thailand; Cambodia; Burma; Vietnam; even Aceh/Sabang is nearer from here than from Jkt

8. While KL is located west of Jkt, it is geographically-illogically following a later time zone than Jakarta!. It follows the timing zone of Sabah/Sarawak, which is GMT+8. As a result, i feel hours in KL are a bit out of sync with the sun's position. Eg. When it's 6.00 pm it is still pitch dark like 5.00 am. Only at 7.10 the sun rises. 7pm is the time when the sun is just about to start... so the night gets dark pretty late, and before u know it, it's already time to sleep :)

9. People dress more casually & practical here in malls, compared to Jakarta. Most women/girls wear flat shoes & casual clothes, even in upmarket malls. while in jkt, going to the malls make u feel glamorous, just by looking at the nicely dressed girls with their high heels & made-up hair. Ooo, I do actually miss those nice sights :) (not that i am one of them, but i got to say that nicely dressed ladies are pretty sights to your eyes & do inspire me to try to dress more tidy :) ).

10. I have found some good local foods here, but sadly they are not very healthy & most of them lack the vegetable ingredient: Bak Kut Teh (braised pork in soya sauce soup); Crab in butter sauce; Prawn in salted egg; asam laksa; fried kwey tiau, oyster omellete; nasi lemak (even the name is sinful already); roti prata with mutton curry.... they are yummy, but no wonder my cholesterol level has gone up this year!

always good to stop for a while n smell the flowers around...

Happy Weekend everyone :)

(photo print from Danielle Thompson's Etsy)

JavaJazz 5-7 Mar 2010

Aaauww... they got a fabulous listing of artists..

David Sanborn, John Legend, Al Jarreau, Dave Koz, Special EFX, Manhattan Transfer, Anggun...

I wanna go :)