Wonderful 10 days

What I love when he's not around:
- Listening to his voice over the phone.
- Smelling his odour trapped in my car's aircon. I swear sometimes the blower just blows it onto my face time to time.

What I loved when he was around for 10 days this month:
- Playing paintball with his workmates & savouring ayam goreng brebes Lembang.
- relaxing at cafe Jasmine, with a plasma tv cornered on its saungs.
- discovering pork noodles from mangga besar.
- romantic dining at Toscano Kemang. We always wanted to go here & finally this month. It wasnt us that were romantic of course, it's just the atmosphere.
- him allowing me taste Steak21 (not bad!)
- accompanying me & friends to Bandar Ancol. Yummy seafood under the torrential rain!
- and just being able to hug and hold him close.

April Trip to Yogya

The moment I landed in Adi Sucipto, my Dad drove me straight to Keraton Area & I started taking pictures... I also did a dawn search of the sunrise, which wasn't too successful as it was cloudy everyday (& also raining). Anyway, I still loved what I was doing :)

The gift of life

My 2 last watched movies (both of which I've enjoyed much):

Knocked Up (starring beautiful Katherine Heigl) & Juno (featuring energetic Ellen Page)

Commonalities: Both revolve around the pregnancy topics.

I am not sure why, but this topic has come by to me quite a few times recently (maybe because I'm married, duh... ?)

Let's see.... what are the 2 most common annoying questions u ever get, on your personal life, once u have a partner... It will be in ascending order:

1. When will u both get married?

2. When will u have a baby?

Not that the question itself is annoying, but the fact that everybody asks this question is what makes it. Repetition kills, my friend (and I dont know yet what is the 3rd question after this).

For me, getting married was not a difficult step for me. It was like, I've wanted to do this, since long time ago. It was a dream to be fulfilled. But getting a baby is totally a different thing for me, a person who likes to be prepared for all kind of things. State of mind, mentally, and the knowledge of it. It's a totally different ball game I need to adjust to & to get to know of, I've thought. Since I'm not a person who go crazy over those little kids you know....

However, what people say turn out to be rite... The want of it comes naturally... I guess we dont have to make something simple complicated.

I pray that God will grant us this gift soon. The gift of life.

Goals Achieved

2006: I achieved what i had thought would be a life-time dream: see the Gaudi Sacrada Familia church in Barcelona.

2007: CK & I got married, which is a milestone for every little girl and boy that exists in our heart.

2008: I bought my first SLR & took up a photography course. Something I always thought was expensive, but I thought it was now or never (while no kiddies in the house yet :) ).

Verdict:

Gaudi's work: unimaginative creativity. Loved it.

Wedding: never regretted every step of it & each thing that comes afterward.
Photography: I can only hope this would be a wise & fruitful step as my previous goals.

Quote

It's been some time I havent't come across with Calvin & Hobbes...

"You can present the material, but you can't make me care"

27 Dresses

- Loved the movie

- This is so my favourite type of movie, romantic comedy with a down-to-earth character & it may be for this year :)
- I love Katherine Heigl eyes & how all the different eye make-ups look great on her.
- I also love her character's wardrobe, neat, but a little bit bohemian.

- This movie is so Aline Brosh McKenna's signature, I felt the plot speed is very simlar to Devil Wears prada, whose scenario she also did.

- Sadly, http://www.rottentomatoes.com/ only rated it at 37%. I guess most of the voters were guys & they just dont get it :)
- Another great romantic comedy I loved is Sweethome Alabama. The similarity with 27D is that the male protagonist is also very down-to-earth. And I just notice RT rated this at 38% :)

Dinner

Tonite, I made my ayam jeruk limau again with sayur daun singkong.
Kali ini sayur daun singkongnya gak dibobor, tapi dikasi bumbu campur2 yg standar itu lhoh.
ternyata lbh enak.
Jadi ramuannya: bwng merah, putih, kunyit, jahe, garam diulek. dimasukin ke santan cair + tambahin daun salam + lengkuas. masukkan sayur daun singkong + teri.
lbh enak diginiin daripada dibobor. :)
Terus darurat bikin sambel yg pake terasi gitu. biar lebih nendang :) alhasil nasi jatah buat besok pun dah 1/2 habis, kemakan hari ini pula.

Grey

Am currently watching Grey's Anatomy Season 4. Lovely beginning. Just makes my sleeps smooth after watching them. Always love it when McDreamy & Meredith are together.

Destination

Fish Sauce

Hmmm.... finally found the secret for the perfect taste for my pan-fried oyster-sauced vegetables. Just add 1 spoon of it and it just gives the needed extra flavour

Free Wifi!

I'm so happy. My crib has been officially pimped. Yup, I can get free wifi here, in my room.
The only thing is that it works only at nite, when there isn't so much signal interfering i guess.
Nevertheless, viva the wireless age!

Reading Status

Tonight I finally finished "Norwegian Wood". I didnt like the first half of the book as I thought it was too slow, but when I continued reading it last night after more than a month stopping, I didnt stop reading it & finished till the end.

He is a wonderful writer & I liked the ending. I will read more of his books...

I have also bought 2 new books this weekend:

- Lonely Planet Thailand (hint hint...)

- The Diving Bell & the Butterfly

Thoughts of the Day

There are times when your days feel grey and you lose focus in giving thanks. Luckly, these past few days, I have been able to feel a little bit like a rainbow. When I sat down on my couch last night, I stayed calm for a moment & a thought came to me: I am blessed. I have a house (despite it is a floating one), I have a car, I have a husband (despite being far, but still tries to accomodate my complaints, when i have one), a loving family, and a wonderful job.
Sometimes you just have to stop your daily routines, take a deep breath & sit down, to feel this way.
Thank you Lord for the life You have given.

Healthy dose of garlic

Konon, kata Pak Bondan Mang Maknyus, orang Itali suka sekali masak dengan bawang putih.Jadilah malam ini saya bikin spaghetti, dengan daging cacah saos tomat, tak lupa saya kasi bawang putih. Cukup satu siung, dan biar lebih nendang saya ulek dulu di cobekan sebelum dicampur ke daging cacah.

Nyam2. Klo sudah begini rasanya udah sprt makan spageti paling enak di dunia hehehe.

Gulping for my saliva

Best food to try...
1. udang bakar madu mang engking jogja
2. sosis bali rm bali jogja
3. mi item anaknya Pak William Wongso di Kemang Food Fest
4. pork ribsnya bebek bengil Ubud
5. Nasi Campurnya Bu Oka Ubud
6. Fried Shrimp with Cereal No Signboard Esplanade Sg. (Ada jg sih cabangnya di Pacific place)
7. My mamma's udang whisky
8. My mamma's ayam dimasak pake anggur merah & fresh cream
9. Kangkungnya d'cost Kemang
10. Sambal Borehnya om Rudy di Rumah Warisan. Gak terlalu pedes, berminyak, tp ada jeruk nipisnya gitu.
and sbg bonus: Es Krim Haagen Daaz Belgian Chocolate.
Hoehoe... langsung inget lagu "ooo.. heaven is a place on earth...."

The Nature's wonder

Ever wonder how a doctor can exactly predict at what date a baby is gonna be born out of his mother's womb? I still cant get the logic. When i have the ocassion i will ask the expert.

burning need

Did pilates on my own, following a video by Dianne Ramirez, to work on my abdo. Desperately need to flatten my tummy. I could pinch my fats on my stomach while driving home, not 3 rows of proud muscle, but 3 rows of glycerols & fatty acids. Urgh.
ps: What constitutes body fat?
Fats are organic compounds that are made up of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. They are a source of energy in foods. Fats belong to a group of substances called lipids, and come in liquid or solid form. All fats are combinations of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids. (according to http://www.nlm.nih.gov/)

Cooking with Santan

Setelah minggu lalu saya memasak lauk ala bumbu santan perdana saya (Ayam Jeruk Limau* or i prefer to call it Ayam Jeruk Purut, sprtnya lbh nempel aja... :) ), hari ini saya memasak sayur ala santan yg pertama kali.
(Drum roll pls)Ini dia Sayur daun singkong bobor...

interesting factsnya adalah:
- Ini gak murni daun singkong, tapi ada sdkt bayam juga, sisa yg masih segar dari segepok yg sudah mengering di lemari es...
- Menurut contekan resep, harus ada sedikit kencur di dlm sayur ini, walo saya gak trlalu tau rasa khasnya di sebelah mana.
- Sayur ini dimakan dgn ayam goreng sambal boreh Om Rudy. Nendang deh!
- Kurang sedikit gula sih rasanya, mgkn krn daun singkong aga pahit. lain kali musti dibanyakin.
- tangkai2 daun singkong itu keras yah. lain kali musti dibuangin deh.
- sayur ini bisa dicampur dng labu siam juga loh. atau klo om rudy, dia tambahin sama semacam ikan teri yg kecil2 gitu. enak juga.- santannya santan Kara. Aga kental gitu & baunya aga beda sama santan asli.
- terus terang ada rasa yg agak aneh sih masakan ini, saya gak tau ini kebanyakan kencur or kebanyakan laos or kurang gula ya. hehehe...
ps: btw my ayam daun purut was much more successful & it was IMHO delicious :

Corners of my habitat

After years living in a rented place, It feels good to actually finish your day by knowing u will reach a place u can call home.Some corners of my sanctuary that i love:
- My salmon kitchen tiles matching with my pinkish light brown wooden laminate.
- My antique-look-alike shoe cabinet. Love the handles, they come from Jepara
- My japanese style wallpaper (luv it)
- My dried flowers, complimentary from Lia
- My horizontal mirror. Makes the room look wider
I am not exatcly in love with my TV cabinet. But since the big speakers are already available as my husband property, my judgement says that it is best to make use of them, rather than watching them sitting carelessly in the attic of a sibling's house. I feel this is the best adjustment, in terms of design, that can be made to accomodate these bulky speakers :). And now i can watch my fake dvds in 5 audio channels mode. Yipee!

About Roads in Jakarta

About roads in jakarta that give me joy:
- Driving in Jl Rasuna Said at 80kmh, when the road is empty at 9pm, it gives me a high!
- Seeing the old tree in Jl Erlangga blossom behind the florist house, red flowers among the falling tree ligaments, makes me smile. It's like finding hope in an unexpected place.
- Finding myself driving in Tebet or Santa or Kemang Area. These places feel so homy, with shops stored in houses, rather than malls.

Road things in Jakarta that I wish didnt exist:
- Full car parking lots in Malls in the middle of the day, esp those malls with hyperstores in it. Just make my groceries shopping harder.
- Thoughtless drivers taking up my safety space between my car & the one in front of me :(
- Surprise holes on the asphalt roads. and boom! there goes your shock absorbers.