Read the sentence below and count the F letters. Count them ONLY ONCE. Do not go back and count them again!
FINISHED FILES ARE THE RESULT
OF YEARS OF SCIENTIFIC
STUDY COMBINED WITH
THE EXPERIENCE OF MANY YEARS.
What is your answer?
Is it THREE?
Well..
There are six F in the sentence. There is no catch. Most people forget the "of"s. The human brain tends to see them as V instead of F. Furthermore, the word "of" is a very difficult thing to visualize. You know what a "file" is, you can imagine something "scientific", you can picture something that is "finished", but you just can't picture an "of".
So if you spotted four, five, or six, you beat the average..
Sunday, December 2, 2007
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Eid (part 1)
On the last night of Ramadan (we celebrated Eid on Friday, Oct 12), me and my sister went out to visit our uncle in northern Jogja (we live in the west). Thank God we went by motorcycle, for the traffic was really jammed.
From uncle's home we went south to Jalan Mataram for shoes-shopping. My sister wanted to buy those transparent plastic slippers but ends up buying a black lacey shoes. I bought a pair of fake-leather slippers. They're quite cheap, with the price range between Rp 20.000 to 80.000 and you could haggle for lower price. For example my shoes were initially priced Rp 75.000. After haggling (and I'm not really good at it), the seller finally let them go for Rp 50.000.. *yeayy..!!*
(here for more story in bahasa Indonesia)
At 9.30 pm, most of the shops were already closed. I asked my sister to go south via Alun-alun Utara (north Sultan's square). To our delight, takbiran and lantern festival was being held in front of the Post Office Building. But since it was so crowded, my sister refused to stop. I could only take some picture (most of them were blurred because I took it with phone camera and my sis was speeding).
Lantern in the shape of 'Allah' word
the detail
Beduk lantern
There were many other shapes of lantern: boat, helicopter (which I initially thought was a bullet train ^^), ketupat, etc. Talking about ketupat, we didn't make our own this year. In fact, we only made it once a few years ago. We didn't have any idea that it was so difficult, putting the wet rice into the ketupat pouch. We slept really late that night and almost late for the Eid prayer. The next year, we didn't bother to try again.. ^^
The next morning we went to the field for Eid prayer. There were so many kids with balloons. I believe that's some parents way to keep their kids amused and quiet during the prayer.. ^^ Sometimes we speculate on how many balloons would fly off the children hands.. ^o^
My neighbor Gamal and his balloon..
*more story on the next posting..*
From uncle's home we went south to Jalan Mataram for shoes-shopping. My sister wanted to buy those transparent plastic slippers but ends up buying a black lacey shoes. I bought a pair of fake-leather slippers. They're quite cheap, with the price range between Rp 20.000 to 80.000 and you could haggle for lower price. For example my shoes were initially priced Rp 75.000. After haggling (and I'm not really good at it), the seller finally let them go for Rp 50.000.. *yeayy..!!*
(here for more story in bahasa Indonesia)
At 9.30 pm, most of the shops were already closed. I asked my sister to go south via Alun-alun Utara (north Sultan's square). To our delight, takbiran and lantern festival was being held in front of the Post Office Building. But since it was so crowded, my sister refused to stop. I could only take some picture (most of them were blurred because I took it with phone camera and my sis was speeding).
Lantern in the shape of 'Allah' word
the detail
Beduk lantern
There were many other shapes of lantern: boat, helicopter (which I initially thought was a bullet train ^^), ketupat, etc. Talking about ketupat, we didn't make our own this year. In fact, we only made it once a few years ago. We didn't have any idea that it was so difficult, putting the wet rice into the ketupat pouch. We slept really late that night and almost late for the Eid prayer. The next year, we didn't bother to try again.. ^^
The next morning we went to the field for Eid prayer. There were so many kids with balloons. I believe that's some parents way to keep their kids amused and quiet during the prayer.. ^^ Sometimes we speculate on how many balloons would fly off the children hands.. ^o^
My neighbor Gamal and his balloon..
*more story on the next posting..*
Friday, October 12, 2007
The Cookie Monster
Eid without cookies is like sleeping without pillow. I've been wanting to bake cookies since the beginning of Ramadan but I knew the cookies would be gone before we finish the first week of fasting. So I had to postpone the cookies making until last week, exactly 1 week away from Eid.
I made two kind of cookies: kaastengels and butter cookies. The pictures below had been edited, an attempt to cutify the cookies.. ^_^
Kaastengels
This salty cookies --more like cheese biscuits perhaps-- is a must have for Eid and any other holiday festival in Indonesia.
You'll need 1 egg, 1 cup of butter/margarine, 1 cup of shredded cheese (I used processed cheddar cheese), 2 cups of flour, 1 tbsp of powdered milk, and a pinch of salt. Sometimes I add other stuffs like corned beef, chili powder, cornflakes, or parsley.
Beat the egg and butter until smooth, and mix the other ingredients. Roll the dough into 1 cm thick, cut with knife or cookie cutter, glaze with egg yellow, and bake.
I used my new kaastengels cutter, that's why they're in such uniform shape. Usually, I didn't bother to cut them with knife and my kaastengels were really out-of-shape. So there's an improvement this year.. ^.^
Butter Cookies (green tea, chocolate chips, and coffee)
I didn't use recipe and scale to measure everything. So what I wrote below is just the approximate amount.
Ingredients: 1 egg, 1 cup of butter, 2-3 cups of flour, 1 tsp vanilla, 1 cup of sugar, 1 tsp baking powder, and a pinch of salt.
Beat egg and butter, mix other ingredients. The dough was divided into 3. I add 1 tbsp powdered milk with green tea flavor to the first part; chopped chocolate bar (with cashew nut and dried fruits) to the second part; and 1 tsp instant coffee to the third part. Next, drop the dough into baking sheet using fork and spoon, then bake. So easy.. ^^
The green tea flavor was really weak. I planned to use real green tea powder but then I realized that I left the stuff at lab. Too lazy to get it, I just used HiLo green tea..
Cookies never last long in our house. That's because there's a cute cookie monster who's also happen to be my little (but bigger) sister..
Love you sis, but please let the cookies last until Eid..
I made two kind of cookies: kaastengels and butter cookies. The pictures below had been edited, an attempt to cutify the cookies.. ^_^
Kaastengels
This salty cookies --more like cheese biscuits perhaps-- is a must have for Eid and any other holiday festival in Indonesia.
You'll need 1 egg, 1 cup of butter/margarine, 1 cup of shredded cheese (I used processed cheddar cheese), 2 cups of flour, 1 tbsp of powdered milk, and a pinch of salt. Sometimes I add other stuffs like corned beef, chili powder, cornflakes, or parsley.
Beat the egg and butter until smooth, and mix the other ingredients. Roll the dough into 1 cm thick, cut with knife or cookie cutter, glaze with egg yellow, and bake.
I used my new kaastengels cutter, that's why they're in such uniform shape. Usually, I didn't bother to cut them with knife and my kaastengels were really out-of-shape. So there's an improvement this year.. ^.^
Butter Cookies (green tea, chocolate chips, and coffee)
I didn't use recipe and scale to measure everything. So what I wrote below is just the approximate amount.
Ingredients: 1 egg, 1 cup of butter, 2-3 cups of flour, 1 tsp vanilla, 1 cup of sugar, 1 tsp baking powder, and a pinch of salt.
Beat egg and butter, mix other ingredients. The dough was divided into 3. I add 1 tbsp powdered milk with green tea flavor to the first part; chopped chocolate bar (with cashew nut and dried fruits) to the second part; and 1 tsp instant coffee to the third part. Next, drop the dough into baking sheet using fork and spoon, then bake. So easy.. ^^
The green tea flavor was really weak. I planned to use real green tea powder but then I realized that I left the stuff at lab. Too lazy to get it, I just used HiLo green tea..
Cookies never last long in our house. That's because there's a cute cookie monster who's also happen to be my little (but bigger) sister..
Love you sis, but please let the cookies last until Eid..
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Moussaka for Buka..
There's always more food in our home during Ramadan. That's somewhat an irony since we only eat two times, during sahur and buka. But mom always makes excuses, saying that this is such a special month and this is her way of showing her love for the family. Well, not a big trouble since we all eat a lot.. ^_^
Today, mom had to go to teach (she's a part time lecturer) and left the cooking task to me. I obeyed since I had nothing to do.
*Yeah, my report and my paper can wait until tomorrow..*
Mom asked me to make use the stuffs in the fridge. I found some eggplants, tempe, minced meat, and funny-smelling cheese (blame dad for putting the jackfruit in the fridge again!), and decided to make Moussaka. It's middle-eastern food (Greek), consisting layers of eggplant, meat, and white sauce.
I've been wanting to make this since I discovered my liking for eggplant a few years back. Before that, I did not consider eggplant as food, mainly because it's so Barney-looking (read: purple) and spongy. I actually asked my cousin when I saw him ate eggplant with sambal, "Do you really eat those thing?"
"Yeah, it's good.." he answered while giving me a funny look. Then I found that eggplant is used in one of the recipe in Harvest Moon games; and fried eggplant is one of Archie Andrew's favorites in Archie Comics. So I thought, "It can't be that bad.." and gave it a try. I like eggplant since then..
Here's the picture of my first Moussaka:
I couldn't find my cookbook so the recipe's been altered so much. I used tempe as an addition to the meat since my parents are cutting down their meat consumption.
First, slice the eggplants (I use 3 medium eggplants) about 3/4 cm thick. Heat some butter in the skillet and fry the eggplant until tender (try to do this altogether since eggplant absorb the grease very quickly and you wouldn't want some piece so oily while the others so dry). Set aside.
Heat some butter in the skillet, cook chopped onion until fragrant and tender. Add minced meat and cook until brown. Add chopped tempe and chopped tomatoes, tomato ketchup, oregano, a dash of salt and pepper. Set aside.
Heat some butter in a pan. Add flour and stir until smooth. Add milk while stirring continuously until it become a smooth paste. Remove from heat and let it cool. Add grated cheese and an egg and stir until smooth.
Arrange the eggplant on the pan, layer with meat and white sauce. The last layer should be the eggplant and white sauce. Sprinkle with grated cheese and bake for 30 minutes with 180'C temperature.
It was good, my mom and dad love it, but my sister said that the eggplant tastes weird. She said I should have used mushroom instead. But if I used mushroom, it wouldn't be a moussaka. Just like if I used pasta, then it would become lasagna.. Well, can't please everyone..
So for today's buka, we had moussaka, leftovers from sahur (clear mushroom&chicken soup and roasted chicken), green cincau jelly (made from cincau leaves), and brownies (a present from a friend). Nice... ^_^
Today, mom had to go to teach (she's a part time lecturer) and left the cooking task to me. I obeyed since I had nothing to do.
*Yeah, my report and my paper can wait until tomorrow..*
Mom asked me to make use the stuffs in the fridge. I found some eggplants, tempe, minced meat, and funny-smelling cheese (blame dad for putting the jackfruit in the fridge again!), and decided to make Moussaka. It's middle-eastern food (Greek), consisting layers of eggplant, meat, and white sauce.
I've been wanting to make this since I discovered my liking for eggplant a few years back. Before that, I did not consider eggplant as food, mainly because it's so Barney-looking (read: purple) and spongy. I actually asked my cousin when I saw him ate eggplant with sambal, "Do you really eat those thing?"
"Yeah, it's good.." he answered while giving me a funny look. Then I found that eggplant is used in one of the recipe in Harvest Moon games; and fried eggplant is one of Archie Andrew's favorites in Archie Comics. So I thought, "It can't be that bad.." and gave it a try. I like eggplant since then..
Here's the picture of my first Moussaka:
I couldn't find my cookbook so the recipe's been altered so much. I used tempe as an addition to the meat since my parents are cutting down their meat consumption.
First, slice the eggplants (I use 3 medium eggplants) about 3/4 cm thick. Heat some butter in the skillet and fry the eggplant until tender (try to do this altogether since eggplant absorb the grease very quickly and you wouldn't want some piece so oily while the others so dry). Set aside.
Heat some butter in the skillet, cook chopped onion until fragrant and tender. Add minced meat and cook until brown. Add chopped tempe and chopped tomatoes, tomato ketchup, oregano, a dash of salt and pepper. Set aside.
Heat some butter in a pan. Add flour and stir until smooth. Add milk while stirring continuously until it become a smooth paste. Remove from heat and let it cool. Add grated cheese and an egg and stir until smooth.
Arrange the eggplant on the pan, layer with meat and white sauce. The last layer should be the eggplant and white sauce. Sprinkle with grated cheese and bake for 30 minutes with 180'C temperature.
It was good, my mom and dad love it, but my sister said that the eggplant tastes weird. She said I should have used mushroom instead. But if I used mushroom, it wouldn't be a moussaka. Just like if I used pasta, then it would become lasagna.. Well, can't please everyone..
So for today's buka, we had moussaka, leftovers from sahur (clear mushroom&chicken soup and roasted chicken), green cincau jelly (made from cincau leaves), and brownies (a present from a friend). Nice... ^_^
Saturday, September 15, 2007
What does Love mean?
*from a friend.. so sweet..*
A group of professional people posed this question to a group of 4 to 8 year-olds,
"What does love mean?"
The answers they got were broader and deeper than anyone could have imagined. See what you think:
"When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That's love."
Rebecca - age 8
"When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouth."
Billy - age 4
"Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other."
Karl - age 5
"Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs."
Chrissy - age 6
"Love is what makes you smile when you're tired."
Terri - age 4
"Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK."
Danny - age 7
"Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more. My Mommy and Daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss"
Emily - age 8
"Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen."
Bobby - age 7 (Wow!)
"If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate,"
Nikka - age 6 (we need a few million more Nikkas on this planet)
"Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday."
Noelle - age 7
"Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well."
Tommy - age 6
"During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling. He was the only one doing that. I wasn't scared anymore."
Cindy - age 8
"My mommy loves me more than anybody. You don't see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night."
Clare - age 6
"Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken."
Elaine-age 5
"Love is when Mommy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Robert Redford."
Chris - age 7
"Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day."
Mary Ann - age 4
"I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones."
Lauren - age 4
"When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you." (what an image)
Karen - age 7
"Love is when Mommy sees Daddy on the toilet and she doesn't think it's gross."
Mark - age 6
"You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget."
Jessica - age 8
Now when I asked a friend..
Cinta?
"Cairan isi pulpen.."
Dedi - age 24
*took me about 5mins to get this joke.. ;D*
So, what does LOVE mean to you?
A group of professional people posed this question to a group of 4 to 8 year-olds,
"What does love mean?"
The answers they got were broader and deeper than anyone could have imagined. See what you think:
"When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That's love."
Rebecca - age 8
"When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouth."
Billy - age 4
"Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other."
Karl - age 5
"Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs."
Chrissy - age 6
"Love is what makes you smile when you're tired."
Terri - age 4
"Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK."
Danny - age 7
"Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more. My Mommy and Daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss"
Emily - age 8
"Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen."
Bobby - age 7 (Wow!)
"If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate,"
Nikka - age 6 (we need a few million more Nikkas on this planet)
"Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday."
Noelle - age 7
"Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well."
Tommy - age 6
"During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling. He was the only one doing that. I wasn't scared anymore."
Cindy - age 8
"My mommy loves me more than anybody. You don't see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night."
Clare - age 6
"Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken."
Elaine-age 5
"Love is when Mommy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Robert Redford."
Chris - age 7
"Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day."
Mary Ann - age 4
"I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones."
Lauren - age 4
"When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you." (what an image)
Karen - age 7
"Love is when Mommy sees Daddy on the toilet and she doesn't think it's gross."
Mark - age 6
"You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget."
Jessica - age 8
Now when I asked a friend..
Cinta?
"Cairan isi pulpen.."
Dedi - age 24
*took me about 5mins to get this joke.. ;D*
So, what does LOVE mean to you?
Monday, September 10, 2007
Indonesia: For Sale!
Want to buy Java, Borneo, or Sumatra?
They are for sale, along with other main islands in The World. The mini version, that is. And they are a little bit out of shape compared to the actual things. What's important is that you could become neighbors with Michael Schumacher, Pamela Anderson (who's got Greece Island from ex-husband Tommy Lee), probably also with Rod Steward and David Beckham.
*Yeah, great! Imagine yourself kayaking to the Beckhams' to borrow some sugar from Victoria ;D*
Just prepare US$15-45 millions (depends on the size), and they could be yours. Of course you have to be great and cool enough so the developer will let you own it.
*Hmm.. I wonder if any Indonesian will buy one of those islands..*
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum is like bringing SimCity to real life. Look at his projects: Dubai Waterfront, The Palm Trilogy (consists of, from left to right: Jebel Ali, Jumeirah, and Deira), and The World.
That really reminds me of the game I used to play when I was younger.
*Okay, I admit I still occasionally play SimGolf and HarvestMoon till now.. So what?!*.
When playing SimCity or Sim-whatever, I loved to perform cheat so I'd get unlimited amount of money. Then I'd build islands to any shape I wanted, usually square (for easy management), smiley-face, or heart shaped. It's really great, being able to control such thing. I believe Sheikh Mohammed feel the same way, except that it's real money to create real islands.
*hopefully with no cheat involved ;p*
Island-making has becoming more popular, not only inDubai Kansai International Airport -Japa n, The Pearl -Qatar
Well, if you have the money, the power, and the technology, what stops you? If I have these three, maybe I would do something crazy too. Like building dams around Antarctica and Arctic to prevent the other islands from 'sinking' when the ice melts =)), or inter-connecting the whole islands in Indonesia with bridges =))
*Just wondering.. With 17,508 islands, how many bridges would we have?*
They are for sale, along with other main islands in The World. The mini version, that is. And they are a little bit out of shape compared to the actual things. What's important is that you could become neighbors with Michael Schumacher, Pamela Anderson (who's got Greece Island from ex-husband Tommy Lee), probably also with Rod Steward and David Beckham.
*Yeah, great! Imagine yourself kayaking to the Beckhams' to borrow some sugar from Victoria ;D*
Just prepare US$15-45 millions (depends on the size), and they could be yours. Of course you have to be great and cool enough so the developer will let you own it.
*Hmm.. I wonder if any Indonesian will buy one of those islands..*
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum is like bringing SimCity to real life. Look at his projects: Dubai Waterfront, The Palm Trilogy (consists of, from left to right: Jebel Ali, Jumeirah, and Deira), and The World.
That really reminds me of the game I used to play when I was younger.
*Okay, I admit I still occasionally play SimGolf and HarvestMoon till now.. So what?!*.
When playing SimCity or Sim-whatever, I loved to perform cheat so I'd get unlimited amount of money. Then I'd build islands to any shape I wanted, usually square (for easy management), smiley-face, or heart shaped. It's really great, being able to control such thing. I believe Sheikh Mohammed feel the same way, except that it's real money to create real islands.
*hopefully with no cheat involved ;p*
Island-making has becoming more popular, not only in
Well, if you have the money, the power, and the technology, what stops you? If I have these three, maybe I would do something crazy too. Like building dams around Antarctica and Arctic to prevent the other islands from 'sinking' when the ice melts =)), or inter-connecting the whole islands in Indonesia with bridges =))
*Just wondering.. With 17,508 islands, how many bridges would we have?*
Sunday, September 9, 2007
Ramadan Mubarak..
Tchaikovsky, V for Vendetta, and our national songs
Last Monday, I watched NSO's concert at Hyatt with Itha, Netta, and Netta's friend Titin. It was our last girls'-night-out together before Itha departed to
The concert was divided into three segment:
Chris Watson - Jangeran (a classic-romantic piece combined with Balinese gamelan and Balinese dance) [ I Gusti Kompiang Raka - Percussionist Bali Ethnic; Anak Agung Ariawan - Bali Dancer ]
Johannes Brahms - Op.102 in A minor, concerto for violin and cello [ Atsuko Watanabe - Violinist; Yasuro Chomei - Cellist ]
Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky - Symphony No 6, Op.74 in B minor "Pathetique"
It was really nice and romantic, just like the theme "Great Romantic Music". But I almost fell asleep during the last piece. Not because I was bored, but I was so tired after spending the day queuing at the bank to pay the police fine. And the music itself was soothing.. ;)
Listening to Tchaikovsky that night kind of reminded me I haven't found this music piece from the movie 'V for Vendetta' that I like very much, the one played when V blew the building. After googling and wiki-ing, finally I found it at multiply. It turned out to be the 17 minutes long '1812 Overture'. The part played in 'V for Vendetta' was from the minute 15:48 onwards.
There's something familiar in this composition. After listening repeatedly, I found that in minute 6:30 (repeated in minute 6:45, 7:20 and 11:30) the music was very similar to our national song. You only need to add the lyric "dari Sabang sampai Merauke, berjajar pulau-pulau..". It also rings a bell to the song "Garuda Pancasila". Were our national songs really taken from that classical composition?
Btw, just like mentioned in Netta's blog and as written in the program guide:
...So much has been written about Tchaikovsky's emotional power in his music, and his rather tragic end. Either he died of cholera by accident or committed suicide by drinking unboiled water. The debates are still going on.
I found this in wikipedia:
Tchaikovsky died nine days after the premiere of his Sixth Symphony, the Pathétique, on November 6, 1893.
Most biographers of Tchaikovsky's life have considered his death to have been caused by cholera, most probably contracted through drinking contaminated water several days earlier. In recent decades, however, theories have been advanced that his death was a suicide. According to one variation of the theory, a sentence of suicide was imposed in a "court of honor" by Tchaikovsky's fellow alumni of the St. Petersburg School of Jurisprudence, as a censure of the composer's homosexuality.
What an interesting life back then, huh? No need to drink Baygon to commit suicide, just drink water from the sewage.. :p
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Instant Noodles Deathmatch..
I was just curious. I liked them both and didn't know which one's better. So, in one bright, sunny, and hungry day, I decided to find it out.
Judging from their packaging alone, I must say I prefer Indomie. In my opinion, Mie Sedaap's packaging is too brightly colored and somewhat tacky.
Left: Indomie; right: Mie Sedaap
Without any addition of egg and vegetables, I prefer Mie Sedaap because Indomie is more salty and less sweet (for those with sweet tooth like me). Mie Sedaap is also more generous with the onion/garlic/whatever topping. But then, the saltiness in Indomie is just right if you add an egg into it.
I still love both. So, I guess this little experiment was quite pointless.. ;p
WHAT OPRAH HAD TO SAY ABOUT MEN..
*got this from Ratih's FS blog.. it's girls' must-read..*
If a man wants you, nothing can keep him away.
If he doesn't want you, nothing can make him stay.
Stop making excuses for a man and his behavior.
Allow your intuition (or spirit) to save you from heartache.
Stop trying to change yourself for a relationship that's not meant to be.
Slower is better.
Never live your life for a man before you find what makes you truly happy.
If a relationship ends because the man was not treating you as you deserve then heck no, you can't "be friends".
A friend wouldn't mistreat a friend.
Don't settle.
If you feel like he is stringing you along, then he probably is.
Don't stay because you think "it will get better".
You'll be mad at yourself a year later for staying when things are not better.
The only person you can control in a relationship is you.
Avoid men who've got a bunch of children by a bunch of different women.
He didn't marry them when he got them pregnant, why would he treat you any differently?
Always have your own set of friends separate from his.
Maintain boundaries in how a guy treats you.
If something bothers you, speak up.
Never let a man know everything. He will use it against you later.
You cannot change a man's behaviour.
Change comes from within.
Don't EVER make him feel he is more important than you are...
Even if he has more education or in a better job.
Do not make him into a quasi-god.
He is a man, nothing more nothing less.
Never let a man define who you are.
Never borrow someone else's man.
If he cheated with you, he'll cheat on you.
A man will only treat you the way you ALLOW him to treat you.
All men are NOT dogs.
You should not be the one doing all the bending...
compromise is two way street.
You need time to heal between relationships...
There is nothing cute about baggage...
Deal with your issues before pursuing a new relationship.
You should never look for someone to COMPLETE you...
A relationship consists of two WHOLE individuals.
Look for someone complimentary, not supplementary.
Dating is fun...even if he doesn't turn out to be Mr. Right.
Make him miss you sometimes...
When a man always knows where you are, and you're always readily available to him - he takes it for granted.
Never move into his mother's house.
Never co-sign for a man.
Don't fully commit to a man who doesn't give you everything that you need.
Keep him in your radar but get to know others.
Share this with other women and men (just so they know)...
You'll make someone smile, another rethink her choices, and another woman prepare.
They say it takes a minute to find a special person, an hour to appreciate them, a day to love them and an entire lifetime to forget them.
If a man wants you, nothing can keep him away.
If he doesn't want you, nothing can make him stay.
Stop making excuses for a man and his behavior.
Allow your intuition (or spirit) to save you from heartache.
Stop trying to change yourself for a relationship that's not meant to be.
Slower is better.
Never live your life for a man before you find what makes you truly happy.
If a relationship ends because the man was not treating you as you deserve then heck no, you can't "be friends".
A friend wouldn't mistreat a friend.
Don't settle.
If you feel like he is stringing you along, then he probably is.
Don't stay because you think "it will get better".
You'll be mad at yourself a year later for staying when things are not better.
The only person you can control in a relationship is you.
Avoid men who've got a bunch of children by a bunch of different women.
He didn't marry them when he got them pregnant, why would he treat you any differently?
Always have your own set of friends separate from his.
Maintain boundaries in how a guy treats you.
If something bothers you, speak up.
Never let a man know everything. He will use it against you later.
You cannot change a man's behaviour.
Change comes from within.
Don't EVER make him feel he is more important than you are...
Even if he has more education or in a better job.
Do not make him into a quasi-god.
He is a man, nothing more nothing less.
Never let a man define who you are.
Never borrow someone else's man.
If he cheated with you, he'll cheat on you.
A man will only treat you the way you ALLOW him to treat you.
All men are NOT dogs.
You should not be the one doing all the bending...
compromise is two way street.
You need time to heal between relationships...
There is nothing cute about baggage...
Deal with your issues before pursuing a new relationship.
You should never look for someone to COMPLETE you...
A relationship consists of two WHOLE individuals.
Look for someone complimentary, not supplementary.
Dating is fun...even if he doesn't turn out to be Mr. Right.
Make him miss you sometimes...
When a man always knows where you are, and you're always readily available to him - he takes it for granted.
Never move into his mother's house.
Never co-sign for a man.
Don't fully commit to a man who doesn't give you everything that you need.
Keep him in your radar but get to know others.
Share this with other women and men (just so they know)...
You'll make someone smile, another rethink her choices, and another woman prepare.
They say it takes a minute to find a special person, an hour to appreciate them, a day to love them and an entire lifetime to forget them.
Saturday, July 28, 2007
Gimme Your Stuff
I found this interesting blog called Gimme Your Stuff while browsing Anjali's candy blog. It's a cultural-exchange blog where you can swap items with other members from all around the world. You'll be the ambassador for your country.
It's really a wonderful way of getting to know the cultures of other nations..
Stuffs I can get you..
* Confectioneries (candies/cookies) from Indonesia
* Instant noodles
* Spices/soup mix
* Coffee/teas
* Souvenirs/postcards
* Local Magazines/Newspapers
* Local Recipes
* Fabrics/Batik clothes
* Hand-made jeweleries
* Beauty stuffs
* mix CDs
* Other stuffs
Stuff I want to get..
same as the above,
with the addition:
* Beads and jewelery-making materials
* Cute fabrics
* Stationeries
Since I'm a moslem, I cannot eat stuff qualified as haraam (mainly pork & alcohol). So please don't swap with those things.. ^_^
If you're interested, post a comment and leave your email address, or contact me at savrina@gmail.com..
February 2008 update:
Dear friends,
due to the high shipping cost (which is a lot more expensive than the stuff itself), I'm really sorry to say that I can't swap stuff with anyone outside the ASEAN countries yet. But I can send postcards to anywhere in the world. So if you're interested in 'postcard-exchange', drop me a comment or email me at savrina@gmail.com.
It's really a wonderful way of getting to know the cultures of other nations..
Stuffs I can get you..
* Confectioneries (candies/cookies) from Indonesia
* Instant noodles
* Spices/soup mix
* Coffee/teas
* Souvenirs/postcards
* Local Magazines/Newspapers
* Local Recipes
* Fabrics/Batik clothes
* Hand-made jeweleries
* Beauty stuffs
* mix CDs
* Other stuffs
Stuff I want to get..
same as the above,
with the addition:
* Beads and jewelery-making materials
* Cute fabrics
* Stationeries
Since I'm a moslem, I cannot eat stuff qualified as haraam (mainly pork & alcohol). So please don't swap with those things.. ^_^
If you're interested, post a comment and leave your email address, or contact me at savrina@gmail.com..
February 2008 update:
Dear friends,
due to the high shipping cost (which is a lot more expensive than the stuff itself), I'm really sorry to say that I can't swap stuff with anyone outside the ASEAN countries yet. But I can send postcards to anywhere in the world. So if you're interested in 'postcard-exchange', drop me a comment or email me at savrina@gmail.com.
The Green Uniform
One day in April, my friends and I decided that we MUST HAVE A UNIFORM. So we went to three textile shops in Jalan Solo, hoping to find the agreeable material for all of us (since we all have different favorite colors).
About two hours later (after eliminating other choices which were too colorful, too brown, too pink, too checkered, too polkadot, and too expensive), we bought this green flowery fabrics (it's very cheap too ^_^).
The next mission was to make those fabrics into ready-to-wear clothes, so we could take pictures of us wearing the same material.
Three and a half month later....
Taaa.. daaa.....
I made this myself..
Note that I'm not wearing it in the picture.. because it's too big around the bust, and the zipper on the side making it so stiff.. I think I'm going to re-do this after our photo-taking session.. :'(
About two hours later (after eliminating other choices which were too colorful, too brown, too pink, too checkered, too polkadot, and too expensive), we bought this green flowery fabrics (it's very cheap too ^_^).
The next mission was to make those fabrics into ready-to-wear clothes, so we could take pictures of us wearing the same material.
Three and a half month later....
Taaa.. daaa.....
I made this myself..
Note that I'm not wearing it in the picture.. because it's too big around the bust, and the zipper on the side making it so stiff.. I think I'm going to re-do this after our photo-taking session.. :'(
Monday, July 2, 2007
Bakmi Pak Pele
Looking for an authentic bakmi jawa near the city? You should go to Pak Pele.. It's located in the southeast side of Alun-alun Utara Yogyakarta.. (though they have a branch in Godean too -near my house, that is- but it's not as good as the original place)
The portion is not too big and the taste is just right, not too salty nor too bland. They have fried rice too..
Nasi goreng Magelangan (Magelangan fried rice): fried rice w/ yellow noodle
Mie jawa godhog (javanese noodle soup)
Price: Rp 13.000 for noodle/rice + wedang ronde (ginger hot drink w/ glutinous rice ball & stuff)
The portion is not too big and the taste is just right, not too salty nor too bland. They have fried rice too..
Nasi goreng Magelangan (Magelangan fried rice): fried rice w/ yellow noodle
Mie jawa godhog (javanese noodle soup)
Price: Rp 13.000 for noodle/rice + wedang ronde (ginger hot drink w/ glutinous rice ball & stuff)
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
All that jewel..
There's always a fad among the housewives (mom, Tante Nena & their friends) in my neighborhood. A couple years ago, they signed up for flower arranging class in Rumah Bunga. I attended the class once, as a replacement for my mother who couldn't make it. Now, we already accepting orders from neighbors.
The latest fad was jewelry making. And those mothers always asked me to join them. I'm pretty sure that's because I can drive them around whenever they need to do some shopping. Or maybe some of them think of me as the daughter they never had (?) or maybe... a very potential future daughter in law.. ^_^ yeah right..
Here are some of the stuff that I made..
I learn how to make necklace, bracelet, and then earrings.. Recently I upgraded my skill into brooch making, which is a litte bit more complicated. And I gave my very first brooch to my potential future mother-in-law.. ^_~ (too bad I didn't take the photo..)
If you are interested in bead jewelry making (and you live in Yogyakarta), you should go to Toko Petra, in the north of Beringharjo Market (just ask around). They have everything that you need to make many kinds of jewelry..
Beware of pickpockets though!!
The latest fad was jewelry making. And those mothers always asked me to join them. I'm pretty sure that's because I can drive them around whenever they need to do some shopping. Or maybe some of them think of me as the daughter they never had (?) or maybe... a very potential future daughter in law.. ^_^ yeah right..
Here are some of the stuff that I made..
I learn how to make necklace, bracelet, and then earrings.. Recently I upgraded my skill into brooch making, which is a litte bit more complicated. And I gave my very first brooch to my potential future mother-in-law.. ^_~ (too bad I didn't take the photo..)
If you are interested in bead jewelry making (and you live in Yogyakarta), you should go to Toko Petra, in the north of Beringharjo Market (just ask around). They have everything that you need to make many kinds of jewelry..
Beware of pickpockets though!!
Friday, April 13, 2007
101 Ways to Cook Instant Noodles
Instant noodle a.k.a. ramen is the staple food for most students—mainly those who are away from home, due to its simple preparation and satiating effect. In
Myself, although I lived with a complete set of parents, is a fan of instant noodles. My favorite are Mie Kare and Mie Selera Pedas in hot chicken curry flavor, and the classic Mie Goreng & Mie Rasa Ayam Bawang from Indomie—now replaced by those from Mie Sedaap of WingsFood. I eat instant noodle at least once a week. Maybe I would eat them everyday if my mom did not forbid me.
Being a student of food science, I am fully aware that instant noodle contains very high sodium (not good for your blood pressure) and low nutrition (protein, vitamin, & fiber –though the resistant starch is relatively higher). However, that does not lessen my predilection for instant noodles. Just remember to drink a lot of water to minimize the bad effect of sodium. Maybe you can also try my mother method by adding plenty of garlic to the noodles. As for the low nutrition value, you can boost them up by adding eggs, vegetables, and other stuff. Furthermore, Momofuku Ando –father of instant noodles, had been eating instant noodles everyday in his life (since he invented it, of course) and stayed healthy (that’s what he said, by the way) until the age of 96 (he died in January this year).
Here are some of my tips to cook instant noodles:
· Just as I mentioned before, my mom always adds plenty of garlic, an egg or two, and vegetables into instant noodle with the purpose of increasing its nutrition value. So many vegetables that sometimes I think it is actually vegetable soup –with noodle as bonus.
· My father likes to add young cassava leaf into the noodle. First of all, you boil the leaf until tender, changing the water once or twice to remove the slightly bitter taste of the leaf. Next, you add the boiled leaf to the noodle, near the end of the cooking time.
· Add milk to the noodle. You can use powdered milk or liquid milk. Just make sure that it is not sweetened (unless you want your noodle tastes like some unsuccessful chendol).
· I love to add miso. If it’s not available, I use tauco (Javanese miso) instead. They are not the same things, but close enough. Those who have high blood pressure may not want to try this since miso is also very high in sodium.
· Add tomato sauce and oregano. This works best with Mie Goreng, giving a touch of Italian to the noodle.
· Add cheese. I love cheese. No need to explain.
· Kerotia’s favorite: add carrot juice, milk, and whisked egg. No sugar added.
· Drain the noodle after cooking, mix with the seasoning, add 2 eggs, shallot, leek, and vegetables (usually I use carrot). Cook in a flat frying pan, pancake-wise.
· Fruits, such as apple & pineapple, can be added to Mie Goreng for Hawaiian taste.
· If you have some sate sauce or rendang leftover, just mix them up with Mie Goreng.
Do you have other idea?
24 tahun 5 hari: some kind of retrospection
written @ 9:54 AM 4/12/2007
If someone asked me my age, there are times when I would hesitate to answer. Not that I'm hiding it, it's just that I already felt like 24 years old last year. Am I suppose to feel like 25 years old this year? Or can I regress being 23 or 17? Or will I always feel like 24 years old for the rest of my life? (Yeah, I can imagine myself forcing my grandchildren to take me to HappyPuppy for karaoke marathon –singing Queen’s songs, of course..)
When 23 approaching, I told my friends and family that I wouldn’t have birthday that year. That made me a 22 years old for two consecutive years (that explains the reduced age in my Friendster profile ^_^). Why I wouldn’t want to get older yesteryear is beyond description. What’s the point of eliminating your own age, you might ask. Wouldn’t that just show the people how immature you are? Did you feel younger and happier by doing so?
Yes, I admit that I was being immature. I’ve been trying to avoid many responsibilities that come up with that increasing figure called age. I always know that getting old is inevitable, and I’m not trying to evade it (by getting a botox injection every six months or devoting my life doing research to find the ‘eternal youth potion’, for instance). But being mature is an alternative, isn’t it? That’s why it’s kind of hard for me to adjust my emotion/attitude with my age.
First of all, there’s Nyu-nyu—the immature alter ego of mine. She is half my age (she was 5 when I created her in grade 5). I have formed a habit of blaming her in all of my disapproved actions: delaying my prayer time, escaping from the chores (especially those I hate the most: washing the dishes –mainly because the caterpillar has now become the permanent resident of the salam tree near the sink, and cleaning my room –I really do not have a flair in housekeeping), being late, and also suspending my final paper.
Because of Nyu-nyu, sometimes things can turn really bad –like this big quarrel I had with my sister last September. I felt that my sister did not respect me as her older sister. After some shouting (my sister’s) and hysterical crying (me, of course), mama managed to calm us down (although not yet in peace). The next day, when I confided to my brother, he told me that my sister were not entirely to blame. “How can we respect someone who is acting like a spoiled baby the whole time?”
I was speechless. He was right, I was not behaving like an older sister yet I was asking to be respected. The next day, we had this family convention in which we generated an agreement that I should not behave like Nyu-nyu anymore and my family should call me Tanjung –not Nyu-nyu or other silly names. Me and my sister also made peace that day (since we are not allowed to have a brawl more than 3 days anyway).
The funny thing is that I started to feel like 24 years old. That was odd because that year I made myself 22 years old although my real age is 23. Confused? Me too.
The agreement lasted for about 3 months. I couldn’t resist being Nyu-nyu and I started doing silly things again, such as baby-talking. But I am able to control it now. Well, not entirely, but definitely better than before.
I love Nyu-nyu and I am happy being her. She is always be a part of me I guess –the talkative, happy-go-lucky, and reckless me. But being Tanjung –the real me, is the real challenge. If you are not being yourself, then who will?
Therefore, one of my birthday resolutions is to increase the proportion of my Tanjung-self. That means being more responsible & mature, without losing the cheery character of Nyu-nyu. For me, it’s somewhat a hard task. I hope I can fulfill it.
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