Anggrek Putih

St. Cloud

2009-08-11T15:28:00.003+07:00

Was browsing the mall last Sunday when we passed a tour agency booth. My dear Daddy’s dream is to spend the holiday with the whole family (him, mom and their three daughters) on a long trip somewhere captivating. So there he was, talking to one of the rep. As they were discussing the available promotions, it was brought up that my sister and I went to school in Minnesota.

“I studied there too. In St. Paul. In fact, I went to St. Cloud before transferring to St. Paul.”

“No Way!! St. Cloud?? That’s where I went!” I said.

Turned out he went there in 1987… The only Indonesians were his brother and himself.

We chatted a little bit about how cold the weather was and he told me that he still remembers the highway to get from St. Cloud to Minneapolis. He was like, I ninety…. I said, I-94 and he enthusiastically said “that’s it! I-94!” He also said how he misses St. Cloud.

Hopefully I’ll have a chance to visit St. Cloud again one day ‘cause I missed it too. And when that chance arrives, I will be with the love of my life, sharing the little memories I had at every little places all around that tiny city.

Seedling

2009-01-21T09:23:00.003+07:00

When you feel deeply about someone, could you pin down the exact moment when it switched from 'it doesn't exist' to 'it exists'?

I guess it all started as a tiny seed of possibility. With a little bit of luck, the seed grows into a little bud of interest. Then the steady nurturing and watering of conversations and interactions helps it to be a beautiful flower of love and caring.

Don't you think?

Indonesian Mother's Day

2008-12-22T09:44:00.002+07:00

Here in Indonesia, mother's day falls on December 22nd. I think mother's day celebration is important because it reminds us at to say thank you to our mom, at least once a year. Although once a year is of course not enough for all that our mom has done for us.

Moreover, it's because

“A mother's love is patient and forgiving when all others are forsaking, it never fails or falters, even though the heart is breaking”

So whether it is mother's day or not at where ever you are right now, let's say Thank You to our dear mother today and at any chance we get.

For my mom, thank you for all you've done for our family, especially for your love and care for me. I don't think I can thank you enough. I love you!

LOVE

2008-12-19T16:10:00.005+07:00

L is for the way you look at me
O is for the only one I see
V is very, very extraordinary
E is even more than anyone that you adore can

LOVE is all that I can give to you
LOVE is more than just a game for two
two in LOVE can make it
take my HEART but please don't break it
LOVE was made for me and you

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-27T15:37:00.003+07:00

Photo courtesy of John Brassner, posted on Engrish.com

Kare

2008-11-26T14:45:00.003+07:00

Bos anda-anda sekalian orang apa? Bos saya orang negeri Acha-Acha!

Pagi ini saya mendapat titipan CD darinya. Isinya seputar pekerjaan tentunya. Ketika siang menjelang sore, saya berniat melihat isi CD tersebut. Ketika saya keluarkan CD dari tempatnya, tercium bau bumbu masak.

Rupanya bos saya nge-burn CD sambil masak kare!

Stuck!

2008-11-14T14:43:00.005+07:00

Yesterday, I got my heels stuck in a gap on a driveway when a car was coming towards me!! Luckily it was a driveway in front of a hospital lobby so the car wasn't driving very fast. But it honked at me!! Can't you see a girl panicking??!

But unlike The Wedding Planner, no one came to my rescue. It wasn't that dramatic anyway. :P

Relationship

2008-11-13T10:54:00.003+07:00

I'm so bad at maintaining relationships... No, I'm not talking about romantic relationship. I'm talking about friendships.

Yesterday, I called one of my long time best friend. We haven't spoken for a while. I like to email, but she likes to text. So when I email, she didn't reply, when she texts, I rarely reply. After a while, I have no desire to write her emails. Same goes for her, she has no desire to text me.

Phone calls are rare. If we do talk on the phone we talk more about another person, who is also our best friend. We were like a group of friends that used to do three-way emails.

So about the phone conversation I mentioned earlier. After a few small talks, we were both at lost for words... I was feeling very awkward, I don't know if she did too but she ended the phone call by saying that she didn't want to interrupt my dinner. (I was in a restaurant for a family gathering, but I was still waiting for other people to come.)

I was reflecting on this little happening in my life this morning and I realize, how I have lost contact with many of my friends, just because we aren't walking in the same path anymore. The separation was mostly a sentimental one. We were saying we'll miss each other and that we'll keep in touch. Then for a while we did keep in touch. Made a few visits. Then reduced to phone calls. Then reduced to just emails. Then... like the story above. Nggak nyambung... (lit: not connected, bad chemistry, etc.)

So, how can people still connect with so many acquaintaces? Do you have a how-to-keep-a-friendship-going kind of article?

Life is Wonderful

2008-11-10T12:00:00.001+07:00

by Jason Mraz

It takes a crane to build a crane
It takes two floors to make a story
It takes an egg to make a hen
It takes a hen to make an egg
There is no end to what I'm saying

It takes a thought to make a word
And it takes some words to make an action
It takes some work to make it work
It takes some good to make it hurt
It takes some bad for satisfaction

La la la la la la la life is wonderful
Ah la la la la la la life goes full circle
Ah la la la la la la life is wonderful
Al la la la la

It takes a night to make it dawn
And it takes a day to make you yawn brother
And it takes some old to make you young
It takes some cold to know the sun
It takes the one to have the other

And it takes no time to fall in love
But it takes you years to know what love is
It takes some fears to make you trust
It takes those tears to make it rust
It takes the dust to have it polished

Ha la la la la la la life is wonderful
Ah la la la la la la life goes full circle
Ah la la la la la la life is so full of
Ah la la la la la la life is so rough
Ah la la la la la la life is wonderful
Ah la la la la la la life goes full circle
Ah la la la la la la life is our love
Ah la la la la la

It takes some silence to make sound
It takes a loss before you found it
And it takes a road to go nowhere
It takes a toll to make you care
It takes a hole to make a mountain

Ah la la la la la la life is wonderful
Ah la la la la la la life goes full circle
Ha la la la la la life is wonderful
Ha la la la la la life is meaningful
Ha la la la la la life is wonderful
Ha la la la la la life it is...so... wonderful
It is so meaningful
It is so wonderful
It is meaningful
It is wonderful
It is meaningful
It goes full circle
Wonderful
Meaningful
Full circle
Wonderful

I have no regrets! (Or may I say, I should have no regrets...)

2008-11-06T10:41:00.004+07:00

Hello friends in the US,

so, what does change feel like? Everyone must be full of anticipation over there. Heh... what am I talking about, everyone IS full of anticipation all aroudn the world!

Our local newspaper here put huge Obama picture on the front page. His profile was broadcasted on TV. People talked and still talks about him. I even heard a rumour about a house that he lived in when he was a child in Menteng, Jakarta, that someone offered to buy the house for 150 million rupiah (a really big sum of money in our country) but was rejected.

Okay, enough about the new US president-elect. I was going to talk about change. Deciding to have change for me means going towards the unknown. A really frightening journey. Good change, or we-think-it-is-good change holds great expectation. We start thinking what awesome things we're going to get with the change.

But what if the outcome isn't as good as we'd like it to be? Dissapointment, frustration, and all things that sometimes can make us dwell in the past. We'll start thinking, 'I wish I can go back through time.' Making us unable to enjoy the moment, be it good or bad. And when we've realized that we've drowned in self pity for too long, we have missed so much.

So from now on, the phrase 'I have no regrets' should be our slogan. People make mistakes. From those mistakes, we learn something, unfortunately the hard way. But still, we learn something. The way I see it, change is a good thing. When the change gives positive outcome, good for us. On the contrary, when it gives negative outcomes, be strong to take responsibility for the decisions we've made.

A post written when a nostalgic feeling came up while flipping through pictures of the US.

Mom

2008-11-05T09:14:00.002+07:00

On Monday, I had to get to a course I'm taking in my church right after work. That day I didn't drive because mom took the car. The other one was in repair. It was raining hard and so the traffic wasn't smooth at all.

I called mom to make sure she got home already. If that was the case, I was going to head back home first and clean up. Turned out she was also at church, having arisan. Since my route back from the office passed the road close to church, I usually walk to church if time doesn't permit me to go home first. But that day was raining. Wetness wasn't an encouragement to walk even a short distance. So mom said to get off the bus and wait for her under the bus shelter and she would pick me up.

So I wait. A few minutes passed... In my opinion, I have waited too long and I started to get into a bad mood. Finally mom showed up and I got into the car where a box of nasi campur, or rice mixed with meat, was waiting for me. That get my mood into a slightly better turn but not much since the box doesn't contain a spoon or anything for me to start eating!

After a long fight to get through the chaotic traffic, I got off the car with my box of rice with 15 minutes to spare before my course started. I borrowed spoon from the church worker and found a table to eat my dinner. When I sat down, a friend of my mom who was the course committee said to me, "Your mom loves you so much!"

And THAT made me realize how I often took lots of thing for granted. Including having a loving and caring mother....

Mami, thank you ya buat nasi campurnya. I love you!

And also, thank you God for the reminder that You have given me a wonderful mother.

Wake Up!

2008-11-03T10:56:00.003+07:00

Get an alarm clock and turn off your cellphone at night! Turns out having a cell phone next to your bed can downgrade our sleeping quality!!

A study conducted at MIT showed that:

exposure to electromagnetic radiation resulted in disturbed sleep patterns, potentially affecting your body's ability to recover from a day of stress. This news is an eye-opening finding for gadget fans who have trouble nodding off at night, especially those who use the alarm clock function on their phones.

I was planning to get a real alarm clock anyway. But this will definitely remind me to get one SOON.

Starting Out

2008-10-13T10:06:00.002+07:00

A new beginning.

Hate it...

Hating the uncertainty....

Hating being clueless....

Hating being the new person....

How much sleep do you really need?

2008-06-12T04:14:00.001+07:00

According to Time,

Studies show that people who sleep between 6.5 hours and 7.5 hours a night, as they report, live the longest. And people who sleep 8 hours or more, or less than 6.5 hours, they don't live quite as long.

Oh no, I slept too much...

Patut Diketahui

2008-06-06T12:38:00.006+07:00

Google, search engine canggih langganan, juga tersedia dalam bahasa Jawa!!

Just for the sake of posting

2007-08-18T10:58:00.000+07:00

Today, it really feels like I'm finally done with UMD. Why? Because today I finally return my office keys to the department. And as I walked back to the bus stop, I decided to take the long way. Passing some classrooms that I've taught in or took class at. Most of them are locked since it's summer, so I mostly just peaked through the window. There was one auditorium class that I really liked but the classroom was totally dark and I couldn't see a thing. Then I passed the corridor that was closed mostly through last year because of renovation. It was finally done and it looked great. Kinda looked out of place though...

And I also took a picture of the big chewing gum machine in front of the cafeteria that I walk by every time I enter or leave campus. I rarely see anybody putting a coin through it. I wonder if they've refilled it since it was first 'planted' there...

And finally here is where I get off the bus every morning (I mean mornings when I have to be on campus ^-^).

Common sense? Apparently not!

2007-07-06T08:14:00.000+07:00

Paying for my groceries at the register counter, I was focusing on the register machine to make sure all the discounts were accounted for and if the prices made sense. Then as I picked up my groceries bags, there was one which had a case of eggs under a container of oxyclean and a handsoap. Lucky I looked!

I thought everyone knows that food should be separated from any chemical product. Especially food which are not sealed like eggs... Especially someone working at a grocery store... Mbak mbak, waktu di training sambil mikirin apaan ya?

Curiosity

2007-07-02T01:26:00.000+07:00

In church today, I notice a very curious little girl. She's probably around 4 years old. On the pews of my church, there are clippers to hold envelopes for visitors to donate to the church. This little girl pulled out an envelope and played with it.

After a while, she decided to put the envelope back on to the clipper. However, she didn't know that it was a clipper so she tried to slide the envelope in. She tried and tried with no success. Amazingly, she just won't stop trying. Then very cleverly, she open the envelope so it would be thinner. Cute! But still, she didn't succeed. Then, she figured out that she need to make a gap for the envelope to be able to fit in. So she tried pulling the clipper. But the clipper stayed resilient.

Finally, she asked for her mother to help. Her mom also didn't know it was a clipper. But only about 3 seconds, she figured out where to push and opened the clipper. And with that, the envelope was back where it belonged.

The little girl was determined to do it herself. So she pulled the envelope again, and tried to figure out how to open the clipper. When she succeeded, I wonder how she must have felt. Must be really happy cause she repeated pulling the envelope and putting it back several time.

Congratulations, little girl. You've learned something new today! :)

Warning!!!

2007-06-28T03:44:00.001+07:00

Warning!!!
Originally uploaded by .:: çë©!Ŀΐα ::.

Warning sign picture taken at MSP airport, May 2007.

The sign reads:

"Passengers are advised that the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security has determined that Bandara Ngurah Rai International Airport, Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia does not maintain and administer effective aviation security measures."

Oh Tidak...

2007-05-27T11:58:00.000+07:00

Masih tentang website DikmentiDKI..., kali ini serius deh, klik link yg baru saya kasih. Silakan ngakak sepuas-puasnya.

Secuplik paragraf...:

Keeping abreast of education world of that's everyday in correct readinging by head On Duty DIKMENTI Provinsi DKI Jakarta, either through kliping of through Newspaper of and also news of through media Internet . Do not seldom Bang Margani ( Chummy Greeting ) often stir to collect info education world , and surely library do not be overcome . Such as those which in tracing by Editor dikmentidki.go.id

Aduh... malu!!!

Jadi pengen sukarela menawarkan jasa penterjemah...

Bahasa Gado-Gado

2007-05-27T11:43:00.000+07:00

Tiba2 aja penasaran sama peringkat SMU di Jakarta.

Browsing, nyampe di http://www.dikmentidki.go.id/.

Daftar berita ditulis dalam format Judul, Tanggal terbit.

Bahasa pengantarnya bisa pilih, Indonesia atau English.

Lucunya, ... ah susah dijelaskan pake kata2. Mending langsung kasih contoh konkrit:

Bahasa Daerah Terancam Punah, Tanggal 23 May 2007

Hehe... mungkin saya yang ketinggalan jaman, Mei dah gak in, lebih keren May. (gak tahan pengen nyindir :P)

Pengen ngasih tau, tapi gak penting deh. Ya sudah lah.

The West has Mickey Mouse, The East has Doraemon!

2007-04-17T19:22:00.000+07:00

Well, it belongs to the Japanese, but it can represent the East, can't it?

Doraemon is that one show I've been watching since I was little and still love till now. Every Sunday morning, exactly 8 am, the TV in my house would be on. Since we had to leave the house by 9 am for Church every Sunday, our parents made a rule that the TV can't be turned on before we're ready for Church. So my sister and I would gladly wake up by 7, take a shower, dress up. Then, eat our breakfast while watching Doraemon.

And then a few days ago, I found the I can watch the show online. Listening to the opening song was so nostalgic. :) Also, it turns out that in Japan, there's a Doraemon movie every year. I've seen a couple and they're all good! Here's the trailer for this year's movie:

Dear Diary...

2007-04-14T11:48:00.000+07:00

Today I turned twenty four. Not quite a quarter of century yet, but I'm getting there. Life achievement? I don't think I have anything worth mentioning... heck, nothing even comes to mind! I'll be doing an interview with a big time company in two weeks so I guess that's one. I mean, just being considered as a candidate satisfied me already. I just hope I wouldn't screw up so bad. So anyone out there, if you have a slot in your prayer list, I would like to enlist for the spot if that's okay with you. :)

How did today went? I guess not too bad. I didn't tell anyone today's my birthday because for me it's not that special. But then some friends congratulate me and ask if I had any plans. When I told them I would only attend class and then go home, they said, Kasian deh lo! For lack of a better translation, "That's so sad!" And a couple of that triggered my feeling of loneliness and self-pity for the rest of the day. Moreover, I got a nasty paper cut on my left ring finger. That's always a day-wrecker.

But then I got a call from a friend and we chatted a while. Made my day a bit. Then another call from my dear sister Pei made it even better. After my last class, my friend asked if I wanted to have supper together in the cafeteria. So I decided to tell her that it's my birthday and we decided to go out for dinner before coming back to watch a student opera performance on campus. While watching the show, another friend called and left a message. I called him back after I got back home but couldn't get through so I just left him my gratitude for his call. Because by the time I saw him calling, I was already feeling that my birthday wasn't so bad after all. Then, when I got home, my two best friends were online so we chatted and talked about random things. Oh how I miss those gals.

So, even without a plan, I can still have a happy birthday. So have faith, however it is that your day started, don't let it bring you down cause you never know! It might turn out to be a good day after all.

April Shower Snow

2007-04-04T02:13:00.000+07:00

Another Global Warming phenomenon? Could be. This year's weather have been absurd. It was raining in November and today we have snow shower in April. It definitely shocked everyone.

Finally, an update. I've been really busy since this weekend; doing my taxes, homework, presentation preparation, and a phone interview! It's my fault I got to this state of chaos. I could have finish my taxes a while ago. And one of my homework was assigned before Spring Break. But when the due dates are far in the future, I just don't get enough motivation to do the tasks I had. Should've, could've, would've. It's always been my weakness. A really bad habit that's hard to throw away...

Back from Spring Break

2007-03-19T08:41:00.000+07:00

Yeah, my spring break has ended. Puas, fel? It was a great vacation, one of the best I've had since this is the first time I'm traveling alone. Although I went to a place where I know a few people. It feels so good when you walk out from an airport and have people welcome you, doesn't it?

God had been good to me this past week. The forecast said it was going to be cloudy and rainy but we had some good sunny days during my stay in Seattle. I even went up the Space Needle on a clear and sunny day. Although it was a little bit chilly because of the wind, it didn't matter. I also gained a new friend. Since my cousin can't get off work, her friend became sort of my tour guide around the city. Thanks, for that, Mark!

Few of the pictures I took are up on Flickr. I'll add more when I'm not feeling lazy... :P

Now, a pretty good personality quiz!

My aura is...
red
Red has come to be associated with extreme emotions like passion and anger. And indeed, people with a red aura often experience love and rage more strongly than others on the aura spectrum. Although they do have strong personalities, reds aren't just great balls of fire. They usually find a way to channel their feelings and express them physically. They tend to be extremely grounded in the body and prefer to work with their hands. They get a lot of satisfaction from completing tasks with tangible results--building sets for the school play, moving furniture around a room or fixing a car, for example. As you can imagine, these down-to-earth types value action over thought or abstract ideas.

What color is your aura?

The description is somewhat me, but I can't believe that my personality is symbolized by such a bold color. ^0^