Friday, July 25, 2008

kind strangers


Saat ini gue sedang baca buku travelling yang judulnya 'Keliling Eropa 6 Bulan dengan 1000$'. Tentang perjalanan backpacking Marina Silvia, seorang alumni ITB just a few years older than me back in 2006 waktu dia baru lulus kuliah. (kudos to you girl!)

Awalnya gue beli buku ini karena iri gimana cara manusia pelit ini kok bisa cuma 1000$ 6 bulan disana? haha tapi akhirnya yang lebih menarik dari penghematan dia itu justru all the strangers she met on the journey dan apa saja yang dia pelajari dengan mereka dengan cara berdialog.

Gue langsung mengenang perjalanan gue ke eropa tahun lalu dan orang-orang asing yang gue temui meski singkat tapi membuat gue heran bahkan at times quite shocked dengan easiness dan kindness yang mereka tunjukkan.

Waktu itu gue ada di tengah-tengah Notting Hill Parade yang super packed sampe lo bahkan sulit melihat kaki lo sendiri karena semua orang menempel. Bergerak di sepanjang jalanan notting hill sambil joget joget ke lagu hip hop-reggae-rock you name it yang diperdengarkan outdoor stages dan wangi wangi mariyuana bisa lo cium sayup sayup. I was very careful not to step into anyone's feet atau pun botol atau benda aneh berbahaya lain ketika naasnya gue menginjak jari kaki seorang cewek disebelah gue. Panik dong.. tau sendiri kalo itu kejadian di jakarta minimal dicemberutin kalo ngga dibentak sama orang itu.

"Oh gosh, i'm very sorry" spontan gue bilang, ngeri.
"Oh it's alrite love, " dia cuma ketawa dan si cewek itu langsung megang pundak gue sambil joget-joget menyertakan gue di dalam kereta panjang festival goers yang goyang bersama-sama.

Lalu one time di toko Vans (diskon) di bicester gue lagi nyari jeans skinny warna item. Setelah
nyoba beberapa jeans item gue menyerah karena either modelnya jelek atau ngga ada ukuran gue. Dengan santainya salah satu shop keepernya, yang mana adalah cowok dan ganteng menepuk pundak gue sambil bilang "Be'er luck next time eh mate," sambil melipat jeans dan tertawa-tawa. Waktu dia megang pundak otomatis tubuh gue menghindar karena terbiasa menjaga personal distance, sebelum akhirnya gue sadar bahwa he's just being sweet and friendly.

Gue juga pernah ngobrol setengah jam sama salah satu guide di St. Paul's cathedral tentang lukisan di ceilingnya dan malaikat mana yang jadi favoritnya karena mozaic mozaic yang membentuk malaikat di atas sana indah banget. you would rather look up than straight ahead even if you're walking. I certainly did, dan beberapa kali hampir nabrak orang :p

There's this wonderful sensation you get when you meet perfect strangers who treat you nicely eventhough you're just.. strangers. Gue ingin sekali bisa merasa kaya gitu di Indo dan pernah mencoba sekali waktu di halte busway tapi kok tetap aja, rasanya takut..

Eh, eh besok gue mau piknik di ragunan lho sama abang hahahahahaha

Monday, July 21, 2008

Ramen Sanpachi 38!

Last night i had a terrific dinner!

my boyfriend has always been a fan of Japanese Ramen noodle, and he introduced me to that dish which is quickly becoming my favourite food. Anyways, last week i noticed a new Ramen place opened up in Plaza Pondok Indah, Ramen Sanpachi 38. And we went there for a culinary adventure last night.

The restaurant is small and just modest but very japanese, it's a typical japanese neighbourhood restaurant. when the waitress first handed us the menu we were quite disappointed because lots of the noodles use pork. but then she explained that it can be changed to halal (chicken or beef) and when i ask she also explained that they use different cookwares for the halal and non halal beef so rest assured that there wont be any mix up. The waitress was very helpful she explained that for some menus we can pick the kind of meat we want, sliced or grinded. We can also choose between curly and straight noodle. She also recommend the cooking style best for each noodles.

I chose the jigoku Ramen, a hot soup ramen with mushrooms, leeks and some spinach and sliced beef, with half cooked straight noodle. There were 10 levels of hotness for the hot dishes, 1 to 10. To my boyf's and the waitress's i asked for level 5 but then i changed for level 3. and believe me that is hot enough, my mom's an acehnese and i eat chili like everysingle day since i was born and that level 3 hotness is very spicy already. Seru deh! ;D


Abang ordered the Miso Ramen, a miso seasoned ramen soup with vegetables and grinded beef with cooked curly noodles. It was not hot but later he added some chilli powder and chili oil. The seasoning tray at every table is complete with salty soy sauce, chili powder, oil, and paste, even sesame beans and oils. We ordered a plate of Gyozas too.

We didn't order any drinks because they give us free iced water already, free flow. Nice! Oh and for beer fans they also serve Erdinger beer at Rp. 70000. The noodles are around Rp 45000 per bowl and there are also rice dishes or don and set menus.

We waited for the noodles for about 10 minutes reading japanese mangas and magazine available a rackful by the door. Well, we were just looking at the picture sih.. hahaha
and then the holy amazingly large bowls of ramen noodles came. We were drooling before it even reach our tastebuds. the soup was tasty, very tasty. The noodles were soft but not weightless. and all the other ingredients are fresh and tasty. the gyoza was marvelous too. these are the best Ramen and Gyoza i've ever tasted, ever.

abang kept saying "we are so coming back to this place" over and over again and we were quite sad when the whole thing's finished. Eventhough we actually have got no more space in our tummy anymore hahahaha.

When we thought were at the end of our culinary adventure the waitress came back bringing us our free dessert! Pineapple konyaku jellies! It's perfect. The jelly cooled my hot insides immediately and the sweet taste give my tastebuds a rest after all that level 3 chilis.

Wonderful wonderful dinner!

Sunday, July 20, 2008

silent sighs..

my boyfriend and i have been in this relationship for almost a year now. it's been wonderful, passionate, completing.. practically everything i have been looking for. tapi gue juga merasa semakin lama more and more attached to him.. i think it's normal and considering it's him i feel attached to it's alright. He's a great guy, and we are serious about this.

tapi you can never be too sure about anything kan? anything might happen along the way, even a perfect gentleman kan turn into a jekyll and a lady could easily be a tramp. all our hopes and dreams and all the plans we have bisa aja gagal atau bagaimana. and if it does,-god forbid- will i have anything to stand on? it's frightening.

sepertinya memang ini the lesson to learn by loving and being loved. To let a part of you attached but at the same time keeping a part of it to yourself, and only yourself. Because i believe no one can love you more than your very own self. and the only one that will absolutely stick with you through thick and thin is you. just you. that's frightening too.

despite all the friends you laughed with or the number of men you loved it comes down to you. just you. tough luck huh? :)

i have been so used to that before him. and then come this man.. with a bedtime phonecall i call home and who's embrace i wish i'd melt in everytime, who's been cushioning my fall eversince..

and not once he ever raise his voice to me. see? it's just too much.

Friday, July 11, 2008

crépes avec nutella

oui oui oui! et c'est trés magnifique!

hihihihi this evening dengan sukses gue berhasil membuat crépes avec nutella! the dish that made me fall in love with paris. along with their cappucinno, escargot, and ice cream.. it's a very simple dish only i cooked it the original way, unlike the ones we get at d'crepes. it's a bit thick on the center, thin and crispy on its edges and filled with melted chocolatey delights of nutella chocolate spread.

here's how:
1. prepare a cup of flour, a cup of milk, 2 eggs, 2 tbsp of sugar, salt to taste, 2 tbsp melted butter
2. beat the eggs inside a big bowl
3. mix in the eggs and the milk, and the butter. add sugar and salt.
4. leave the mix to sit for an hour.
5. heat pan, grease it with a bit of butter leave at medium fire.
6. pour a laddleful of the mix to the pan. puter puter wajannya supaya adonan jadi rata dan tipis. flip it when you see the edges start curling.
7. fill the new surface with anything you want. grated cheese, nutella, fruits, jam, butter, cream, etc.
8. fold the crepes twice into a triangle.
9. Voila! ready to serve!

i'm still perfecting it though i think it needs some more cream to perfectly resemble the one i bought at versailles.. hmmmm... or maybe it was the french weather? :)

Wednesday, July 09, 2008

dear abang,

i am very sorry.. you have been a wonderful boyfriend and i enjoy every single blissful moment i've spent with you. you were always there when i needed your support and was always honest to me. which is why i should be honest with you too..

i have fallen in love with someone else, someone brought into light to me by none other but you.. he himself is dating some one else, but i couldnt resist his charms. i am tremendously sorry.. but he's too beautiful, he has a wicked sense of humor too, and was said to be one of the best student in his school. also he's got long legs and a gorgeous smile. i guess that's because he's part playboy playmate and part rock and roll star, one of your favorite too, Gene Simmons. i expect he's got the fabled tongue also..

*SNAP*

I realize that he is younger than me, we are 3 years apart. but i guess that's alrite, he doesnt look that young anyways, and he's as smart as any 20 somethings. he's even got a comicbook he wrote himself on the way out sometimes next year. i am too in love, i am sorry.

he is Nick Simmons..** juuuuust kidddiiiiing... i'd love to give him a kiss though.. ;)

Monday, July 07, 2008

i dreamed of..

a pair of gladiator heels..
i did, i really did.. i was prancing around in a beige number in my dreams..

  • mungkin karena i really like the edgy look of it teamed up with frocks (which are my fav outfit for all time and occassion)
  • mungkin karena i keep bumping into it at the mall
  • mungkin karena there's one in every shade of brown from beige to dark brown in charles&keith (beige is my fav color for accessories) when i went to buy my heels but the heels are waaay too tall (9cm) so i bought the usual heels instead.
  • mungkin karena my friend nourma wore a pair to my envy last friday during our non executable dinner at loewy, and i cant get the beige one i saw in c&k eversince.

as my boyfriend yose would react when he missed something good:
Huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu...... (with a full fledged elongated lips)

but i have to stay realistic seeing as i have only started to learn to wear heels just now.. hihihi a bit too late huh? i looove ballet flats too much :P

i decide i should start wearing heels and feel it's appropriate seeing as i've graduated and i am a twenty something. it's silly i know but it always seem to me that only full grown, independent women get to be that glamorous on a daily basis. it's something i should earn. anyways convinced that i can carry myself as required i bought the heels last week..

Ta-da!!

(heelsnya udah chipped ajah huhuhu)

and havent left home without it ever since! hence all the blisters on my feet, but seeing i have now earned myself to be glamorous i walk with my head tall.

oh heck, like they say in memoirs of geisha:
in (women's) world, beauty and pain lies side by side..

Friday, July 04, 2008

job hunting

hyaahh.. setelah lulus datanglah kegiatan paling ngga ngenakin sedunia: job hunting..
males banget deh rasanya, tapi kalo ngga dikerjain juga mau apa bengang bengong di rumah..

so far gue udah ngirim ke nestle, P&G dan unilever.. kemaren di nestle udah sampe tahap assesment centre.. tapi entah.. hya hya hya hya hya..

minta infonya ya teman-teman kalau ada lowongan di marketing, brand management atau adv. account exec.. berminat nih! apalagi kalo kantornya di jakarta selatan dan gajinya gede! huehehehehehehehehhe

anyways anyways ada yang aneh minggu ini pada diri teman-teman gue.. tiba-tiba jadi pada hiper ngajak jalan-jalan.. super deh.. heran gue.. kenapa tiba-tiba jadi laku gini? hari ini aja ada ajakan lunch, dinner dan clubbing dari crowd yang berbeda.. lunch dan dinnernya gue jabanin tapi entah deh clubbingnya.. soalnya capek dan bokek hahahaha

semalem pergi sama marcya dan Rama makan abuba dan impulsively ke tabac. dan maksud gue bener" impulsively pas lagi lewat jalanan kemang situ gue dan marcya jadi pengen ke tabac dan langsung teriak "KANAN!" ke Rama yang secara refleks mengikuti. untung lagi sepi jalannya hahahahha

Tempatnya lucu banget deh.. unexpected, tapi sett dah mahal beeeddh.. martini 95k, vodka tonic 75k, absolut juga 95k. dan resenya ngga ada menu jadi baru tau harga pas bill dateng.. tadi malem sih banyaknya expat expat. terus gue duduk di meja sebelahnya catherine wilson.. :p ntar deh kesana lagi kalo gaji gue udah belasan juta hehehehehhe

yaudah deh mau mandi duluuuu :D