Strawberry Delight

Today's agenda: photoshoot at Taman Menteng for a (still confidential) advertisement (woot woot!), then dinner with girlfriends. Super happy! :)

Wearing Khaloong necklace

Sweet Seventeen

Happy Independence Day, Indonesia.



Can I ask you guys something? What are the things that make you proud of this country? Aside from food, batik and our rich natural resources?



I have no right to make any point that represents all Indonesians, or Indonesia as a country, because yes, I do spend almost all of my days only in Jakarta, and yes, this is just a personal opinion on how I solely feel as an individual. Everyday I witness ignorance all around, and it can get really depressing. Corruption is everywhere, and has somewhat become a culture. We talk about government officials being corrupt. But look around us. Even a parking attendant who clearly wears a uniform with the text "No Tipping" on his back still receives or demands drivers to give him tip. Even funnier when a parking space is hidden by parking attendants and said space will only be given to drivers who give them tip. I once had a debate on this, where the other argued that tipping parking attendants is 'okay' because it's simply a form of appreciation towards his 'help'. I believe, that when an institution has strictly enforced a regulation of "No Tipping", then we all should just comply with that. It's like a company not allowing their employees to receive gifts from their clients, because 1) it may cause bias and internal conflicts, and 2) it may grow into a (bad) habit. No matter the amount of money (trillions vs. Rp.2.000), corruption is corruption. It's about the mindset.



I have lost count on how many times my car has been hit by motorcyclists who ignorantly just speed away with no apology. Same goes to getting summoned on the road because traffic rules sort of change every now and then, but when I am willing to pay the fine, I am somehow "convinced" to just "settle" things in the illegal way. Then there are 3-in-1 car jockeys standing peacefully on the side of the streets just 10 meters away from a group of policemen. So what's right and wrong? What's legal and not? It seems fine to work out opportunities within the loophole in Jakarta’s traffic management policy, so why come up with the regulation after all?



I am always worried when I see people standing on the outer edge of the (door-less & boundary-less) elevated bus-stop exit/entrance point while waiting for the Transjakarta bus. It's so easy for someone to just fall down when being (accidentally) pushed by someone else on their back, because hey, there's no door or any safety guard, right?



Then seeing people getting punished / processed for expressing their thoughts on the internet, selling products online. What's happening?



I just wish things like these are not justified by 1) luxury, 2) the fact that there are many other less-fortunate people who go through worse things, 3) there are many other (more important) things to think about and take care of, and 4) people just need to make a living no matter how. Flaws are flaws, regardless the justifications and comparisons.



Good night, all...:)

Us Us

Tried The Butcher today and wasn't really happy with it heheheh...I just think the price doesn't reflect the taste, but perhaps that's just me...;p

Thingswelove top, Forever 21 shorts, Padini belt, unbranded tights & hat, Soe Hoe bag, Fratelli Rossetti flat shoes

What I Wore To Work

It's been a looooooong time since I posted "What I Wore To Work" outfit photos...finally I'm doing it again today! Yayyy! This time I had enough time to snap some pics before leaving for office, unlike most of the times when I'm such in a rush...;p

Proud Parents cut-out shirt, vintage mesh top, Zara trousers, Antyk Butyk necklace, Up wedges

Me: "I reaaaaaally feel like having Tom Yum today...where should we eat?"

S: "Hmmmm let's try Sour Sally. Tom Yum is sour, right?



Btw, do you guys know the Muslim-wear brand, Shafira? You can get 50% discount Shafira vouchers here! Totally worth it, guys...:) I'm so gonna get these vouchers for Eid, especially because their newest collection uses tenun...I love tenun! Yay! :)

Happy Hippo Hippie

Received the prettiest package from Bittra & Starr...I loooooove this brand! Thank you so much, Gadis! :)



Also, my latest article for Cosmogirl magazine is out...yay! :)

Btw, this is a really inspiring video....must watch! :)

Two And A Half Cents

I really don't like TV shows that focus on low-income families and treat these families as somewhat entertainment-commodities. One of said shows would be "Jika Aku Menjadi". In this show, a guest star (usually a female) is required to live and work with a low-income family for a couple of days, and in between, she would cry and tell the viewers how sad she is to see how much this family "suffer" and struggle on a daily basis, and that she should be more thankful to God for having a better life than them. That boils me.



You see, doing such is no different than walking down the street and approach a random hawker and say, "oh my, your life is so tough. Thank God I have a better life". No matter how "poor" someone is or some people are, we should never belittle their status. I mean, seriously, you cry in front of someone you consider poor, because you're sad that he or she is so poor? Imagine how the poor person would feel. He/she will feel poorer, because someone is making it clearer for him/her that he/she is extremely poor.



I remember a guest star of the TV show giving her comments which more or less sounded like this: "I'm so sad, (cries), because he works so hard (cries), and it's so lonely here (cries). This man works every day picking up tree sticks and gets only Rp.10.000 a day, while I can spend so much for a single lunch (cries). There's no entertainment here, no shops, nothing. I always complain back in the city, while in fact there's so much entertainment there. We have cinemas, malls (cries). I can't imagine living his life".



And how does saying such a thing make that man feel any good?



Wouldn't it be much nicer if we actually made him feel better instead of poorer? Why do we need to emphasize on things he (currently) doesn't have and point out in front of his face that his life is "so poor"? Instead, we should appreciate his hard work whatever his "job" is, no matter how much he earns. We should remind him of how lucky he is, because he is given such good health and strength. We should tell him how much we envy his simple, humble life in the village, because life in the city is full of complexities. We should provide him the faith that he can make a betterment in life if he works harder. We should support him to never feel disheartened, for life, no matter what, works in many different ways. And we guide him with whatever knowledge or information we have, so he can be inspired. If this is done, then providing him (and his family) some cash at the end of the show as a capital for him to start a (better) job would be more relevant.



Helping people is not supposed to be done only by (giving) money. But by (giving) moral support. And respect.

Light & Happy

Me: "Remember? You used to jump up and down when you're happy.."

Him: "Hmmmm that was when I was light."

Unbranded dress & socks & sunglasses, custom made skirt, mom's belt, D-I-Y necklace, gifted scarf, Up wedges

Him & Transformers 3

"I don't care. You have to write in your blog that Transformers is the best movie in the world. If not, I'll hack into your account and write it myself. I really think they actually exist, you know?"

- S -

Happy Fasting!

It's that time of the Muslim calendar again and it's time to wish you all who celebrate a fruitful, peaceful and meaningful Ramadan. Happy fasting!

And oh...do get a pair of these Up Ramadhan 1432H Special Edition wedges...super lovely and it will only be available this month...the name is Tree! :)

Scooby Scuba Dooby Diving

After weeks of planning and delays, S and I finally went for our very first scuba diving lesson today...soooo muuuucchhh fuuuun! Venue was good, instructor was very professional, and the whole experience was somehow very refreshing...yay!

I actually came to know about this scuba diving lesson from Di Kota Kita...they have interesting offers, you know? I also bought my go-karting vouchers from Di Kota Kita...:)

And here you go...pictures from today..:)

The key to scuba diving is to just stay calm & breathe properly...never, ever panic...:)

Eye Love Hot Chocolate

I loooove this eye cropped top from L&K...my best new item of the week! :)

L&K cropped top, Coloriot shorts, Mango short tights, Allura flower piece, unbranded straw hat, Up wedges

Btw, do you know how to make your very own homemade hot chocolate drink that can beat Starbucks's and Coffee Bean's?

Here's how:

Just add a sachet of Milo 3in1 powder plus 2 blocks of Van Houten chocolate plus very hot water to ensure the chocolate blocks melt. PERFECTO.

Lastly, a new sleeping animal-mate in my bed heheh..meet the owl, courtesy of Ideku Handmade....love it! :)

Bucket

The act of collecting thoughts is most of the times underrated. What people often value and appreciate is the view of someone running here and there working till late night with his or her cellphone constantly ringing being reminded of meetings one needs to attend. And yet those who sit quietly at home thinking what to do next is perceived as lazy and has nothing to do.

Collecting thoughts does not translate to doing nothing. It's the door to opening everything.

No Wonder I Like Skies

Diana (pronounced with long 'ī' and 'ā') is an adjectival form developed from an ancient *divios, corresponding to later 'divus', 'dius', and in the neuter form dium meaning the sky. It is rooted in Indoeuropean *d(e)y(e)w, meaning bright sky or daylight.

(Source: Wikipedia)

Big Rock Ending

It's been such a long, busy week...woah! Not blogging for 5 days feels sooooooo long hehehe...

So I've basically been caught up at work...I love working from coffee shops btw. And it's weird because I don't drink coffee at all hahah...you guys might not believe this but I've never drunk coffee my whole life even just a sip. I enjoy going to Starbucks, Coffee Bean and the like but I would always order hot chocolate milk, tea or just water...:)

Moving on...the Ideafest 2011 workshop was so much fun! I think it made me realize how much I'm into coaching, mentoring or sharing...I'd probably end up being a lecturer one day...:)

I think I ate something wrong that day during the workshop though that I ended up vomiting 7 times in half a day. Parents took me to the hospital and I was diagnosed with food-poisoning. Thank God I'm so much better now...:)

To end the week: CRANBERRIES. Seriously, Dolores is THE BOMB. I've loved her since I was in Junior High School and she will always have that special place in my heart. I love love love Cranberries and Dolores's weird moves.

Wearing Antyk Butyk headpiece & My Bagstage bag

Cheer Up!

In life, there will always be someone who will try to kill your dream. If your dream eventually gets killed, it's nobody's fault but yours. It's your dream. Protect it.

Vintage shirt, unbranded t-shirt, Picnic skirt, Lilly's Closet pumps

Btw, I've just updated my Up shop with a new program called the "LEVEL UP Scholarship Program"...yay! From now onwards, for every Up shoes sold, Rp.5.000 goes to a scholarship for a low-income child. We now have one scholarship student already, a 12-year-old girl who just started her junior high school (read here). If you know any child who also needs support and has great determination in his or her studies as well, it would be so great if you could also share the information with me so Up can help...:)

Thank you so much before, everyone! :)

--------

S: "Can I drive you home tonight?"
Me: "It's okay, babe. I can drive myself."
S: "Pleeeaaase? I don't want you to drive by yourself."
Me: "Okay then...thanks, babe. Btw, I got you this DVD."
S: "Ooohhhhhh wowwwwwww. Babe, can you go home by yourself?"
Me: "So you can watch the DVD tonight?"
S: "Yeahh.."

Fun In The Run

Had soooooooooo much fun with S and Intan today...yay! :)

Go-karting at Speedy Karting & Pond's Teens Concert 2011

Good night! :)