My best blogger friends and their book

Back on Monday, sigh…

I forgot to program my alarm, so I woke up late at 5.00 AM this morning. I supposed to wake up at 4.30 AM because usually I went to office at 5.30 AM before morning traffic jam and that is before the sunrise.

I jumped out panic from bed, straight to bathroom, got dressed and ran to my car. Thank God I still could made it on time, but I still feel headache because I woke up in panic attack

There are tons of work waiting, but before I start I should refresh my brain, blogging.

What I love most about blogging is that I can made new friends and best friends.  One of my best friend is Rossa. We knew each other on blog. We have the same interest which is traveling, even though we haven’t travel together yet.

She just launched a book about traveling. She won a traveling contest. The contestant made an itinerary and proposal to the place they wanted to travel and the most interesting proposal won the contest. The winner got to travel to the place on the proposal and should make a book based on the experience.

Rossa won and the book she wrote just published. The books are available now in all the book store in Jakarta, soon it will be available all over Indonesia.

Rossa's book at the bookstore

The writer

my copy signed by the writer

I have another best blogger friend who will publish a book soon. He write a traveling book about New Zealand. This one is my traveling friend also. We traveled to Vietnam and Cambodia two years ago, before that we also traveled around Indonesia for work, we use to worked in the same office. Then he went to Australia. I  guess he traveled more than study :p

Cipu, my blogger friend & traveling partner.

Portrait of me in 1890

Yesterday I found something very interesting in Amy’s blog http://amycreates.wordpress.com . She shared pictures of her back in 1890 using this site: www.1890yourself.com. I thought it would be fun, and I give it a try. And it was fun!

Thanks Amy for showing this site.

This is what I looked like if I lived in 1890:

We can made pictures with friends too with this site. I try it with my sister’s picture.

This is me and my sister in year 2010:

And this is me & my sister back in year 1890:

My sister’s name is Marissa, she’s 3 years younger than I. Lots of people don’t believe if we are sisters because we don’t look like family, our face are totally different. I got my  father’s face and she got my mother’s face.

We live in the same house and for almost 1 year we worked together in the same office. It’s a family business. I’ve worked at other place for 4 years before I decided, less than 1 year ago, to join in my father’s business. It was a difficult decision back then.

If you wonder how it feels to meet the same person in the office and in the house for 18 hours a day, it could be a bit boring

 

RIP Whitney Houston

When I woke up this morning and checked twitter, I was shocked by the news that Whitney Houston has passed away in young age, 48 years old.

She was one of the female singer with extraordinary voice and I still have her songs on my mp3. “Bodyguard” is one of my favorite movie of all time. She was multi talented artist, beautiful, sexy & elegant.

But I guess nothing is perfect, her life is quite controversial. I heard she experienced domestic violence and used to do drugs. Despite of all her personal problems,  I still think she was one of the greatest singer off all.

My deep condolence for Whitney Houston.

This is one my favorite song by her. I think nobody can sing it like the way she did.

 

 

 

Online Course

I’m so excited today.

First, because today is Friday, weekend is here.

Second, I just picked up my car yesterday from auto repair workshop. It was nothing serious, just fixed some minor scratches in the body. Now, it looks like brand new, smooth and shining. <3

I have this car for almost 3 years now and almost 45 thousand kilometers. Living in Jakarta, where the traffic is getting worse and worse each year so that I have to spent most of my life on the street, my car is like my second home and walking closet. I keep some cloths, couple of shoes and sneakers, golf clubs, books, magazines, toothbrush, snacks and so many things in this small vehicle

Being far away from my car always almost feels like torture. I think I got too attached personally with my car, I even give it a name. Anyway, I’m so glad it already back with me now.

And the third thing that makes me excited, today I start an online course.

This is my first online course and it’s free. There are many choices of classes available, but I enrolled for two classes : Model Thinking and Technology Entrepreneurship. But eventually the Technology Entrepreneurship class disappear from the program.

I got e-mail yesterday that Model Thinking class is already start. I just watched the lecture video and it’s so exciting. There will be video lectures, quizzes, assignment and even discussion forum just like real college stuff.

I interested in this course because when I studied Strategic Business for my Graduated Program, this Model Thinking was briefly mentioned. That is the tool to make a better decision by structuring our problems into models. So when I heard there is an online course for Model Thinking, I enrolled immediately. I know, I sound like a total geek

Well, I hope you enjoy this Friday like I do. Have a great weekend.

Hellofest 2012

I’ve been very busy with work this week, I didn’t have time for blogging. In fact, I’ve been quite busy this year, I didn’t have time to go on a date

Anyway, I still enjoyed my weekend. On Saturday I went to an event called Hellofest 2012. It was an annual event, almost the same like Comic Con San Diego in U.S. People wear costumes from comic, cartoon and video games character.

Indonesian animation is highly influenced by Japanese. I grew up reading Japanese comic and watching Japanese animation movie. And after 20 years, Japanese pop culture still influencing the younger generation. So, most of the characters represented here are Japanese characters.

 

And this is characters originally from Indonesia

Nina Bobo

I found something interesting when I randomly watched videos on YouTube. When I was kid, my father use to sing this before I sleep. Actually Nina Bobo is a lullaby song for Nina. That if she don’t sleep (bobo) the mosquito (nyamuk) will bite (gigit) her.

It’s amazing because they turn simple children song into beautiful song. Makes me feel goosebumps. If I didn’t understand the lyrics I would’ve never thought that it’s a simple lullaby song about Nina and mosquito

What do you think?

Drive Books not Cars

Hi. How’s your weekend? I hope it was great.

I went on a second-hand books sale on Sunday morning. This was a social events. People donated the books and the money from book sales donated for unfortunate children – Orphans and poor children who can’t afford to go to school.

The sale held in front of EX Plaza, a shopping mall on Sudirman Street. Sudirman Street is one of the busiest business center in Jakarta, I think maybe this is like Wallstreet version of Indonesia. On Monday to Friday this street is always in traffic jam. On Sunday from 6.00 AM – 12.00 AM there is “Car Free Day”, cars not allowed to pass on this street. People use it for sports such as jogging and bicycling. So I guess this is why the event called “Drive Books not Cars”

 

Books sale

The books price range from IDR 5.000-50.000 (USD 0.50 – 5). I think it was a great deal because there were lot’s of good books and the conditions were still good. I arrived there on 8.00 AM in the morning with my friends, Lily & Shelomita. By 9 AM I already got 6 books. I got a cute bag because I bought more than 5 books.

The Nerds -> Shelomita, Lily and me

I’m so excited because not only I got good books at great price, but the money donated to help the education for the children. Next year I will donate my books too.

Now, let’s see what I got in my shopping bag ^___^

the cute yellow bag for free

 

I have Travel books, Chicklits, “Angel and Demons” and one of Paul Scot’s. I got the later two books for only IDR 5000 (around USD 0.5). I also got Australia Lonely Planet for only IDR 50000 (USD 5), the book didn’t look like second-hand, it was still in a perfect condition. I think this is kind of (good) karma for me because two years ago I gave the same book as a birthday present for my friend who were going to Australia for study.  And now when I need the book, I got it for a very cheap price.

Lonely Planet for only IDR 50000

Another travel book for IDR 35000

This is exactly the kind of book I need, How to be Single (IDR 35000)

I like Alexandra Potter's book, she's smart and funny (IDR 35000)

Angels & Demons (IDR 5000)

This is Paul Scot's book and it was filmed, can't wait to read it (IDR 5000)

Vincent Will Meer

I’ve just watched “Vincent will meer”, in English the title translated to Vincent wants to sea. This is a movie about a young man suffers from Tourette’s Syndrome who wants to fulfill his mother’s final wish to go to the place in the background of her photograph, a sea in Italy. That’s what I read in the review.

I watched the movie in German with  no English Subtitle, so I don’t understand the conversation. I really enjoy the beautiful scenery in the movie. And I really think that this is a great movie about friendship and family…. I wish I understand Germany -___-”

The first time I knew about this movie was from my friend’s blog, Rossa. She said that the movie is on YouTube in 6 sections. So I watched it right away.

Tourette’s syndrome is a neurological disorder that makes Vincent can’t control his action. After his mother’s funeral, his father send him to rehabilitation center where he met Alex – who is suffering from obsessive compulsive. Alex is very obsessed with cleanliness. He also meet Marie, a girl with eating disorder.

One day Marie steal their Psychiatrist’s car key to help Vincent go to the place in his mother’s picture he always carry with him.  In the night they want to escape from the rehabilitation center, Alex caught them and threaten to report their escape plan. Vincent and Marie have to bring Alex with them to prevent him destroy the plan. This is when the adventure starts. Vincent, Alex & Marie on a journey to Italy while Vincent’s father & the psychiatrist are following them.

One more thing I find interesting is that even though I don’t understand the language, I can see the characters of every person (Vincent, Marie, Alex, the psychiatric and Vincent’s father)  in the movie clearly. And one thing I love most about the movie is the beautiful scenery.

I wish I can go to those places someday….

Monday – Holiday

I Love Monday…. Only for today :p

Today is a public holiday to celebrate Chinese New Year.
More than 2% citizen in Indonesia are Chinese ethnic, most of them migrated and settled since 17th century. Their culture was not indigenous, but they considered as having significant role in Indonesia. So to respect it the government make the Lunar or Chinese New Year as a public holiday.

Today is also the 15th day of my crystal flower. It’s beautiful. There’s a little lamp attached on the cork lid, so the light shining on the crystal and making it glow.

City Lights from Parking Lot

Yesterday I went to one of shopping mall in Jakarta, the city where I live. I went there many times but usually I parked in the basement. But yesterday the basements are full so I have to parked in the parking building which is located on the 9th floor.

Unexpected, when I was about to went home on 10.40pm, I saw the city view from the parking lot.
I took the pic with my camera phone so the quality might not be so good.