Pinky Sunday

Happy Sunday again! I colored my nails this morning. Love it, was so pretty. Last night we went out to Eastern Promise, a British Pub with some kids from AISEC. There was Emanuelle, from Italy, well a nice 20 minutes practice for my Italian. Haha. Look, how do you like my nails?

Merapi After Eruption

These are the pictures that I took two weeks ago during our vacation to Jogjakarta. Kali Adem is one of the village that is the closest to the peak. Last October it was completely burnt and devastated. Now it's becoming a "touristic place" if you want to see the peak and the pain.

Next Destination: Blue Indonesia

It seems quite funny for an Indonesian to say my next destination for traveling is Indonesia (her own country) , I mean most of the people rather to list another country than his/hers. But this actually tickles me that I haven't really been around anywhere here, only some of places like North Sumatera, some parts of Java Island (not even Karimunjawa Island!), North Sulawesi (Manado), and Nusa Tenggara: Bali only. You see, it's nothing compare to the places I have been to in Europe: Italy (Venice, Padova, Mantova, Bologna, Verona, Naples, Sardegna, Rome), Croatia, Barcelona, Germany (Frankfurt, Heidelberg), Switzerland (Zurich, Luzern), The Netherlands (Utrecht, Rotterdam, Amsterdam), Brussels, Paris, ok stop, basta..

Not to blame the geographical structure of Indonesia, an archipelago country and to praise Europe that it's such a very close continent that each country is connected, in the same land, it's just like one Kalimantan (Borneo) Island!

Another thing is that, I list traveling as my hobby when I started to live in Europe, which is two years ago. However, the kind of traveling you''ll enjoy in Europe is a complete different with what they offer in Indonesia. In Indonesia traveling is about nature, sea, tropical forest, gastronomy and the surrounding. Going to a super crowded traditional market, a bit smelly, things you can't find in Europe, but that's the part of your vacation, you can eat from a fine dinning restaurant or savor some snack from food seller who uses a kind of cart to stash all the food. Things like that, you can only find it in Indonesia!

Yesterday, my family has mentioned that we're going to do a road trip, while I am in Indonesia. As usual, my parents just simply put Pacitan a village in East Java as one of the places that we will visit. It a very innocent place, it's not as crowded as Bali, but they have two beaches that is as wonderful as Padang-Padang Beach or Tanah Lot. However, it's not so accessible that you need a car to reach those two beautiful blue lagoon.

I suggested my parents to try new places for a road trip such as Karimunjawa Island in Jepara, but you know most parents just don't want to step out from their comfort zone and they adventurous sense is not even closed to high anymore. Especially my mom, she is just not into taking a 5 hours trip to cross another island. She (and most Indonesian/Jakartan moms) says the weather is not always good, the wave is always high. This was also happened when my friends and I went to Tidung Island last month, our parents were actually worried that somehow we will sink.

You see now, this could be the problem for a young Indonesian to travel, parents. Most young adults 17-24 are still dependent to their family, it is nice to travel with them, but since they are the money maker, you should not complain, some things can be negotiated but not all of them. This is what happens to me sometime, lately I'd rather to go and taste new exotic places with a group of friends. I desperately need to find travelmate who share the same passion. Young people just match each other. For example, once we went to Srau Beach, one of the three most beautiful white sands beach in Pacitan, it was an hour drive, we arrived, and took a look, got some pictures for only 45 minutes and went back to the hotel, I mean if I were with my friends we would have definitely dipped our body into the water. You can't call it a holiday if you haven't dipped your body into water!

I was really fall in love with my own country when I went to Manado, North Sulewesi in 2008. Early in the morning, we sailed to Bunaken National Marine Park, we went (just) snorkeling not so far away from the shore and I was just amazed with the sea animals that they have, colorful starfish, corals, splendid! Bali always makes me fall in love, but everybody just love that island for so many reasons, so magical. But there are way just too many beautiful beaches, sunsets, sunrises, white sands you can find in Indonesia. And this is why, Indonesia is my next destination. Either I will travel Indonesia, when I have traveled the world or after I have graduated from the university, but I absolutely will explore its archipelago, above and under the sea!

Here are some places that I've "missed" out instead traveling Europe...

Klayar Beach, Pacitan, East Java
We are prolly dropping by next week during our road trip

Ocean View Residence is the best place to stay I've browsed so far...

You can swim with the sharks in a semi-natural pool

Karimunjawa Island, Jepara, West Java
I should definitely go there, not this summer tho.

Gili Trawangan
And the the other Gili Islands!! Must must must!

Pink Beach at Komodo Island
Heaven only knows!

Raja Ampat, Papua
Those old tourist just spoiled the beauty, eew!

ps: none of the pictures are mine, credit to photgraphers

Happy Sunday

We just came back from the church, the family, father, mother and I (yes without my brother, since he is in Singapore having himself a vacation, dang!). Since my brother was not with us (otherwise he will have always asked to go eating after the mass), ask my mom and dad to just go to Gramedia Matraman, the biggest and most complete bookstore in Jakarta, not even Gramedia Grand Indonesia. I was looking for two books that I couldn't find in Gramedia GI, and yes to buy Andien's CD, thought it was just relesead last month but last year, well - since I was in Italy I did not know about that, but the songs are beautiful and very easy-listening but not kind of cheap songs, you know. My favourite songs are Pulang (Come Home) and Keraguan (ummm, Doubts -maybe) here is the lyrics in Indonesian tho..

oh indahnya suasana bila ku tahu siapa namanya
tertunduk malu dia tersenyum simpul
lirik kehadiranku di sana hmmm

ku berharap dia menyapa mengajakku tertawa bersama
menyibak duka di dalam hati ini
menyambut pertemuan dengannya
bilakah terjadi semua angan ini

reff:
ku harapkan ada bayangan diriku mengisi hari-hari
di dalam gerak dan langkahnya walau jarak memisahkan
diriku dengan dirinya ku tak akan peduli
semoga waktu kan berpihak kepadaku

fantasiku kian menjua membawaku melayang ke awan
semesta ada kelelahan menerpa
pas ribut candaku dengannya
biarkan semua seperti adanya

repeat reff

di saat ku ragu akan perhatianmu uuuh

ku harapkan ada bayangan diriku mengisi hari-hari
di dalam gerak dan langkahnya walau jarak memisahkan
diriku dengan dirinya ku tak akan peduli
semoga waktu kan berpihak

di saat ku ragukan adakah bayangan diriku
mengisi hari (di dalam gerak dan langkahnya)
(memisahkan diriku dengan dirinya) ku tak akan peduli
(semoga waktu kan berpihak) huu

(adakah bayangan diriku di dalam gerak dan langkahnya)
walau jarak memisahkan (diriku dengan dirinya) diriku dirinya
(semoga waktu kan berpihak) kepadaku

(adakah bayangan diriku) mengisi hari-hariku
(di dalam gerak dan langkahnya) walau jarak memisahkan
(diriku dengan dirinya) ku tak akan peduli
(semoga waktu kan berpihak) kepadaku

(adakah bayangan diriku)

Behind Pramono Pramoedjo's Exhibition

Last Thursday (30/06/2011), I was offered by my father to see how an exhibition is prepared (to keep him company in the car and when he is helping his colleague organizing his exhibition). Pramono R Pramodjo is a great cartoonist mostly draws about politics, his name is so much related with Sinar Harapan Afternoon Daily Newspaper.

That was my first time to be involved in a real exhibition in one of the hippest malls in Jakarta, Grand Indonesia. His paintings criticize the immoral behaviors of the government and its auxiliaries. His works, I believe really represent the people's opinions about the country (Indonesia), it can be seen that Pramono uses point of view of the people on his drawings.

I was helping him sorting the paintings into 8 groups, as I remember there are international, corruption (geez, corruption is a title not a sub-title and it has the most drawing overall), domestic,povert and some others. We left the mall at 3 am in the morning, 8 hours before people are coming to the mall again.

The exhibition is held until July 8 2011 at Alun-Alun Grand Indonesia next to Palada Restaurant.

So drop by when you are around Grand Indonesia, take a look and see what is actually happening in our motherland, Indonesia.

The Sea and The Stars

Sometimes I wish that I were such a great creator to make a real version of my ideas, but I am not that knowledgeable and powerful and omnipotent to make everything I want happens. I lately have a big obsession for nebula and starry skies. It is not something new, I am not a big fan of Physics and astrology (apart from horoscope), but I always love to see the skies at night mostly when we were on vacations (usually somewhere 600 km away from Jakarta, for example: West Java, East Java or Nusa Tenggara) the skies are usually clearer, so we can easily see the stars with the wide eyes. The stars are even more beautiful when we are in the seaside or nearby the beach. I always have a wish-list to sleep on a water-bed mattress (inflatable pool) at night on a beautiful calm beach/sea, well unfortunately beach/sea at night are usually not calm around that time and I don't drive boats. I wish I could swim within the stars...