Dear

You.
Are such a
great source of
inspiration
to me

You.
don't have to
be mine
with me
all the time

But
I can feel
your presence
there
to inspire

Like
if
yo are here
with me

You are not.

But
You are a great inspiration
for me.

That's more than enough

08/20/2012

14:15

Nastiti

p.s: I am not in love with you but can't hold against you. 

Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas

July 19 2012 - was the first time I read this novel. I remember on the Metro, that Thursday morning when I was on the metro to office. I was in love with this book, every word of it.

"I never expected to fall in love with you, but I did" Matt.

Page 4.
Katie slipped down farther into the water, and found herself thinking back to the day she had received the diary -- July 19.


It's a coincidence that I first read this book on July 19. And the main character's name - Katie, my little nick name -- Kathie. I went further and realized this book portraits much of my summer in DC.

Meeting this very laid-back and know-how-to-play guy and the other one very serious and intellectually-stimulating.  Which do I prefer? I like both. But that are some sentences in the book can tell about how I feel.

I know this might sound silly, or worse, but I liked just being in the car with (him). I looked at him and thought, Hey I'm with this guy and he's very nice. We are out looking for an adventure. I hadn't felt like that in a long time. I missed it. (p.67)

He was taller than she was -- she guessed about six foot two, He had a good nose and strong looking chin, and everything about his face held together extremely well, like one of his (sharp thoughts). His hair was (curlish), sandy brown, clean and lustrous. He had a deep working-man's tan. He smiled at something hopefully not her height or her gawkiness or the goofy look on her face -- but she liked him, anyway. What was there not to like? (p.78)

But the truth is p.67 shows interest and p.78 does not. Well I guess you know which page I am going with this weekend? I want page p.78 but I don't want to be seem clingy.

I thank my coworker, Erna Wiasih to borrow me the book. Sometimes you just need that small coincidence to have you read the book. Boy, where have I been the whole time missing this book?

Kiss and Love,

Rut

Currently Dancing to: Metro Playlist

I always got so excited in the morning to go to work, not just because I love my job but I cannot wait to be on the metro. Ever wonder why? Metro is like a fashion catwalk. The platform is the stage and the train is the backstage. All those chairs inside are for the guest list people and I always try to be on the front row. I am not modelling, obviously. But, I am watching. Watching all these young Washingtonian executives in their best working clothes, something I won't find in Iowa. As I just got a new pair of earphones, I love to tune music on. Getting on from Ballston station to Federal Center, I am the dj of my Metro Runaway. Especially yesterday. Geez, I was sitting right at the very front and right away in front of me there are 4 model-like Americans hopped in. One in suit (he is a little bit blonde), another one  in brown checked shirt (he is so my type, black/dark brown hair, sharp eyebrows), the other one is in black shirt (he is okay and reading nook), and the other one looks really decent.

As I started watching these young professionals, my ipod keeps giving me these songs that suites the atmosphere of my runaway.

1. American Boy - Estelle 

     I just met this 4 foot 7 boy who's just my type 
 I like the way he's speaking, his confidence is peaking  
Don't like his baggy jeans but I like the way he's thinking
Dressed in all your fancy clothes Sneakers looking fresh to death, 
I'm lovin' those shell toes  

     Walkin' that walk, talk that slick talk  

     I'm likin' this American boy, American boy

(Well yeah, finally I like American, but those who are not in college and don't look like college kids haha, thanks to that American senior that opens my heart to all the Yanks) 

 

2. Boyfriend - Best Coast

 One day I'll make him mine
And we'll be together all the time
We'll sit and watch the sunrise
And gaze into each other's eyes
I know that he knows
Know that he knows
I know that he wants to be my boyfriend

(Well this one sounds like a desperation song wanting a boyfriend, but hey who don't fall hard with those looks in suites?)

3. Labels or Love - Fergie

     Love’s like a runway but which one do I love more
No emotional baggage, just big bags filled with Dior
Love’s like a runway, so what’s all the fussing for
Let’s stop chasing those boys and shop some more

(It makes me feels like I am a young professional too, but more like the hot and sexy one like Carry Bradshaw -- she is a figure, for me, she is a writer. Oh, hey, I am going to be one too!)

4. F-cking Boyfriend - The Bird and The Bee

 I would be so winning, so absolutely winning.
A guarantee in melody, a promise in the sky
Would you ever be my, would you be my f-cking boyfriend?

(I will so definitely getting one of those men on the Metro after I graduated from college! Yeah, wait for 3 years, baby! ) 

 5. Super Bass - Nicki Minaj 

Excuse me, you're a hell of a guy  

You know I really got a thing for American guys 

 I mean, sigh, sickenin' eyes 

I can tell that you're in touch with your feminine side, oh

 Boy you got my heartbeat runnin' away  

Beating like a drum and it's coming your way  

Can't you hear that boom, badoom, boom Boom, badoom, boom bass?

  

As the Metro stops at Farragut West, most of these men-looking guys get off from the Metro. Needless to say, I cannot wait for my next commute!

Kiss and Love, 

Rut Nastiti

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

Switzerland, What a Wonderful World!

This is an assortment of photos from the first country that I visited after my graduation, Switzerland. I just edited them last night, as the result of jet lag - I barely couldn't sleep, ended up editing them. I stayed with my great aunt, Oma Lydia, she is the my gran's youngest sister. She has lived in Zurich for 35 years, bankers, workaholic. She is a Swiss by the way (I wish I were)

The area of her house is so called Gold Coast, it has a German or Swiss German name of it, but I can't remember, something like... Let me google it.. I couldn't find it but nearby Kusnacht and Meilan, Zurich. I had the greatest time of my time in Zurich. Very relaxing.

The view from her balcony was just daring, illusive. Just to sit there talking with her, drinking a glass of red wine was a great pleasure. We did that almost every night.

I spent 6 days 5 night Zurich from May 25-30 . First had dinner with Oma and Om Marlon (his son, my uncle), second day went to the Zurich City, third day day met my friend Jesse in Luzern (it's a fairytail-like city, so beautiful), eventhough it was raining, fourth day hang out Augustin a first year from Switzerland who lives in Winterthour (apparently he had a birthday on 27th, he did invite me to celebrate his birthday because they were having a small concert, but I was out of reach) and we had lunch with her granny, delicious food, chicken mushroom, the fifth day I was having quality time with my gran, we went to a lakeside restaurant - I finally swam in the very clean Zurich lake and the next day in the morning I left Zurich.

I had the greatest time in Switzerland. Spending time with my gran, my friends, and the cities. The fact that the country is very tidy, organized, and its beauty is so picturesque and charming. The people are friendly too - they are polite, they speak really good English. Everywhere is so swanky and elegant.

You know that before I was driven crazy by Italy, I have been neutralized. I would still love to live in Italy kind of, however I am thinking about the Italian/French part of Switzerland, since I would take French(again) in the university, it's however Switzerland! Switzerland, I am all yours!!

Waiting for the grill to be ready - first day dinner

The view from the balcony

Some boats on the Zurich Lake, Zurich city

Luzern, the fairytale-like city

It was raining, oh

The Luzern lake

A feris wheel in Zurich in the afternoon

Augustin and his mummuPhotobooth

What an afternoon

Zurich lake swimming time!!

The so called romantic view at night

Unforgettably beautiful view

One Day

"After spending the night together on the night of their college graduation Dexter and Em are revisited each year on the same date to see where they are in their lives. They are sometimes together, sometimes not, on that day..." IMDB

I found out this movie from my friend's blog, Andri Putri: she put it there. The cover was really interesting but what attracted me the most is the actors; Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess - they are one of my favourites. The plot also sounds really romantic, two school-buddies meet each other after being separated. I can guess at the end they realize they have feeling for each others. Easily guessed, just like fairytale - call me fairytale-believer! It is going to be published on July 8th, which means around the summer holiday, good - I would watch it with my bestfriends or hoping this summer there would be a new (summer) fling. Lately, I haven't watched many movies, too many works to do, deadlines to catch. I think March is the fullest month, in April I would have less work, just revision and get ready for IB Exam in May. I cannot hardly wait for IB Exam - afterward I will be home, preparing for a new beginning, freshmen year! But absolutely, this movie is already on my Summer List 2011!!

xoxo,
Rut Nastiti

The cover

A kiss on one's back, my preference ♥

Cocktails

We stayed up till night talked about nonsense

RECALL!

I never forget this, finishing my Extended Essay on my favorite subject, Economics. I piti-fy my self that I give my self recently too many excuses on not finishing it like now, you know I should have finished them. But I remeber that John Lennon said "Time you enjoy wasting, was not wasted". I didn´t particularly waste my time I am not a time-waster, it just that I am easily distracted by so many things that I am interested like: blogging, editing photos . I am actually stressed tho, but I never really show that. Better to divert them to things that do make me feel less stressful. But yeah this is an unbearable deadline that before 28th of August I gotta finish them!

Offenbach Skies

Juicy-sunset smile

I styled up my pajamas so it looks at least not that bad in a picture

Offenbach sky, have you ever heard about that?

The weather was hot and cold. There was a little number of thunders. Offenbach skies. It was raining then it stopped. Then it continued it stopped. Then after all, when all this pull and push moment ended the sky was on my side. It was really beautiful, as it was in movies. Remind me a lot of couples kissing when it was sunset. Poor me, I was alone. It´s fine you gotta find one soon. I thought the galaxy was all mine and I captured it all. Offenbach skies, it was beautiful!