Golden Cage

Before, it looked so devastated

This is so me. I cannot let a white wall being empty.

Friday (3/23/12) was the most decisive day of the month.
1. I decided and declared my major and minors: Communication Arts Double Emphasis in Multimedia Communication and Organizational & Public Relations; minoring in International Relations and French - I will be going to Paris in May 2013, since it is part of my major!

2. I have been cleared for registration, which means all my courses' schedule works well. And I am done keeping my account below one thousand (darn, I hate the fact the school does not accept debit card, today I had to take out cash in a really big amount!! )

3. The most decided one: my room! I finally made it like what I always wanted: colorful, stylish, retro - just like me. Moving out with Zee is the best decision I made. I have lived with her for almost a month. I become myself again. In a way I feel "safe, secure and comfortable" to be in the room. I started to do my habits which my ex-roomates in Italy know so well, such as singing, making artwork, even just sitting on my bed with only quilted in towel after showering. It feels so good when I feel I own the room and especially when you get really along with your roomate, and your roomate is your friend. And I started to study in the room - which the thing I never did in my old room.

For the last three years, I had lived in five different rooms! Last year in around March too, I moved out from my first assigned room, but it is always for the best. The thing is that I am a kind of person who always build a strong emotional relationship with my room. I think it is most important to feel "nested" when I am in my room. It is my cage after all when I am done with college activities. I just realized, I will live in three different rooms for the next three years! I will be experiencing living in lots of cages.


x
Rut

Pronto

I took my American Visa today at the RPX office. Since it is written your visa would be ready in 2-7 days, today's the seventh day after I had my interview. I called a friend of mine who had the same interview date and she told me she already had it since five days ago (so it was ready in two days), she got an email from the US Embassy Jakarta while I did not. Another friend of mine also took it in two days.

"I wanna get my visa, but actuallyI haven't got any email saying that it's ready..."
"Yes, it has been here since last Tuesday (5 days ago),"
Apparently it has been issued since June 21. But it's alright as long as I already have my visa with me.

I made this artwork of the visas I have on my Indonesian passport. I didn't have it that many, but only four. My favourite one is definitely the Visto one. I applied for free (while for example the US one costs around 300 bucks), the coolest thing about that Italian visa was I could enter all the Schengen States,

I had the greatest time so far for two years in Europe. All the countries that I visited are just wonderful. It is not the same kind of beauty that we have in Indonesia. Comparing the palaces that Indonesia and the European countries have, I'd say the palaces in Europe are way prettier, the grand architecture and maintenance, I mean one is so European/Renaisaance style while the other is a typical Indonesian architecture. The palaces in Indonesia are more humble, low-key and close to the nature, we don't have so-high-celling palaces and castle is not that common, but we do have forts, during the Dutch colony.

Visto, Visa and Visa (American-English xP) I got my Visa ready, now I just need to get some immunizations shoots. My departure in on August 24, 2009 first to Singapore and will arrive at Waterloo on 25th. Will spend some days earlier before orientation starts on 29th, need some time to adjust with time difference. I still have around 8 weeks at home!

p.s: I have been home for almost three weeks and haven't bought local sim card, people are complaining about that. Yeah, yeah, pals, soon I will ...

Merge and edit using Photoshop CS2

April Fool's Day

Annemarie tested the secret recipe of Prashant Coke

Colors

Cheers for Prashant Coke (left-right: Prashant, Pabel, Ravuth, Timmah, Emma and Zsolt)

The Young Economists and the teacher, Annemarie

The Jackpots!

Nobody's really being fooled, beside the article that I found that Vatican insists: Vatican Insists: David Must Wear Fig Leaf! Today has been full of fun. Opened with Mathematics class, waking up 10 minutes from class, arrived in class pretty early, thanks for my super-forward clock. And the fun begun. Second block was Economics, we had the class in Annemarie's house, our teacher. We made Prahsant Cola, and tested the recipe from our Chemists: Milos and Angus. Very interesting, feels like we are the real Economist. And Italian was very interesting, we learnt imperativo and how to write letters. Just found out that amore mio is always maschile, there is no such amore mia!

We had residence photo during the break - PLES Girl! The idea was cute, all of in our bathing clothes, holding shampoo, soaps and tooth pastes and brushes. Then I had free block, managed to send email to my great grandma who lives in Zurich, she invited me to visit her there right after closing ceremony. I also plan to visit Amsterdam, and Paris! Oui, oui..

Last block was Philosophy - we watched the King's Speech! Still related to the syllabus tho - the linguistic of philosophy. Right after the class finished, I rushed to the bus stop - I had planned to buy some clothes that were one sale. I was lucky tho, found out it was the last day. The shopkeeper said"Bene per andare oggi, perche domani tutto prendano via". You see, this is what I believe, I think I have this radar sixth-sense on sales and shopping.

I slept for like 3 hours after madrigal choir and photograpy - Friday is the fullest day for me. In the afternoon we practiced for the Saman Dance.

Today has been wonderful!
Nobody's fooled!

Abbracio grande,
Rut

First of April

23:51 - nine minutes to April
Is it a yes?
April will move forward, it won't tolerate procrastination!
Thirty days, four days, the two years in a lifetime exam!
Be ready!

March is over. One of the most heart beating month, getting notifications from university. All of my university decisions are completed today. The result is: one acceptance, three waiting list and three rejections. Let's not talk about it. Whatever happens to me is the best decision, I believe everything happens for a reason, and there is always a lesson to learn. I'm still hoping for the best, through all the process and this fall: university life decision.

I am really happy today, I got an email that my article that was published in The Jakarta Post two weeks ago is going to be paid. The staff sent me a message asking my bank's account. This is the third salary in my life for the nineteen years. I remember the first one was from playing as a figuran in a movie Janji Joni, the second was the honor of working in The Central Bank of Indonesia and this one the third one is the highest of all - from writing. I really enjoyed writing and taking pictures.

I remember my first salary was only enough to buy a portion of noodle in Crystal Jade and the second one is two portions, very low. But this one, I think I can buy a new simple lense for my camera that has a better quality of noise removal and ISO. Woo-hoo!

Daddy told me "So keep on writing to earn your own money". I don't actually expect to be paid, the fact that I am a "newbie", and not even certificated from a journalism course or anything. But it is indeed a pleasure to be paid, obviously it will encourage me to write more and improve the quality of my writing.

The making of our photography page for yearbook.

My new lovely tiny cutey corner

Wardrobe

Studying corner. I finally managed to pet the birds flying all around my desk.

Officially A Ples Girl

Hello, this is my first post from my new residence. PLES!
It is great to be here, I have a privilege on having wi-fi access to my room.
It's Friday night yes - could have been enjoying wine in Osmizza right now, ever since we are having a Third Year Reunion, many of my second years are here. Unfortunately, I just woke up at 8pm today, skipped Mensa (woops, Mensa is not two minutes away from my room anymore) - at the end ended up decorating my wardrobe. Since it's a new room - I am always excited to decorate it.

My new room ain't that big it's half of my previous room, I don't care. The most important thing is I escaped from the un-mutual respects in the room. It took me less than thirty minutes to talk to the Headmaster and it was approved. He also thought it was the best solution for me. The fact that I was the only person who tried to put effort respecting the members of the room and the agreement was not enough for the other parties to change the improper behavior and acts.

But, I am here. I am happy - after almost 4 months struggling with people who are just too ignorant! Geez, it took the most attention and focus of my life here in the college - thanks God it's over now. I love my new room. I think my roomate is lovely too. Her name is Piyari, from Pakistan. We already knew each other from Sailing. She is lovely, has so many friends. The fact that she has so many friends is enough for me to know that she is a good person, and she is. She is a really caring and empathy person.

I can schedule my life properly from now on. The other cool thing about this residence is; two of my HL subjects are down by my room - two minutes away!! I just need to sacrifice Mensa, but it's good tho, who knows I am going to loose weight, since summer is coming!

I will give more details about the new room. I would like to say that through all this terrible situation that is put on me, I have wonderful people around me. My parents (I am so grateful I was meant to be their daughter), they always morally support me with wise words, courageous advices, teaching to forgive people, moving forward, they are just awesome. My friends from High School - they also mean a lot to me. In the down-est part of my life, I could still laugh, the conversation that we had in our BlackBerry group, their jokes. I love them too!

And I think life just loves me. After getting a publication for my Venice article, this afternoon, after waking up I found out there were balls of egg chocolate underneath my feet with a letter from my IB friend. The person also noticed that I have been moving to Ples. Gotta answer the letter soon! I love my IB friend.

Enough for me. I am happy, happy now. I am just really tired after moving back and forth to carry all my stuffs. Thanks for the help of Christian, Ravuth and Shanon, in less than 2 hours all my belongings had been moved away and it only took me 5 hours to settle in.

Today was so bright too. After classes with Biology Extension on Heart Dissection (very interesting - I touched ventricles, pulmonary, dense blood), Madrigal Choir, Photography class, I went out for Gelato with Ilana. She is my roommate last year, now she is my neighbor.

Well, after this either continue decorating my room or just go to bed, because I am not feeling fit.
After all!! I had a nice day!!

xoxo,
Rut

My previous horrible nightmare room

Current room, small but lovely and warm

I managed placing everything in order last night

The heart dissection experiment that we did today

The sweet little surprise from my IB friend.

My dinner, oh doddly noodles, it made my day!

Mom's current BBM status. I am missing them too. Much. Two months away!

February in Duino

That foggy part is Trieste

My room is, especially my "corner" my nest, I just want to feel secure, comfortable, secure safe when I am there and put my belongings there. I miss it tough, haven't slept there for two days.

My outfit that day

In detail

My buddy

February is here. Whenever I hear word February words such as valentine, love, pink, always pop our from my mind. And February means, January had passed, the very first month in a year. These are pictures from February 1st, it was such a sunny day, perfect - even the existence of Bora was pretty intense.

Since it was windy yet sunny, I just felt like wearing a flowery pieces of clothes. As usual, colorful, even life in the college had been pretty tough this week, the fact that I was expecting people respect me in a way I respect them - but it did not work, it was disappointing, but it was just a particular person tough. However, I forgive this person, I forgive what she had done to me, just like her former president of her country, Nelson Mandela did, with regard to apartheid. Forgiving does not mean you are weak, but instead strong, because you yourself have to deal with all the pain, worries and wound that were caused by someone. Forgiving is one of the way to avoid conflict really. Even to forget is not an easy process. But, thanks to the support of my loveliest parents in the world, bestfriends, teachers and anybody out there. Just like these phrase, "I'll see you on Thursday & promise me to smile & laugh because that's the Rut I've known" (Urska Kosir), at the end we should count every little things that make us happy.

But, I am grateful with all the experiences I have learned in the college, they teach me lessons; the disappointment, the feeling of being disrespected and all the sacrifices, they prepare me to be more mature and build me as a young lady who is ready to face the very bright future. I just want to fill my day with all positive thoughts - and confidence and focus, in order to reach my goals in life.

" It is time to photoshop my life. Touch up the edges, adjust the tones. Blur out the background, focus on me and crop people out." Don't look back, forgive and forget, because as my parents told me, "I have a broader goals in my life, my future". I love you, Mom and Dad!