At the Crossroad

I should've seen it coming
I should've read the signs
Anyway I guess it's over

At the Crossroad

In the Miso Soup

After making tamagoyaki, my next first attempt was Miso Soup. It's an everyday meal for Japanese people. The first step would be looking for some video on youtube about how to cook miso soup. And I found this.

Its my favorite among the other. He made it so easy and simple. And the way he made the sound effect when the water boils is kinda cute. :p According to him, the ingredients consist of dashi stock, miso paste, tofu, and if you like you can add wakame, and aburage if you can find it. 

taken with lomo app

From some information I gathered, I could bought those ingredients at Papaya, a store that sells Japanese and Korean foods in Jakarta. Since I lost the battle with my lazy self, I prefer to buy the instant dashi to make the stock. But alas, they run out of stock at the moment, so I venture by buying bonita flakes to make the dashi. I was supposed to buy kombu, too, but it's too expensive. And that's a decision I regret afterward. I also couldn't find the red miso paste, so I bought whatever was available. Miso paste kinda like tauco in Indonesia, but its have different texture and taste. While tauco a bit sour and still have some beans that not entirely dissolve, miso paste I bought was a bit salty and smooth. Forgive my poor attempt to make a comparison. Describing something is not my forte.

I think I should be back again to Papaya someday to buy kombu to make a perfect dashi, since I still have a lot of miso paste to be used. They only sell a big batch of it. 1 kg is too much for me, so I guess I would cook a lot of miso in the near future. Okay, on with the cooking. Oh, I also made some mistake by soaking too much of wakame. And I think it add the salty taste of my miso soup. And after some minute, here it is. My first attempt of Miso Soup.

A close up look

Give the girl the applause she deserve! :D 

 

On vacation!

Holaaa... did you know that I missed July? Oh, and I missed you, too (whoever you are). So, here I post early on August before I forgot (again!). Nothing much happening since Eid al-Fitr. Caught a cold and stuck at home. While dating with my homework from two months ago, I tried to make something edible. This is the mystery food! 

Got a good guess already? Please, don't mind the picture. I know it's bad. Hehehe... It's my version of tamagoyaki. It was suppose to be like this.

from wikipedia

According to this.

Add some carrots, leeks, chicken sausage and fried chicken on my tamagoyaki. Aaaand, voila!

Because it's my first attempt, I'm glad it turn out quite okay (for me that is). Since I'm no wizard in cooking, so I guess it's some achievement I've got. at least I've got the basic knowledge now. #praisingmyself. Next time I want to try this one.

A bit advance for me, but it's so tempting. Gambatte!!!  And maybe next time my food photography should be better, too!

Just Like a Tree

Just like a tree, roots are winding

But I didn't know what she wanted

Stay away from me

Stay away from me

She always wanted to be unbounded

But you can't shake off the shape you were born in

Stay away from me

Just like a tree by Au Revoir Simone

Happy birthday, self. When you're gonna leave that comfy zone?

Perempuan Pemberi Inspirasi

Beberapa bulan yang lalu diajak ikut proyek dari Dinas Kesejarahan Kemendikbud sama teman. Mereka mau mengadakan pameran menyambut hari Kartini 21 April yang berbarengan dengan event Kemah Budaya Nasional. Pamerannya sendiri diselenggarakan di Solo, 28 april-2 Mei 2014, judulnya Perempuan Pemberi Inspirasi. Mulai mengumpulkan bahan dan menulis sejak Maret. 

Dari proyek ini gw jadi tahu betapa banyak perempuan--yang dengan segala keterbatasan--mampu memberi inspirasi bagi orang lain. Beberapa tokoh di antaranya bahkan baru gw ketahui juga. Pokoknya senang banget ngerjain proyek ini.

 

Kirain setelah selesai menulis maka selesai tugas gw, ternyata gw diajak juga ikut pamerannya. Gak nolak dong tentunya, naek Garuda pula :p Ini dia beberapa foto waktu di pameran. It's make me proud to be a part of it and put my skill into good use. And what's more, the elated feeling when people give their appreciation.

 

Pameran itu sendiri diikuti pula oleh beberapa museum yang bekerja sama dengan Kemendikbud, seperti Museum Basoeki Abdullah, Museum Benteng Vredeburg (gw dapet kausnya), Museum Naskah Proklamasi, Museum Sumpah Pemuda. Kemendikbud juga mengajak komunitas Blusukan Solo yang menyediakan beberapa permainan tradisional. Sayang, ga sempat motret karena ga bisa ninggalin pos jaga di tempat pameran.


PS: Maaf fotonya rada blur, kayaknya si lens kit udah kudu pensiun deh.

I am adamantium

I'm missing March, so I'm not gonna missing May. Believe it! Hehehe... So this time I'm gonna tell you about a fiction that I've read this morning. Its about a couple that having a break up in most classic way, in my opinion. They've known each other since elementary, been married for three years, and been through all ups and downs. The woman found her husband cheated on her. And pride got in the way. All ended one sided by the wife, saying that she already out of love from her husband. The husband devastated and can't help thinking that maybe he really didn't know his wife like he assumed at all.  They lost contact for two years, because the husband couldn't live in the same country with his wife without being truly falling to pieces. He afraid he couldn't put the pieces back. Before he left he signed all the paper about financial matter. But he refused to signing the divorce paper. 

It took some while until he think he could come back to his homeland. But he tried to avoid meeting his ex as long as possible. But Fate got them meet sooner than later. And the wife, having a breakdown herself, couldn't believe she still wanted the man that betrayed her. The man that had been gone for the last two years out of her life. The only man that took so many years to broke through the wall of her safe cocoon. Maybe the saying absence make the heart grew fonder isn't entirely wrong. Finally, she confronted her husband about the real reason of their break up, after some encouragement from her brother that deep down she really still love the man.

He didn't want to acknowledge that he himself still love, and would only love, that woman. And the broken heart can't be fixed just by saying sorry. But they willing to try. They tread carefully, too afraid destroying the tentative mending that they had been achieved so far.

This is some excerpt from the story:  

He put his chopsticks in the box and closed it up, not able to eat anymore past the lump in his throat, despite only having eaten half his food. She followed suit, and they sat in silence for a while. Both wanting to talk about this, wanting to know what the other was thinking and feeling, but neither able to find the right words or sufficient courage to do so. The longing between them was a living thing, overpowered only by the uncertainty and fear that the past two years had wrought within them. What did they want to happen between them now, after so much damage, but so much love?

Damn, if its wasn't a heartbreaking story, I don't know what is. Okay, you know my tendency to exaggerate. And after all misery that they been through, I believe they deserved a happy ending. I hope. Unfortunately, I haven't finish read it until I wrote this summary. So, maybe I tell you another time about their ending...

*I'm listening this song while I'm writing this. It's kinda fit with the mood. But instead of titanium, I prefer to be adamantium :p #wanttowatchxmen

Happy weekend!

Actually, I didn't have anything to write. Just barely finishing my project. And been waiting to get away from the hectic! This weekend, I'm going to Surakarta for an exhibition about Kartini's Day.  Happy weekend!!!

Song Bunga di Tepi Jalan 

by Koes Plus

Suatu kali kutemukan
Bunga di tepi jalan
Siapa yang menanamnya
Tak seorang pun mengira
Bunga di tepi jalan
Alangkah indahnya
Oh... kasihan
Kan kupetik
S'belum layu

Di sekitar belukar
Dan rumput gersang
Seorang pun tak kan mau
Memperhatikan
Biarlah kan kuambil
Penghias rumahku
Oh... kasihan
Kan kupetik
S'belum layu

Playing with Fire

All photo taken at Cap Go Meh, JIExpo, Sunday 16th, 2014.

Female Comeback!

Call me cold, call me unsociable, or whatever you want to. But don't you hate if some stranger just ignore your personal space and acting so chummy? I found these comeback pick up lines when I'm browsing looking for a good story to spend my morn.

Man: Where have you been all my life?

Woman: Hiding from you.

Man: Haven't I seen you someplace before?

Woman: Yes, that's why I don't go there anymore.

Man: Is this seat empty?

Woman: Yes, and this one will be if you sit down.

Man: Your place or mine?

Woman: Both. You go to yours, and I'll go to mine.

Man: So, what do you do for a living?
Woman: I'm a female impersonator.

Man: Hey baby, what's your sign?
Woman: Do not enter.

Man: How do you like your eggs in the morning?
Woman: Unfertilized.

Man: Your body is like a temple.
Woman: Sorry, there are no services today.

Man: I would go to the end of the world for you.
Woman: But would you stay there?

Man: If I could see you naked, I'd die happy.
Woman: If I saw you naked, I'd probably die laughing.

Man: If I could rearrange the alphabet I'd put u and i together
Woman: Really, I'd put f and u together

Man: Your eyes they're amazing.
Woman: Seeing your back would be pretty amazing.

Reading List #2013

Gw mau mulai tradisi baru tahun ini, yaitu mencatat apa yang gw baca selama setahun. Ini dia recap bacaan gw selama 2013.

Komik atau Manga (86 buku)

300

Bakuman vol. 1

Bambino Secondo vol. 5-9

Beelzebub vol. 1

Chew vol. 1-3

DN Angel vol. 13-15

Extraordinary Backpacker

Five vol. 1-7

Fruits vol. 1-3

Get Backers vol. 1-39 (tamat)

Gourmet vol. 1-3

Hitman Reborn vol. 1

HunterxHunter vol. 1

Judge vol. 5-6

Kekkaishi vol. 21-26

One Piece vol. 65

Ouroboros vol. 1

Shonan Junai Gumi vol. 1

Slam Dunk vol. 14-17

Wall-E

Novel Grafis (8 buku)

Blanket

Big Nate

Anya's Ghost

Chicken With Plum

The Last Musketeer

American Born Chinese

Louder than Words

The Left Bank Gang

Novel (18 buku)

Quidditch

Fantastic Beast

Showtime

Iblis Menggugat Tuhan

Breakfast at Tiffany

Nocturnal

Rahasia Skor Video Game

Penyelundup Video Game

Harry Potter The Prequel

2nd Chance

Penjual Kenangan

Ink

Kembalinya Sherlock Holmes

A is for Alibi

Enzo: The Art of Dancing in the Rain

Tsotsi

School of Fear

The Shack

Non-fiksi (9 buku)

Titik Nol

Kesatria Cahaya

Nguping Jakarta

More Weird Thing Customers Say in Bookshop

Normal is Boring

Baduy: Real Green Living

Make A Joke And I Will Sigh

Perempuan Langit ke Timur

The Recently Deflowered Girl

Buku Anak (11 buku)

A Child Garden of Verses

Cecily Pasley's Nursery Rhymes

Go The Fuck to Sleep

Peter Rabbit

The Missing Piece

The Missing Piece meets the Big O

The Tale of Ginger and Pickles

The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin

The Tale of Two Bad Mouse

Where The Wild Things Are

Winnie The Pooh and Some Bees

Work-Related (21 buku)

A Rogue's Proposal

An Invitation to Seduction

Born of Fire

Call Me Irresistible

Castles in the Air

Devious

Dragonswan

Duke of Her Own

Glitter Baby

Hostage to Pleasure

Ideal Man

Kiss An Angel

Love With A Scandalous Lord

Mine to Possess

Night's Darkest Embrace

Once Burned

Shadow Dance

Storming the Castle

The Girl Named Summer

The Outlaw Viking

Winning the Wallflower

Total semuanya 153 buku dengan jumlah halaman (berdasarkan data di goodreads)  29.832 halaman. Nggak puas, karena dua per tiganya masih didominasi sama komik/manga. Bukunya cuma bisa sepertiga dari target :(

Semoga tahun ini bisa lebih banyak baca bukunya daripada komiknya. at least 50:50 lah. Bisa gak, ya?

SEMANGKAAAAA!!!!

Fly Dragonlfy

With another year we start another book. We are going to write anew on its blank pages. About joy, about trial we would overcome, about everything that we share, and a lot more. May this New Year not be a repetition of old habits – may we reinvent ourselves and embark upon a journey full of excitement and adventure. 

 

blue dragonfly
sets aloft at sunset
do not regret what you have been

 Blue Dragonfly by Elena Powell

Rainy December

“Be still, sad heart! and cease repining;
Behind the clouds is the sun still shining;
Thy fate is the common fate of all,
Into each life some rain must fall”
 
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow,  

The Complete Works of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

*took this pic on one Sunday afternoon, a week before new year, a failed attempt on macro*