What a great way to spend my last day in Melbourne this semester :)
This morning I went to QVM food court and shared two dishes with a friend, and had a long long chat about life and stuff, then gobbled up some hot jam doughnuts, right when Melbourne stopped raining. ^^
Then, after messing with stuff at home, I had dinner with some of the girls from Church, which was lovely ^^ It's rare that we had that chance to just be girls, sit, eat, talk, be messy, relax, warm each other up. But when we walked out of the restaurant, it rained, again. We stopped by the Indo food store, and went slightly crazy because of all the Indo snack we saw! Thank God, when we finished & walked out the door the rain stopped. I guess this was what you call a 'Melbourne' weather?
But it didn't end there. We went to another friend's house and had a quick prayer meeting. I love the hearts of these people. I'm always touched and humbled when I'm with them :)
I probably should've done some more cleaning up,
but spending time with them was priceless :)
One more sleep!
CHEERS!
-*^^*-
Tuesday, June 21, 2016
Friday, June 17, 2016
"Emma" by Jane Austen
I'm in love with Jane Austen :) I love her style and her pacing, I love how she had strong characters in her books, whether it be the main lead or the supporting characters.
With "Emma", the character of the main role is very clear. And even though it developed slightly (I think), it remained consistent throughout the book! And what a brave thing to write of such a character like Emma. I'd consider her as quite 'vain', 'naive', even. But (fortunately for her) the whole community didn't seem to care that much? Or, can we say that the community is as naive as her?
But I love the 'plot twist'. With Emma and Mr. Knightley, Harriet, and Frank.
With Jane Austen, I note how she ended her novels. It was always in a 'resolution' kind of manner. And it was always calm. I don't know if this is my style, but I haven't really seen it in a lot of other books.
I started reading (maybe) 2 weeks ago? But I got caught up in exams & assignments (& having fun xP) that I had just finished it yesterday.
At some moments I did get bored with the book (especially when there were so many characters in one scene, that I couldn't keep track of who's who. But that's my problem.) But I know with Jane Austen, not only do I enjoy her poetry, I just love her plots! So as I kept reading, I continued to just enjoy the book :)
Ah I wish she had written an infinite number of books!
Would love to read some more, after I come back from the holiday.
Which I'm not ready for (the come back, not the holiday).
CHEERS!
-*^^*-
With "Emma", the character of the main role is very clear. And even though it developed slightly (I think), it remained consistent throughout the book! And what a brave thing to write of such a character like Emma. I'd consider her as quite 'vain', 'naive', even. But (fortunately for her) the whole community didn't seem to care that much? Or, can we say that the community is as naive as her?
But I love the 'plot twist'. With Emma and Mr. Knightley, Harriet, and Frank.
With Jane Austen, I note how she ended her novels. It was always in a 'resolution' kind of manner. And it was always calm. I don't know if this is my style, but I haven't really seen it in a lot of other books.
I started reading (maybe) 2 weeks ago? But I got caught up in exams & assignments (& having fun xP) that I had just finished it yesterday.
At some moments I did get bored with the book (especially when there were so many characters in one scene, that I couldn't keep track of who's who. But that's my problem.) But I know with Jane Austen, not only do I enjoy her poetry, I just love her plots! So as I kept reading, I continued to just enjoy the book :)
Ah I wish she had written an infinite number of books!
Would love to read some more, after I come back from the holiday.
Which I'm not ready for (the come back, not the holiday).
CHEERS!
-*^^*-
Thursday, June 16, 2016
Dim sum and bus rides
Last night, after the wonderful Ballet afternoon, I went to a dim sum dinner with my girl friends :)
It was a lovely, quick night out :)
Okay, I have mixed feeling going into this dinner.
1. Dim sum is notorious for costing a lot :p A student mindset and pocket :p
2. I'd just realized that I'm not in Indonesia where "chicken" were a staple option. We were going to a legit dim sum place, where they'd offer mostly... pork. And I was freaking out. Pork is not my favorite protein. I tend to avoid pork, hard.
But my friends love them. So I learned to stay quiet and enjoy what I can. :)
See, it wasn't so bad. The crisp pao was divine, it was just the filling that make me squint. The sticky rice reminded me of home :) And fortunately, there were some tofu and shrimp dim sums :) So it was quite an enjoyable night after all! The weather was cold but still warm enough to bring me home.
And I ended the night with a 2-hour video call with my family ^^
Oh I hadn't done it in so long, with studying, sleep overs, papers to write. It felt really good.
I'm dying to meet them in person.
A few days to go :)
It did make me emotional though. I found it hard to sleep last night. I switched back and forth from pinterest, youtube, instagram, facebook. It's at these times I'm very thankful for technologies and social media. They make people you haven't met in a while seem closer and tangible. And no matter what happened in the past, whether you were best friends, just friends, strangers, acquaintance, you can connect.
This morning I woke up really pleased with my sleep :p
After breakfast, I caught the bus to Northcote, to this organic grocery store. It was nerve-wrecking, as most of the bus stops didn't specify the name of the stop! x_x I was scared I might got lost. But fortunately with some alertness and good eyes, I arrived safely :D In fact, I think it was good that I had to watch out and count the number of bus stops :) I got to see the town! Which was beautiful. I always love a trip outside of the busy CBD to the suburbs. I love Melbourne suburbs!
The cafe culture had also caught Northcote. There were at least 3 cafes/bake houses in the same street. Tempting, tempting!
But after the quick getaway, I went back to the city. It was a drastic transition, but the tram eased me to it.
And I was blessed with a sunny morning to do this :)
It is now 2 pm and it was as dark as 4:30 pm winter time. And it's raining.
Fortunately I'm now surrounded by some new friends which makes Melbourne winter feel warmer :)
7 days to home, but I'm learning to enjoy the present :)
CHEERS!
-*^^*-
It was a lovely, quick night out :)
Okay, I have mixed feeling going into this dinner.
1. Dim sum is notorious for costing a lot :p A student mindset and pocket :p
2. I'd just realized that I'm not in Indonesia where "chicken" were a staple option. We were going to a legit dim sum place, where they'd offer mostly... pork. And I was freaking out. Pork is not my favorite protein. I tend to avoid pork, hard.
But my friends love them. So I learned to stay quiet and enjoy what I can. :)
See, it wasn't so bad. The crisp pao was divine, it was just the filling that make me squint. The sticky rice reminded me of home :) And fortunately, there were some tofu and shrimp dim sums :) So it was quite an enjoyable night after all! The weather was cold but still warm enough to bring me home.
And I ended the night with a 2-hour video call with my family ^^
Oh I hadn't done it in so long, with studying, sleep overs, papers to write. It felt really good.
I'm dying to meet them in person.
A few days to go :)
It did make me emotional though. I found it hard to sleep last night. I switched back and forth from pinterest, youtube, instagram, facebook. It's at these times I'm very thankful for technologies and social media. They make people you haven't met in a while seem closer and tangible. And no matter what happened in the past, whether you were best friends, just friends, strangers, acquaintance, you can connect.
This morning I woke up really pleased with my sleep :p
After breakfast, I caught the bus to Northcote, to this organic grocery store. It was nerve-wrecking, as most of the bus stops didn't specify the name of the stop! x_x I was scared I might got lost. But fortunately with some alertness and good eyes, I arrived safely :D In fact, I think it was good that I had to watch out and count the number of bus stops :) I got to see the town! Which was beautiful. I always love a trip outside of the busy CBD to the suburbs. I love Melbourne suburbs!
The cafe culture had also caught Northcote. There were at least 3 cafes/bake houses in the same street. Tempting, tempting!
But after the quick getaway, I went back to the city. It was a drastic transition, but the tram eased me to it.
And I was blessed with a sunny morning to do this :)
It is now 2 pm and it was as dark as 4:30 pm winter time. And it's raining.
Fortunately I'm now surrounded by some new friends which makes Melbourne winter feel warmer :)
7 days to home, but I'm learning to enjoy the present :)
CHEERS!
-*^^*-
Wednesday, June 15, 2016
Swan Lake
After finishing a take-home exam of two 750-word essays, I ‘rewarded’
myself with a ticket to the Ballet! ^^
Well, it’s a celebration of a lot of things, really :)
This time it was the Swan
Lake ! When I knew they were bringing Swan Lake to Melbourne I was just hoping
that I’d get to watch it. Praise God the performance schedule and my exam
schedule allows me to :)
I felt like dressing up so I put a dress and a pair of boots
on, with this fancy-ish jacket :) All black, reflecting Melbourne’s couture.
I arrived in the State Theatre at around 1.15pm. I then
collected my ticket, and headed straight to my seat. I think it was similar to
my Sleeping Beauty seat, but this time I’m on stage left. Honestly I couldn’t
see 1/8 of the stage left, but it’s okay, I guess. It was what I paid for :)
The infamous red curtain awaited as I took my seat. The
orchestra was starting to get ready, and at 1:31 pm, the show began.
I began squealing inside like a little girl.
The story opened with the Prince recalling the death of his
father, and how his life had since been under the control of the Chancellor.
Then the first Act began. It was the preparation for the Prince’s birthday
ball. To be honest, I think the spent too much time in this first Act. I was
getting sleepy, even though all the performances were incredible. I was asking,
where is the swan?
The second Act followed: the Prince went to the lake, where
he saw Odette. This was where the fun began. There were some incredible sequences,
including the Pas-de-quatre, and intimate moment between the two leads.
After a short intermission, the third Act began. We were
back within the glam of the palace wall, in the ball. And this was where
Rothbart and Odile came. The black swan pieces were shown here, and it was
incredible! But the tragedy happened. The Prince gave his heart for the wrong
girl. Act four followed after a short orchestra piece, where we returned to the
wood, and saw how the story was resolved.
I LOVE THE MUSIC! The songs were iconic, and It took me back
to so many things. First of all, to watching Barbie’s Swan Lake! Oh my. I need
to watch that movie again. It also took me back to watching the Black Swan. The
orchestra did an incredible job today. It was beautiful, thank you.
I love love love the corps de ballet as well! When they were
dancing as the swans, wow. Simply incredible. The precision, the choreography,
and how they transitioned from one pose to another. They flowed with ease. They
were elegant, and not selfish. They
made the show for me, really :)
The Swan Queen also deserved an applause. She really
reminded me of swans :)
The set pieces were not as lavish as Sleeping Beauty. In
fact I was expecting more. I think the simplicity had gone over the board. I
wanted to see more of the lake, instead of something far in the background. And
the screen with the projected swan and Rothbart kind of worked and didn’t work.
But aside from the Act 1, I love love love it!!
It was a dream come true to watch the Pas-de-Quatre, the
black swan coda, the ending – which was confusing and super short, but quite
satisfactory, I guess?; listening to how the iconic music pieces brought the
story came to life. Ugh. I want to watch it again!!
I love how this show has some really festive moments, but
the heart of the story lies in the simplicity and the calm, intimate moments. Remembering
what I’ve seen gives me chill.
To those of you who were wondering if you should go and
watch it, why not give it a go? It might not be ‘the best show you’ve ever seen’,
but it was not as bad as the reviews that I read :p
Thank you, Australian Ballet! Thank you for such a lovely
show!
Now back to studying, and counting down ;)
CHEERS!
-*^^*-
Tuesday, June 07, 2016
"Mary Poppins" - P. L. Travers
I adore the film, I love the show, but I've never actually known the drive behind those two.
Until this week :)
I was walking between the aisles of my library and then I saw something. With a stripped pink-white cover, Mary Poppins by P.L. Travers. I instantly grabbed it! And although I was reading another book, I started on it anyway ^^
Right from the first page, I was transported to the world of the 17 Cherry Tree Lane. Of course having seen the movie and the stage production I was slightly confused by the story line, but I quickly understood the plot. And how Mary Poppins is fierce.
Even though Julie Andrews was quite stern, and the Mary Poppins-es on stage were even more stern, Mary Poppins in the book is even more stern! Like, really! But at the same time, she's really nice ^^
What an adventure Jane and Michael went to. The tea party, the midnight zoo - birthday party, the compass trip around the world, the sweet shop visit. Now I'm hungry for some gingerbread. Hmm, gingerbread.
Sometimes I wonder if P.L.Travers would have various manuscripts and drafts of this work. She doesn't seem like the one who do, but how did such story and character came to her? :)
The ending was bittersweet. I think the stage show captured the sadness better, when the film chose to add the 'kite' scene and uplift the mood.
And still, both managed to capture (what I think) the most important person in the book: the bird woman. Having read the story now, I understood why the Sherman brothers started with "Feed the Bird", and why it became one of Walt Disney's favorite songs.
I feel like I need more of Mary Poppins!
The book, the movie, the show, Saving Mr. Banks.. I love Mary Poppins' world!
I heard a sequel is coming. I'm always unsure of sequels, hopefully it'll be a good one. We need one with fresh idioms and lessons and values.
A spoonful of sugar does help the medicine go down.
CHEERS!
-*^^*-
Until this week :)
I was walking between the aisles of my library and then I saw something. With a stripped pink-white cover, Mary Poppins by P.L. Travers. I instantly grabbed it! And although I was reading another book, I started on it anyway ^^
Right from the first page, I was transported to the world of the 17 Cherry Tree Lane. Of course having seen the movie and the stage production I was slightly confused by the story line, but I quickly understood the plot. And how Mary Poppins is fierce.
Even though Julie Andrews was quite stern, and the Mary Poppins-es on stage were even more stern, Mary Poppins in the book is even more stern! Like, really! But at the same time, she's really nice ^^
What an adventure Jane and Michael went to. The tea party, the midnight zoo - birthday party, the compass trip around the world, the sweet shop visit. Now I'm hungry for some gingerbread. Hmm, gingerbread.
Sometimes I wonder if P.L.Travers would have various manuscripts and drafts of this work. She doesn't seem like the one who do, but how did such story and character came to her? :)
The ending was bittersweet. I think the stage show captured the sadness better, when the film chose to add the 'kite' scene and uplift the mood.
And still, both managed to capture (what I think) the most important person in the book: the bird woman. Having read the story now, I understood why the Sherman brothers started with "Feed the Bird", and why it became one of Walt Disney's favorite songs.
I feel like I need more of Mary Poppins!
The book, the movie, the show, Saving Mr. Banks.. I love Mary Poppins' world!
I heard a sequel is coming. I'm always unsure of sequels, hopefully it'll be a good one. We need one with fresh idioms and lessons and values.
A spoonful of sugar does help the medicine go down.
CHEERS!
-*^^*-
Monday, June 06, 2016
"Indonesia Panggung Sandiwara" by Taufiq Effendi
Continuing the quest for Indonesia-themed book, I came across this book in the library. The title was intriguing, so I picked it up.
Turns out it might be one of the best books I've read!
Oh I adore this book, writing style-wise and content wise. It was a compilations of articles Taufiq Effendi had published in various Indonesian media, talking about social phenomenons in Indonesia, ranging from politics, regulations, human rights, corruptions, etc.
I might be a little biased by the topic, but I think Taufiq Effendy hit all the right marks! And this book is exactly what Indonesia needs --> a sharp evaluation of the (current) situations, stated in a very blunt, straightforward way, point-by-point, and with examples. It was easy to read and follow, and it definitely will open your eyes.
My fav point:
corruption is not Indonesia's culture! It was something that we need to, and we can, drive out of our country and our system. How? By creating an effective system that will help people avoid corruption.
Corruption happens not because the people are poor. People are poor because of corruption!
Values are taught at home, at school, and in the community. Religion also plays a part. Every one is responsible, and everyone is 'to blame' when things/people go down the wrong way.
Law, human rights, and democracy cannot be separated from each other (in Indonesia). They are each others' structure, boundary, and support.
And lots more!!!
I love how light yet heavy this book is. With such discussions of topics, the tone of the book was not heavy at all. Nor is it didactic. It was encouraging. It was 'nudging' with just the right pressure.
I learned a lot -- like, a lot -- and I tried to take notes but there was just so many things that I've learned that it was hard to keep track! :p (Although, some points in the book were repeated as they were published in different media & at different times.)
Now I'm conflicted whether to buy Habibie's book or this one :p
Aaahh!
But it's a good dilemma, no?
Will definitely want to read this one again & discover more.
CHEERS!
-*^^*-
Turns out it might be one of the best books I've read!
Oh I adore this book, writing style-wise and content wise. It was a compilations of articles Taufiq Effendi had published in various Indonesian media, talking about social phenomenons in Indonesia, ranging from politics, regulations, human rights, corruptions, etc.
I might be a little biased by the topic, but I think Taufiq Effendy hit all the right marks! And this book is exactly what Indonesia needs --> a sharp evaluation of the (current) situations, stated in a very blunt, straightforward way, point-by-point, and with examples. It was easy to read and follow, and it definitely will open your eyes.
My fav point:
corruption is not Indonesia's culture! It was something that we need to, and we can, drive out of our country and our system. How? By creating an effective system that will help people avoid corruption.
Corruption happens not because the people are poor. People are poor because of corruption!
Values are taught at home, at school, and in the community. Religion also plays a part. Every one is responsible, and everyone is 'to blame' when things/people go down the wrong way.
Law, human rights, and democracy cannot be separated from each other (in Indonesia). They are each others' structure, boundary, and support.
And lots more!!!
I love how light yet heavy this book is. With such discussions of topics, the tone of the book was not heavy at all. Nor is it didactic. It was encouraging. It was 'nudging' with just the right pressure.
I learned a lot -- like, a lot -- and I tried to take notes but there was just so many things that I've learned that it was hard to keep track! :p (Although, some points in the book were repeated as they were published in different media & at different times.)
Now I'm conflicted whether to buy Habibie's book or this one :p
Aaahh!
But it's a good dilemma, no?
Will definitely want to read this one again & discover more.
CHEERS!
-*^^*-
Saturday, June 04, 2016
SWOT-VAC Semester 1
Wait. What? SWOT-VAC is over?? What have I done with my time???? x_x
Okay it was kind of bad, but not really. It was the most relaxing week & I feel like I live life to the fullest :p
1. Studied stage 1 - kind of done. Will finish tomorrow, before moving on to stage 2 :)
2. Sleepover!! :D For two nights I invaded my friends' house which was only 5min walk from my house :p And I made new friends :)
3. Baking ^^ Banana chocolate chunk muffins & Quiche, from scratch! Yes, I made my own pie crust :D It wasn't perfect but it was yum ^^ The muffin was moist with enough sweetness. Because we used a mini muffin tin, I ate like 5 on the 1st day. Embarrassingly good (and hungry). In the quiche I used cheese, spinach, mushroom, and spam. Glorious! ^^
4. Trips ! ikea & footscray :p Did and didn't get what I was looking for, but both were fun nevertheless :)
5. Make roti bakar :p
6. Found a new fav. drink. Much more expensive than coffee, but sooooooo good!!!!
7. QVM night market ^^ 'twas fun!
8. Send a friend off to Indo :') Celebrated another friend's birthday with cupcakes & Tiramisu, & celebrated another friend's graduation from college ^^
I probably should've worked harder during swot-vac, but I've been working (kind of) hard during the semester & I still have plenty of time to prepare. So doing all of the above are good ways to spend swot-vac. Kind of :)
3 weeks to go but I can't feel it yet. Exams, you are scary.
CHEERS!
-*^^*-
Okay it was kind of bad, but not really. It was the most relaxing week & I feel like I live life to the fullest :p
1. Studied stage 1 - kind of done. Will finish tomorrow, before moving on to stage 2 :)
2. Sleepover!! :D For two nights I invaded my friends' house which was only 5min walk from my house :p And I made new friends :)
3. Baking ^^ Banana chocolate chunk muffins & Quiche, from scratch! Yes, I made my own pie crust :D It wasn't perfect but it was yum ^^ The muffin was moist with enough sweetness. Because we used a mini muffin tin, I ate like 5 on the 1st day. Embarrassingly good (and hungry). In the quiche I used cheese, spinach, mushroom, and spam. Glorious! ^^
4. Trips ! ikea & footscray :p Did and didn't get what I was looking for, but both were fun nevertheless :)
5. Make roti bakar :p
6. Found a new fav. drink. Much more expensive than coffee, but sooooooo good!!!!
7. QVM night market ^^ 'twas fun!
8. Send a friend off to Indo :') Celebrated another friend's birthday with cupcakes & Tiramisu, & celebrated another friend's graduation from college ^^
I probably should've worked harder during swot-vac, but I've been working (kind of) hard during the semester & I still have plenty of time to prepare. So doing all of the above are good ways to spend swot-vac. Kind of :)
3 weeks to go but I can't feel it yet. Exams, you are scary.
CHEERS!
-*^^*-
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