Another Victoria's Secrets

Last Saturday, my mom and I departed from BSD City at 7 a.m. to my sister's house. From there, the five of us (plus my sis, her husband and their 1-month old baby) went to Kota Jababeka in Cikarang area to visit our newborn niece. Anna, my cousin from the Tunggono side, just gave birth 31 days after my sister did, so both babies have cool birthdays: 17.12.17 and 18.01.18.

my cousin Anna, my sister Clemency, and their daughters

Nick (4.5 years), Emily (3 days) and Marielle (1 month)

We arrived at RS Permata Keluarga Jababeka around 10 a.m. and greeted the 3-day old baby and her mom. Luckily there was also Anna's husband Martin, his mother, sister, and brother-in-law, and Anna's firstborn Nick. It had been years since I last met them so it was a nice small reunion we had that morning. Around 11 a.m. we went back to Jakarta before it got crowded (because there are flyover construction by the toll road so traffic can be 6-7x worse than usual there.)



We headed to Cakung area to visit the new mall AEON. It is located inside the complex of Jakarta Garden City in Jalan Raya Cakung Cilincing. It is the part I almost never touch in Jakarta -- I've been around here just 3-4x tops my whole life. So the area is pretty much foreign to me. But thankfully we got GPS now it's easy to go anywhere even if we never been to before.

there are parking space on ground level and in a separate building

this is the entrance to the mall from parking space. so neat. so Japanese.

The Design


So we arrived hungry and looking for food. We swept the ground floor first to check the restaurants but we finally chose to eat in the food court on the third floor. It is a huge food court, just like the one in BSD City, but much nicer, especially the design. I love it that it has many earth and wood elements with dark colours. So the mall feels warm and cozy.

the interior is neatly designed with ground floor full of restaurants

Walking through the building, you can feel that this one is slightly smaller than the one in BSD City, but I like this one much better somehow (tho I visit the BSD one for 2-4x a week.) It looks like they did the pilot project in BSD City, studied other Indonesian malls for the past few years, then mixed them up together in here. The concept of having most of big restaurants on the ground floor reminds me of Living World at Alam Sutera, Serpong.

They prepare many seats for people to wait

these bridges remind me of Mal Kelapa Gading and Pondok Indah Mall at the same time

That circle is sun roof and the diagonal lines are bridges

Rest Rooms

the interiors of each restroom are different but all are cozy

for every two basins there is a hand dryer machine in between

The restrooms are all nicely designed and there is a special kids' restroom on second floor. I didn't go there, tho. But there are plenty of areas for kids. They even have this zoo café with wooden animal statues around, and a big ice-skating rink with high ceiling. Reminds me a lot of BXC Mall in Bintaro, this part. I also didn't explore this area, but you can see it from the food court on third floor.


Baby Rooms


One thing that amazed us the most was the Baby Room. This was my first time traveling with baby (I never really cared about baby rooms before), and my sister said this mall has the BEST Baby Rooms compared to other malls in Jakarta. There are Baby Rooms in both ends of the building, and in each floor. Each contains three diaper changing station, wash basin, sitting area, and breastfeeding rooms covered with curtains. But the best room is located inside the AEON department store area.

In the corner of children and baby area, there is a Baby Room just like the others, plus water dispenser, sterilizing machine, and a restroom. It has four breastfeeding rooms, two wash basins, and fathers are free to be inside -- unlike any Baby Room in other malls. They really thought well of parents with babies. 

this is just super comfortable for new families, to involve both parents in this

I'm amazed on how thoughtful they are, putting the sterilizing machine in here!

a mother can park the stroller inside and sit comfortably here while the father wait outside

And if the father or other family members don't want to wait inside the room, they can hangout in a canteen/café next to this room. They sell food and beverages and the seats are low so children can use them too. On the other side, they have this playing area, which is free for babies under 1 year. Parents can wait in the café or shop. There is even a development centre where parents can consult about babies. Super cool!


Ferris Wheel


Going up on third floor, there is the huge J-Sky Ferris wheel sitting on top of the building. The carts are painted pink (the AEON's magenta) and fit up to 6 persons. They sell the ticket Rp 50,000.- for each person, but if you want to book the whole cart for you and your loved one, you gotta pay Rp 160,000.- for a ride. I dunno if they sell the ticket higher on weekends because there aren't any info about this. So I assume the price would be the same (and I came on weekend.)

that pink cart

The ride has 32 carts with it, rotating in 50 metres of diameter. I really am dying to get inside and wheeled up there, but no one (in my family) was willing to ride the Ferris wheel with me that day. I'd really love to go up there and see the urban view around. But maybe it's a cue for me to come back here with the people who want to get up there as much as I do.

the giant ferris wheel, the tallest in Indonesia

So on one side of the Ferris wheel is the indoor food court, cinema (the CGV Blitz) and another children playing area, and on the other side is an outdoor (future) rides (that are still empty now) and food container area (made out of shipping containers instead of trucks) they call as Rooftop Gourmet Garden. So I can imagine how festive it'll be on weekends in the near future!

Mom, sis, and me. And Baby Elle in the stroller.

Supermarket And Sushi Station

My sister had a little shopping in the supermarket, and I went checking the sushi and food market area (which are so much similar to the one in BSD City, only in reversed layout. What's on the left in BSD City is on the right in here, and vice versa.) They got the same AEON Bakery, too (only it has bigger dining space and is facing outdoor), and a bicycle corner.









I didn't go to the supermarket but I bet they have the same beauty section, beer and cigarette corner, and coffee station. Only in Cakung here, the food area is bigger and only several of fashion retails. Perhaps people in Cakung love to eat (and hangout) that much!


Outdoor Area

there are optical illusion images painted on the floor of the outdoor area and people can take pics from a certain point

FYI, this mall is 99% smoking-free. There are small boxed rooms for smoking, but smoking beyond that borders is totally restricted. Even the outdoor area is designed for non-smoking. But the good point is that the outdoor area is covered with pergola so you won't get wet when it's raining. There are restaurants in this two-storeys outdoor area; plenty of choices for all!

the view from outdoor area, the Ferris wheel stands up high

Mushalla


One thing I forgot to take pics of is the mushalla (Islamic prayer room.) It is located below the central atrium of the mall, on the same level with the parking lot. But it is so well-designed I almost cried (no, I wasn't. I was just super amazed.) It has separate rooms for men and women, has lockers and sitting area. When I went back with camera to take pics, it was already time for Magrib prayer so the place was crowded and I could only record a video on IG Story.


Light Garden

one just can't help not to take selfie here

Just like the one in BSD City, this mall also has light tunnel where people take selfies. There is even a decorated wall where people can take pics, as if it's necessary to have a pose there. After spending 10 hours in this mall (we had lunch, coffee break, and dinner here), we finally got tired and decided to go home. It was another long journey for me and my mom, for the mall is 56 kilometres away from our house. But it was indeed a really nice day, for we have spend it with cute babies!


Conclusion

the eco-friendly Japanese mall

I love this mall so much already:

1. The interior design is urban sleek, warm and cozy -- down to every detail
2. The baby room facility-- super, super comfortable!
3. Friendly for children and elderly -- a family entertainment destination
4. The Ferris Wheel! I mean, come on -- it's just fun to ride!
5. The neatness and cleanliness of Japan is very much applied here, also with different department for trashes that makes this building more eco-friendly.

 
So if you ever get stranded in East Jakarta area and dunno what to do, you can come to this mall to get entertained for a whole day. You better have your phone fully charged or bring camera with you, because there are lots of photo spots that are totally Instagrammable. Do take the ride on the ferris wheel -- I bet it'll look amazing in the night. They are open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Too bad it's a whole city away so I'm certain I won't come too often there. But seriously, if you consider to come, it's totally worth it!


How To Get There

Cakung is located inside the Jakarta Garden City complex in East Jakarta. Just follow the East Jakarta Outer Ring Road and exit for Cakung Timur or Rorotan 2. If you take public transport, head to Cakung/Cilincing area.

AEON MALL

Jl. Boulevard Jakarta Garden City
Jakarta Garden City, Cakung
East Jakarta , 13910, Indonesia

We went to Cinere, where Rumah Bonita is, where they held a live performance on Rumah Bonita's Youtube channel. It is a monthly event they do, and I guess I was quite lucky to get a chance to be there in flesh (like, literally. LOL.) I've been loving Bonita's voice since like 2011, especially from the single 'Ari' by Bonita and the Hus Band. I was so thrilled to get the chance to finally meet her in person -- in her house!


So that Saturday night, after having dinner there (which made us feel a bit awkward for being a stranger shamelessly eating in a celeb's house LOL), we sat down on the floor and watched the performance. First, they had Mary Jane and Opik Bape duet playing Jane's songs. I instantly fell in love with her songs, for they're folk, indie, and sung by a woman. Totally my kind of thing!

FYI, Jane is currently recording her songs and I really can't wait for her album to be released. I'm a fan already. Check her Instagram for updates, guys!

Curly And Me

After they closed the live performance, some of the guests (who were mostly musicians too) had a jamming session till it was midnight. There was Rull Darwis, Jason Ranti (and wife and son), Arief S. Pramono, Budie Tanzania (and wife Carla and son), Nissan Fortz, Duta Pamungkas, and many others. Most of them are from Ruang Putih community in Bandung. I couldn't really keep up with all of the new faces and names that night, but the energy was super positive. Each of them performed 2-3 songs, and ended with Mba Bonita singing two of her songs with ukulele.

Opik Bape, me, Jane, and Metha

Metha, Mba Bonita, and me

After midnight, we (me, Icat and Metha) ended up in Kemang eating rice porridge and instant noodle in a warung because it was almost 2 a.m. (there was a traffic of local people 'parading' after late night prayer in Jalan Fatmawati so we had to take another route) and we were hungry but the places we knew were already closing. I was terribly tired and sleepy when I got home, but happy for sure. Thank you, Rumah Bonita for having us crashing the party!

I'm writing this in Indonesian to inform my fellow Indonesian girls because this product is still new here. Saya pertama kali tahu tentang menstrual cup sekitar setengah tahun lalu lewat salah satu artikel yang di-share oleh BuzzFeed di Facebook: wadah dari bahan silikon/plastik untuk menampung darah menstruasi yang dipasang di dalam vagina. Saat itu saya berpikir, wah, ini pas sekali untuk saya!

Saya termasuk orang yang sangat tidak suka pakai pembalut. Masalahnya, kulit di sekitar vagina sering iritasi karena gesekan bahan pembalut. Dan lembapnya daerah di bawah sana membuat saya tidak nyaman. Alhasil, jadi sering bolak-balik ke WC untuk ganti pembalut. Yang artinya, lebih banyak sampah.

Ketika saya mengenal tampon, saya cukup girang. Tapi harga tampon yang mahal membuat saya berpikir dua kali untuk menggunakannya secara reguler. Akhirnya saya simpan stok tampon hanya untuk masa-masa darurat, yaitu kalau harus berenang atau ada kegiatan berat di luar rumah. Di dalam rumah saya tetap menggunakan pembalut.

Jadi, ketika mendengar tentang menstrual cup, saya merasa mendapat harapan baru. Hanya saja, saat itu belum ada yang jual di Indonesia. Sekitar satu setengah bulan lalu, seorang teman meng-update review pengalamannya memakai menstrual cup. Saya baru tahu, produk ini dijual online di beberapa market place. Jadilah saya mulai mencari tahu tentang menstrual cup lebih mendalam.

Saya membaca hampir semua penjelasan dan user review yang ada, untuk tahu betul bagaimana produk ini bisa cocok untuk saya. Awalnya saya sangat tertarik pada produk merk Lunette, seperti yang teman saya beli. Tapi karena stok yang tersedia di toko online itu hanya putih/bening, saya batalkan. Produk ini bisa bertahan sampai 10 tahun, jadi saya memilih warna supaya tidak terlalu kentara jika akan terjadi perubahan warna.

Pilihan saya berhenti di Lena, salah satu dari 10 produk menstrual cup terbaik dunia (menurut artikel ini.) Lalu saya mengikuti kuis ini untuk tahu produk terbaik untuk saya. Jawabannya sebenarnya Lunette, tetapi melihat keterbatasan pilihan warna dan ketersediaan produk di Indonesia, saya memilih Lena. Alasannya, karena: (1) saya suka bentuk loncengnya, (2) packaging-nya, (3) warna pastel Cup-nya, dan (4) kantong kainnya yang cute. Selain itu, juga karena (5) ditulis sebagai menstrual cup terbaik untuk beginner (baca FAQ mereka di sini.)

Dan akhirnya saya membeli Lena Cup Small warna turquoise. Kenapa small? Karena saya pikir flow saya tidak terlalu banyak dan saya tidak tahu ukuran serviks saya. Perkiraan saya, sebagai orang Asia, kita punya serviks yang rendah. Jadi saya coba yang paling aman dulu: ukuran yang kecil. Saya sendiri kurang suka kategori 'sudah melahirkan' dan 'belum' atau dari usia untuk pembagian ukuran ini. Lebih baik cek dari banyaknya flow, atau dari ukuran serviks. Cek website setiap merk menstrual cup untuk tahu ukuran yang tepat sebelum membeli ya. (Untuk Lena Cup, bisa cek di sini)

Lena Cup saya, kantong kain dan packaging-nya yang cute

Pengalaman Pertama Saya

1. Ketika Lena Cup saya datang, saya merasa excited. Tapi masih dua minggu sampai jadwal mens. Jadi saya simpan dulu. Sementara, saya baca bolak-balik petunjuknya dan beberapa hari sebelum jadwal mens, saya rebus Lena Cup saya di air mendidih selama 7-10 menit untuk proses sterilisasi.
2. Waktu akhirnya datang bulan, saya deg-degan juga. Tapi excited. Saya basuh Lena Cup saya dengan air dingin, lalu mencoba beberapa metode lipatan: C-fold, 7-fold, atau punch down. Rupanya saya paling cocok dengan 7-fold. (seharusnya instruksi ini ada di buku petunjuk produk)
3. Saya cukup pede menganggap Cup saya ngga akan bocor, tapi rupanya pemakaian awal saya masih kurang sempurna dan ada leaking. Penting untuk memakai pembalut di 1-2 hari perdana ini, untuk menjaga dari kebocoran.
4. Setelah 4 kali pemakaian saya baru menemukan metode yang cocok untuk saya. Paling mudah dilakukan saat mandi (berdiri), dimana Cup bisa masuk secara maksimal dengan mudah. Tapi setelah itu memasukkan dan mengeluarkan sambil duduk di kloset pun cukup nyaman setelah tau selahnya.
5. Kalau ada rasa mengganjal seperti memakai tampon, artinya Cup-mu belum terpasang sempurna. Masukkan jari tengah dan dorong sampai Cup-mu 'tidak berasa'. Cek semua sisi dengan jarimu, apakah Cup sudah mengembang di dalam dan nyaman terpasang.
6. Untuk mengeluarkan, lakukan gerakan kegel untuk membantu mendorong Cup keluar. Lalu tarik pegangannya. Biasanya di Cup ada grid yang bisa membantu menarik Cup. Cubit Cup sedikit untuk memberi udara, lalu tarik sepenuhnya. Pelan-pelan ya.
7. Hati-hati mengeluarkan Cup karena gerakanmu bisa membuat isinya tumpah. Pelan-pelan saja, lalu tuang isinya ke lubang pembuangan WC. Bilas Cup dengan air dingin, lalu masukkan lagi.
8. Untuk 1-2 hari pertama, sering-sering cek menstrual cup-mu, terutama kalau beli ukuran yang kecil, karena cepat penuh. Cek 2-3 jam sekali seperti saat pakai pembalut, untuk tahu kecepatan flow-mu.
9. Kalau sedang di toilet umum, cukup bawa satu botol air untuk membilas Cup. Tidak terlalu repot sih kalau sudah lancar memasang-melepas Cup.
10. Begitu masa menstruasi selesai (biasanya 5 hari), simpan Cup dalam kantong kain, lalu sterilisasi lagi beberapa hari sebelum datang bulan berikutnya. Praktis, kan!

Ada banyak produsen yang membuat menstrual cup dalam berbagai bentuk, bahan, ukuran dan warna. via wordpress

Kalau kamu masih bimbang untuk beralih ke menstrual cup, coba baca pertimbangan saya ini:


Kelebihan Menstrual Cup

Alasan saya beralih ke menstrual cup dan say goodbye forever pada pembalut:

1. Tidak mengganggu. Begitu saya berhasil memasangnya dengan tepat, rasanya seperti tidak pakai apa-apa, bahkan lebih tidak mengganggu daripada tampon. Feels so free! 
2. Bebas buang air. Kalau memakai tampon, masih ada benang yang mengganggu yang ikut basah ketika kita pipis. Dengan menstrual cup, tidak ada halangan sama sekali.
3. Tidak lembap dan tidak bau. Bahan dan desain Cup membantu menjaga tingkat pH agar tetap sehat dipakai. Jelas, tingkat kelembapan di bawah sana juga berkurang, seperti tidak sedang datang bulan saja.
4. Tidak jadi kering. Kekurangan dari tampon adalah bahan seratnya yang menyerap cairan. Sehingga di hari-hari terakhir biasanya vagina terasa kering kalau tampon dipakai terlalu lama. Bahan silikon berstandar medis yang BPA-free-nya aman untuk tubuh.
5. 'Bertemu' dengan darah hanya 2-4 kali sehari. Bisa sampai 3-5 kali di saat flow banyak, tapi cukup 2 kali di hari ketiga dan seterusnya. Jadi bisa sama sekali lupa kalau sedang menstruasi.
6. Ramah lingkungan. Produk ini reusable dan bisa bertahan hingga 10 tahun. Jadi tidak ada lagi limbah pembalut untuk lingkungan Indonesia.
7. Tidak perlu panik 'ngga bawa pembalut' kalau lagi di jalan. Ngga perlu takut 'nyelundupin' pembalut ke toilet, ngga perlu nyetok produk apapun.

Kekurangan Menstrual Cup

Ada juga sih, kekurangan menstrual cup. Jadi mungkin memang tidak cocok untuk semua orang:

1. Agak sulit awalnya. Kalau kamu tidak mau bereksperimen dengan sistem memasukkan 'benda asing' ini ke dalam vagina, lebih baik hindari memakai menstrual cup. Saya baru lancar setelah 4x pemakaian, di hari kedua.
2. Masih bisa bocor. Kalau tidak benar memakainya, kemungkinan bocor sangat besar. Jadi memang harus benar-benar ahli dan dipastikan benar memakainya.
3. Membuatmu harus berurusan dengan darah dalam bentuk cair dan 'isi' lain yang biasanya terserap di pembalut/tampon. Untuk saya sih ga masalah. Tapi ada aja kan yang ngga suka.
4. Itu aja sih. Saya ga kepikir kekurangan dari menstrual cup selain kesulitan awal di atas. Kecuali memang kalau kamu sama sekali tidak suka memakai tampon.
5. Coba cek ini untuk melihat pro & con menstrual cup VS tampon.

Menstrual Cup Cocok Untuk Kamu:

1. Yang aktif beraktifitas / berolahraga
2. Yang tidak suka daerah vaginanya lembap
3. Yang suka pakai tampon dan mau belajar sistem baru
4. Yang malas membeli pembalut / tampon setiap bulan
5. Yang mau mengurangi limbah sampai 10 tahun ke depan

Menstrual Cup Tidak Cocok Untuk Kamu:

1. Yang tidak suka berurusan dengan darah dan cairan lain 
2. Yang tidak suka 'bereksperimen' dengan vagina
3. Yang berjiwa 'konservatif' dan tidak suka repot belajar hal baru
4. Yang merasa nyaman pakai pembalut
5. Yang tidak merasa perlu beralih ke metode lain

Pertimbangan Merk

Untuk mendapatkan Cup yang tepat, coba perhatikan poin-poin di bawah ini ya:

1. Produsennya. Pastikan produk menstrual cup dibuat oleh produsen yang bisa dipastikan kualitasnya. Pastikan ada persetujuan FDA (Food and Drug Administration) kalau dari USA. Atau yang sudah teruji secara klinis.
2. Bahannya. Pastikan bahannya mudah pop-up soalnya ada merk yang terlalu kaku (firm) atau lemas (soft) sehingga susah mengembang ke bentuk asalnya begitu di dalam. Ini penting untuk memastikan tidak ada kebocoran. Pastikan bahannya BPA-free dan aman untuk tubuh ya.
3. User review. Cek sebanyak mungkin artikel dan web merknya, dan pelajari pengalaman orang yang pernah memakai. Ini bisa sangat membantu memilih merk yang tepat untukmu.
4. Bentuk dan warnanya. Ini sih soal selera.
5. Harganya. Menstrual cup dijual sekitar Rp 300.000-Rp 700.000 di Indonesia. Agak mahal sih, tapi kalau dipikir ini bisa bertahan sampai 10 tahun, bisa dikategorikan sebagai investasi. Jadi menurutku tetap hemat daripada harus beli pembalut/tampon setiap bulan. Worth it deh.

So, udah jelas ya semua tentang menstrual cup ini. Kalian bisa menimbang sendiri, apa Cup cocok atau tidak untuk lifestyle kalian. Dan kalau kalian sudah mantap, semoga kalian bisa dapatkan Cup yang paling cocok. Jangan lupa share juga pengalaman kalian supaya saya tahu, seberapa banyak perempuan Indonesia yang beralih ke menstrual cup.
Cheers to our better periods!

I was talking with my best friend Rachelle during my stay in her house last weekend and we discussed names. She has a sister who is named after two great European queens, Regina and Elizabeth, while Rachelle's name was taken from French. Her sister's behaviour is like a queen, she said, while Rachelle loves everything about French: its architecture, culture, fashion, and style.

I just realized this: every baby must have chosen his/her name and whispered it through their parents' ears. This must be it, because my name wasn't given by my parents; a Polish priest told them so before my parents even knew they were pregnant with me (Mom was only few weeks pregnant by that time.) I suppose it must've been me telling Pater Glinka of the name I chose -- and I told him because he was the one who could 'hear' me (he had sixth sense.)

I went home from Rachelle's house on Sunday evening and spent the next day watching movies, to continue the first few episodes of The O.C. we watched together. So it was peculiar to come upon this series Victoria on ITV instead. I didn't know they were making this series (I knew there is Emily Blunt's Young Victoria.) It took only few seconds for me to switch from The O.C. to Victoria because clearly, apart from having my name written on it, I do love watching kingdom-based movies much better than about the wrecked teenage life.

So there I went, watching the whole eight episodes of the first season within a week, and fixated by the charm of this lovely film about Queen Victoria. Before this week, all I know about her was as simply as that she once ruled England and her time was called the Victorian era. But watching the film now got me better understanding about her.

via mirror

You don't have to ask me about the setting. I love all kingdom-setting movies, especially for the fashion and manner. Although I may find it's boring sometimes, but imagining to be living in that time makes me excited. I love the dresses, especially the 1700s-1800s dresses -- and this movie's particular off-shoulder gowns. I even have this Victorian Lady Barbie, the only surviving Barbie doll I keep for the past 20 years.

And I love the cast. I love that Jenna Coleman got the role. She has the perfect height, face expression (not to mention that she is pretty), and I love her deep and authoritative voice. And her chemistry with the Prime Minister Lord Melbourne (yep, I now have a crush on Rufus Sewell.) Aaaaand, of course Tom Hughes as Prince Albert. I wondered when did I see that face and just realized he was in Cemetery Junction and I had a huge crush on him back then. So, yeah, I love all of the cast of this film!

The more I watch, the more I found connection between me and the queen, besides that we share the same name. In Indonesian, Ratu means Queen. And in Bantenese tradition, women of royal blood are named Ratu while the men named Tubagus. So basically we share the same name and title: as the female ruler (who inherits the position by birth.) Not that I'm saying I'm a queen in real life/kingdom. I just carry the royal blood from my ancestors.

It was surprising for me to learn that Queen Victoria herself didn't like children (contrary to the fact that she gave birth to healthy nine kids) and much preferred to work instead of spending time in the nursery. I love children. But to have my own will be a burden because I've no interest nor passion at all to spend time on their well-being and give the right amount of affection to those little humans. I just think that it's gonna be a waste of my time and energy. But she had to have children, while I don't.

It's not that I'm saying I'm the incarnation of Queen Victoria. As far as I see it, I guess my soul understood the life I was about to have in this incarnation -- all of the tasks and obstacles -- and she saw a lot of resemblance with Queen Victoria's character, thus she picked that name. I'm glad that the queen had a merciful, gentle, and authoritative personality, and she was open to learn new things. I guess I have these qualities.

Some things I found we share in common are our love for art, and our gentle hearts. Tho we think in different methods, there are lots of similarities between Gemini (the queen) and Pisces (me!) We also might seem unattached from the outside, but we keep those we love close and around, tho we keep physical contact at minimum. We dislike our childhood nicknames and prefer to be called as simple as Victoria (but in Indonesia 80% people call me Veronica instead--thus I prefer Tori than Vicky.)

I hope I can live as big as she did, and have my name written in the hearts of those around me even after I'm long gone, just as she had. And the one thing that she confirmed me, is to wait for a Prince Albert to come my way, rather than to marry without love. Perhaps this is one of the most similarities I get from her name -- or an affirmation that I shall be loved and to always have companions, now that I may only have 20 years together with 'Prince Albert' (check out Lord M, John Brown and Abdul Karim, if you get what I mean.) The great queen is now my great inspiration.


*) main image via cliqueimg.

My aunt had been talking about this movie for ages but I just watched it last night. I don't think many of you have watched it too, knowing that this is an Indian movie (but with minimum epic Bollywood style!) I had underestimated Aamir Khan's previous hit movie 3 Idiots (that I became a fan of), so I knew this movie should be good--but I always forgot to find it anytime I wanted to watch a movie. But last night, I finally watched it and felt so grateful I did. (FYI, this movie is India's third highest grossing film worldwide!)

The movie plot starts with an alien--later called PK, mistaken from the word peekay (drunk)--who arrived in India to study this planet but got his remote control stolen so he had to stay and adapt in the world's most dense, heterogeneous, developing nation. In his search he had to learn about people from the scratch: about human nature and their need to seek and praise God. The movie is all about religion and its importance, but also criticize the ways some religions 'contact God's wrong number' and drive their followers in the wrong direction when religion is made a tool for some party to gain wealth.

I like everything about this movie: the plot, the message, the casting, the chemistry, the costume, the setting--everything! I love the girl playing Janggu (Anushka Sharma) for being so flawlessly beautiful with her pixie cut hair that already shows her rebellious soul, Sarfaraaz (Sushant Singh Rajput) for being Janggu's compatibly handsome boyfriend, and of course, the weird-looking alien PK (Aamir Khan).

I really think everything is well-thought in this movie, unlike the infamous Indian movie style that sometimes 'so out of the box' it drives us crazy. Everything in this movie is proportional and natural (well except for the Belgian grandpa who speaks Indian on the first scene). Just another reason to be a fan of Aamir Khan! (And you should watch his latest movie Dangal--he's being all-out there!)


I think this is the kind of a movie everyone should watch. The two-and-a-half hour movie gives us details on PK's progress in search of this God from zero, with some witty touches here and there, and a bit of satire on daily habits found in India, like losing sandals in temples--they're shown explicitly so even those who couldn't 'get the hint' would understand the message. The movie duration may be lengthy, but one thing I assure you: you won't get bored watching it.

PK is us when we first came to this world: naked, pure, know nothing about how things work here. We then learn from our surroundings; adapting with the culture, the language, and later the life principles. First we copied the others, we drink what is offered. But like PK, we must too be critical about life. We must ask ourselves if it's reasonable or are we doing it merely because of our fear and just because we want the reward promised in Heaven? And is it done in the right way that would give benefits to the others, peace for the world--or does it bring hatred and war instead? Are we doing it right?

The movie is a reminder to us that there are many religions, teachings, ideologies, sects, cults, etc. in this world and each of it claims to worship the right God in the rightest way. And sometimes, having too focused on this, we forgot the true essence of worshiping God. Sometimes it all became too fleshy, too materialistic, and made us feel the most righteous of all. It would drive us to arrogance and--worse--fanatical and hypocritical. This movie would definitely open our eyes and broaden our mind.

The movie also reminds us to always differentiate which God we are praising: is it The One who created us, or the one we created? The comedy drama goes way deeper than it shows: it really triggers us to reach within and ask ourselves: is the image of God that we have in mind is really the God that is out there?


I guess not just in India and Indonesia, this movie could relate to everyone in this world, especially now that we've become too attached with labels and could be too hardcore and would go to the extremes. We need to reevaluate our values in life: is it really that important, these labels, that made us gods to our neighbors and judge them by what we see? Since when we're so knowledgeable about everything, when what we really know is just a tiny dot in this universe?

The movie speaks about humility, humbleness, sincerity, pureness, love, and most of all, our relationship with God. Although there is a UFO and alien in this movie, the movie isn't about atheism or science. It combines the facts with the human need to find God within ourselves--and to not merge our beliefs with our social lives. What we believe--our religions--is private. Don't let it interfere with--or hold us back from--the people we love. It's something that is hard to understand, especially here in this eastern part of the globe.

Ironically, while the innocents could teach us so much about true love and purity, as Janggu said, what we teach them to be human is how to lie--although it's for the better good, although it's a sacrifice for a beloved one. Sad, but true. And it's really a part of being human we sometimes learn the hard way.

So, if you haven't watch this movie, you really should! Even if you're already so broad-minded. Even if you don't believe in God. And especially if you think you're already the most righteous person in the world.

I am so happy because I just watched the first two episodes of American Gods series last night, which is adapted from the same titled novel by Neil Gaiman. The story evolves around Shadow Moon's life after prison, which became stranger and stranger each day, starting from his wife Laura's death--to weird yet powerful people he's meeting along his employment to Mr. Wednesday.

Tho it's dark and so much grotesque, I find the story interesting because it's talking about the old gods VS the new gods we are adoring. Thousands of years ago we may worshiping a line of gods and goddess, no matter where we are, because they ruled and had the power. But tho the world is changing and we're so much 'developed', we still adoring and worshiping things--only in different form than the old gods/goddesses. The new gods now are technology, television program, video game, and so on.

I'm taking this idea in my own perspective: that we are forgetting those who helped our ancestors in their time, forgetting those who helped us built our nation, and replacing them with new-found culture of futurism, technology and westernization. Apart from the filthy works the gods are depicted in this movie, I still believe that they did what they had to do in that time.

Although most of Greek/Nordic gods-goddesses are depicted as narcissistic and selfish beings, I believe many of them aren't behaving that way. It's just that we human don't know so much about them that we often view them from one side and judge them from where we see it--but how do we know more about them?

Well this is just a thought about how I see our relationship with the old gods: we know nothing about them, only heard of them from some tales, some myths or sayings. But one thing that we can prove from these legends: that once upon a time our world believed in gods and goddess, that they were being forgotten by younger generations, and that this world is still need worshiping something in exchange that we mostly don't realize.

via deviantart

Back to the film, I feel happy with this series. Especially because I like the guy playing Shadow Moon, Ricky Whittle--he's much better than how I'd picture him in my imagination. I like most of the casting, except for Bilquis, whom I expected would be more pretty and seducing as the Goddess of Love would be--but maybe in this time of crisis for the old goddess, it's okay that Yetide Badaki plays her. It's not that she's not beautiful--it's just that her natural expression is mostly too dark and sad for a Bilquis in my mind.

Well I don't really recommend this film for everyone. Not many can take so much blood and darkness on scene, but lovers of Hannibal would love this flick--especially because it is created by Bryan Fuller and this is his first series after Hannibal. And Neil Gaiman has a reputation of never disappointing his readers, making his films always as good as the books (remember when he created different plot for Stardust? I think it's good to avoid having bad film adaptation from a book!)

So yeah, I'm rating this film 10 out of 10, for all the details and the whole imagination-coming-to-life, although the film is admittedly much darker than how I thought it'd be. I just really can't wait to see Easter and the epic war in the end. So excited!

I just finished watching NBC's This Is Us, all the 18 episodes of Season 1. Have you watched it? The series revolves around The Pearsons. It's a fresh family drama of a unique composition with the perfect father/husband figure, a struggling mother/housewife and their unique male/female triplets. The family consists of a broken-homed guy trying to get out of his parents' house, a beautiful star-wannabe pub singer housewife, an super-good looking yet underrated actor, an overweight daughter, and the successful interracial adopted child. And most of them share the same birthday.

Just reading the first paragraph above must've given you a headache of how complicated a family situation can be, huh? Well, you just have to watch it to understand, and I'm not going to spoil too much about it. I just wanna say that I enjoy the series so much, tho each episode brings me "waterwork"--as Ana would say it. My BFF / ex-roommate Ana recommended it to me few months ago and we first watched it because we are fans of Gilmore Girls (which first brought us Milo Ventimiglia--read this) and Mandy Moore.



As we all know, there are no such perfect family. Each family has its own situation, problems, flaws, yet goodness in it. At the season finale, Jack Pearson said to Rebecca Malone not to worry because their kids will make good decision, bad decision and even a decision that will surprise people in their future. “We’ve shown them a healthy marriage. This is just gonna be a blip on their radar years from now,” he says. “How they turn out, that’s bigger than us.”

I guess it works the same in every family. Parents are responsible for showing (not just saying) their kids the good things, be the good example for the next generation. But whatever comes out of that is up to the them. Some people worry too much about how their kids would turn out to be. Some are worried that they would die and buried alone. Some other want to have kids so they would have a guaranteed BFF for life.

But then again, sometimes life don't go as smooth as how we planned it. We forget that children are also human being who have their own will, wants, needs, and plans. We cannot force our broken dream or unfulfilled wishes to our child. And most of times our ego and ambition clouded our better judgment for things, including for our own children.

In the past 15 years I've heard so many family problems from people around me and I could make my own conclusion. Of all the reasons, marriage failure or divorce is caused by one single, big reason: the marriage itself. Most people got married for all the wrong reasons that they'd live unhappy and sometimes ended with divorce. Furthermore, it leads to children feeling left behind and broken inside. Many parents don't (or can't) prepare them to stay soft in the harsh world, to stay strong in hard circumstances, and to stay positive in the negative environment.

When I see my friends' marriage cases, most of them (most, not all) got married because they feel unfulfilled in their own family. Lack of mother's attention or father's affection came first on the list. Most of broken-home child friends I have dream of building their own happy little family, promise to give their children everything they have, and most often than not, they focus more on the dream rather than on the most important fact: the person they are marrying.

For three hours few days ago I sat listening to my friend's story, of which I saw the beginning and have to witness how a "wrong marriage" would end after 10 years and 3 kids. For this particular case, I can't judge her for I'd known what made her took the decision to get married. It was not for love. It was the condition. I can't blame her because I was not in her position; all that I can do as a friend is to support her. But I learn a lot from her.

She admitted to me that she didn't listen to all of my theories about life and marriage before because unlike me, she dreamed of getting married young. Unlike me, she yearns for having her own babies, building her own family. Yet, she forgot the quality of the man she's building her home with. She ignored all the compatibility factors, focusing only on the man's willingness on making her his wife and other materialistic/mortal elements.

[I, on the other hand, dream of building my own empire--not home. I'm looking for a qualified king material to rule the world on my side, not a boss or a slave (well the 'world' here may be as absurd as my imaginative fantasy, yet it's still a 'world'). I cannot tolerate "basic" people who are too "physical" and "materialist". I'm not an easy person to handle, so I'm taking my time to see who'll show up and staying for the task. God knows how patient I am.]

In the mean time, when watching This Is Us, I came to notice how different characters people of the same birth date could have. While being the perfect husband/father, Jack doesn't inherit it to his biological kids. Oddly it is Randall who got all of his adopted father's brilliant quality. In the contrary, Kevin and Kate are struggling to gain their own confidence, to get on their own ground, to find their life path. They were knocked down for so long post their super-dad's death that they couldn't stand up on their own feet for over 20 years.

People take grieve on loss differently, I agree. Those who has solid ground could get back up faster than those who doesn't have one. I think this is the importance of parents' role here; to give their kids a solid ground and a vivid dream; to guide their path and light their way; to monitor and not controlling; to advise and not demanding. It takes a lot to be a parent. I hope everyone is aware of this fact and do their job well here because shaping our kids are much easier than to mend broken people.

This Is Us also teach us to be brave, kind, strong, confident, faithful, forgiving, righteous, and love unconditionally. I love all of the drama they are serving because it isn't too much, it's human and happens in our daily lives. Over all, I guess this is my most favorite drama series of all time. Bravo, Dan Fogelman!



P.S. My favorite characters are Jack Pearson and Beth Pearson. Maybe because I've known a person like Jack before, and I just love Beth's hairstyle (and her being a witty and supportive wife.)

I guess it's been two years since the last time I visited Bandung. I went there to attend Ratih and Anas' wedding on April 2015 and haven't been back there since. So it was kind of surprising for me when I was in town and saw the many tourism developments here and there done by Mayor Ridwan Kamil. The flower city is now fully decorated and slowly fixed, which is a good progress.

the view from our room

But when I came to the town on Monday morning and entered from Moh. Toha toll exit, I was a bit stressed from the hectic traffic and awfully disorganized streets in the South Bandung. I accompanied my Mom to the tax bureau at Jl. Lingkar Selatan for four hours, and another trip via Jl. Soekarno-Hatta was quite a stress for me.

the room interior

At last, we arrived at Tebu Hotel, Jl. LL.RE. Martadinata (Riau), at 5 p.m. With the price of Rp 348,000 (through online booking web and without breakfast), you'll get a twin bed superior room with standard hotel facility. The room is not so big but quite spacious for two--especially with its high ceiling--and looks quite luxurious with the marble tiles in its tiny shower. It's clean and fresh, and located within a walking range to a number of cafes, restaurants and factory outlet shopping center. It was quite a good deal for a budget hotel.

the marbled small bathroom

Thus my nostalgic rendezvous began. I walked to the KFC in the neighborhood to meet an old friend, whom I spent the next three and a half hours talking with. Then I dropped by at an action figure shop next door, Hobby Line, where some of my schoolmates from Maranatha art school are working. It was quite a flashback to meet them all.

After my night shower, another friend, Bona of D'Cinnamons, showed up and drove me to the 24h car wash, so I could drive the clean car to go with a group of Jakartan friends who happened to be in Bandung too. We had late supper at the 24h Chinese food resto Cabe Rawit Jl. Ciumbuleuit 129. I made it meeting four different groups within 6 hours. Quite a record, isn't it?

my energizer breakfast: kupat tahu Jl. Gempol

I started the next day by meeting my Jakartan friends at their hotel until they checked out, then I went to Jl. Cibadak to meet Shasya, the food blogger / the lady behind surgamakan and cateringmasakanrumah. She took me to eat samcan goreng (fried pork belly) at Epenk, and had a quick coffee sip at Kedai Kopi Bara.

yummy lunchie: pork belly Epenk Jl. Cibadak

Kedai Kopi Bara, is like a surprising oasis in the middle of the busy, old, ragged Chinatown of Jl. Cibadak. It reminds me a lot of Seminyak area in Bali or Jl. Prawirotaman at Yogyakarta, which gives a slight of nostalgic feeling of being home.

the main room

The wooden-and-brick interior, combined with vintage stained glass and the modern industrial appliances, makes it the best place to sit down a bit and have a cup of coffee in the busiest time of the day in that area. Not to mention their quality of coffee. It's such a retreat!

the hallway behind

I had to speed up a bit to meet my 3 p.m. meeting with DJ Dixie at Cafe Bali, Jl. Riau. He was one of the reasons I extended my stay in Bandung, because he's one of the sources for my trilogy novels on progress. The meeting ended shortly after 6 p.m. and I still had a night to spend in Bandung, so I started calling old friends while driving around the city for a quick sightseeing.

Mba Shasya and me

It was quite a task, since most of my best friends are no longer staying in Bandung. But eventually I went to Bandung Indah Plaza to meet Agatha and Erwin, old friends who are now a couple. It really is so nice to see them together, especially because I know what she had been through in the past 5 years.

with Erwin and Agatha at McD BIP

After sharing dinner at McDonald's, they went to watch movie and I didn't feel like joining so I went back to hotel instead, had a shower and slept early. Maybe it was a payback-sleep because I woke up quite late today, probably redeeming my lack of sleep of the last few days. After checking out from hotel, Mom and I had a heavy brunch at Karnivor, Jl. Riau. A portion of tenderloin steak for each of us, and we were ready to hit the road again. We reached BSD City within 4 hours drive with a coffee break stop at a rest area. Not bad for two tired women, isn't it?

tenderloin steak for brunch at Karnivor

It's been quite a while since I write about my travels and experiences as well, thanks to my ongoing projects and the hectic schedules of living in a suburb (which takes much more time to go downtown). From this trip, tho, I learned a lot. I learned how different I have changed in 10 years time; the people I meet; the way I think and speak. Despite driving through the same roads, eating at the same places, doing all the same routines, we are never the same person we were yesterday.

One of the friends I met in this Bandung trip was a best friend to me for 7 years since I was 16 years old. She got married in 2007 and our lives had been going to different paths ever since. I just realized how far we've been apart; all the different cases we had along the way. But despite that, we've come to the same--or pretty much similar, at least--conclusion about life.
We've learned similar lessons through different problems. It made me realized that life indeed gives us different tests, but it all lead us to the same way: the better version of ourselves. There are no need to compare our lives to others, because we all have to face our own problems, fight our own demons, pay our own karma.

Another deep discussion I had was with DJ Dixie, whom I hardly know for the past 4 years, but work for the same cause I fight for. From his stories I see how different he had changed within the past year, with all the hard labours he had to do by himself, but which had brought him to such excellence. I see how one's persistence can be seen from how he managed to struggle in hardships, and once he'd been through all that, glory awaits to be worn. I'm not talking about any material or physical glory; it's a mental / spiritual thing. Yet, what a difference a year could make!

The last lesson I had was from the stories my Mom shared during our way back to Jakarta. We spent the past two days with different people and shared our experiences while driving home. We spoke of how life could be like dreaming, all the years that "passed by like a blink without us realizing what we were doing all the time", just like what Anthony de Mello said in The Prayer of the Frog. Mom said, most of us are paying our karma from previous lives in the first 40 years of life. Then, the "real life" would begin at 40.

Sex and the City The Movie said: "Enjoy yourself; that’s what your 20s are for. Your 30s are to learn the lessons. Your 40s are to pay for the drinks." I quoted this particular Carrie Bradshaw's line at heart, reminding myself from time to time that I'm on my way learning things now, seeing life in a better perspective than how I saw it in my 20s. Yet, I'm not done here; 40 is still a long way to go for me.

When I see people around me and take a peek into their lives, I think there are plenty of things to be grateful for, especially for sticking with my choices regardless how hard and dark some days could be. Well, we must also take all of the consequences of our choices, right?

Many of my married friends regret their decision after five, ten years of marriage. At this point, they'd say "You were right, I wished I was in your shoes right now." And never had I ever say the same thing to them, wishing I was married with kids. Well for this, I'd score myself a point--yet this is not about keeping the scores. It's about how far the progress we are making, how developed we are from who we were yesterday.

Then again, marriage is not something to be regretted. It is a part of life lesson that some people need to experience in order to understand life (a bit) better. Some people learn by doing it; guess I'm lucky enough that I learn by other method. Yet, we are all going to the same direction: to be a better self and to be perfect in the eyes of God.

Life is like a journey; we may take few wrong turns or perhaps experience some detour, but at the end of the day, as long as we keep on moving forward, we'll get to the destination. Life is like a school; we learn and we are tested; we must sometimes get through all the same lessons we failed to pass at the first time until we completely understand the lessons; and we will be graduated when we are considered qualified enough.

Life is like a video game; in order to get the prize, we must first encounter both small obstacles and the great task, and conquer the monster king to get out as a winner. After all, life is all about growing, changing, progressing, developing, and thriving. So let's embrace whatever we must face and cope in this life and say yes to any challenge life is giving us!