Another Victoria's Secrets

The last time I visited Singapore was in 2009 and it had been developed much since. So when my sister asked me to come with her last weekend, I said yes. Her husband Maruli was planning to go to the Guns N' Roses' "Not In This Lifetime..." concert at Changi Exhibition Centre with his friends on second day and my sister didn't want to go so we both went to Universal Studios at Sentosa Island instead. Check this out!


Day 1

from up above (probably looking down at Sumatra)

this is us (jostling to fit into the frame)

We departed from Jakarta with Tiger Air at 9.55 a.m. and waited to get on board at Citibank Lounge because we came a bit too early at 7.45 a.m. So we used our waiting time for buffet breakfast.

interactive art installation at Changi T2

another nice installation at the conveyor belt

I wonder if there's any payphone that still works in Indonesia..

We took off on time but we arrived late because we had to circle around for couple of times due to weather problem. We got ugly turbulence and it was raining so hard outside. It was horrible but hey, we're still alive! The art installations at Changi Terminal 2 also made up for our mood. (;

Singapore's MRT train, in case you forgot..

Carlton City in Tanjong Pagar

the interior of Carlton City Hotel lobby

the room interior

me and my sis

From Changi Terminal 2, we headed to our hotel at Tanjong Pagar by MRT (the commuter train). It was an easy access we can travel even with our suitcases (check the tips here). The hotel, 4-star Carlton City, was really nice with relaxed surroundings of other hotel buildings, park, and old Chinese shops by the end of the road.

the Raffles Marketplace water court

my safe (and fave) Malay food: fried beef horfun

St. Marc Café at Raffles City

We had lunch at the food court of Raffles City Mall and peeked at the St. Marc Café they got there. Then we went back to the hotel for touch ups and went out again at 5 p.m.

selfie in the elevator? it's a must!

tall buildings around Tras Link

I love this promenade at Tras Link, Tanjong Pagar ..

.. especially this old building at the corner!

the sake bar: Takeda Shoten

We walked around Tanjong Pagar and stopped by at "Takeda Shoten" at Orchid building. It was a cool Japanese sake bar, for the seven of us. We sat outdoor with direct views and feel to the promenade and relaxed neighborhood.

cold sake to save us on a hot day

sake on the afternoon? why not!

it's fun how we could choose different shot glasses

Japanese style fried chicken platter

half of our table

Party of 7

With cold sake and some accompanying snacks, we were ready for more adventure. So we--my sis, her husband and I--went on by MRT to Marina Bay Sands Tower 3 to get to the Skypark. Ticket price is S$23 for an adult.

finally got the tickets, but the queue was another 30 minutes..

we arrived to this at the 56th floor

 

the bay from above

the observation deck

Garden By The Bay from above

 
The queue was pretty jammed that Friday night, especially with tour groups that filled the waiting room. We had to wait for about 30 minutes for our turn to get into the elevator, but the wait wasn't so bad. It was all paid once we get on the 56th floor. The view was spectacular, the wind was blowing hard, but thank God it wasn't raining.

press-a-coin machine for DIY souvenirs

the design I chose for my take-home penny

the crowded situation at Tower 3 lobby hall

 

the reversed dome that collects water and drip them onto the pond

indoor canal and gondola in the mall

our noodle dinner at the food court

After a tour on the deck we headed to the food court area at the mall. We stuffed our bellies and were ready for another adventure, which we took outside to the bay.

the walk by the bay

the ArtScience museum

the exclusive Louis Vuitton outlet

the LV shop from the other side

It was another photo-worthy view around the bay toward the city, isn't it? But time was ticking--it was already almost midnight then--so we hurried and went on to the Casino, just to get the feel of it.

one of the Casino entrances

after the escalators are doors to 24h casino for those who love to gamble

Too bad no cameras are allowed so we should be satisfied just have the free tour. For tourists, we can come in for free but for Singaporeans the HTM is around S$300. There are free hot/cold drinks for guests and 24 hours of games and tables you can try your luck in. MRT was already off at that time so we had to take a taxi ride home. It was a tiring walk around the gigantic mall, but it was definitely worth it.

Good night!

Check my next post for another fun of Day 2. For more photos, check my Instagram.

If you need monthly agenda but doesn't want to spend a penny for it, my friend Ana and I have the solution for you. This lovely schedule check is free for you to print at home so you don't even have to go out to shop for one. Adjust the print to the size of your planner and slip them inside so you don't have to buy any book/journal/agenda anymore.. Great, isn't it?

We got the first 3 months of 2017 here for you:





If you need a bigger resolution, send me message and I'll email you.
Don't forget: come back in April for the next three months' calendar!

Half of my family gathered at Taman Ismail Marzuki (TIM) last night to show our support for my cousin Hizkia Renaldo, whose final project artworks were displayed at Galeri Cipta II. This is his last step in his study at Institut Kesenian Jakarta (IKJ) before the final court and he'd be graduated after. Surely, this is a major progress we've seen from him.



Hizkia's artwork contains of a series of 9 oil paintings he titled "Cinta dan Pengorbanan" (Love and Sacrifices), which depicts the situations anyone would face in a relationship: the waiting and loyalty, the longing and reality, the leadership, patience, forgiveness, protection, and many others. They are the elements in which a relationship is built.

 
Hizkia, a cousin 9 years younger than me, just proved his five-year hard work through these oil paintings on 150 x 120 cm canvases. I remembered how he used to tell me how he wanted to be a business man when he was younger, but 5 years ago enrolled to art school, which surprised us all because we knew how little he had interest (or even to have such talent) on art before.

"The Devotion"

"Prospect of the Goods"

"End for Happiness"

"The Frame of Minds"

"Obtaining The Cloak of Sin"

"The Passionate Lead"

"The Lover's Shoulder"

"Guarding Of The Peccance"

"The Acceptance"

Well, he just proved us wrong and showed how persistence, tenacity and hard work could beat any talent whatsoever. I couldn't be more proud!

Ari Tulang and Hizkia Renaldo

To close the exhibition, the famous choreographer Ari Tulang made a visit to this expo, fulfilling his promise to Hizkia. Along with Hizkia, three other young artists displayed their final artwork project in the gallery: Pandu Cipta Wicaksono (Memoar), Henry Kresna (Ayah-Anak), and Citra Leonita (Egosentrisme). Check them out:

"Memoar" by Pandu Cipta Wicaksono

"Ayah-Anak" by Henry Kresna

"Egosentrisme" by Citra Leonita

Proficiat, Hizkia Renaldo and friends! May you conquer the 'real world' as glorious as you finished your study. If you want to check it out yourself, the exhibition is still on until February 2. 

I used Absinthe by Pulp Riot on previously ash brown hair

Underlights. via pinterest

Cek Google search, Instagram, Pinterest atau gudang ide lain sebanyak-banyaknya supaya kamu yakin memilih warna yang terbaik untukmu. Perhatikan panjang dan model rambutmu, warna kulit muka, dan gaya/teknik yang paling kamu suka. Sesuaikan dengan wajah dan gaya berpakaianmu, juga warna pakaianmu yang paling sering kamu gunakan.

Untuk kulit Asia, saranku sih cari warna gelap seperti biru tua, hijau tua, atau merah supaya kontras dengan warna kulitmu dan tidak perlu terlalu banyak bleaching. Warna rambut muda/pastel akan membuat wajah tampak lebih pucat, tapi semua sah aja kok, tergantung selera.

Jangan terlalu banyak lihat model bule, karena apa yang bagus di mereka belum tentu bagus untuk kita. Cari model Korea kalau kulitmu putih, model Amerika Latin/African-American kalau kulitmu sawo matang. Cari model yang kira-kira paling mendekati warna kulitmu.

Kalau kulit wajahmu cenderung merah/bersemu alami, pertahankan warna hitam asli rambut yang membingkai wajah dan warnai (dengan warna gelap/vivid) hanya di bagian bawah rambut. Kalau kulitmu cenderung putih/pucat, kamu bisa memilih warna terang/pastel.


2. Get Your Style.

via pinterest

Ada banyak banget teknik mewarnai rambut dan kamu harus tahu bedanya:

• Full hair: teknik konvensional mengecat seluruh rambut dengan satu warna sampai ke akarnya. Cocok kalau kamu sudah pede dengan warna baru yang kamu pengen.
• Highlight: cat rambut warna yang lebih terang dari warna rambut asli di beberapa helai yang berfungsi sebagai aksen pemanis. Teknik ini populer sejak 10-15 tahun yang lalu.
• Lowlight: sama seperti highlight, tapi catnya berwarna lebih tua dari rambut asli. Karena warna rambut orang Indonesia gelap, teknik ini tidak dikenal di sini.
• Roots color: teknik pewarnaan hanya dari akar sampai beberapa sentimeter dari pangkal rambut. Tidak begitu nge-trend di Indonesia, tapi kalau rambutmu berwarna terang, roots coloring bisa digunakan untuk membuat bagian akar rambut lebih gelap.
• Dip Dye: cat rambut sebagian dengan peralihan warna yang tegas/kontras seakan-akan rambutmu dicelup ke kaleng cat atau seakan rambutmu yang dicat sudah tumbuh selama beberapa bulan.
• Ombre: cat rambut bergradasi dua tingkat dengan peralihan warna yang lembut/tidak kontras, biasanya dari warna tua di atas, medium di tengah dan warna terang di bawah (cek foto di atas).
• Balayage: teknik cat yang menggabungkan teknik ombre dan highlight yang dimulai di bagian tengah rambut ke bawah sehingga terkesan lebih "asal" daripada ombre.
• Underlights: pewarnaan rambut hanya pada bagian dalam, sehingga kalau rambut digerai tidak terlihat berwarna atau hanya terlihat sedikit (cek foto di point 1.) Cocok untuk kamu yang kurang pede dengan rambut berwarna.
• Rainbow: pewarnaan rambut dengan lebih dari dua warna yang berseling (bukan ombre--lihat foto di bawah). Cocok untuk kamu yang super pede, senang bereksperimen dan berekspresi.

Rainbow Hair. via pinterest.

3. Buy The Dye.

Pravana. via binkdotz

Ada beberapa merk hair dye yang beredar di Indonesia. Merk favoritku: Manic Panic, Pravana, atau Pulp Riot.
 Manic Panic bisa dibilang pewarna rambut pertama dengan varian warna dan jenis yang banyak banget, tapi tahan hanya 2-3 bulan. Pravana punya variasi warna yang lebih sedikit, tapi mengandung bahan vegan yang menutrisi rambut sehingga rambut tidak rusak/kasar, dan bisa bertahan s/d 6 bulan. Sedangkan Pulp Riot mirip Pravana, tapi penggunaannya paling mudah karena tidak perlu dicampur lagi dengan developer. Cukup pencet pewarna dari tubenya dan langsung aplikasikan pada rambut. Praktis!

Kalau kamu udah yakin warna dan merk yang kamu mau beli, ini saatnya mengontak distributor penjual hair dye ini. Saat ini penjual dengan track record terbaik di Indonesia untuk ketiga merk ini dipegang oleh Binkdotz Kingdom (bisa dikontak di LINE +Binkdotz Channel).

Untuk bleaching, beli yang murah aja ga masalah kok. Ada merk Sasha, Samantha atau Miranda yang dijual di supermarket dan harganya cuma sekitar Rp 10.000. Kalau mau bleaching vegan yang aman untuk rambut, ada produk Pravana yang bisa kamu cari di Binkdotz, cuma harganya emang agak mahal sih.


4. .. And The Tools!

Mangkok plastik dan sisir cat rambut. via bukalapak

Handuk salon Good Morning. via outofman

Kalau mau DIY, jelas kita harus sedikit repot dan investasi perlengkapan. Yang kamu butuhkan:

• mangkuk cat dari plastik atau kaca (bisa dibeli di toko bahan salon/pasar modern, harganya murah banget sekitar Rp 5.000-an)
• sisir cat (beli di toko bahan salon/pasar modern juga, harganya Rp 3.000-an)
• sarung tangan karet (biasanya dikasih di kemasan bleaching/cat rambut yang dibeli di swalayan, tapi ga ada salahnya punya sendiri dengan bahan yang lebih awet)
• handuk kecil (beli yang warna putih dengan tulisan cina Good Morning merah a la salon yang murah aja, harganya Rp 10.000-an juga--handuk ini akan jadi kotor jadi jangan gunakan handuk kesayanganmu!)
• aluminum foil, untuk memisahkan warna pada teknik highlight atau balayage (tentatif, beli di supermarket yang gulungan)
• jepit rambut, untuk memisahkan layer rambut yang belum diwarna.

5. Bleaching Process.

via blogspot

Proses ini bisa dibilang paling bikin deg-degan karena kabarnya bisa bikin rambut rusak. Iya sih, proses bleaching adalah penghilangan pigmen rambut yang menyebabkan warna rambut semakin terang. Akibatnya, helai rambut akan terasa kasar/rusak. Tapi kalau kamu memilih cat rambut vegan, hasilnya akan jadi lembut lagi kok. Jadi ngga usah terlalu khawatir.

Terus terang bagian bleaching ini awalnya paling sulit kupahami, so stick with me here! Di atas ini ada tabel sistem yang bisa kamu jadikan panduan. Kalau rambutmu hitam legam, proses 1x bleaching akan membuat warna rambut jadi tembaga/cokelat tua (level 5-6), lalu proses kedua jadi warna cokelat muda (level 7-8), dan proses ketiga jadi warna putih (level 9-10).

Bleaching mengandung zat kimia keras yang bisa membuat kulit perih, jadi hindari pemakaian kalau kamu ada luka di kepala/leher. Usapkan lotion di sekitar rambut: di dahi, di balik kuping dan di tengkuk untuk mengurangi resiko perih. Ingat, semua cat rambut dilarang diaplikasikan di alis apalagi bulu mata, jadi warnai hanya di rambut kepalamu saja ya.

Kamu bisa buka referensi teknik yang kamu inginkan dan pelajari pola pewarnaannya. Perhatikan bagian mana saja yang harus kamu warnai, dan aplikasikan dari proses bleaching ini. Di bawah ini ada 2 contoh foto proses teknik pewarnaan balayage, di mana pewarnaan tidak merata dan warna muda mengumpul di bawah dengan pendekatan berbeda.

Balayage process. via pinterest

Balayage process. via pinterest

Ikuti petunjuk pemakaian di kemasan: campurkan bubuk bleaching dengan krim developer di dalam mangkuk plastik, ratakan dengan sendok plastik. Gunakan sisir cat untuk memilah rambut dengan ujung tangkai, mengoleskan cat dengan bagian kuas, lalu gunakan bagian sisir untuk meratakan warna pada rambut. Diamkan 30-45 menit (jangan sampai lebih!) lalu bilas rambut dan keringkan dengan handuk. Jangan gunakan hair dryer atau pemanas lain karena bisa merusak rambut.

Tunggu rambut kering dan bandingkan dengan tabel sistem di atas. Kalau hasilnya masih level 6, artinya kamu harus mengulang proses bleaching 1-2x lagi, tergantung dengan warna cat yang kamu inginkan. Kalau warna cat yang kamu mau berwarna gelap, level 6-7 saja cukup. Kalau kamu pengen silver/light ash hair, bleach sampai level 10 alias sampai 3x proses. Jadi semakin muda warnanya, semakin banyak proses bleaching-nya.

Supaya kamu bisa cek sendiri kebutuhan bleaching tiap warna, digit pertama dari kode cat rambut adalah level warna rambut/bleaching yang perlu kamu capai sebelum pewarnaan. Kode 8.11 atau 8.7 membutuhkan bleaching sampai level 8, dan kode 10.23 atau 10.9 butuh bleaching sampai level 10. Sementara kode 2.33 atau kode 4.20 tidak perlu di-bleaching. Jelas kan?

Kalau kamu pengen hasil warna paling tua/gelap, mungkin kamu bisa skip proses bleaching ini, tapi resiko-nya warna yang dihasilkan hampir tidak terlihat.


6. Coloring!

via pinterest

Sebenarnya proses ini bisa dibilang paling mudah, karena kamu tinggal mengulang proses bleaching tadi sekali lagi, tapi kali ini menggunakan cat rambut warna pilihanmu. Kalau kamu menggunakan teknik balayage, warnai pada bagian yang sudah ter-bleaching saja. Untuk hasil yang lebih ombre, warnai juga bagian yang tidak ter-bleaching (alias masih berwarna asli) sekitar 7-10 cm sebagai peralihan warna gelap ke muda.

Untuk teknik pewarnaan rambut rainbow hair, gunakan imajinasimu! Campurkan 2-3 warna untuk menghasilkan 5-6 warna baru dan aplikasikan semuanya di rambutmu. Atau sisakan layer paling atas warna asli rambutmu untuk hasil teknik underlight.

Ikuti petunjuk pemakaian di kemasan: campurkan bubuk warna dengan krim developer di dalam mangkuk plastik, ratakan dengan sendok plastik. Gunakan sisir cat untuk memilah rambut dengan ujung tangkai, mengoleskan cat dengan bagian kuas, lalu gunakan bagian sisir untuk meratakan warna pada rambut. Diamkan 30-45 menit, lalu bilas rambut sampai pewarna luntur seluruhnya (air bilasan bening tanpa warna).

Keringkan dengan handuk, lalu aplikasikan vitamin. Kalau sudah hampir kering, kamu bisa styling dengan alat catok atau blow dry supaya hasilnya terlihat semakin indah (terutama untuk difoto dan dipamerkan di medsos).


Gampang kan? So, selamat berkreasi dan beraksi!
 P.S. Kalau kamu perlu bantuan bikin rambut keren kayak gini, kontak aja ya!

via divorcedover

On my post last month I wrote about Losing Friends; now I want to specify the types of toxic people that we need to lose. It may make you feel cruel to detach yourself from certain people, but sometimes it's a necessary thing to do in order to save yourself. Because we're the only person who knows best about ourselves and we're the only one who should decide the people whom we let entering our closest circle.

From my experiences of having tons of friends and lost some on the way, now I keep my circle small yet strong. Now I filter the types of people who can get near me, and the ones I keep close. It was hard for me at first to "eliminate" some people, but it's just a matter of priority. Remember that our closest 5 people are the ones that represent who we are. Whether you realize it or not, they share some influence to your mind, energy, and aura. Thus we must keep our environment bright, clean and toxic-free.

To help you out sorting out your "people", here are the list of people you must get rid of:

1. The people who always criticize you.
Yes, it is a friend's obligation to correct our wrongs. But when someone's been criticizing too much, and it's even much more than they ever praise you, well there's something wrong with this people. It's either they're being an unhappy person or they simply don't like you that much. Just get out of there. It's necessary to get a critic once in a while, but you don't need to hear about your weaknesses (in their eyes) all the time. You need to be praised too!

2. The people who never listen to you.
Some say this kind of people is an askhole; a person who constantly asks for your advice, yet always does the opposite of what you told them (or simply ignore your words completely). Well, it turns out being an askhole could really cost a friendship. Of course, not all of your advice must be taken but if it happens all the time and they never seem to appreciate your advice, thoughts, and--most importantly--time, it's time to remove them from your list. They don't need you as a friend; they just need you as a trash can. You clearly could use your energy for something/someone else. 

via simplereminders

3. The people who ask too much.
"It takes two to tango," they said. Friendship is "a state of mutual trust and support between allied nations" and relationship goes to "the way in which two or more concepts, objects, or people are connected, or the state of being connected." These "ships" acquire mutual feelings, concepts, and actions in order to achieve a satisfaction, rewarding state of being connected. It's understandable if one party would give more for some time, but turns will come around. If you're the one who always gives too much and the other party enjoys only receiving, it's time to find another who'll do just the same as you do.

4. The people who aren't supportive.
We mostly need support from our closest circle, be it from partner, family or friends. So if they can't be supportive, just leave (or stay away for a while). If they truly love us, they will always find a way to make us feel better, be better and do better. We need to be surrounded with the people who can help us thrive, either personally or business-wise. Moreover, we need the people who will be there for us. If they can't appreciate who we are, what we feel, or what we do, then they don't deserve our affection. We deserve to be appreciated and supported, like (almost) all the time!

5. The people who are fake.
Seriously, who can enjoy spending time with a fake? If you're surrounded with the people who always say too nice things as if they're sugar-coating it too much, you better stay away before you get a disease. As too much critic can do you no good, too much praise is as unhealthy. If you need to always dress up and make up, both physically and verbally with them, then you're not being completely yourself--and it means you're faking it. And one can only go for some length for such mask and drama. Let loose, be yourself, and see who still stick around. Then you'll find your true friends!