It doesn't look too bad in the picture but you should see the stitches up close. They are horrible :D. As always, I used Jehan t-shirt for the pattern and you know what I used to make that circular neckline? My cereal bowl!
A brunch meeting with Najelaa Shihab last Wednesday opened my eyes. She was talking about how us, as parents need to continually evolve and change and improve our parenting style because kids grow, their attitude changes as they face different kind of problems and situation. I know it seems like common sense, but it's too easy to overlook that one important thing. We seemed to over prepared when they were babies but once they turned into our little mini me's, we tend to relax a little bit because they seemed to be more independent and need us less. And suddenly office workload takes us by storm which make our time with the kids diminish as days go by.
Obviously, that statement made me wondered about what I've been doing to improve my parenting skill to Jibran. I tried to look closely to what happened between kindergarten and elementary school, and surprised that I noticed quite a few changes.
The big situation is: He has graduated from the happy kindergarten place, where school is oh so much fun. He used to wake up at 8 and came home at 12. He didn't have homework or any extra activity outside class (except for soccer every Sunday). Structured study time at home was practically non existent. But look at now? At 6:30 he already left home for his 7:15 class. He gets home at 2:00 and just last month I added his activity by registering him to Gafa for 50 minutes a day, Monday to Thursday (will stop this at the end of this month), he still goes to Soccer club every Sunday, but he now has study time every night. Oh and he gets a short homework from Gafa too. He has more subjects to learn in school, from math to English to Bahasa Indonesia, Civics, Social Studies, Science, Islamic Studies to Information Technology.
And that's only for the schedule or workload-wise. Imagine having all those addition on top of the psychological aspect of leaving his comfort zone and entering a whole new and different arena. Suddenly, he is no longer the biggest kids like he was in kindergarten because there are the 2nd, 3rd, etc graders. And there were so many of them that it must be overwhelming him. Every single person, out of the hundreds, were a stranger for him. Thank God he didn't seem to have problem adjusting to the new environment but now that I'm giving more thought about it...those drastic changes must have shaped him behavior somehow. And here's what I gathered:
- He seems to worry too much now and often think about negative outcomes. He worries about Jehan taking his toys or worry about no body pick him up from school. One time he cried worrying about me and Oki getting old and then pass away :`(. So many conversation turn into 'What if it's gone wrong scenario'. I hope this is not the case of feeling less secure :(.
- He doesn't like to be wrong!. Whether about blatant mistake like in school assignment or just when he is forgetting something. He would try to put the blame to the situation and won't admit his mistake voluntarily (This doesn't include a situation where he accidentally hurt someone though, that he would apologize right away).
- I think he is starting to take advantage of my inattention. I know it's my fault for being inconsistent. It's human nature to take advantage for his/her own benefit.
- He rarely do things at the first request. Need to be asked over and over again or until my voice has the 'Mommy means business' tone..:D
- He doesn't like to be pressured..but then again, who does? :D (some adults do work well under pressure but I don't think kids have learned how to handle that, yet).
- A bit self centered? Like when we're still on the road while his show is on, he would be unhappy and blame us why we took this road, why we spend so long at the grocery store, etc. Maybe this has to do with the limited play/TV time he has now. So when his favorite show is on, he doesn't want to miss it.
- Although he enjoys competition and can take losing gracefully, he would change rules to suit himself when his opponent is clueless.
- He enjoys being praised. I've recently read an article that six year old need more affirmation that any other ages. Pheww!
- He has difficulty making choices by what he wants/needs. This is kind of surprising as we've always let him to make decision on so many things since he was little. Now it's more like because his cousins say so or because his friends are doing it.
- He likes things that I know nothing about (and sadly have no interest). Like Animal Kaiser or Bay Blade. He loves to talk about them day and night, which I'm happy to change the conversation at the first chance :D. It's sad..but I don't want him to be consumed by those stuff either, that's why I never entertain it even further. But this makes me realized (as confirmed by Mbak Ela) that parents and kids need to have common ground, something that they can share passionately together, either about a hobby, gadget, sports..something they have in common with. Otherwise, parents and kids would easily feel disconnected from each other.
So there..a few things I have gathered for the second half of the week. I feel so bad for not realizing this from early on, I could've made his days less stressful. Oh, I also did some Googling and found out that those behavior are common characteristic for 6 yo..(..and I breathe a sigh of relief). What I wrote my sound bad, but it's actually not that bad. Most of the time, Jibran is a happy and all around good kid. He is just tasting the water. And he loves his school and does well in class :).
When I went back home, I tried to play around with the sewing machine, but having never touched a sewing machine before I didn't know what to do especially when not a manual instruction was presented. I didn't even know how to loop the thread around. I called my auntie, who is the designer at Sebastian Gunawan for his Bubble Line and pleaded her to come by my house to show me how to use the damn thing :D. She lives just around the corner, so it was easy for her to walk over to my house. She came around 5.30, and even she couldn't really figured it out right away.
But after working it around for half an hour she finally got the hang of it and showed me a few stuff to start. Now I know:
- how to loop the thread for the outer stitch and the inside stitch (through sekoci and all, I didn't even know we have to use two threads :p)
- how to lock the stitch
- how to transfer the thread to the sekoci..LOL..I did it manually at first :p
- how to use the zigzag stitch feature and all although we couldn't memorize the code..
Anyway, so I decided to create something easy but still useful for my first attempt. I always wanted to make a tote bag for Jibran to bring his lunch box but I didn't have a canvas fabric..but my auntie says that it's fine to use the chambray as long as it's not for heavy duty stuff..so that's why I did. She showed me how to copy the pattern (from andarastore shopping bag, hehe..Thank You Ran :D)..it was pretty easy. For the strap, I used Jibran's old belt because that's what he chose when I gave him a few choices. And he really like the finish product!!. I was literally grinning ear to ear:D. Even Jehan likes it and has been toting it around and claimed it as hers.
The second attempt, I used the same chambray fabric and made a full skirt for Jehan. The pattern is a copy from one of her skirts. It was easy breezy..really. I did it under the supervision of my aunt. I use an exposed waist band and left the hem unfinished because I kinda like it like that, besides Jehan couldn't wait to wear it..but if it frays too much I will just sew the hem next time. Jehan took of her daster immediately and demanded to wear the skirt right away. She then showed it to her Diddy and Bunda...:D.
The third attempt was just shortening the hem of Jehan Batik skirt that I got in Yogya. It came with a matching Kebaya and although the Kebaya fits her just fine, the skirt was just way to long that we have to wait for another 2-3 years to fit her. So rather than sitting there unused, I decided to make it short so it became a long skirt. That way, she can wear it to Baju Muslim day at school, or to anywhere she pleases :).
The fourth attempt, it was like 11.30, I was on a roll and wanted to make another skirt for Jehan but it was harder to concentrate cause I was getting tired, but I still did it anyway. I made another skirt which kind of like an A line skirt..but when I cut the fabric, I totally forgot to leave an extra 1-2 cm for the ..(I don't know what you call it..plisket? or what?). I just realized when I sew the two sides together that it won't have enough room for Jehan chubby legs to wiggle, let alone walk in them :D. That's when I knew I had to call it a night.
I guess I didn't do too bad for a first timer..:). Looking forward to do more. Here's my list of things to do:
- Practice another tote bag, maybe a smaller one for Jehan and a bigger one to bring extra stuff
- More circle skirts for Jehan with exposed waist band (dye the waist band first!)
- One or two easy tops for me and Jehan (sleeveless)
and then maybe next week I can learn how to:
- make a button hole
- stitch the zipper
- and so many more..
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When a great passion in life meets a hobby for blogging, it may result in a successful business. Fashionese Daily (www.fashionesedaily.com), Indonesia’s most trusted fashion-and-beauty- related website, is a result of such a combination.
“We are trying to incorporate articles and interviews while providing a more proactive and participatory network while maintaining the integrity and the tone of a blog,” according to its website.
Fashionese Daily has become a comprehensive resource and a major destination for people seeking guidance on their fashion decisions. Its contributors are not afraid to voice their honest opinions and that’s what makes the blog interesting.
Audiences are able to comment on each post or discuss topics on the site’s “Female Daily Forum”. Community members often meet each other in the real word. The latest get-together was a Ramadan fast-breaking gathering at a restaurant in Kemang, South Jakarta.
More.......
to see how it's like now...I was surprised to find many improved features in there. I especially like the designer theme where everything is just drag and drop..that's why my blog can look just how I want it in an instant :). Once I have figured out this post by email then I'm all set!
I have my entries from Posterous exported here..I tried it by myself a few times but it seemed like blogger couldn't read the XML file..and then Thomas came to the rescue..:D. He figured out that the xml file is different than the one usually accepted by Blogger. So what he did was...export Posterous post to Wordpress, then import it to Typepad and then export it again to have the file converted before importing it to Blogger. Such a long winding road! The comments are gone though (not that there are many of them :D) and pictures turned blurry.
I'm happy to play around with Blogger dashboard, it just feels like the old times :). Thomas was also able to retrieve my entries back from 2001 ..but I don't think I will export them to this blog, but looking at them gives me a warm feeling somehow...there are so many memories there.
So...is this post by email thing work?
These past few days, I've been toying with the idea of bringing investors for the business, or maybe borrowing a good chunk of money from the bank. Don't get me wrong, business is good, it's growing, and we keep adding new clients to the list. But most of the time, the money doesn't arrive in our bank account as fast as we want it to arrive. So it's kind of challenging to work out with the cash flow, especially when you need to spend a big amount on something. Other than the cash flow, of course there's no denying that we need more resources to grow significantly. More resources = $$$. Something that we don't have the luxury of. But you know what, I'm not even sure we want an investor and trade our independence and pride, not to mention a share of ownership in the company.
Oh well, I haven't even gave it a serious thought and brought it to the meeting. It's just something that crosses my mind.
Anyway, this makes me thing. What would my dad do in a situation like this? My dad didn't come from a wealthy family, he started his company from scratch, he gave all his heart into it and look now, he was able to send his brothers abroad for school, he sent me and my siblings overseas, he made it big. The company is growing in numbers and even has its own 4 story office building.
How did he make it from nothing to something? Did he get an investor? Did he borrow some money from the banks? What did he do right? What happened? What was his turning point?
If only he was here to answer my questions and give me some guidance :(. I regret that I didn't get a chance to know more about his journey in building his little empire, and so many other things I know he would have the answer to. Books can provide me with the information and some useful facts but nothing beats learning from real world case studies, especially if it's from your own dad.
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That was like eleven years ago. I heard sad news about her family somewhere in between..but it still didn't move me to reach out to her. I found her on Facebook but I still couldn't careless.
Yupe, that's me. I pride myself for being a loyal friend. The friends I have now, I keep them for life. That's why once I feel betrayed, he/she is out of my life. It's hard to heal my wounded heart.
Anyway, so I found her Twitter..and I glanced through it and found this tweet she posted....
Sometimes, the past is annoying; it always shows up. We never get rid of it, no matter how hard we try.
And suddenly I felt a sharp pang inside my chest. Somebody is trying to change! Well a lot of people are trying to change for the better and I just realized how frustrating it can be for them if they are always being judged for what they did in the past.
Yes, we knew them, I knew her, I know who she was..but I don't know what kind of person she is trying to become and I would never know if don't reach out to her.
Perhaps, it's time to reconnect? Afterall, it's Ramadhan, the month where we forgive and forget.
Yes. Perhaps it's time.
P 45: My grandparents did these things. My parents, too. If I take the pattern and throw it out, what does that say about their lives? Or mine? From generation to generation, these rituals are how we remain....connected.
P 82: It is far more comforting to think God listened and said no, than to think that nobody's out there.
P 93: My friends, if we tend to the things that are important in life, if we are right with those we love and behave in line with our faith, our lives will not be cursed with the aching throb or unfulfilled business. Our words will always be sincere, our embraces will be tight. We will never wallow in the agony of 'I could have, I should have.' We can sleep in a storm. P 102: Be satisfied. Be grateful. For what you have. For the love you receive. And for what God has given you. (The secret to happiness)
P 129: This is why faith is so important. It is a rope for us all to grab, up and down the mountain. I may not be remembered in so many years. But what I believe and have taught- about God, about our tradition- that can go on. It comes from my parents and their parents before them. And if it stretches to my grandchildren and to their grandchildren, than we are all, you know...connected.
P 207: It's not me against the other guy. It's God measuring you against you.
P 221: When the world quiets to the sound of your own breathing, we all want the same things: comfort, love and a peaceful heart. P 247: Have you ever known a man of faith? Did you run the other way? If so, stop running. Maybe sit for a minute. For a glass of ice water. For a plate of corn bread. You may find there is something beautiful to learn, and it doesn't bite you and it doesn't weaken you, it only proves a divine spark lies inside each of us, and that spark may one day save the world.
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1768 Ambrose Terrace
This was when my grandma visited me in July 2007 and spent almost 2 months in St. Louis with me. My grandma and I are very close since I'm her first grandchild. In fact, I was her only one for 7 years and now even though she has 14 of them, and I'm sure she loves each one of them to death, there's nothing quite like the bond we have between us. I learned a lot about her past from her visit. About her when she was little, not knowing who her parents were, growing up and living with a mean family, meeting her husband, the hard life she had to endure when her husband passed away when she was pregnant with her 8th child!! All the struggle, the tears and the pain. Life is like a never ending drama for her, it's amazing that she managed to raise all of her eight children as a single mother. She, along with my mom are one tough cookie. I'm proud to have their blood runs through my vein.
I believe I wrote this after Fashionese Daily coverage in Femina Magazine, early 2008. It wasn't the first coverage but I think it was the most prominent one. Sometimes I still can't believe that it all started in my living room, faaar far away from here :). I remember all the conversation with nduti in highway 70 on our way to Kansas City. I think that's when the dream was made and I felt like I was given wings to reach it. Did I see a falling star on that wide open space? Hey maybe I did :).
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Last year, I finally put some generated ideas into action that I'm hopeful will achieve full dimension over time. I did things I really enjoyed doing that I believe can be a foundation for a fantastic future. I met some inspiring and genuine people who are going to become crucial to my advancement. The fact that people did notice and recognized my efforts was an added bonus and the best and the most important thing is, I have satisfied (although just a little bit), the urge I have to prove myself, for my own self-respect, for my own happiness as an individual. With the limiting situation and resource that I have now, I think what I did ain't too shabby..:D
I wrote this on my 28th birthday. It took me 28 years to realize what my passion was. Three years have passed and I'm glad I'm still passionate about it and keeping the momentum going..:)
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You know, I've always admired and envied people who are passionate about what they are doing. Not many people can wake up in the morning and feel excited about doing the things they have to do that day. I believe that finding passion equals to happiness, and those who have found their passion and continue working on it will have a fulfilling life.
Sayangnya memang banyak orang yang belum nemu passion nya di mana, some are just clueless dan akhirnya ngelakuin apa yang kayanya bakalan banyak demand nya di job market. Ada juga yang akhirnya memang jatuh cinta sama yang di kerjainnya dan akhirnya jadi passionate dengan kerjaannya. Tapi banyak juga yang stuck in a rut, benci sama kerjaannya tapi nggak tau harus gimana lagi. Ada lagi yang sebenernya tau passionnya di mana tapi nggak berani untuk keluar dari comfort zone nya dengan alasannya masing masing.
Some are lucky enough to have the calling, to know what is it exactly that they want to do in the future and to have the talent and the opportunity to follow through and showcase their abilities. Ada yang memang dari kecil hobi dan memang jago akan sesuatu seperti menggambar, atau main musik, olah raga dan lain sebagai nya.
Banyak juga yang ngerasa passionnya itu ada di satu bidang, fotografi misalnya. Padahal megang kamera juga jarang. To me, that's not passion. If you are passionate about something, you should have been doing it all along. Kalo memang suka fotografi ya berarti setiap hari udah nenteng kamera, foto foto sana sini. If you haven't been doing it, that means you are not passionate about it. Kalau memang belum ada kamera yang canggih ya beli aja dulu alternatif nya yang jauh lebih murah. Everybody has to start somewhere, just use whatever tool you have right now, and better things will be found along the way. Take lots of pictures, compile a portfolio, volunteer to help a photo shoot because when you are willing to go out and put together a solid work without any pay, you will get noticed and people will come calling you eventually.
Today is my birthday, and one of the things that I'm thankful is that I have finally found my passion. It is indeed satisfying to finally put my enthusiasm into action and find myself doing what I meant to be doing. It's a wonderful feeling to have that goal in my life and to know the step towards achieving it and believe that I can actually make those dreams come true... because I have a strong desire to be better and my passion is my greatest strength..=)
So Happy Birthday My Dear Self!!
- The will to win is worthless if you don't have the will to prepare
- Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity
- Being beaten is often a temporary condition, GIVING UP is what makes it permanent
- Every chance you get, is a chance you seize
- A long as you keep a person down, some part of you have to be down there to hold her down, that means you cannot soar as you otherwise might.
- Do not wait; the time will never be 'just right'. Start where you stand and work with whatever tools you may have at your command, and better tools will be found as you go along -- Napoleon Hill
- It's not what you are that holds you back, it's what you think you are not -- Denis Waitley
- Don't deflect blame onto the system, the screwed up schooling you got, or the chances no one ever gave you. It makes you powerless and not in control of your destiny -- Kimora Lee Simmons
- It was character that got us out of bed, commitment that moves us into action and discipline that enabled us to follow through -- Zig Ziglar
I'm in the middle of saving my file from multiply and found this I wrote three years ago. I thought I post it here too since today is her birthday :).
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Thank you for everything, for being beautiful inside out, for the millions things you gave me, for instilling in me value, making sure I knew right from wrong. Thank you for sacrificing yourself for me, for every tears you shed to save me, for putting me before your desires. Thank you for your patience, for your devotion, for showing me to be strong, for fighting your way through each struggle, I know no one in this world could do the things you've done and survived the life you've lived. Thank you for trusting me with your thoughts, disappointments and dreams, for being an unselfish woman in this selfish world..for your sensitivity to people's needs. Mama, you are loved by so many people whose lives you have touched..especially me. May God grant you peace, prosperity and never ending happiness. I LOVE YOU, Mama!
By Andre Jordan
It was on Wednesday, they were still terribly jetlagged. I think Jibran slept at two and had to wake up at 6. But they were so excited that they didnt complain :)
I took Jibran to his school that day, went back home and took Jehan to school and stayed with her in class.
Jibran was dismissed eaely from school so he picked up Jehan at his old school and met his former teachers.
I still cant believed that Jibran is now a first grader, he was just a baby not too long ago.
I wish for them to have an enjoyable days at school, to have fun learning and absorping the knowledge at school. I wish them to go to the highest degree, to be able to study and live abroad, to exceed their parents achievement. My job is to give them a solid foundation for them to soar and become independent individuals. I might never buy them the latest toys or expensive clothes. But i'll try my best to give them my all when it comes to education and a trip around the world.
I love you munchkins!!
Sent from my iPhone.
But if aging were so valuable, why do people always say, "Oh if I were young again." You never hear people say, "Oh if I were sixty-five."
Then Morrie smiled and said, "You know what that reflects? Unsatisfied lives. Unfulfilled lives. Lives that haven't found meaning. Because if you've found meaning in your life, you don't want to go back. You want to go forward. You want to see more, do more. You can't wait until sixty-five."
- p.118
For buying my own domain again :D. This morning, out of the blue I checked hanzky.com from my iphone and surprised to find that it's available. I'm pretty sure I had checked it before and it was taken, although I don't remember anymore if I have ever owned that domain. Maybe I have at some point in the past. I bought too many domains, from azalia.org, cold-static.com, and maybe hanzky.com, klikmarketing.com, lava-design.net, awfullyrandom.com and God knows what else..:p
So with the help from Thomas (the go to guy...hihihi), hanzky.com is now mine mine mine. Now if only I can take over the @hanzky so I can use it instead of @hanzkyy...and if only I can find more time to write here..
As cliche as it sounds, I do have a lot and I mean a lot to write. I just got back from a memorable two weeks vacation to Europe so of course I am excited to write about my experiences. Not just story about the places that I have visited but also my thought on the things I have pondering about. I've made promises and sorted out my priorities...so hopefully I'm back from vacation as a better person and clearer vision of what I'm going to do and where I'm going next. At least until I can get this jet lag out of my system.......ZzZzzzzz
I learned that I can live with a lot less. Such as with limited clothes, with one body lotion for the whole family and with the same bag over and over again.
I learned that I look just fine without eyeshadow on and without a fresh from the salon blow dried hair and overly done makeup.
I learned that it's really the American who started this fast food business and Americanized everyone with it.
I learned that the 'American' culture is growing much faster in Asia than in Europe.
I learned that Parissiane is a very environmentally friendly people. Most don't have air conditioner in their apartments and the office. Even the stores don;t feel significantly colder than outside temperatures. Fruit stalls are everywhere and they munch on cherries and strawberry while walking.
I also learned that in Italy and French, you can take your dogs inside a store.
I learned that I didn't miss my Blackberry. I haven't even bothered to reconnect the service since I've been back.
I learned that it's the park and the privilege to breath a fresh air while letting the kids run free that I miss the most about living overseas.
I learned that the African American in London look and behave differently than their friends in the States.
I learned that compare to the countries in Europe, the USA looks so plain and ordinary :D. But I still heart Chicago and San Francisco nonetheless.
I learned that after experiencing Dubai heat I've come to appreciate Jakarta weather.
I learned that sale is soldes, rebajas and saldi in French, Spanish and Italian.
I learned that even in Italy there's clothesline.
I learned that as I grow older I enjoy less busier cities than the tourist-packed ones.
I learned that kids really don't need anything beside food, basic clothes and their family when they can enjoy what nature has given them.
I learned that it's not only Jakarta that has traffic jam, pick pockets, litters and street vendors.
I learned that even in foreign countries I never feel like a foreigner.
I learned that I enjoy getting lost eventhough I had to drag a heavy suitcase all over Venice. I guess I was just happy to be there. Plus, it made me see the less touristy places and a more interesting day to day places for the locals.
I learned that products made in China are invading the world.
I learned that my ginseng coffee has once again proved that it boost up my stamina and fit level. I'm still okay eventhough I'm super tired and get only three hour of sleep and eating sporadically, while everybody else is down with flu. Now if only the coffee doesn't mess with my memory brain cell. *sigh*
I still have more but I guess this would do for now.
Sent from my iPhone.
I was out of the shower, all wet and cold just to take off my nail polish and then went straight back in. I need to be in the state of purity today because I'm planning to do Rajab fasting tomorrow. Oh..and I did Dhuha prayer today...:).
I'm grateful that I'm longing to improve my relationship with my master. There's nothing like faith that can make you content with whatever life is throwing at you...:)
I just learned about this term today from Vanya. A hoarder is someone who likes to keep everything. And by everything I mean clothes that don't fit anymore, brochures from a product that you think you might need in the future, souvenirs from someone's wedding that don't serve any purpose in your house/desk or broken things that you plan to fix 'later'. Basically, a hoarder is a junk collector :D. My friend's mom is a compulsive hoarder that she keeps empty pizza boxes and styrofoam from takeout orders :). My mom is a hoarder too although thankfully she is not that severe.
We were talking about this mental disorder when we were organizing our office and preparing it for the TV crew today. Turned out, a few people in the office find it hard to get rid of old stuff too (ayo ngaku siapa! :p ).
I am far from a hoarder. I don't like to keep stuff unless their presence can bring value to my life. I have always do a regular spring cleaning on my closet and my kids closet. That's why I am never one of those people who would find a treasure at the back of her closet because I know exactly what I have. So yea it's an old habit and I especially even more adamant about keeping less stuff since I learned about feng shui and how those junks can complicate your life.
Like other things in life, our upbringing contribute a lot to our preference. I didn't have a lot of stuff growing up, be it clothes or toys..so I'm used to have empty spaces around my house, or in my drawer. I moved house MANY times. For the 31 year I have been living, I have moved house about 26 times, believe it or not. I've been to 12 different schools and live in four different countries.That is enough to contribute to why I don't like to hang on to things because packing and unpacking them is not fun. That also contributes to why I don't get attach easily. How could I get attach if I don't spend enough time with my surrounding? Or maybe I just learned to build a wall because I know I will have to leave them soon anyway...:(
But there will be times where we have to settle, at least for a few years. And as long as we still live in Jakarta, this house is where we're going to live. I'm still longing to go back to living overseas with my little family though, but not now and not in the next few years. This is where I meant to be living for the time being..:)
Alright, let's go back to throwing all these junks in the office...:D
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Everyone in the office surprised me by coming out from the back room, bringing cake (with candles that were smartly switched to 13..hihi). Of course, it was a lovely surprise (although I kind of 'smelled' something before..hehehe that was the nosy and the detective me talking), it was still surprising nonetheless. They also brought Affi's aunt famous lasagna for our lunch...(and I got to keep the leftover and ate it everyday for the whole week...yummy!).
I received many tweets and messages on my Facebook wall that day. So many that I don't even get a chance to reply them one by one, especially the ones on Facebook. It amazes me that people are willing to take the a minute of their times to click on my profile and leave wishes for me. Something that I don't do often enough :(.
Obviously every single wishes is truly appreciated, I keep them all in my heart...but there were a few tweets and messages that brought me to tears. The ones that emphasize more on who I am than what I have done. It's nice to know that some people notice that there are more to me than things that I have achieved.
I just realized that I can learn more about me and found out what I projected myself to be from people's birthday message to me. Interesting...:)
I seriously dont know how this book landed on my shelf because i never remember buying it. All i know is it's been there for a while and eventhough i was close to throwing it a few times, a voice inside my heart always tellimg me to keep it, just in case.
I guess that little voice is called hope. One of my biggest desires is to travel the world and paris is in my must visit city. I cant be thankful enough that in less than a month i will ride the eurostar from london to paris :)
I really didnt expect this trip to come this soon. I was content to wait for another two or three years, but a pit stop at the exhibition speed up the plan. Thank You :))
Sent from my iPhone.
Not me, obviously, but my brother in law. I'm attending his dissertation defense presentation at IPB. If he can tackle this, he will come out as the 7th graduates from Program Pascasarjana Manajemen dan Bisnis Institut Pertanian Bogor. He did his master's in Saitama University, Japan and also an ITB graduate.
I'm not surprise if he is going to pursue another degree right after this :D
I have a great deal of interest on education too, I LOVE school, believe it or not. But getting phd title just never interest me. I guess I'm just not into academic field. But I do love being in a classroom and being intellectually challenged. I think I will go back to school someday!
Now that I think of education. My family from Oki's side has a long history of scholar. Oki got his master, and so did bh of his sisters. His dad has an MBA from SIU Carbondale. Even Oki's grandpa holds an MBA degree from Virginia Tech University. Wow..I don't even think my grandpa even graduates from elementary school..:D. My side of the family is heavy on the entrepreneurial background. None of them is a corporate slave as opposed to Oki's side. Interesting to see that we both now are a representation of our side of family :). With the exception that I'm also a believer in the importance of academic degree. When I was in high school, all I ever desired was to study abroad and get my master. It was not easy to convince my dad to let me go. He offered me a brand new car instead if I wanted to go to college here..but then he realized that putting up with my everyday nagging was too much to handle. So off I flew on that plane. One of the best decisions I've ever made.
By the way, Oki is about to have interview with Google, the greatest company on earth, in a few minutes. Just like I wrote on my Twitter. Google receives about 30000 resumes per week!. So to be selected for an interview is already an achievement in itself and shows how above the rank you are. Nothing but ProuD! ♥ ♥ ♥. Best of luck dear nduti.
Alright, enough bragging for today!
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It's Sunday and we're staying home. I've spent the last two hours looking through my printed photo albums, sorting the pictures I want to frame while going down memory lane.
I am a happy snapper, always take pictures. So we do have a lot of them. They are my most treasured possession.
And then I came across this pictures of Oki and I. I forgot the exact date, but I remember it was taken on my first few months of living in Carbondale. I think it was Spring time of 1999, maybe in March. It was almost a year since we've dated each other.
By the way, the picture was taken in Rafi & Lin's house. They had gone back to Malaysia a few years before us, have two kids..but now they have separated :(. Something I didn't see coming. I remember that shiny nylon jacket was from Express, I got the blue one for Aan, bought in upstate New York just before we were about to meet up. Underneath the Mossimo Jacket. Oki was wearing the Hawaian shirt I got him for Valentine's day. It was from Structure.
It's nice to know that eleven years have passed and I have never stopped blessing the day I found him..:)
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Kayanya mandek di hari ketiga deh..:D. Yang hari kedua pun belum sempet di foto. Oh well..yang penting NIAT nya kaaan?..hihihi, padahal gue baru bilang tadi di acara Universitas Sebelas Maret Blog Fest. Kalo mau ngeblog ya langsung jalanin aja. Capcus. Nggak pake nunggu nunggu. Jangan cuma diniatin aja, tapi dijalanin juga. Untuk kehidupan beragama mungkin niat aja udah ada nilai plusnya. Tapi kalo untuk kehidupan duniawi..niat is not gonna get us anywhere. It's all about excecution.
Anyway, sekarang lagi di Airport Adi Sumarmo, pesawatnya delay 25 menit..jadi terpaksalah buka laptop daripada mati gaya..:p. Hari ini judulnya day trip ke Solo. Berangkat jam 4.30 pagi dari rumah. Kasian tadi pas Jehan nangis pula..memang jam segini ini jamnya dia mimik cucuuuu!. Tapi disusuin sebentar trus gue langsung bilang "Udah yaaa Mommy mau kerja dulu yaa..."..
Katanya sih dia sempet nangis beberapa menit trus abis itu ngomong sendiri.."Mommy kerja yaaa?"...
Huhuhu...kasiaan. Jadi mikir lagi sanggupkah gue ninggalin 3 hari untuk ke Singapore akhir bulan ini? :(
Tadi acaranya seru...I think they like the Video that Thomas made. I was a bit nervous obviously but I think I did better than the last time I spoke on public..:). But still have to register at Talk. Inc.
Mahasiswa di Solo sama di Jakarta itu beda banget yaah...I'm not trying to generalizing things but that's what I saw today. Kayanya mahasiswa UNS jauh lebih polos-polos dan lebih santun..:)
Ohh here comes boarding time. Gotta go now!
We're about to enter the third month of the year tomorrow. Crazy how everything seem to move in fast forward mode. Everyone is getting busier each day and it's getting harder to chill back and enjoy the moment.
In this project, I'm trying to take a few minutes off each day, to absorb everything and pay more attention to my surrounding by capturing a moment or a piece of something out of my daily life.
It would be fun..I need to get more mileage from the lumix and/or the 500D. Ohh I'm excited already :))
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I didn't specifically jot down what this year resolutions are, but I kinda have it in my mind the things that I need to accomplish more and less.
1. Toward the end of the year, I wasn't too proud with my sholat record. Really!. I know I shouldn't justify this but the super cramped space at work really didn't give me a peace of mind when I prayed. I told my self that by the time we moved to bigger office, there's really no reason for me to miss any of it. And that's what happened..:). Now I even feel really bad if I miss it. Not so much because of I feel like I have to, but more like I need to. In a overwhelming world we live in, it's nice to take a few minutes off, to touch the refreshing cold water, to surrender, to put everything aside, and it's just you and your master.
2. Spend more time at home. Which means I have to get home around four. Sadly I haven't achieved this..hopefully the schedule is friendlier next week. I cannot wait to lounge around at home with Jibran & Jehan.
3. Have control of what goes in into my kids mouth, along with my husband mouth, of course. Due to #2, I still cannot cross this list of..:(.
4. Hit the treadmill. I did...for the first time last Sunday :D. Will make it a regular. The goal is three times a week.
5. Save?. Alright, after the big purchase I'm about to bring home this long weekend!. Deal?
Ceritanya Jehan lagi ngangon Raka, anaknya Mbak Atun yang tinggal sama kita. She loves him and always acts like a big sister :)
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