Book Tube - i have lots of confusions after watching some of it.

This is not a new thing - but i just found out about it couple days ago. 

I usually go on youtube for some kpop *yiey* so, yeah.. ahahah... *awkard*... so when I got to book tube, how happy I was because I thought it would be fun. Apparently, I was wrong. 

And how sad and confusing it is - to me. What is it that confuses me a lot? What is it that saddens me a lot? 

the books

are homogeneous.

they all read the same genre. 

out from 20-ish videos I watched (from various creators), all of them were talking about Fictions. 

maybe those who read other genre doesn't even bother to create a video? maybe... yeah... that is one reason. hem...

the books physical condition

again, are homogeneous.

a pristine, hard cover, special edition, colorful (some even organized the books based on their color hues) books. 

or, to be exact, a nice looking fiction books. 

which brings me to something, 

the fictions book printed in the US seems to have these distinct characteristics:

1. printed in large fonts and margin, ..... which in the end

2. make the book thicker than how it really is.... which evokes a question in me of whether

3. the printing company printed that way, so that it may provide an image of .. a bookworm .. to its reader ... and more

4. it provides a nice book display (?)

at first I thought it was because the book (that i bought) were mostly for young readers. 

oh, so they probably need a larger font, a more eye friendly typography. 

keeping them motivated, yiey! therefore, thicker books, yiey!

but when i knew that young adult novels are printed this way as well, i started to doubt that initial guess...

why not pocket size? why not paper back? would it not be friendlier to mother earth if we print it in a smaller size?

wouldn't it be more convenient to have a pocket size novels that you could bring with you anywhere? for you to read it in the bus, trains, while in traffic, etc.?

however, back to the list. 

book unhaul

they throwing out books - well, technically giving it away / sell it to a thrift store - because these reasons:

1. they don't like it / never finished it

2. they have better cover version of it

3. they don't even know what was it about, and not planning to read it anywhere soon

I understand the fact that after we bought a book, we regret it. Not all books are well written. I have some of those as well.

I also -kind of- understand if you only want to keep the better cover version of a title. which is why publishers keep on re printing books with new covers - there's a niche market for it.

but, 

why would you want to get rid of a book you haven't even read yet?

if it's one book of 5 in the series, that you bought, but then you suddenly lost interest because it has been there for a while, i can understand. 

but if you have the first title of 5 in the series, and then you kind of .. well ... not really in the mood to read it, but then you went to the bookstore, and BOUGHT the second title of the same series...

and ended up not wanting to read it either, and decided to get rid of it.....

*hence, the title of this post*

but then again, we are different, aren't we? my ideology of reading materials are probably just different. and by being different doesn't make me way better than them or them than me. 

so, i guess i just go back to kpop videos instead. 

no more booktube. at least not now. 

oh and maybe pandas. videos about pandas are awesome. 

and puppies. 

The Starter

This is a writing to express my frustration.

As someone who bought stamps mainly for its design, I thought I would not complain about how minimal an information could be delivered in a stamp. But through time, it is kind of boring to only look at how pretty they are without truly understand the occasions on why they were issued.

So why am I getting frustrated? well...

When I buy a GB stamp, I am already aware that they will look like this:

As the first country who issued the first adhesive stamp, GB has rights not to print the country name on any of its releases.
So you could see from above set. Nothing but its value and a print of the young Queen, which cause me - as an amateur - to nearly impossible recognizing the year, the theme, the painter, or anything about this.

Take a look at another stamp from another country here:

What may we obtain from the information presented on those stamps?
First, we know that they are issued in Pakistan, because the country name is there together with its Sanskrit and Arabic inscription.
Second, we know not only the year of issue, but also the exact date. or, at least we could assume it is a date of when it was issued, which July 21st 1969.
Third, we know why this was issued. It is a 5th anniversary, of RCD - back to the future and google some - which stands for Regional Cooperation for Development, a multi governmental organization established in 64 by Turkey Iran and Pakistan. Which is dissolved in 1979.
Fourth, sorry for the low resolution, but these stamps has the pictured items titles.
Fifth, the value.

I know this is the age of information, and I will probably find the details of the flower GB stamp. But sometimes the theme is just so common it could be issued several times, and sometimes the possible match does not provide picture.

however, I was pretty lucky that I able to buy these at the stamp shop where it was sold with its information attached, so yeah, I now know a bit about the previous GB stamp,

so it is a Wild Flowers set from 1979.
*wipe forehead* phew. 

But then, another challenges come,

*screaming*

That, and the fact that i probably have to scan every stamp set with their information, because I don't want to keep them in the cards, mainly because I can't enjoy them instantly - as it overlaps. 

British Empire Exhibition 1924 - sketch

I made a sketch of the first commemorative stamp ever, The British Empire Exhibition 1924 (wiki page here).

this is the original:






           

and this is my sketch :

Yeah i know, The King does not look authentic in my sketch. And the lion seems like it need a triathlon or two to slim down a bit. But hey! this was done with my half eye closed while the other trying to focus on details using a magnifier held by my left hand.

I am not ashamed to congratulate myself. *me, such a weirdo indeed*

Bisa Belanja Perangko Indonesia Lagi

Mengupdat tulisan saya yang ini , dengan penuh rasa bahagia, saya informasikan bahwa situs jual perangko dari PT Pos Indonesia e-fila sudah dapat digunakan kembali.

*nanti malam belanja ah*

*lirik budget ber - perangko bulan ini, apakah sudah penuh?*

Simple Recipes - Beginner Level : Fried Ox Tail

Yeap.

For you who like to eat Ox Tail !
It can be enjoy by itself, or have the additional clear vegetables soup as company. This is sort of Indonesian way.

Be careful when you fry it, though. High amount of fat contained in its pieces will make a crazy explosive fountain out of hot oil that could damage your face (and reputation).
I am not exaggerating, because I got my nose burned by it.


Fried Ox Tail 

Ingredients :

Ox tail (amount of what you're going to eat)
Some garlic, minced (say, 4 cloves of it)
Water

3 tbs Sweet soy sauce
2 tsp White pepper powder
1 tsp Salt

Oil to fry

Clear vegetables soup

Ingredients:

clear ox tail broth
green onion
carrots / asparagus / potato / tomato / any kind of mushroom, cut to your preferences
1 tsp nutmeg powder (optional)
salt and pepper to taste

How To:

1.  Saute minced garlic, put in a pot with ox tail and water enough to cover all of them.
2. Bring ox tail to boil in low heat, it usually takes about 4 - 6 hours, until it is soft. 
3. While cooking, spoon out the fat bubbles on top of the water, to create a clear broth. 
4. Take out the ox tail, and keep the broth for later use 
5. Mix sweet soy sauce, white pepper and salt, rub in ox tail, let it sit for 20 minutes.
6. Fry with medium amount of oil in low - medium heat , don't deep fry it. 3 minutes each side until both has this blackened crisp texture. 
7. serve

How To make the soup:

1. Add all vegetables and herbs ingredients to the leftover clear ox tail broth, bring it to boil in low heat, until all vegetables are done. 
2. serve

Notes :

1. If you decided to make the soup, and use all the vegetables I mentioned above, put potato and carrot first, wait for 5 minutes, add asparagus, wait for 3 minutes then add mushroom. wait for another 3 minutes. bring it to boil. This to make sure that the carrot is not overcooked. But if you're lazy like me, just put all them together (i mean, that's what a beginner level does, right? right?).
2. oh, and you can also add firm tofu to the soup.
3. However, diced tomatoes  should only be added last right before you serve. Trust me on this.
4. Remember to be careful when you're frying the ox tail. Best way is to use pot cover the size of the pan surface, while you're frying, and remove pan from heat before you flip the ox tail. Use tong and clear pot cover so that you can lift the cover just enough for your tong to slip in to use (don't fully open the cover), to prevent another oil attack to your face.

 The Result :

Like i said previously, you could eat this by itself or have the accompanying clear soup for different experience. I usually have a warm white rice with it too.

Enjoy!

Memahami Harga Perangko Tua

Sedikit latar belakang :

Saya memulai hobi mengoleksi perangko sejak usia sekitar 10 tahun - Ibu saya yang dulu bekerja sebagai wartawan, sering membawakan perangko yang diambil dari surat - surat yang dikirim ke kantor nya.

Koleksi saya waktu saya masih SD, cukup variatif, karena selain surat - surat yang datang ke kantor Ibu saya, banyak yang dari luar negeri, saya juga memperoleh lungsuran album perangko yang dikumpulkan tante saya waktu masih muda (hahah).
Selain itu, Kakek yang dulu bersekolah di Inggris, juga kebetulan mengumpulkan perangko, jadi saya punya koleksi standar perangko Ratu, berwarna warni, beragam harga.

Pengantar untuk tulisan ini:

Apakah saya kolektor pro / ahli filateli ?

Tidak.
Walaupun saya mengumpulkan, bukan berarti saya kolektor. Karena alasan saya untuk mengumpulkan perangko, hanya 3 :

1. Rancang gambar dan pewarnaan serta tema yang menarik. 
2. Sejarah yang tersimpan dari siapapun tokohnya / apapun momennya, yang diabadikan di perangko tersebut. 
3. Cerita tambahan tentang mengapa perangko itu diterbitkan. 

jadi, saya tidak koleksi perangko karena 'potensi harga jual' nya.

(yang benar saja, kecuali termasuk dalam incaran kolektor terkemuka dunia, perangko itu adalah aset yang lebih tidak lancar dibandingkan tanah yang tidak punya nilai tambahan sama sekali).

Jadi, dengan dasar apa menulis ini?

Frustrasi.
saya tidak terlalu perduli dengan darimana asal negara sebuah perangko - yang artinya, saya tidak fokus pada perangko luar negeri saja. Perangko Indonesia pun saya suka.
Tapi ketika mencari perangko dijual di Internet, ada orang - orang yang nampaknya tidak paham nilai jual sebuah perangko, dan hanya asal menyatakan hal - hal seperti ini "Dijual perangko Soekarno harga 1 sen , tawaran harga Rp 500.000,00" atau "Dijual koleksi perangko lama dari luar negri, paling tua dari tahun 1968, harga satu album Rp 4,000,000.00".

Ini membuat saya jengkel.

-----------------------------------------------

Seharusnya saya tidak perlu ambil pusing, dan sudah cukup bahagia bila si perangko akhirnya tidak ada yang beli. Karena memang tidak seharusnya perangko itu dibeli dengan harga yang diminta penjual.
Tapi dengan marak nya harga jual 'asal patok' demikian, membuat pengumpul perangko amatir seperti saya, menjadi bingung. Sebetulnya berapa harga yang pantas? Karena penjual yang satu ke penjual yang lain hanya sekedar manut saja seperti dicocok hidungnya.

Karena itu, belajar dari pengalaman (betul - betul pengalaman), saya bermaksud bercerita sedikit di blog ini, tentang bagaimana sebetulnya harga sebuah perangko tua itu ditetapkan.

Ada beberapa alasan mengapa harga sebuah perangko itu bisa mahal sekali, (koreksi saya bila saya salah) akan tetapi 'USIA PERANGKO' tidak selalu menjadi bagian didalamnya.

Apa saja alasan nya ?

Kelangkaan

Jelas, semakin langka, semakin tinggi harganya.
Seorang pengumpul amatir tidak akan pernah bisa catch up dengan berita mengenai perangko apa yang langka saat ini di dunia, kecuali dia mengakses laman yang memang mengkhususkan diri pada statistik kelangkaan perangko.

Bila perangko yang dicari (atau ditawarkan) berasal dari negara asing yang tidak tercatat dalam situs statistik yang ada, cari saja di laman jual daring seperti ebay, atau laman yang lebih spesifik seperti stanleygibbons. Bandingkan harga jual yang ditawarkan, lihat jumlah barang yang ditawarkan, berapa banyak penjual yang menawarkan. 

Untuk perangko Indonesia, saya belum menemukan laman sejenis, tapi harga perangko dapat dilihat dalam buku Katalog Perangko Indonesia.

Kondisi

Bahkan untuk perangko idaman saya, The Penny Black, saja, tidak cukup hanya dengan berupa sebuah perangko Penny Black maka harganya akan tinggi, tapi perlu kriteria lain supaya Penny Black tersebut bisa dihargai lebih.

The Penny Black akan mencapai harga selangit bila :

1. Kondisi permukaan mulus, (bukan berarti tidak ada cap atau belum dipakai), tanpa minyak , sobekan, atau gambar yang memudar. 
2. Perangko terpotong sempurna. Karena dulu Penny Black dicetak saat perforasi belum ditemukan, maka tukang pos harus memotong sendiri perangkonya dengan gunting. Padahal margin yang disediakan tidak terlalu luas, sehingga besar kemungkinan perangko tersebut miring terpotong. 

Definitif Penny Black bisa ditemukan di laman ini yang menjelaskan pula kriteria tambahan plate pencetaknya.

Berapa harga Penny Black ?
Menurut laman tersebut, harga jual Penny Black yang paling buruk kondisi nya per 2008 adalah £15
-- sekitar Rp. 312,000.00

 Seperti apa rupanya?

--------------------------------------------------------

Dari dua kriteria diatas,  seharusnya sudah bisa disimpulkan bahwa :


Kalau harga Penny Black saja hanya Rp 312,000.00, maka tidak logis jadinya bila perangko Soekarno 1 sen dijual Rp 500,000.00.

Dan saya tidak menyatakan demikian, tanpa pengalaman pribadi membeli perangko Soekarno 1 sen dimaksud, di Bandung, dalam kondisi mint (mulus), seharga Rp 1,000.00 per keping.
Karena saya (cukup) menyukai Soekarno, dan menurut saya perangko Soekarno 1 sen itu tergolong keren, maka saya membeli 10 lembar.

sepuluh lembar.

biarkan itu meresap di pikiran sesaat.

Perangko Soekarno 1 sen bukanlah perangko langka.

-----------------------------------------

Bila ingin berargumen tentang usia, Perangko Soekarno 1 sen diterbitkan (secara logis) setelah tahun 1945, bukan?
Tahun berapa Penny Black terbit?
1840.

Seabad bedanya.

----------------------------------------

Bila mengacu pada sejarah,

Penny Black adalah perangko pertama berperekat yang digunakan dalam sistem pos.

Penny Black adalah alasan mengapa Inggris sebagai negara penerbit menjadi satu - satunya negara yang berhak untuk tidak mencantumkan nama negara pada perangko yang diterbitkan.


Perangko Soekarno 1 sen (mungkin) diterbitkan karena Soekarno adalah presiden Pertama Indonesia.
Tidak ada alasan khusus selain itu.
Saya sering beranggapan saya ini nasionalis, mungkin karena itu pula maka saya suka Perangko Soekarno (siapa yang tidak?).
Tapi ya, itu saja. tidak ada lagi hal lain yang membuat Perangko Soekarno cukup spesial dimata pengumpul, selain alasan nasionalis itu sendiri.

----------------------------------------------

Melanjutkan alasan dibalik harga jual sebuah perangko,

Kondisi perangko 

Kumal ? beep.
Lecak ? beep.
Sobek ? beep.
Kusam ? beep.

Kalau ada penjual menunjukkan perangko yang sudah sobek kumal kusam disana sini karena:

1. Tidak disimpan dengan rapih, 
2. Disentuh dengan kasar / tangan kotor / tidak menggunakan pinset perangko, 
3. Dilepas dari amplop dengan cara kasar, dicabut paksa / bukan dilarutkan perekatnya dengan air. 

Kecuali itu adalah perangko Hawaii Misionary Stamps (1851) atau sejenisnya, maka bisa dipastikan, perangko itu hampir tidak ada harganya, kecuali sebagai barang kenangan pribadi bagi si pengumpul dan anak cucu nya.

Hawaii Misionary Stamps itu seperti apa ?

Cek disini untuk mengetahui mengapa Hawaiian Misionary Stamps termasuk dalam golongan perangko termahal dunia. 


Cerita khusus

Ada beragam cerita khusus yang membuat sebuah perangko menjadi mahal, berikut beberapa yang saya ketahui :

1. Salah Cetak

Bisa jadi salah satu huruf, salah satu kata, kurang satu logo.
Kemarin di toko perangko, saya menemukan perangko yang ketika dicetak, ternyata tidak ada logo Royal Mail dan nilai 5 sen nya, saya lupa seri apa. Perangko tersebut dihargai USD 500 per keping nya, atau sekitar Rp. 6,600,000.00.


2. Cetak Terbalik

Sebetulnya bisa dikategorikan sebagai 'salah cetak' juga, tapi ini lebih spesifik. Karena jenis cetak terbalik inipun bisa dibagi menjadi salah satu bagian (misalnya gambar atau teks) dari perangko tersebut, dicetak terbalik vertikal, berlawanan dengan bagian lain.
Atau, yang lebih seru, perangko tersebut dicetak terbalik horizontal, dimana teks / gambar baru akan terbaca dengan cermin.

3. Cetak Tindih

Dalam kondisi sebuah perangko sudah tersedia untuk umum, kemudian diberikan nilai jual yang baru. Misalnya, perangko seharga 2 sen, kemudian dicetak nilai baru sebesar 10 sen diatasnya.
Atau, dengan berganti rezim, bisa pula perangko tersebut kemudian diberikan logo baru atau nama pemerintahan baru dengan cetak tindih.

Indonesia juga punya beberapa perangko cetak tindih modern.
Saya punya satu (haha). Sayangnya milik saya tersebut, saat ini ada di rumah di kampung halaman, jadi saya tidak bisa mengambil foto untuk ditampilkan disini.
Saya juga tidak hapal serinya apa. Tapi saya ingat, perangko tersebut dicetak tindih dengan warna emas, untuk merayakan pariwisata.

Dan itu bukan perangko langka. Harganya per keping kalau tidak salah sekitar Rp 15,000.00 sesuai dengan nilai buku nya. 


----------------------------------------------

fiuh. akhirnya curhat saya selesai juga.
(lho, ini curhat to?)

Melepaskan frustrasi. *kipas kipas*

Jadi, wahai para pemilik perangko yang memiliki perangko tersebut karena diwariskan orang tua, dan saat ini sedang butuh uang sehingga bermaksud menjual perangko tersebut, dan menetapkan harga jual yang tidak masuk akal dengan alasan 'Perangko tua' , 'Perangko luar negri tua' dan lain sebagainya, tanpa mengetahui dengan persis cerita dibalik perangko itu, saran saya, sebaiknya perangko itu disimpan saja. Lebih berharga bila dijadikan warisan bagi anak cucu, ketimbang dijual.

Saya percaya, uang (dalam nominal yang diinginkan) bisa dicari dengan cara lain.

Dan bagi para pengumpul perangko, seperti saya, banyak banyak saja main ke pasar pagi Unpad. Sering ada penjual perangko disitu. harganya masuk akal. beli lah banyak banyak (kasih uang ekstra ke penjual atau bayar lebih 50 ribu, karena mereka baik - baik).

Kalau tidak sempat, Museum perangko TMII juga menjual perangko lama. dengan harga yang juga masuk akal.

--------------------------------------------

catatan frustrasi tambahan

situs jual perangko daring dari PT Pos Indonesia, http://e-fila.com saat ini suspend. Tidak bisa digunakan.
T_T''

Wahai pengelola situs, mohon dapat membuka kembali laman tersebut. Saya janji, saya akan belanja lebih banyak dari laman tersebut.

Simple Recipes - Beginner Level : Hash Brown

When you're married, but you know nothing about cooking, except to make some spaghetti, somehow someday -- you'll get it.

The urge just comes from having bored with the same instant spaghetti everyday. Seriously.

So, here is one beginner (wife) level recipe that I am now confident enough in making without having to peek to the recipes all the time.

I hope this works well for you too.

Hash Brown

Ingredients:

• Large size potato
• 1 shallot (or more, or onion, your preference)
• 1 egg white
• 2 tbs all purpose flour
• salt and pepper to taste 
• dash of crushed coriander and garlic powder (optional)
• oil to fry

How to:

1. grate potato into thin slices, soak in cold water for 20 minutes
2. drain potato slices, squeeze all the water out using a clean table cloth
3. grate shallot, mix with the potato
4. add egg white, and flour, salt and pepper, mix it well
5. fry in a preheated oil, medium heat for 4 mins each side or until it's golden brown. 

Result:

somehow like this:

ignore the visual, this actually taste good (self defense mode : on)

Junggigo Soyou Some (chord)

yeah,

i think the last time i really pay attention to a song that i like and search for the right chord to play along, was like years ago.

but, since i gained lots of stress here from work, and managed to bought a guitar, i suddenly enjoy doing that particular thing again.

i know this is a pretty old song, judging by how quick trend changes nowadays, but this is still gold for me.
for you who don't know what song is this, check this link here. listen for a while, then you'll probably fell in love with it.


happy playing. :)

Some
Jungigo Soyou

Dmaj7                   A/C#                       Bm

Gakkeumssik nado moreuge jjajeungina

                                            A                                  G

Neoreul hyanghan mameun byeonhaji anhanneunde

                               F#m

Hoksi naega isanghan geolkka

                       G                            A

Honja himdeulge jinaego isseosseo

Dmaj7                         A/C#                              Bm

Teong bin bang honja meonghani dwicheogida

                          A                                  G

Tibieneun eoje bon geot gateun deurama

                               F#m                               G                               A              

Jami deul ttaekkaji hanbeondo ulliji annneun haendeuponeul deulgo

Reff :

                     Dmaj7                                     A/C#

Yojeumttara naekkeoin deut naekkeo anin naekkeo gateun neo

Bm                                     A                              

Nikkeoin deut nikkeo anin nikkeo gateun na

G                           F#m                     G   A

Ige museun saiin geonji sasil hetgallyeo muttukttukhage guljima

Yeoninin deut yeonin anin yeonin gateun neo

Naman bol deut aemaehage nal daehaneun neo

Ttaeroneun chingu gatdaneun mari

Gwaenhi yojeum nan deutgi sirheojyeosseo

Dmaj7                     A/C#                         Bm

Maeil achim neoui munjae nuneul tteugo

                           A                                         G

Haru kkeuteneun ni moksorie jamdeulgo pa

                                              F#m

Jumareneun manheun saram sogeseo

                      G                             A

Boran deusi neol kkeureo ango sipeo

*Reff*

Dmaj7                A/C#

Neo yojeum neo byeolloya neo byeolloya

      Bm               A                                          G

Na geunde nan neoppuniya nan neoppuniya

                                                     F#m

Bunmyeonghage naege seoneul geueojwo

                      Em                           A

Jakku dwiro ppaeji malgo nal saranghanda gobaekhae jwo

Rap)

Yeojeonhi chinguincheok tto yeoninincheok

Haengdonghaneun moseubeul jeonbuda dorikyeo

Saenggak hal surok neoui jinsimi deo gunggeumhaejineun geol

Girl you’re so

Ambiguous nan motae mueotdo

Ani eojjeomyeon gijeogeul baraji lotto

Hwaksilhan pyohyeoneul wonhajiman

Neoui miso ttuin pyojeonge ijeobeoriji nan

*Reff*

note:

for amateur like me, Dmaj7 sounds like a scary chord, but its not. 

just put your pointer finger to the first three strings on second fret. and use D string as bass. 

A Day in New York

Didn't go as well as I planned before, but we were able to eat good food from a Deli nearby. Ever heard the term 'happy tummy makes a happy kid' ? well, that's the situation for us.

This is our second night in Manhattan, NY. We arrived here last night and will leave tomorrow.
I don't know how to describe the weather here. It's windy rains all day, which is bad for a sight seeing, but I love rains because it feels good, but I don't really fond of the feels of wearing a long john on my skin. So, basically, it's complicated.

We went to Central Park today, and I had this idea on my mind to draw some sketch of the park, taking a look up close to Cleopatra's Needle, and visiting Gugenheim or Museum of Modern Art.
Too bad, none of them were suceeded.

First, my shoe broke. It was wet all over and the sole got off of its sides.  So we have to went to the nearest shop (named after a Goddess), the shoe was surprisingly cheaper then the same brand sold in Jakarta, but the socks price was crazy. at least 3 or 4 times more expensive.

but i get a new shoes. look at the bright side.
and on the way to the park, we bought two hot dogs and a falafel sandwich at a halal street food vendor.

New shoes, checked, food, checked, then into the park! It was as beautiful as it seems in movies. Most importantly, the rains add a doze of romance to it.
And 'romance' was the best thing we could get today, because the rains and wind prevent me from making any sketches. T_T
What's even worse than that ? Cleopatra's Needle was closed for renovation. We saw nothing but a huge obelisk trapped in set of scaffolding. A glimpse of hieroglyph was there to be seen, but nothing more.

It was sad. but we can't expect anything better since this trip was actually just a stop by before we leave for the Caribbean tomorrow. All in all, Central Park is a good example for a good urban planning that saved a city just in time before it became a total concrete jungle.
It surely brings happiness to many people (and to many squirrels too!). 

remembering your dreams

when I was ... er... 11 yo, somewhere in late 90's, I watched Vanessa Mae on tv. Playing her violin like a mad queen. That's when I wanted to be a violinist.
But the dream was only a story to be told, because  i knew that violin was an expensive instrument that we can't afford. 

But then........I received a violin when I was in junior high (around 13yo), ......from a distant relatives. The violin was once belong to my father's cousin's late father-in-law (see how distant it is ?, wasn't even count as 'relative' for sure). His wife (my father's cousin's mother-in-law, not my father's wife or my father's cousin's wife) gave it to my father because she heard that I was very fond of music and already sing and play guitar a lot since elementary, and have particular interest for classical music. AND, that I had a dream of becoming a violinist.
Her late husband was a musician and was once a member of a famous symphony orchestra in my country. And because her own grandchildren prefer football than piano, she then decided that there's nothing wrong in giving his violin to me. In attempt of keeping his heritage alive. 

It was awesome. Even at that time, I knew that not everyone has the chance to even touch a violin, much less playing it. But then I stumbled on bigger challenge, my parents don't have enough money to pay a violin tutor for me.

So, the violin should wait. and there he wait in his hard case, like Dracula.

After 5 years, we finally managed to have a teacher, a cheap one, living not far from home, and I start my first lessons.

..........but it lasted only for a month.

because then, I had to move to Central Java to finish my last year of high school.

And so, the violin once again being kept in the darkness.

3 years later, I was still in Central Java, entered a university, living a nearly bankrupt student live whose happiness depends on food and comic books.
I was also able to play in several bands, before in 2005 i got involved in a J-grunge band. and the next year I managed to find another violin tutor (a good looking lad, but then I realized he was good looking because he plays the violin). So then I take classes from him.

but then, after a few months of practices, I have to quit because I graduated from my uni, and have to go back to Jakarta and start living life as an adult ... (you know, looking for job, paying bills, etc).

so, if my memory was right, between 1997 - 2007, in total, I had less than a year of violin lesson.

Drac (i've decided to call him Drac , from Dracula) has to wait for another 4 years, before FINALLY, he could breathe the fresh air again when my father found a teacher for me.

the story of how Drac been kept in a dark hard case for years is now finally has its ends. Because until now, the glorious year of 2014, my lesson is still going on well.

Mae is still out of my reach, well that is for sure! But this thing, the feeling of being able to play beautiful composition on a beautiful instrument that is twice your age old, is worth all the waits,
all these years. 

Internet Banking

ok. seriously.

I'm currently working in a bank. As an analyst. More precisely, a credit analyst.

I don't have other than saving account.
which means, yes, I don't have any deposits, or obligations, or options, or even investing in gold.
I don't have any card other than debit.
which means, yes, I don't have credit card.
And although I work in one of the biggest bank in Indonesia, I still have not use their e banking facilities except the ATM - at least until last week.

many people asked me, why am i living in a cave lifestyle when it is something that involves banking activities ?

the only reason is that, I'm a splendor.

even with only a debit card, I would go crazy shopping.

you know those online sites where they sell used books and you can pay through transfer ?

and then those book bazaar where they'd occupy a whole sport stadium to put thousands books and they'd accept payment using debit card ? 

and then those used books sellers where they display books near the ATM ?

and those used stamps sellers who opens at every Sunday market in one of the biggest university park in West Java that also happens to have an ATM spot nearby ?

oooh I went crazy for all of those, and don't mind repeating it again.

you could imagine, what will happen if i have a credit card.

either that, or probably I just don't like being in debt.
-------------
now you really can see, eh ? Even with a debit card, i could go crazy. Although it means i have to look for the nearest ATM to do the transfer or withdraw (some, little, just enough) cash.

then, i heard they're going to put me in one of our overseas branch (far far away from Indonesia), while i'm still in charge of paying our home bills in Jakarta (electricity, internet, phone), so i have no other option, then to (drum rolls) open an Internet Banking account !

and yes, for the past week since i first opened it, I already got the feeling.

The feeling of being able to pay anything from my own room as long as the internet connection is doing well.

THAT feeling.

*such a caveman*

and now, ladies and gentlemen , all i have to do,  is just hold back my desire in those old books they put for sale (oooooooohhhhhhhh the Nur Sutan Iskandar's from the 80's!) and keep in mind. That internet banking is there to make transactions easy.

wait, isn't 'book shopping' is a "transaction" too ?

aaaaaaaarrrggggg

*someone, save that token machine from me!*

Divergent - movie review , spoiler alert

hey, i wrote lots of spoiler here. so beware. please. 

--------
really sorry, but i don't think i'll read the book soon. (that won't mean anything to a book that's already won awards and sold for millions copies).

imo, the movie is like.... er... clueless.

In short, I personally thinks that they really should get rid of the romance part (loving gestures between soon-about-to-be lovers such as cheek - hips - back touching, hand holding, sending sparkle through eye contact, and out of nowhere kiss) throughout the movie.

i don't really care about the weird stuffs such as :

1. the train that seems to be always empty and never stop - or probably they are always empty and never stop just to provide semi-private transportation for (as it is only used by)  the dauntless.
2. the erudite who seems to be crazy about power, they started to build mass destruction weapon in shape of serum-injected-mindless army of dauntless, yet the honest candor do nothing against it (although it is said that they only see and say the truth).
3. the aptitude test, that is kind of useless because in the end, their place is where they want to be, who they want to be. And i mean, of course, "to be who you want to" is kind of cool. but then why should the test ? what if someone is just so happy and really talented in farming, wants to be a judge ? then everyone is actually have something different inside from what they are showing outside. Which means, everyone is 'divergent'. And if that is so, then Tris is not really that special. 

but really, those weird stuff is actually just okay - as we're talking about a movie - if only those (again) romance acts is gone.

they're killing the whole package. Wasting time (the duration is kind of unbearable) and out of the context. I mean, if i want to watch die hard romance, i'll watch twilight saga. that would be enough.

Kudos for the cast. Everyone is great. If you have lots of time and don't mind watching a slow speed action/adventure movie, you should see this. 

ps:

1. don't get me wrong, i dig Barbara Cartland's novels and Harlequin, but the romance in this movie is just feels wrong. 
2. perhaps i still should read the novel - because you know what they say, don't judge a book by its movie adaptation - but just not now. maybe next year or else.

membuat SKCK untuk keperluan imigrasi

hai. 

beberapa waktu lalu saya mengurus SKCK untuk keperluan imigrasi. Dan berdasarkan pengalaman, data2 di internet yang saya cari, kok rasanya minim sekali dan agak simpang siur. 

jadi untuk lebih men simpang siur kan suasana (halah), saya mau sharing saja, bagaimana mengurus SKCK untuk keperluan imigrasi. semoga bermanfaat.


ke ketua RT

tujuan : meminta surat pengantar pembuatan SKCK untuk keperluan pembuatan visa ke ........... (negara tujuan)

persiapkan dokumen :

1. fotokopi KTP
2. fotokopi KK

output :

1. surat pengantar dengan ttd RT. (bagian ttd RW belum diisi)
2. fotokopi KTP (yang tadi diserahkan, dikembalikan lagi)
3. fotokopi KK (yang tadi diserahkan, dikembalikan lagi)

ke ketua RW

tujuan : meminta tandatangan ketua RW untuk surat pengantar pembuatan SKCK

persiapkan dokumen : semua yang kemarin diperoleh dari ketua RT

output :

1. surat pengantar RT RW yang sudah lengkap ditandatangani oleh ketua RT dan ketua RW
2. dokumen KTP dan KK yang diserahkan, dikembalikan lagi

surat pengantar RT RW sebaiknya difotokopi dulu untuk arsip pribadi

ke Kelurahan

tujuan : membuat surat pengantar kelurahan untuk keperluan pembuatan SKCK untuk keperluan visa ............ (negara tujuan)

persiapkan dokumen :

1. surat pengantar RT RW
2. fotokopi KTP
3. fotokopi KK

output :

1. 2 lembar (1 kertas putih, 1 kertas karbon merah salinan. keduanya saling melekat) surat pengantar kelurahan dengan tandatangan Lurah atau yang mewakili, ada spot untuk tandatangan kecamatan yang masih kosong. Pada bagian tujuan pengantar, tercantum tujuan pembuatan SKCK, periksa agar tidak ada kesalahan cetak (misal, nama negara tujuan, dsb).

ke Kecamatan 

tujuan : meminta (tandatangan) pengantar untuk pembuatan SKCK untuk keperluan imigrasi

persiapkan dokumen :

1. surat pengantar kelurahan (yang tadi ada 1 lembar asli dan 1 lembar salinan karbon merah dari kelurahan)
2. fotokopi KTP
3. fotokopi KK

output :

1. 1 lembar (asli, berwarna putih) surat pengantar kelurahan kecamatan, yang telah lengkap ditandatangani oleh lurah dan camat. 

ke Polda

tujuan : meminta rekomendasi SKCK untuk keperluan imigrasi 

persiapkan dokumen :

1. surat pengantar kecamatan
2. fotokopi KTP 
3. fotokopi Paspor
4. fotokopi KK
5. fotokopi akta kelahiran / ijazah terakhir
6. pas foto berwarna, ukuran 4x6 sebanyak 5 lembar

proses :

1. mengisi formulir (2 set) yang diberikan oleh petugas (form ini agar difoto kopi, untuk keperluan di Mabes Polri)
2. mengambil formulir sidik jari dan melakukan pengambilan sidik jari di tempat yang ditunjuk petugas
3. setelah selesai ambil sidik jari, menyerahkan kartu sidik jari ke petugas awal
4. menunggu untuk dipanggil saat petugas mengkonfirmasi tujuan pembuatan SKCK. Periksa tulisan petugas di layar komputer, apakah ejaan sudah benar atau belum. 
5. menunggu SKCK selesai di proses
6. membayar administrasi Rp 10.000,-

output :

1. 1 lembar kartu sidik jari (simpan kartu sidik jari anda dengan baik.)
2. 1 lembar asli SKCK polda (fotokopi untuk arsip anda)

catatan :
fotokopi SKCK polda dan kartu sidik jari agar dapat disimpan dengan baik untuk memperpanjang SKCK apabila diperlukan. Dengan dokumen tersebut, anda bisa langsung ke Polda tanpa perlu membuat surat pengantar kecamatan lagi. 

fotokopi form isian saat mengurus SKCK di Polda, dapat digunakan untuk mengurus SKCK di Polri.


ke Mabes Polri

tujuan : membuat SKCK untuk keperluan imigrasi

persiapkan dokumen :

1. pengantar Polda (SKCK yang diperoleh dari Polda)
2. fotokopi Paspor
3. fotokopi KTP
4. fotokopi KK
5. fotokopi Akta Kelahiran / Ijazah terakhir
6. pas foto berwarna dengan latar merah, ukuran 4x6 sebanyak 3 lembar

proses:

1. menyerahkan berkas yang sudah lengkap ke petugas di loket GIAT MAS (pelayanan skck) di ruang Pelayanan Masyarakat. 
2. mengisi formulir yang diserahkan petugas (apabila sudah ada foto kopi formulir isian dari Polda sebelumnya, bisa menyerahkan ini saja. )
3. menunggu dipanggil untuk menerima SKCK asli (apabila petugas penandatangan tidak ditempat, akan disuruh mengambil SKCK asli pada esok hari nya).
4. membayar administrasi Rp 10.000

output :

1. 1 lembar asli SKCK Mabes Polri 

end

catatan akhir :

1. Lembar SKCK agar di fotokopi untuk arsip pribadi. 
2. di internet, ada yang mengatakan bahwa lembar SKCK perlu di legalisir. berdasar informasi dari petugas di polda, skck yang dikeluarkan oleh Mabes Polri sudah dapat digunakan untuk keperluan imigrasi. tidak perlu legalisir lagi.
3. berhubung tulisan ini dibuat segera setelah saya selesai membuat skck, jadi data dan informasi dihitung update hingga 04 April 2014. 
4. saya membuat skck di Polda Metro Jaya, Jl. jend Gatot Subroto (gedung pelayanan masyarakat ada di seberang Masjid), sementara pengurusan SKCK polri, di Mabes Polri, Trunojoyo (gedung pelayanan masyarakat ada di seberang lab forensik).
5. usahakan datang pagi (pukul 08.00) untuk menghindari antrian dan agar dokumen bisa segera selesai di hari yang sama. 

oks. apabila ada kesalahan tulis atau tambahan informasi, monggo silahkan di tulis. 

mohon maaf tidak menerima pertanyaan terkait prosedur dan administrasi diluar yang sudah saya jelaskan disini - takutnya saya nanti malah salah menjawab. :)

living a luxurious life

I live in one of (maybe) the cheapest living cost city in the world.

I have no house (yet), but  a nice room in my parent's with solid roof that don't leak during rain, permanent walls that is smoothly painted, clean place and air con to keep off the heat at night.

I have no car, nor bike nor motorcycle, and have to run errands in public vehicles, but I can afford a ride in taxi at anytime I want.

I can afford to buy books. Whatever books I want to read.

I have nutritious meal every day. My stomach is always full and fells warm.

I work in a bank, and although sometimes it feels like a torture, and to some people it pays very little, but that's nonsense, because it is way better than what some people have to do to get even a 1/100 of what i get in a day.

I can afford the best clothes and shoes I want. Many out there can't even afford a decent sandals.

that is why, i'm living the luxurious life.


and that is the reason why, i should give thanks more.

*stop whining*

The Javanese wedding banquet

so, our first banquet's pictures are finally arrived (right before the second banquet begin) couple days ago.

It was Javanese ethnic bridal costume. Particularly from Yogyakarta. Entitled "Paes Ageng". Detailed information about the make up, hair and costume design, is available here. The headpiece was very heavy (although after the second (Minangnese) banquet, I'm not so sure about which is heavier between those two), shown in this pic.

that headpiece was not even a final form yet!
but you could see, there's a long and big braid made from chopped pandan leaves covered with jasmine, hanging from a fake bun made from the same material.
Negative side, they pull my hair so bad, I didn't think I would make it any longer than a  half day.
Positive side, the nice scent coming from Pandan leaves and Jasmine, create a pure and sacred air around me. and that is necessary to help me cope with the rest of the day.

That half-form headpiece and make up is used during marriage vow session. that's why you could see a hint of a white kebaya (embroidery designed by me, of course *cough*).

After the vow was read and papers signed, they put five heavy flower shaped hair pins, and add golden lines to my forehead. This is how the final form looks like from side :

I've just realized it now how big the bun looked like from behind! T_T oh my!

ergh. But no matter what, i need to keep my pride as a happy bride, eh ? the fact that i was super happy that day, helps me with the load. :D that's why i managed to keep my face look like this during every pictures.

oh, and did i mentioned that i design the wedding venue (interior) myself ? *cough cough* the party was held at home, so we need to do our best with it. We use our own furniture as some supporting element besides the rented main chair for the happy couple and parents.That table behind is the example.
Not bad eh ?

as usual, promise promise, i'll post pictures from the second banquet after the files are in my hand.
and that will be all.

newlywed's new year's morning

so, i got married last december. with my first (and only- i've never had a boyfriend before him, and we've been dating for 5 years before we finally tied the knot) boyfriend.

we're moslems, so there are few things that is definitely good about this marriage, which are :

1. now we're muhrim (a family), means i don't have to repeat taking wudhu (the holy water before the pray) when i accidentally touched him before doing the pray. 
2. i could meet him every night (when he's (or i'm) not out of town for work). and every morning after that. and i think that is a really comforting feeling.

but, there are also several things that comes in as consequences (of course), such as:

1.  my mom starts asking for a grandchild. 
2. we both need to be more tolerable about several things like my habit of getting shower after whenever i went out of the house, while he's the type of only two baths a day. i think i'm overboard about this. i need to minimize my germ-o-phobia. 

we're Indonesian, from different ethnicity. i'm Javanese and he's Minangnese. We did the wedding banquet in Javanese style, particularly in Jogja wedding costume. My headpiece was super heavy, i nearly faint (uh oh, exaggerated).
but, of course, there will be another banquet held in this January, this time with Minang wedding costume. I'll be wearing another heavy head piece (around 2 kg).
may this wedding is blessed. that tired neck of mine need a present of a lifetime happiness, for sure!

ooh i wish i have the pictures to show you (our photographer haven't send it yet).  i hope i'll remember to post it later.

i don't celebrate new year, actually. not because i'm against mainstream or what, i just don't like being up all night just to remind myself that the year is changing. however, i don't mind watching free fireworks blasting all night (and making astronomers crazy because it blinds them) from my balcony.

agh. what a morning.

i think i'll order a pizza.

 

The Nightmare

I’ve just had the nightmare. Why do I put ‘the’ instead of ‘a’ in front of it ? Because THE nightmare was about my biggest fear yet (probably) my favorite thing in this world. 

It was about school.

I could remember that I was a university student. It was dark so I supposed the dream set up at night. I was in the library. The library was kind of dusty, but full of books and fellow students.

They asked me, ‘have you finished your paper?’ I realized that they were talking about final paper, and it will be due on two weeks, and everyone was like doing their final editing, while I don’t even know yet what will I write about. 

So I was kind of hurry. I decided to make a paper about school (geez, two ‘school’ theme in one dream? That’s like a schoolception!). But when I rummaging the books, I wasn’t able to find any book that write about ‘school’. BUT I saw many – like very very many – encyclopedias! Every kind of encyclopedia a kid could ever want!

There was this set about animal, about religion, and other themes, All in bright colors and high resolution pictures.

And after encyclopedia? I found this huge pile of comic books! And I remember I picked one titled ‘Kotaro’ and it was about baseball (there’s this girl and this boy and the boy was wearing a baseball costume).

So, since I didn’t find anything, I get back to paper made by seniors. I decided I’ll look for a paper titled something related to FARMING.

Geez. 

But I couldn’t find it. The numbering, however, I could remember. It was some sort of like 1205 and 08 something. The paper was bind in yellow. I couldn’t find the paper I was looking for. And although the library was full and seems like busy, I remember that the papers were all covered in dust and spider webs.

There was then this someone who say to me, ‘you couldn’t find it, do you?’ and when he said that, I realize that I won’t have enough time to finish the paper. And I won’t graduate. 

After I woke up (and hurriedly write this), I realize that this dream pictures some of my biggest love hate I have until now. 

What I love:

• Books. ----- those encyclopedia about animal is probably the best features available from the nightmare production company (my brain). And manga? That’s just awesome
• School -----sounds weird, but I love the process of studying, learning everything new, and actually get the chance to read a little here and there from some sort of more serious themed books.
• The old ambiance of a library --- classic!

What I hate:

• Task --- in this case, a paper. That’s probably one of the reason why I hate school the same way.
• School --- yeah. Me too. Confused with this love hate relationship.
• Dust---- I have asthma. Therefore, I hate dusts. Although at some classical themed scenery (or ancient theme or indiana jones theme), a presentation of dust in adequate amount, is a must.
• Not graduating ---- although I’m not quite sure whether I’m an ambitious person or not, but I hate it if I can’t finish the job. Moreover, the job that could determine whether I’ll be able to graduate or not.

What was the memory?

Well, I studied architecture engineering. And my final paper was about building a music school (conservatory) that has this gothic architecture style. This dream probably just schoolception me about how I have this difficult relationship with school. 

oh, but I couldn't understand what was it about Farming. Do I secretly wants to be a farmer?

The Ghosts Goes On

Continuing previous post, I'll tell you another stories from the Astrawidjaja (haunted) Mansion.

please don't make me explain about the so called 'mansion' again. 

Knocking on Doors #1
Half a year after the previous activity of 'someone' walk in my bedroom to be,  and after 25 years of not having our own bedrooms, finally, the bedrooms upstairs is finished (or at lease adequate enough to be a proper bedroom).

nothing happen for a while. Until one night, when i was asleep and happily snoring (what's the verb for 'snore'?), there's someone knock on my door.

the knocking was so loud, i opened my eyes instantly. I remember i just lay there, eyes wide open, and basically don't know what to do.

to open the door? what if someone/something is really out there waiting to .. er.. i don't know.

to stay at my bed seems to be like a good option. because i don't want to run without really sure about whether the knocking was real or just a dream.

so i wait there.

and suddenly another knock - knock on my door (or my window, i'm not sure. but the balcony was bright so i can see it clearly from my dark room, and it was totally empty).

and i decided to , well despite of having fear all that moment, zoom out of my room, straight to my sister's next to mine.

i opened her door, and there she's sitting on her bed. Her face was pale, and she was holding her feet.

'what the he** took you so long?? i got cramps on my feet. and i scream but no one's coming!'

shocked by what she just said, i just come over and try to give her foot some massage to get rid of the cramps.

just by that time, my parents open the door, their face were also pale. My mom asked me, 'did you knock on my door?

of course i didn't!

.......

When we exchange stories, we found out that my sister was crying for help due to her cramped feet. But no one's coming.
My dad heard someone knocking on his bedroom's door. at first he thought it was me, because (according to them) i used to get in to their room at anytime, although it was weird because i never knocked.
He said 'Ara? come in.'
but no one replied. And then there goes just another knock-knock. Thinking that it probably a robbery, my parents go out of their room. First thing they do was checking the living room and the back yard. Since there was nothing, they went to my room.
They was shocked because my door was opened, and my blanket laid on the floor. It was as if i was kidnapped or run away somewhere but downstairs.

so they check on my sister's, and found both of us just sitting there, both look pale.
my sister due to her cramps, and me due to horror.

 In conclusion, this ghosts was trying to woke me and my parents, because my sister need help.

yeah, as if knocking on someone's door in the middle of the night doesn't have any side effect of causing terrible disaster such as heart attack.

Who's in the Bathroom #2
I got home early that day. First things i did was unlocking the back door, threw my bag on the table, feed the cat, and leave again to buy some meal for dinner.
After half an hour, i went back, and found my parents are already there.

When i opened the backdoor, my dad look at me with surprise. He said , 'ma, Ara's here.'
and my mom who was at the living room just dashed back to the dining, looked at me for a moment, then said 'So who's in the bathroom?'

well, actually, none. since my sister wasn't home.

my mom told me that when she and my dad got home, they saw my bag and heard someone's taking a shower upstairs. So they quickly assumed that it was me.
when i came back from the dinner, they thought it was my sister who's opening the back door. That's why they were surprised to find it was me. and that was nobody upstairs.

.......

even just by writing this, i got a shiver on my back.

i better stop.

argh. bye.