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#706 - Great TV Season

ENGLISH

Hmm, I think it has been a while since I posted something about TV Show, haha... . Well, I really love the TV Season right now. It is simply because some programs are really fascinating.

American Idol 8

I think this season of American Idol is one of the bestest season ever. Most of the contestants are talented and so diverse. So far the voting also have been satisfying. The lowest votes getter usually is the weakest of the week. Hmm, that's good!! Well, in about four weeks it's gonna end tho, hmmm...

Anyway, for now I want to see Adam Lambert vs Kris Allen in the top 2. Danny Gokey is kinda boring right now, he has never given an outstanding performance thru this week, for me.

The Amazing Race 14

This season is also one of the best seasons ever. I really like the castings, the dramas, the legs, the destinations, the tasks, etc. I gotta say this season is a lot better and more interesting than the previous one, haha... .

Anyway, talking about the tension between Margie & Luke and Kisha & Jen, I think I gotta put myself on Kisha & Jen's side. I think Margie & Luke were just oversensitive and even kinda dramatized it. Hey, I can understand why Jen said b*tch, it's just a reflex thing. When someone suddenly pull you away like that, it's understandable why Jen reacted that way. But then, Luke kinda over-reacted with it. He said b*tch several times to Jen, and it's on purpose, hmm... . Then, Margie accused Kisha to laugh at her son (while she didn't). Kisha already apologized and tried to clear things up that it was misunderstanding. But Margie didn't accept it, even after Phil also tried to explain to her it's just a misunderstanding, hmmm... . I kinda lost respect of Margie & Luke right now tho. Anyway, it's just my opinion tho, based on the episodes I watched, who knows what really happened? haha

HEROES Season 3 Part 2 : fugitives

Well, this series is getting more and more interesting for me, haha...

====

Well, there actually some more TV Shows that I like but now I only have short amount of time before lecture at 1 PM, so I have to cut this entry here, haha...

BAHASA INDONESIA

Hmm, aku rasa sudah lumayan lama ya sejak aku nulis tentang acara TV, haha... . Hmm, aku benar2 suka Musim Acara TV yang sekarang nih. Ya gampang aja, karena banyak banget acaranya yang bagus.

American Idol 8

Aku rasa musim American Idol ini adalah salah satu musim yang paling bagus deh. Banyak kotestan yang berbakat dan juga berbeda2 gitu. Sejauh ini votingnya juga memuaskan tuh. Yang mendapat voting paling rendah biasanya memang yang terlemah minhhu itu. Hmm, bagus kan!! Hmm, dalam empat minggu akan beres nih acaranya.

Ngomong2, sekarang sih aku pengennya ngelihat adam Lambert vs Kris Allen deh di final. Danny Gokey koq lama2 membosankan yah, dia juga ga pernah dah menunjukkan penampilan yang bagus sekali sejau ini, untuk aku.

The Amazing Race 14

Musim ini juga salah satu yang terkeren neh. Aku suka castingnya, dramanya, babak2nya, tujuan2nya, tugas2nya, dll. Aku juga harus bilang kalo musim ini jauh lebih baik dan menarik dari yang sebelumnya, haha... .

Ngomong2, tentang tensi antara Margie & Luke dan Kisha & Jen, aku rasa aku harus membela Kisha & Jen deh. Yah, aku rasa sih Margie & Luke th hanya terlalu sensitif dan mendramatisir keadaan saja. Hey, aku bisa memahami kenapa Jen mengeluarkan kata b*tch, itu kan refleks saja. Misalnya seorang tiba2 mendorong kita tentu saja rasanya masuk akal Jen bereaksi seperti itu. Namun kemudian, berbeda dengan Luke yang sepertinya berlebihan menanggapinya. Dia bialng b*tch beberapa kali ke Jen, dan itu jelas sekali disengaja, hmm... . Trus, Margie juga menuduh Kisha menertawakan anaknya (padahal engga). Kisha sudah meminta maaf dan mecoba menjelaskan permasalahan bahwa itu hanya kesalahpahaman saja. Namun, Margie tidak menerimanya bahkan setelah Phil mencoba menjelaskan kesalahpahaman itu, hmmm... . Aku agak hilang respek terhadap Margie & Luke nehsekarang. Ngomong2, ini hanya pendapat sok tahuku sih, berdasar episode yang aku tonton, siapa yang tahu kejadian sebenarnya kan?

HEROES Season 3 Part 2 : fugitives

Hmm, seri ini jga menjadi makin menarik dan seru neh, haha...

====

Yah, sebenernya ada beberapa acara lain yang juga keren sih, tapi aku cuma ada sedikit waktu neh sebelum kuliah jam 1 siang nanti. Makanya posting ini harus aku potong disini, haha...

#705 - Recent Update

ENGLISH

Well, this weekend has been kinda different with ordinary ones. Last Saturday I attended MAG-D in ITB. There were three seminars and one problem solving competition on the whole day. I think it was an interesting day, I learned a lot from it. Well, that's actually pretty much what's "different" from my weekend. The rest were just ordinary.

Anyway, last Tuesday I managed to go to the official service center. According to them, I needed to have my laptop repaired. The problem is it's an over-nights service. For now, I can't afford it since I have some tasks due before final exam which need computer workings. Ok, so I think I made the right deal. I ordered the spare parts but didn't leave my laptop there. Once the spare parts are in Bandung, they will contact me. So, when every task is done, I can get my laptop repaired, and it should stay that long since I won't have to wait for spare parts from Jakarta anymore, haha. However, until now there's no news yet. Probably it will be tomorrow tho, hmmm

BAHASA INDONESIA

Hmm, wiken ini agak berbeda deh sama wiken-wiken biasa lainnya. Minggu kemarin aku ikutan MAG-D di ITB. Yah, ada tiga seminar dan satu kompetisi pemecahan masalah di sepanjang hari itu. Aku rasa kemarin adalah hari yang menarik, aku belajar banyak darinya. Hmm, itu aja sih yang "berbeda" dari wikenku kemarin. Sisanya sih biasa saja.

Ngomong2, Selasa kemarin aku akhirnya bisa ke pusat servis resmi hp. Menuut mereka, aku perlu menyervis laptopku. Masalahnya adalah, servisnya itu nginep. Padahal untuk sekarang aku nggak bisa mengambil opsi itu karena sedang ada banyak tugas nih sebelum UAS yang membutuhkan pengerjaan pake komputer. Ok, jadi aku rasa aku membuat deal yang tepat kemarin. Aku memesan spae parts tapi nggak meninggalkan laptopku. Nah, begitu spare parts nya ada di Bandung, aku akan dihubungi mereka. Nah, ketika semua tugas beres ntar, baru deh aku servis laptopku. Seharusnya sih nggak akan lama amat ya servisnya karena nantinya kan tidak harus menunggu kiriman spare parts dari Jakarta lagi, haha. Namun, sampe sekarang koq belum ada kabar yah. Ah, mungkin besok kali, hmmm

#704 - Relaxing Week

ENGLISH

Well, this week has kinda been a bit relaxing. I don't feel the tension (thus far) as really pushing, haha. Well, that doesn't mean that everything is smooth this week, a big NO. There are some problems that I gotta handle and of course count the risks and solutions to solve, haha.

Anyway, yesterday I watched the Result Show of American Idol, and my guess was right. The bottom three were:
5. Allison Iraheta
6/7. Anoop Desai (VOTED OFF)
6/7. Lil Rounds (VOTED OFF)

My initial guess (since the top 13) about the composition of male - female in the top 5 is also correct, there's only 1 female in the top 5, haha. Well, this is probably the best top five group ever, haha. From these five, I think Kris Allen, Danny Gokey, and Adam Lambert should be in the top three. Well, that means Matt Giraud and Allison Iraheta should be voted off within the next two weeks. Since next week's theme is gonnabe JAZZ, I think Matt Giraud will get a big advantage. This put Allison Iraheta in such a trouble since Allison's voice is really rock, haha. But we will see tho...

::: top 5

BAHASA INDONESIA

Hmm, minggu ini lumayan santai neh. Aku tidak merasa tekanan (sejauh ini) yang berat sekali sih, haha. Namun, itu bukan berarti minggu ini semua mulus-mulus saja lho, benar-benar TIDAK. Ada beberapa masalah yang haus aku tangani dan tentu saja menghitung risiko dan solusi tuh, haha.

Ngomong2, kemarin aku nonton Result Show dari American Idol, dan tebakanku tentang siapa yang tereliminasi benar. Tiga terbawahnya:
5. Allison Iraheta
6/7. Anoop Desai (TERSISIH)
6/7. Lil Rounds (TERSISIH)

Hmm, tebakan awalku (sejak top 13) tentang komposisi laki-laki - perempuan di top 5 season ini juga benar, hanya 1 perempuan yang tersisa, haha. Hmm, aku rasa ini mungkin grup 5 besar terbaik deh, haha. Dari lima ini, aku rasa Kris Allen, Danny Gokey, dan Adam Lambert seharusnya menjadi tiga besar. Ini berarti Matt Giraud dan Allison Iraheta seharusnya tereliminasi dalam dua minggu ke depan. Nah, karena tema minggu depan adalah: JAZZ, aku rasa Matt Giraud akan mendapat keuntungan yang besar. Ini menyudutkan Allison di posisi yang sulit karena suaranya kan rock sekali, haha. Yah, kita liat nanti saja deh.

#703 - My Blog's 4th Anniversary

Finally, today my blog reaches its FOURTH birthday....




703 entries have been posted on its first three years, or 186 entries during the last one year

Many feedbacks have already been acquired

Many people have come and visited

Thanks everyone for your supports.... . I will keep on writing in this blog... :)

note:
- Yesterday I went to the service center and I already put my laptop on the service's waiting list. I opted to put it on the waiting list since these two weeks I still need to work using my laptop, hmmm... . haha

- I just watched the second week of Top 7 of American Idol. My favorite: Kris Allen. He changed 'She Works Hard for the Money' and it was so cool. I agree with Paula, I can hear "Santana" in him, hmmm. I think Lil Rounds and Anoop Desai should get voted off this week. We will see.

#702 - Early Week

ENGLISH

Well, this early week has kinda been a bit chill. Yesterday, two classes were canceled, making last Monday was not as busy as it usually is this semester.

Anyway, finally after years living in Bandung, the road nearby my boarding house is reasphalted (well, I dunno the term tho, haha... . It's just that finally the government reasphalted the road so that it's now smooth and good, haha).

Anyway, my internet connection is still crappy up to now, hmmm... . I think tomorrow or the day after I will go to the official service center to check my laptop. Who knows the problem is actually on my laptop? (hope not)

BAHASA INDONESIA

Hmm, awal minggu ini rada nyantai juga ternyata. Kemarin dua kelas dibatalkan, akhirnya Senin kemarin tidak sesibuk biasanya kaya Senin-Senin lain semester ini.

Ngomong2, akhirnya setelah bertahun-tahun tinggal di Bandung, jalan di deket kos akhirnya direaspal juga (hmm, istilahnya apaan ya? haha... . Maksudnya tuh akhirnya pemerintah daerah mengaspal ulang jalannya jadi sekarang jalannya lebih mulus dan lebih ok, haha).

Ngomong2 lagi, koneksi internetku masih payah neh sekarang, hmmm... . Rasanya besok atau lusa aku akan pergi ke pusat servis resminya aja deh untuk sekalian ngecek laptopku. Siapa tahu masalahnya ada di laptopku kan? (mudah2an sih tidak).

#701 - Damn Connection

ENGLISH

Well, lately my internet connection in my boarding house has been kinda crappy. It has been unbelievably slow, especially these last two days (Saturday and Sunday, up to now). That's why I can't update this blog now blogwalk as frequent as usual, so sorry in advance... :D

Anyway, these last few days have been kinda typical for me, I just went to campus, made some assignments, etc, haha... . Nothing really special actually happened, hmmm

BAHASA INDONESIA

Yah, belakangan ini koneksi internet di kosku jadi bermasalah lagi, super lelet sekali. Bener2 keterlaluan deh leletnya, terutama dua hari belakangan ini (Sabtu dan Minggu, sejauh ini). Makanya kini aku nggak bisa update blog ataupun blogwalk sesering biasanya, minta maaf dulu ya... :D

Ngomong2, beberapa hari belakangan ini hanya biasa2 saja seh, tipikal hari-hari itu. Aku cuma pergi ke kampus, bikin tugas yang banyak, dll, haha... . Nggak ada yang spesial yang terjadi, hmmm

#700 - Seven Hundred and Updates

ENGLISH

First of all, this is entry number seven hundred (700). It has been kinda quick since I wrote this entry number 600 about 6.5 months ago. So there were about 15.38 entries per month in average, haha.

Anyway, these two days have been really exhausting in a good and a bit bad way tho, haha... . Yesterday I had a full day on campus from 7 AM until 3 PM. I had seminar yesterday so I had to prepare for it on Tuesday evening. After that, on Wednesday I hanged out with my friends. We planned to go karaokeing to use the free pass we got last time we went there about two weeks ago. On the way, we also stopped by at some places to buy some preps for my Student Council's (where I am the head now) second to last program, "Math Cares" which was held today. We stopped at Balubur and Riau Junction to do some surveys for some preps. We had dinner at Bebek Van Java (BVJ). It was okay for me, tasty but not that 'kickin' ', haha... .

Well, because of those agendas, of course I missed the premiere and first rerun of American Idol top 7 where the theme was actually very interesting, "Songs from Movies". Yesterday, there was still a second rerun later that night, starting at 11.30 PM. Okay, so I waited for it eventho I was super exhausted. Guess what happened next? At 11.26 PM, my TV (the provider actually) was ERROR!! WTF!!! ARRRRGGGGHHHHH!!!! Why at 11.26 PM??? So, I had to miss this week's performance... :(

Today, after having a short sleep (only five hours), I had lecture at 7 AM. Apparently, eventho my body was still tired and sleepy when I got up, after I walked to my campus, it feeled that I was injected with energy so I was kinda spiritful to pass the day! haha... :) I'm kinda proud of it. I had two lectures today, at 7 AM and 12 PM. At 3 PM, I went to 'Wisma Putra', kinda an orphanage, for the "Math Cares". The program went really well, and at 6 PM it finished.

Today, I was able to catch the first rerun of American Idol's top 7 Result Show, and the bottom three were:
5. Anoop Desai
6. Lil Rounds
7. Matt Giraud (lowest vote-getter).
However, this week the judges chose to use their one and only 'JUDGES SAVE' for Matt G so that his elimination was aborted (LOL). Next week, we will still have top 7 performing. However, two contestants will be voted off next week.

::: my meal at BVJ (fried duck)

BAHASA INDONESIA

Pertama2, ini adalah posting nomor tujuh ratus (700). Wah, cepet juga ya sejak aku menulis posting nomor 600 ini sekitar 6,5 bulan yang lalu. Makanya jadi ada rata-rata 15,38 posting setiab bulan, haha.

Ngomong2, dua hari ini bener2 melelahkan neh untuk aku, dalam arti asik dan agak gak asik sih, haha... . Kemarin aku menjalani hari yang lumayan penuh dari jam 7 pagi sampe jam 3 sore di kampus. Aku ada seminar kemarin makanya Selasa malamnya kan harus mempersiapkannya tuh. Setelahnya, Rabu sore aku jalan-jalan sama temenku. Kita sih berencana mau karaokean menggunakan voucher gratisan yang didapatkan waktu karaokean terakhir kali hampir dua minggu yang lalu. Di jalan, sekalian deh kita mampir di beberapa tempat untuk membeli dan mempersiapkan beberapa barang untuk acara kedua terakhir dari Himpunan Mahasiswa (dimana aku adalah ketuanya kali ini), "Math Cares" yang diadakan Kamis ini. Kita mampir ke Balubur dan Riau Junction untuk melakukan survey akan beberapa persiapannya. Kita makan malam di Bebek Van Java (BVJ). Rasanya lumayan sih untuk aku, enak sih, tapi kurang 'nendang', haha... .

Yah, karena agenda-agenda itu, tentu saja aku melewatkan premier dan tayangan ulang perdana dari American Idol top 7 dimana temanya minggu ini asik banget sebenarnya, "Songs from Movies". Kemarin, sebenarnya masih ada tayangan ulang kedua malamnya, yang mulainya jam 11.30 malam. Oke, aku bela-belain menunggunya tuh walau badan lagi capek buanget sebenarnya. Apa yang terjadi kemudian? Jam 11.26 malam, TVnya (providernya sih sebenarnya) ERROR!! WTF!!! ARRRRGGGGHHHHH!!!! Kenapa koq harus jam 11.26 malam sih??? Makanya deh terpaksa harus melewatkan episode penampilan minggu ini... :(

Hari ini, setelah tidur bentar (cuma lima jam), aku ada kuliah jam 7 pagi. Ternyata, walau badan ini masih capek dan ngantuk waktu bangun, tapi setelah jalan ke kampus, rasanya jadi ada energi yang muncul gitu ya makanya jadi bersemangat menjalani hari ini! haha... :) Aku cukup bangga dengan itu. Aku ada dua kuliah hari ini, jam 7 pagi dan jam 12 siang. Jam 3 sore, aku pergi ke 'Wisma Putra' untuk acara "Math Cares" itu. Acaranya berjalan lancar, dan jam 6 sore beres.

Hari ini, aku bisa nonton tayangan ulang perdana American Idol top 7 yang Result Show, dan tiga terbawahnya adalah:
5. Anoop Desai
6. Lil Rounds
7. Matt Giraud (kontestan dengan voting terendah).
Namun, minggu ini jurinya memutuskan untuk menggunakan satu-satunya 'JUDGES SAVE' untuk Matt G makanya eliminasinya dibatalkan. Minggu depan, kita masih akan menonton tujuh besar. Bedanya, minggu depan, dua kontestan akan tereliminasi.

#699 - End of Long Weekend

ENGLISH

Last Sunday, of course, my family and I went to the church for the Easter Mass Liturgy. The mass liturgy was longer than usual, taking about 1 hour 20 minutes, haha. Then, we had breakfast at Soto Kridosono.

Sunday afternoon, I hanged out with my friend. We first were about to go to Ambarrukmo Plaza but then canceled it since the plaza seemed so crowded, haha. Instead, we went to Galeria Mall. There, we went to Toga Mas Bookstore and Timezone, haha. It had been quite a while (around a year I think), since I last played at TZ. After that we went to Nanamia Pizzeria. A friend told me about six months ago that the pizza there is more authentic than some other well-known pizza restaurants in Indonesia. Last Sunday finally I got the chance to take a try, haha.

Yes, the pizza was really authentic, with thin bread. Eventho it's thin, it's delicious. I like the mozarella cheese tho, haha. Overall, I like it. Then, we went back home. After arriving at home, my family and I had dinner at a Crab Restaurant to the north of Yogyakarta. It was okay, not that super delicious but not that bad either, haha. Then we had quick meal at a new noodle restaurant. It was not tasty at all for me, hmm, and not that cheap. Later that evening, I took my new glasses, haha

Monday afternoon, my bro and I went to Ambarrukmo Plaza to get our hair cut. At 2.40 PM we left Ambarrukmo Plaza and went to Magelang Street to buy some gifts for my friends in Bandung. Apparently, it was raining really hard at that time, haha. While going back home, there was a big lightning which I suspected hit my computer at home, damnit. That's why I couldn't access internet yesterday evening when this entry should have been posted, haha. Later that night we had dinner at Lie Djiong. Then my mom and I went to Malioboro Mall, as usual on holiday, haha. At 10.40 PM I went to Yogyakarta Railway Station to catch Turangga Express which departed at 11.10 PM. Turangga arrived (from Surabaya) a bit late, at 11.15 PM and left Yogyakarta Station at 11.20 PM.

This morning, Turangga arrived at 7.45 AM (35 minutes behind schedule) at Bandung Railway Station. Well, that's pretty much my long weekend this time, haha

::: Soto Kridosono

::: homemade fried swikee, bulgogi, and mixed veggies

::: bruchetta and pizza at Nanamia Pizzeria

::: lumpia mayonaisse at Qua Li

::: some of our meal at Lie Djiong

::: a scenery I took this morning, about 90 minutes before Bandung.

::: climbing Turangga Express

::: inside Turangga New Image's Couch Executive 3

::: passengers getting off Turangga Express at Bandung Railway Station

BAHASA INDONESIA

Minggu kemarin, tentu saja, aku dan keluarga pergi ke gereja untuk mengikuti Ekaristi Paskah. Misa-nya agak lebih lama dari biasanya neh kemarin, menghabiskan waktu selama 1 jam 20 menit, haha. Trus kita sarapan di Soto Kridosono.

Minggu siang, aku jalan2 sama temenku. Pertamanya kita mau ke Ambarrukmo Plaza tetapi gajadi soalnya plaza-nya kelihatan rame banget seh, haha. Makanya jadinya malah pergi ke Galeria Mall. Disana, kita pergi ke Toko Buku Togamas dan Timezone, haha. Yah, udah lumayan lama juga seh sejak aku main di TZ terakhir kalinya (sekitar setahunan kali ya).Habis itu kita pergi ke Nanamia Pizzeria. Seorang teman bilang ke aku sekitar enam bulan lalu kalo pizza-nya lebih otentik daripada restoran pizza lain yang terkenal di Indonesia. Nah, akhirnya baru Minggu kemarin nih bisa nyobain, haha.

Yup, pizza-nya memang otentik, dengan roti yang tipis. Walau tipis, tapi enak loh. Aku sih suka keju mozzarela-nya, haha. Secara keseluruhan sih aku suka. Trus balik deh habis itu. Habis sampe di rumah, aku dan keluarga makan malam di sebuah rumah makan kepiting di utara Yogyakarta. Rasanya biasa saja sih, enak banget enggak, tapi juga bukannya nggak enak, haha. Trus kita makan cepat di sebuah rumah makan mi yg baru. Rasanya nggak enak sama sekali menurutku, hmm, dan harganya mahal juga. Malamnya kemudian, aku ngambil kacamata baruku, haha

Senin siang, aku dan adikku pergi ke Ambarrukmo Plaza untuk potong rambut. Jam 2.40 sore kita meninggalkan Ambarrukmo Plaza dan pergi ke Jalan Magelang untuk beli oleh2 untuk temen2 di Bandung. Ternyata, lagi hujan deres banget tuh waktu itu, haha. Malah waktu lagi balik ke rumah, ada petir besar bgt yang aku duga sih mengenai komputerku di rumah, sial. Makanya neh kemarin sore aku gabisa internetan ketika postingnyan ini harusnya diposting, haha. Malamnya kita makan di Lie Djiong. Trus malamnya lagi aku dan mamaku pergi ke Malioboro Mall, kaya biasanya pas ujian, haha. Jam 10.40 malam aku pergi ke Stasiun Kereta Tugu Yogyakarta untuk naik Turangga yang berangkat jam 11.10 malam. Turannga tiba (dari Surabaya) agak telat, jam 11.15 malam dan meninggalkan Stasiun Tugu jam 11.20 malam.

Pagi tadi Turangga tiba jam 7.45 pagi (telat 35 menit dari jadwal) di Stasiun Kereta Bandung. Hmm, kurang lebih itulah long wiken ku kali ini, haha

#698 - Lazy Time

ENGLISH

Well, nothing much I have done these last two days. I literally enjoy this short holiday so that my brain will have been refreshed by next week, haha... . I also enjoy the internet connection in my home tho, since because of this incident, my connection in Bandung has not been as good as usual, hmmm... .

Anyway, I bought new glasses yesterday. Today actually I could pick it up, but when I went to the Optic, it had already been closed (at 9 PM), haha. I think tomorrow I'm gonna take it. Well, the glasses were in promo program so that I got a 30% off for the frame and also could pick an almost Rp 1,200,000.- sunglasses for free, huahaha... .

::: home-made steak (local meat this time)

BAHASA INDONESIA

Hmm, ga ada banyak hal yang aku lakukan belakangan ini. Aku benar2 menikmati liburan singkat ini jadinya mudah2any otakku sudah tersegarkan minggu depan, haha... . Aku juga menikmati koneksi internet di rumah neh, soalnya kan karena insiden ini, koneksiku di Bandung tidak sebagus biasanya neh, hmmm... .

Ngomong2, aku beli kacamata baru loh kemarin. Hari ini sih seharusnya aku ambil, tetapi sewaktu ke Optiknya tadi, udah tutup (jam 9 malem sih), haha. Aku rasa besok aja ah ambilnya. Yah, kacamatanya lagi ada program promo, lumayan neh, jadi kan dapat diskon 30% untuk frame-nya, dan juga bisa mendapat kacamata hitam seharga hampir Rp 1.200.000,- gratis loh, huahaha... .

#697 - Jogja, 9th April

ENGLISH

Finally last night I went back to Yogyakarta catching Turangga Express. Well, by the time I bought the ticket, I already picked a date when the couches they used on Turangga would be the new ones, haha.

Anyway, before going to the railway station, there was an incident which could potentially lead to disaster. Well, I had already booked a taxi since yesterday afternoon to go to the railway station. However, at 5.30 PM, fifteen minutes before the time, they called me that no taxi was available! Damnit! I didn't really panic tho, something I really proud of, haha, and I called some other taxi providers, and the answers were all the same, no taxi was available for the next one hour. I then called my friend to drive me to the station but it was too late, they had already gone, hmm. In the middle of that, suddenly one taxi was available!! Thanks God!! hahaha... . Thanks God I already set 40 minutes, so just in case something happened (like what happened yesterday), I had 40 minutes to fix it.

So, at 7 PM Turangga Express departed from Bandung Railway Station and arrived at Yogyakarta Tugu Railway Station at 3.25 AM, some 23 minutes behind schedule.

Anyway, today, 9th April, is the day for the national legislative election day. I, of course, for the first time in my life, used my right to vote, haha. In some ways, it was really exciting because it was my first time voting in my whole life. Thinking about it, in other ways, I shouldn't be since it's kinda confusing about the people we should vote for. There are just so many partys and people to pick, haha... . Anyway, so after voting, my family and I had brunch at a Warung Sate Kambing whose sates are soo tasty, hehe.

Anyway, watching the top 8 week of American Idol, I think Kris Allen performed his weakest performance. It's interesting to see Simon Cowell gave Adam Lambert a standing ovation. Yea, I agree it was a great performance, but NOT THAT GREAT for a standing ovation from Simon. He had never done that before (on all seasons of American Idol) while there were some performances which were better than Adam's this week.. Anyway, my top three were: 1. Adam Lambert; 2. Allison Iraheta; 3. Matt Giraud. My bottom three were: 6. Kris Allen; 7. Anoop Desai; 8. Scott MacIntyre. The real bottom three:
6. Lil Rounds
7. Anoop Desai
8. Scott MacIntyre (voted off)
Yeah, it was a good pick. Scott MacIntyre is not that great ;)

::: inside Turangga New Image's couch (Executive 3)

::: complimentary dinner, fried rice with no taste

::: "mie rebus" I bought on rail

::: the papers for voting

::: the TPS (Tempat Pemungutan Suara / Voting Place)

::: my inked finger, a sign that I used my voting right, haha

::: top 7

BAHASA INDONESIA

Akhirnya semalam aku balik ke Yogyakarta neh naik Turangga. Hmm, sewaktu beli tiketnya, aku sudah memilih tanggal dimana Turangga akan memakai gerbong yang baru, haha.

Ngomong2, sebelum ke stasiun kemarin, ada kejadian yang nyaris berpotensi mengarah pada bencana. Hmm, aku kan sudah memesan taksi dari siangnya tuh untuk pergi ke stasiun. Ternyata, jam 5.30 nya, lima belas menit sebelum jamnya, mereka bilang kalo nggak ada taksi yang tersedia! Sialan! Aku nggak terlalu panik sih, satu hal yang aku banggakan, haha, dan aku telpon beberapa taksi lain. Namun, jawabannya sama semua, tidak ada taksi kosong selama sejam ke depan. Aku trus telepon temenku untuk nganterin ke stasiun tapi uda telat, uda pada cabut semua. Nah, di tengah kondisi itu, tiba2 ada taksi tersedia!! Terima Kasih Tuhan!! hahaha... . Terima Kasih Tuhan juga aku sudah menyediakan 40 menit tuh, jadi kalau ada apa-apa (misalnya kaya yang terjadi kemarin ini), aku memiliki waktu 40 menit untuk memperbaikinya.

Nah, trus jam 7 malam Turangga berangkat dari Stasiun Bandung dan tiba di Stasiun Tugu Yogyakarta jam 3.25 subuh, telat sekitar 23 menit dari jadwal.

Ngomong2, hari ini, 9 APril, adalah hari Pemilihan Umum Legislatif neh. Aku, tentu saja, untuk pertama kalinya loh, ikutan nyontreng untuk pertama kalinya seumur hidup. Memikirkannya, dari beberapa sisi, rasanya tuh excited aja gitu untuk menggunakan hak pilih pertama kali. Namun, kalau dipikir-pikir lagi, seharusnya sih tidak perlu se-excited itu kali yah, soalnya bingung juga mau memilih apa. Lha soalnya ada banyak sekali partai dan banyak pilihan orang untuk dipilih seh, haha... . Yah, pokoknya habis nyontreng tadi aku dan keluarga makan di Warung Sate Kambing yang uenak banget loh, hehe.

Melihat penampilan top 8 dari American Idol, aku rasa Kris Allen menampilkan penampilan terburuknya. Menarik juga melihat Simon Cowell memberikan standing ovation kepada Adam Lambert. Yup, aku setuju penampilannya memang bagus, tetapi TIDAK SEBAGUS ITU untuk mendapat sebuah standing ovation dari Simon. Dia belum pernah melakukannya sebelumnya (di semua seasons American Idol), dan ada beberapa penampilan lain yang lebih bagus daripada penampilan Adam minggu ini. Ngomong2, tiga teratasku adalah: 1. Adam Lambert; 2. Allison Iraheta; 3. Matt Giraud. Tiga terbawahku adalah: 6. Kris Allen; 7. Anoop Desai; 8. Scott MacIntyre. Tiga terbawah yang beneran:
6. Lil Rounds
7. Anoop Desai
8. Scott MacIntyre (tersisih)
Yeah, pilihan yang bagus neh. Scott MacIntyre memang tidak sebagus itu koq ;)

#696 - Tennis

ENGLISH

For this past few months, I have been even more in to tennis. Well, not necessarily playing the sport tho, since I don't have the equipments here in Bandung, but simply just keeping updated with what happen on the tennis professional world, haha.

So, last week, another big tournament in tennis (even called the unofficial fifth grandslams) was concluded, the Sony Ericsson Open, or the Miami Championships. It was of course held in Miami, Florida, and was sponsored by Sony Ericsson. I personally supported Andy Murray on the men's single and the Williams sisters (Serena and Venus) on the women's singles.

Well, since Serena and Venus met in the semifinals, I supported Serena on that stage, simply so that she could defend her world number 1 title. Had she lost that match, Dinara Safina would have taken over the title eventho she was lost in the third round. In the final, Serena met teenager Victoria Azarenka who is now peaking up. She has accomplished a really great achievement this season so far. Eventually, Azarenka defeated Williams 6 - 3, 6 - 1 in the final, making it her best achievement ever. Serena wasn't in her best form tho since she was suffering an injury on the macth, and Azarenka smartly made use of it for her advantage. This caused Serena failing to create a history by winning this tournament for the sixth time. Her record now ties with Steffi Graff's, winning five times. I think Victoria Azarenka now is a player to watch. On BNP Paribas Open (Indian Wells), she was one semifinalist.

On the women's side, my thought about Jelena Jankovic as a 'middle class' player is proven. She lost in the second round (after receiving a bye on the first round), twice consecutively (also on the previous big tournament, the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California, two weeks prior). She needs to prove herself tho since she was crowned as world no 1 by the end of 2008 but her achievement so far in 2009 is kinda disappointing.

One channel on my TV actually aired the men singles's matches of this tournament (but not the women's, damnit, haha). In the final, Andy Murray defeated Novak Djokovic 6 - 2, 7 - 5 after Djokovic lead 4 - 1 on the second set. Yea, Murray played better than Djokovic in the final, no wonder he won. This is getting interesting, Andy Murray is also peaking up and now is just 170 points away to take over Djokovic's world no. 3 title.

I'm kinda bored with Federer's and Nadal's domination on the men tennis this last few years. Well, eventho they played a really super great match on Wimbledon 2008 last year. That's why I'm really excited to see some players seem to peak up and stir everything to be more exciting to watch, hehe.

Anyway, top ten men players as of this Monday: 1. Rafael Nadal; 2. Roger Federer; 3. Novak Djokovic; 4. Andy Murray; 5. Juan Martin Del Potro; 6. Andy Roddick; 7. Gilles Simon; 8. Fernando Verdasco; 9. Nikolay Davydenko; 10. Gael Monfils.

Top ten women players as of this Monday: 1. Serena Williams; 2. Dinara Safina; 3. Elena Dementieva; 4. Jelena Jankovic; 5. Venus Williams; 6. Vera Zvonareva; 7. Ana Ivanovic; 8. Victoria Azarenka; 9. Svetlana Kuznetsova; 10. Nadia Petrova

::: Tennis Court (Stadium) at Miami, where the Sony Ericsson Open was held

BAHASA INDONESIA

Beberapa bulan belakangan ini, koq aku makin tertarik dengan tenis yah. Yah, bukannya bermain tenis sih, soalnya emang ga ada perlengkapannya di Bandung, tapi ya sekedar mengikuti berita terbaru yang terjadi di dunia profesional tenis, haha.

Jadi, minggu lalu, turnamen besar di tenis (bahkan dikatakan sebagai grandslam tak resmi kelima) selesai, the Sony Ericsson Open, atau the Miami Championships. Tentu saja turnamennya dilaksanakan di Miami, Florida, dan disponsori oleh Sony Ericsson. Aku pribadi sih mendukung Andy Murray untuk pemain single pria dan Williams bersaudara (Serena dan Venus) di single wanita.

Yah, karena Serena dan Venus bertemu di semifinal, aku mendukung Serena waktu itu, ya cuma supaya dia bisa mempertahankan gelar pemain nomor 1 dunianya. Andai dia kalah di pertandingan itu, Dinara Safina akan merebut posisi nomor 1 dunia walau dia sudah kalah di babak ketiga. Di final, Serena bertemu dengan remaja Victoria Azarenka yang sedang naik nih prestasinya. Dia beneran lho berprestasi baik sekali sejauh ini musim ini. Akhirnya, Azarenka mengalahkan Williams 6 - 3, 6 - 1 di final, prestasi terbaiknya sejauh ini. Serena tidak dalam kondisi terbaiknya karena lagi cedera waktu pertandingan, dan Azarenka kayanya pinter tuh memanfaatkannya. Ini membuat Serena gagal menorehkan sejarah memenangi turnamen ini enam kali. Rekornya kini imbang dengan Steffi Graff, memenangi turnamen ini lima kali. Aku rasa kini Victoria Azarenka adalah pemain yang perlu diwaspadai. Di BNP Paribas Open (Indian Wells), dia juga jadi semifinalis.

Di bagian pemain wanita, pendapatku bahwa Jelena Jankovic adalah pemain 'kelas menengah' rasanya masih tak tergoyahkan. Dia kalah di babak kedua (bahkan setelah mendapat bye di babak pertama), dua kali berturutan (juga di turnamen besar sebelumnya, BNP Paribas Open di Indian Wells, California, dua minggu sebelumnya). Dia perlu membuktikan dirinya neh soalnya dia kan dimahkotai pemain nomer 1 dunia akhir tahun 2008. Namun, prestasinya tahun 2009 ini bisa dikatakan mengecewakan sejauh ini.

Satu channel di TV-ku sebenarnya menayangkan pertandingan yang pria dari turnamen ini sih (tapi yang wanita engga, sial, haha). Di final, Andy Murray mengalahkan Novak Djokovic 6 - 2, 7 - 5 setelah Djokovic memimpin 4 - 1 di babak kedua. Yea, Murray memang bermain lebih baik sih kali itu daripada Djokovic, nggak heran dia menang. Ini menjadi menarik nih, Andy Murray sedang naik-naiknya dan sekarang tinggal 170 poin dari merebut posisi pemain nomor 3 dunia dari Djokovic.

Aku agak bosan nih dengan dominasi Federer dan Nadal di dunia tenis pria akhir2 ini. Walau mereka main dengan sangat keren waktu final Wimbledon tahun lalu. Makanya aku menjadi sangat tertarik untuk melihat beberapa pemain lain yan sedang naik dan berpotensi meramaikan pertandingan, hehe.

Ngomong2, pemain 10 besar dunia pria Senin ini: 1. Rafael Nadal; 2. Roger Federer; 3. Novak Djokovic; 4. Andy Murray; 5. Juan Martin Del Potro; 6. Andy Roddick; 7. Gilles Simon; 8. Fernando Verdasco; 9. Nikolay Davydenko; 10. Gael Monfils.

Pemain 10 besar dunia wanita Senin ini: 1. Serena Williams; 2. Dinara Safina; 3. Elena Dementieva; 4. Jelena Jankovic; 5. Venus Williams; 6. Vera Zvonareva; 7. Ana Ivanovic; 8. Victoria Azarenka; 9. Svetlana Kuznetsova; 10. Nadia Petrova

#695 - Weekend

ENGLISH

This weekend has been ordinary for me. It's kinda a relaxing weekend tho, especially after the tiring week prior to it, haha.

Anyway, next Wednesday I'm going back to Yogyakarta. This Thursday there's gonnabe the legislative election, and Friday is the Great Friday (Easter). So, it's gonnabe a long weekend, hehe. I'm looking forward to it. Anyway, probably it has been the longest time I stay in Bandung between my back to back homecoming time, haha.

O yea, last week, Megan Joy got voted off on the top 9 of American Idol. Well, it's a good choice made by American I think. She was the weakest last week. This season, I really think we will have another male winner, hmmm

O yea, lately I enjoy wathcing documentary program on NGC even more. The programes are wrapped in really interesting ways, hehe. Documentary ain't boring at all!! :D

::: top 8

BAHASA INDONESIA

Wiken ini tuh biasa saja sih, ga ada yang spesial. Ya emang sih wiken yang bikin santai, terutama setelah minggu yang melelahkan sebelumnya, haha.

Ngomong2, besok Rabu aku akan pulang ke Yogyakarta neh. Soalnya Kamis ini kan akan ada Pemilu Legislatif, dan Jumat ini adalah Jumat Agung (Paskah). Makanya akan jadi long wiken lagi neh, hehe. Aku menunggunya. Ngomong2, mungkin ini adalah waktu terlama aku tinggal di Bandung di antara dua waktu mudik yang berturutan deh, haha.

O iya, minggu kemarin, Megan Joy tereliminasi dari top 9 American Idol. Hmm, keputusan yang baik yang dibuat Amerika sih aku rasa. Musim ini, kayanya kita akan memiliki pemenang laki2 lagi deh, hmmm

O ya, akhir2 ini aku jadi makin suka nonton acara dokumenter di NGC deh. Acaranya benar2 dikemas dengan cara yang menarik loh, hehe. Dokumenter tidak membosankan sama sekali!! :D

#694 - Friday the Third

ENGLISH

This Friday, I finally could have fun for a while, haha. After college time this morning, my friends and I went to BSM. We played bowling there, two games each this time. Anyway, I think I need to practice more to be able to get to my used to average score, haha. Now it's kinda hard to reach the score 100 since I lost my consistency during the game, hmmm. For example, I scored a back to back spare and strike on the fifth and six game, but then I only scored 1 on the seventh game, damnit!

Anyway, then we went karaokeing for two hours. After that we had dinner at a restaurant, which is really expensive. It cost Rp 45,000.- for a beef kangkung hotplate. The price could have been fair enough if the taste paid off. However, I think it was just okay, not that delicious. Even I prefer the kangkung hotplate I ate in Lembang this time. It was A LOT cheaper and more tasty for me, hmmm.

Yeah, tomorrow is Saturday. We will see, I think there's a chance it's not gonnabe as tiring as other ordinary Saturday this semester, haha. I'm hoping so.

::: kangkung hotplate and crab puyunghai

BAHASA INDONESIA

Jumat ini, akhirya bisa senang2 sedikit, haha. Habis waktu di kampus pagi tadi, aku dan teman2 pergi ke BSM. Kita main bowling disana, kali ini dua games masing2. Ngomong2, rasanya aku harus banyak latihan deh untuk mengembalikan nilai rata2 per-permainanku ke kaya dulu lagi. Sekarang rasanya susah juga gitu mencapai nilai 100 karena memang aku kaya kehilangan konsistensi di permainan, hmm. Misalnya nih, aku mencetak spare dan strike berturutan di game lima dan enam, tetapi di game ketujuh aku malah cuma dapet skor 1. Sial!

Ngomong2, trus kita karaokean dua jam. Habis itu kita makan di restoran, yang menurutku sih sangat mahal. Untuk sebuah hotplate kangkung sapi kita harus membayar Rp 45.000,- lho. Harganya masih oke sih andaikata memang masakannya enak kan. Namun, menurutku koq gak sespesial itu ya? Malah aku lebih memilih hotplate kangkung yang aku makan di Lembang waktu ini lho. Itu JAUH lebih murah dan juga lebih enak kalo untuk aku, hmmm.

Ya, besok adalah Sabtu. Kita akan lihat, rasanya ada kemungkinan besok tidak akan semelelahkan hari Sabtu biasa semester ini, haha. Yah, mudah2an sih

#693 - Exhausting April's Fool

ENGLISH

Phiuhh, this Wednesday was super tiring!! I had seminar lecture at 7 AM. Of course last night I gotta prepare for it until midnight. Well, the seminar went well I think, and it was my seventh (of twelve) presentations, haha. After the class finished at 10 AM I had breakfast then I tutored my friends about some subjects. That's until 1 PM. At 1 PM I had lectures until 2.30 PM. At 3 PM I gotta interviewed two candidates for the next head of math student councils until 4.30 PM. That's really exhauting. In the morning I didn't feel really well (not sick yet) so I bought a vitamin-C drink, haha. I think it helped my body to stay fit and healthy for the day.

Tonight I had to work on Financial Calculus assignment due this Thursday. I gotta work using computer, and at 8.30 PM the electricity went out for 2.5 hours!! WTF!!! Damn PLN!! Why today???

Anyway, I just watched the top 9 week of American Idol, and my top three are Kris Allen (wow, he's really great this week), Adam Lambert, and Danny Gokey. My bottom three are:
7. Matt Giraud / Alison Iraheta (it's really weird for Alison. "Don't Speak" is supposed to suit her voice and genre, but somehow there's something "missing" in her performance making it not as great as it could have been, hmmm).
8. Anoop Desai
9. Megan Joy

BAHASA INDONESIA

Fiuhhh, Rabu ini benar2 super melelahkan deh!! Aku ada kuliah seminar jam 7 pagi. Tentu saja dong semalam aku harus mempersiapkannya sampe tengah malam. Nah, trus seminarnya berjalan lancar sih menurutku, dan tadi adalah presentasi ketujuh dari dua belas presentasi, haha. Habis kelasnya beres jam 10, aku makan pagi kemudian ngajarin temen tentang matkul gitu. Itu berlangsung sampe jam 1 siang. Kemudian jam 1 siang kuliah sampe jam 2.30 sore. Jam 3 sore harus mewawancara calon ketua himpunan mahasiswa selanjutnya. Benar2 melelahkan. Pagi tadi aku gak ngerasa terlalu sehat (nggak sakit sih), makanya aku beli minuman vitamin C, haha. Aku rasa minuman itu membantu badanku untuk tetap fit dan sehat sehari ini sih.

Malam ini aku harus bekerja di tugas Kalkulus Keuangan neh untuk Kamis ini. Nah, kan aku harus bekerja pake komputer, eh jam 8.30 listriknya mati selama 2,5 jam!! WTF!! Kenapa hari ini???

Ngomong2, aku baru nonton top 9 dari American Idol, dan tiga teratasku adalah Kris Allen (wow, dia benar2 bagus minggu ini), Adam Lambert, dan Danny Gokey. Tiga terbawahku adalah:
7. Matt Giraud / Alison Iraheta (aneh nih untuk Alison. "Don't Speak" seharusnya cocok dengan suara dan genre-nya, tetapi entah kenapa koq kaya ada yang "menghilang" dari penampilannya ya sehingga tu penampilan jadi tidak sebagus yang seharusnya, hmmm).
8. Anoop Desai
9. Megan Joy