#296 - My Sunday Story and TAR11

ENGLISH

Last Sunday, my friends and I went to Paris van Java Mall to watch a movie. Well, probably as we all know and feel, these months, there have been so dry of good and interesting movie(s). But my friend one day got an info about a semi-documenter movie titled "A Long Road to Heaven" and according the the source, twas a good movie. Okay, so we decided to watch it...

Okay, so at 2.30 PM, we went to Paris van Java. Once we arrived, Paris van Java was SOOO crowded and full of people!!! Okay, after finally found a parking space, we went to Blitz Megaplex and bought the tickets of "Long Road to Heaven". After buying some drinks and snack at the hypermarket, we then watched the movie... :) Well, the film "Long Road to Heaven" was apparently inspired by the tragedy of bombing event in Bali 4.5 years ago. FYI, this film is prohibited to be played in the province of Bali since for many Balinese, this film can potentially remind them to the traumatizing tragedy several years ago just in time they are in a recovery right now.

Well, the film was okay with a skipping plot. It can be boring (since it's a semi-documenter film), but for me, since it's telling us about Bali which is pretty close to me, well, it's not that boring. However, for me, there was one silly or stupid part in the film, when Mukhlas said why he targeted Bali as the next "place". He said that he targeted Bali because when he was in a hotel in Thailand and wanted to enter the elevator, there was a white guy didn't seem to have him on the same lift as he was since Mukhlas was wearing an Islamic Suit, so he pushed the "close" button, and that guy was wearing a t-shirt with the words: "I LOVE BALI" on it (and he added, if he was wearing an "I LOVE PHUKET" or "I LOVE PATTAYA" t-shirt, probably the next target wouldn't be Bali but Phuket or Pattaya). My comment was just like: "What???".

Then, after having dinner, we went back home.

Btw, last Sunday I watched the first episode of The Amazing Race All-Stars. All 11 teams left Miami, FLorida to Quito, Ecuador. There, Rob&Amber were the first team to arrive at the pitstop and John Vito&Jill were the first team to be eliminated. On Monday, I watched the second episode of TAR All-Stars. All teams left Ecuador and went to Chile. Rob&Amber once again were the first team to arrive at the pitstop, and Kevin&Drew were the second team to be eliminated.

Btw, after watching 2 episodes, I think Rob&Amber so far were the most competitive and strong team!! Hmm, it's not a wrong move for the producers to pick them as one of the all-stars team!! They really brought the spices up on the show. Who are my fave teams right now?? Well, I have three most fave teams, and one fave team. My three most fave teams: Charla&Mirna, Rob&Amber, and Dustin and Kandice. My fave team: Uchenna&Joyce. Charla&Mirna are just so lovable... :) And Charla stated a great statement last episode about their (Charla&Mirna) feeling about the beauty queens (Dustin&Kandice): "Beauty Is Sometimes Skin Deep, it's easy to make you look physically pretty through a plastic surgery, but a beautiful heart is just something that is hard to make up". Well, in the end, my most most fave team is Charla&Mirna, he3... :)

::: John Vito&Jill (left) and Kevin&Drew (right), the first and second team to be eliminated

BAHASA INDONESIA

Minggu kemarin, temen-temenku dah aku pergi ke Paris van Java Mall untuk nonton film. Hmm, mungkin seperti yang sudah semua tahu dan rasakan, akhir-akhir ini tuh sarat akan film-film bagus dan menarik. Tapi temenku dapet info tentang film semi dokumenter yang berjudul "A Long Road to Heaven" dan berdasarkan sumbernya, katanya sih bagus. Ya udah, kita mutusin untuk nonton tuh film deh...

Okay, jadi jam 2.30 siang kita ke Paris van Jaba. Begitu nyampe, ternyata Paris van Java-nya tuh ramee banget dan penuh akan manusia!!! Oke, habis akhirnya menemukan tenpat parkir, kira pergi ke Blitz Megaplex dulu untuk beli tiket film "Long Road to Heaven". Habis beli minuman dan snack, kita trus nonton filmnya deh... :) Hmm, film "Long Road to Heaven" ternyata terinspirasi oleh tragedi Bom Bali 4,5 tahun yang lalu. FYI, film ini dilarang loh diputer di seluruh propinsi Bali soalnya untuk banyak orang Bali, film ini bisa potensial untuk mengingatkan mereka akan kejadian yang bikin trauma beberapa tahun yang lalu pada saat mereka sedang berusaha untuk pulih saat ini.

Hmm, filmnya oke sih, dengan alur yang lompat-lompat. Bisa jadi membosankan loh (soale kan filmnya semi dokumenter), tapi untuk aku, karena menyeritakan tentang Bali yang lumayan deket kan sama aku, jadi ya nggak semembosankan itu la. Tetapi, untuk aku ada satu bagian konyol atau bodoh loh dalam film ini. Yaitu saat Mukhlas mengatakan kenapa dia menarget Bali sebagai sasaran selanjutnya untuk dibom. Katanya, waktu dia di sebuah hotel di Thailand dan dia mau naik lift, ada seorang bule yang kayanya nggak kepingin satu lift sama dia soalnya dia memakai jubah Islami, jadi dia menekan tombol "tutup", dan laki-laki itu memakai kaus bertuliskan "I LOVE BALI" (trus dia menambahkan, kalo dia pake kaus bertuliskan "I LOVE PHUKET" atau "I LOVE PATTAYA", mungkin target selanjutnya bukanlah Bali namun bisa jadi Phuket atau Pattaya). Komentarku waktu itu: "Hah???"

Trus, habis makan malem, kita balik deh.

Btw, kemarin Minggu aku juga nonton episode pertama dari The Amazing Race All-Stars loh. Semua 11 team meninggalkan Miami, Florida menuju Quito, Ekuador. Disana, Rob&Amber adalah tim pertama yang sampai di pitstop dan John Vito&Jill adalah tim pertama yang tereliminasi. Di hari Senin, aku nonton episode kedua dari TAR All-Stars. Semua tim meninggalkan Ekuador dan pergi ke Chili. Rob&Amber sekali lagi adalah tim pertama yang memenangkan pertandingan dan Kevin&Drew adalah tim kedua yang tereliminasi.

Btw, habis nonton 2 episode, aku rasa sejauh ini Rob&Amber adalah tim yang paling kompetitif dan kuat!! Hmm, bukanlah langkah yang salah deh buat produsernya memilih mereka sebagai satu dar all-stars team. Mereka benar-benar membawa bumbu dalam acara ini. Siapakah favoritku saat ini?? Yah, aku ada 3 tim paling favorit dan 1 tim favorit. Tiga tim paling favoritku adalah: Charla&Mirna, Rob&Amber, dan Dustin and Kandice. Tim favoritku: Uchenna&Joyce. Charla&Mirna tuh bener-bener menarik loh... :) Dan Charla kemarin ngeluarin pernyataan yang bagus loh tentang perasaan mereka (Charla&Mirna) akan Beauty-Queens (Dustin&Kandice): "Kecantikan itu kadang-kadang tidak hanya sebatas kulit, mudah untuk membuat kamu keliatan cantik secara fisik dengan operasi plastik, namun hati yang cantik tidaklah semudah itu untuk di-make up". Hmm, pada akhirnya, tim paling paling favorit saya adalah Charla&Mirna, he3... :)

#295 - My Trip to Jakarta (PART 1: Day One and Wedding (Half))

ENGLISH

note: I'm gonna use some initials to make the story easier and more clear... :)

Sunday, 18th February 2007

The day before, my parents and I decided to meet at Citraland Mall, so I booked a travel ticket to go to West Jakarta (Citraland). According to the schedule, my travel would depart at 10.15 AM, so at 9.15 AM I called a cab to bring me to BTC (Bandung Trade Center) where my trip to Jakarta would start. Well, to be honest, twas my first time in my entire life I ever caught a travel to go to other city... :) At 10.08 AM, about 7 minutes earlier than the schedule according to my watch, we left Bandung. The existence Bandung - Jakarta Highway was so cool, in only about 2 hours, I arrived at Citraland. However, I think the condition of the highway between Bandung and Cikampek was not really good. It was not that supportive to make the trip so smooth and cozy.

>> Fast Forward >>

At 12.30 PM, I arrived at Citraland. I met my parents (and my uncle and aunt) at a restaurant called Noodle Cafe. It was not really hard to find it... :) After having lunch there, we went upstairs to see the location of Qua-Li Jakarta. Btw, when we were having lunch, I also saw the computer picture of Qua-Li Jakarta, he3... :) Then, after walking around Citraland Mall and purchasing a radio-control car for my nephew who was (coincidentally) celebrating his 5th birthday this day, we left Citraland and went to our hotel, Mega Anggrek, near Taman Anggrek Mall. I then took a nap.

At around 6 PM, I met some other aunties and uncles, and we went to my uncle / UR (whose son (my cousin (KM)) was the groom)'s house to have a sort of celebration. After having a quick liturgy, we then had dinner (which had already been waited for, he3... :D). Unfortunately Then, I got a sudden job for the wedding tomorrow. I became PIC of laptop. So, my jobs were to keep an eye on the laptop (for sure) and also operate it during the wedding party the next day (to play (slideshow) some wedding pictures). At 10 PM, we went back to our hotel.

Monday, 19th February 2007

I got up at around 7.45 AM in the morning. At 8.30 AM, we were picked up to go to my UR's house since my parents' job was to bring KM to the bride at Mulia Hotel (where the wedding party would be held later in the evening). Okay, so at 9 AM we departed and went to Mulia Hotel. It was quite a long journey, after 45 minutes trip, we finally arrived at Mulia Hotel. Guess what?? The procession only took less than 2 minutes!! What!?!? I thought it was gonnabe longer... .

Then, my parents and I went to Taman Anggrek Mall to waste spend our time before 12 PM where the groom and bride would do a tradition (actually there is a name for it but I dun really remember... :P >> it's a Chinese term, hmm....) to ask for kinda prosperity to their parents for sure, and some older relatives, and they would also get angpao-s. So, at 10 AM we arrived at Taman Anggrek. My mum went to a salon, my dad went to ... (well, I dun really know), and I just walked around the mall. At 11.30 AM, my mum called me and we met at the salon. My dad then called UR and apparently, he got the news that the ceremony would be a lil' late. Okay, so we had lunch at a restaurant and we ordered Roast Duck... :) It was okay, not that special, but not that bad also. At 12.30 PM, we left Taman Anggrek

to be continued...............................

Next on My Trip to Jakarta:
- wedding ceremony at the church
- wedding party and laptop problem
- Indonesian Idol Audition
- busway
- being in The Amazing Race

::: Qua-Li Jakarta at Citraland

::: Dinner Part One

::: Dinner Part Two (which I had just after I finished eating Dinner Part One... :D)

::: The Lobby of Mulia Hotel which is not a 5-stars hotel anymore (but now it's a Diamond Class Hotel, one class BEYOND 5 stars hotel, wow... :D)

::: Roast Duck

BAHASA INDONESIA

catatan: Aku akan menggunakan beberapa inisial untuk membuat ceritanya lebih gampang dan lebih jelas... :)

Minggu, 18 Februari 2007

Sehari sebelumnya, orangtuaku dan aku memutuskan untuk ketemu di Citraland Mall, jadinya ya aku pesen tiket untuk pergi ke Jakarta Barat (Citraland). Berdasarkan jadwalnya, travelku akan berangkat pada jam 10.15 pagi, jadi jam 9.15 pagi aku nelpon taksi untuk mengantar aku ke BTC (Bandung Trade Center) dimana perjalananku ke Jakarta akan dimulai. Hmm, jujur nih, itu adalah kali pertama sepanjang keseluruhan hidup saya pertama kalinya saya naik travel untuk pergi ke kota lain... :) Jam 10.08 pagi, sekitar 7 menit lebih awal dari jadwalnya berdasarkan jam tangan saya, kita meninggalkan Bandung. Keberadaan Jalan Tol Bandung - Jakarta keren juga ya, cuma dalam waktu sekitar 2 jam, aku udah nyampe loh di Citraland. Bagaimanapun juga, menurutku kondisi jalan tolnya di antara Bandung dan Cikampek tetep ga mendukung untuk membuat perjalanannya mulus dan nyaman.

>> Fast Forward >>

Jam 12.30 siang, aku sampai di Citraland. Aku ketemu ortuku (dan juga Om dan Tante saya) di sebuah restoran bernama Noodle Cafe. Nggak susah-susah amat sih untuk menemukannya... :) Habis makan siang disana, kita naik ke atas untuk melihat lokasinya Qua-Li Jakarta ntar. Btw, waktu kit lagi makan siang, aku ngeliat gambar komputernya Qua-Li Jakarta loh, he3... :) Trus, habis jalan-jalan di Citraland dan membeli mobil radio-kontrol untuk keponakan laki-laki saya yang (kebetulan) lagi ulang tahun yang kelima pada hari itu, kita meninggalkan Citraland dan pergi ke hotel kami, Mega Anggrek, di deketnya Taman Anggrek. Aku trus tiduran deh.

Sekitar jam 6 sore, aku ketemu beberapa om dan tante saya yang lainnya, dan kita pergi ke rumahnya om saya / UR (yang anaknya (sepupuku (KM) adalah pengantin prianya) untuk menghadiri semacam syukuran. Habis ada perayaan syukur cepat, kita trus makan malem deh (yang sudah ditunggu-tunggu tuh, he3... :D). Sayangnya Kemudian, aku tiba-tiba dapet tugas dadakan untuk perayaan pernikahannya besoknya. Aku menjadi PIC laptop. Jadi, tugasku adalah mengawasi laptopnya (tentu saja) dan juga mengoperasikannya selama perayaan pernikahan keesokannya (untuk memainkan (slideshow) beberapa foto pernikahan). Jam 10 malem, kita balik ke hotel deh.

Senin, 19 Februari 2007

Aku bangun jam 7.45 pagi. Jam 8.30, kita dijemput untuk pergi ke rumahnya UR soale kan orangtuaku dapet tugas untuk membawa KM ke pengantin perempuannya di Hotel Mulia (dimana penikahannya akan dilangsungkan malam harinya). Oke, trus jam 9 pagi kita berangkat dan pergi ke Hotel Mulia. Perjalanannya lumayan jauh ya ternyata, habis perjalanan sekitar 45 menit, kita akhirnya sampai juga di Hotel Mulia. Tebak bagaimana?? Prosesinya cuma butuh waktu kurang dari 2 menit ternyata!! Apa!?!? Aku kira bakalan lebih lama tuh... .

Trus, ortuku dan aku pergi ke Mall Taman Anggrek untuk membuang-buang menghabiskan waktu sebelum jam 12 siang dimana rencananya pengantin akan melakukan tradisi (sebenernya ada namanya sih, tapi ga inget saya... :P >> istilahnya dalam bahasa Cina tuh, hmm....) untuk meminta semacam berkat ke orang tua tentu saja, dan beberapa kerabat yang lebih tua, dan mereka juga akan dapat angpao. Jadi, jam 10 pagi kita sampai di Taman Anggrek. Mamaku pergi ke salon, papaku pergi ke... (wah, nggak gitu tau saya), dan aku ya cuma jalan-jalan aja di dalem mall-nya. Jam 11.30an, mamaku nelpon dan ketemu di salonya. Papaku trus telpon UR dan ternyata, acaranya kemungkinan akan agak terlambat. Oke deh, jadinya kita ya makan siang dulu di sebuah restoran dan memesan Bebek Panggang... :) Rasanya biasa lah, nggak spesial-spesial amat, tapi juga nggak separah itu koq. Jam 12.30 siang, kita meninggalkan Mall Taman Anggrek

bersambung...............................

Berikutnya dalam My Trip to Jakarta:
- perayaan pernikahan di gereja
- pesta pernikahan dan masalah laptop
- audisi Indonesian Idol
- busway
- ikutan The Amazing Race

#294 - American Idol season 6, start point

ENGLISH

Pre-note: I think the entry about my trip to Jakarta has to be postponed yet until next Sunday because I think I should write this entry first before the topic is so off to date... :)

Finally this week, 2 my favorite reality shows, officially started. They are The Amazing Race All-Stars and American Idol 2007 (well, actually American Idol was started about 1 month ago, but for me, the real American Idol starts from the workshop round (top 24)). Because last Monday I was so busy in Jakarta, so this week I missed the first episode of TAR All-Stars... :( (but I still can catch the last rerun next Sunday night... :D).

Okay, so let's talk about American Idol this week. Just like the past 2 years, all contestants were split into 2 groups, men and women (each of 12). Well, based on this week performances, I think I'm kinda disappointed with the men . None of them were really really great. Probably they were so nervous... :) If I have to pick 6 guys to fill the 6 seats in the top 12 round, now I can only pick one or two guys because the rest of them were just SOOO ordinary and not special. I really want to see their next performances next week.

It was so different with the women group. They were A LOT better than the guys. Well, not saying all the 12 girls were great, some were also weak actually (such as Antonella Barba, Alaina Alexandre, and Amy Krebs). However, some were SO stunning, especially Lakisha Jones. She definitely was the best amongst the all 24 contestants based on their first performances. One of Simon's commentary after Lakisha sang was pretty surprising: "I'm so tempted to say to the other 23 people to book your flights home". Some other women were also great for me, Melinda Doolittle, Stephanie Edwards, Jordin Sparks, Sabrina Sloans, and Haley Scarnato. The other were good, but not really great... :)

Who I think are gonnabe voted off this week?? Hmmm... . I'm sure by the time I write this entry, the result has already been announced there in The US, but I don't wanna see or read it on the internet since I wanna make myself nervous this evening, he3... :) But IMO, I think Sundance Head & Rudy Cardenas/Sanjaya Malakar (men) and Antonella Barba & Amy Krebs (women) would potentially get voted off this week. Btw, I usually am wrong with this thingy, he3... :)

::: quick update ::: (Fri, 23rd Feb 2007, 6.37 PM)

I've watched the Result Show of American Idol and apparently, my guess was 50% correct. From the guys, Paul Kim and Rudy Cardenas were cut, and from the girls, Amy Krebs and Nicole Tranquillo were cut. Well, I think Nicole Tranquillo and Paul Kim actually still deserve another shot to continue their journeys. They were not that great this week, but also not that bad and some other contestants were even worse than them. I dunno why Sundance is still there, and I think Antonella and Alaina were so lucky because they are pretty... :) But this is just my opinion, vote has spoken, and let's see their performances next week.

::: Top 12 girls

BAHASA INDONESIA

Pre-note: Kayaknya postingan tentang perjalanan saya ke Jakarta harus ditunda dulu deh sampe Minggu soale kan kayaknya aku mesti nulis postingan ini dulu sebelum topiknya jadi bener-bener basi ntar... :)

Akhirnya minggu ini, 2 reality show favorit saya, secara resmi dimulai. Mereka adalah The Amazing Race All-Stars dan American Idol 2007 (hmm, sebenernya American Idol dah dimulai sekitar sebulan yang lalu sih, tapi untuk aku, American Idol yang sebenernya baru dimulai pada babak workshop (24 besar)). Nah, karena Senin kemarin aku sibuk banget di Jakarta, jadi aku melewatkan episode pertama dari TAR All-Stars... :( (tapi aku masih bisa liat rerun terakhirnya besok Minggu malem sih... :D).

Oke, mari kita ngomong2 tentang American Idol minggu ini. Seperti 2 tahun belakangan ini, kontestan dipisah ke dalam 2 grup, laki-laki dan perempuan (masing-masing 12). Berdasarkan penampilan minggu ini, kayaknya sih aku agak kecewa deh sama grup laki-lakinya. Nggak ada yang benar-benar bagus. Mungkin karena grogi sih... :) Tapi kalo aku harus memilih 6 laki-laki untuk mengisi 6 kursi di 12 besar, wah, sekarang aku baru bisa memilih sekitar 1 atau 2 orang aja soalnya sisanya SANGAT biasa sekali dan nggak spesial. Aku bener2 menunggu penampilan mereka minggu depan.

Berbeda sekali dengan grup perempuannya. Mereka JAUH lebih baik daripada grup laki-laki. Nggak ngomong semua 12 orang bagus loh, ada beberapa yang lemah sebenernya (misalnya Antonella Barba, Alaina Alexandre, dan Amy Krebs). Tetapi, beberapa benar-benar memukau, terutama Lakisha Jones. Dia 100% adalah yang terbaik dari kesemua 24 kontestan pada penampilan pertama. Salah satu komentarnya Simon setelah Lakisha nyanyi ngagetin juga tuh: "Aku sangat ingin bilang ke 23 kontestan lainnya untuk memesan tiket pulang ke rumah". Beberapa perempuan lain juga bagus sih menurutku, Melinda Doolittle, Stephanie Edwards, Jordin Sparks, Sabrina Sloans, dan Haley Scarnato. Sisanya bagus, tapi nggak bagus banget... :)

Siapa yang menurutku akan tereliminasi minggu ini?? Hmmm... . Aku yakin pada saat aku menulis postingan ini, hasilnya udah keluar di Amerika sana, tapi aku nggak mau liat atau membacanya di internet soale aku mau membuat diriku deg-degan ntar malem, he3... :) Tapi menurutku, kayaknya Sundance Head & Rudy Cardenas/Sanjaya Malakar (laki-laki) dan Antonella Barba & Amy Krebs (perempuan) akan berpotensi untuk tereliminasi minggu ini. Oya, aku biasanya salah loh dalam hal-hal semacam ini, he3... :)

::: apdet cepet ::: (Jmt, 23 Feb 2007, 6.37 sore)

Aku dah nonton Result Show dari American Idol, dan ternyata tebakan saya benar 50%. Dari grup laki-laki, Paul Kim dan Rudy Cardenas tereliminasi, dan dari grup perempuan, Amy Krebs dan Nicole Tranquillo tereliminasi. Hmm, menurutku sih Nicole Tranquillo sama Paul Kim masih lumayan berhak untuk bertahan minggu ini. Mereka memang nggak bagus banget minggu ini, namun juga nggak jelek-jelek amat ah dan beberapa kontestan lain malah juga lebih jelek. Aku nggak tau kenapa Sundance masih disana, dan menurutku Antonella dan Alaina beruntung soalnya mereka cakep... :) Tapi ini kan cuma pendapatku saja, voting sudah berbicara, dan mari kita liat penampilan mereka minggu depan.

#293 - I'm BACK and Wednesday

ENGLISH

Hi all!! After being hiatus for about almost 4 days, now I'm back here!! The story about my trip to Jakarta (not to Yogyakarta, my hometown) will be posted soon... :)

Btw, last Sunday there happened another disaster in Yogyakarta, and twas a tornado!! It happened for almost 30 minutes, and damaged many houses. Guess what?? The most wrecked area because of that tornado was just so close to my house (less than 1 km). Luckily, my house is perfectly fine. Last week, another storm also happened in Yogyakarta. It was not only storm, but also icy rain (so, it wasn't water which dropped from the sky, but it was ICE!!!!).

Btw, today has been another exhausting day for me. My college-day started at 9 AM with discrete math subject (well, my homework which I did in a rush last Friday because I was going to Jakarta, apparently got a perfect score, hehehe... :D). Then, at 10.40 AM, my lecture ended. Because last Monday I was absent, I still had computer programming task undone yet. So, this morning after discrete math lecture was finished, my friends and I finished our task at the computer lab until 12.25 PM. At 12.30 PM, I got a Macro Economy Lecture. This lecture is actually supposed to be held on Friday, but since next Friday my lecturer will have to attend a meeting, so she moved it to this afternoon. At 2.45 PM, the lecture finally finished. At 3 PM, I still got one more lecture, second calculus!! In the only 15 minutes break, my friends and I had lunch (or dinner?? :D) first, and we were late for about 10 minutes ... :) Whatta day!!! Lucky yesterday I had predicted this would happen, so last night I finished my "Kewarganegaraan" homework for tomorrow and tonight I'm free... :)

Well, I haven't watched the entire episode of the top 12 men at American Idol yet, so I can't write any comments yet here... :)

--- commercial break ---

According to the masterplan, if there is no obstacle, QUA-LI Jakarta will be grand-opened on Sunday, 18th March 2007 in Citraland Mall, 5th level.

--- commercial break ends ---

::: Opening Soon, QUA-LI Jakarta

::: The location of QUA-LI Jakarta at Citraland (on the 5th level next to KFC).

BAHASA INDONESIA

Hallo semua!!! Habis hiatus selama sekitar 4 hari, sekarang saya baliK!! Cerita perjalanan saya ke Jakarta (Bukan ke Yogyakarta, kota asalku, loh) akan aku posting kemudian... :)

Btw, kemarin Minggu terjadi lagi sebuah bencana di Yogyakarta, dan itu adalah tornado!! Terjadi sekitar hampir 30 menit, dan merusak banyak rumah. Tebak apa?? Area yang paling rusak akibat tornado ini adalah area di deket rumahku (kurang dari 1 km). Untungnya rumahku nggak apa-apa. Minggu lalu, badai lain juga terjadi di Yogyakarta. Nggak cuma badai, tapi juga hujan es (jadi yang jatuh dari langit bukan air tapi ES!!!!).

Btw, hari ini adalah hari yang sangat melelahkan buat saya. Hari kuliahku dimulai jam 9 pagi dengan mata kuliah matematika diskret (ternyata PRku yang aku kerjain dengan terburu-buru kemarin Jumat malam dapet nilai sempurna loh, he3... :D). Trus jam 10.40 pagi kan kuliahnya selesai. Karena Senin kemarin aku ga masuk, jadi aku masih ada tugas pemrograman komputer yang belum dikerjain deh. Jadi, pagi ini habis kul matematika diskret, aku sama temen2ku ngerjain tuh tugas deh di lab komputer sampe jam 12.25 siang. Jam 12.30 siang, aku ada Kuliah Ekonomi Makro. Kuliah ini seharusnya sih diadakan tiap hari Jumat, namun berhubung Jumat besok dosennya gabisa soale harus ikutan rapat, makanya dia memindahkannya ke siang ini. Jam 2.45 sore kuliah akhirnya selesai. Jam 3 sore, aku masih ada 1 kuliah lagi, kalkulus dua!! Dengan istirahat cuma 15 menit, aku sama temen2ku makan siang (ato malem?? :D) dulu, dan kita telat deh sekitar 10 menit-an lah... :) Bener2 sebuah hari!!! Untung kemarin aku sudah memprediksikan hal ini akan terjadi, makanya semalem aku ngerjain PR Kewarganegaraanku untuk besok dan malam ini saya bebas... :)

Hmm, aku blom nonton keseluruhan episode dari 12 besar laki2 di American Idol sih, jadi aku gabisa komen dulu deh disini... :)

--- iklan komersial ---

Menurut rencana, jika tidak ada halangan QUA-LI Jakarta akan grand-opening pada hari Minggu, tanggal 18 Maret 2007 di Citraland Mall, lantai 5.

--- iklan komersial selesai ---

#292 - Happy Chinese New Year 2558

Kiong hie, kiong hie...

Gong Xi Fa Cai - Wan Shi Ru Yi - Shen Ti Jian Kang

(Be successful and healthy all the time)

#291 - Lord, please grant my prayer

ENGLISH

Before entering the main part of this entry, I wanna write one background first. This SinCia (Chinese New Year) which is gonnabe next Sunday, there is no way for me to go back to my hometown, Yogyakarta and celebrate it there. Why?? Because my off-days are only Saturday and Sunday, and Bandung - Yogyakarta trip needs about 16 - 18 hours vv. Okay, so I had to accept this situation and could only envy my friends whose hometowns are in Jakarta or Cirebon or Tasikmalaya or somewhere closer than Yogyakarta or somewhere which can be reached quicker (like Surabaya by flight >> actually there is a flight serving Bandung - Yogyakarta route, but the aircraft serving this route is damn sooo bad and small and I just don't wanna take that flight).

Actually, my male-cousin is gonna get married next Monday in Jakarta. Well, deep in my heart (wakakakaka.... :D) I wanted to attend the party but since I have to go to college, so I never thought about going to Jakarta.

Few minutes ago, my mom called me and asked me whether I want to go to Jakarta or not. And of course I want. But there are some problems. I have 2 homeworks to collect next Monday and Tuesday, plus there will be a quiz next Tuesday. Arrrggghhhh.... . I still can handle my homeworks since they are groups tasks, but the quiz. Hmm, if I go to Jakarta I will miss it unless it's canceled. But after thinking about it, I think that's okay, my lecturer won't take all scores but he will just take some best score in the final scoring, and if I nail the other assignments and quizes, it won't be a matter, wakakakakaka.... :D

Tomorrow I'm gonnabe work for it (going to Jakarta) and hopefully it works. LORD, PLEASE GRANT MY PRAYER............ :) (if it works hopefully I will get angpao-s too, wakakakakakaka.... :) )

Note: Btw, I think the serious entry has to be postponed till next week... :)

::: quick update ::: (Sat, 17th Feb 2007, 11.19 AM)

Yaay, finally tomorrow I'm going to Jakarta at 10.15 AM!!! THX Lord for granting my prayer... :)

BAHASA INDONESIA

Sebelum memasuki bagian utama dari postingan ini, aku akan menulis sebuah latar belakang dulu. SinCia (tahun baru Imlek) kali ini akan dilangsungkan besok Minggu, dan nggak ada kesempatan untuk saya pulang ke kotaku Yogyakarta dan merayakannya. Kenapa?? Soale kan hari liburku tuh cuma Sabtu - Minggu dan perjalanan Bandung - Yogyakarta membutuhkan waktu sekitar 16 - 18 jam pp. Oke, jadi aku harus menerima kenyataan situasi tersebut dan hanya bisa iri kepada teman-teman saya yang rumahnya di Jakarta atau Cirebon atau Tasikmalaya atau tempat-tempat lain yang lebih dekat daripada Yogyakarta atau tempat-tempat yang bisa dijangkau lebih cepat (misalnya Surabaya dengan pesawat >> Sebenere ada sih rute penerbangan dari Bandung ke Yogyakarta, tapi pesawat yang melayani rute ini jelek banget dan kecil sih, jadinya aku males naik pesawat).

Sebenernya koko sepupu-ku akan menikah besok Senin di Jakarta. Hmm, jauh di dalam lubuk hatiku (wakakakaka.... :D) aku ya pingin sih dateng ke pestanya tapi karena aku harus kuliah, jadi aku nggak pernah berpikir untuk pergi ke Jakarta.

Beberapa menit yang lalu, mamaku telpon aku dan tanya mau ga aku ke Jakarta. Ya jelas aja aku mau dong. Tapi ada beberapa masalah. Aku ada 2 PR yang harus dikumpulkan besok Senin dan Selasa, plus akan ada kuis besok Selasa. Arrrggghhhh.... . Aku masih bisa meng-handle PRnya sih, tapi kuisnya. Hmm, kalo aku ke Jakarta aku akan melewatkannya kecuali kalo kuisnya dibatalkan. Tapi habis aku pikir2, kayaknya nggak papa sih, dosenku kan nggak akan mengambil semua nilai tetapi cuma akan mengambil beberapa nilai terbaik aja di dalam penilaian akhir, dan kalo aku berhasil di tugas-tugas dan kuis-kuis lain, kan nggak masalah, wakakakakaka.... :D

Besok aku akan mengusahakannya (pergi ke Jakarta) dan semoga berhasil TUHAN, TOLONG KABULKAN DOA SAYA............ :) (kalo berhasil mungkin aku bakalan dapet angpao juga, wakakakakakaka.... :) )

Catatan: Btw, kayanya postingan seriusnya harus ditunda sampe minggu depan deh... :)

::: apdet cepet ::: (Sbt, 17 Feb 2007, 11.19 pagi)

Yaay, akhirnya besok saya akan ke Jakarta jam 10.15 pagi!!! Terima Kasih Tuhan karena telah mengabulkan doa saya... :)

#290 - Wednesday Story

ENGLISH

My day started at 8.13 AM when I got up since at 9 AM I'm gonna have a discrete mathematics lecture. At 10.50 AM, the lecture ended. Then, my friends and I went to a warung nearby and they had lunch there (I didn't eat since 2 hrs earlier in the morning, I had breakfast and at that time I was still pretty full). Then, we still had about 3.5 hrs before the next lecture started (at 3 PM). Well, so we then finally decided to go to Ciwalk and watched a movie there. We still didn't know what movie to watch by the time we departed.

Once we arrived, there were 7 choices of movies and none of them (apparently for me) was really inviting me to watch. But my choice went to "THE CAVE" since I thought it was probably gonnabe the most interesting to watch rather than the other six (well, 2 Indonesian movies were the first two to be eliminated from my list, he3... :D). But my friend asked us to watch "GHOST RIDER". Well, I had already watched the trailer before, and I thought it was not really interesting and kinda juvenile. But time and vote spoke, so we watched it. I had no problem actually... :)

For me, twas pretty disappointing. It was not exciting, especially when it was down to the climax. At first it was okay, but as film rolled, for me, it was getting more boring and more boring. If I have to score, hmmm, I'm gonna give 4.83 out of 10.

Then, we went back to our campus and had our last lecture of the day, second calculus. Unfortunately, our lecturer gave us homework!! Arrrggghhhh.... :( Btw, talking about homework, my discrete mathematics homework got the score 95, he3... :)

Btw, this evening I went to this hotspot cafe and before that, I had dinner first at a Sundanese restaurant.... :D

That's all my story about today... :) (well, actually I have prepared one serious entry, but I'll post it later... :D)

::: Nicholas Cage at Ghost Rider

::: My dinner for today (fried tempe, fried squid, and fried chicken)

BAHASA INDONESIA

Hariku dimulai pada jam 8.13 pagi ketika aku bangun tidur soale kan aku bakalan kuliah matematika diskret jam 9 pagi. Jam 10.50, kuliahnya selesai. Trus, temen-temenku dan saya pergi ke sebuah warung di deket kampus dan makan siang disana (aku nggak makan sih, soale 2 jam sebelumnya aku kan baru aja sarapan dan waktu itu perutku masih lumayan penuh). Trus, kita masih ada waktu sekitar 3,5 jam sebelum kuliah selanjutnya dimulai (jam 3 sore). Makanya, akhirnya kita memutuskan untuk pergi ke Ciwalk dan nonton film deh disana. Kita masih nggak tau loh mau nonton apa waktu berangkat.

Begitu kita sampai, ternyata ada 7 pilihan film dan tak satupun yang (ternyata untuk aku) bener-bener mengundang untuk ditonton. Tapi pilihanku jatuh kepada "THE CAVE" soale kan aku kira bakalan menjadi yang paling menarik daripada 6 lainnya (sejujurnya, 2 film Indonesia adalah 2 film pertama yang tereliminasi dari daftarku untuk ditonton, he3... :D). Tapi temenku ngajak untuk nonton "GHOST RIDER". Duh, aku dah ngelihat trailer-nya sebelumnya, dan menurutku nggak terlalu menarik dan agak kekanakan sih. Tapi waktu dan voting berbicara, jadi kita nonton tuh film deh. Aku nggak masalah sih sebenernya... :)

Untuk saya, itu benar-benar mengecewakan. Nggak menarik sama sekali, terutama waktu mendekati klimaksnya. Pertamanya oke sih, tapi semakin film diputar, koq malah semakin tambah membosankan ya. Kalo harus aku nilai, hmmm, aku kasi nilai 4,83 deh dari skor maksimum 10.

Trus, kita balik ke kampus dan mengikuti kuliah terakhir hari ini, kalkulus dua. Sayangnya, dosenku memberi kita PR!! Arrrggghhhh.... :( Btw, ngomong2 tentang PR, PR matematika diskretku dapet 95 loh, he3... :)

Btw, sore ini aku pergi ke kafe hotspot dan sebelumnya, makan di restoran Sunda dulu deh.... :D

Itulah cerita saya hari ini... :) (sebenernya aku sudah mempersiapkan sebuah postingan serius nih, tapi aku post ntar-ntar aja ah... :D)

#289 - Monday and Tuesday

ENGLISH

Well, yesterday was a pretty exhausting day for me where the college-day started at 8 AM with Computer Programming Worklab. Well, I think I pretty enjoy this lecture... :) Then, actually I was free from 10 AM till 1 PM. But since we had a discrete mathematics homework, so my friends and I (well, we did the homework as a group) stayed at the campus and made the homework. It was about logic, and for me logic in discrete mathematics is (so far) a lot more interesting than logic in the LOGIC lecture itself. Some questions were pretty difficult and pushed me to really really think about it... :) Some were easy and I could solve the problem in my mind, but it was kinda difficult to write it down. Then, my lecture-day ended at 3 PM.

Well, since last week my logic lecturer said that the next meeting (which was this afternoon) there would be a test, so last night I studied it. It was all about memorizing (hmm, that's kinda absurd since the lecture was LOGIC but we had to MEMORIZE some things, which is a contradiction (for me)).

Tuesday, just as usual, is the most tiring day for me. I got up at 6.13 AM and walked to my campus at 6.58 AM. At 9 AM, I got a 2 hr break, and since I was soo sleepy, so at 9 AM till 11 AM I went back to my boarding house and slept, he3... :) At 11 AM I walked to my campus to have my next lecture. At 1 PM, I walked to Building 4 to have my logic lecture. And apparently, the test was canceled!! Well, I dunno whether I should be happy or sad (Happy since the test was canceled, or sad, since I had already studied and memorized many things but then it was useless since the test was canceled).

Btw, I've just found out last week that apparently AXN now also airs The Amazing Race Season 7 at 5 PM every Monday-Thursday. This was a pretty old season actually, but since next week TAR All-Stars is also gonnabe officially aired and 2 teams from season 7 were also in the All-Stars Edition (Uchenna&Joyce >> the 7th season winner; and Rob&Amber (the runner up >> Well, Rob&Amber also participated in the reality show SURVIVOR)), so it's a good chance to know them a bit more, he3... :)

BAHASA INDONESIA

Hmm, kemarin adalah hari yang cukup melelahkan buat saya soalnya hari hari kuliah dimulai pada jam 8 pagi dengan kuliah Praktikum Pemrograman Komputer. Kayanya sih aku lumayan menikmati kuliah ini loh... :) Trus sebenernya kan aku kosong tuh dari jam 10 pagi sampe jam 1 siang, tapi berhubung ada PR Matematika Diskret, jadi aku sama temenku (kita mengerjakan PRnya dalam kelompok) tetap di kampus dan mengerjakan PRnya deh. PRnya tentang logika, dan untukku logika di Matematika Diskret jauh lebih menarik (sejauh ini) daripada logika yang ada di mata kuliah LOGIKA sendiri. Beberapa soal lumayan susah dan mendorong saya untuk benar-benar memikirkannya... :) Beberapa gampang dan aku bisa memecahkannya dalam pikiran saya, tetapi lumayan susah juga untuk menuliskannya. Trus, hari kuliahku selesai jam 3 sore.

Karena minggu lalu dosen logika saya mengatakan kalau pertemuan berikutnya (yang artinya siang tadi) akan ada tes, jadi kemarin malam kan aku belajar tuh. Semuanya tentang hafalan sih (hmm, menurutku ini agak aneh deh soalnya kuliahnya adalah LOGIKA dan kita harus MENGHAFAL beberapa hal, yang menurutku adalah sebuah kontradiksi (untuk aku)).

Selasa, seperti biasanya, adalah hari yang paling melelahkan untuk saya. AKu bangun jam 6.13 pagi dan berangkat ke kampus jam 6.58 pagi. Jam 9 pagi, aku ada kosong 2 jam, dan karena ngantuk banget, jadi antara jam 9 sampe jam 11 pagi aku balik ke kos dan bobok aja deh... :) Jam 11 pagi aku jalan ke kampus untuk kuliah mata kuliah selanjutnya. Jam 1 siang, aku jalan ke Gedung 4 untuk kuliah logika. Dan ternyata, tesnya dibatalkan!! Hmm, aku nggak tau aku seharusnya bahagia atau sedih (bahagia soale kan tesnya batal, atau sedih, soale aku dah belajar dan menghafal banyak hal dan itu semua menjadi sia-sia soalnya kan tesnya dibatalin).

Btw, aku baru aja tau minggu lalu kalo ternyata AXN sekarang juga menayangkan The Amazing Race Musim 7 hari Senin-Kamis jam 5 sore. Ini adalah musim yang lumayan lama sebenere, tapi karena minggu depan TAR All-Stars juga akan secara resmi ditayangkan dan 2 team dari musim ketujuh juga ada di dalam edisi All-Stars (Uchenna&Joyce >> pemenang musim ketujuh; dan Rob&Amber (runner-up-nya >> Hmm, Rob&Amber juga berpartisipasi dalam reality show SURVIVOR juga loh)), jadi, ini adalah kesempatan yang baik untuk mengenal mereka lebih jauh, he3... :)

#288 - My Weekend Story

ENGLISH

This weekend was a nice weekend for me since I could relax and not think about any subjects at college, hehehe... :)

On Saturday I got up at 9.30 AM in the morning. Actually at 8.30 AM somebody knocked my door but since I was way very very sleepy, so I pretended not hearing it, wakakakaka.... :D Later on, my friend said that was the newspaper-man, who asked me to pay the monthly fee. Well then, I asked him to come back the next morning (this morning). Then, I had breakfast near my boarding house then I went to the hotspot cafe until 1 PM.

That evening, my friend and I had dinner at Pizza Hut, then once again, went to the hotspot cafe. Just as usual, at Saturday Night, it was sooo crowded and full of people. Some people were smoking sheesha. Then, at 10 PM, we went back home

This morning, I got up at 9.30 AM. Since yesterday I asked the newspaper-man to come at 9.30 AM, so I just waited for him in my room. Unfortunately, he didn't come, so I just had breakfast first. At 10.30 AM, apparently the newspaper-man came, and I paid my debt. Actually, this morning I planned to go to the hotspot cafe, but since my car was parked at the different place last night (in the garage) and somebody parked his/her car just behind my car and as a result I couldn't drive my car out of the garage, so I canceled my plan and just played a new game at my lapty. My friend then came and offered to watch a movie (CLICK) and I accepted, so we then watched that movie. It was an interesting drama-comedy movie I think... :)

At the evening, my friend and I had dinner at Bakso Karapitan, then did another fitness-centre survey. It was so expensive, a lot more expensive than last week place. After that, since my belt was slightly damaged, so we went to a Factory Outlet. There, with my original plan was only to buy a belt, in the end I bought a belt AND a jeans, wakakakaka..... . After that, we went to the hotspot cafe...

That's my weekend story.... :)

BAHASA INDONESIA

Akhir minggu ini adalah akhir minggu yang enak untuk saya soale aku bisa santai-santai dan nggak memikirkan kuliah di kampus, hehehe... :)

Di hari Sabtu aku bangun jam 9.30 pagi. Sebenere jam 8.30 pagi ada seseorang yang mengetuk pintu kamar saya, tapi gara-gara saya masih ngantuuukkk sekali, jadi ya aku pura-pura aja gak denger, wakakakaka... :D Setelahnya, temenku bilang kalo itu ternyata adalah tukang koran yang mau nagih iuran bulanan. Ya udah, trus aku minta dia balik keesokan paginya (tadi pagi). Trus, aku sarapan di deket kos dan internetan deh di kafe hotspot sampe jam 1 siang.

Sorenya, aku sama temenku pergi makan malam di Pizza Hut, trus sekali lagi, pergi ke kafe hotspotnya. Seperti biasanya, di malam minggu, tempatnya tuh rameee banget dan penuh sama orang. Beberapa orang lagi merokok seesha. Trus, jam 10 malem, kita balik deh

Pagi ini, aku bangun jam 9.30 pagi. Karena kemarin aku minta tukang korannya untuk dateng jam 9.30 pagi, jadinya ya aku nunggu dia deh di dalem kamar. Malangnya, dia tadi gak dateng tuh, ya udah deh jadi aku ya sarapan dulu aja. Jam 10.30 pagi, ternyata tukang korannya datang dan aku bayar deh. Sebenernya pagi ini aku berencana mau ke kafe hotspot, tapi karena mobil saya diparkir di tempat yang berbeda semalam (di dalam garasi) dan kemudian seseorang memarkir mobilnya tepat di belakang mobil saya akhirnya saya jadi gabisa mengeluarkan mobil, ya udah jadinya aku membatalkan rencana tersebut dan main game baru aja yang ada di laptopku. Temenku kemudian dateng dan nawarin nonton film (CLICK) dan aku setuju, trus kita nonton deh. Filmnya menarik sih menurutku... :)

Sorenya, aku sama temenku makan di Bakso Karapitan, trus melakukan survey tempat fitness-an yang lain. Tempat yang tadi mahal, jauh lebih mahal dari tempat yang minggu lalu. Habis itu, karena sabuk saya sedikit rusak, jadi kita pergi ke Factory Outlet deh. Dengan rencana asal cuma untuk membeli sebuah sabuk, akhirnya saya membeli sebuah sabuk DAN sebuah celana jeans, wakakakaka..... . Habis itu, kita ke kafe hotspot deh...

Itulah cerita weekend saya.... :)

#287 - One ordinary week

ENGLISH

Hhhh *sigh*... . Finally this week is over. Well, this week has just been another ordinary week for me. Nothing really special happened. Btw, I'm now kinda pissed with one of my lecturer, not with his teaching style, but more about his personality. Just like when I had his lecture this week. He was kinda angry with one other student who used cellphone during the class. Okay, he was right (at that time) since there was a rule cellphone has to be turned off during the class (but I always break the rule, lol, I just turn mine to the silent mode but never turn it off, he3... :D) and he once again stated the rule: "All cellphones have to be turned off during the class, bla bla bla....".

**one hour later**

There was a ringing cellphone, and apparently it was the lecturer's cellphone!! It was a misscall apparently, and okay, probably he forgot to turn his phone OFF. Some seconds later, his cellphone rang again!! Another misscall. Several seconds later, the same thing happened!! And in the end, it happened about 4 or 5 times. And guess what?? In the end, he didn't say anything about the rule, but he just said: "There exist this kind of people who don't want to lose any pulse, so he/she misscalls me and hopes I will call him/her back". What!?!?!? That's all what he then said?? Arrrggghhhh... . That's one thing that makes me don't like that lecturer (personally). Okay, case closed... :)

Btw, finally tomorrow is weekend!! Yaaayyy.... :)

::: quick update ::: (Fri, 9 Feb 07, 8.57 PM)

Well, because of her commentary, I feel that I need to add this one extra paragraph... . THX for helping me explaining my thought

What made me pissed was why he didn't apologize to us and his inconsistency with what he already said just one hour before. Okay, he had the privilege, but he still could turned his cellphone to the silent mode and turned on the vibrating mode, rite?? If so, even if he answered a phone call, I wouldn't have been so pissed since he was consequent with what he said by turning it to silent-mode and still reached the purpose why that rule is established even by not turning the phone off... :)


BAHASA INDONESIA

Hhhh *hhhhh*... . Akhirnya minggu ini selesai juga. Hmm, minggu ini adalah minggu yang biasa-biasa saja untuk saya. Nggak ada hal spesial yang terjadi. Btw, aku skarang agak gak seneng nih sama salah seorang dosen saya, nggak dengan cara mengajarnya sih, tapi lebih ke karakternya. Seperti yang baru terjadi minggu ini. Dia marah sama seorang mahasiswa yang kedapatan lagi pake hape di kelas. Oke, dia benar (waktu itu) soalnya kan memang ada aturan ga boleh nyalain hape selama di kelas (tapi saya selalu melanggar aturan itu, lol, aku cuma mengubah settingan hapeku jadi mode silent dan nggak pernah mematikannya, he3... :D) dan sekali lagi dia menyatakan aturannya: "Semua handphone harus dimatikan selama ada di kelas, bla bla bla...".

**satu jam kemudian**

Ada hape yang berbunyi, dan ternyata itu adalah hapenya si dosen!! Itu adalah misscall ternyata dan okelah, mungkin dia lupa meMATIkan hapenya. Beberapa detik kemudian, hapenya bunyi lagi!! Misscall lagi. Beberapa detik kemudian, hal yang sama terjadi!! Dan akhirnya, ini terjadi sekitar 4 atau 5 kali loh. Dan tebak bagaimana?? Akhirnya dia nggak ngomong apa-apa tentang peraturan lah, tapi cuma ngomong: "Memang ada loh orang jenis seperti ini yang nggak mau keluar pulsa, jadi dia me-misscall saya dan berharap saya yang menelepon balik dia". Apa!?!?!? Cuma itu yang dia lalu katakan?? Arrrggghhhh... . Itu adalah satu hal yang bikin saya gak seneng sama dosennya (secara personal). Oke, kasus ditutup... :)

Btw, akhirnya besok adalah weekend!! Yaaayyy.... :)

::: apdet cepet ::: (Jmt, 9 Feb 07, 8.57 malem)

Hmm, karena sebuah komentar darinya, aku jadi merasa perlu untuk menambahkan paragraf ekstra ini... . THX ya udah membantu aku memperjelas uneg-uneg saya

Yang membuat saya agak sebal tuh karena kenapa dia nggak minta maaf sama kita dan ke tidak konsistenannya dengan apa yang dia sudah katakan hanya satu jam sebelumnya. Okelah dia punya privilege, tetapi kan dia masih aja bisa mengubah setting hapenya jadi mode silent dan menyalakan mode getar kan?? Kalo begitu, kalaupun dia menjawab telpon, aku nggak akan sebal soale dia konsekwen dengan ucapannya dan masih bisa mencapai tujuan kenapa aturan tersebut diberlakukan walaupun dengan tanpa mematikan hapenya... :)

#286 - The Amazing Race JAKARTA

ENGLISH

Well, inspired by Mrs. Mercury's commentary and one new entry at Ima's Mom blog, I feel that I wanna write this weird entry.... lol

In one episode of TARA, all teams visited Jakarta, Indonesia for the second leg of the race. Well, if at that time Jakarta was also soo flooded just like these days, what tasks do you think they would get?? Well, here they are some possible tasks:

ROUTE INFO (1): Fly to the capital city of Indonesia, Jakarta. Once you arrive, make your way by a taxi to go to the president palace to get your next clue

DETOUR: DRY or DRAG

In Dry, you have to deliver some logistic help for the refugess of the flood disaster in Jakarta

In Drag, make your way to Ciledug. Once you arrive, you have to drag some marked carts and help the locals in crossing some people over the flooded area

ROUTE INFO (2): Make your way to Sunter where you will find your next clue

ROAD-BLOCK: "Who can swim like dolphins?"

One team member must swim on the flooded area and grab 10 coins which are drowned under the water before receiving your next clue

ROUTE INFO (3): Make your way to the next pitstop, Kebun Raya Bogor near the city of Bogor. Warning: the last team to check in, may be eliminated


Okay, enuff for the fun thing... :) Well, I read somewhere that this flood disaster actually has been predicted since catastrophic flood in Jakarta is a cyclical disaster which happens once in around 5 years. So, if the last big flood was in 2002, so in 2007 (which is now) would probably happen a similar or even worse disaster, rite?? The big question is: why didn't Jakarta's government anticipate this possible (upcoming) disaster?? They didn't seem to see this possible disaster as a big thing to anticipate. When the disaster has happened just like right now, many people suffer and of course, Indonesia will suffer a big loss. According to the news, right now the loss that Indonesia has already got because of this disaster has reached the number Rp. 4,100,000,000,000.oo or around US$ 455,000,000 (according to the news programme on TV this evening). Well, that's a very huge number, rite??

I think the government should learn from Dutch Government. Some percents of Holland Territories is located below the sea level, but they could manage the sea level so a catastrophic disaster doesn't happen there. (Well, I hope this won't be an excuse for them to do a "study" to Holland because that can be a possible expense with no result we get). But that's Indonesia...

footnote: sorry for the colorful entry, I just wanna make it clear... . THX

::: Flooded Jakarta

BAHASA INDONESIA

Hmm, terinspirasi oleh komentarnya Mrs. Mercury's dan salah satu postingan baru di blognya ibunyaima, aku merasa mau menulis postingan aneh ini.... lol

Di salah satu episode dari TARA, semua tim mengunjungi Jakarta Indonesia, untuk babak kedua dari pertandingan. Hmm, kalo wakti itu Jakarta juga lagi kebanjiran banget kaya sekarang ini, tugas apa ya yang kira-kira mereka dapatkan?? Hmm, ada beberapa tugas yang mungkin nih:

ROUTE INFO (1): Terbanglah ke ibukota Indonesia, Jakarta. Begitu sampai, pergi dengan naik taksi menuju istana kepresidenan untuk mendapatkan petunjuk selanjutnya

DETOUR: DRY or DRAG

Di Dry, Anda harus mengantarkan beberapa bantuan logistik bagi pengungsi dari bencana banjir di Jakarta

Di Drag, pergilah ke Ciledug. Begitu Anda sampai, Anda harus membantu menggeret beberapa gerobak yang sudah ditandai dan membantu orang lokal menyeberangkan orang melewati daerah yang kebanjiran

ROUTE INFO (2): Pergilah ke Sunter dimana Anda akan mendapatkan petunjuk selanjutnya

ROAD-BLOCK: "Siapa yang dapat berenang seperti lumba-lumba?"

Satu anggota tim harus berenang di area yang kebanjiran dan mengambil 10 buah koin yang tenggelam di bawah air sebelum menerima petunjuk selanjutnya

ROUTE INFO (3): Pergilah ke pitstop selanjutnya, Kebun Raya Bogor di dekat Kota Bogor. Perhatian: tim terakhir yang sampai di pitstop, mungkin tereliminasi


Okay, cukup lah untuk hal anehnya... :) Hmm, aku baca dimana gitu kalau sebenernya banjir ini sudah terprediksikan sebelumnya soalnya bencana banjir parah di Jakarta adalah sebuah siklus sekali dalam sekitar 5 tahun. Jadi, kalo bencana banjir besar sebelumnya terjadi pada tahun 2002, berarti pada tahun 2007 (yang artinya sekarang) akan terjadi bencana yang mirip atau lebih buruk kan?? Pertanyaan besarnya: kenapa koq pemerintah Jakarta nggak mengantisipasi bencana yang sangat mungkin (akan) terjadi ini?? Mereka malah kayanya nggak menganggap bencana yang mungkin terjadi ini penting untuk diantisipasi. Tapi setelah bencana beneran terjadi kaya sekarang ini, banyak orang menderita, dan tentu saja kan Indonesia akan mengalami kerugian yang besar. Berdasarkan berita, sekarang kerugiannya sudah mencapai angka Rp. 4.100.000.000.000,oo loh, atau sekitar 455.000.000 dollar Amerika (berdasarkan program berita di TV sore ini). Angka yang besar kan??

Harusnya pemerintah belajar tu dari pemerintah Belanda. Beberapa persen dari wilayah Belanda kan terletak di bawah permukaan laut, tapi mereka bisa mengatur permukaan airnya sehingga bencana parah nggak terjadi disana. (Hmm, aku harap ini nggak jadi alasan bagi pemerintah untuk melakukan "studi" ke Belanda sih, soalnya itu bisa jadi pengeluaran dengan tanpa hasil yang diterima). Namun, itulah Indonesia...

catatan: sorry untuk entry yang berwarna-warni ini yaa, maksudku cuma untuk bikin jelas koq... . THX

#285 - My Weekend Story

ENGLISH

Finally this week I really can enjoy my weekend. Well, not saying that last week I didn't enjoy my weekend, but what's different is that this weekend I could really enjoy my OWN weekend with my OWN style... :D

Last Saturday I woke up at 9 AM. Actually I felt that I wanted to continue my sleep, but I just couldn't. So, I got up and after showering, I had breakfast. Then, that morning I went to my fave hotspot cafe and browsed the net freely with no "time limitation". Then, I went to Carrefour to buy some things.

I dunno why but these past 2 days I really wanted to dye my hair. This has never happened before since I ALWAYS like my hair's original color (dark brown). I dunno why but probably because I was a lil' bored and also some many friends of mine also dye their hair, so I just felt that I also wanted to dye it... :) SO, last Saturday, I went to a barbershop and got my hair cut, then dyed my hair. Well, I didn't dye all my hair but I just high-lit it with kinda blonde color. After 1 hr, all the process was finished. Then, that evening I went to a hotspot cafe one more time... :D

On Sunday morning, I got up at 9.30 AM. Then, that morning I went to a hotspot cafe again until 12.30 PM, and I went back home. At 3.30 PM, my friend and I went to BSM (Bandung Super Mall). But before that, we went to Novotel first to do a survey to the fitness centre in that hotel. It was pretty good and not that expensive for that level if I subscribe for 1 year membership, but I'd like to think about it first since I still have about 1 month before the promotion month is over. Then, we went to BSM and had dinner there. At 6.10 PM we left BSM and wandered aimlessly went to Karapitan Bakso since my friend really wanted to taste it... :) After that, I brought my friend back home and I went to a hotspot cafe... :)

Btw, tomorrow I'm gonna have a Calculus Quiz!! Arrrgggghhhh....

New me with new hair color and new glasses

BAHASA INDONESIA

Akhirnya minggu ini saya benar-benar bisa menikmati wiken saya. Hmm, nggak bilang kalau minggu lalu aku nggak menikmati wikenku loh, tapi yang berbeda adalah wiken ini saya benar-benar bisa menikmati wiken SAYA sendiri dan dengan gaya SAYA sendiri... :D

Sabtu kemarin aku bangun jam 9 pagi. Sebenernya aku ngerasa mau tidur lagi sih, tapi nggak bisa tuh. Jadi, aku bangun dan habis mandi, aku sarapan. Trus, paginya saya pergi ke kafe hotspot favorit saya dan internetan dengan bebas tanpa "batasan waktu". Trus, aku pergi ke Carrefour untuk beli beberapa barang.

Aku nggak tau kenapa tapi 2 hari belakangan ini aku rasanya kepingin mengecat rambut saya. Ini nggak pernah terjadi sebelumnya loh, soalnya saya SELALU suka warna asli dari rambut saya (coklat). Aku nggak tau kenapa mungkin karena aku agak bosen dan juga beberapa banyak temen saya yang juga mengecat rambut mereka, makanya saya juga jadi kepingin... :) JADI, kemarin Sabtu, aku pergi ke salon dan setelah memotong rambut saya, aku mengecat rambutku. Hmm, nggak mengecat semua rambutnya sih, tapi lebih ke meng-high-lite tambut dengan warna semacam pirang gitu. Habis 1 jam, semua prosesnya selesai. Habis itu, malamnya aku pergi ke kafe hotspot lagi deh... :D

Minggu pagi, aku bangun jam 9.30 pagi. Trus, paginya aku pergi ke kafe hotspot lagi sampe jam 12.30 siang, trus aku balik ke kos. Jam 3.30 sorenya, aku sama temenku pergi ke BSM (Bandung Super Mall), tapi sebelumnya kami mampir dulu di Novotel buat survey tempat fitness yang ada disana. Lumayan bagus dan nggak mahal-mahal banget sih untuk level itu kalau aku berlangganan selama setahun, tapi mending aku mikir-mikir dulu aja ah soale kan aku masih ada waktu sekitar 1 bulan sampe bulan promosinya selesai. Habis itu, kita ke BSM dan makan malam disana. Jam 6.10 sore kita meninggalkan BSM dan pergi dengan tanpa arah pergi ke Bakso Karapitan soale temenku lagi pingin nyoba tuh bakso... :) Habis itu, aku nganter temenku balik dan aku ke hotspot kafe lagi deh... :)

Btw, besok aku akan ada kuis Kalkulus!! Arrrgggghhhh....

#284 - The Amazing Race Asia (Finale)

ENGLISH

On the finale episode of The Amazing Race Asia, all teams had to start the final leg from the pitstart 12hrs after they checked in at the pitstop. First, they had to solve a jigsaw puzzle to find the final country they would visit and it was Malaysia. All teams had to leave Dubai, UAE heading for Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Andrew&Syeon and Zabrina&Joe-Jer took a flight from Dubai to Kuala Lumpur via Singapore, while Sandy&Francesca took a flight via Bangkok. Even though they took 2 separated flights, they arrived at KL just minutes in different. Once they arrived, they had to go to the first pitstop, KL Tower to find the next clue. There was a car-racing. Teams found out that they had to go to Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia. So, all teams were then equalized on the same flight on the way to Kuching. After they arrived at Kuching, they needed to find the correct cat statue (there are so many cat statues in Kuching) to find their next clue. Zabrina&Joe-Jer made a smart choice by paying a cab driver to show them the way. After they found the clue, they had to go to the Old Courthouse at Gambier Road to find their next clue. The current placing: Andrew&Syeon (1), Zabrina&Joe-Jer (2), Sandy&Francesca (3).

After they arrived at the Old Courthouse and found the next clue, they had to do a Detour Task. They had to choose between BRAIN or BRAWN. On Brain, teams had to assemble a wooden bench just based on pictures they could take with a handphone. On Brawn, teams had to carry 30kg of food before they got their next clue. Well, all teams took Brain apparently while I thought Sandy&Francesca would take Brawn since Brawn was their strength... :) Assembling the bench was kinda hard for Zabrina&Joe-Jer. They finished last behind Andrew&Syeon (1) and Sandy&Francesca (2). After completing the task, they had to go to Sarawak Cultural Village on the foothill of Mt. Santubong. On the way there, Andrew&Syeon made a fatal mistake by relying too much on their guide-book while Zabrina&Joe-Jer, who were the last team, made another smart decision by continuing renting a cab driver to show them the correct way. Because of that mistake, Andrew&Syeon were so left behind and the race was between Zabrina&Joe-Jer and Sandy&Francesca.

Once they arrived, they had to find their next clue inside the correct traditional house. Sandy&Francesca and Zabrina&Joe-Jer found it almost at the same time. They had to use a blowpipe and shoot 6 pineapples. After finishing the task, they got the next clue. The next clue stated that they had to do a Road-Block Task, a rope course at Permai Rainforest Resort. Zabrina&Joe-Jer were the second to finish the blowpipe task behind Sandy&Francesca, but they took a shorter way to go back to the parking lot while Sandy&Francesca took the longer way. Therefore, Zabrina&Joe-Jer were the first to arrive at the Road-Block Task. Zabrina who did the Road-Block Task was almost overtaken by Francesca. Then, they found out that they had to go on foot to Damai Beach and picked a boat to go to Baku National Park, where there would be the finish-line. The first team to check in would win The Amazing Race Asia. The race between Zabrina&Joe-Jer and Sandy&Francesca were so intense on the boat race. Then, once they landed at Baku National Park, they ran to the finish-line following the flag. On the finish line, all eliminated teams (Ernie&Jeena, Aubrey&Jacqueline, Sahil&Prashant, Melody&Sharon, Howard&Sahran, Andy&Laura, and Mardy&Marsio) were waiting for the winner. Finally the first team to arrive and won TARA was ZABRINA&JOE-JER!!! It's clear, Sandy&Francesca were the second team and Andrew&Syeon were the third team.

Wow!! An all-female team won The Amazing Race!! That created a new history in The Amazing Race!! Congratulations to Zabrina&Joe-Jer!! Well, statistically, they were the weakest team amongst the all 3 teams, they never won a single leg before the top 3 leg, automatically, they had never won a winning-prize for the winner of each leg, they were marked for elimination once, but in the end, they won the main prize!! Whatta sweet victory!! :D Btw, Zabrina&Joe-Jer's placing is interesting since it made a palindrome: 3-4-5-6-3-3-6-5-4-3-2-1!! The first until the tenth placing is such a palindrome!! :) Zabrina&Joe-Jer has been one of my most favorite team since the beginning of The Amazing Race Asia, and during the whole race, they were the nicest and cleanest player amongst all 10 teams. KARMA, eh?? :D

::: Zabrina&Joe-Jer celebrating their victory

::: All teams and Allan Wu at the finish-line

BAHASA INDONESIA

Di episode final dari The Amazing Race Asia, semua tim harus memulai putaran terakhir dari pitstart 12 jam setelah mereka sampai di pitstop. Pertama, mereka harus menyusun puzzle untuk menemukan negara tujuan akhir mereka dan mereka akan mengunjungi Malaysia. Semua tim harus meninggalkan Dubai, UEA dan menuju Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Andrew&Syeon dan Zabrina&Joe-Jer mengambil penerbangan menuju Kuala Lumpur via Singapore sementara Sandy&Francesca mengambil penerbangan via Bangkok. Walau mereka mengambil 2 penerbangan yang berbeda, mereka sampai di KL hanya beberapa menit berbeda. Begitu mereka sampai, mereka harus pergi ke pitstop pertama, KL Tower untuk menemukan petunjuk selanjutnya. Ada balapan mobil tuh. Mereka kemudian menemukan kalo mereka harus pergi ke Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia. Jadi, kesemua tim kemudia menjadi seimbang dalam penerbangan yang sama menuju Kuching. Habis sampai di Kuching, mereka harus menemukan atung kucing yang benar (ada banyak patung kucing di Kuching) untuk menemukan petunjuk selanjutnya. Zabrina&Joe-Jer membuat keputusan yang pintar dengan membayar sopir taksi untuk menunjukkan jalan. Habis menemukan petunjuk, mereka harus pergi ke Old Courthouse di Jalan Gambier untuk menemukan petunjuk selanjutnya. Urutannnya sekarang Andrew&Syeon (1), Zabrina&Joe-Jer (2), dan Sandy&Francesca (3).

Setelah mereka sampai di Old Courthouse dan menemukan petunjuk selanjutnya, mereka harus melakukan tugas Detour. Mereka harus memilih diantara BRAIN atau BRAWN. Dalam Brain, mereka harus menyusun bangku dari kayu dengan berdasarkan gambar yang bisa mereka ambil dengan menggunakan handphone. Dalam Brawn, mereka harus membawa 30 kg makanan sebelum menemukan petunjuk selanjutnya. Hmm, semua tim ternyata memilih Brain dan aku kira Sandy&Francesca bakalan memilih Brawn solnya Brawn adalah kekuatan mereka... :) Menyusun kursi kayaknya susah tuh untuk Zabrina&Joe-Jer. Mereka selesai terakhir di belakang Andrew&Syeon (1) dan Sandy&Francesca (2). Habis menyelesaikan tugas, mereka harus pergi ke Sarawak Cultural Village di kaki gunung Santubong. Dalam perjalanan, Andrew&Syeon membuat kesalahan fatal dengan terlalu bergantung pada buku petunjuk mereka sementara Zabrina&Joe-Jer, yang merupakan tim yang terakhir, membuat sebuah keputusan pintar lagi dengan menyewa sopir taksi. Karena kesalahan tersebut, Andrew&Syeon sangat tertinggal di belaknag dn pertandingan adalah antara Zabrina&Joe-Jer dan Sandy&Francesca.

Begitu mereka sampai, mereka harus menemukan petunjuk selanjutnya di dalam rumah tradisional yang benar. Sandy&Francesca menemukannya hampir bersamaan dengan Zabrina&Joe-Jer. Mereka harus menggunakan pipa tiup dan menembak 6 buah nanas. Habis menyelesaikan tugas, mereka menerima petunjuk selanjutnya. Petunjuk selanjutnya menyatakan bahwa mereka harus melakukan tugas Road-Block, kursus tali di Permai Rainforest Resort. Zabrina&Joe-Jer adalah tim kedua yang selesai di belakang Sandy&Francesca, tapi mereka mengambil jalan yang lebih cepat menuju tempat parkir sementara Sandy&Francesca mengambil jalan yang lebih jauh. Makanya, Zabrina&Joe-Jer adalah yang pertama sampai di tempat tugas Road-Block. Zabrina yang melakukan Road-Block nyaris disalip sama Francesca.Trus mereka harus berjalan kaki menuju Pantai Damai dan memilih perahu untuk pergi ke Taman Nasional Baku, dimana akan berada garis-finish. Tim pertama yang sampai akan memenangkan The Amazing Race Asia. Pertandingan antara Zabrina&Joe-Jer dan Sandy&Francesca sangat ketat di balapan perahunya. Trus, habis sampai, mereka lari ke garis-finish dimana kesemua tim yang sudah tereliminasi (Ernie&Jeena, Aubrey&Jacqueline, Sahil&Prashant, Melody&Sharon, Howard&Sahran, Andy&Laura, dan Mardy&Marsio) menunggu pemenangnya. Akhirnya, tim pertama yang sampai dan memenangkan TARA adalah ZABRINA&JOE-JER!!! Jelas lah, Sandy&Francesca adalah tim kedua dan Andrew&Syeon adalah tim ketiga.

Wow!! Sebuah tim semua-wanita memenangkan The Amazing Race!! Itu mencetak sejarah baru di The Amazing Race!! Selamat untuk Zabrina&Joe-Jer!! Hmm, secara statistik, mereka adalah tim terlemah dari semua 3 tim, mereka blom pernah memenangkan pertandingan sebelumnya, secara otomatis mereka blom pernah memenangkan hadiah kemenangan untuk pemenang tiap ronde, mereka nyaris tereliminasi, tapi akhirnya, mereka memenangkan hadiah utamanya!! Kemenangan yang sangat manis tuh!! :D Btw, posisi Zabrina&Joe-Jer menarik loh soalnya membentuk sebuah palindrom: 3-4-5-6-3-3-6-5-4-3-2-1!! Yang pertama sampai kesepuluh membentuk palindrom!! :) Zabrina&Joe-Jer adalah salah satu tim terfavorit saya sejak awal dari The Amazing Race Asia ini, dan dari keseluruhan pertandingan, mereka adalah yang terbaik hati dan pemain terbersih dari kesemua 10 tim. Apakah ini KARMA?? :D