Lost in Translation in Tokyo - Part 1

I was had an opportunity to visit one of my dream city, Tokyo, 2 weeks ago. 
It was a business trip actually. But since I always put some fun on my works, I did a little exploration there. Alone. From total 5 days in Tokyo, I had opportunities to explore Tokyo around 3,5 days. Not bad..
I stayed at a Hotel near Tokyo Station. So I had opportunities to explore Marunouchi (around the hotel), Okachimachi, Akihabara, Harajuku, Shibuya, Shinjuku, and Ikebukuro.
And since I don't speak Japanese and was failed to learn Japanese on high school, I was lost in translation there. I don't speak Japanese, and mostly of people there don't speak English or Bahasa. So I used the universal language: smiles and hand-body gestures! A lil bit funny actually, but still we could communicate somehow.
Here are some pictures for you to enjoy.

Strolling Down Along the Street Near Okachimachi Station

My Boss

Met These School Boys at Akihabara

Gundam Cafe at Akihabara

AKB48 Shop at Akihabara

Sega Building at Akihabara

May The Fourth Be With You! :D

Isn't She Cute?

I Met My First Sakura Tree at Akihabara :)

Japanese People Knows How to Utilize Available Space Just Like This One

This Hot Coffee Was Needed to Warm My Hand. It Was So Cold There!

Cute Hamster!

They're Too Cute!

Cute, Cute, Cute!

The Famous One: Hello Kitty!

Japanese Beef Curry. Oishi!

The Rules

The Imperial Hotel

The Sakura Tree at Wadakurabashi, Near Imperial Palace of Tokyo

Sakura Bloom

I Love How Tokyo Still Has Many Beautiful Parks

One of The Imperial Palace's Building

Another Imperial Palace's Building

The Map at Kikyo-mon Gate of Imperial Palace

The Pink Sakura Near Sakashita-mon Gate of Imperial Palace

Lovely Pink Sakura

I Left My Foot Prints in Front of Nijubashi Gate of Imperial Palace

Nijubashi Gate of Imperial Palace

The Main Gate of Imperial Palace

What's Inside This Gate?

The Imperial Palace

The Famous Nijubashi Bridge

Lost in Translation!

Statue of Kusunoki Masashige

Statue of Kusunoki Masashige

Kusunoki Masashige

Oh, How I Love Sakura..

Found Another Park at the Opposite Side of Kusunoki Masashige's Statue

I Dream This Kind of Park to be Exist in Jakarta

Run, Boy, Run!

Tokyo International Forum

A Japanese Lady Wore Yukata Near Tokyo International Forum

Tokyo Station Building

The Street Between Hajaruku Station and Meiji Jingu

Yoyogi Park at Harajuku

A Graffiti On The Street at Yoyogi Park, Harajuku

Map of Yoyogi Park, Harajuku

An Inscription at Yoyogi Park, Harajuku

My Hand Warmer from the Nearest Vending Machine!

The Public Restroom at Yoyogi Park, Harajuku

It Made Your Tummy Happy!

The Famous Takeshita Dori Street of Harajuku

The Evening Sky of Takeshita Dori, Harajuku

There are still so many pictures I have. I will show you again tomorrow ;)

When I was in High School

Apa yang gue ingat dari masa SMA gue? Banyak!

• Bukan masuk jajaran anak pintar.
• Bukan masuk jajaran anak populer.
• Tapi gue akuin, gue cukup terkenal di kalangan satpam, guru, dan temen-temen gue.
• Pernah dihukum lari keliling lapangan siang-siang karena nilai Geografi jelek.
• Saat yang lainnya ikutan Paskibraka, gue ikutan teater.
• Waktu kelas 1 masuk siang.
• Waktu kelas 2 dan kelas 3, masuk pagi. Tapi sejak kelas 3, sering telat.
• Selalu semangat nonton sepakbola.
• Kenakalan mulai terlihat bibitnya sejak kelas 1. Tapi semakin menjadi saat kelas 2 dan 3 (lha qo bangga..!)
• Pernah disuruh nyeker karena pakai sepatu ga warna hitam.
• Pernah dihukum 1 kelas gara-gara ngelempar temen ke udara dan ga ditangkep lagi. Alhasil temen gue sukses jatoh ke aspal lapangan :D
• Pernah ngeledakin laboratorium.
• Pernah bikin 1 sekolahan berasap karena setelah ngeledakin laboratorium, masih aja niat ngeledakin kamar mandi belakang.

Jangan Lewatkan. 10 Juni 2012.

Masa-masa SMA memang masa-masa yang terindah.

In The Middle of The Stream

I don't use Crocs.
I don't use Blackberry.
I don't use Android.
I don't have any Apple products (my sister has an iPad 2, but I rarely borrow it from her)
I don't play Instagram.
I don't watch Indonesian Idol.
I don't read any of Dee Lestari's books.
I don't know which one is Siwon from those 11 boys called Super Junior.

I am not an anti-mainstream nor mainstream girl. I am just in the middle of them..

(Not So) Silence Long Weekend

Akhir pekan kemarin memang jadi akhir pekan yang panjang di Indonesia. Thanks to Nyepi (Silence Day) yang jatuh hari Jumat kemarin jadi waktu akhir pekan gue jadi semakin panjang.

Yang gue lakukan di akhir pekan panjang kemarin memang ga banyak. Salah satunya adalah kegiatan favorit gue: movie marathon!

Film yang gue tonton adalah film Indonesia yang cukup sukses di dunia Internasional: "The Raid". Film yang di luar Indonesia terkenal dengan judul "The Raid: Redemption" ini banyak dapat pujian di ajang festival film di luar negeri. Bahkan The Famous Mike Shinoda of Linkin Park pun menggarap musik di film ini yang rilis terbatas di Hollywood.

Sebenernya siy ga sengaja juga Sabtu kemarin tiba-tiba beli tiket film "The Raid". Jadwal gue hari itu harusnya fitness. Tapi karena kebegoan gue, sepatu fitness ga kebawa dan gue sudah ada di mall tempat fitness gue. Akhirnya daripada sia-sia menempuh perjalanan 10 menit dari dokter gigi, gue pun melipir ke salah satu bioskop di gedung sebelah mall. Jamnya pun pas dengan gue sampai di bioskop itu.

The Raid

"The Raid" movie ticket with new edition of National Geographic Traveler

Tanpa gue sangka, film ini tingkat kesadisannya ngalahin "Ninja Assassin"-nya Rain! Jeritan ngeri sekaligus mual tingkat tinggi pun menyerang gue mulai dari 30 menit pertama film ini main. Bahkan rasa mual gue sama sekali ga berkurang sampai film ini selesai. Menurut gue film ini sangat berani untuk mempertontonkan adegan kekerasan yang super sadis. Tapi di luar adegan tembak menembak dan bacok membacok yang sadis, adegan laga tangan kosong di film ini bener-bener harus diacungin jempol. Keren banget! Dan pastinya musik di film ini bisa jadi faktor pengalih perhatian yang oke..

I rate "The Raid": 4 out of 5 stars.Mohon untuk para orang tua yang mau nonton "The Raid", mending ga usah ngajak anaknya yang masih di bawah 17 tahun, apalagi yang masih balita. Selesai nonton "The Raid", gue aja langsung stres. Ga nafsu makan, bahkan sampai muntah. Jadi lebih baik ga usah diajak yah, Pak, Bu, anak-anaknya yang masih kecil. Sayangi masa kecil mereka..

Saking stres-nya gue selesai nonton "The Raid", gue memutuskan untuk mencari penghiburan diri dalam bentuk film lain yang bisa bikin ketawa dan melupakan bacokan-bacokan di film sebelumnya. Film yang gue pilih adalah "Dr. Seuss' The Lorax".

Kalau dibandingin sama "The Raid", gue lebih ga tau "The Lorax" ini film tentang apa. Gue cuma tau kalau jenisnya adalah animasi. Yang namanya animasi kan mungkin akan bikin stres lah yaaa..

Dr. Seuss' The Lorax

"The Lorax" movie ticket

Dan ternyata penghiburan dengan nonton "The Lorax" berhasil. Rasa mual yang gue derita berangsur berkurang. Stres yang gue rasa pun sedikit demi sedikit hilang.

I rate "The Lorax": 4 out of 5 stars.

Pesan moralnya bagus banget untuk mulai ditanamkan ke anak-anak kecil jaman sekarang yang hidupnya sudah penuh dengan teknologi tingkat tinggi.

Daripada ngajak anaknya nonton "The Raid", mending nonton "The Lorax", Pak, Bu.. Lebih bisa mendidik. Kalau "The Raid" mah untuk Bapak-Ibu aja, jangan untuk anaknya.

Choose the movie wisely!

The Sweetest Cupcakes

I start to fall in love with cupcakes! Blame it to Mbak Syafrina Siregar who introduce me to this sweet little full color cake.

If you live around Jakarta area and love cupcakes, just contact Mbak Nana. She would love to made your cupcakes based on your request! Just like mine below..

My Mom's Birthday Cupcakes

24 Cupcakes for the Queen of My Heart

A little promotion for my Cupcakes Queen :D

Or if you live in Malang, East Java, I recommend Mbak Linda's Cupcakes! Well, frankly speaking, I didn't know her in private. I was introduced to her by Mr. Google.

In order to gave a surprise on my friend's birthday last week, I was looking for an online cake store just like Mbak Nana's. If he lived in Jakarta, I would love to ask Mbak Nana to made the cupcakes for me. But since he lives in Malang, so I ask Mr. Google to find me an online cake store. And voila! I found Mbak Linda's website. And I fall in love with her cupcakes creation. Just like Mbak Nana..

Here's the cupcakes from Mbak Linda:

Special Cupcakes for Special Person

So, if you love cupcakes and craving for them, I recommend you to contact Mbak Nana and Mbak Linda.

Happy ordering!

My So Called Office Desk - Part 1

My colorful desk!

That is how my office desk looks like. Just like my desk at previous office, it is so colorful yet crowded.

I have pictures of my sisters, nieces, and cousins, body lotion, hand cream, body mist, lip balm, lipstick,baby liquid talc, anti-itch lotion, eucalyptus oil, eye drops, cough syrup, souvenirs from my colleagues, and a complete set of stationary. That is just a small part of my desk. I will take another picture tomorrow that show my whole desk.

Well, it's more than a desk I guess. It is my nest at the office.

Mabuhay!

Finally I can visit the city with gorgeous architecture in Southeast Asia -- Manila, Philippines. Although I went there in order to work, but still I could visited some of its gorgeous places of interest.
Actually the city and the people are closely similar to Jakarta. So I had no difficulties to fall in love with the city. Many times there I was presumed as a Filipino so they spoke in Tagalog with me. Until I told them that I don't speak Tagalog and I'm an Indonesian.

Here are some pictures from Manila:

The view near my hotel, Richmonde Hotel Ortigas

The traffic is perfectly the same with Jakarta

The globe in front of SM Mall of Asia

Never visit Manila without visiting SM Mall of Asia

Sunset at Manila Bay

3rd Philippines International Pyromusical Competition at Manila Bay

Taal Lake view from Tagaytay

San Agustin Church of Intramuros

Plaza San Luis of Intramuros

Manila Ocean Park

Philippines Public Private Partnership Center

MRT Depot

The situation at Terminal 2 International Departure of Ninoy Aquino International Airport

I'd love to visit Manila again. Thank you for your hospitality, Manila! Salamat!