Dinner Marathon with Colleagues

.: Thursday, January 19, 2012 :.

One of our ex-colleagues will be leaving for Taiwan, so we arranged a little farewell dinner cum pre chinese new year dinner. After office, five of us heading to Hillman Restaurant at Ferrer Park. There, we met two ex-colleagues. Meeting ex-colleagues together over meal will certainly bring a lot of interesting gossips haha. Overall, having dinner together with colleagues is what makes me remember we are all "human being", and we tend to forget that when we get so stressed out. So it was nice, to recall again why I like working together with them, and on top of that, to bitch together about our sworn enemy at office lol. 😏

 

.: Friday, January 20, 2012 :.

Yazawa is a traditional Japanese yakiniku style restaurant. I like the ambiance, like a real izakaya place. Well, my ex-colleague Kenjin has been persuading me to try this restaurant for literally since the first month of us working together until now, that is almost 1.5 year. And wanna know why it took me 1.5 year? It's because Yazawa only serves a top quality beef which only means one plate of certain part of cow can cost $120 - $150, only for 5-6 slices 😱  But those meat… they're so ridiculously good.

So, five of us *two of them are ex-colleagues* braced ourselves to enter this place. We trusted Kenjin, who clearly is a Yazawa regular, to pick a menu for us. For an appetizer, we had a tomato flown over from Japan which costed $12, for one bloody tomato! But the grown-in-Japan tomato proved itself worth the price. Really, I never tasted tomato that good before nor have I ever eaten one when I still stayed in Japan. If I knew Japan's tomatoes cost so high here, I would have eaten myself sick of tomatoes in Japan. 😪

For the drink, what else could best accompany beef other than sake? Besides, our friend Kenjin is notoriously fond of wine and sake. I had a Calpis, aaah hishashiburi ni~

Oh the meat, made me recall my wagyu kobe beef experience with my family. It melted in your mouth, that's how good it is. And see that marble like pattern?… kampeki. They said that all the beef is flown from Japan everyday without refrozen twice so it's all fresh… and tastes so lip-smackingly good 😘

Torii 鳥居

What is Torii? Well, as you can see here, it’s a Japanese gate that usually serves as an entrance to the sacred place. So you pretty much can find it in a shrine. I remember the trip to Nikko and how I was soo fascinated by this torii, placed just beside the lake.

Lucky I took quite a lot of pictures of the must-visit Nikko so I can use them as future references to make sketches, because you see, it’s already been more than 6 months since the day I began my journey in Singapore. And during those times, no sketches nor paintings of Singapore I made.

I know… I couldn’t believe it myself. The thing is, in here, there’s nothing to keep me inspired. But you know what, I’m gonna stop comparing between here and there, ’now’ and ’back then’. That’s it, I’m joining watercolor course in Singapore on March *woohoo*

Travel Sketch :: Kita Kamakura

Few months ago, I was browsing through photos, looking for something inspiring to draw. Then I stumbled upon this one *I dunno what it's called; temple, shrine?* Especially love the way it looks kinda deserted.

It was one day in Autumn'08 when we set off to Kita Kamakura for Momiji hunting slash tracking. The sun shone bright enough to warm the cool autumn day. Well, exactly the perfect day for our outing. Me & Ria met up with the boys on the station's platform.

The photo itself is courtesy of Adi, our photographerAnyhoo, I enjoyed drawing this. And one thing that I do remember well about that day; I wore the wrong outfit! On my defense, I didn't know we were going to do tracking. I thought we were just gonna find someplace under the tree to chill out, take photos like.. a lot, finding the most perfect spot etc. well basically Momiji hunting things only, you know -  But... ぶっぶーっ no, we went tracking too!! and I wore boots, high heel ones!! geez... luckily the scenery was amazing, worked like a charm to ease the discomfort huahaha

Hmm Japan really has something to offer in term of uniqueness, unlike... well, unlike *really, pardon me*  Singapore - okay I know, shame on me. I don't know what to sketch here, um buildings, malls?? yeah right. Except maybe Chinatown. You see, Chinatown at night is something you should see here. Lampion's everywhere. 

Tulip Garden at Disney Sea ::Winter 2009::

Two paintings below are from photos, taken at Disney Sea, the second time I went there. The first time was with my fullcast friends in Summer 2007, it was a hell lot of fun. The second time was when my mom visited Japan in January 2008. We went there with my brother, just the three of us. Inside, I was so... thrilled to see a HUGE garden full of various kinds of tulips. So amazed *yeah my first time to see so many tulips, my fave flower* that I asked my brother - not really a fan of nature beauty - to take a lot of pics of me with the tulip garden until he grew impatient sheesh... If I went alone, I would love to just stare at those fabulous tulips and... just be there!

:: Oil on Canvas ::
80 x 60 cm
~February 2009~
.: Tulip Garden at Disney Sea :.

:: Watercolor ::
24 x 32 cm
~May 22, 2009~
.: Disney Sea :.

Sakura

Well, since I don't get to see sakura this year, I decided to paint them. These are from photos I took a year ago in Ueno and someplace I didn't remember where. I went to hanami (cherry blossoms/sakura viewing) with Inge, Ellen, Stivan, Rendy and Teddy - who later joined us. It was so beautiful. Hehe the paintings really don't do justice here. You should feel the atmosphere at hanami. So alive.

::Oil on canvas 60 x 40 cm::
.: Sakura viewing at Ueno :.

~February 2009~

.: Someplace we went to after Ueno :.

::Watercolor::
~February 28, 2009~

.: Ueno :.

Christmas with Love 2008

Hm I know I should've posted this sooner, and now the moment's really gone but nevertheless, not enough reason for me not to force my eyes open to write something 'bout it here at... gee 4:46 am... gotta hurry...

So a week ago, December 13, 2008 we went to a Christmas party held by KMKI Jpn (Indonesian Christian Community in Japan), somewhere near Meguro. It was pretty huge, with Indonesian Ambassador to Japan being there and opened the event. But um, without any slight intention to show less respect to Mr. Ambassador, I must say I came solely to see the guest star of the night, Rio Febrian *sigh... what a voice he has *. That and of course to celebrate Christmas itself with all my dear friends

Totally enjoyed the night, oh who didn't?? we all got to see rio febrian sing 4 songs *four wasn't it? uh pardon the memory, I'm getting old* one of them is actually my second most favorite Christmas song, The First Noel. Number one is not yet to be dethroned, Mary's Boy Child hehe Anyway, since my departure to Hong Kong is not until 25 Dec, it is only true if I say Christmas with Love 2008 is still the highlight of this month so far.

But too bad, we went home empty handed. Ohhh I wish I won the door prize, round trip ticket to Bali + 4 days accommodations...

Lalaport

Yeah!! at long last, a shopping center that I can finally call a mall. One of few things that I miss a lot about jakarta is its huge array of malls! Sure you can find tons of shopping centers here but, I don't know, something's just missing they don't deserve to be called "mall". I don't sense the-mall-vibe coming from them. So when I set foot for the first time on Lalaport in Kamoi, it just clicked. A Mall Thanks to ellen, she told me about it

There's shuttle bus every 30 mnts from Kamoi station to Lalaport, and of course free of charge. It takes approximately 15 mnts on the bus. I was thinking of walking all the way there but no, I've had enough of that already. Few weeks ago I spent almost 4 hours walking *not even a minute rest* from Machida to Fujigaoka *30 mnts by train*. Apparantly, this stingy side of me won me over. I wanted to figure out whether I could go there without having to spend 600 yen on round trip train ticket; which is now I know I can but oohhh soooo not worth wasting 4 hours outside in a cold. I was miserable for two weeks afterwards, my feet were in pain.

Anyway, Lalaport at night... gorgeous, with all the lights on the tree sparkling; made you wanna stare at them all night. The photo I took? Too bad, don't do the justice.

~I love tulips~

nabe feast

>>the crab is back<<

oh I have the whole time in the world and still, I'm too lazy as to post last weekend small party hhh so, one short posting and a bunch of pics will do for now.

quick summary:
:: sunday evening @machida apartment
:: nabe... yeahhhh *thanks to ria, we got to eat nabe!!*
:: cheese fondue+chocolate fondue = that day's highlight *geez, nothing could ever beat dipping banana in choco fondue... yum*

i could sleep all day... la vita e bella

illumination @Tama Center

What first comes to your mind if you hear the word winter? Snow and Christmas, right?! And Christmas lamps add more fairy land kind of vibe and beauty into our Christmas spirit, don't you think? *no, i don't mean to dwarf the deep, deep meaning of Christmas itself, but come on... no one can resist the beauty of those little lamps ^^* So, to mark the beginning of winter, many places in Tokyo are specially decorated with all kind of illuminated figures and shapes. We went to see one of those festive lighting in Tama Center. Sanrio Land is located there, so it's only natural if Sanrio characters become the main mascots.

We planned to meet up at Fujigaoka ryou, ate lunch together, and at 3 o'clock enjoyed a Christmas concert in front of Tokyu Store Fujigaoka, but... once again, it was only the plan. We didn't have the heart to leave the comfort and the entertainment fujigaoka ryou offered. Ping-pong table! Had a good laugh, so much fun. I remembered the last time I played ping-pong with my dad in Bandung nine years ago, hhh... time really goes by so fast.

an evening at starbucks

December 01, 2008
16:39

I love this... sitting on the couch by the window, Christmas song playing softly, me enjoying a cup of caramel coffee. Outside, the sky is just perfect, cold breeze... leaves falling down.

:: machida ::

I brought a novel (A Thousand Splendid Suns) with me and I've reached the part where one of the main characters, Laila, tastes her first grief. I hate the way it reminds me much of... mm that. I just have to peek inside and I can see it again very clearly, every single detail. Excruciating. I'm shock it's still there, that small, filthy box topped with dust, lying on the corner.. inside my mind. Gee, it sure is a small box but oh what a considerable amount of space does it take!

Momiji hunting

Woo-hoo! 3 days off!

On Friday, me ria ellen had our movie night *didn't actually plan it* It is such a shame to let friday night slip just like that, don't you think? We watched I Am Legend and I'm not sure if I like the ending. Sam is dead!! Why couldn't they let the dog live?? Other than that, I say the movie... hm quite good?! For the whole first part of the movie - before the arrival of other fellow human - I kept having goose bumps, you know, just imagine, you live alone without any living soul except your dog... uh, me would have gone crazy in an instant.

The next day was spent by curling under my three-layer warm blanket, idled the morning away by watching Friends - the most brilliant tv series ever!! - reading A Thousand Splendid Suns, sleeping, watching, eating and eating again until it was 2 pm. Time for me to get ready. And, an hour and a quarter later off we (Ellen and I) went to Catholic Church in Meguro. We attended the evening service and... a feast. Soto, gado-gado, lumpia, opor ayam, kerupuk, sambal... INDONESIAN FOOD!!! Thank God, You did know how much I craved for Gado-gado. Oh what a blessed Saturday night...

After brutally attacking those foods, we (+edwin) dashed to Shibuya to meet Tawil and Rendy to discuss tomorrow's plan. Wait, no. That would be a lie. The truth is, we wouldn't have gone in the first place to Shibuya if the nearest Beard Papa's store were not in Shibuya. Me and ellen REALLY wanted to buy those Beard Papa's cream puffs *yeah, thanks to inge, to arouse this craving ^^*

Hhh so beat, and foolish me, I decided not to sleep given that I had to wake up early in the morning coz we planned to meet up in Kita Kamakura at 6 or 7 o'clock *forgot* and from where I live it takes for about one and a half hour. But, as often happened before, I... uhm I drifted off to sleep. Geez, it was so freaking cold in that ungodly hour and I really had no options other than snuggling under blanket. I closed my eyes *just a couple minute, until whatever song that was playing then was over, I thought* ... But, once my head touched the pillow... that was it *sigh* 2 hours in the dreamland.

Sunday

Momiji hunting @Kamakura.

Oh what a disappointment! I thought I would see Kamakura in its glory, with all red, orange and yellow leaves, but instead, the trees that had turned red were not that many compared to the green ones, and scattered everywhere. Less to my liking, coz what I had in mind was this Kamakura with red and orange foliage drifting down. Nevertheless, count the momiji out and there it was, breathtakingly morning scenery of the old capital of Nippon, Kamakura. True I didn’t fancy the still-too-much-green scenery, but I did adore the town; its shops, its narrow streets, and I loved watching people leisurely doing their activities. Somehow, I felt like strolling in Ubud *ehm, without the rice fields of course* and though I’ve never been to Seattle before *?? why Seattle? i dunno myself, popped up just like that*, I imagined more or less, that what it would be like, with all the local markets. I love small towns!

~hihihi LMAO, National TREESURE~

After eating our lunch in a curry house *we gratefully claimed our seats after half an

hour waiting outside on the sidewalk* we visited one more temple, ugh forgot what it is called. Then from there, with battered body and soul *hell, I only slept for 2 hours!* we were off to our next destination, the most beloved Enoshima. The sunset was totally

awesome *God how great Thou Art*

On Monday, well, as a revenge for my last failed-plan, I did secure a hell lot of time to myself ^^ just getting through the day by reading.

Long Weekend :: part 1 ::

Long weekend!!! cheers to that! libur 3 hari hehe, hmm liburan kali ini lumayan ada kegiatan. Sabtu seharian jalan, soale ada temen *haven't met before* dateng ke Jpn, so pada ngumpul di Shibuya bentar trus lanjut ke Ueno buat nyari coat. Abis itu malemnya si Rendy having belated b'day party di Nabezou Shinjuku. Capek banget seharian jalan, ampe Machida skitar jam 12-an malem. Photo menyusul di-upload klo dah dapet. Eh ya, hihi akhirnya gw makan Krispy Kreme Jpn jg *thanks to Stivan ~sering2 donk ^^~*

Oya oya, pertama kali liat bintang di Tokyo hihi, duh excuse me deh for being udik, but I do love watching stars tp disini hampir ga pernah nongol. Terakhir liat di Mount Fuji. Hmm yg kemaren ini sih cuman dikiiit banget but it's okay lah drpd kagak ada. Besok2nya tepar ampe ga ke gereja *again... duh do forgive me dear God* bangun sih bangun jam 8an tp badan rasanya pegel2 mana dingin pula kan. Malemnya maunya ke New Hope Church Sagamihara tp berhubung yg laen pada ke Mount Takao, ga pergi dah. Padahal dah janji mo dateng lagi hahaha

Hmm kemaren tuh bener2 ngerasa really weird. Tiap kali denger, I felt something like a big thump in my chest, bener2 di otak gw tuh rasanya mrk manggil the one person I knew. Mesti struggle buat ga fall apart lagi, to keep smiling. It's just plainly ridiculous, bener2 ga da hubungannya sama skali, I know. But even one common thing is enough to make me remember all stuffs again. Gosh, I'm being silly.

S***** meeting *hmph*

Another Hachiouji branch meeting in Saturday *why??*
This time it was held in Kokubunji at 1:10 pm, but before that I had to show up earlier for medical check up. Know what, I got lost!! old story for me *sigh* The map they gave me? Well useless. I don't know how to read map, I just can't! Right there in front of the station, a map in one hand and a blank look on my face, I tried to figure out where I was on the map. After spending so much time standing.. looking to the left.. to the right.. eyes to the map.. to the street..to the left again... that was it! I gave up and asked a very kind policeman for direction. He, laughing, said that I had to rotate the map 90 degree to the left, then there you go, just followed the road! Oh okay, so I got it turned up-side down, great *how should I know?* and I had no more than 4 minutes left for medical check up appointment.

You know that Japanese are so damn nuts *please note: in a good way* about being on time right? So I freaked out, then... I got lost *yes yes I know, again* ended up asking for direction. I ran and... I met my Branch Manager, he said few things I nodded and I ran again! Gosh... I didn't salute him properly, oh well, screw him I then asked another person, past a tall building *I didnt know that THE building was the "it" building*, after a while decided to come back to the building, hesitantly went approaching a man wearing a doctor-like suits, and the first thing he said to me before I had a chance to open my mouth was this: "Medical check up? Please go inside, the room is in the basement." Eureka!! I found it! A huge grin on my face. But hmm.. this was written on the map: "Only 5 minutes walk from the Kokubunji station" and I was like, what, 20 minutes late?? Just great!