Indonesian Cities

Just got back from Yogyakarta for work this Saturday.. Make me think back, I kinda have this obsession to travel around the Indonesian cities.. hehehe! I just think that it would be very nice once I travel the world with this kind of knowledge about my own country and whatever it has -gathered from my own experience-

Now on this chance, I'll preview back the cities I've been visited all these years to see what's been done and to see that there's so many more to do.. Because I put a little more concern about culture and tourism, I will also give my comments more about those area.. So here it goes.. :)

I've spent more than half of my life in LAMPUNG, Bandarlampung to be exact. And maybe I've travel all around Lampung during those years. This province definitely has A LOT to offer! It is rich with culture and have a great potential for tourism. I loooove Lampung's traditional clothes, and it has this super fabulous material called TAPIS. The beaches are pretty nice, but with a very minimum facility. Lampung is also a heaven for food lovers, we can find lots of delicious menus, but also with a quite limited range of restaurant choices. Earlier, I did say 'potential', because I admit that all I can see until now is still the potential, not yet the progress to be the great tourism area. I can talk all day about this beauty, but better move on to the next object shall we.. ;)

Way back then when I was little, 3 years old, or maybe 4, my Grandmother took me on a train to JAMBI. 1 of my Aunt lived there at that time. Of course there's not much to remember except the journey I've experienced riding on a train for the first time (I think). Okay, I wish there'll be a time I can go back and actually talk about the city! :)

I visited MEDAN for the very first time on 2009 (if I'm not mistaken) with Trisakti University's Student Body members. My impression more or less about this place is that it has this potential to be an intriguing place for tourists to visit. The culture is phenomenal, lots to learn from its tradition. Not to mention the famous Ulos. But then again, the infrastructure and facilities are not enough to convince people that this place is ready for tourists. I went to this very high waterfall that turns out to be the highest waterfall in Indonesia! (I just found out a week ago from an article) The place?? so called standard. Nothing special about it. Cannot make me stay longer to enjoy the view. Definitely not a place to be remembered. The food choices are great! I'm a big fan of Durian, and the Durians there are awesome! with lots of taste! Although I prefer the original flavour.. hehe. And the rare tiger shells that I love so much?? I can find it here!! hihihi.

Next? CIREBON. I visited this place for the first time during my cousin's wedding. Well, this is the 3rd time that I say this city also has a lot to offer and potential to attract tourists. There's a center for sulfur bath that based on my opinion, is not well developed and taken care of. There's also a historical building that most of time, as we all know, did not get the attention needed from the government. Cirebon has its own original batik.

YOGYAKARTA was also 1 of my destination when I was traveling with the Student Body in 2008, but I think the first time I went there was with my family.. The fact that the kingdom concept is still existing in this province create more excitement among the people who visit, excitement to learn about the way the people live, the rich culture, the cuisine, the old buildings.

Next place is SURABAYA, hihihih. Looks like my journey with the Student Body starts to open up my view on the cities I've never visited before, for this, I thank my University.. :P Not much to talk about, but this place is famous for its cuisine's greatness. People often say that Surabaya is the center of food tourism. Well, until now, I've only been there for 2 times, and each visit wasn't more than 3 days. If I have more time (and the time I spent there is for holiday) I'll describe more about it.

Last year, for the first time, I set my foot on MAKASSAR, this time, I travel with my Sekdilu 35 friends on a field trip. I remember how excited I am to finally got to the eastern part of Indonesia!! :) I went to Trans Studio at that time, not bad. Me and my sisters also visited Fort Rotterdam for pictures, but besides that, nothing else special at the place. I love the food, but I don't like es Pisang Ijo, I found it very annoyingly sweet! :P The second time I went there is for work last month. I went a little crazy buying the souvenirs.. hahaha! 1 thing I notice and I don't like so much: the beach right next to the main road is not well developed and maintained.

What else? Jakarta, Bogor, Bandung.. Well, I love going back and forth to Bogor and Bandung, because of the easier access to reach those places. As for Jakarta, I live here now. hehehe.

Okay, that's how I describe VERY BRIEFLY about the cities I've visited. But the bottom line here is that the access (how to get there, how to get around the place), the information (all about where, when, what, who, why, and how), the facilities (anything that can elevate the excitement of visiting the tourism area), the infrastructure (place to stay, place to eat, etc) is still below expectation to support the development of the tourism sector. I am a proud Diplomat, and my passion is for culture and tourism. Any job in my Ministry that have something to do with the culture and tourism sector, would make me really excited to work on!! Wish I'll give my contribution for this sector.. :))

Quote: -When in Rome-

Beth: Dad. When you married Mom, did you ever think that you wouldn't make it?
Beth's Dad: Elizabeth Ann. Honey, you cannot learn from my mistakes. You're going to have to go out there and make your own. Now, you could get your heart broken or you could have the greatest love affair the world has ever known, but you're not going to know unless you try.
Beth: But what if there was a guarantee that you'd never get hurt.
Beth's Dad: Baby... the passion is in the risk. It's like I always say, If you're going to be a bear...
Beth: ...Be a grizzly

Quote: -Valentine's Day-

Estelle: When you love someone, you love all of them... you gotta love everything about them, not just the good things but the bad things too. The things that you find lovable and the things you don't.


Reed Bennett: Did you even consider marrying me?
Morley Clarkson: Of course I did... but when you ask a girl to marry you, do you want her to just consider it? Or do you want her to just know? 

Quote: -Definitely, Maybe-

Someone really special make me look at this movie for one more time today.. And I bet he haven't watched the one I told him to watch.. :P

Well anyway, 2 scenes are my most favorite quotes. One of them is kinda related to me in some ways, that's why I love them.. :) here it is:

April: So Emily is what, like your college sweetheart?
Will Hayes: It's amazing how you do that.
April: What?
Will Hayes: The way you take the simplest statement and then you twist it with a completely negative connotation. It's really, actually, impressive.
April: [laughing] I didn't mean to do that. I actually think it's very sweet.
Will Hayes: See, you did it again! 

The next quote is something sweet, but for me, this is supposed to be what happened in the first place, not just some 'rehearsal'.. but well, if it happens like I wanted, it will never be a movie after all.. :P

April: I'm Emily your college sweetheart is there something you wanted to ask me?
Will Hayes: Emily...
April: Wait! You gotta get down on your knee
Will Hayes: No I'm not getting down on my knee
April: [Walks towards Will] She'll like it; she'll like seeing you down on your knee...
Will Hayes: I'm not getting down on my knee
April: [Rolls her eyes and walks back to the railing and turns around] Such a mistake! Okay
Will Hayes: Emily...
April: Yes William?
Will Hayes: Don't make me laugh! Emily Will you... um... marry me?
April: No
Will Hayes: Oh my god...
April: What do you mean, 'Will you, um, marry me?' I haven't seen you in weeks! You don't look happy or excited about the prospect of our marriage! You're asking me to give up my - my freedom, my joie de vivre for an institution that fails as often as it succeeds? And why should I marry you anyway? I mean, why do you wanna marry me? Besides some bourgeois desire to fulfil an ideal that society embeds in us from an early age to promote a consumer capitalist agenda?
Will Hayes: Oh! Oh, my God.
April: You should've got on your knee.
Will Hayes: Just shut up! Here... I wanna marry you because you're the first person I wanna look at when I wake up in the morning, and the only one I wanna kiss goodnight. Because the first time that I saw these hands, I couldn't imagine not being able to hold them. But mainly, when you love someone as much as I love you, getting married is the only thing left to do. So, will you, um, marry me?
April: Definitely. Maybe. 

Quote: -Leap Year-

For this one right here, I suggest you watch the movie, and then you get the deep meaning from these conversation below.. :)


Anna: When my 60 seconds came around i realized i had everything i ever wanted... but nothing i really needed. and i think what i need is here. and i came all this way to see if you maybe think so too. If you do, well... i don't really have plans past that, which is new for me. So, Declan O'Callhan and i should probably learn your middle name, here is my proposal; i propose we not make plans, i propose we give this thing a chance and let it work out how it works out. so what do you say, do you wanna not make plans with me?

Declan: Mrs. O'Brady Callhan. Where the hell are you going?
Anna: You said no.
Declan: I didn't say no. I didn't say anything.
Anna: You walked away.
Declan: I was getting something.
Anna: Really? That was a good time to go get something?
Declan: Yeah, it was actually.
[Presents Anna with a ring] 

Declan: I don't want not to make plans with you. I want to make plans with you.
Anna: You do?
Declan: Yeah I do.

Quote: -Love Actually-

I love quotes from movies.. So I decided from now on, I'm gonna put some of the quotes I like that I remember here in my blog.. :)) Right now, it is from Love Actually:


Jamie: I'm so late.
Jamie's Girlfriend: It's just 'round the corner, you'll make it.
Jamie: Are you sure you don't mind me going without you?
Jamie's Girlfriend: No, really, I'm just feeling so rotten.
Jamie: I love you.
Jamie's Girlfriend: I know.
Jamie: I love you even when you're sick and look disgusting.
Jamie's Girlfriend: I know. Now go or you will actually miss it.
Jamie: Right. Did I mention that I love you?
Jamie's Girlfriend: Yes you did. Get out, loser!

"I fall in Love!!"

Heheheh. judulnya bikin penasaran ga?? (pede bgt gw sok bikin penasaran, pdhl sih org jg biasa2 aja kaliiii.. haha!) itu judul lagu, the latest song I've created.. baru tau kan kalo gw bisa bikin lagu.. Cuma belom pernah di publish aja bakat gw yg satu ini, abis bakatnya banyak bgt sih, multi talented.. ;)

Kmrn pas lg tidur2an dan iseng, buka2 bb kan.. eh, ketemu ada rekaman hasil iseng nyanyi2 waktu 11 September.. hihihi.

Another hint yah, dulu sih waktu bb yg lama belom ilang (yes, I've lost mine once) banyaaaaak bgt deh tuh isi lagu2 hasil iseng.. According to me sih, lagunya bagus2.. :P tapi berhubung 'alat perekamnya' ilang & gw ga buat back up, lenyaplah sudah karya cipta gw ituuu :(((

Baiklah, kembali ke topik. Jadi kmrn nih pas sore2 dengerin lagu ini, sukses loh bikin gw senyum2 sendiri.. hihi. Abis lucu bangettt, and then again (menurut gw loh ya) keren bgt lagunya.. hahaha!

I can still remember the feeling when I sing the song back then, & I think the feeling stays.. I wish this feeling stays forever (hahaha. curhat dikit gpp lah ya.. :P)

Bikin penasaran ga kaya apa lagunya?? Maaf, tidak akan di-share.. heheh. For private use only, at least for now.. :)) yah, mdh2an ada kesempatan yg membuat gw akan mem-publish lagunya.. hihihi.

Until then, bye for now dulu yah.. See you in a bit!!

..MC..

Lagi santai2 di cubicle tercinta, tb2 bos masuk & bilang "Nik, besok jd MC yah acara di bawah". What??!!! Jd MC sih ga masalah, masalahnya itu, acaranya pagi2, ada upacara pula. Gw udah berencana berangkat bareng adek gw yg ga pagi2 amat krn ga mau bawa mobil berhubung siangnya mau dinas ke Bogor.. Hhhhh. Membongkar rencana gw deh pokoknya!! Belom lg ini acara pake bahasa Indonesia (bukan berasa bahasa Inggris gw udah keren banget sih, cuma emang kaya kaku aja gitu gw kalo memandu acara resmi pake bahasa Indonesia.. hehe).

Yah, okelah, cukup sudah mengeluhnya. Tadinya mau minta aja draft MC yg bahasa Indonesia sama temen, tapi ternyata gw lagi rajin & sebelum nulis disini, tuh draft udah gw buat dan terpampang dengan cantiknya di meja.. And I'm ready for tomorrow.. hihihi.

Dan setelah gw inget2 lg.. Ini kan bukan tugas substantif ya.. And in my opinion, anything that's not substantive is fun! hahaha.

Utak Atik Sesat

Hari ini pas buka2 blog (lg super rajin nih ceritanya...hehe) pengen utak-atik desain & lain-lainnya gitu kan.. Nah, coba2 lah ke link-link yg berhubungan sama blog.. download2, trus akhirnya dicobain lah itu yg udah di download.. Trus ga suka, trus mau balikin ke desain awal. Emang dasar suka sotoy & agak2 gaptek, ternyata gw bingung mau balikin ke desain awal yg ungu2 itu gimana.. hahaha!

Pas mau coba2 lg dari awal matching2in warna, ga sreg gitu sama ungunya.. Ya udah deh, go with the 2nd best: coklat!! pas cari2 jg pas gt warnanya.. hehehe. Me likey deh! ;)

Hihihi. Super ga penting banget sih ya.. Yah, yg penting hasrat buat posting tersalurkan deh! :D

Review film: In Time

Semalem abis ntn In Time nih.. Mau bahas sedikit ah..

A little note about me yah.. I loooove watching movies!! Almost every kind of movies.. Dan bawaannya tuh gatel banget pgn nonton kalo ada film yg according to my hunch bagus dan ada di list bioskop tapi belum ditonton.. hehe. But as we all know, I'm not a consistent writer, though I also like to write.. :P

Ya udah, balik ke In Time ya.. I actually like the concept of this movie. Orang-orang di dunia ini dikasih waktu 25 tahun dlm hidupnya, setelah 25 tahun, hidupnya hanya tersisa 1 tahun yang ditandain sama digital watch di tangan yg menghitung mundur setiap detiknya. Yang anehnya, semuanya dibayar pake waktu, pengeluaran dan pemasukan orang hitungannya juga waktu, dan kita juga bisa nambah umur kita dengan waktu juga (walaupun secara fisik kita akan selalu terlihat 25). Duh.. tuh kan, baru jg mulai cerita, udah males ngelanjutin.. hahaha. Maybe it's just that, though I like to write, am actually a better talker than a writer.. ;) Ya intinya gitu deh ya, memang lbh oke kalo nonton langsung!! wkwk.

Overall sih ga memorable juga filmnya.. Tapi ada satu hal yang bisa bikin mikir, kalo manusia itu rakus & suka ga pernah puas. Saat kita cm punya waktu sehari, atau setahun deh, rasanya banyak yg mesti kita kejar dan waktu tuh setiap detiknya berharga banget. Tapi begitu kita tau kalo kita punya bertahun2 atau bahkan berabad2 untuk hidup, kita jadi super santai dan ga menghargai waktu.

Udah deh, gitu aja. Oh iya, dari film itu, jadi terinspirasi a qoute: I'll appreciate every second of my life with you, that's how much I love you.. Will you do that too?? *poke someone who have just laugh at my blog this morning* :P

a Recipe from my Uncle

Idul Adha tahun ini menyenangkan loh.. :)) Rutinitas keliling buat silaturahmi lbh FUN, karena kelilingnya bareng2 sama adek2 mama yg ada di Jakarta, jadi kita bisa tuker2an anak di mobil.. hehehe.

Abis acara keliling selesai, Tanteku yg baik hati tb2 nanya "kalian mau pada nonton atau karaoke gitu Nik? pergi aja ajak anak2, Ibu sama Om mau tdr siang" hahaha! Tadinya sih rencananya mau jd baby sitter semua anak2 tuyul, tp berhubung kita mau karaoke & yg cowok2 males, jadilah yg cewek2 aja yg pergi: which is lebih asik! ;)

Anyway, inti dari post kali ini justru setelah kita pulang karaoke sih.. Mampir rmh om dulu kan, sebelum pulang si om insist biar kita mkn mlm dulu di rmhnya.. karena dia sendiri yg mau masak!! :P

Sekarang mari kita flash back menunya.. hehe! Mlm itu si om punya 2 menu (Thank God ada lauk yg lain jg sih.. wkwkwk), tp yg berkesan adalah Sop Telur Tomat!! Pas dia lg masak di dapur sih, kita ketawa2in karena kayanya gampang banget & ga penting banget tuh sop, tapi pas udah jadi.. enak juga loh! Lumayan kalo lg laper tp males masak & ga banyak bahan buat di masak.. :P

Jd gimana prosesnya?? Rebus air yg udah dicampur sama tomat, terus masukin telur sebanyak yg kita mau, tambah bumbu sedikit, aduk, tunggu sampe tomatnya lembek deh.. super gampang kan?? hahaha! Makasih ya om resepnya.. berguna banget loh buat si pemalas seperti Nikki.. ;)

My 'Sisters'

Hari ini agak2 berasa biasa banget deh.. Hampir seharian dihabiskan dlm ruangan aja soalnya (padahal hampir stiap hari beredar.. hahaha!) Selain karena dpt makan di ruangan, hari ini juga penghuni basecamp tempat biasanya mampir pas jam2 istirahat (Kavar) memulai masa cutinya..

Jadi gini, sejak hampir 2 tahun ini, kayanya gw udah pernah tulis juga sih.. I have found myself more sisters.. 4 to be exact!! :) I call them Kancil, Kamel, Karet, & Kavar, all for particular reasons that I won't share to all of you.. hehehe. Even those names, just the 5 of us eligible for the names I've just mention!! :P

Kita ketemu karena sama2 masuk instansi yang sama aja, di Kemlu inilah kita pertama kali ketemu dan kenal. Tapi kok rasanya kaya kenal udah lamaaaaa banget!! It's just like finding your soulmate (tapi bonusnya banyak banget yah, sampe ketemu 4!! haha). Kenapa kita bisa deket?? Alasannya banyak! Tapi kayanya yg kita semua mengakui adalah karena kita berbagi 'keanehan' yang sama yang cuma kita aja yang ngerti.. hehehe.

Bisa dibilang, salah satu alasan yg menguatkan gw untuk berangkat ke kantor pada saat lg males-malesnya (which is setiap hari kayanya.. wkwk) adalah karena mau kumpul sama mereka dan cerita2 sama mereka yang kayanya bahannya ga pernah abis! Gimana ga abis-abis, yang dibahas cerita soal kita-kita juga sih, ada terus lah ceritanya.. :P (kadang orang2 kalo liat kita kumpul pasti blg 'ibu-ibu rumpi!', kadang kita mikir lg, kita aneh deh, yg dirumpiin anehnya Kamel lah, sotoynya Karet & Kavar lah, atau Kancil yg kadang suka ga asik.. hahaha!)

oh iya, Karet udah sempet liat2 blog ini sebelum gw edit2 lg hari ini, dan dia blg blog gw norak. Bodo deh Karet, yg penting gw tulis apa yg mau gw tulis.. :P

*As written on November 7th 2011, tapi pas mw di-post internetnya error.. -__-"

It's been a Year!!

Hihihihi. I know, I know.. I can't keep my words to take care of this blog.. it's been a very long time.. more than a year!! :P

Kalopun mau jujur, kepikiran sama blog ini pun krn beberapa hari yg lalu ada 'sesuatu' yang mendorong buat liat-liat blog orang tentang 'sesuatu'.. hehehe, sok rahasia.. Gara-gara itulah jadi kepikiran kalo kangen nulis2 sampah dalam format yang agak panjang (kalo sehari2 sih ada twitter, buat menampung 'sampah2' dalam format pendek tapi banyakkkk! hehe)

Mulai darimana yah.... Hmm.. A LOT has happen this year!!

Dari awal tahun udah balik ke tanah air, udah menjalani hari-hari di kantor dengan rutinitas yang hampir sama dari hari ke hari. Walaupun bisa dibilang saat-saat ini bukan saat-saat yang menyenangkan dalam pekerjaan (lg ditempatin di bid. hukum just becoz of the title SH), tapi Alhamdulilah selalu inget kalo this is my dream job dan pasti ada saatnya nanti pekerjaan ini bener2 terasa menyenangkan.. :)

While writing this piece, I decided that I won't go too far with my privacy in this blog (padahal gatel sih pengen ngomong, maklum, kalo org2 suka gosip ngomongin orang laen, gw lbh suka ngomongin diri sendiri.. hahaha!)

Yah, kok tb2 blank yah mw ngelanjutin ngomong apa?? Tapi nongol ide buat bahas topik laen.. kebiasaan deh suka loncat2 pikirannya!! Ok then, bye for now!