When In Cirebon (Do These Things)

This Tedx Talks episode titled “The Simple Cure of Loneliness”

The speaker, Baya Voce, talking about how a “ritual” with your loved ones can be your “anchor of connection” to prevent loneliness. “Ritual” she talked about isn’t a religious one, but rather, a time spent repeatedly and intentionally with people who see, hear, and value you. It can be as simple as having a meal together.

As an introvert, it’s very hard for me to build connections. Once I have the connection, it’s important to me to always push my self towards maintaining and strengthening them.

So when my department discussed about a two days trip to Cirebon, I immediately said yes, eventhough I have ever been there on a similar short trip and Cirebon isn’t on my top priority to explore more about.

In this post, I will share few tips to get the most out of this small city.

Tip #1: Start early, and have lunch as your first stop

If you depart from Jakarta and use car instead of train, start as early as possible. Cirebon can be reached by car or bus in a one day trip, but it is still pretty far from Jakarta. Cirebon is approximately 297 km from Jakarta, or more than twice the distance of Bandung. It is actually located near the West Java and Central Java border.

It might be not convenient for the driver, but eat a simple breakfast on the car will save you tons of time. Eventhough you start as early as 6 am, you will arrive around noon. So, it should be convenient to make a culinary destination as your first stop in the city for an early lunch.

I recommend “Empal Gentong Haji Apud” or any big Empal Gentong place nearby. After a long journey, the savoury and flavorful soup should refresh you for next activities. You can choose between Empal Gentong, with coconut milk soup, or Empal Asem, with tangy clear soup; both have excellent taste with juicy and tender meat chunks in it. It is a hearty meal, yet it doesn’t sit heavy in your stomach.

At “Haji Apud”, they also serve mutton satay. A plate consist of ten skewers, so you can have it as a side dish and share it with your friends. I wonder how they cooked the meat so even the fatty parts doesn’t leave oily after-taste in your mouth. All the dishes are excellent and it definitely deserve to be a flagship cuisine of Cirebon tourism.

Tip #2: Splurge on the Keraton (Palace)

Keraton Kasepuhan remains the only Keraton I ever visited, despite Cirebon having 4 Keratons. The entry ticket is very cheap at IDR 15,000 per person, which might also explain why the place is not very well maintained.

At the gate, you will see some guards with traditional clothing. Actually, they don’t only stand there to greet you welcome, but they also provide a tour guide service with additional tariff. You can still look around the palace without a guide, but a knowledgeable guide will add so much more value to your experience.

A guide will typically explain about the architecture of the Keraton, the symbolism used, the history, and the royal lineage. It is quite interesting to know, as well as quite sad, because it is clear that the Keraton is well past its golden age.

They do have a spacious front court with lush sheltering trees where you can just stroll leisurely while taking pictures of the surrounding.

When I first went to Kasepuhan Palace in 2015, they used to have a small museum inside the complex that you can enter for free. Presently in 2018, that museum is apparently closed, but they open a new one in separate building, which you can enter with additional IDR 25,000.

Now that might sound expensive compares to the Palace entrance fee, but I’d say go for it! Keraton is such an essential part of Cirebon tourism, and the heart of the whole city’s history. Going to the Keraton is half the reason you go to Cirebon, so it is worth to explore thoroughly.

They might charge more to maintain the new air conditioned building and hopefully periodical cleaning of the artifacts, and I think any efforts toward preserving those should be supported. If they would invest more in public restroom facility and general cleanliness, I actually don’t mind to pay more, because it is such a waste to see a palace with hundred years of history so poorly maintained.

Tip #3: Bring 2 sets of clothes for your day

Cirebon is a port city, so it’s right by the sea and the weather is usually quite hot. If you plan to check in to your hotel in late afternoon and then go out again for the evening, you better bring two sets of clothes for the day. I made a mistake and didn’t bring any change except for the next day. So on the first day of my trip, eventhough I was super sweaty from all the walking, I had to keep that day’s clothes throughout the evening as well.

After checked in to our hotel, me and my colleagues went to Klapa Manis Restaurant for dinner, then to CSB Mall for a karaoke.

I still managed to enjoy our time because it was super fun, but if any of my colleagues smelled that I wasn’t really fresh for the rest of the evening, I AM SO TERRIBLY SORRY =P

Tip #4: You don’t have to spend on luxury hotel

In some holiday spots, lazing around in the hotel, enjoying the sumptuous facilities and comfort might be part of your holiday. This might be true for Bali or Bandung, but you don’t have to bother about that in Cirebon. As I said before, Cirebon can get quite hot in the afternoon, so if you plan to go to an outdoor tourist attraction, you want to be up and about from early morning. It’s really no difference whether you stay at well known chain like Aston or a more affordable budget hotel.

I really recommend our hotel, Vinotel Cirebon. The rooms were comfortable, the air conditioner and the hot water ran perfectly. The two star hotel might seem modest from the front facade, but I think they do have a very nice interior design. While it’s not grand or spacious, the modern and minimalist touch gave enough refreshing vibes to makes you feel special and appropriately “on vacation”.

Tip #5: Go for Outdoor Trip in Early Morning

Since Cirebon is a rather hot city, early morning should be utilized as chance to explore outdoor tourist spots. I even suggest you to swap breakfast for a brunch or early lunch to get the most out of your morning. My department first destination for Day 2 is “Sunyaragi Cave”, which is located just nearby our hotel.

The place is said to be designed as meditation place for the royal family. With IDR 10,000 as entrance fee, you can take a leisure stroll around this man-made cave-like complex. Again, I highly recommend you to hire a guide who can explain about the history and original functions.

While listening to the guide, it might be easier to imagine the caves in its former magificent state, when the reservoir was still full and the artificial waterfalls still hid some of the cave entrances. The complex is also named “water park” because it used to be surrounded by a lake, which now gone and replaced by a roadway. The place must have been so serene in the past, when all you could hear is the gurgle of water and nature sound.

The structure is still mostly intact and interesting enough to take a look at, but I wish the local government would do more restorative work to bring back what must have been a far more regal sanctuary.

Tip #6: Have your meal and buy your souvenir at Batik Trusmi Center

Since “Nasi Jamblang Bu Nur” is such a popular dining place, me and my colleagues did have our lunch there, but if you plan to drop by at Batik Trusmi Center to hunt this well known Cirebon fashion, have a meal there might be a more efficient option.

They have a big restaurant “Batik Kitchen” just next to the shop, and it also serves “Nasi Jambang Mang Dul”, another well known Nasi Jamblang name.

Beside batik clothing and fabric, Batik Trusmi Center also provides a wide range of souvenirs selection. Granted, the price might be a little more expensive than more traditional places, but I did enjoy my (window) shopping experience at Batik Trusmi immensely, because most of the products have cute and modern packaging.

My recommendation to bring home for your family and friends is this tapai brownies, which successfully blend the unique flavour of tapai into the familiar scrumptiousness of brownies. It was de-light-ful.

Or, if you prefer savory treat, then these milkfish products or instant Empal Gentong seasoning might suit you better.

End Word

I think Cirebon is doing a great effort in order to promote their tourism.
They have 1st class culinary, they sell their product online, they modernize the face of Cirebon souvenirs and make it more marketable to younger generations.

However, I think the more urgent need lies in revamping the tourist attractions itself.

My heart is a little bit broken at the state of Cirebon Keraton and its affiliations currently at.

If only they preserve it better, modernize it and provide better sanitary facility, Cirebon will be much more attractive for tourist. Temples and museums in Japan for example, is in such prime conditions even now because the great maintenance and care (and undeniably, the amount of fund they get).

I had fun with my department colleagues, but if I someday got a chance to visit Cirebon again, I hope the condition will have been turned for the better.

See you in the next blogpost!

Fontana Sport Massage

In my previous post, I already mentioned that I have a chronic pain in my right shoulder and shoulder blade area.

I guess it was caused by excessive use of computer and cellphone, as I never fell and hurt my self there. I already tried to loose the aching knot at several massage places, among them are Jasrelax at TB Simatupang, Sanctum by Kenko at Plaza Senayan, Bersih Sehat (Sahid Hotel Branch), and almost all beauty salons near my hang out area–Martha Tilaar Spa Express being the latest.

Sanctum is especially heavenly and I might blog about it some other time, but I feel that reflexology and beauty salon massage just cannot cut it anymore.

The pain lingers whatever what I do, and whatever temporary relief I felt while the massage is being performed, is gone as soon as the massage is finished.

I know I have to do something about it, but the more (seemingly) professional help option looks intimidating and expensive XD

Nonetheless, their website prompted me to search more about sport massage, and voila! I found that Susi Susanti (yes, that Susi Susanti, the Olympic Gold Medalist—in case you are kids these days who don’t even know who she is)—also opens a similar massage place called Fontana Sport Massage & Reflexology. More googling told me that the price is also more affordable.

Initially, I was a bit hesitant, since the online reviews seem to be mixed, and there is one which mentions that the place is a bit ‘dusty’. But, you’ll never know if you never try, so off I go. Their nearest branch to me is Juanda Branch, which I got to by train to Juanda Station, and then a 5 minutes Gojek ride to Jl. H Juanda III.

The place is easy to find since their signboard is quite prominent, but I can understand why some people would label it as “dusty”. The place is certainly not very new.

But my worries about uncleanliness quickly faded away as I stepped inside. The front lobby is small and neat with photo collage of Susi’s golden moments on one wall.

To get to the reception area, you walk through a small hallway with foot reflexology area beside it. I already booked a 1 hour sport massage by phone, and the receptionist told me to wait on the second floor.

The whole place is comfortably dim, with a lot of natural lights, which I love for a massage place. I waited for a short while in another cozy waiting area at the second floor, and the therapist appeared a moment later, led me to the curtained treatment area.

I immediately knew that I’m in the right direction as she asked if I have any particular pain or strained parts. I told her about my shoulder ache, and she asked whether I want the massage to be focused there or a whole body massage.

I paused a little at that question. Of course, I wanted the most of my money worth, so answering “whole body massage” was tempting, but then I remembered again why I traveled so far for a massage. It wasn’t just for a massage. I was hoping for a cure for my pain. I could get a relaxation effect from a full body massage anywhere. Today, I came to hopefully heal. So I told the therapist to focus on my right shoulder and back.

I was very pleased that upon laying face down on the treatment bed, I smell fresh laundry scent from the sheet. Before anything, this already gives them +1000 in my book.

And the therapist.was. GOOD.

She kneaded and puled my right shoulder and back, very focused on that area for some time, using some kind of scentless white lotion. But after a while she also massaged my left shoulder and back. I asked if she can feel the difference, and she said she can (this time, I believe the therapist).

She said the left of my back felt more supple, whereas the right was super tensed.

I also felt the difference my self. When the therapist kneaded my right side, it felt very painful, to the point I muttered streams of istighfar. When she tackled my left side, it felt a lot more relaxing.

She also massaged my lower back, which again felt both good and painful, but I squirmed so much because it was also ticklish. When she glided her elbow up and down both sides of my spine alternately, she applied so much pressure that I almost felt crushed, but it left my muscle felt loose and relaxed afterwards.

She said that it’s not out of the norm for the customers to let out painful groan or even scream during the treatment. I asked if most customers are athletes. She said some are, but there is also a good portion of office workers with same problem as me: back pain because of long hours in front of computer or cellphone.

She also advised that I come back in two weeks time, and then once a month to prevent my muscles from becoming too stiff.

I was concerned that I won’t get full value of my money if I told the therapist to focus on pained area, but after that grueling back massage, she also massaged my legs–both back and front, my arms, then my back again, this time at sitting position.

Half of the session felt good and the other half was painful. But it was all worth it when the massage was over and she asked if the pain has lessened.

And I truly caught my self by surprise when I found that the PAIN INDEED HAS LESSENED.

OMG!!

The tightness I perpetually felt on my shoulder blade… GONE!!

For a longest time, I felt maybe a tendon or whatnot on my right shoulder blade was pegged stiffly to where it wasn’t supposed to. Now it felt as if it is finally allowed to hang loose on its natural position.

I can still feel slight tension on my shoulder, but I think, the area hasn’t felt this relaxed in a long time.

So, I definitely recommend this place if you have similar problems. If you’re looking for a massage to fix sprain, chronic pain or tightness, this is certainly the right place. And they also have other menu if you just want regular massage.

I have to repeat my self but there’s absolutely no hygiene issue. The place is super clean and well kept, in fact, I saw the therapist changed the sheet immediately after my treatment is finished, which I highly appreciate. The rest rooms are also spotless. The place might seems dark from all my pictures, but it was cozy and restful kind of atmosphere.

Below is the price list, I’m so sorry I couldn’t take a clearer picture because of the lighting. But I think three bottom rows are 1 hour, 1.5 hours, and 2 hours Sport Massage for IDR 135k, IDR 180k, and IDR 210k each. And it definitely worths it!

Some attention points are, you better book in advance to secure a spot, especially on busy weekend. When booking a session, mention clearly if you want a male or female therapist. I happened to witness two male customers canceled their bookings because the only available therapist were women, and they were not comfortable with that.

Well, kudos for you gentlemen.

The therapist then informed that for massage and sport massage, most of the readily available therapists are women (middle age aunties), but for foot reflexology, there are only male therapist.

Overall, I’m so glad I gave this place a try and definitely would come back!

I hope this post is useful, and see you very soon (^.^)v

Martha Tilaar Spa Express Experience

I love getting massage.When I go to beauty salon, primarily it is to get the relaxing massage that comes with the hair or facial treatment. When I have time, I love to try new massage places, and I’ve been eyeing “Martha Tilaar Day Spa” for a while.

After considering several locations, I finally choose the one at the fX Sudirman. This one is an “express” type, which have more limited treatment options than the regular “day spa” type. I will include treatment and price list of each type on this post.

This picture above is the reception area, where you choose your treatment and your product. Me and my sister agreed to choose their signature treatment, “hot candle massage”. It is more expensive than other types of body massage, but the idea of melted aromatherapy candle used for massage instead of usual oil or lotion does promise something different.

The receptionist lady then invited us to sniff the candle selections and choose the aroma we want. The menu only mentions “Exotic Frangipani”, “Tropical Hibiscus”, “Sacred Lotus” and “Lime Coconut”, but they also have other options. Both me and my sister chose the ones which aren’t in the menu, “Enchanted Nero” for me and “Javanese Rose” for her.

They have a mini waiting lounge where we were served what I think to be some kind of lemon tea. Visible behind the wooden railings is facial and hand & foot treatment area. So if you wear hijab, or if you’re just concerned with privacy, you might want to consider getting those treatments here. Body treatment area is in closed area inside, and each treatment bed is separated by thick curtain.

I was a little bit surprised when they asked me to take a shower first, as in other massage places, you can typically take a shower after the massage is done. Because I’m a decent person, I always shower and scrub my skin well before I go to a massage, so another shower felt a bit extra =). But I did as told, and pleasantly found that the hot water ran very well. Robe, hair cap, towel and disposable panties are provided.

Then the massage session started. The melted candle was just a teeny bit hot when the therapist first poured it at my skin and immediately turned to a comfortable warmth. The therapist was very thorough and systematic. She started with my legs while I lay face down, then my back, then I was asked to turned around and she continued the same process with upper side of my legs and my arms. I’d give her a plus point because she has this right amount of politeness, sincere without seeming fake, nice to talk to, but without actively trying to stir up a conversation.

Overall, the massage was better than typical body massage at several beauty salons I’ve ever been. I truly feel that the kneading and pressuring were relaxing instead of needlessly painful. But then again, it was still a beauty salon massage. Meaning, if you feel tired and have tensions in your body from your daily routine, this kind of massage would probably rejuvenate and do you a lot of good. But if you have chronic muscle pain, strain, knots or whatever they call it, you might want to seek a more specialized massage.

The therapist didn’t ask where I might feel a lot of tensions, so after she done with my arms, I asked her to massage my back again instead of my front like she was about to do. I asked if she can feel which area is more strained. She said she can, but I wasn’t convinced, so I pointed the exact parts I wanted her to tackle.

At some point she told me, “Miss, your bones are very hard.” And I was like, what? But aren’t bones supposed to be hard?

After a split second I understood that what she meant was “Miss, you are all bones.” So I told her that I might be petite, but I’m not fragile, and please do not hold back with the strength. After that she kneaded harder and it felt good.

After the massage was done, I thought she’d tell me to take a shower again, but instead she told it is better for me not to take shower for the next 5 hours to let my skin fully absorb the melted candle and get the maximum benefit.

I have to admit that my body was so sticky and it was not very pleasant to imagine not being able to immediately take a shower. But the sticky feeling disappeared a lot faster than I imagined. Maybe after 10 minutes or so, I already felt comfortable again. The melted candle didn’t leave visible residue, it completely dissolved into oil and be absorbed by the skin.

My verdict!

Overall I appreciated the experience, but I might not want to repeat the treatment.

The therapist told me that the candle massage is their most popular treatment, but other type of massages follow the exact same procedures and same way of massaging. The only difference is the type of massage oil they use.

You must be kidding me!

So the 150k difference between “Javanese Massage” and “Hot Candle Massage” is only whether you use good ol’ olive oil or the all fancy melted candle? Give my money baaaaack~

Just kidding. After all, people do pay for the experience. The massage quality is good, the staffs are friendly and the ambiance of the place is serene and comfortable, so I really have nothing to complain. Eventhough I have to add that they charge additional 10% VAT to the price listed on the menu whaaat??.

They told you that from the beginning, though.

To get a treatment at fX Martha Tilaar Spa Express, you better make a reservation by phone first. The therapist told me they are busiest in the evening, when many office workers drop by in their way home. So in the evening they usually have 5 therapists, while during morning and noon they only have two.

Other than body treatment, they also have other treatment as below.

For a more complete spa experience, you may want to check out Martha Tilaar Day Spa, with price list as below.

Sister and me wandered around fX Sudirman afterwards, which was pretty empty despite the holiday season.

I think fX Sudirman is really good at differentiating themselves as “Lifestyle Mall”, especially from nearby high-end malls, Plaza Senayan and Senayan City.

They do have a cool ambiance appealing especially maybe for students and young professionals.

They provide this kind of free hangout space and working station, complete with electric socket for your gadgets.

They have shower rooms and lockers facility that open from very early in the morning, maybe for the joggers who flock Gelora Bung Karno Sports Complex especially on weekend.

They have a spacious and comfortable prayer room at 5th floor, and additional men’s prayer room at 4th and women’s at 3rd.

Of course, they also have JKT48 Theater which I believe also serves as a main visitor attraction, and the have wide variety of restaurants and cafes you can choose from.

The most striking feature of fX Mall is that every pillars are covered by mirrors. Not only it gives the mall more spacious impression but it also provides perfect spot for taking pictures for current generation who are really into social media.

So I’m a bit perplexed about why fX is not more packed by visitors, and a Cinemaxx theater which was used to be open on the top floor was closed recently. The thing is, I think fX doesn’t really attract visitors for shopping purpose. Most of the stores are boutique outlets with considerable prices. Unless you really target high-end , you really need to have an anchor tenant or lots of small tenants which sell clothes ranging from as low as IDR 100k.

I just think about the people who come to hangout after their morning jogging, students who come to meet up for JKT, office workers who drop by after work, they might eat out at fX but they DON’T BUY CLOTHES, and what a huge lost of opportunities is that.

But this is just my personal opinion, I’m not marketing professional or anything XD So don’t mind me too much. Maybe, that is arranged purposefully that way, to make fX more like a hangout place rather than a regular shopping mall.

Back to the massage topic, actually I do have a chronic pain on my right shoulder and shoulder blade area. I think it might be caused by long hours in front of the computer and cellphone.
All the massage places I visited do provide some temporary relief, but the knot and pain is still there.

I spotted this “eastwest physiotherapy & rehabilitation” place at fX, and after some googling, I got really interested in their sport massage, which claimed to be able to “detect variations in soft tissue” and “identify and correct the root cause of trouble”.

But the place seems costly, since it seems all professional and also serves expats X)

So for now maybe I’ll try to practice some self help, as shown in what I can find in the ((((internet)))).

What do you do on your new year holiday? Can you introduce me to a good and affordable massage place? Sharing is caring!

My Current Jam

Unlike younger generation who usually manage their playlist on apps like “joox”, I still go with conventional offline way, adding new songs and deleting old ones manually from my phone. I usually mark some songs as favorite and only listen to those selected few in repeat when I’m in the mood. In this post, I want to share about some of my current favorite songs, and why I like them.

1. “11 Gatsu no Anklet” (November’s Anklet) – AKB48

Eversince Mayuyu announced her graduation, I’ve been waiting for her center song and hoping wholeheartedly that it will be a song that I can love. AKB singles I particularly like are usually election singles, like “Flying Get”, “Gingham Check” , and “Koisuru Fortune Cookie”.

I moderately liked newest election single #Sukinanda, but all singles released during 2016 until then were disappointments to me. I just can’t get into “Shoot Sign”, and what is even “High Tension”? I was ready to be resigned that AKB won’t release cheery, dreamy, idolish type of song that I like ever again, but I got a strong hope for Mayuyu graduation single.

And then a live performance of “11 Gatsu no Anklet” is published on youtube, and it was everything I could hope for!

The melody is nice, a bit Christmas-esque with the bells and perfectly suits the festive mood. The lyrics is about letting go of a loved one, with feeling of regret, but you won’t know that from the melody alone, since it sounds very much like a happy song. In that aspect it is similar to “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)”, where the music is holiday-season-appropriate but the lyrics is about missing someone.

I like the golden-ish festive costume, of which someone in fan forum said “Marie Antoinette style”. And I especially like the dance with the creative formations. At the chorus, the members line up to form a hallway through which Mayuyu walks, while they sort of taking a peek and making cute poses before she pass. Little shrugs, simple sway and coordinated steps from part to part make the routine overall very cute and suits the song’s atmosphere perfectly.

I was hoping that I would be able to see the dance routine more clearly in the PV, and was initially disappointed when the PV didn’t show anything like that. But now I’ve grown to like it, because as weird as it is, you do get to see something different from live performance. But I still think the first scene where several Mayuyu appeared bear an uncanny resemblance to a scene from horror movie “The Grudge” XD.

2. “Hono to Mori no Carnival” – Sekai no Owari

So yeah, my current jam is not always a newly released song. This song was released in 2014. I just found it now, along with the artist who sing them, “Sekai no Owari”, but better late than never, right?

At first, I was attracted to this song because the melody is catchy, but as per usual, I love it even more after I’m able to discern the lyrics.

It was about a guy who take the girl he likes to a carnival inside an amusement park, where a wizard told him to keep his love a secret. It is very fairy tale-ish, but at the same time not, because when we’re in love everything becomes a little bit rose-tinted. So everything could be just the guy’s imagination because he was afraid to tell the girl how he truly feels about her.

It ends very romantically because instead of saying anything, the guy just kissed the girl and held her hand tightly, intending to never let go.

Love,love,love that part!

Other “Sekai no Owari” songs I also enjoy are “Snow Magic Fantasy” and “RPG” . The group apparently hasn’t released that many singles, and nothing since 2015 until now. I hope they will release something new in near future and I’ll certainly check it out!

3. “Gomennasai no Kissing You” – E-girls

Talk about finding out something late, I am really late in finding “E-girls” charm. I knew that they are sort of sister group to “Exile”, but that was it.

More recently, I found their version of “Odoru Ponpokorin”, which is a nostalgic song for me because I couldn’t count how many times I danced bon odori to it in Japan culture festival. Bon odori time is always my favorite part of any Japan festivals.

E-girls’ version is more modern, just as energetic but with a splash of youthful cheeriness. Since I like their “Odoru Pon” so much, I decided to check their other singles and got really hooked to their break out 2013 single, “Gomennasai no Kissing You”.

And wow! I’ve noticed that their dance is realy sharp before, but “Gomennasai” opened my eyes that these girls can REALLY dance.

Their movements are just reeeea-ly powerful and precise, their routine is complicated but they make it looks so easy.

I learned that E-girls consist of “singers” and “dancers”. The dancers basically just dance the whole time, while the singers dance less or minimally when it’s time for them to sing.

But even so, it amazes me so much how steady the singers’ voice are even in live performance. This is not to say that the dancers are less amazing, because singers and dancers both make up E-girls’ brilliant performance.

Other E-girls’ songs I enjoy are the above “Follow Me” and “Diamond Only”, my typical inspiring, motivational songs. Unfortunately, the girls have changed their music direction since, and two of three main vocalists in “Gomennasai” have even graduated to focus on solo /other activity.

4. “One More Thing” – Tohoshinki

I became a Tohoshinki fan from their more upbeat release, “Maximum”. But they also have some gems among their slower songs. For example, “One More Thing”, which is also a soundtrack for a Japanese drama starring Sawajiri Erika, “L et M”.

I don’t know what makes me especially like “One More Thing”, maybe purely because of the melody and the great instrumental work. The lyrics itself is a classically cheesy love song. I don’t dislike it, but I can’t say I appreciate it greatly either.

Funnily enough, for someone who generally do NOT like sad songs, I also like the A-side of “One More Thing”; “Still”, which is a song about lovers separation. If I’m feeling melancholic, I’d listen to “Still”. But I guess I’m lucky that I can listen to “Still” without feeling too affected, since I never experienced a romantic heartbreak in similar fashion.

Tohoshinki will release a new single “Reboot” on 20 December, and I’m still on the fence about it.

Hopefully the song will grow on me later, just like “Catch Me”, which was meh at first but then became one of longest staples on my playlist.

5. “Remember Me” – Miguel feat Natalia Lafourcade

But Flo, you just said you DON’T like sad songs, you might say.

That’s right, I don’t. I really don’t. But this song left quite an impression on me.

So I watched Disney-Pixar newest movie “Coco”, and the reviews actually already give some warnings that it is a sad movie. Just as I don’t like to listen to sad songs, I also refuse to watch sad movies or movies with dark themes, such as war, and to some extend, horror movies. That is because I want movies to only be my happy place.

If the movies are dark themed, they have to be set in fantasy world, far removed away from reality for me to be able to stomach it. Since “Coco” is an animation, I thought I would be just fine.

Turned out, I wasn’t fine at all.

In the movie, Mama Coco is senile and she can’t even recognize her own family, including her daughter Mama Elena. She asked “who are you?” when Mama Elena took care of her. But Mama Elena took no mind of it, probably because she’s just used to that condition.

But in the end, Miguel singing “Remember Me” to her made her gained mind clarity for a while, and when she looked Mama Elena, she called her possibly because she looked so sad, “Elena, what’s wrong chica?” (or at least that’s what I could catch).

And I remember, remember, remember, when my mum’s cancer already spread to her brain and she couldn’t recognize me sometimes. I would wipe her face or change her clothes, crying silently and think about all the things I wish I’d done sooner.

I wish I took better care of her when she was healthy. I wish I wasn’t so focused on my study, or my self. Because screw good grades. I wish I helped her more often with house chores, and listen to her more.

And one time the fog on her head seemed to clear for a bit, and she looked at me, and she said exactly those words. “What’s wrong, baby? Why are you crying? Don’t cry.”

After she’s gone, I always tell my self she’s now in the better place, far happier than I could ever make her. But now and then, I would remember that time in the hospital and that always brings me immeasurable sadness.

So I cried my eyes out, shaking silently in my seat for last 30 minutes, thinking “Damnit, I didn’t sign up for this!”

My sister said I look so weird in the picture we took after the movie finished.
I want to tell her that, my face looked weird because I just drained at least a year worth of tears and snots.

For comparison, this pic is taken before we watch the movie. I looked happy wahaha. Little did I know that soon be changed in just few hours.

For “Coco” the movie as a whole, I suppose the plot has been built up from the very beginning, but it took long enough for the twist to be unveiled. Whether the story progressed interestingly enough to hold your attention until then, I guess that depends on individual taste. Admittedly, I have such a high expectation for this movie, though it was kind of unfair because the expectation comes from “Book of Life”, which turned out to have no relation whatsoever to “Coco”.

And this might not stand out because this is an animation movie, but isn’t the villain is one of the worst kind? He wasn’t only like cheater or thief because a circumstance, but he did what he did very deliberately, and even appeared to have no hesitation in repeating the deed, to an underage child to boot.

“Coco” score: 7 out of 10.

So, that was it for this week.

I hope you enjoy this post. Is there any songs that catch your attention? How often do you change your playlist? Do you have any song/movie recommendation? Tell me all about it!

See you soon!

[Review] “Paddington 2”

Watching “Paddington 2” reminds me a lot to “Book of Life” experience. Not the story line, but the warm feeling I got afterwards. The pleasant surprise from almost no expectation at first, to genuinely charmed and delighted multiple times throughout the viewing, to the deep breath of relish and beam I must had in my face at the very end.

Here is my take about what makes “Paddington 2” a splendid picture.

P for “Presenting a Good Story”

Probably the most crucial element, this is ultimately what we long for when we go to watch a movie. Paddington and The Brown Family are pursuing a thief who stole a pop up book the bear wants for his aunt’s birthday. But wait—it is not simply a story about hunting down a thief–the pop up book turns out to be a a treasure map with coded clues.

The clues in the map are revealed delightfully in the villain’s own hilarious adventure, while The Browns are trying to trace him down. At the same time, Paddington struggles to stay brave in prison. All of these without missing a beat or seems jarring in one cohesive, entertaining story.

A for “Adorning All Characters in a Wholesome Way”

I’m not even talking about The Browns or Paddington’s prison mates, for their stories are also substantial parts of this movie, but about how a love story in Windsor Gardens could bloom between Colonel Lancaster and Miss Kitts, the Newsagent Lady, from an act as simple as Paddington becomes a window cleaner.

That is a thread cleverly woven, among many. Just how the creator managed to add in so many cuts, but make them add the shines to this gem instead of messing it up? Truly, hats off for that.

D for “Delivering the Funny Pawfectly”

“Paddington 2” has plenty of funny moments, appealing both to children and adults alike. My favorite funny scene is when Knuckles bossed Paddington around to make marmalade for the first time. I whispered to my sister that Knuckles is abusive to Paddington just like she is to me (which sister didn’t find amusing at all—but she always has a warped sense of humor). When Knuckles told Paddinton to carry the oranges “one by one”, which he did literally, I just cracked like a mad witch. It’s so simple, yet it lightens your heart along with the soaring of Paddington’s spirit after the gloom situation he faced in the prison.

D for “Delighting Your Eyes”

It’s a colorful London, a dream city I always envision in my mind when I think about my favorite children books.

“Paddington” makes some smooth transition between full animation in pop up book scene to live action with lovely townscape for the rest of the story.

Some of the breath taking pictures include the night city view from the air balloon used by Paddington and his mates when escaping the prison, but even everyday life scene looks like they really jump alive from children story book pages they originally were.

I for “Introducing London’s Beautiful Landmarks”

The pop up book as a treasure map leads us to some of the most famous London’s landmarks, such as St. Paul Cathedral or London Tower Bridge.

Previously, I always romanticized Paris more, but after “Paddington 2”, London seriously climbed higher on my “want to visit” list.

N for “Nailing Down the Details”

Small details like Mr. Brown used to be “Bull’s Eye Brown” is brought back at the end to be an important point.

This scene of Mr. Brown performing a split between two steam trains is perfectly funny on its own, but it’s made even more heartfelt with the backstory about his middle age crisis and him joining a yoga class as an attempt to cope with it.

G for “Girlpower!”

Mrs. Brown is the one who led the investigation and eventually figured out who was the real villain.

In the movie, she’s an adventure story writer who longs for an adventure in her real life, and really goes for it.

Wow, she’s a lady after my own dream!

T for “True to Originals”

The creator managed to give marmalade, Paddington’s notable favorite jam from the original story, a prominent role on this movie. Marmalade is one of what makes Paddington, Paddington; so a million kudos for that.

O for “Offering the Moral in a Fun Way”

Nobody like to be taught morals in patronizing way. Paddington repeats Aunt Lucy’s message all the time for himself: “If you’re kind and polite, everything will come right”, and the audience watches with him that his world always indeed turned alright. I love the optimism and inspiration it entails, effortlessly without seeming to mean to.

N for “Need I say more?” XD

I tried several angles in penning out a review for “Paddington 2”, because I like it so much.

But then I found a perfect review in Empire Online, which I think capture all essences of why “Paddington 2” is so universally heartwarming.

This is the part that really hits home:

“The world of Paddington is much as we left it. It’s London, but a version far removed from reality, where even newsagents live in multimillion-pound Georgian villas — as fantastical a notion as a talking bear. It’s now, but not. People use cassette tapes, steam trains pootle past in the background, everyone has a landline, yet kids wear Kanye-esque shutter shades and T-shirts with LCD panels, and a main character works in The Shard. It’s a time that’s never been; a very subtle form of fantasy.”

Why, but that’s just like “Harry Potter”!

Now I understand a lot better why I like it so much. Many movies may have a good plot, lovable characters or beautiful cinematography; but a good dose of imagination, so close to reality but not, always multiple the effect for me.

I found my self clapping spontaneously when the film ended as appreciation, and I wasn’t the only one who did! The whole theater were celebrating this movie, and I’m glad we did.

Score: 9 of 10

Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show 2017: Most Innovative Wings of the Year

You know, I do admire the designer and production team at Victoria’s Secret. Year after year, inventing new themes and new wings shape for the show couldn’t have been an easy task.

The outfits are of course matter a lot, but the wings usually got most of the attention. With the wings you really have to be very creative. People want to see something new, but they still want to see something attractive. The wings should sufficiently sized to make an impact, but I think there are certain limits, else, are you wearing wings or are you wearing a Christmas tree?

This one is beautiful, though, and has some most amazing details XD

In this post, I try to pick out the freshest looks, wings shapes that never been seen in previous Fashion Shows. I did ten years worth of tracing back, which is to 2007, but I do apologize in advance if I missed something, i.e. picking out a shape that had actually been used.

The Segments for this year are as below:
– Segment 1: Nomadic Adventure
– Segment 2: Porcelain Angel
– Segment 3: A Winter’s Tale
– Segment 4: Millennial Nation (Pink)
– Segment 5: Goddesses
– Segment 6: Punk Angels (VS x Balmain)

Most Innovative Wings 3rd Position: Sanne Vloet’s Birds Flock Wings

This look worn by Sanne Vloet appeared in “Goddesses” segment. Her wings, or back piece to be more exact, consists of several golden birds flying about her. I don’t know what goddesses that makes her be XD. But the wings are sure one of a kind.

Though if we want to dissect more, flying winged creatures being constructed into wings is not a truly new idea.
We have seen it in Miranda Kerr’s “Ballet de Fleurs” look from 2008, in form of butterflies.

And Adriana Lima’s “Exotic Butterfly” from 2015, also in form of buterflies (though you might mistake it as flowers and leaves. I know I did XD )

But still, Sanne’s wings are from entirely different material and fashioned differently enough to be note worthy.

Also making appearance in “Goddesses” are Romee Strijd and Sui He, whose costumes unfortunately weren’t so innovative.

Both are wearing a kind of structured sheer cape.

They looked pretty, and I’d say in motion the billowing of the capes probably look fantastic, but this kind of cape design had been used at least twice:
Karlie Kloss “Aquatic Angel” look from 2012,

And, more obvious in similarity, Taylor Hill’s “Dark Angel” look from 2015.

Most Innovative Wings 2nd Position: JoJa Punk Angels Wings

When I say “innovative”, I don’t necessarily think it’s beautiful.
This safety pins wings look from Jasmine Tookes’ “Punk Angels” exactly reflects that sentiment.

Admittedly, this is the first time for wings that created almost entirely from safety pins made an appearance in the show.

But, in the same bemusement as Ed Razek when he was against the idea of doing VSFS 2016 in daylight, I found my self frowning, “Why would you want Angel wings to be made of safety pins?”

Isn’t the whole Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show spirit to create a couture-y, fine, glamorous collection?

I think current generation young adult’s style is clean & simple; capsule wardrobe is getting new popularity and adopted everywhere. Accessories are kept minimal and to meet two purposes: to accentuate the whole look in stylish way, i.e. fine jewelry, and to be functional, like gadgets.

Safety pins is clearly nowhere in the picture.

Buuut, of course Olivier Rousteing is a mega successful designer—a Balmain Creative Director in such a young age!– and I suppose he knows about style much, much more extensively than I could ever wish for, so this is entirely a matter of taste XD

Although, what are these?

What are these wings supposed to mean?

Are they some kind of deconstructed materials that put safely back together by safety pins? A new kind of batman wings?

How is this supposed to represent “strong, sexy girl who knows what she wants?” (All I can comprehend from this piece is her sewing skill must be questionable).

I’m sorry, but I really don’t get the whole point. The wings are innovative, in term of “new”, but maybe I don’t want to see this kind of “breakthrough” in fashion XP

Though like I said, this is probably only a matter of taste.

My personal favorite looks are indeed some of the more frequently recurring, more conventionally beautiful shapes.

I call them “Flower Cluster Shape”.

My top 3 favorite looks from the entire show are exactly the ones with this “Flower Cluster” wings:

Karlie Kloss and Ming Xi, both in “A Winter’s Tale” segment:

And Vanessa Moody from “Goddesses” segment.

Don’t you think those looks are stunning?

Admittedly, flower cluster shape is not very original, they already appeared as recent as 2016 in “Mountain Romance” segment, worn by Sara Sampaio.

But I don’t mind XD. “Flower Cluster” can be diverse enough by size, shape of the cluster, color, and many other elements. As long as they make it lovely to look at, then it’s all good XD.

Most Innovative Wings Honorable Mention: Beaded Wings of Nomadic Angels Segment

Most of wings on “Nomadic Angels” segment are big, bold, colorful, and yes, first of their kind that made appearance in Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show.
For example this Cindy Bruna’s look:

Or Leomie Anderson.

But, as I mentioned in my 2015 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show review about ”Exotic Traveller, over-clash of colors is not very appealing for me.

So, for me, this segment is a giant mess.

The feathery and beaded wings, intricate though they are, remind me of traditional woven mat.

Not to mention this Candice look, with which you can seem to give your mattress/carpet a good beat =P

Though this segment presents some of The Most Innovative Wings, it also has its share of The Most Overused Wings of all time, namely, “Feather Duster”.

This time, Adriana and Taylor are the lucky ones to have them on.

As recent as 2016 on “Road Ahead”, the dusters were on Maria Borges and Ming Xi.

And Leomie and Isabel on “Mountain Romance”.

Even Abbey Lee has worn it on 2009.

If you really, REALLY want to bring in the feather dusters, instead of bunching them together into a single or double clusters, I suppose there are several examples where the feathers were shaped more creatively, such as in 2016 “Firework” with Adriana and Cindy.

The Most Innovative Wings 1st Position: Lais Riberio’s Twister Wings with Fantasy Bra

So, here it is, what I crown THE Most Innovative Wings of the Year.

Ooohh, look at it, isn’t it the most stunning shape?

It looks simple enough that you might think a similar shape must have appeared some time, but no, they are really fresh and original.

When they revealed to Lais that she’s going to wear the fantasy bra, I already thought what a gorgeous wings she had on, fantasy bra or not.

I also like the Champagne Fantasy Bra a lot, in fact, it is my favorite fantasy bra so far.

Sometimes, when an Angel got a fantasy bra, VS doesn’t give her wings, so the bra can get full attention. Lais is lucky that the wings compliment the bra so much.

Though if I can let my fussy mouth running wild, the shoes are ugly and kind of ruin the whole thing. I imagine the look would be much better if they pair it with shoes from 2014 Fairy Tale Segment, like the ones below. Wahahahahahahaha never really satisfied, am I.

So, that was it! The most innovative wings of year 2017.

I hope you enjoy the post, and please remember all are my personal opinions and means no harm XD

Were I to do this post back in 2015, Behati Prinsloo and Martha Hunt’s light up wings in “Fireworks” segment will take the crown hands down, because those WERE some kind of wings that were never seen before, incorporating new technology they can, to make it something completely new and different.

So, which do YOU think is the most innovative wings? Which is your favorite wings on this show? On the previous shows? Which do you think are gorgeous, and which are over the top or absurd? XD Let’s talk all about it while we’re looking forward to VSFS 2017 broadcast!

[Review] “Thor: Ragnarok” vs “Justice League”

So I watched “Justice League” last weekend.

Quite unintentionally, actually; since it wasn’t the movie I had planned to watch at first (Flo, why does this sound so familiar?) But since I DID end up watching it, I think I have to make the most out of it, so in this post I’ll jump on the bandwagon and make a movie battle between two Superhero movies that came out almost at the same time: “Thor: Ragnarok” vs “Justice League”.

Don’t misunderstand me, this has nothing to do with the alleged rivalry between Marvell and DC (‘s fans). I’m a fan of neither and also never followed the heated discussions, only made aware of a smidgen of it by accident. I’m just a movie lover who also love to write for fun.

I take up five aspects to compare, so if you also happened to had watched both—stay with me, and let me know if you also thought the same way. Let the battle begin!

1. Battle of the Villains: Hela vs Steppenwolf

In movies about superheroes, the villain undeniably is also a key ingredient for a flavorful and engaging story. It is always a hundred times more interesting if the villain have a solid character, and the audience are invited to see how their devilish mind works.

“Ragnarok” has Hela who is as enchanting as much as she is deadly. Her screen time is almost as crucial as the heroes’ in bringing the story forward AND gives her a sufficient back story.

She kicked ass.

She’s making other characters questioning their true selves and beliefs.

She got audience emotionally invested in her motive and deed.

Her hair even does its own do.

What’s not to love appreciate about her?

“Justice League”, on the other hand, has Steppenwolf who felt more like a cardboard CGI rather than a real character.

Oops. A little googling told me that he IS a CGI character, so that makes total sense. From his limited expressions to his wearisome lines, there’s no reason whatsoever for the audience to care about him. As the opponent of a team which supposedly had its own conflict of interests, “Justice League” had the chance to create an incredibly exciting villain. Why they opted for a bland CGI is beyond me.

2. Battle of the Eye Candy

Well, this is entirely a matter of taste, so I’ll just leave it here.

Well?

Well?

Well?

Well? So who’s your winner? =9

3. Battle of Rapport between Heroes and Heroines

Starring as heroes in “Ragnarok” are Thor, Loki; his adopted brother-cum-arch-rival, Hulk aka Bruce Banner, and the Valkyrie.

There are different dynamics between each characters, some are new and developing, some are long established but keep evolving. It is so FUN to watch their interaction.”Ragnarok” presented a package of colorful relationships: attempt at manipulation for what is believed to be greater good, cynicism turning grudging respect, and at the end, understanding and sense of united purpose from all of the heroes. Most importantly, all of the developments seem effortless along with the progression of the story.

“Justice League”, on the other hand, feels forced and awkward. Batman initially gathered the team because he needs their superpowers. Until the end of the movie, there are virtually zero development about how this might have changed. No scene to represent if Batman has developed liking, or respect, or understanding, or anything toward them.

Except, of course, his questionable love interest to Wonder Woman. Cheeeee-sy.

In the end, each character has their own motive in joining the team, and they seemed to be working together merely because they had to.

4. Battle of the Tone of the Movie

From the beginning, “Ragnarok” established that it doesn’t take itself very seriously. Comedic situations are abundant, be it in actions or in dialogues.
You still see the action, but you can also heartily appreciate when the supposedly serious scene turned comical, without losing its momentum.

“Justice League” designated itself as a more sober action movie. Humors are scarce, and not even very funny at all. The thing is, with the full action-movie mode on, the audience then expect that the exciting parts will be the action parts. Which “Justice League” failed so spectacularly because of the bad CGI.

The last part where Steppenwolf is preparing for mother boxes unity and creating some kind of energy net around a random Russian city?

Oh, come on.

Come on.

It was so bad, so bad, I would begin considering to leave the theater hadn’t I been considering it from the appearance of Steppenwolf at the first place.

5. Battle of Strategy to Win

“Ragnarok” heroes’ strategy to defeat the enemy is to go out of the box, bringing about the “Ragnarok” instead of trying to prevent it. Loki intentionally put Surtur’s crown to the eternal fire so Surtur could raise and destroy Asgard, and in extension, destroy Hela.

It is not clear what Surtur does after he destroyed Asgard, maybe sit around victorious and great in the ruins, I don’t know, but it’s a super unexpected plot twist, and you got to give credit for the cleverness. When enemy is stronger, rather than trying to out-power it, try other way.

On the other hand, Justice League idea to defeat Steppenwolf is… that’s right, simply trying to out-power it, by bringing back Superman from death in hope his power will match Steppenwolf. Super creative and original. I mean… it is to be expected, but still concluded Justice League as one of the more pointless movie of the year.

The Final Verdict!

So, we’ve got through all aspects, and in my book “Ragnarok” won easily. “Justice League” is not even a good movie overall!

“Justice League” score: 6.5/10

For “Thor: Ragnarok” score, you can check out my previous post.

Do you think there are some good points that can still salvage “Justice League”? Let me know in the comment section below.

Meanwhile, I’ll going to note here that initially I didn’t understand, and still don’t, the appearance of Doctor Strange in “Ragnarok”. But as I write this, it just crossed my mind that perhaps it is related to his power to change reality and dimension? (Sort of). Now that Asgard is destroyed and Asgardians are evacuating to Earth, they might need Doctor Strange’s power to restore/create a new Asgard.

I’m very excited to see if my guess is even remotely correct in the next “Thor” and/or “Avengers” movie!

Thanks for reading!

You Tube Channels I Like

Heyyyy, so how was your October? I hope you all had a great autumn season before we finally enter that time of the year again.

I am certainly celebrating, because… so many good movies! XD

First, “Happy Death Day” like I mentioned in my last post.

For a movie I only watched because I accidentally saw the trailer and felt intrigued, I ended up liking it a lot more than “Kingsman 2”, the main movie I had been so looking forward to and in which I happened to see the said trailer.

“Happy Death Day” packed so much good elements in one movie: lovable characters, exciting plot, nifty comedy, heartfelt message, and even fluffy romance.

Tree and Carter are so cute, and the actor who played Carter is such an eye candy. It is a great misfortune that he is only 23, really XD

Audience even got a chance to be a sleuth in this movie, and guess who the real murderer was. Did you guess correctly, and when did you guess it? Let me know in the comment section!

Then… I was going to watch “Geostorm” because my coworker raved about it. I wasn’t into disaster movie—everyone talked what a disaster “2012” was—I wouldn’t even know since I never interested in one of those. But my coworker talked about how “Geostorm” was different from other disaster movies, so I decided to give it a chance. I changed my mind in the very last minute because “Geostorm” reviews are so bad and went for “Thor: Ragnarok” (which reviews are goood) instead. And I’m glad I changed my mind!

I have to say that first 30 minutes or so weren’t that great. I especially found the appearance of Doctor Strange as a big “Huh? Why is this necessary again?” moment, but then the movie got better and better as it went forward.

I especially love the scene when Hela announced herself to the Asgard Army, and the reaction she got from the Army Leader was “I don’t know who you are, but we won’t let you take over Asgard” sort of thing, and Hela hilariously shot back “You don’t know who I am? Did you not listen to the WORDS I just said?”

It was one of many the-supposedly-serious-turned-comedic-scenes in “Thor”, the ingredient which made this movie so refreshing and brilliant, but, I don’t know, I just feel that this scene especially resonates more with us ladies. Because we are more prone to get into such a situation, when we just explained something but the person we talked to (usually men XD), (a) said something totally ignorant, (b) said something exactly the same in different wording, (c) continue to push through with previous topic/ideas as if we had said nothing.

Is it just me? Mansplaining, anyone? XD

In times like that, I really would love to have Hela’s superpower and roar, “Did you not LISTEN to the WORDS I said????” And KABOOM!!!

Wahahahahahaha.

I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to alienate my men reader, I’m sure you are all real gentlemen who always listen carefully to people around you XD

I’d say both movies got 7.5 out 10: satisfactorily entertaining and you got the value for your time and money, but I won’t get into a full review this time.

Instead, in this blog post I want to do something a bit different than usual, and share some Youtube Channels I enjoy.

So random, I know, but why the hell not? XD

Mostly, I just stumbled upon the channels by chance, and found that the Youtubers present their contents in appealing way. I do subscribe, but I don’t always watch every video. I just check them out every now and then to see if there are new materials that I’m interested in.

1. Lily Koi Hawaii

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7ZkWBYAAMKgcl1eMjCt3jQ

Lily’s channel talks mainly about holistic health, healthy lifestyle, and veganism/plant based eating.

I’m not a vegan and I don’t promote veganism, but I do think that we have to eat waaay more vegetables than our current standard diet.

Lily is informative, persuasive and engaging about the benefits of eating plant based. She’s got a fantastic sense of humor, and she tones down her criticism to non vegan lately in order to appeal to wider audience. Wise move, I think, because if we approach someone who already has a different opinion to us with righteousness and accusation, it will only drive them away instead of drawing them to our side, right?

She made me laughed out loud in this video.

I don’t believe that eating solely plant based food is the healthiest option for your body in long term, but I do think she has a very healthy approach to her way of eating. If you need extra motivation to eat and live healthier, check her channel out.

2. Simon and Martina

https://www.youtube.com/user/simonandmartina

Simon and Martina are a married couple who made a big name initially from vlogging about k-pop and Korean culture. I knew their name since their Korean days, but I never really checked their videos. Now that they moved to Japan, I enjoy them a lot more since I can relate to many things they talk about.

I know Japan is a very fascinating place, especially for new comers. I found Simon & Martina’s videos stand out among many Japan vloggers because their genuineness and outstanding editing. Simple sound effect or captions could really go a long way in making videos a lot more attractive. What’s more, when I watch their videos, I feel they are trully invested in whatever they’re presenting and are eager to share with the audience.

I also admire how Martina talks openly about her depression and share videos about how she deals with them.

If you only watch their regular videos, you won’t have any ideas that Martina has an illness that makes her have to deal with a lot of pain, and a depression because of that, because they always seem like a very happy go lucky couple.

She is so brave in sharing about her struggles, and I think she’s helping so many people by it.

Other Japan vloggers I also like are Rachel and Jun.

They are also a married couple, and since Jun is Japanese while Rachel is American, I find their take to Japanese culture is rather refreshing.

3. Romee Strijd

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOXFVINC6GCo86LBy0NQCIg

If you happened to be a long time acquaintance of my blog, you’d know that I’m quite a Victoria’s Secret fan. I think their marketing concept is genius and as far as I know there is no other brand who is quite as successful in utilizing their brand ambassador.

Of all current Angels, I always think that Martha Hunt and Taylor Hill are particularly attractive. I didn’t especially care about other Angels, but I do understand that each has unique appeal which attract different type of people. Among them though, I thought Romee Strijd was just pretty in a very basic way and in fact a bit boring. I didn’t understand why VS chose her to be Angel among hundred others.

Then, recently Romee has taken to post regular vlog and I watched it by chance. Before, I only ever saw her photos or watched her in runway, so never really saw her interacting with others.

After I watched her vlog, I suddenly get her appeal and now I totally understand why she was chosen as angel!

In her vlogs, Romee seems to be very genuinely nice, always smiling, and in general giving very positive vibes. She’s fun to watch and her smile is contagious. If i have a product, I, too, would like a Romee’s brightness to be associated with that.

In this video, she and her boyfriend Laurens do Q&A, and I’m so impressed with how much they seem to support each other.

At one point Laurens was asked to described Romee in three words, and I was not surprised that the first was “positive”. Other two are “hardworking” and “sweet”, which I also agree, though I could only judge from her vlogs XD. Meanwhile Romee described Laurens as “ambitious”, “thoughtful”, and “funny”.

I was like, dang, they describe most pleasant qualities in each other!!
So, major swoon <33333

Romee’s vlogs have really revived my excitement for VSFS. This year’s fantasy bra looks very beautiful. I was hoping Romee would wear it but it suits Lais really well XD

There are couple of other youtube channels I enjoy, and maybe I will share it again some other time. Meanwhile, I’m preparing for upcoming blog post since there are so many exciting things I would like to share. So, see you then!

[Review] “Kingsman: The Golden Circle”

Eversince a Kingsman sequel was decided, I was kind of looking forward to that, because the first Kingsman movie, The Secret Service, made quite an impression on me.

Though my enthusiasm was initially dampened because “Kingsman: The Golden Circle” got dismal reviews online, I did manage to have a good time watching it.

You have got to admit that the entire movie was built on a rather dubious story line. Warning, major spoilers ahead, but I guess that’s fine because I always do movie review long after the movie start showing on the theaters =P

Dubious Point 1: Eggsy and Tilde’s Relationship

I really didn’t expect that Eggsy and Princess Tilde’s relationship would continue.
I thought the depiction of Eggsy’s getting some after “saving the world” in the end of the first movie was completely unnecessary and kind of tasteless.

Now that it actually made a plot in the second movie, it still feels more like a filler than the actual direction of the movie. You know, like when Rachel first dated Joey in “Friends”, we all thought it was only going to last 2 episodes max, but it turned out to be quite serious and long lasting.

Dubious Point 2: Poppy Adams the Drug Dealer

I didn’t understand why the Villain, Poppy the drug dealer queen, should live all isolated in the middle of nowhere. Is that true in real life? As far as I know (not that I know a lot),drug dealers live well in the middle of normal neighborhoods. In fact, the more successful of them always have other business as a cover and live even somewhat respectfully. If Richmond Valentine, the first movie villain from the first movie could in fact led a double life like that, why can’t Poppy?

The introduction scene to Poppy’s character near the beginning of the story using meat grinder reminded me to why I ultimately deemed the first Kingsman movie “vulgar and cheap” after the lively first two third. It was really grotesque, and regretfully, it seems to be the trademark of this movie. Cheap, over the top gory or carnal scenes treated with a bit of playfulness seem to be what makes Kingsman, Kingsman. The only redeeming thing was at the end, the meat grinder once again played a role, so it wasn’t entirely meaningless.

Dubious Point 3: Eggsy’s hook up with Clara

I was going to say, why a resourceful Secret Service like Kingsman can be so easily annihilated, but that goes without saying, so, moving on.

In order to track Poppy down, Eggsy had to seduced Charlie Hesketh’s girlfriend, Clara. Statesman Agent, Whiskey, tried first with wretched result.

That is understandable, but why must Clara fell for Eggsy, when she has a hot ass boyfriend like Charlie? (If we were about to go back, why must Tilde fell for Eggsy? What has Eggsy specifically done to charm her so? But, moving on). All Eggsy did was mentioning about their spirit animals and Clara switched to the aggressive side just like that.

In the end Eggsy had more trouble in trying to turn down her over enthusiastic advance than in wooing her.

Dubious Point 4: Harry Hart, The Return of

An important character came back from death was quite cliche at the first place. I know many fans were really hoping for Harry’s comeback, so the producer really just did their job fulfilling the market’s wish. But if you really need to bring him back, did you really need to kill him at the first place?

But I’d give a plus point for ”Alpha Gel”, which is claimed to be the substance that saved Harry’s live and repair his brain. It sounded very much like bullshit at the beginning, but the bullshitness level went down a little when it also served to give some preliminary insight to why Agent Whiskey opposed the free vaccine distribution, and why Harry was right in shooting him down.

Still related to the return of Harry, is it really, REALLY necessary to kill Roxy and Merlin? I feel their characters still have so much potentials, and I’m really not ready for the death of the two of them. Will they just disappear for this installment, then return in the next movie (if any)? I very much like the idea of Roxy and Merlin returning, but after Harry returned, it would be just too ridiculous if you bring back other two characters from death.

What made The Golden Circle Enjoyable Overall

The action scenes were good, not incredible or something, but good enough. I just couldn’t help to think that in the first scene where Eggsy fought failed-Kingsman-candidate-turned-bad Charlie Hesketh inside a car, the fast paced punches and dodges were very similar to old fashioned kungfu fight in narrow space scenes.

I do think this kind of fight choreography can be very riveting, and wouldn’t get old in the face of CG created scene because of the different niche. But if Jackie Chan and Jet Li’s movies have been creating this kind of breathless fight since waaaay before, of course newer movies need to be better and more creative each time. Kingsman didn’t bring it to the next level, but enough to spice things up.

Some dialogues were pretty witty (as in funny), though I doubt younger audience would get the “Country Road” reference, or feel for it as much as intended.

I also enjoyed the British feel of the movie. I said it before, but Kingsman gives taste like Enid Blyton’s stories made to silver screen with modern package, and I liked it.

The emotional conflicts were also depicted well, though it was super weird to see Harry as a helpless old man instead of his usual capable self.

Score: 7/10

Lastly, I’m not the first to comment on this and I hope someday this would be heeded. But 21 cineplex chain did little to nothing to make sure the age restriction is in force.

The movie can be rated NC-17 and irresponsible parents could still bring their underage kids to watch it.

This caught my attention now and then when I go to the movie theater, but last time there are three elementary school age kids sat in the seats right next to me, with their parents sat on their other side.

As I watched the meat grinder scene, and then, more so in the Glastonbury scene where Eggsy was forced to pleasure Clara, the lines “What the hell? Why are the parents okay with their kids watching this? Won’t this be normalized inside their little heads and they think it’s okay to act out these kind of things outside the movies??” kept replaying on my head.

If our country can force e-money as the only payment method in every toll gate, 21 Cineplex and other movie theater chains certainly can instruct their staff to filter underage audience at every theater entry.

In October, there is just one more movie I particularly look forward to watch, “Happy Death Day” which trailer was shown before “Kingsman” started.

I was busy in September, because there was a company event, but I also had a revelation that I was the shortest member in our department!

I thought I was taller than a couple of them but group picture certainly shows otherwise.

Anyway, photo session is always a lot of fun.

I also went to Ghibli Exhibition at Pacific Place Mall. I have a couple ideas to write about it in more details, but now, it is enough to say that “Spirited Away” is still my number one Ghibli movie and one of my favorite movies of all time.

I guess the nostalgic value and the circumstance in which I watched it will forever make “Spirited Away” irreplaceable, but I hope someday I’ll find a Ghibli movie that I adore just as much, if not more.

#Sukinanda

AKB48 has just released their 2017 General Election PV, and though I am not into AKB or follow their new release as much as I used to, I have been lowkey waiting for it, hoping that it would be a bikini PV.

Bikini PV is always a lot of fun, and with the general public’s waning interest towards AKB, I think bikini PV might be just what it needs to spark some excitement.

I had been quite optimistic as SKE and NMB have released their own bikini PV for summer this year, and the last bikini PV from AKB was “Labrador Retriever” from 2014.

But, alas, my waiting was once again in vain.

With Sasshi as center, this year Sousenkyo Song is “#Sukinanda”.
Yes, you read that as “Hashtag, Sukinanda” means more or less “Hashtag, I love You”.

At the first listen, I didn’t like #Sukinanda and I also thought the PV is as generic as beachy summer MV could have been, but only half the fun because of the lack of girls in bikinis.

Come on, AKB! Where’s the fun in a summer PV without bikini?? =P

But after a couple of times, the lyrics caught on, and now I like it a lot better.

I’m going to tell you why I grew to like it in a sec, but first, let me tell you what made me think it is so mediocre at the beginning.

1. The make-ups

I think the make-ups are too pale and make the members look washed out.

I especially didn’t like the pale lilac lipstick on Mayuyu’s storyline shots.

This color and the make up as a whole makes her looks dull and unattractive, when we all know she is a very lovely girl.

I don’t understand what went wrong, AKB always favor natural make up and they has done natural make up beautifully countless times before, such as in “Kokoro no Placard”:

or “Sayonara Crawl”:

But this time, they just failed to bring out the girls’ youthful freshness.

 
Sasshi fared a bit better with pinker lip shade, but not by much.

2. Costumes

Eh, it looks too similar to “Iiwake Maybe”?

 

Especially when the camera zooms out to picture the whole group.

 
I like Mayu and Sasshi’s simple blouse and skirt on the storyline shot, but the dance shot group costume is just meh.

I can think of a hundred ways to make the costumes look more interesting, such as incorporating Okinawan traditional pattern into them, since they shot the PV in Okinawa.

This shot where new rising star Ogiyuka and someone wearing Okinawan yukata looks gorgeous, I wish they would utilize it more.

3. PV Storyline

As usual, AKB PV storyline is not necessarily related to the meaning of the song it self.

The PV is filmed in Okinawa, probably as a tribute since the General Election was going to be held live outdoor there, but was canceled because of bad weather.

Sasshi played a tour guide, and Mayu her lone tourist. Together they went around Okinawa town, probably for the sake of showing Okinawan townscape. While they looked cute together, I think Sasshi and Mayu’s scenes are actually less Okinawa-unique compared to the other girls’ group shots.

All the while, in seemingly unrelated narrations, other girls are shown to be enjoying vacation in various Okinawa locations.

Going in transparent floor boat,

playing Okinawan sanshin,

or just playing around and posing like “Shisa”.

All in all, I think NMB “Masaka Singapore”  did a better job in highligting Singaporean townscape and atmosphere while still maintaining an integrated storyline as a whole, however ridiculous the story might be.

I also didn’t get the ending where Sasshi and Mayu sat down at the beach and talked about turtles. Sasshi told Mayu how turtles struggle to reach the sea upon hatching, and mimicked how they crawl.

This makes Mayu smiled in such a sentimental way, like she was about to cry but then her expression immediately turned grim again.

 

What is it all about??

Is it related to her graduation? That Mayuyu feels sad about her graduation, but think staying in AKB is more unbearable?

I don’t know.

To me, it all just seems so random.

The PV ends with both girls ran to the see, and that’s that.

and still no bikini.

Now, the thing that makes me like this song a lot better after several listens was actually the lyrics.

You know I’m a sucker for songs with little a touch of wistfulness or melancholy. If a song is more of a sad song, I usually will not like it. But if a song is generally hopeful and motivational, but with a dreamy quality to it, I usually will fall hard.

All AKB songs I especially favor have been this kind of song, e.g. “Gingham Check”, “Kibouteki Refrain”, and “Koisuru Fortune Cookie”.

In that same wistfulness line, “#Sukinanda” tells about a boy who went to a trip with a girl he likes, but he just couldn’t tell that he likes her. So, instead, he upload a picture of her on SNS (=Social Media Service) with a hashtag #Iloveyou in order to let out some of his bursting passion.

#(Hasshutagu)SukiNanda
Boku wa tsubuyaku
Kono mune no atsui kimochi
SNS agete mita
Ryouri no shashin
Bonyari to dareka no kage
Sarigenaku kataomoi

#Ilikeyou
So I tweet
This passion in my chest
I post on SNS
A photo of our cooking
Blurred by someone’s shadow
Nonchalantly crushing onesidedly

Awww—–just how sweet is that???

I love that it is romantic, kind of not very straightforward and full of nervousness, but still, the boy took courage expressing his feelings.

And—not all love are unrequited in Akimoto’s world.
Often it is, and the one-sidedness does add a bittersweet addictive taste to some songs.

But in “#Sukinanda”, the girl actually responds by uploading a picture of him, saying she was  “withmyfavoritepersonnau”, presumably also with a hashtag.

#(Hasshutagu)SukiNanda
Boku wa tsubuyaku
Kono mune no atsui kimochi
Ripurai kimi kara da
Suika no shashin
Karaburi no boku ga utsuru
Daisuki na hito to nau

#Ilikeyou
So I tweet
This passion in my chest
There’s a reply from you
A watermelon photo
With me striking in vain on it
With my favorite person right now

And in case you are unfamiliar with Japanese SNS, “nau” is how they fashion the word “now”, meaning the activity with word “nau” attached is whatever they are doing at the moment an SNS picture is taken.

I love how Akimoto is able to incorporate undeniably pervasive SNS existence in the song, going so far as accommodating the very “in” hashtag or word unique to SNS like “nau” into his lyrics, and still make it a dreamy and sweet song of fondness.

 

While Mayuyu is just about to go through some of big changes in her life with her upcoming graduation, I actually have been through some changes as well in my life.

Maybe some of you have caught on from several of previous posts, but actually I have changed my job. And as in other kind of changes, it feels very hard.

I really do love my previous work place, my job, and my colleagues.

I miss them a lot.

A girl from my new office asked me, “Which one do you like better, this office or your old one?”

I said, it cannot be compared, because  I have worked for almost 5 years in my old office, and only several months in the new one.

But I hope, I will be able to create a memory, an experience just as wonderful as the previous one.

I have met walls, I have faced challenges, I have my ups and downs before, but I can always look back in fondness. Hopefully, I will be able to do the same onwards.

And wherever I am, I’m always so thankful that God always bless me with beautiful people I can look up to.

People who inspire me to improve my self and step forward.

Especially my little sister, who has been my rock lately.

She has been so reliable, push me when I need it and support me in little things that I truly appreciate.

Also, of course all of my siblings.

I am so glad I have them.

I wish, as self-absorbed as I am, I have shown them enough that I always be there for them as they are for me.

Changes will always be there, but I hope I will always have the courage to get through.

#Sukinanda #Jibunwomousukoshi #sukininarou #toiushiseide #iyoune

(Not quite) the First Rabbit

I don’t do any sport regularly, maybe save swimming, which I do sporadically every one or two months.

But since my (new) company is one of the main sponsors for Jakarta Kizuna Ekiden relay running competition, as a new employee I dutifully (or half obligatorily wahahahaha) registered my self as a participant.

This Sunday was our company’s first official training together day, so I spent Saturday night browsing previous years Kizuna Ekiden videos.

And I was shocked to find that the participants seemed to take it very seriously!
It wasn’t comfortable jogging like I imagined, they seemed to make a mad rush right from the beginning.

How could I think I would be okay fast walking the course when everybody else was so pumped??

So then I know I got to practice =)

My company practice was really just a light practice where we ran in group for two laps. Each lap is about 1 km, or about a third of the real Kizuna Ekiden course. First lap was warming up, and in the second lap we measured our time.

I ran in a group of mostly Japanese, and damn they are fast -.-“
But I’m quite proud of my self because I managed to run nonstop from the start to the end.

The Japanese in my group made a strong start and quickly created a distance, but to my delight they kind of slow down after a while, during which I maintained my pace, so the gap wasn’t so wide anymore.

Wahahaha I didn’t know I could be competitive in running?? Shouldn’t I wish they were even faster so our company can record better time?

I was thinking I might even catch up if I make a sprint in last 300 meters or so, but as a complete novice I don’t know how much I can trust my legs. Moreover, the real course is longer, so I must learn to conserve my strength instead of burn it all up.

I only dashed faster when I already really close to the finish, and I wasn’t as out of breath as the most.

Now I’m actually really motivated to get better??

Kizuna Ekiden is not until mid-May, and if I practice every week I might get under 20 minutes for full course (which is really slow, by the way XP ).

My coworker said he was out of practice and that running outdoor is very different to running at the gym. He said he can easily run for 30 minutes on the treadmill while listening to music, but was struggling in our 1 km practice run. He still ran way faster than me, by the way.

I said he should listen to music while running outdoor as well, then.

I of course got my earphones on.

He looked pleasantly surprised when I told him I listened to AKB48 “First Rabbit”. I think it’s such a motivating song which suitable for comfortable pace running.

After the practice, we headed to the nearby fX Mall’s QQ Kopi Tiam Restaurant for a brunch.

We opted for 2nd floor outdoor terrace, which got plenty of room for all 30 of us, but unfortunately the service sucked so bad .

They spent forever delivering our orders, a couple of orders wasn’t even served until the meal was almost over. I’ve been to QQ before in a small group and there was no problem even when the restaurant was full, and how is serving for one large group that different to serving for several smaller groups??

Afterwards I just wandered aimlessly around the Mall.

The mall got some kind of singing competition event that day, but there was no special decoration.

Maybe, themed decoration is just not fX concept, unlike Plaza Indonesia which is just next to my current office. They are currently having a lavish decoration for “Beauty and the Beast”, and of course sisters and I, teenagers minded that we are, just HAD to take picture.

Have you watched the movie?

I think overall Disney did a good job made a live action remake out of the animation. However, unlike Cinderella, the movie couldn’t make me quite believe that Belle REALLY fell in love to the Beast.

Lily James and Richard Madden had an amazing chemistry in Cinderella, and moreover, it was easy to believe that a girl would fall in love with a handsome Prince.

But to believe that a lovely maid fell for an ugly Beast who imprisoned her, however kindhearted the Beast actually was? I think it should take different protrayal to the original animation, but Disney just followed the original scenes and storyline plainly.

I do like how they adapted Lumiere and Cogsworth to the live action version, and Emma’s singing voice is beautiful, though!

Review: Hidden Figures

Last week, I watched “Hidden Figures” with my sister. It was released on 10 March 2017 in Indonesia, quite late compared to its December 2016 premier at the US. And I’m glad I decided to watch it, since it was really one of the better movies I watched as of late. I even like it better than the more massively popular “La La Land”, which though had its share of capturing moments, was rather flat and uninteresting overall to me.

I know “Hidden Figures” primarily speaks about struggle in the work place as women, more specifically black women, when you face discrimination and unfair condition. And how your hard work can easily go unrecognized until much, much later, if at all.

But I relate to the movie at its more simple core: that work, in general, is no picnic.

There will be days when your job is piling up endlessly. There will be days when you’re tired and have zero motivation, but you still have to push through. You will have to face difficult colleagues, or unreasonable superior, or less than ideal condition. Often, feel of being overwhelmed is not just for one day, but for a long period of time.

Sometimes you may find you question yourself, “What the hell am I doing? What is it really am I pursuing, working this hard? Will this worth it in the end?”

By watching this movie, I am reminded that such conditions by no means is unique to my self.

Women, and I believe men, all over the world, are struggling with the same doubts everyday, some even might be with much bigger obstacles.

And that gives me some encouragement, a fresh inspiration to go on.

I think realizing that you are not alone and your circumstances is far more common than you think is powerful.

One thing I love about the movie is beside the work place struggle, it also showed the main characters’ home lives.

Wikipedia runs a brief naration regarding the historical accuracy of the events in “Hidden Figures” , and I don’t know how true the protrayal of the home lives were, but I truly found how Officer Jim Johnson proposed to the main heroine Katherine Goble was toes-curlingly sweet.

Like when Johnson said, “I know marrying you also means marrying your girls,” as the sign of his full  acceptance to Katherine’s condition as a widow with three children. And also, “The day I met you, I called my Mama and told her I’ve found a woman I would like to marry.”

Also, when Johnson presented his ring he told, “This is my Mama’s ring, and he and my father has been married for 53 years.” And then at the end of the movie, there was a little note describing that Jim and Katherine Johnson had just celebrated their 56 anniversary in really live.

D’aaawww.

Isn’t it just kind of proposal and (ensuing marriage) every girl would dream of???

One thing that caught me off guard, though, is how old Kirsten Dunst looked on this movie.

She looked really… matronly.

She is just few years older than me.

I had to google to make sure it wasn’t theater make up purposely used to make her look older, and I found the internet community are also exclaiming their befuddlement about how aged Dunst looked.

In my mind I always saw her as… maybe not quite Torrence Shipman from “Bring it On”, I know she was getting older, but maybe more like Betty Warren from “Mona Lisa’s Smile”, where she was a perfect classic beauty.

By the way, no movie yet take “Mona Lisa’s Smile” place as my number one favorite (grown up) movie of all time.  If you haven’t watched it already, I highly recommend it as well as “Hidden Figures”. Both are so poignant, era-appropriate fashionable, and I believe will well worth your time.

But, good for Dunst for finding a new niche for her acting. We cannot be a dazzling 20 twenty something heroine forever, right?

After the movie, I took my sister to dine at “Go! Curry” restaurant which I have been eyeing for sometimes.

This curry restaurant has interesting concept that you can “create your own” curry. They have selection of rice (regular steam rice, cilantro butter rice, aromatic yellow rice, etc.), choice of curries (brown curry, green curry, fancily named rogan josh, etc.), range of spiciness (mild to insanely hot), and variety of toppings (chicken, lamb, oxtail, mixed veggies, etc).

You choose one from each item, and the price will be determined by the topping.

This clever concept is what attracted me at the first place, and the curry admittedly tasted delicious. But for the tiny portion, it is quite expensive. Me and my sister just had one main curry dish each, we didn’t even order any drinks, and it still costed us IDR 200K (around USD 15).

Despite somewhat more poshly packaged, “Go! Curry” is still a chain restaurant, so I really didn’t find that bill justified. The ambiance of the restaurant (the one I visited was at the Kemang Village) is nothing special, either, so unless you don’t mind to spend pretty pennies for the sake of ‘trying’, just don’t bother.

Curry is so easy to make and a giant pot of home cooked one will be much, much more satisfying.

We did have a good time, though, and I hope I can have similar movie experience very soon.

Hidden Figures Score: 7.5/10
Go Curry Score: 6.5/10

This is Why I am So Enamored with This Religion

(also, the day I could still totally pass as a University Student hohohohoho)

 

 

In any self help and habit building articles, books or videos I read and watch, ‘consistency’ seems to be a prominent key word.

If you want to succeed at anything, you have to be consistent. No matter how much you do, it is of little use if you only do it once in a blue moon. On the contrary, you may only do a little each time, but if you keep doing it, over time you will get the desirable result.

Our job at the office is an excellent example of things we eventually become good at because our consistency.

Doesn’t matter if we are unmotivated or don’t feel particularly like it, we still have to show up to our work place everyday, right?

And then we generally do the same things in the office, day in and day out.

If you are a marketing staff, you’ll go through your products and explain it to your clients. You take in questions and complaints. You consult with your supervisors and colleagues. Of course the matter is different each time, but it is still in the same field.

Eventually, you understand more about the things you sell and actually know what you’re talking about. You got more familiar about how to handle procedures. You know the basic content of specific contract by heart.

That is by simply doing the same things everyday, for a long period of time.

This is not to say people who do more work won’t advance further, but even regular employees become good at things they were first struggling, with no special recipe but merely by doing it daily. In other word, by being consistent.

I find articles from James Clear help me a lot on understanding why consistency is essential to succeed, and how to implement consistency in order to build good habits.

Now, in Islam, one of the very basic teachings is to do shalat (prayer). Moslems are required to do five obligatory prayers daily on determined times. We even have to do it when we are sick or in non ideal condition such as lack of water or during war.

From ‘Imraan ibn Husayn (may Allaah be pleased with him): I had hemorrhoids, and I asked the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) about praying. He said: “Pray standing; if you cannot, then sitting; and if you cannot, then lying on your side.”(hadist Al-Bukhaari:1050)

In short, even when we are on our means’ end, we still cannot neglect the obligatory prayer for whatever reasons until we are dead. Hence the popular saying: “Do shalat before they do (pray for the deceased) shalat for you.”

Do you think training for marathon two times a week needs super crazy motivation?

Do you think practicing every day for a piano competition needs mega discipline?

Do you think rising up to your alarm on 6 AM on the dot every single day requires some kind of super power?

Ha!

Imagine having to do prayer at specific time, five times a day.

No ‘I don’t feel like it right now’, no ‘no-time today’, no excuses whatsoever.

Sure some allowances are permitted for special circumstances, such as to shorten the prayer when you are traveling, but in the end of the day you still have to do it, period.

If that doesn’t train your consistency muscle, I don’t know what will.

Don’t get me wrong, just because Islam makes the five prayers an essential obligation, doesn’t make it automatically easier.

You still have to consciously engage your mind and  choose to actually do it.

Any Moslem can tell you it is one of the hardest things ever.

I can say for sure that to do obligatory prayer consistently is waaaaay harder than to achieve my marketing target =))

Allah SWT acknowledges it many times in the Quran, often mentions prayer in the same line with ‘patience’.

Seek assistance through patience and prayer, and most surely it is a hard thing except for the humble ones. (Al Baqarah: 45).

Well ‘hard’ is an understatement of all eternity

Using simple steps I got from James Clear, I tried to make habit to pray easier. For example setting adzan (prayer call) as an alarm in my cellphone, and go to pray as soon as I hear it. Not ‘after this one email’, ‘after this one phone call’ or even ‘after this one line in my quotation’, but right after the alarm goes off.

Jumping to perform ablution and pray as soon as the prayer call was heard, not giving me the chance to think whether I’m ready to do it or not, or if I want to do it or not, seriously helps a great deal.

Obviously I am still struggling at it. Most of the time I stall because of various reasons, and sometimes I go to pray with still so many things on my mind, I forgot the Quran recital after one or two verses. I am so embarrassing.

But that’s OK, because I hope I’m putting in a little bit of work each time.

What increasingly mesmerizes me after I know more about the science of habit is, that Islam actually gives tools to learn consistency.

With the five prayers, Islam fundamentally requires and teaches one to be consistent.

Five prayers even already provide its own ‘cue’ with the adzan.

Regretfully, like so many other things, Moslems seem to forget to apply this principle we got from Islamic teaching to other fields in life.

I know many people who faithfully observe five prayers everyday, but do not push themselves further in the more practical fields of society.

I believe if we can apply this “I just have to do it, no excuse! Everyday! All five times! Every single time!” mentality to any fields of life, we have great chance to succeed in whatever we do.

Sometimes when I watched my supervisors, I admire them for their knowledge and ability to network, to know what to say in certain circumstance.

But then I observe my juniors and found sometimes that, “Hey, he’s good in negotiations! He’s so much better than the last I remember!” The last I remember was probably when the said junior just started in my company.

That is what time and experience do to your skill. If nothing else, putting in hours day after day elevates your ability.

It is like stacking a paper, one sheet a day.

You won’t see any notable stack any time soon.

After one month, your stack is barely there.

Even after one year, the stack is probably not significant at all, it is so easy to get discouraged.

But someday, you’ll eventually get a paper stack taller than yourself.

I think this article is particularly succinct to illustrate this further.

And this realization about inherent consistency teaching is why once again I find I am so enamored with Islam.

(Though, obviously, me saying this doesn’t make me the most pious Moslem in the world or something. As I said before I am totally embarrassing as a Moslem.)

All the lovely scenery pictures were from my trip to Banyuwangi last year, which I haven’t got the chance the blog about yet.

By the way, you cannot even guess where I wrote this blog post!

I went to my alma mater with my sister who currently enrolls there.

Now they have a new central library, and in addition to old central library’s own books, the collections from each faculty’s library were also moved and stored exclusively there as well. This perplex me a little, because why can’t each faculty has their own library beside the central library??

The new central library looks neat and modern.

I liked the old central library OK, but this new one certainly boast more facilities with an in-house Starbucks, Books and Beyond, and several small cafes.

Regretfully I feel the praying room (musholla) didn’t seem to be designed optimally with the establishment of this new building. Compared to the rest of the building, it looks drab and dim, cramped and also lack of air circulation.

Come on interior designers! Eventhough praying room inside public facility is obviously not intended to be on par with a real Mosque; it is still a place where crowd will gather, so I will always give praying room large windows and high ceiling for sufficient light and air.

It was Saturday, so I guess the library was far less crowded than weekdays.

Hugs to my sister who accompanied me all days, eventhough she kept muttering “This is embarrassing. Why are you so embarrassing??” when I asked her to take pictures in what she thought were just another oh-so-ordinary spots.

She’d better believe me when I tell she’ll feel the same a couple years after graduate!!

We cannot be peculiar and just be awesome (someone’s gotta hound us)

Did you ever watch a movie or read a book which characters have some kind of superpowers, and they are just kind of enjoying their life with their power and get on with it?

No?

Yeah, I bet so.

You can fly?  Some villains are out there to beat you. You can levitate things with your stare? Some secret organization is determined to put you behind bars. You can turn back time? There’s someone important you have to save within inches of your own life.

And so on and so on.

There has never been a story which goes ‘There’s a girl who can be invisible. She spends her spare time going to movie theater to watch movies for free and stalking her crush naked. And that’s how she continues to have ordinary life despite everything.’

No.

In stories, when you’re extraordinary, it seems guaranteed that you’ll have someone who hound you down.

“Miss Peregrine’s Home for  Peculiar Children” goes along the same line.

Review: Pete’s Dragon

Last year on October, I wrote a review of “Goosebumps the Movie”.

It was a perfect time to write a review about a horror movie–albeit a horror comedy one–but the horror aspect is not at all what draws me to the month of October.

Rather, it’s the magical quality.

In October, there’s magic in the warmth of the tree colors, in the cheerful lights of the jack o lanterns, in the fairy tale-esque creativity of black cats and witches decorations.

So, it’s only fitting that I just so happened to watch another fantasy movie around this time of the year: “Pete’s Dragon”. Released in Jakarta about one month after its world wide premier.

Overall I would say that “Pete’s Dragon” is an enjoyable movie.

The main charm point of this movie for me isn’t in Elliot, the Dragon, eventhough he does bring a refreshing picture of a dragon.

Come What May

Is it just me, or does everyone have some sort of affection to their office after they worked there long enough?

I don’t even talk about connection to your coworkers, because–naturally, you will develop some (good) relationship with them after few years.

You have to, and I guess naturally you will.

That, I think, is some kind of a wonderful feature of human nature God equips us with in order to survive. But that is the topic of another story.

What I mean here is affection to your company as an entity. Like, you are motivated to do well so that your company does well, too. And after some years, the familiarity of your desk, of your department seating arrangements, of the company aisles as you wander around perhaps in the overtime hours, will set some kind of homey feel.

Call it feel of belonging, if you like.