Insomniac Lolita

See you later, Jakarta!

2011-11-17T20:56:00.005+07:00

Today is my last day living and working in Jakarta. I'm leaving for Singapore tomorrow morning.

Oh, also, my working permit has been issued.

YAAAAY!

I'm super nervous though. Although I gotta say I handle it much better than I thought. I thought I would break down on my last day at the office. I really love it there. My bosses and co-workers are amazing. We all have gotten close. But the opportunity in Singapore is too good to pass up. I owe it to myself to try.

Thankfully they understand and they have been very supportive. Big boss sat me down for a talk, told me about his own international lawyering experience (So cool! He's Australian, graduated and started working in Sydney, moved to Hongkong, then Singapore, and finally resided in Jakarta where he became an international partner), and gave me these valuable tips:

Don't let anyone treat you like a paralegal/assistant/strictly Indonesian law interpreter
Go home if you are not involved in any important transactions
If anyone treats you like a 2nd class citizen, throw a punch

I love that guy. He, a few other partners, and associates also told me whenever I want to go back, the door is always open.

That made me cry.

My practice group threw me a farewell dinner and made me a huge banner filled with sweet messages. All I can say is: wherever I go, they're surely irreplaceable.

Fingers crossed that my co-workers in Singapore are nice too. Here's to a new beginning!

Ready to Rumble

2011-11-15T22:04:00.006+07:00

Bags are packed (60 kilos worth of stuff).

Current office desk is cleaned.

Pending assignments are assigned.

Farewell note to partners and fellow associates is written.

3 more days...

Let's have some fun, Singapore!*

Obvious Touristy Marina Bay Sands Photo, Courtesy of Nashe

*Oh and before we have all the fun in the world, can my working permit please be issued IMMEDIATELY? I'm freaking out here.**

**Speaking of working permit, I think it's refreshing that someone in the Ministry of Manpower asked my soon-to-be office on why my bachelor of law certificate is in Indonesian language. Last time I checked, I didn't go to a law school in Suriname.

Smile of the Day

2011-11-10T18:00:00.003+07:00

You get what you give!

2011-11-08T08:37:00.007+07:00

I think it's not a secret how much I love reading travel websites.

If fund is not an issue, I definitely will venture to far, exotic places all the time. Capturing pretty sights. See what the locals do daily. Writing it all up for people to read. However since I am a regular person, I have to save up like everyone else to do so while thinking of what place to go next. This changes all the time. Hence reading travel websites.

There are things that annoy me when I read them though. One of them is visitors from all over the world who visit Asia (South East Asia particularly) and complain that they lose things or how unsafe it is, when they actually pick shitty budget hotels/guesthouses/backpacker places to stay.

Look I get it, traveling is expensive. People want to stay longer at places because you have all these touristy popular places to see. But what do they expect from a room/place less than 30 bucks a night? An in-room deposit? A security? A nicer surrounding area where no shady people lurk in corners and probably plot to snatch your backpack/cellphone/whatever?

A lot of countries in South East Asia are developed, but a lot of their residents may be not THAT developed. There are still poor people everywhere and they may not be as educated as us. Not this justifies what they do (believe me, I had the 'pleasure' of losing my bag and its entire content, passport included, last June when a thief on a bike just snatched it out and I felt like I wanted to die) but this should make people be more careful and take preventive measures, such as NOT STAYING AT SHITTY UNSAFE PLACES, especially if it causes them to generalize the whole country (and probably the whole region) when something bad happens to them.

Last night I was googling Cambodia and read reviews where one of the tourists complained on how ghetto and unsafe Phnom Penh is. Well to be honest, it is one of the least developed places in the whole South East Asia region, but still I wanted to laugh when I read that he stayed at a 25 bucks/night hostel. He also complained about the less than clean water, sellers who hassled him to purchase souvenirs, and the nasty smell of the sewer. He then had the NERVE to say he couldn't expect anything from South East Asia and the whole region is pretty much poor.

Pretty interesting thing to say when you just visit one country and are too cheap to stay in one of the safer, nicer, odor free places (you can get a more than decent room in most 5 stars hotels in Phnom Penh for less than 100 bucks!).

I had the urge to personally email him, called him something nasty (cheap ignorant d*ckhead?), and told him if he took the time to travel outside of Cambodia to the South East Asian neighboring capital cities, he would see that a lot of them are probably way more modern, vibrant, and interesting than wherever it is he is from. Jakarta? Modern. Bangkok? Flashy and not at all like what people see in Hangover 2 where they only shot the slums. KL? Pretty. Saigon? Fun. And don't get me started on how Singapore trumps most of the capital cities in the WORLD in terms of modern technology and architecture, most likely one of the cleanest and safest too.

Anyway, in my opinion, people shouldn't expect all the countries they visit to be super clean, safe, and modern like the way they think a place is supposed to be. Beside, all the cities and towns in the world must have those shadier, less safe and less pretty places right? Plus, shouldn't a person be aware on how their destination is like before he or she decides to go there? With google and endless travel websites, everything is so easy to make necessary preparation.

So that guy, shouldn't he know from the very beginning that he visited Cambodia and read up on it? Did he expect Cambodia to be like, I don't know, The Carribbean? Shouldn't he expect the less fortunate but happy people (and hope that he does not meet any weird characters e.g. street thieves), exotic language, streets full of cyclos and motorbikes, crowded markets, hot platters of local food, and gorgeous temples? Those are part of the charm. That's exactly what makes a lot of people, including me, want to go there, to see a place absolutely different from where we live.

He and a lot of ignorant people just like him should really shut up.

On Boyfriend's Birthday and Shooting Things

2011-11-07T00:07:00.000+07:00

I just came back from a week leave for my boyfriend's birthday
.

It was a really chilled week. During his working days, I mostly chilled watching TV or read books at his place, shopped, and walked around. The latter two activities can be such a challenge because my Vietnamese vocabulary is shamefully limited. The only sentence I can say correctly up until now is "em thich mông bự", which is the equivalent of "I like big butt".

I was wondering if I said it to a local, they would lead me straight to a prostitution area in downtown Saigon.

Ahem, anyhoo...

Quan likes my gift, which is a watch. I've been wanting to get him a serious lawyer's watch, you know, that compliments his everyday suits and tie. After all the lunch breaks window shopping and comparing items in the nearest malls, I finally found one that is classy but not too much. For his birthday celebration, we went out with his friends for a barbecue and drinks.

Later in the week, we went to a countryside around two hours outside of the city to shoot guns that apparently were used during Vietnam war. I was pretty scared when I got there, coming from a country where gun possession is definitely prohibited and almost no one I know ever comes close to even holding one (beside my grandparents, great grandparents and their friends who fought the Dutch before Indonesian independence day, of course). The sound of the shots were crazy and the guns are almost as big as me. Quan and his friend were having a ball trying some of them to shoot the targets then he looked at me and said I should try it.

At first I said no.

He assured me it would be okay. Although the gun might bounce back a little after I shoot.

I shook my head like a little baby.

He pouted.

Oh well let's just say I'm a sucker for that pout. And I'm curious. So I tried shooting two different guns.

Here is one of the hilarious videos:

And this is why my country will never pick me to go to war.

Have you tried shooting things?

Birthday goodness!

2011-11-01T07:56:00.009+07:00

I'm taking the rest of the week off to visit Quan (my boyfriend). It's his birthday on Wednesday so I'm flying north today so we can do the whole "Yay! Midnight! It's your birthday!"

That's one of my favorite things about birthdays. That moment when the clock strikes 12 and whoever you're with singing happy birthday and close friends calling or tweeting birthday greetings. I'm forever 5 at heart like that.

I had been searching for a great gift and finally found it late last week. I really hope he likes it. He was so thoughtful on my birthday last September so I doubt everything I do now can even compare. Not like it's even a contest, but you know, I want him to have a memorable day since it's our first year together.

Speaking of my birthday, he took me to Singapore for a 4-day weekend. It was the Grandprix season and the city was so alive (more alive and crowded than usual). He's never really been to Singapore and there would be all these cool F1 concerts and parties that would be great to check out. Not to mention local Singaporean food? Best thing ever (well after Indonesian food, of course, but I may be so biased on this one).

Mandatory tourist picture at Marina Bay

Some highlights from the trip:

1. Watching Ludacris and LMFAO

They're some of the artists that kicked off the Grandprix weekend by performing in a massive opening party at the infamous Marina Bay Sands (Shakira, Linkin Park, Charice and many more were also scheduled to perform on the race). We went with some of my Singaporean friends who got us a spot right in front of the stage. People kept pushing us back though and we stayed in the back during LMFAO's set to prevent injuries or me letting out my barbaric Indonesian side by start throwing punches (you get fined a lot for fighting there, if I'm not mistaken.).

We had an amazing time though and Ludacris, especially, was great. Quan and I know almost all the lyrics to Ludacris' old school tracks (oh my God, are we getting OLD?) and could not stop dancing.

Luda!

2. Universal Studio Trip

Because we're 10 and we prefer getting on fun rides than looking at racers oiling their engines, which by the way sound kinky (-_-").

Anyway, we wanted to check it out. I've never been to any other Universal studios and Quan wanted to see what rides they have in the Singapore location. He ended up liking them a lot. I suspect it's because most of the rides there are rollercoasters of some kind. I'm a wuss and rollercoasters freak me out. Apparently he didn't know until this trip, when I begged to not get on both of the Battlestar Galactica rollercoasters and gripped him so tight during The Mummy ride, when you got pulled to the back and dropped a lot.

Mandatory tourist picture in front of Universal sign

Oh hai, Brendan Fraser!

3. Birthday countdown and meeting Nashe

A few hours before I turned 24, I met Nashe for seafood and drinks where she also got introduced to Quan. It's cute introducing your boy to a girl friend because we did the whole "What do you think? He's cute right?" by looking at each other instead of saying it. It's hilarious because when Nashe finally decided he's cool (which strangely happened after we did shots), she was like, "You're a nice guy, be good to her, okay?" LOL.

If Nashe reads this, thank you again for the necklace and pashmina, love.

Another highlight that I will also always remember from this trip is going to my future office in Raffles Place area, feeling nervous as hell before meeting the managing director who would break the news on whether I get my job there or not. The guy came to me with a smile and an offering letter. I remember acting all cool in front of him and everyone else in the office...but then running to Quan who's waiting for me at the park outside and screaming like a maniac. We ended up screaming like maniacs in front of a bunch of people nearby who looked at us all weirdly. Not like we care.

I can honestly say I had the best birthday this year.

And I can't wait to make his birthday special too.

Halloween!

2011-10-30T21:36:00.003+07:00

With me moving in a few short weeks, I've been spending my days finishing up and assigning work in my current office, preparing, and spending my remaining time with my family and friends in Jakarta.

Some of my closest friends apparently think I'll never go back (which is a load of bull because I can go back anytime to visit --it's 90 minutes flight away!) because they want us to go out as much as we can. Lunches or dinners, after work drinks, bar/club hopping on weekends, etc. Not that I don't like spending time with them but I think I'm getting old these days and somehow nothing tops lazying for hours while trashing the Kardashians in any Kardashian-oriented shows on my days off.

But I will always make an exception on Halloween.

For this year's Halloween, I went out with friends and co-workers to one of the Halloween events in Jakarta. The event was pretty cool with good music that I like. A lot of girls I saw were wearing these really sexy costumes that I bet will make any perverted oil sheik in Saudi Arabia proud.

My friend Donda and I dressed up as Spanish Mistresses.

Did you dress up or attend any Halloween event? Who did you dress up as?

+65!

2011-10-28T23:58:00.009+07:00

I'm moving to Singapore in 3 weeks!!!

To say I'm excited is an understatement. To say I'm nervous is even more of an understatement.

I know, I know, I've gone completely MIA in the blogosphere and suddenly back with this news. I just have to WRITE it. I can't stand not to. Let's go back from the beginning, shall we?

I secretly have always wanted to work in Singapore. Or Hongkong. Whenever I go there, I'm stunned. Everything is so organized, modern, clean, vibrant, amazing. Yet they're still very Asian. The sight, the smell, and atmosphere. I love Asia. It's in my blood. Anyway, despite I always have wanted to work there, to actually apply is a different story.

In my defense it's because it's hard to get accepted, especially as a junior lawyer. Scratch that, especially as an INDONESIAN junior lawyer (somehow other more developed Asian countries look down upon us Indonesians and me no likey). I didn't want to push my luck. I graduated last year. This amazing firm graciously opened its door for me for my internship, traineeship, and then they made me one of their permanent associates early this year. The work can be crazy but I learn a lot. My co workers, seniors and partners are great and very supportive. I am blessed. What else am I looking for, right?

Something more, I guess. Something more that is actually inspired by the international partners in my office.

All of them, especially my current partner, are really smart. They lead and work on big projects with all these valuable international lawyering experiences. Call me ambitious or whatever, but I really want to be like them someday. I note that one thing they have in common is venturing outside their countries, gaining the necessary experiences and knowledge to eventually get to where they are. Unfortunately because my current firm is already very internationally structured, I can't ask to be permanently transferred to Singapore (they can only do an exchange for 6 months in our Singapore office, not enough for me to soak up and learn as much as I want, IMHO).

I have to admit that I'm also inspired by my current boyfriend, who moved all the way to Saigon (he's Vietnamese American, previously living in San Jose, was curious to see the place where his parents are from but turned out to fall in love with the place and decided to stay there -- thank you God! ) for exactly the same purpose.

So with his support and my intense curiosity, I applied to several Singapore-based international firms that I highly respect. I actually applied for a few firms in Vietnam too so I could live in the same city as he is (I know, I'm cheesy) but apparently I'm still obviously a junior (and I can't speak Vietnamese..yet!) to be accepted there at the moment. Anyhoo, I'm pretty shocked and excited when these firms in Singapore responded to my application. I followed all the interview and hiring process until one of them decided to hire me first. My hands were shaking like crazy when I signed the offering letter and everything really hit me starting two weeks ago, when the HR lady called to tell me they are processing my working permit. Eeeep.

I haven't packed. I need to list the things I will bring from here. The apartment that I rent (which by the way I like a lottttt but this will be for another post) is already fully furnished so I don't think it will be super complicated. Bringing most of my clothes and shoes there though, will probably be complicated.

Fingers crossed. I think I will blog more when I'm there, something tells me it will be interesting.

Favorite Moments of January - June 2011

2011-06-12T14:35:00.008+07:00

In no particular order:

Random fun nights out

Girly Lombok Trip

Fun gigs

Date Nights <3

Random road trip with my brother

Shooting my video clip

Mini getaway with my baby

Visiting my dear Nashe

BALI

Hopefully the rest of 2011 will be just as great, or even better.

Fingers crossed.

Butterflies

2011-05-12T03:07:00.000+07:00

I think I have found what I've been looking for...

or who.

What people say is true. When it's time, you know, and it feels right.

Now if stars could just align and universe could make way.

I'm cheesy, I know.

Just need to get these thoughts out there before I'm spontaneously exploded.

Fingers crossed.

Dating is Confusing (Sometimes)

2011-03-30T17:35:00.007+07:00

When it comes to a (potentially serious) relationship, I am very, very picky. A bit freaky even.

A long conversation with a few girlfriends yesterday just got me heated and inspired to write this.

What do you look for in a guy when you wanna see him as a potential long term partner?

A friend of mine said it’s a stable guy. A stable guy with a stable job in a stable point of life, because it’s easier that way. He has his daily routines predicted, so a pretty committed relationship wont rock that balance. He no longer has to prove anything to other people but himself. He no longer succumbs to social pressure. Relationship will be seen as the cherry on top, instead of a burden. I can’t say I disagree. Although I don’t think a guy who might not be so “stable” isn’t ready for a relationship. It’s about the mentality after all, and your feeling to that other person. OKAY CHEESE.

Another friend of mine would not settle for just a stable guy. She’s pretty, well educated, comes from a good family so she wants all the best things in life, guys involved. She seeks potential trophy husband. Gorgeous, smart, ritzy typical Tatler magazine kind of guy. I’m not judging her option but the all-in-one package guys, kinda scare me. Sure some are normal, down to earth good guys (and mostly taken), but you’ll find a lot of them to be a bit.. too much. Classic alpha males. Been there, done that and the more I get older, the more I don’t think I have enough space in my plate for all that ego and rules. Not to mention they make me insecure all the time.

Not that I have a good self esteem to begin with.

Feeling insecure sucks. Questioning myself all the time is suckier. Which makes me think that what I’m looking for in a relationship / in a guy is security. I think security also involves stability that I mentioned above. That secure and safe feeling. The one that makes you feel like home and just be who you are. It might sound simple but it’s really not because people are different. Certain things your boyfriend / potential boyfriend does might bug you, and shake that secure comfortable feeling.

I, for example, have certain expectations to every serious boyfriend / potential serious boyfriend. There are certain things that guys do that I can take or can’t take in a relationship (but as always, can be compromised unless what he wants is involving sexy things with another girl).

A busy guy who works all the time? I can take that. Pout maybe from time to time but geez, I do the exact same thing anyway. Gotta appreciate those with big dreams and big ambitions. Just as long as he keeps me in the loop, call or text me from time to time. Telling me what he’s up to or where he’s going. Not a familiar concept in every country, maybe, but in Asia it’s quite a dating rule. Stay in touch. Let your boyfriend / girlfriend know what you’re up to, where you’re going and better yet, who you’re going with. It’s not so hard, right? I mean if you really are into somebody, you don’t see keeping them involved in your life as a problem.

A lot of girls, including my friends, rant about this particular relationship issue from time to time. Guys might think girls are crazy but sometimes we just can’t help it. It’s not nice to find out "surprises" about your boyfriends / potential boyfriends. For example, if he has visited a strip club with a bunch of his sleazy friends without telling you beforehand (recently happened to my best friend and she said it hurts like a bitch) or maybe even if he's been hanging out the previous night with girls you don’t know. It doesn’t matter that it’s just a casual hang out. Give a heads up. Be contactable. If they're not doing anything wrong then it shouldn’t be a problem, right? Or is it another dating rule only applicable in Asia again?

Hmm, what else?

A possessive guy with control issues? I can NOT take that. But little jealousy, small nags when wanting extra attention? Cute. I can take it.

A guy who always asks you to do things he likes that you don’t understand (i.e go to concerts of super indie hipsterrific bands you haven’t even heard before or go hiking even though you think it’s the most boring thing to do ever)? I can take that. But a guy who asks you to do all those stuff BUT call your “simpler” interests such as watching all the seasons of The Vampire Diaries or catch the next Justin Timberlake show in town as stupid? Can. Not. Leaving immediately.

I guess if each person in a relationship is really willing to try and meet in the middle, take note to what the other person likes or dislikes and start to think “we” instead of “me”, both of them will feel a bit more secure and happier.

What do you think? What can you take and not take?

Ps. Please tell me I'm not the only one being gushy over the relationship of Stefan Salvatore and Elena Gilbert in The Vampire Diaries? Too CUTE. My tummy can't handle it.

Project Saigon

2011-02-23T22:34:00.010+07:00

Oh wow, I haven't blogged in a month. Anyone is still here? Helloooo?

I have so much to write, I don't even know where to begin. In the past two months I have:

Visited new, exciting places

Met new people I wanna punch on the face

Made a new song about people I wanna punch on the face

Made a decision on changing my life and focusing on myself

Lalala. The last one is pretty serious to write right now (I am tipsy). The parts about people I wanna punch on the face would just make me angry so let's just talk about the first one, shall we?

Last January I visited Ho Chi Minh City/Saigon and Lombok. I have written about my excitement here. I figured I'd tell you about Saigon first because ZOMG it's officially one of my favorite places in South East Asia right now. Beside Bali, Singapore and Phuket, of course.

At first I didn't know what to expect since I had to go there for some kind of office retreat. The firm I work for globally (Baker&Mckenzie) held its annual joint office retreat (or is it every 2 years?) for its Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, and Singapore offices there this year. We're supposed to attend all sorts of training while having fun at the same time. We ended up having more fun than training though. Haha. So yeah, Saigon, I love it. It's such a beautiful little vintage city and it's developing. A lot of gorgeous colonial buildings and clean air (compared to Jakarta). Here's a recap on why I love it so I don't bore you guys with long paragraphs:

Colonial buildings and laid back vintage vibe, like I wrote above

Rich culture

Cute, loud people. I think it's the language. Vietnamese babies? The cutest. Nothing like seeing toddlers with longggg eyelashes talking louder than you.

Cheap EVERYTHING. The prices for a lot of things there are half the prices in Jakarta, sometimes even more. You gotta love the city where every mini market sells a bottle of vodka for only US$ 7. WTF. It's US$ 60 in Jakarta, by the way, and it's in the cheapest dingiest place nobody wants to go to so what's the point.

Loud people on motorcycles / buses screaming at each other. Actually, Jakarta is like this too but Indonesian language isn't that funny.

Good weather, all warm and stuff.

Good food.

Extremely good Vietnamese coffee. Sadly I didn't bring enough home. A co worker bought a kilo and she doesn't want to share or even let me buy it from her. Bitch.

Fun party scene. Apparently Saigon people are big on partying and drinking or something. Was informed the club opens from Monday to Sunday. I can feel my liver wrinkles and cries itself to sleep as I type this.

Here are some pictures:

Hypnotize You (Performing in NER*D's Concert!)

2011-01-16T23:57:00.007+07:00

I will never forget last Monday for, well, as long as I live.

I got the chance to perform in N*E*R*D's concert (as I wrote here) and it was like, a dream come true. I opened for Sean Kingston's concert a few months ago and I can honestly say it's the best gig I have ever done and this gig, for N*E*R*D, made a top three. I was such a huge fan. From Lap dance to Rock Star to She Wants To Move to Everyone Nose to Spaz to Hot'N'Fun and definitely to Hypnotize You.

They performed ALL of them that night, by the way, I thought I died and went to a robotic heaven. They were THAT good, playing with emotions of the fans. I mean you can totally bounce in one song and get totally turned on the next. He acted all cool and never lost his ridiculously smooth voice although he sang for almost 12 songs in a row.

I performed right before their set and after their set, two full sessions. I got my usual partner-in-crime/favorite talkbox player (Lloyd Popp) and a DJ slash mini drum player (Mali) with me. I first thought I would be totally ignored. After all people might rush past me to get to N*E*R*D's stage then leave after the show is over but thankfully, I still had a bunch of audience nodding along and taking pictures. Much appreciated, guys.

Here's my performance video from that night:

And here are a couple of pictures:

Sadly, I didn't get the chance to take picture with Pharrell. I fully blame the very limited time and the big cranky bodyguards surrounding him. Boo.

For the Love of NER*D

2011-01-09T23:46:00.004+07:00

I'LL BE PERFORMING AT N.E.R.D'S JAKARTA CONCERT TOMORROW NIGHT!

I just found out about the news last Friday before I boarded my plane to Lombok, so no special preparation but lots of prayers. What am I going to do? This is quite a big deal because the only serious international artist I have ever opened for before was Sean Kingston a few months ago.

Nervous. Big time.

What am I gonna do if I meet this guy?

FAINT. That's what I'm gonna do. I'm such a huge fan. The dude makes seriously good beats. You ask me to choose between getting a hot new pair of Louboutin shoes or having a new song with beats made by Pharrell Williams? I'll say the beats. Every single time. That's how much of a huge fan and a hiphop dork I am.

Wish me luck, guys.

ps. I have tons of pictures from my Lombok trip, it was beyond fun. I'm editing them right now and will post about it soon.

Holiday Cheers!

2010-12-25T12:24:00.005+07:00

Happy christmas to you who celebrate it and happy holiday for everyone. Wishing you guys a wonderful days off ahead.

This picture was taken last night on christmas eve, when I had to MC for a christmas event. I had a fabulous time, despite there's this "front man" from this popular Indonesian R&B group trying to grab the microphone out of my hand because he's drunk and apparently wants to sing/rap to his favorite tracks.

I don't share my microphone so well.

There must be some miracle in the air because I didn't punch the guy.

Now tell me what did you do last night? Anyone did a good job staying sober?

Here are some more pictures:

2010: Good Year for Movies

2010-12-24T09:55:00.007+07:00

It's no secret that I'm a movie buff. Two of my many weekly habits are going to movie theaters and visiting DVD stores to buy interesting movies or TV shows. The movies / TV shows don't even have to be new, seeing how I love watching the early movies of currently famous stars. Like, what's up with Brad Pitt's hair back in the days? Or, if Leonardo Dicaprio didn't try so hard to be a "serious" actor and break his "handsome boy" stereotype, he would've been great for Bvlgari campaign. Or something.

I'm ranting.

Okay, the purpose of this post is telling you 10 of my favorite movies in 2010. It's pretty hard for me to choose because 2010 has been a good year for movies and I like a lot of them. But here they are, in no particular order, the 2010 movies I enjoy watching the most:

1. Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows (Part 1)
No surprise there, I'm a Potter freak. The movie made me cry like a baby, but I love it. The scene when Harry made Hermione dance because she's sad? My favorite smile inducing tear jerker!

2. The Social Network
Amazing work. Makes me wonder how can I be a part of the lawyer team that represents the Winklevosses. Justin Timberlake was such a riot too. Entertaining!

3. Tron: Legacy
I heard many complaints but I don't care. I still want one of those light up Tron Suits and party with Daft Punk. How cool is that club? And the BIKES? I WANT!

4. Inception
The movie must be something, seeing that I watched it 3 times and still am confused. Then I made up theories, then I wondered whether I was dreaming. Leonardo Dicaprio is the man.

5. Clash of The Titans
Amazing effects, insane enemies (that Kraken was majestic!) and greek god related story... with Sam Worthington. Rawr.

6. The A-Team
The movie has every essential that I love to watch: hilarity, action, good actors, witty dialogues and explosions. Brilliant. Extra points for having Bradley Cooper there.

7. Step Up 3D
The choreography was just.. wow, I haven't seen anything quite like it. We don't only have 1 or two actors who can dance but almost everyone. Definitely love Moose, Robot Man and their light up costumes. Also for the ladies, Luke or Julien or both? Haaaa.

8. Shutter Island
Fantastic story that keeps you guessing until the end. Scary without the need for ghosts or lame monsters. Leonardo Dicaprio, again, did a flawless believable acting.

9. Get Him to The Greek
Quite possibly my favorite popcorn comedy flick of the year. P Diddy rules and outshines even Russell Brand and Jonah Hill combined. Pharell did the funniest cameo as well.

10. Scott Pilgrim Vs The World
Another movie that shook my tummy from laughing too much. Every character has a purpose, every dialogue is comical. Kieran Culkin was very funny. Oh, and to that chick who has 7 evil exes, including the ones played by Brandon Routh and Chris Evans? Up top, girlfriend.

There you go, what do you think of the movies above? What are your favorite movies in 2010? Is there any movie in 2010 you want to watch but you haven't watched yet?

Mine are Burlesque and Black Swan. Boo. I'll try to watch all of them before 2011 rolls in.

New Year? OKAY!

2010-12-18T11:23:00.006+07:00

Since I'm getting older and all that, I'm not that excited on the prospect of another new year.

I mean, I wanna stay young and play all the time if I can get away with it, you know. I can't already, but the thought of bigger responsibilities and upcoming phases of life (so people say) up until now still makes me wanna wet my pants and roll down the hills.

But at the same time, I can honestly say I'm looking forward for January 2011 and the excitement it will bring. Let me break it down to you.

On the 2nd weekend of January, my office plans an outing for everyone and the destination is...LOMBOK. I have never been there, always wanted to. For my non Indonesian readers, it's an island right next to our famous Bali in Indonesia. It's not as popular and definitely quieter but it's part of the charm. Bali can definitely be super crowded during peak seasons with their non stop parties and beach activities while Lombok is just...peaceful. Although I doubt I will have a peaceful weekend since my co-workers and bosses are crazily awesome and they have things like, drama musical/GLEE competition planned. Yes I'm scared already, my ability to rap is a surefire guarantee that I'll be a victim.

But I can't wait to chill at the beach and be lazy.

The third week of January, my management along with other promoters will bring NERD to Jakarta for a concert. I'm a HUGE fan of their unique sounds and PHARELL WILLIAMS (who doesn't?). I think I will be transported back to my teenage years that night and sing/scream until my voice is gone. It will be worth it!

The 4th week of January, my practice group in the office (including me) will go to HO CHI MINH CITY for a training. Yes it's a training, it will be unlikely that we have a lot of free time there but STILL. I've never been to Vietnam. It sounds really exotic. I might get stuck in training sessions for 8 or so hours but let's never lose hope to explore an entirely new city and take a lot of pictures, right? Anyone ever been to Ho Chi Minh city? Any ideas of interesting activities to do there and places to see?

Hope everyone will have a wonderful January 2011!

Answer these if you're awesome

2010-12-06T11:06:00.007+07:00

Which one of you...

loves good hiphop and slow jam music, but does not refuse popular party pumping tracks, including something a bit house, to dance to?

can eat yummy, although often greasy, deep fried chinese food every night of the week, if possible?

thinks Harry Potter series are superbly amazing and can not wait for Deathly Hallows Part 2 next year?

prefers to watch The Vampire Diaries than Twilight Saga and honestly believes D amon Salvatore is so much hotter than Edward Cullen?

would love to visit Greece, Spain, Maldives, and Japan?

wants to have a gay BFF like Blaine from Glee?

has a habit of visiting funny distracting websites when feeling bored at work? (one of my personal favorites is this. AMAZING!)

has a bad habit of beating yourself up (not literally) harder than anyone if you think you're not doing something good enough?

is addicted to twitter?

often hopes that a day has more than 24 hours?

prefers to visit beaches than mountains for holidays?

If your answer is yes for most of the questions above, I should stalk you.

Kidding. I mean, we can totally be good friends.

Ps. I'm sorry for the lack of updates. I'm currently in the mercy of the lawbots.

1928 Video Shoot (and Single Launching Party)

2010-11-17T13:34:00.009+07:00

Earlier this week, I was shooting my 1st official video clip for my single "1928".

It was unbelievably fun.

The song itself was pretty intense, inspired from the Youth Pledge Day in Indonesia back on 28 October 1928 that we celebrate every year over here. Indonesia was a Dutch Colony back then and that day was one of the turning points when the young people of the country started to build the concept of a new and independent nation and declare they have 1 motherland, language and nationality, which was eventually achieved in 1945 (17 August 1945 precisely, the Independence Day). When I wrote the lyrics, I thought of something that can easily be related to by a lot of people around my age. Dreams. Obstacles. That frustated feeling that you can't afford to get the best of you if you wanna move forward.

The responses were pretty good. My management decided to give the song a shot to be my 1st official single. We thought of the concept for the video and hey, why don't we make it 1928-ish too?

Costumes were rented, talents were hired, people were gathered, and we transformed a corner of a club into a very old school restaurant, or a meeting room in a secluded boarding house, however you choose to see it. We got old typewriters, old radio, gramophone, wooden classic chairs, and lamps. My friends Ojink and Diaz (He's also a very talented photographer) directed the clip and they're pretty much a perfectionist with amazing attention to details. D'Makaveli (my management) crew were also very hands on, I can never thank them enough.

Here are some behind-the-scene pictures (the rest and the preview will be uploaded when they're ready):

Like I said in my previous post, dressing up was super fun. Haha. The talents, in real life, are my friends and a few fabulous dancers from Masadepan crew. They can pop their bodies like they're in Step Up 3d. They didn't do any of those here though, 1920's kids don't pop and bop. Haha. We all sure do look hilarious with the costumes. Some portrayed young soldiers and some others, including me, portrayed educated young Indonesians (because on that year only 10% of the population could actually get an education, the rest of the people around that age, if they don't fight, were either maids, slaves, factory / plantation workers). I can't wait for the finished product.

Oh, and here are (more modern) pictures taken from the single launching party of "1928" a couple of weeks ago:

On 6 big screens!

Announcing 1928 from the top of DJ booth

Me and Fannya, she helped me with my single cover. Thanks love!

D'Makaveli team all crazy on the booth!

With my sister from another mister, Kak Fara and Tabib Qiu (He's a famous rapper here from the group Soul ID. I'm a happy fan!)

***UPDATES***

My video clip is done. It is now played in rotation in one of the national televisions in Indonesia. The responses so far are positive and I'm really happy. Watch it in youtube or below:

costumes are fun!

2010-11-13T14:48:00.005+07:00

This is way late but here are some pictures from a Halloween party I attended a few weeks ago. Don't you just love costumes?

Pictures were taken by an event photographer friend of mine, Ronny Gunawan.

I don't know all the subjects in the pictures but if you or your friends are in it, consider this post a compliment on your gears / make ups.

As for what I wore, time limit made me unable to shop for costumes so I put on a cape, a black mini dress, grabbed a scary mask and a fake axe toy owned by my kid brother. Ta daa!

Isn't the mask sexy or what? HAHA.

Can Indonesia Get a Break?

2010-10-30T11:45:00.006+07:00

I'm really torn with natural disasters attacking Indonesia in many fronts right now.

Flash flood in Wasior, Papua, earlier this month.

And both late last week, Mount Merapi Volcano Eruption and Tsunami in Mentawai Islands. People call it the Twin Disaster, the last one is the worst.

The tsunami wiped around 10 villages, killed almost 600 of people and left other hundreds missing. They say the aid workers smell nothing but dead bodies in the island, not to mention it's hard to transfer the aids there due to undeveloped remote locations (a lot of the villages are not accessible by land) and bad weather. The amount of food and facilities are clearly insignificant for the survivors.

Seeing all these mass burials on TV hurts. Especially when there is nothing you can do but give donations and pray.

Thanks for some of you who ask and email me if I'm okay. I'm okay, I live in Jakarta and it's far from Mentawai Islands and Papua which are in different islands. It's quite far from Mount Merapi in Central Java too, a couple of provinces away. The weather is extreme here but I hope nothing else happens because the people here have suffered a lot and I don't think the government has enough funds in their budgets.

The House of Representatives has approved almost US$ 17 million for the victims of all-three disasters but seriously, ridiculous number for these catastrophic events. Not enough. Try again. We don't even have enough boats or planes to reach a lot of these areas. I say request foreign aid already, but I don't know what they're thinking. All I know is the victims need help and they need it fast.

They need to do something about the tsunami warning system too because the current one did such a crappy job. It does NOT work for vulnerable locations so close to epicenter. 5 minutes warning before the quake and what? People evacuate but they still wont beat the waves. How about something more advanced but hey, maybe we're too cheap for that.

I'm sorry for ranting.

I hope maybe you can keep the victims in your thoughts, or your prayers..if you pray. Thank you for reading.

Number 23

2010-10-23T14:50:00.007+07:00

So I turned 23...on September 25th..

HAHA I know this post is a month late and October almost ends but I haven't had time to post it. I feel like a sweat shop worker and I barely have a time to breath. But I'm here now, first free weekend of the past two months and I intend to savor it, right after I bring you up to speed with the long due birthday post.

I wasn't looking forward to turn 23. Ever since I hit 20, I don't get too excited on my birthdays anymore. I feel oooooolllldddd, can I just stay being 18 and not grow up so fast? But well some wise man said you have to embrace your age, right? Something about happiness and torturing yourself if you don't.

The night when I almost turned 23, I was at work and a bunch of my co workers were about to go out and asked me to come along. I was pretty emo because none of my close people were actually in Jakarta at the time so I gladly went with them. We went to this place Rooftop to chill, drink and watch live bands. It was much needed and I had fun laughing with them, they're very entertaining. I bumped to several people I haven't seen in a while too, so I got to catch up.

A week later I had my birthday officially celebrated in Domain courtesy of my management/event organizer and it was a bit less low key and a lot more packed. The attendees were mostly people who go to my events regularly, a few friends from high school, a few coworkers. and fellow musicians. It was a lot of fun. I got several gifts too from earrings, clothes, and books. One of my bosses gave me a TEDDY BEAR for reasons I can't even understand but it's now in my room being bullied. I was about to put a lipstick and bra on it.

Speaking of gifts, mom offered me to choose between " a pair of serious killer shoes" (her words, not mine) or a new laptop. It's been a month and I can't make up my mind. I do need a new laptop but the thought of a pair of shoes so killer and probably over my shopping budget really tickles my subconsciousness.

Decisions, decisions.

You KNOW It's Embarassing..

2010-10-06T01:28:00.003+07:00

...when your boss took a peek at your work in your laptop while you have your Windows Media Player open and she learned that your playlist's titled "The Baby-Maker".

DIE.

This was on:

I feel like a douche.

Fire Burning On The Dance Floor!

2010-09-30T11:03:00.003+07:00

This post is still connected to the last due to the intensity of everything. I promise I'm gonna write a different thing in my next post.

Here's a video of me, Lloyd Popp and my dancers (Public Groove) performing my song, Last Woman Standing, and opening for Sean Kingston:

I can't stop laughing.

One thing for sure, I should take a dancing lesson. Watch out, Justin Bieber.

Kidding.

Somebody Call 911!

2010-09-29T08:25:00.007+07:00

Sean Kingston came to Jakarta last week to do a concert promoted by my team, D'Makaveli. So not only organizing events and promoting parties, we're expanding our business to a higher level by making concerts too. Sean Kingston was our first project with our partner, Sentralive. They've been around longer as a promoter, they've brought artists like New Kids On The Block back in the days as well as threw huge show like High School Musical.

It went SUPERB.

And I got to OPEN for him. This was, hands down, the biggest gig I have ever performed in my life.

I wanted to write about it for MONTHS. God knows I can never keep my mouth shut and I had been giving a few small details in twitter from time to time but it just doesn't feel right for me to write about it until the event really happened. I felt nervous for weeks. Unlike other performers, my schedule is crazier than crazy with work that consumes so much of my time, so it's not like I could practice everyday. I planned to perform not only with a DJ and a back-up rapper who's also a talented talkbox player, but with 4 dancers as well.

I've said this before: I don't do choreographed moves all that well. The choreographer had serious patience by putting up with me in such tight deadline, I would have smacked me if I were her. We only practiced TWICE before the gig. We didn't even get to have a proper sound check due to so many performers and Sean Kingston's band took almost 5 hours of sound check for themselves. Leaving the rest of us around 1 hour and a half to check our minus ones and instruments. The CHAOS. People started to get annoyed at each other and had mini melt downs. I know I did.

So imagine how relieved I felt when everything turned out alright. People seemed to like it. They didn't seem to notice a couple of mistakes I made on stage like forgetting a few lyrics (so I freestyled!) and forgetting a few moves (so I posed / interacted with audience). My choreographer told me beforehand to just look confident to cover any possibility of making mistakes. Hehe.

And Sean Kingston? Obviously he performed awesomely with his full band, DJ, and several backing vocals. I screamed like a teenager especially when he sang Dutty Love and Rude Girl. I watched right in front of the stage and touch the guy easily. I didn't though, creepy, but I got the chance to talk to him at his private lounge with the band. I was standing around talking to several people in front of it when Angga motioned me to get in. He was sitting and eating with his DJ and after he found out I rap, he told me to rap for him and well, it's hard to say no to Sean Kingston so I did it while trying to keep my legs from shaking too much.

He said, "That's nice", after I was done. Then called his DJ so he could hear me rap.

It would be hard to top that night, that's for sure.

beach and sun makes me happy

2010-09-19T08:59:00.007+07:00

Last weekend, I went to Bali for a couple of days with my family.

It was a much needed trip. I forgot whether I have told you before or not, but my office doesn't give their "baby associates" a leave for a year because we're kinda like in probation period or something. All my fellow newbies had a break before they started to work but not me, I wasn't given days off from internship to this because there is a demanding project that can't be left at all. These stuff can pretty much make a person very, very cranky at times.

So this is definitely a short but very appreciated break to reboot myself. When I told my parents my office would have a longer holiday, they quickly booked this trip. Bali was packed this time of year. If it was a normal situation, I wouldn't go at all. I hate going in a vacation during peak season because it would be hard to go anywhere with so many people around but I don't wanna take any chances of not being able to go at all for a year. So yeah, a full overly crowded island? Small risk to take but for you guys abroad I wont recommend visiting Bali during school holiday (can be from late June to August here), Eid holiday, Christmas, and new year unless you wanna suffocate yourself.

I had a great time though, hell I was excited to leave Jakarta in the first place.

We stayed in this fabulous resort in a three bedroom villa with its own pool and hot tub not too far from the touristy areas in Bali and a few steps away from the beach and I spent most of the days just laying around in the beach, jumping into the water whenever I want. I did it for hours and hours. No wonder I got so tanned right now, my co-workers teased me and called me "a village chick" because of it. Such haters, haha.

I also did a bunch of other things: had a traditional Balinese massage, visited secluded beaches (one of my all-time favorites is in Nammos Beach Club where you had to go down a cliff with an inclinator, it's practically empty with its warm white sands, huge waves and a seaside restaurant with yummy drinks), watched sunset, shopped for weird stuff in street markets (like penis-shaped bottle openers), ate seafood dinner by the beach and other good food that can make you literally expanded.

Too bad I didn't really go out at night to clubs here, it's one experience I'm missing since pretty much everyone I know go never misses partying here. A lot of them are crazy with their 1 dollar tequila shot and a 3 dollars cocktail jug (getting really effed up takes a whole new meaning,no?). Jakarta is officially robbing my drinking money. Oh well, maybe next time.

Here are some pictures (most of them are of me and my brother being a camera slut) :

Oh look we got one with our mom too:

I wanna go back again!!!

I have a pretty friend...

2010-09-17T07:49:00.006+07:00

One of my good friends, Sandra, is a contestant for Miss Indonesia (known as Putri Indonesia over here).

First time she told me, I kinda LMAO. You know, because I've never been into beauty pageants. Watching it on TV, in the other hand, is fun. Especially when some of the girls completely make a fool of themselves by:

Responding to seriously easy questions with long but not to-the-point answers

Looking way too goddess-y and happy in front of the camera with big doe eyes and wide smile. It's like, if you punch them in the stomach, they will still smile like that.

Not being able to speak English properly, especially if the beauty pageant is in global level, such as Miss Universe or Miss World or something.

The last one irritates me the most. How can you represent your country in international contest when you don't speak the international language and you need to have some interpreter beside you all the time? I noticed some of the winners were like this and I was like "what-the-fudge" and felt like smashing my TV to pieces. Can their countries send another contestant? These pageants boast to not only look for beauty in their winners but meh, I see the same thing every year: Some long legged chicks either from Latin America, or sometimes India, with an interpreter by their sides and still unable to give a decent answer to seriously easy questions turn out to be the winners. So in the end I just give a complete whatever about it.

That until my friend is going to be one of the contestants in the search of Miss Indonesia. She's representing Gorontalo, a province in Sulawesi Island in Indonesia. I admit, I can't help feeling a bit proud too. Last year Miss Indonesia is not only disappointing, she succeeded in making fool of herself in Miss Universe. She should not be chosen. Her English is awful, her answers were ridiculous, but she kept babbling and now her videos are in youtube for everyone to laugh at.

But Sandra is not like that at all. And no I'm not biased because she's a friend, not really. I know her for 7 years. She's pretty, smart, fun and definitely does not speak English like someone has electrocuted her.

We're all proud of her!

I hope she wins and make it to Miss Universe.

Oh, and when the whole thing starts over here, can I ask for your help to vote? Pretty pleaseeeeee.

Caps, Gowns, and Kingdom of Lawbots

2010-08-29T04:30:00.008+07:00

Last Thursday I had my graduation ceremonies in school. Two, to be exact. One is bigger, thrown by the university and all that. The second one is from the faculty itself.

I had a mixed feelings about them.

Part of it because I graduated one year later than my plan so I might not be as excited as I've hoped for. 70 or so younger kids (those who were born on 1988 and 1989) also graduated and they're all cheery and bubbly and you got me, along with 25 people from my class (yes the older people) scowled from time to time and complained about how hot it was.

But it doesn't mean I'm not happy though, because I am. FINALLY I'M OUT. Well, I was out already since I passed that fateful thesis presentation in front of my professors back in April but the ceremonies made it official right? I'M FINALLY OUT OF THE KINGDOM OF LAWBOTS. It felt SO GOOD. If you've read my blog for a while, you might know how that place has its own ways to sit on me, pin me down, and make me tear up. And not in a sexy way.

They say I'm gonna miss it. Uh, yeah, okay, maybe one day in a very distant future.

The university ceremony was pretty long, starting at 9 am. I woke up at 6 am because I hired a stylist to do my make up and hair. In Indonesia, girls wear traditional costumes / kebaya under their gowns instead of regular dresses and these usually require certain hairstyle that you can't do yourself. Unless you're really, really good at doing your hair. I got sweaty by the time I put on my gown and sit in the super-crowded main hall with the fellow graduates from all the faculties in my university. The ceremony was pretty moving though, in a way, although all we had to do was sit and mostly listened to sleep inducing speeches. We had freshmen in second floor singing for us and an orchestra. Pretty magical, you know?

The faculty ceremony was longer, but better, a bit more intimate with friends and professors swarming around congratulating us. When they called out my name, I kinda got the urge to cry and salto at the same time. Cheesy. We got more singing, more speeches, and a lot of pictures taken. What else? Oh, my mom couldn't stop taking pictures so I had to hide from her a bit. Then she ping me constantly during a speech from the dean because I fell asleep with my mouth half open and hands on my blackberry. Good times.

What did you remember about your last graduation ceremony?

Did you get bored at some point or am I just that bad of a person? No, don't answer it.

Classic shot with the Dean

I don't have many pictures with my cap on because I couldn't really put it on right and I kinda destroyed it in the end. I spilled orange juice on it.

Lazy Sunday

2010-08-15T12:11:00.004+07:00

It's Sunday! What have you guys been up to?

I've been writing a few times for other websites week.

One is for the hiphop website in East Java, Indonesia. I wrote about the review of my event organizer's last Block Battles event. You can read it here.

Another one is pretty personal, actually. But in case you're interested just shoot me your email in the comment box and I'll tell you the link.

Have a great day, my lovelies.

Rollercoaster Ride

2010-08-11T09:00:00.008+07:00

In the past few weeks, I have:

decided that no matter how stressed out I am, I'm not gonna chop my hair short.

planned to take three different courses to get an advocate license, capital market lawyer license, and sworn translator license next year (ambitious, I know, I'm annoyed at myself).

realized that I should join a gym again. I haven't had proper work outs these days and I feel grande.

actually admitted that Angelina Jolie is pretty cool in Salt

found myself a guilty pleasure tv show to watch, and guilty pleasure songs that I listen to a lot. Example?

done a lot of thinking about my life and how I want my future to be like. I'm currently working on not getting so emotional and prioritizing myself more, that I can't count on anybody to take care of me and be responsible for my happiness but myself. It's not gonna be so easy, yes, and I might fail from time to time but that's how I'm gonna learn.

done more work alongside talented local and international DJ's

Rocking X(S,M,L) Fashion Show After Party with DJ Fullscale

Me and DJ Twist at Domain

spent more time with old friends and new friends, not as often as I want but I'm still feeling grateful

known how my life is going to look like at least in a year. Remember I told you about an interview for trainee associate position in my office? I GOT IT!!! I'm just waiting to sign the papers now and I will start on August 30th. This is TOTAL HAPPINESS.

Now how are you guys doing? Thank you for sticking around when I was on a bit on hiatus. I can't ask for more amazing blog friends!

Love,

Because I Can't Be Any More Embarrassing

2010-08-09T16:01:00.004+07:00

Like, seriously. How embarrassing it is that I actually like this show?

This is why I always, always have to keep myself occupied. I'm a very curious human being, and very easily impressionable.

It was a random Sunday afternoon, I hadn't showered (hahaha) and I had nothing to do. So I figure I would take a little trip to the DVD store, just to see what they have, right? So there I was, (with my loose t-shirt, tousled hair, and bright green spongebob squarepants shorts that would make the city's self proclaimed fashionistas tut-tutting and stare in disgust) randomly grabbing dvd's when I spotted it sitting proudly on top of the rack.

Kardashians, bimbos, cat fights, sex, and retardedness all around. See, I've figured what the show is all about when I saw big boobs and fake tans on the cover but does it stop me? NO! I walked out in shame with the complete season 1 of this craziness.

6 hours later I've finished all the episodes and I feel like I've sold my soul to the devil.

Why must something that's supposedly so BAD be so ENTERTAINING? Why do I get the kick out of seeing two sisters in name brand overly skimpy clothes do nothing but party every night, hump all the men in Miami, and gossip in their little shop with their equally tan, glossy lipped big boobed employees? Why? I mean, their vocabularies only revolve around "slore", "whore", "slut", "bone", "fuck", "shit" and such.

Imagine what my Asian grandma would say.

I think I have to go back to the store and get myself the season 2. WHAT.

Too much cheese can ruin a pizza

2010-07-11T12:27:00.008+07:00

Hello, beautiful people. What's up? I'm still alive, only I haven't been updating as often as usual. Life is crazy, makes me restless and out of words. I doubt you wanna hear job related stories about me almost stabbing a client's legal department woman with a paper clip for always bringing me expired documents and complicates everything when I just try to do my job, or how it always amuses me whenever my biggest boss is angry (just not to me please) she screams "shieeeeeeeeet" a lot.

Those are pretty interesting stories actually, maybe I'll write about them next time. I have something bigger in mind for today.

I'm quite disappointed with Eclipse. Gloat, Twi-Haters, gloat. I wonder is it the director or something, I don't recall the book being this bad. HOW COME THE MOVIE IS SO MUCH CHEESIER THAN THE BOOK? How come the first two movies, dialogue-wise, are less revolting? Harry Potter series progressed through out the movies, how come Twilight Saga aren't? Here are a few things that bug me:

Bella Swan. Is it just me, or is she portrayed MUCH sluttier in the movie? Maybe it's just the fact that I feel like vomiting every time I see Kristen "Sourpuss" Stewart, I don't know. But she seems needier, sluttier in the movie. Sure, in the book we can tell that she, in a way, likes and wants Jacob the Abs Monster around but she didn't throw herself at him like this. Not this obvious, at least.

Speaking of Bella and Jacob, does anyone remember that in the forth book (*SPOILER*), Jacob would imprint on Bella and Edward's DAUGHTER??? From the moment she was born, by the way, and SNAP SNAP SNAP, Bella who? Bella, I wanna make your baby my bride. How DISTURBING is that? After all the longing and emoness he's shown just to get it on with Little Miss Sourpuss? After all of those macho staring contest with the world's favorite brooding fictional vampire? Gross.

All the final battle scenes should be cool enough. Come on, they have racked enough money from the first two movies right? They should have made it much more...grandeur or something. The dead vampires looked exactly like broken vases. Where are the deadly combats? Fire? Explosions, maybe?

The new Victoria? Whatever her real name is, I don't feel her at all. She does not have the evil sexiness that the old Victoria (Rachelle Lefevre) had.

Too much cheese in every scene. I know Twilight Saga is supposed to be cheesy, but in this movie? Is it necessary to make every scene a lovey dovey scene? More fights, more history, please. You can so tell they wanna sell more sex in Eclipse. The movie is practically about Bella wanting to go ride on that vampire stick. Excuse my lingo.

So yeah, I don't really like it. I only stayed in my seat because of Jacob's abs, the almost-as-awesome wolf pack's abs, and Emmett-Alice-Jasper Cullen. They're cooler in this movie. Oh, and Jacob's abs. Again. Because I REALLY think all men in the world should have a similar work out routine.

Ladies if you feel me say "woooyeah".

Money Tree, We Need Those!

2010-06-30T16:47:00.007+07:00

This post is my entry for 20SB Blog Carnival. We basically have to answer this question : How do you friends and others affect your choices regarding money?

Tough.

I'm simply the last person you should ask for saving tips. I splurge. I make unnecessary spending. A lot. I read blogs with people giving detailed information on how much money they spend or save each week and how they have thorough financial plan and holy shiz, talking about embarrassed.

My friends definitely affect my choice in spending seeing that I'm not married or with kids, so I don't have to support anybody yet. I love hanging out with my friends, and hanging out needs money, right? Some friends affect me more than others. Because I might just go out to eat /drink with a group of people and with different groups? We might go to the movies too. We might go to bars/clubs, go to salon for beauty treatment, and hey check out those cute dresses displayed on the boutique window - they look hot! Shall we try? Oh they look good, we should buy those.

Hung head in shame, people.

Before I know how it feels to really work, by work I mean my now-daily work instead of my fun work rapping and let my inner superstar comes out (haha), my dad practically went nuts seeing my bills every month. Yes, I was that spoiled chick you love to hate. My dad used to pay for almost all of my stuff, even when I was in college. His monthly hobby was screaming at me, asking me whether I really need a 300 dollars dress that I only wear once or a new pair of black heels when I already have a bunch in my shoe closet. Speaking of stupid spending, there's also an eyelash extension, which only lasted for a week. Total rip-off.

I'm happy to say that working has made me less reckless. Especially working at my current office, where you'll be LUCKY if you just get off work at past 9 pm and not past midnight. Don't get me wrong, I love my job but I've experienced dizziness, sore muscles, fever, and a few heavy migraines here so for all those sacrifices, I would be reluctant to spend any of my sweet salary on unnecessary stuff.

By unnecessary stuff, I totally mean one of those bedazzled Hello Kitty blackberry cover. Cute, yes, but for 250 dollars, wouldn't it be better if you save it so later you can buy something cooler and more important like a new flashy laptop or I don't know, a weekend trip to Hongkong?

However, I also wouldn't say I've made smarter choices already. There are still times that I will most certainly spend. As I told you before, I love hanging out. I will almost always accept fun invitations from my friends to meet them for anything. But I figure now I can be smarter if they ask me to go shopping with them. I'll definitely try not to buy random stuff just because they're cute. I went out with a friend today to a huge Mango sale. SO MANY CUTE STUFF. If I followed my impulse, you bet I'd go out of the store with a bunch of shopping bags totally regretting everything when I got home. But NOPE. I didn't buy anything. Sure it took me to leave the store for a bit to do a little breathing exercise and calm my heart beat but I DID NOT buy anything.

Yay me.

Thank goodness it wasn't a shoe sale. I would have a panic attack before I force myself to go out of the store and do breathing exercise.

What's the one thing you must splurge on?

ps. My score for Charles Schwab Financial Fitness Quiz is 57. Woops. I need to change my habit.

Boy Talk!

2010-06-27T15:12:00.004+07:00

Last Friday, I kinda had this heart-to-heart conversation with a new friend.

Well, actually she told me stuff, I listened, and as usual ended up thinking about it because I'm just THAT girl.

Anyway, she liked this guy who work together with us. A few years older and way more accomplished : LLM degree, middle level associate position, very classy attitude. According to her, he's the kind of guy you'd love to bring home to your family, the kind you wanna settle down with. For this story's purpose, let's call him Mr. Fancypants.

Her crush on him was so huge, it's practically all she talked about. I go out with her for dinner almost every night and there's always a moment that we talk about him.

Until last Friday, that is.

I asked her casually how he's doing and she said whatever. So of course I know something's up. She then proceeded to tell me that she doesn't like him anymore and she finds him annoyingly dull. How so, right? That girl have told me in details how she wanted their honeymoon to be. I mean, girlie, what happen to making babies on a fancy yacht in Southern France? Too much info, by the way.

She stated that Mr. Fancypants is too much work. He's very self absorbed because he knows that he's in demand. He acts like guys in The Bachelor. He's not down to earth at all, too fancy, and she just saw him asking the blackberry pin of another intern in our office who also hangs out with us from time to time.

Ahhhh, so that's the problem.

I gotta admit I used to do that often if i like a guy. I like a guy, a lot of my days spent obsessing over him and what he likes, being a real girly girl who always wants to look pretty in front of him and as soon as I find him giving attention to another girl, I stop liking him. Hell, I might dislike him instantly just like that. In a snap. Boom, you're ugly, I hate you.

In a way, it's so high school. Him talking to another girl and asking for her number or blackberry pin or whatever does not always mean he's hitting on her, right? I can see how it may look like it but any single person can mingle with anyone he or she wants.

So why do we do this? Is it just because it's easier to cross their names off our list rather than accepting the fact that they're more interested in other people? I've been in that situation and it's a pretty unpleasant feeling to not have our crush seem to be interested in getting to know us more. After all, asking for someone's contact details mean they want to keep in touch, right?

I don't know, maybe I'm over analyzing. But I KNOW WHERE SHE'S COMING FROM. Call me shallow but I'm also THAT girl who stopped liking a guy and wanted him out of my face if he didn't look like he would chase me back.

Anyone having the same problem?

Hold my hands and let's jump up and down...

2010-06-21T00:09:00.006+07:00

...I HAVE SO MANY HAPPY THINGS TO TELL YOU.

Oh, where do I start? I'm overwhelmed and have to sort my thoughts.

First, I GRADUATED. The ceremony itself with cap and gown is not until early September but I defended my thesis last Thursday in front of 5 very senior professors and came out alive. This is the main reason why I didn't get the chance to update my blog and comment on yours. With work and gigs in the way as well, I'm lucky to still be able to breath. I almost broke down and forgot really basic stuff but it's such a relief when they told me I PASSED. I got my bachelor degree and temporary certificate and felt like screaming, "Bachelor of Law, bitches!"

I did not though. That would be pretty douchey.

Second, my office extended my contract. The internship was supposed to be up last Friday. I was pretty much a train wreck these past two weeks because I was afraid they wouldn't. I tried so hard to have the thesis presentation before Friday so I could tell them I have graduated, show them how I have more value now. One of the senior associates and the HR manager called me to their office and said they would extend my internship for one more month before scheduling me for an interview to become one of their trainee associates. I was speechless.

They asked whether it would be something I want. Um, HELL YEAH.

Third, I'll be performing in this really huge dance festival by the end of this month, Pop Up. My managers and event organizer promoted it. It's kind of like an indoor rave but classier since it'll be the after party of a local clothing brand's fashion show. The area is huge with 3000 people capacity and here's the kicker, one of the international DJ's I will perform along with?

Joel Madden.

I may not be a fan of Good Charlotte but dude, talking about BIG opportunity.

And get a little bit starstruck.

ps. I have new pictures. You wanna see?

Goofing off at work

Also at "work". The fun one, that is, with DJ Jeremy Jay

Out to play

70% Sober

30-35% Sober

pss. I also have cheerleading pictures from this law firm mini-olympic I told you about. Let me know if you wanna see so I can upload it and make you laugh. I didn't look that bad in little uber short skirt, you know. Haha.

Love Letter For You

2010-06-19T14:43:00.004+07:00

So I've been told a lot of you can't view my blog these days.

I wonder what the hell is Blogger doing, they're trying to add new design features but somehow it reformatted everything so custom templates can't be seen.

I have so much to tell you guys. So many things happened. These past two weeks are officially the busiest weeks of my life (so far) and I'm still trying to figure out what to write.

I'll update soon, okay? I have to start commenting on your blogs again too, I will do it soon. Don't give up on me yet. If you read this, thanks for sticking around.

Much love,

Eff you Blogger.Com

2010-06-10T18:28:00.001+07:00

Something's wrong with my template, and blogger in general.

I'll fix it later on and see what I can do. I can't do much of anything now since I'm working. Sorry, guys. Please bear with this boring original template for today.

Invading KL : The Recap

2010-06-09T14:05:00.008+07:00

I'M BACKKKKKKKK!!! *Alvin & The Chipmunks tone*

I've been back since Sunday night actually, but work hit me like a ton of bricks so I have to wait until now to update.

As I wrote in my last post, I was in KL last weekend for a gig in one of the clubs there, Sultan Lounge. Some of you asked where it is or what is KL, it's what we usually say over here in South East Asia to refer to Kuala Lumpur, the capital city of Malaysia. I hope you've heard about it.

The trip was fantastic. I'm still speechless and feeling grateful for this first opportunity of performing abroad. The thrill didn't hit me until the plane took off and I went, "Oh my god! Oh my god!"

Most of the people in my event organizer team (D'Makaveli) went : two managers, two DJ's, and two performing artists, including yours truly. We were welcomed in the airport by Mandarin Oriental Hotel Kuala Lumpur people who carried our luggages to two pimping cars, one of them is a brand new Benz. It took almost one hour to get to the hotel. We saw a lot of pretty sceneries. KL is sort of like Jakarta only less busy and more arranged. The last time I went there was a few years ago and I'm so impressed on how it has developed quite a lot. Wide variety of entertainment and good food. LOTS of good food.

Speaking of good food, I need to go back just to eat at this Indian place right on the side of the street in KL. I forgot the name. It has the best curries. Meat, chickens, seafood and such that you can eat either with rice or naan. BIG portion. VERY spicy. My taste buds explode and went to a happy place. They don't make them that extreme in Jakarta.

Okay I should stop talking about curries, it makes me hungry. Where were we?

Oh yeah. The hotel. It's a pretty 5-star hotel right in the middle of the city, right beside the iconic Twin Towers and KLCC. We're shown to our room and pretty much stoked to find out that they gave us one of their suites. It's a HUGE three-bedroom one with jacuzzis, big king size beds, and big flat screen TV's. We rested for a bit before meeting Sultan Lounge people for our sound check. They're all a bunch of friendly, helpful people. Very easy and fun to work with. After making sure all the systems are great, we rested some more before dinner.

Around 11.30 PM, we all headed down to the club again and I still remembered the club manager grinned and asked me, "You ready to show them how Jakarta does it?"

I WANTED TO PEE.

But then I reminded myself that I want to see how KL would respond to my music and there's no way they will respond well if I was shaking like a 5 years old at a talent show.

Funnily after a couple of drinks the I-wanna-pee feeling disappeared. Replaced by something more like, "YOU REYDEE TO PARTEEY WITH NDEESASTER? HELL YEAAAAA..."

Didn't say that though. That would be retarded.

The result? As I predicted, I LOVE KL CROWDS. They're so attentive and appreciative. They listened for a bit before they started dancing and shouting to the hooks. After I was done, I was approached by a few people who gave me back pats and shook my hand. Some even approached me in the DJ booth to ask me about my music and where they could listen to it.

It means a lot for an aspiring musician, that's all I have to say.

I wanna go back!!!

KL Here I Come!

2010-06-04T07:43:00.007+07:00

Tickets are bought.

Rooms are reserved.

Told the people in the office that I can't work or send them anything on Saturday and Sunday if they happen to need me to.

It's official : I'm flying to KL to perform.

I'm pretty nervous.

But so excited.

I don't know what else to say.

Speechless.

My first gig EVER outside Indonesia.

I heard KL crowds are more able to accept other people's music. SOME Indonesian crowds have very cheap taste of hiphop music so they consider every Indonesian rapper on TV is good. You know those with weird clothes, no rap technique, stupid popcorn candy beat and talk about spending night and day in the internet?

My music is actually pretty easy listening and not that hard to process (right?) so when SOME OTHER Indonesians tell me that they like and GET my music, I feel like saying, "Wow, your brain is more developed than the rest of people in this damn place."

Hence why I always have wanted to perform or rap in more musically open-minded, appreciative neighboring countries. Malaysia is the first, probably Singapore next? Ha.

Wish me luck, guys.

Play Date?

2010-05-27T06:42:00.010+07:00

What is this I heard about venues throwing and people going to Sex and The City parties this weekend?

As a SATC fan in their early television days, I can tell that the euphoria is back in full force and a lot of girls will dress up in their Carrie Bradshaw-like attires, go out with their girl friends and clinking their cocktail glasses to each other like the fabulous four in the next few nights.

Which is pretty fabulous, I think. I'm all for girls night out. I haven't had one in a while.

Not a girls night out, but it's fun!

Scratch that. I haven't really had one in a long time. Almost had, like two or three months ago when I went out with two of my girls to a wedding after party in one of the so-called hip clubs here. But then one of them somehow brought a date in the end. She looked at me apologetically and said, "It's okay, right?" so I had to nod approvingly with a bright sunshine-y smile on my face when deep inside I wanted to strangle her. Hos before Bros, right? Why can't hos go out and about without bros tagging along?* Especially since some bros often just hang out with their all testosterone crew and act like they're super cool and single even when they're not.**

Sure, I get closer and closer with the girls from the office but I don't think going for a random simple dinner together classifies as a girls night out. We haven't reached that phase when one of us would not be surprised by other's silly drunken behavior yet.

I also don't think working until midnight and order in greasy deep fried noodles that make you burp from the closest Chinese eatery while typing like a maniac, gossiping at the same time, and listening to random music by Justin Timberlake fit the description of a successful girls night out either.

That's just sad.

Scratch that again. It's not so bad, but this might be my withdrawal talking.

I better have a margarita or two or three or four in my system by the end of this weekend or HEADS WILL ROLL.

What's your idea of a perfect girls night out?

* I declare that me and my girls are not literally a bunch of hos. We're just awesome. Pinky swear.

** Emphasis on some. I do realize that not all men are jerks and we should not blame all of them for the retarded things some of them do!

I'm still alive!

2010-05-22T11:15:00.005+07:00

This is probably the longest I've gone without updates.

Life has been crazy for me lately, crazier than usual that is. A lot of things happen at the same time.

Last few weeks of school. Next Monday marks the last final ever (hopefully!) I have to take, then it's counting the days until I have to present my thesis to a board of professors and defend it before I finally graduate. Thank you law school, it's been awful. Kinda. I'd rather perform with a glittery peacock outfit a la Lady Gaga in front of 5000 audiences. What if they think I'm retarded? What if they laugh? My thesis is about DIVORCE, for G sake. It's practically the simplest subject. I should've known, I wrote it for that reason and finished it less than two months. Incomparable to my way smarter peers who wrote about say, bankruptcy or capital market policies with their long extensive researches.

Sure, I'd like to think working for a corporate law firm will educate me on those but whenever people there ask me what my thesis is about, I can't feel like a bigger douche.

Speaking of work, I still love it but recently I started to receive more. I no longer can sit around being lazy because I'm assigned to a few more difficult projects and have to answer to a few more people. I finally experienced going home at 2 am last Tuesday and didn't even realize it's already that late. I switched off my computer and noticed the hallway was already dark. The office was deserted, only a few rooms with people still working. I'm afraid of darkness, guys. I believe ghosts exist. I watched the original version of Shutter and my crazy mind kept repeating scary haunting scenarios that might happen if I had to ride the elevator down alone.

I couldn't even bother going to the bathroom when I needed to pee badly. I held it for hours, wiggled on my chair and in the car a lot. Too much info, yeah? I have to work on that, and probably stop watching Asian horror movies.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna get myself some sleep. I NEED SLEEP. I don't think I've ever appreciated sleep before, or craved my bed badly. I went to a club last night because I had a gig ( stories and pictures later!) and before all the vodka kicked in, I was extremely sleepy at the point I needed to ask the bartender to make me a cup of coffee. He thought I was being cute. FML.

What's everyone been up to? What did I miss?

The Super Long Weekend

2010-05-16T11:45:00.008+07:00

This week went by pretty fast, I blame it on the sort of long weekend we're having here in Indonesia.

By sort of, I mean Thursday was a national holiday so naturally a lot of offices and schools had Friday off too, making it a super long weekend where people can ditch the city and fly to neighboring cities and countries to relax. Bandung, Bali, Singapore, Thailand, Australia.

Not my office. It believed on Friday most of its employees should still work at least 10-12 hours. Probably why it was pretty empty too, some were pretty courageous to not show up.

But I still feel like it's a long weekend though.

Wednesday night after all, was that freaking awesome Pitbull's concert that jump started my mood.

Thursday was a lot of relaxing time in bed, followed by DVD shopping and blueberry frozen yogurt before going back to my post on the couch. I had to finish a work assignment due Friday morning but a few awesome distractions like Glee, Supernatural, Chuck, and that new chick flick movie starring Hillary Duff ( hahaha) cheered me up.

Friday was back to work with almost nothing to do but submitting my assignment from the previous day. No joke. I spent time playing feeding frenzy, watching youtube, joked around with my office mates, went to the mall across the street...twice. We browsed some clothes, had coffee and ice cream, went back to the office only to have my supervisor telling me she had no work for me. Happy dance commenced. Then one of my girlies I haven't met in months told me she's in said mall so I went back again. We caught up, checked out the book store, browsed some shoes, contemplated to get drinks and ended up in this cozy, secluded, open air bar serving the best fruity mojitos in the city.

Very relaxing, and much needed. There are times I just wanna enjoy a company of a close friend instead of going with lots of people to a so-called hip bar or club where the agenda is just looking good but the conversation is lacked in depth. Not that I'm against it. I just don't feel like it after a long day at work. I can barely move, much less trying to put tons of make up in my face and squeeze myself in a little dress. So thanks to this girl. Love her lots.

Saturday was simply awesome, sleeping a lot before heading to a salon to get a hair treatment. Sometime in the evening, I went with D'Makaveli boys to this homey local bar to watch soccer. Not that I understand, but I'm chipper when rounds of drinks involved. The night continued with us moving to a swankier spot, Domain. Angga was hosting. Free bottle of vodka and a lot of fun conversation. Music wasn't upbeat enough to dance to though. Old school hiphop. Not your best companion when you wanna dance in your semi-drunken state.

So we're moving again to our newly renovated favorite club, Blowfish. Music was a whole lot better, I can't wait for my gig there next week. The high light of the night, however, was a couple of sexy dancers with very tiny outfits, wearing R2-D2 masks and holding a light saber as they grind to each other.

It gives the new meaning to Empire Strikes Back, if you know what I mean.

I also kinda took a light saber in the end. Good times.

Sunday is today. It's currently 2 PM in the afternoon and I'm still in my PJ's. I don't have anything planned yet but my brother suggested going to a Korean joint and eat as many barbecued stuff possible until his fart smells like one. Classy.

Have a fabulous weekend, lovelies!

*Photo courtesy of Dian Karlina Photography

The Dog Rocks Jakarta Big Time

2010-05-15T09:30:00.005+07:00

No surprise, right?

First let me just say "I EFFIN TOLD YOU SO" and "IN YOUR FACE" to people who even doubted him in the first place. Doggy got so many haters because all the 4500 tickets were sold out in the first day. These people then proceeded to preach how Pitbull sucks, not a real rapper, overly too mainstream, and blah-blah-blah die hipster die.

I know Pitbull isn't really a rapper, okay? Cut it out. He doesn't call himself a rapper. He's an entertainer and a major one at that. A bit gross perverted lyrics, yes, but almost everyone does it these days. You're not supposed to analyze the meaning of his songs, you're supposed to dance and if you want moving lyrics then by all means just don't listen to him and cop some Corinne Bailey Rae's CD or something.

So yeah.. IN YOUR FACE. IN YOUR FACE. IN YOUR FACE to previously Pitbull haters coming to the concert and can't resist how his sexy latin dance songs make them dance.

He's ridiculously awesome, it hurts. Sure, a lot of teenage kids pissed me off and a few of them knocked me with their elbows once or twice, it hurts too.

Highlights:

The massive energy from everyone in the room from Pitbull, his band members to the crazy crowds

The set list. Pitbull brought all of his tracks plus a few new ones. He even did a verse of Watagatapitusberry. It's not the song that makes people scream the most, but I scream the loudest when he said the word.

Pitbull's hip shake. Dear god the man can dance and make you giggle nervously.

Not-So-Highlights:

Annoying all over the place teenage kids who hit you when they dance and step on your toes

The stage. It's way too minimalist and a bit too low. Us shorties can't really see without craning our necks.

Here are some videos in case you wanna see :

I went home tired with no voice left afterward. But it's simply the happiest night of the month for me.

The Night Of The Dog

2010-05-12T07:05:00.005+07:00

8 PM tonight. I CAN'T WAIT!!!

Here are a few things that may potentially be a setback:

My hotdamn flu. SO not gonna let it beat me today!

Groups of screaming teenage fans. They'll be everywhere with their high pitched kermit voices blocking every space, but I'm in a battle mode. I should've brought a water cannon.

Work. I know that normal people can get off after 6 pm but my job is nowhere near normal. I keep my fingers crossed my supervisors are kind enough to NOT give me any work after dinner time. Otherwise I'm dead. Or I go to the concert but I have to go back to the office afterward. *knock on woods*

Gotta pack the essentials : T-shirt, shorts / pants with a few pockets, comfortable shoes, bottled water, high energy snack, and taser to prevent people from dancing too near right?

I'm feeling like dancing, you guys!

Do NOT Provoke Me, Woman!

2010-05-08T12:55:00.007+07:00

So a friend complained the other day, asking me why I don't wanna set her up with any man anymore. After all, I've been her faithful match maker for years.

I lied to her face saying I have no "eligible bachelor" friends for her yet.

It's just that she's been A HUGE PAIN IN THE ASS to introduce to men to.

Say, I had introduced her to 20 men:

10 were not good looking, well-dressed, rich, popular, powerful businessman/lawyer-y enough for her.

5 were good looking, well-dressed, popular but NOT rich or powerful businessman/lawyer-y enough.

3 were good looking, well-dressed, rich, quite powerful businessman/lawyer-y but NOT popular enough. By not popular enough, I mean their families are not in glossy pretentious local magazines like Tatler or High Society enough.

2 had everything from looks to well-known family, but oh, she ditched those guys out of boredom and selfishness.

So I'm done. Very well done.

Meet a girl who is so cliche, she puts Kanye West 's Gold Digger to shame.

And his maybe-appropriate dream guy:

You know you feel like kicking a kitten when you have to put more Brody Jenner pictures in your blog.*

* No offense to kitten owner. I'm usually very good to animals.

Blessing in Disguise?

2010-05-05T04:02:00.004+07:00

Last Monday marks the beginning of my 3rd week in the firm.

You know what it means, most of the euphoria have left me and I started to notice little things that, well, not really bother me, but can be fixed.

For example, the little office room I share with another intern? Don't get me wrong, I love it, but it's somehow located at a point where you don't get any WiFi signal. At all. If I have to send my work to my supervisors, I have to safe them in a USB, walk to the library a couple meters away and use their computers. My office mate doesn't have this problem because she works longer than me and about to be a trainee associate, hence her own desktop and its internet port ( what do you call it again? LAN cable? ).

Oh, that's another thing. They don't give me a desktop computer, just a laptop. But it has almost no entertainment value (haha), I decided to bring my own laptop. I installed a few mindless games in it, like Feeding Frenzy 2 and Grand Theft Auto. They help killing time when I wait for something to do. It happens a lot. I finish a work at 2 pm and may have nothing else to do until they give me another one at 7.30 pm or something.

Yep. It means a lot of trips to the building lobby for a frozen yogurt, bubble tea or frappucino. Or to the mall across the street. Not so good for my wallet.

There's a rumor some office rooms will be switched though. The room I currently occupy is originally meant for a partner or at least a mid level associate. One person room. Us lowly interns are usually placed in a bigger room but occupied by 3 other people, who may or may not includes a grumpy older paralegal lady who often shushes us if we don't talk in a whisper and brings non dry foods which smell reeks everywhere.

I may be lucky after all.

How do you handle older grumpy office mates?

The Preppy Mafia

2010-05-02T23:17:00.007+07:00

Kind gestures from people made me all gushy. You know this.

In blogosphere this week, they came from Carina. She's one of my most treasured bloggy girlies all the way from Norway and a major sweet heart. She gave me an award here, saying things that made me aww-ing like a dork. Yet I haven't been an awesome friend and reciprocated. So to end this week with a bang, here's a meme goodness for you guys.

The Preppy Mafia Award

1. Who is your style icon?
This is hard since I've seen a lot of celebrities and people in real life whose style I admire but if I have to choose, it would be Olivia Palermo and Whitney Port. Their whole busy, active, yet very chic 20-something city girl styles are so inspiring.

2. Which is your favorite socialite book?
So far I haven't found any books written by socialites I actually like. I mean I know Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie supposedly "wrote" books but they just made me giggle. If anyone knows any good books written by the ultra ritzies, I'd like a recommendation.

3. Favorite party theme?
The 40's. The 90's. Drag queen. Barbie. Any movie themed. Jell-O or foam party that leaves anyone wet and sticky in the end.

4. Go to Halloween costume.
Wig and shiny dress. You can be ANYONE. Last year I was freakin' Tila Tequila. This year I will put more effort in dressing up. Maybe a lady pirate or something. Any suggestions?

5. Extravagance you cannot live without?
High heeled shoes. The higher the better. Also my blackberry. The version of me without it would be super bitchy. It's actually kind of sad.

6. Living person you admire?
ALL of you.

7. Greatest fear(s)?
Failure, darkness, being alone, being unloved, not having my dreams come true, disappointing my family, disappointing my closest people, cockroaches, and the list goes on...

8. Traits you deplore in yourself?
Well, I kinda push myself too hard if I want something. I wear my heart on my sleeve and I tend to jump head on in everything. This makes me my own worst enemy at times, my most ruthless critic.

9. Which talent would you most love to have?
Making beats. You see, I rap and not having to hire beat makers for my songs would certainly fatten my shoe fund a little. That or dancing. I secretly wanna be that person who breaks out super cool moves on the dance floor and make people go "oooohhh". Dorky, I know.

10. Greatest achievement?
My current job. I dreamed of working there since the first year of law school and it's been a long bumpy road full of self doubting and loathing before I get it. Such a blessing.

I'm passing this award to Nikolett, Krissy, Margarita, ChinkyMel, Gracie, Sarah, Ali, Misery, Eva, Sierra, Krysten , Ashley and anyone who wants to participate on the tag. Have an awesome upcoming week!

can't make patron my bitch

2010-05-01T22:26:00.009+07:00

You know you're old ( or getting older ) when you can't handle tequila anymore.

I seriously weep inside.

Last night was beyond insane and leaving me in one of the worst hangovers in the century. I barely remember the last time I was in this state. Probably during my Bali trip with my high school friends a bunch of years ago, involving 5 pitchers of sangria and throwing up in the street. Classy.

I vowed to be a chic drinker ever since.

I wasn't last night.

It was super fun though. I had been feeling unwell all day and pissed because my blackberry acted up. A drink or two would be most welcomed.

At first it was pretty chill. I went out with my office mates for post work drinks at The Apartment. Cocktails, wine, beer, pretty safe stuff. Then my boy picked me up to attend his friend's bachelorette party in Equinox and that's when the madness began.

I barely sat down and wear the glow-in-the-dark bachelorette party attributes ( bracelet, ring that can't stop blinking, glittery fairy wand ) when someone handed me a tequila shot. Burned my throat at once.

Then a waiter fixed me a drink and before I finished drinking it, he fixed me another one.

I danced, another shot.

I sat, another glass.

We all took a bunch of fun pictures and then a friend tried to pour vodka straight from the bottle down my throat. More dancing going on and hey, everybody should do some more shots.

Then I kinda forgot what happened because the next thing I know, I was throwing up in the bathroom of a late night Chinese eatery. Went home, blacked out, woke up smelling awesome.

I remember drinking shots and shots of tequila and feeling fine...5 years ago.

Ugh.

ps. I'm not accepting reality so I'll blame my easily drunk state on exhaustion from weekdays activities. Please tell me that makes sense.

Damn it, Torrance Shipman!

2010-04-30T02:39:00.006+07:00

So an associate asked me whether I want to be a cheerleader this afternoon.

No kidding. I was hanging out with one of my office girlies when she came in, looking excited to find both of us at the same time. At first I thought she'd want something done and keep us working until 3 am in the morning so we'd jump from the 21st floor or something. Instead she squealed and told us to prepare ourselves to be in our office's cheerleading team.

I know. WOW.

Apparently next June there'll be some sort of annual mini-olympic going on for law firms in Jakarta. It's pretty huge. They've assigned almoskt everyone young / fit enough to represent the firm and compete. Uniforms are made, practices and rehearsals are scheduled. Some of the intern guys were talking about soccer or basketball practices over dinner today, expressing their concerns on how other law firms have started to practice already. Another office mate talked about going to bowling alley to practice this weekend. Looks like they take it pretty seriously.

I wonder whether they'd boil me to death if I messed up a move.

See, there's a reason I wasn't in the cheerleading team back in high school. Yes, mostly because I was a big music dork and not cool or plastic enough to mingle with the popular chicks with their itty bitty skirts and pom poms but I think it's also because coordinated moves confuse me.

Which kinda doesn't make sense because I DANCE ALL THE TIME. In my room, in the club, in the living room, whenever I feel ecstatic. I have different types of dance too : victory dance, gorilla impersonation dance, yay-my-work-is-done-now-i-can-go-home dance.

But they're DIFFERENT than coordinated cheerleading moves. Very different. And not only because to do a gorilla impersonation dance all you have to do is wiggling your butt, put on an idiotic expression, scratch your belly and clap.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off watching Bring It On. All six movies simultaneously. This may or may not hurt me.

How good are you at following / memorizing a choreography?

brace yourself, it's a long post!

2010-04-27T22:44:00.008+07:00

I'M BACK!!!

Sneezing and coughing with body temperature sky-rocketing but I'm back and can't be happier. The previous week had kicked my butt big time. I have no doubt this week will too. I almost didn't get any rest over the weekend. AT ALL.

It was fun though, Saturday and Sunday especially.

Last Friday my girls asked me out for a few drinks after work and I so looked forward to it but then I had an extra work to be submitted the next morning. Friday night was sulking, typing sleepily on my laptop, having my mom massaged my neck ( she's the best!) because I threw up twice due to exhaustion and stress. To call it ugly is an understatement.

Saturday was spent attending one of the biggest dance festivals in the country, Djakarta Warehouse Project. It's held in Carnaval Beach with internationally well-known DJ's like Ferry Corsten, Kaskade, Dash Berlin, Marco V, Shortee Blitz and many more in the line ups. Now I know the older I get, the more I avoid rave-like parties but somehow it's not like a typical one where you'll be pissed walking around until your muscles hurt on a muddy ground with a thousand sweaty and drunk people nearby.

It's actually really civilized. Easily accessible affordable food+drinks, no wet grounds, huge dance space, insanely good lightning and the most important thing... overall good crowd. It's such a buzz kill to attend a party filled with annoying trashy people. Not the case that night. A few high lights?

This dance area. There were three and I love this one the most. The colors and effects were amazing!

CyberJapan Dancers from Tokyo. Bad ass!

One sick Japanese chick

Your welcome, boys!

Me and Ferry Corsten ( taken via blackberry, hence the low quality image)

Team Shortee Blitz! Such a great DJ!

Sunday I was working my own gig, Block Battles, until around 1 AM or so. I can't believe it's our fifth installment already. AMAZING. I helped organizing the event instead of performing. We had 32 artists performing that night. So many talents to find and it's their opportunity to shine. More pictures?

Yours truly being a microphone beast

Hip-Hop Heads Love Block Battles!

Yep, he did back flips and rap at the same time!

D'Makaveli Team + DJ Shortee Blitz, our special guest for the night

Now can someone help me catch up on the happenings of our beloved blogosphere these days? Has someone finally made a Louboutin giveaway which, ahem, also opens for Non-US residents? Aaaaaaaaaarrghhhhh, HOW ARE YOU?

Two Worlds Collide!

2010-04-22T22:19:00.015+07:00

It amazes me how gossips travel really fast.

See, I was having dinner with a bunch of fellow interns today. Being one of the newest kids, I was all calm and quiet. I intend to be really low key. New environment, new image, right? But then one of the girls I've just talked a couple times with before looked at me and asked, "So when is your next gig?"

I was all, "HUH?"

Suddenly all the attention turned to me.

"Gig? What gig?"

Uh-oh. So I told them when I happen to not spend my time being a lawbot and do things lawbots do, I run to the nearest microphone and try to out-cool Nicki Minaj.

But the questions kept on coming...

"REALLY?"

"Since when?"

"Do you perform?"

"Do you like Lil Wayne?"

"Yo, Andhari! HAHAHA! Yo, yo, yo!"

The last two sentences, as you can tell, are pretty retarded. I can tell that all of us will get along awesomely.

Speaking of retarded, I did a pretty retarded thing today.

I had a pretty dull reviewing assignment this afternoon. My office mate was out getting food, leaving me in our office room alone. The hallway was deserted and the office rooms next to us were mostly empty. Apparently a lot of people were out for meetings or something. So I figure I wouldn't bother anyone if I played a little bit of trashy but catchy music for fun and giggles, right?

I chose this song to wiggle to :

And this is my office room :

I was so lost in music : singing about all the money to blow and 24 hour champagne diet (LMAO!), typing and wiggling at the same time when I heard a loud cough behind me.

A senior associate shaking his head, looking amused.

Woops.

This conversation happened :

Him : Umm, where's your office mate?

Me : *speechless* She's out..

Him : ..............

Me : I'll let her know you're looking for her when she gets back

Him : Thanks...

Him : Have fun blowing your money! *walked out laughing out loud*

DEAD.

I feel like a grown up. Kinda.

2010-04-20T06:40:00.009+07:00

Hey, guys. Thanks for all of your supports in the previous post. Let's do a group hug and jump up and down on a huge trampoline because that's how happy you guys made me.

I wore a blazer, a pencil skirt and buttoned down shirt per your suggestions. Apparently it's the right attire where I work. Most of them seem to wear black and white, sometimes they mixed dark blue or brown into the mix. Maybe because it's Monday? I have to find out. I went there last Friday and there were more colors. In that case, I'll wear pink.

Kidding. Sorta.

Now how do I tell you some of my stories without revealing so much?*

Well, I met other two interns only to find out we'd be separated in different divisions. There goes our wishful thinking of sharing a room together and get all giggly. I didn't get my orientation because the boss needed me instantly in a project. I put on a lot of idiot face yesterday because it's NOTHING LIKE I LEARNED IN SCHOOL. I mean beside of the really basic stuff, what I learned in my advanced classes can't really be applicable in my job AT ALL. I need to study from zero all over again.

Thankfully, my senior is kind enough to guide me through the whole thing so in the end I understand a thing or two. We got some of our work done and I got out of the office at a fairly reasonable hour. 10 PM. It's considered early there because when I tell my room mate ( what do you call a person whom you share a room in the office? ) I can go home, she rolled her eyes and said, "Jealous!", before burying her head in a binder bigger than my body.

Okay.

Oh, and our room is soooo pretty. Big with a lot of drawers and cabinets. Carpeted floor. Big chairs. Big window overlooking the city so at night you get the view of glittering lights.

But the best part of the whole thing? There's a giant shopping mall right in front of my office building. With its many restaurants, massage place, ice cream shops, movie theater, bars, salons, etc. We even share an underground tunnel. I. LOVE.

Wishing you guys a wonderful week!

* Yes, I signed confidiality papers and I'm skurrd.

The Happy News

2010-04-16T23:54:00.004+07:00

I made the announcement yesterday via twitter in all caps screaming like a nut job, but just in case you didn't read that tweet :

YES, this internship. After a long process of tests and a thrilling interview. I could not shut up about it, I bet I must have annoyed a lot of you with my job hunt whining. It stops today. Promise. At least for now. I'm hoping to get hired for a more permanent position after this internship's over.

I signed the contract this afternoon and will start next Monday. How crazy does that sound? I feel like a grown up. To those of you who congratulate and wish me luck in twitter, THANK YOU SO MUCH. Thank you for having complete faith in me and for your encouraging words all these times. Best spirit lifter ever.

And for those of you ( usually current / former class mates in school ) who told me stuff like "say good bye to the sun" or "welcome to sweat shop", you're jealous.

Kidding.

I'm excited and nervous now. I also have questions :

What should I wear on Monday? FIRST DAY. I'm thinking something sophisticated but not too overdone and still appropriate. Skirt? Pants? What kind of skirt? What kind of pants? Are you supposed to tuck your shirt in? Blazer or not? Are blazers necessary to wear every day? How about accessories?

What do people normally bring to the office anyway? Beside pens, binder, and a laptop?

Spare me. My previous work experiences usually revolves around microphones, studios, venues, and long hours in front of my home computer.

20SB Blog Swap #7 : The Best Thing(s) About Being a Blogger

2010-04-14T23:08:00.000+07:00

Hey, guys! We're having a special guest for the 7th 20SB Blog Swap Day right now. Her name is ExMi and she's from South Africa. Show her some love in the comments and check out my post in her blog.

***

If you're wondering what I'm doing here, this is a little thing called a blog swap, and it's happening on the 20 Something Bloggers network today. I usually blog at ExMi, but today I'm taking over Andhari's blog. You can find her post by clicking through on that link.

So let's have ourselves a little blog swap party, shall we? There's even a theme and everything - The Best Thing About Being A Blogger.

Being that I'm a list-a-holic, I decided to make a list of 10 things I love most about being a blogger:

It's the only thing I've started, and never stopped. Sure, I've had plenty hobbies - photography, painting, drawing and a million other fleeting things - but it's the only "hobby" that I've started, and become completely addicted to. I've quit a few times, taken a few breaks, moved blogs numerous times, but I always come back. There's not really a reason, except for the fact that I love to write.
It's me, uncensored. And more me. It might sound a little self-centered (okay, a LOT) but it's all about me. I get to talk about ME as much as I like, without anyone telling me what I can and can't say. Without anyone interrupting me.It's me - all my quirks, insecurities, weaknesses, flaws and all my successes, hopes, dreams, dilemmas, foot-in-mouth moments. All my fuck-ups. All my mistakes and thrills.
It's like an online support group. Chances are, if I'm going through something particularly emotional/difficult in my life, there's someone out there on the interwebs who's going through it too. It's comforting and reassuring to read about their experiences, and draw similarities between their lives and mine, even though they might be on the other side of the world.
It opens my eyes to cultures/lifestyles/beliefs/experiences I didn't even know existed. I live in South Africa. A common misconception about South Africa is that we ride to work on elephants and have lions and rhinos roaming the streets and we all live in mud-hut villages. I don't. I'm not saying that there aren't people in South Africa that do live in mud-hut villages, just that I'm not one of them. The last time we had a rhino roaming the streets was when one escaped from a game park. What am I getting at? Just like there aree misconceptions about my home country, I have misconceptions about other places in the world. Other people, other cities, other lifestyles and reading blogs about these people/cities/lifestyles has helped challenge my perspectives and has forced me to reevaluate the way I think. Broadening my horizons, altering my perceptions.
There seems to be none of the regular social barriers, on the internet. Usually, upon meeting someone new, you wait a while and suss them out, before you decide whether or not you want to divulge all your dirty laundry. Not so, with blogging. When you write something personal and post it, you've effectively told a stranger all your secrets, without even having met them. There's a tendency to be more forthcoming and more openly honest with the Internet. There's no airs and graces about it. I like that.
You can find anything, if you look hard enough. It doesn't matter what kind of blog you're looking for, chances are if there's something you need, you can find it. From personal finance tips, to fashion, weight loss and gadgetry, there's someone out there that's blogging what you're looking to read.
It's a way of keeping in touch with my friends, when I can't see them. Loads of my friends blog. Actually, there's only like four of them that don't. I moved to a new city not so long ago, knew no one and started getting to know people that were blogging in my new city. We all met up, we're all friends and we're all busy people. So when we're not face-to-face, it's nice to know that if I was wondering how they were, I could just read their latest blog post to catch up.
It's my autobiography, and my memoirs and my diary, all in one. Some days it's cool to go back through the archives and see what I was up to this time last year. This time two years ago. This time three years ago. Five years of blogging means a serious amount of technicolor history, and I'm glad I have it - memories fade, but the blog posts are there to remind me, to refresh the details and to bring it all into reverse-chronological perspective.
For a long time, blogging was my contact with the outside world, when I was isolated from it. I spent nearly two years at home, as a stay at home mom. I have a two year old son, and spending all day and all night at home with a baby with no adult conversation (other than my Boyfriend when he was home in the evenings) would have driven me insane, if not for the blogs I read and the blog posts I wrote. The mommy blogs that kept me sane and kept me from stabbing myself in the eye with a bath thermometer. The non-mommy blogs that kept me from going insane when I was having baby-sensory-overload. Reading others' blogs and commenting on them was the perfect way of getting the communications fix I needed. Without ever actually having to open my mouth and say a word.
The comments are always awesome. If any blogger tells you they don't care about the comments they receive, they're probably lying to you or lying to themselves. The comments are important. It's necessary to know that someone's done the same embarrassing thing you have, that there's someone out there who thinks you're smart, or that you have a cute baby, or that you have good taste in shoes. Affirmation. It's vitally important to being a blogger. It also lets you know that you're not wasting your time. Time (that for me, as a mom) could be spent sleeping, working, reading, showering, eating or with my Boyfriend. That you've affected someone else's life with your words.

Now that's the best part about being a blogger.

Well, for me anyway.

What's your best part about being a blogger?

*Picture credit: Laughingsquid.

Cougar Town!!!

2010-04-13T22:48:00.001+07:00

In one of the latest big family gatherings, my dad introduced me and my brother to a woman whom he referred to as 2nd or 3rd cousin or something. This woman isn't like any typical woman ( around my parents age ) in the family at all.

For example, she's actually cool. Not to say that other women there aren't.

Well, not really. Most of them always want to know your business, tell you what wrong choices you've been making. They always lecture you and if you're a girl and single, they will set you up with every "young gentlemen" they know. They gossip about stupid stuff their family members did, talk about the illness they've had and recommend each other their doctors or something. Big yawn.

This woman, let's call her Aunt Shelly, is nothing like that. Sure, she responded to those boring talk when she mingled with them. But on one-on-one time with me, the first thing she said was, "You rap, right? I love your songs. I remember watching you perform like 3 months ago in Blowfish."

So not only she has good music taste ( hahaha ), she goes to a good club too.

Other women in the family asked me what Blowfish is when they first heard about me doing music. Right before they told me music is a stupid career to choose and they hoped I have a back-up.

Back to this woman, she dressed really nice too. Classy dress, multi-chain watch, open-toed sandals, and Valentino satin clutch.Very Amanda Woodward in Melrose Place .

After an interesting conversation with her which included her job ( senior brand manager), her required travels ( Europe at least once a month ), her fun travels ( just back from Japan ), her favorite places to go in the city ( currently loving Bibliotheque ), and my secret desire to yell at every law firm I've applied to just freakin' accept me now ( she agreed! ), I was ready to be adopted by this amazing woman.

I promise I don't break things and am very easy to feed.

I told my mom I would pack my things as soon as I get home and she rolled her eyes. Another aunt who happened to eavesdrop immediately said bad things about her. Told me Aunt Shelly is a bad influence because she was divorced with no kids and until now, she still isn't married. Instead she goes out a lot and often seen with hot younger men.

My brother chimed in, "Ooh...a cougar. No wonder she's so interesting..."

Not helping.

I don't think a woman has to be a cougar in order to be as interesting, fun, attractive and worldly as Aunt Shelly. I personally would love to be as awesome as her in my forties. But hopefully married, with an adorable child or two. Wedding bands and diapers shouldn't make you lecture young people, stop going out and dressing nice, right?

Hence, I don't get why my nosy aunt, just like many other women from different age range, is so judgmental and intimidated by her cougar peers. A lot of fellow middle aged to older women always think these cougars embarrass them and behave inappropriately. While some younger women think they might steal their men or become their valid rivals to attract opposite sex. Especially with men these days seem to be more and more interested with these more stable, accomplished, mature, and so-called-less clingy women.

Me? I just think there are two types of cougars : hot cougars and trashy cougars.

Hot ones are like my aunt. From my observation in night clubs ( LOL!), they're accomplished, sophisticated, and not disgustingly obvious. You can tell by their clothes and make ups. They dress fashionably, but appropriate and according to their age. You're not gonna find them in overly short denim pants, low cut sequined tops, bright lipsticks and way-too-smoky eye make ups. They sip on wine and cocktails. Very Sex and The City. They also make sure their younger companions are in good quality : suits, blazer jackets, with decent knowledge to hold a conversation.

While the trashy ones...

WOW.

They hunt or go out with younger men who think they belong in a metal band, are known for vomit-inducing public display of affection, and dress AS IF they still have their figures in high school. I've seen too many muffin tops and fat rolls spilling over tight pants / tops to last me a life time.

What are your thoughts on cougars?

Confused Momma's Girl

2010-04-12T22:41:00.004+07:00

My mom's birthday is in a week.

She's turning...umm, can't tell you. She might kill me. It's a ( vain ) girl thing. Hey, I tell people I'm 18 sometimes. I can pull it off, right? rightttttt?

Okay, don't answer that.

Anyhoo, I'm completely blank on what to get her. I should get her something special because she's the awesomest mom in the whole world and I love her. Also, She always takes us to amazing birthday brunch / dinner to celebrate her birthday. Usually places with the most drool-worthy dessert bar that makes my tummy purr and brain shut down.

So it's not gonna be nice disappointing birthday mommy with wrong gifts.

Me, my brothers and mom

I'm usually good at this, I swear. Last year I saved up to get her a really, really good bag that I might not dare buying for myself. Two years ago was a simpler classic cashmere top that she also liked.

Here's a few ideas thrown by my friends that I already rejected :

Home made stuff. I know a lot of you artsy and crafty amazing folks will have no problem with this but the last time I tried making even a simple greeting card, I had glue and glitters on my face.

Home made birthday cake. Seriously? My microwave blew up once because I apparently didn't make POPCORN right.

Dresses. Unlike her daughter, my mom is all about tops, pants and pretty outer wears.

Gorgeous High Heels. Again. Unlike her daughter, my mom is all about practical but cute flats or short little heels. I'm not good at shopping for flats or short little heels because I never like them.

Compilation CD's. Mom grew up on 70's and 80's music. No offense to the fans but making a compilation of that much disco will tempt me to cut off my ears.

What should I get her this year?

And while we're on this topic, what did you give your mother on her last birthday? Did she like it?

Sunday Lovelist #36

2010-04-11T23:15:00.003+07:00

A few things I love this past week :

1. Interview in my #1 dream work place
Apparently I passed their written test. Yay. It's just for a two months internship but I hope I impress them enough to work for them after graduation. Keeping my fingers crossed, hope they call me again. I also did another written test in another place and it's for a real job, but you know what? I'll ditch any offer just to work for the dream work place.

2. Anti-Violence Video Shoot
The event organizer I work at, D'Makaveli, and other event organizers in town were shooting a video message last weekend in Social House for an anti violence campaign due to terror and dangerous fights that happened recently in some of Jakarta's night clubs. This video message will be a part of one of the biggest dance festivals held in the end of this month, Djakarta Warehouse Project, in Carnaval Beach, Jakarta. Stop by if you're in town.

3. Hiphop Music in Dragonfly
If you've been here before, then you'll know it never plays hiphop. Ever. Only house, electro, etc. I went there Friday night and wow...they included hiphop tracks in their remixes. Popular hiphop tracks but STILL. Have you ever liked a place so much but you rarely go because they don't play your kind of music? I had fun and was pretty surprised that I could stay up late drinking and still GO TO A JOB TEST THE NEXT MORNING. 9 am with a bit of hangover. Thankfully I didn't mess it up.

4. Clash Of The Titans
It bothers me when a movie got a bunch of shitty reviews and I end up liking it. Which one has a weird taste? Me or them? I'm a fan of Sam Worthington and I LOVE stories about Greek gods. Dude, if you call this sucks, what would you call Percy Jackson & The Lightning Thiefs? I like it too though. Yeah, it must have been my taste then.

What do you love this week?

TMI Thursday Finale : The Bet That Reeks

2010-04-08T21:48:00.004+07:00

It's a sad day in blogosphere today. The ever so popular installment led by the awesome Miss Lilu, TMI Thursday, is taking its last breath.

"I’ll be forever grateful for all the bathroom-humor-loving kindred e-souls I met through this, um, *project*… but TMI Thursday, at least for me, has run its course, and I’m hoping to tap out while on top." - Lilu

It's definitely on top, alright. So for my last ode to grossness, I'll tell you a story that involves ME *gasp*. No, it's not gonna be another embarrass-your-friend this Thursday. I'm going down too.

I still remember it clearly. It was 2005, a couple of weeks after graduation day and prom night. We still had 3 months before college started and every day was a party. We hung out and play, having fun until we're bored.

That day, Me and 4 friends ( let's call them Eenie, Meeny, Miny and Moe ) were at my house : eating too much, napping, watching movies, looking at photo albums from our high school years. We found photos of our weekend-long class trip to the ancient villages of Baduy and started reminiscing. It was insane. The people there were so primitive and religious, very anti-modern world and forbid visitors to bring modern items like cellphones, lamps, stove, and soap ( read about my hardcore experience here ). Everyone came back to the city smelling fantastic.

"I wonder if we can do it now," Eenie said. Classic. Eenie was the trouble maker in our group and she always corrupted our minds to do things we'd usually regret.

"What? Not using soap?" I asked.

"No soap. No showering at all. Let's make a bet." She grinned.

Then everyone started asking questions. What about brushing teeth? What about washing face? What would the winner get? How to reduce the possibility of cheating?

Here's the specification of the bet :

Everyone should pay $70 to enter. Winner gets $350.
NO SHOWERING. No use of soap at all and it includes facial wash, tooth brush, shampoo, conditioner, leave-in conditioner or any body cleaning products
Perfume is also not allowed
To make cheating difficult, everyone should wear the same shirt they wear when the bet's started. It's easier to detect body odor this way.
However, everyone is allowed to change pants and underwears
The person who goes the longest without shower wins!

I know you cringe in disgust now, loves. Unless you're Kristen Stewart, who I'm sure would win this kind of bet.

Anyhoo, I must had nothing better to do, because I participated. We met up almost everyday to check our progress. I was feeling alright the first day, a bit uncomfortable on the 2nd, and by 3rd day I felt sticky and couldn't stop scratching my scalp. Everyone smelled weird. We sat further to each other but we joked by shoving arm pits to each other 's faces. INHALE THAT SHIZ.

Ew.

My friend Moe was the first person to cave in. On the 3rd day, she told us her parents wouldn't take her out for dinner because she looked like a homeless person. She gave us her 70 bucks before heading home to shower. She still hung out with us though. Pretty much to comment how much we stink / how awful we look. Nice girl.

On the 4th day, I decided to avoid everyone in the house. I could smell myself : my hair, my oily skin, my breath, EVERYTHING. My mom would drag me outside and spray me with a hose if she found out. Hanging out with the anti-showering folks made me nauseated. Their smell got more and more obvious too. I swore someone might have pocketed dead raccoons.

On the 5th day...I gave up. I tossed that damn 70 bucks to the table.

See, we were sitting around watching a lord-knows-what movie while I noticed something smelled funny. And by that I mean funnier than usual.

"What's that smell?" I asked loudly. They asked me what I was talking about. Precisely which smell I was talking about.

I used my super smeller again. Sniff, sniff, sniff. Then I looked at Meenie. She sat right beside me, but on the couch. I was sitting on the rug. This conversation happened :

Me : Meenie, I think it's coming from you. Geez! What's that smell?

Meenie : Oh, relax! I just did a number 2 when I went to the bathroom a while ago

Me : Ew! You didn't wash yourself?

Meenie : I did. But the bet said no soap right? So butt can't be squeaky clean, if you know what I mean.

That's it. I was done. DONE. D.O.N.E. Dunzo.

Oh, she ended up winning the bet by the way. On day 15th.

Awesome.

Sophie's Choice?

2010-04-07T22:57:00.018+07:00

Never say never.

I kinda live by that rule. I don't wanna be that person who arrogantly said she wont do something, like she's above it, only to do it a couple of months or years later.

Speaking of that person...

I've told you about my high school, right? Despite my few fabulous friends, it was still a hell. I stood out, but not because I was one of those bubbly popular girls. I was this angsty rapper chick who did a lot of gigs ( I still do, only less angsty! ) , skipped classes, a bit boyish, hung out with mostly guys, and could not tolerate any girly drama bullshit. Yes, I changed a lot. But that's not the point of this post.

My closest friend in high school, Sarah, was pretty much like me. She's loud, crazy, and awesome. We bribed security dudes at school to let us out, you can guarantee both of us wouldn't be at school past 10 am and could be find in the nearest mall. Ahem. She's also a party animal, back then, one of the people who's responsible for my drinking habit. She used to date a promoter who always got us in clubs without so much hassle.

But somehow, some girls at school sneered at us. Labeled us. Especially some of those girls in cheer leading team. One hilarious fact about cheerleaders in my school ( class of 2005 specifically ) is that unlike most cheerleaders in other high schools who were known to party all the time and promising general promiscuity, they prided themselves to be "classy". And by "classy," I mean stuck up, judgmental and annoying. They called themselves the good girls and treated me and Sarah like some kind of skanky animals from Tiger Wood's petting zoo.

One of the cheerleaders was this girl Sophie*. You can read the prelude on why I wanna feed her to the lions here.

Sophie knew better not to trash me directly since I'd sell her at fish markets. But to Sarah, she's more courageous. She, along with her popular posse, caught Sarah smoking on a parking lot one day and told her to put it out because it's a slutty thing to do. She proceed to lectured Sarah that a good girl doesn't smoke, drink, have sex, or go partying.** The posse of course, agreed with her.

A week ago, I received an invitation for a club party and guess who hosted?

Sophie The Sophisticated herself.

Oh, sweet victory. I told another high school friend this and she laughed. Told me ever since Princess Sophisticated started her 2nd year of college, she has been a regular smoker, drinker, and club goer. Not to mention having sleepovers at boyfriends's places.

She got her endorphins released alright.

Life is good.

* Not real name
** With all due respect, I'd rather shoot myself than having to live like that. Guess which one I'd find it hard to give up the most!

I'm being emo. Punch me.

2010-04-06T19:54:00.007+07:00

Loves, I have a quite an embarrassing confession : I tear up pretty easily from time to time.

Kinda like a pregnant woman on a massive hormonal storm.

I don't have to necessarily be angry or sad to cry. The other day I was out having a late lunch date and I spotted an old couple sharing a bowl of frozen yogurt. They're SO cute, the old lady had a red bow on her hair and they each wore a matching wedding ring. They were smiling to each other, talking and holding hands. I was one inch away from bawling my eyes out in public. I had to clear my throat to speak normally again. Ridiculous.

Other things that would put me in the same position?

Heart to heart talk with my girlfriends. Watery eyes are a common result. That and a lot of giggles over glasses of fruity drinks.

Women in Black. Love these fabulous two!

Quality time with my mom. You know when you kind of screw up and your mom tries her best to convince you you're not as lame as you think? TEARS!

My old cook, who's been with my family since I was barely a year old, scrounging up her money just to give me a birthday present. She often buys me little snack foods too, despite her limited amount of money.

Loyal, smart and cute puppies / dogs. Yes, this point is totally influenced by Hachiko. I want a dog like that! *sobs*

Visiting a beautiful vacation spot. Whether it's a gorgeous beach, a shimmering waterfall or a top of a tall building where you can see the view of fabulous city lights.

Having things I've worked so much for come true, or a step nearer to come true. Like when I was offered to perform in Soulnation last year, or when I got a phone call for an interview at a place I want to work the most. BIG TEARS.

Sweet little gestures people do. It can be your little sibling giving you the bigger slice of cake, your favorite barista giving you extra caramel syrup for your morning latte, other girls compliment you ( genuinely ) on your new outfit, or your blog friends dropping encouraging comments after a long sad post you wrote.

Speaking of sweet little gestures and awesome blog friends, do you know it's Krissy's 24th birthday today? Tiara came up with the idea to gather her blog friends and surprise Krissy with a birthday wish picture. Here's mine :

Pardon the ugly pajamas and sleepy face, I've been sick at home all day.

Happy birthday, Krissy. You're such a beautiful and special bloggy BFF for all of us. Have a great celebration and I wish you lots of happiness in the future. Everyone, please wish her a happy birthday here.

Your turn. What touches your heart and make you positively tear up?

A Piece Of Me...in April 2010

2010-04-04T20:16:00.010+07:00

This Month...

I like : that I have interesting gigs and events lining up to do. Also, my days in school will come to an end. I have to defend my thesis sooner than I've expected. Nervous but excited. I better crack open my thesis and books soon, almost forgot what I wrote.

I don't like : that my friend Dian went back to Sydney yesterday. Sad face. She's been here for a few months and hanging out with us a lot. We're all already so used to her but she has to go home to continue her study / find a job. I'm gonna miss her. The farewell party was pretty wild, girlie better comes back here soon.

I want you to know : that I finally watched Robert Pattinson's Remember Me, and I'm NOT feeling it. Talk about weird philosophical indie flick. Why? Short recap ( SPOILER ALERT! ) :

This broody New Yorker, Tyler Hawkins ( Pattinson), hated everything in the world. See, he's so "cool and indie". He seek trouble, got into fights, provoked a cop to beat him up...only to end up dating his daughter. For revenge, at first, before it turned into gooey mushy love stories with a lot of angry sex.

He's close to his artsy sister and hated his father ( Pierce Brosnan ) . His super rich, big shot father ( damn, can he be my daddy instead? ) because he's too busy and didn't have time for his family. He blamed the dad for his older brother Michael's suicide.

You know what caused Michael to commit suicide? He's too depressed working for his father. The dad, get this, didn't even do anything particularly bad. It's different if he's portrayed to have other wives, beat up his kids or something. BUT NO. No sympathy for Michael here.

When everything finally went well, Tyler tragically died in his father's World Trade Center office. It was September 11th 2001 ( Yes, the 9/11 ). I would've been sadder and applauded in tears if the earlier plots weren't so bad.

I've planned : to work very soon. I haven't heard anything back from the law firms I had written tests / interviews at. How things work here is different, you guys. They don't tell you when you'll be informed on the result of the tests / interviews. They just tell everyone that they would call. It can be weeks, or months. This sucks so bad.

I want to say to someone special : We can do this! Everything will be alright, there will always be a way. Little set backs shouldn't stray us from our goals.

Krissy inspired me to do this game, but it's originally thought up by The Toothfairy. She's MIA at the moment but is really missed. Head over here if you want to join.

This Might Be Random But..

2010-04-02T13:27:00.008+07:00

AARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

He responded to these tweets of mine :

For those of you who don't know ( because I watch more reality shows than necessary and you have a life ) , Frankie Delgado is the side kick of Brody Jenner ( read my post about him here ), a successful night club promoter and also starred in The Hills. Just like Brody, he's a lady magnet. Only not annoying.

And apparently, down to earth enough to respond to fan tweets. It's a legit account. With a verified icon and everything. In case someone wants to question if it's really him.

This good Friday is gooood. Hope you guys have a nice one too!

ps. I sound like a dorky teenage fan girl.

April Fools = Not So Foolish

2010-04-01T23:06:00.006+07:00

I'm not gonna pull pranks on you because I had to deal with this all morning :

Yes, extremely long and painful queue for Pitbull's tickets. All the way to second floor. I arrived at the promoter's office at an ungodly hour of 7.30 AM and got my ticket at almost 11 AM. People cursed and shoved each other. We couldn't buy via internet because the website was down from too many people buying the tickets, hence this consequence. All tickets by now are already SOLD OUT. In one freaking day.

But still, I luckily got these babies. I'll come back at May 10th to trade them for real tickets.

Pitbull better not be disappointing. I kinda have memorized most of his songs from all his four albums by now. I AM NOT ASHAMED.

In a completely different note, check out my song Through The Wall that I just recorded today with this talented Indonesian R&B singer, Hariman Halim. Not completely mixed yet but the quality is decent enough. If you're into slow jam and sexy music that can make your significant other swoon, you might like this :

Thoughts?

Happy April! I hope this month brings you all kinds of happiness.

This calls for Boyz II Men's cheesiest songs

2010-03-31T22:28:00.007+07:00

One of my BFF's just broke up with her boyfriend.

It wasn't a long relationship but apparently it's devastating. Last Saturday I went out with her and more friends for drinks at a very crowded bar. I also had dinner with her and her parents, where she almost completely ignored them and whispered her sadness to me with tears streaming down her face. Their parents stared at me, helpless expressions on their faces. Awkward.

Since then she could NOT stop texting me. One minute she's angry and the next totally depressed. I can understand actually, been there done that. Hell, I remember being in my room with hair tousled and shirt wet of tears with her holding my hands. A bucket on the floor since I tend to get sick and vomit if I cry so much. Nasty experience.

For short, I know how she feels.

But I want to shake her silly when I read her text this morning,

"Are you throwing an event this weekend? Are you going to a party? YOU HAVE TO FIND ME A NEW GUY!"

Wow. Slow down, woman.

She's not the first girl I know trying to heal the sadness of a break up by finding a comfort from a new guy. Remember this post when another best friend of mine jumping into a new relationship shortly after her break up too? What's up with that?

Whether it's for a rebound, meaningless sex, or an entirely new relationship, why do you need new guys so soon to make you feel better?

I'm not a man hater ( good lord! I don't even understand those words! ) but I think some emotional break would be nice. Am I weird? Maybe we're just different, but why are these differences drive me crazy? The comparison might be somewhat like this :

Those Other Girls

Umm, it's probably why I had been single for more than a year in the past

How do you recover from a break up?

What Goes Around Comes Around

2010-03-29T09:26:00.006+07:00

Anyone noticed how the title can be quite of an innuendo? I love it.

Last Sunday, I was on duty in my event organizer's event, Block Battles IV. I've mentioned before how it's filled with live performances, instead of a club party. This month we had 30 performers, imagine the craziness. I was in charge fully with the artists and the rundown, happy but super exhausted. But this post isn't about that.

Block Battles talents + crowds = Awesome!

In one of the sets, there's a rap group consisted of some of the craziest rappers I like surprising everyone by openly trash talking / dissing another pretty well known rapper in the country. They even went as far as challenging this guy, who's not there but some of his entourage was there. A couple of funny punchlines paired with curses were thrown, a lot of people were shocked and giggled.

Trash talking in Indonesian Hip-Hop scene is nothing new, I've been victimized by several. But last night was a big hip-hop event with many radio announcers, fellow rappers, music writers and bloggers in the crowd too. There's no way this incident wouldn't reach the well-known-rapper 's ears.

Scandalous.

I tried not to get involved but I couldn't help feeling curious. I wonder what made someone can be severely ridiculed with cameras rolling around.

Apparently the rap group was performing in a certain local TV station live the other day and instead of minding his own business, the well-known-rapper was tweeting about how bad it is. How they're such a shame to the whole hip-hop industry and such. So the group felt disrespected, embarrassed. Many people obviously read the tweet, hence they retaliated. They said they'd continue too, in every future performance. And man, these guys perform a lot. I hope it's not a start of a long term beef.

All I can say about this is...be careful when you tweet. Regular person can get in trouble for tweeting, imagine some sort of a public figure. The more 'famous' you are, shouldn't you be more aware? Such thing better said behind closed doors. Or at least, off line.

Ironically funny fact in the music industry and life in general :

"When people do bad or fail something, others diss them. But when they do good / succeed, the dissing still won't go away."

Has anyone filed a missing person report yet?

2010-03-27T08:37:00.006+07:00

This is probably the longest I've gone without posting in the past few months. Miss me?

I barely had a time to sit down and think of something to write this week. Which is a surprise, for a quite narcissistic person like yours truly. A bunch of things have happened, some were fun and some were...well, nerve-wrecking.

The fun ones included Ejannz visiting me, of course. I mentioned she'd come in the last love list. It felt so surreal. It's not my first blogger meet-up, but it's definitely the first time ever a blogger friend, from a different country nonetheless, visited me. She stayed here from Monday until Thursday morning. I was pretty nervous all Sunday night : what's she like in real life? She seems really smart, would she feel like she's talking to a turnip? Would she like me? Would she think I'm cute? Where does babies come from?

My nervousness didn't stay long though. You know if you like someone's blog and if that someone, in real life, turns out to be exactly the way he or she's portrayed in the blog, there's a huge chance you'll love them more? Real life Ejannz is exactly, if not more awesome, than bloggy Ejannz. We shopped a lot, tried restaurants, hung out with the lovely Nitia, watched beerpong competition ( in which my boys lost ) , and shopped some more. Oh, she also sampled the taste of Jakarta's traffic. I think I impressed her with my driving skill and the way I avoid crashing motorcycles, buses, and other cars cutting my way all of a sudden. Or the way I can make a u-turn pretty much everywhere as long as there's no cops in sight.

Me, Ejannz, and Nitia having girlie time

I had a lot of fun showing her around. But then she had to go back home and reality poked me hard on the ribs when I received a certain phone call.

A certain phone call, for a certain internship's written test.

I can't divulge much info, again. But this time it's not just a regular written test from just some place I have applied to. It's a written test for my dream law firm EVER. Ever since I entered law school and got introduced to prestigious law firms in the city, the name of this particular law firm stood at the top. It's one of the first tier ones that you have to probably sacrifice your skin and bone to get in. I remember heading to its office a few weeks ago with an application letter, trembling from head to toe. Feeling smaller and smaller as the elevator went up. Slightly breathless when all these vibrant, smart and professional looking lawyers rushed past me with their laptops and fancy papers. Oh, to be one of those peeps.

But then I got that call.

"Miss Andhari Sidharta, this is ____, ______ & Partners. We're calling to schedule a written test with you tomorrow evening on 6 pm for our internship program..."

That's all I heard because I slumped down the floor. Speechless. All I remember was going to a book store a few hours afterward and went crazy on Capital Market books.

The test went pretty good. I almost ran out of time so my second answer might not be as complete as the first one ( it was a 2 cases-analysis, first one is mandatory ) but overall, they made sense. There were 19 other people with me there, staring at each other intimidatingly. It was so tense, I was pretty sure at one point we almost smacked each other with our laptops.

Wish me luck, pretty please? It's my dreaaaaaaaam. All those "hope for the best, prepare for the worst" wont be so easy to incorporate here.

Would You Date a Brody Jenner?

2010-03-22T09:54:00.005+07:00

In case you don't watch The Hills and Bromance ( hahaha! ), or rarely read celebrity gossip magazines / websites, Brody Jenner is pretty much a guy who's :

blessed with good looks, usually good sense of style too. Not one of those guys you wanna slap for not wearing something appropriate to an important party because he'll be there in either Dolce & Gabbana or Armani suits.

Rich. VERY rich. With a taste of finer things in life reflected in his choice of cars, other toys, life style, travels and of course, women.

Going out all the time. See my previous point.

surrounded by his "entourage", which may or may not consist of guys exactly like him. Plus lots of beautiful women. Even when he has a girl friend, women still flock around him.

very well connected. From the creme de la creme to celebrities to CEO's, he knows everyone!

As much as it's tempting to have a man with the whole package mentioned above, I think I might pass.*

Sure...stylish, gorgeous, well-connected, rich guys sound great but I don't think I'm the kind of girl who can live with the consequences. Not when he lives like a million bucks.

I don't have the mental, and dare I say it, I'm insecure.

If I find many girls texting my boyfriend, I'll try so hard to still be reasonable. Hell, if he parties all the time, my head will scream inside. Especially if I really like the guy.

Even with this hot of a girl friend ( now ex ), he still strays!

I try to not be one of those women some guys call "a crazy bitch" for being overly possessive and jealous. But ladies, don't we all need reasons to not become that crazy bitch? If scantily clad women are all over him, sipping their drinks while trying to grind on him, how would that help seeing him out and about every night? It's not like other girls should take the whole blame, it will require self control from his part too.

Most of the guys I've dated have given me excuses like, "They're the ones who approached me! I didn't do anything!". Or something like, "We just talked!", after she held his arms and batted her eyelashes. Then his posse will nod in agreement, like a group of loyal dogs. How is that believable?

I don't wanna be a crazy bitch. I prefer "an awesome girlfriend" title.

But I think guys like Brody Jenner will give me every reason to be a crazy bitch.

So It's best to not date one.

Can you date a Brody Jenner?

* Surely if a guy only has some of those qualities, it wont hurt. *wink*

Sunday Lovelist #35

2010-03-21T23:02:00.008+07:00

Happy Sunday, guys! How's your week? Mine was pretty awesome, I almost hate saying adios to it. Here are a few things in the love list :

1. My new glasses
Remember I told you I need a pair earlier this week? I put an order, picked it up last Friday and wow, I CAN SEE EVERYTHING AGAIN. Reading and watching movies have never been this enjoyable. I even love the glasses. You're right, glasses = hot. As long as you don't let your old-fashioned mom chooses it for you. Here's a picture I took on the way home from the optical store :

2. Shopping...for days!
This week's shopping put previous weeks shopping to shame, I should be embarrassed. I'd like to plead not guilty though, because I would be less likely to shop if the people I'm with didn't start it first. See, my brother Danny was looking for jeans and jackets earlier this week, so I also got a new pair of jeans, make ups, and dresses. The next day my mom was shopping for office clothes, I spotted necklaces and earrings at a store next door. And last Thursday, Me and Angga went to a mall since he needed to go to a book store. But then we passed this cool boutique selling killer lace-up booties, jackets, and discounted tops. What's a girl to do, huh?

3. Club Zen

My event organizer's monthly event, Club Zen, was a big success last Saturday night. Super crowded. The free flow packages attracted many people and the bottled service resulted in quite a bit memory loss. I did a rap performance right after a sexy lingerie show. However, the star of the night were these cool drag queens dressing like Beyonce and Lady Gaga. They sang, danced, and rocked the crowd.

Tessa, Dian and Me

Me and Ojink, pre-performance.

Me and Dian, partner in crime... of finishing so much vodka

'Lady Gaga' and her topless toyfriends

4. My cook is back!
She went back to her village 3 weeks ago, her mom was sick. So for the past 3 weeks I relied on take-outs, delivery, or just eat out altogether during meal times. My parents had taken turns trying to cook, major fail. Other maids can't too. So when she showed up with her bags late Friday night, I couldn't stop squealing. My stomach can be happy again.

5. Movie + Wedding Date
Angga picked me up to see a play today but we went to the movies instead to see Green Zone. We had lunch at a Japanese eatery beforehand and it was fun. Green Zone turned out to be a very enjoyable movie. Matt Damon gave an astounding performance. I'm usually not a fan of war movies, unless it's set in different planets with crazy special effects and fictional creatures ( Hello, Avatar and Star Trek! ). We went to his close friend's wedding afterward, a huge beautiful reception in one of the 5-Star hotels here. Met a few friends and tried a few creamy desserts. Lovely day.

6. Pitbull's Jakarta show confirmed ( May 12th )
One of the best news of the week, I don't care what haters say. If loving his overly commercial and slightly degrading songs are wrong, I don't wanna be right. Pre-sale tickets are out next Thursday and I'll be getting some of those babies. I'll have my driver queue from 7 AM if I have to. I wrote here that the promoter was looking for an opening act and I've sent my demo CD + press kit, with the supports from many amazing people as you can see here and here. I'll still watch him whether I open or not, though. I know almost every lyric to most of his songs, despite 60% of them are in Spanish. And dirty. HA.

7. Ejannz's coming here TOMORROW!

In case you haven't read her blog, click here. The girl is one of the first people I met in the blogosphere. She's a hot Malaysian doctor working in Ireland and nothing short of awesome. Like the Asian version of Elliott Reed. Anyhoo, a month ago she told me she wants to check Jakarta out during her trip back home. I told her it's ON. Can't wait. It's going to be a fun couple of days. Gotta love a blogger meet-up!

What made you happy this week? Wishing you more happiness for the upcoming one!

TMI Thursday : Going Au Naturale

2010-03-18T23:29:00.007+07:00

People have different perceptions about beauty and what's beautiful.

We've all heard that different cultures have different standards of beauty, or how beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Some guys like skinny women, others like them voluptuous. Some girls prefer tall and toned men, other prefer them a bit short and chubby. It can get more complex too, certain eye color perhaps? The number of tattoos and body piercings? The shape of the butt?

A friend of mine from school, Wibby, is an aspiring photographer. She attended a photography course, taught by a pretty well known photographer in the city. Let's call him Mr. Weirdmuch. Mr. Weirdmuch shoots pretty much everything but he does most work for men's magazine. He shows them to his students too, so they learn from his techniques.

Or, you know, see a lot of boobs and butt cracks.

This sparked my interest.

WHAT.

"Is there anything a bit more extra-ordinary here? Full frontal nudity, perhaps? Sheer thong doesn't count!" I asked, innocently.

"Oh hell yeah," Wibby grinned. "But not many of them are for magazines or websites. Mostly for his or his clients private collection. Probably really private exhibitions."

"Nice!" I exclaimed, still innocently.

"Umm, not really." She hesitated, "Not all of them anyway."

"WHY?" I asked again, super giddy but you know, in the innocent way.

"Well, the guy is into pubic hair," Wibby answered. "He told his models he will only take their nude shots if they don't shave / wax their vajayjays."

Apparently this guy is so good, everyone obeys him. Models save up in bikini wax and go au naturale for his session. Wibby even explained that au naturale doesn't always mean a little hair. Some women really pack rain forest down there. Seems like Mr. Weirdmuch prefers them bushy. Really bushy.

Which left me this question : How bushy is bushy? Hermione Granger bushy? Shih-Tzu puppy bushy? Bigfoot bushy?

Oh here's the kicker, Mr. Weirdmuch also shows these more juicier ( or bushier? ) pictures to his students in class.

ps. This post is never intended to offend any of you lovely ladies who don't believe in the practice of hair removal downstairs. But HONK if you're pro wax!

pss. For more awesome TMI Thursday stories, check out Lilu's blog.

sometimes people surprise you and make you grab a tissue...

2010-03-17T12:01:00.000+07:00

I'm sitting here with a box of tissue beside me, a couple of used, crumpled, wet ones ( ew! ) are already inside a mini zebra trash can under my computer desk. My eyes are also wet.

Don't worry, it's not because some moms in the mall pinching me for stealing their kid's lollies. These are happy tears. Surprisingly happy tears. And this is the reason :

Click to enlarge, pretty please!

There are many more tweets like that but you get the idea. I'm so touched.

Thank you for my brother, Danny, who organized the mass tweets in the beginning. Who told me I should send my demo CD to Java Musikindo ( only one of the BIGGEST concert promoters in Indonesia! ). Who ping-ed me like a crazy person this morning when the news were out...that Pitbull is coming here on May 12th.

And they're looking for an opening act.

If you've read me for a while, then you might know his music is quite a guilty pleasure for this girl. I can't help not having his tracks stuck in my head. I know a lot of inappropriate but funny Spanish sentences because I googled his lyrics. True story.

Like, "Acercame tu pantalon". Not that I know what it means.

Kidding. I know what it means.

Back to the story, I'm so touched. All I can do right now is send my demo plus presskit ( done! ) and pray like crazy. I hope the fact that I don't have a solo album yet wont matter so much, and my extensive stage experiences can make up for it. It's funny actually, I don't normally tell people whenever I want something so bad like this until I finally get it. It saves me the embarrassment if I don't. But in this case, words are already out. Wish me luck, please.

ps. Honestly though, even if I didn't get it *knock on wood*, I MIGHT still be happy. All those tweets are like outpouring love, sips of courage. Bless their kind hearts.

pss. Can you help me tweet too if you're not too busy? Just tweet from your account, "Mr @AdrieSubono + @JavaMusikindo, please choose @iamNdeesaster to open for Pitbull. http://www.reverbnation.com/ndeesaster." Pretty please? Thanks guys!