yellow

xtra-terestrial

Lets just say he is different than the other ones
Lets just say he is a bit more attentive than the other ones
Lets just say he has a bit more charm
a grim could be turned to a smile in his arms
He could be a good friend
With whom problems could be mend
Lets just say hypothetically all this was true
How long would one need till reality will hit you?
For nothing good lasts forever
goodbye must come and I will endeavor

a woman in words

vogue

When I hear the alphabet V, my mind always wonders to that beautiful magazine I love, Vogue. Its like the Queen of Magazines, the jewel between all those rocks. I have had a passion for clothes and dresses ever since I can remember. I remember playing dress up when I was little with my parents clothes, I remember making barbie clothes for my barbies, and I remember cutting my own clothes to make it look nicer. Even until now I still play dress up when I am down. Although now I like to play a little make up to.

The first time I heard about Vogue was in my favorite TV series, Friends. It had this character named Rachel and she loved reading Vogue, so I wanted to know what it was. You see I am from Indonesia, Vogue is not a household name for us. So I got my first Vogue from a second shop, it was a relatively old one, from the year before, and I loved it. I started collecting them right that moment.

I know that people think that people who love fashion are kinda shallow etc, but I love it. For me its a way of showing what you are and an output for your creativity and your inner art. I love it. Vogue for me is an inspiration, it shows you all the possibilities and the beauty in that world.

I may not be a designer, or a fashion goddess, or a trendsetter, but I love to dress up and I love to be inspired to express myself more. I am so thankful that there is Vogue to always keep my mind open to new possibilities.

urban landscape

at that park in tokyo, a photo by asihsimanis on Flickr.

Today I still had this theme in my head, and that theme would be tokyo. Probably its simply because I am celebrating the notion of visiting Tokyo again next weekend. I cant wait to meet this beautiful city again.

I took this picture when I first came to tokyo, it was taken in one of the gardens in Tokyo, but we had to pay to enter this garden, it was not one of those free public parks -although it only cost about 300 Yen-. I don't really remember the name of the place, and to be honest I wasn't that much impressed by the place.

At the time I had not fallen in love with Japanese gardens so probably I was still trying to digest the idea of what this garden is about, and sometimes when you try to hard to digest something you forget how to enjoy it.

However after the trip I checked my shots and there were actually some pretty decent shots from this garden. So I guess the place wasnt that bad. In fact I think the place was this little zen place to escape to in the hustle and bustle of this big and really busy city they call tokyo.

If anyone wants to visit this garden, all I remember is that is situated near Takadabashi Pier, hopefully this helps.

tokyo time

man with round nose, a photo by asihsimanis on Flickr.

I have been to tokyo just to enjoy the city about three times this past year, and it has been a very pleasant journey each time. I even dare nominate it as my favourite city in Japan. What I love about the city is hopefully very obvious from this picture I took new years eve in Zojoji Temple, Tokyo has this real blend of everything in just the right amount you just can find anything if you know how to find it.

I mean there are places like Asakusa and Ueno which have so old and beautiful temples, but at the same time you can see the rainbow bridge in Odaiba, the tokyo tower, Shibuya, Harajuku and so so much more. I think that Tokyo is just a photographers dream, it has every element of surprise one needs to get inspired. Those elements that take your breath and simply make you fall in love -one of those things you need to be a good photographer I think is the ability to see beauty and to fall in love with it, to be inspired by it-. Its just such a pleasant city, full of pleasant people with pleasant dreams.

I would love to share all My tokyo pictures and tell you the story of each, but that would be such a long post. I am considering the idea however, since I would like not to forget about my experiences here. Trust me, if you have a list of places you must see before you die, put tokyo in it, make a week trip of it, hell! make a month trip of it, it is worth it, I promise you.

Silence

Inconvenient silences are those times when you are with someone and you kinda lost topic of discussion, which leaves this very thick and unflattering void of nothing in the air. I think that those silences are horrible, and I have dedicated my life to find ways to avoid them. I just keep on talking -one quality that is either my best or my worst quality, depending on who and when you see it-.

However I must say that sometimes you find people with which silence is not uncomfortable, those moments are magical I think. Comfortable silence for me is a sign of understanding and I find this as a signal that this person is someone I can be real friends with -for if I have to keep on talking everytime, real friendship seems too difficult-.

I think that everything you need to know about someone is in the silence you share. For silence is so difficult to share with and a person who can fill the silence other than with voices -or unnecessary noises I like to make- are really really Interesting and note worthy people. Have you found your silent buddy?

research

Research is what made me a little behind on my A-Z blog challenge, sorry.. Another reason is simply because I ran out of Ideas. however the word research -other than prompting me to remember about my own research which is in a really bad place right now-, also reminds me of a song by Cole Porter. If I remember the song I also remember the movie where I first heard it, the name of the movie is De-Lovely. The movie is one of the best musicals I've seen, very rarely is a musical movie good and not child material. It is not really a Once type movie either, its a real musical. I think that the movie describes what real love and lust is all about. I have watched it probably more than 20 times, but I still love it, although I sometimes just fast forward it to the best parts. Here are the lyrics of that song I like, its called Experiment.

Before you leave these portals
To meet less fortunate mortals,
There's just one final message I would give to you.
You all have learned reliance
On the sacred teachings of science,
So I hope, through life, you never will decline
In spite of philistine
Definace
To do what all good scientists do.

Experiment!
Make it your motto day and night.
Experiment!
And it will lead you to the light.
The apple on the top of the tree
Is never too high to achieve,
So take an example from Eve,
Experiment!
Be curious,
Though interfering friends may frown.
Get furious
At each attempt to hold you down.
If this advice you always employ
The future can offer you infinite joy
And merriment,
Experiment!
And you'll see
As Cole Porter (in the movie said), somethings just sound better with music under them. So if you were not satisfied with the lyrics then be my guest, watch the movie. I promise you its a good one.

#quakebook

I am very deeply impressed by what these people have created. Here is the link to purchase to book from Amazon, and also the blog our ourmaninabiko who was the initiator of this idea. You should buy it.

part-time lover full-time friend

Since these days I have been single, I`d like to start day dreaming about the perfect man again, is that still allowed? Or is there a rule where when you hit a certain age where you can no longer have fantasies about your future husband anymore? Well, since I am also still in the from A-Z blog challenge, and today is the day for P I`d like to write about that part time lover and full time friend thing I've always wanted. Can I?

Well, since I am day dreaming let me be bold and super crazy, I want him to be like Superman! that can fly to my rescue when ever I need him. With an actual cape. But I would never want a Spiderman or Batman or any other man than Superman, Spiderman is way too self-involved, while Batman has a serious seriousness problem, so I would take only Superman. The perfect geek who can safe me when needed.

If however he is not Superman then I would settle for a knight in shinning armor, who rides a white horse and has a very very shinning armor, who fight battles for me and safes me when needed. I would never go for a King, he has too many responsibilities and too many other options, probably a King would have thousand of mistresses, it would be too complicated. I would also never want a Prince, Princes are just way too spoiled, I'd rather have that very humble, brave, work his ass of to be where he is and down to earth knight in shinning armor.

If I can not get neither Superman nor that Knight in shinning armor then I would only settle for a friend. That friend who knows me and falls in love with me. A friend that will grow with me.

However, in this time I think maybe I am not ready to be loved anyway, I will take my time to be person anyone could love, I will take my time to grow to be suitable to be loved. Hopefully out there there is someone who has the patience to wait.

a hug story

Right now, if I was in Indonesia, life would be easy. I’d call a friend of mine and say, ”Hey, I need a hug. A really big hug please!”. A friend would then hug me and in that single hug I would feel not alone.

I’m a hugger. I express my feelings by hugging people –whether that feeling is sad or happy, still I would give a really big hug-. I hug people. That’s what I do.

I am not saying that a hug in Indonesia is as common as a hug in America for instance –its not-, it is not part of our culture, but hey world –I’m Indonesian- I’m hugging my friends, no strings attached!

But this is not Indonesia, the people here are alien to me, the culture is alien to me, their affection is alien to me, –and what makes things worse - the faces here are alien to me –no friend to hug or to get a hug from-. I miss my friends. I’m a hug bitch, I need a hug to live.

I’m not saying I don’t have friends here, I do.  Its just that these friends are not the hugging type, and I prefer them to stay that way –it would be very awkward otherwise-. I still love them just as much even without the hug. So if I was to get a hug from someone I’d need to import that from Indonesia, and that’s expensive! I wonder whether I could give myself a hug and call it a day? Or could I ask my pillow to give me a hug today?

osaka

when I hear Osaka I always remember Conan, that famous kid detective who has a friend in Osaka named Eiji. Although Conans base is Tokyo, but Tokyo does not remind me of him, its Osaka. How srange is that. Never in a milion years did I ever thought I would ever go to Japan to go to school, so did I never really planned on going to Osaka, but when you are already in Japan of course you gotta visit.

As far as I have been in Japan I have been to 4 big cities, Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, and Sapporo. The first time I went to Osaka I only came there to eat takoyaki -which they said Osaka had the best of- and to go see by my self that famous Dotomburi street, not to mention I also took one day to go to the Universal Studio Japan, which is located in Osaka. But my first trip wasnt really a to revealing trip, I remember thinking to myself when I went to Dotomburi and saw rhose famous running man billboard; Wow this place is dirty.

I really mean it, Osaka is super dirty. In dotomburi they have that river which had junk floatimg all over it. Not to mention that rubbish was everywhere on the street. As far as I know in Tokyo things didnt look that way, so I was really unimpressed by this.

But despite all the dirtiness etc, Osaka does have the best takoyaki I ever tasted in Japan, and it also has very very friendly people. Also Osaka is not as crowded as Tokyo, which is a good thing. I also know from my second time around that Osaka is super super difficult to travel in, because the signs are simply just not helping you to find your destinations, I spent 2 hours being lost in Osakas confusing subway line, that is not something to be proud of. I would never have the same problem in Tokyo.

But I have no idea how it would feel to live there, so I guess I have no say in it.

neverland

 I always hated Peter Pan when I was growing up, I remember seeing the Disney version of the story and hating him because he was just so childish. For a little girl who always wanted to grow up, to see someone who does not want to grow up just hurts my eyes. But as I grew older I kinda realized that it would be kinda cool if you could live in neverland and never grow old.

When you were little you could always dream for a future that seemed so distant you could hang your dreams as high as the moon and beyond. The older you grow, the lower the expectations you have of your future, the more you become grounded in reality. The more you become like the rest of the grown ups, simply just trying to survive.

You kinda wish you were Peter Pan, who does not have the responsibility, and therefore can keep doing what he does best, play all day and night. and you wish you had Tinkerbell with you giving you all her dust and helps you to fly.

but hey there, its not all bad here outside neverland either.

For if you don't grow up and keep hanging on where you are then you will never see the beauty of going after your dreams and actually achieving it. Even if you fall and stumble in the process but the process will build and pamper your personality. Even when you are grounded in reality and you have lowered your expectations, dreams are still there to be chased. The difference between having a dream when you were in neverland and when you are a grown up is that in the real world you get a chance to chase your dream and achieve it. No matter how low or how high your dream is, achieving it still counts for something. Thats what being a grown up is all about.

morning has broken

Morning has broken, like the first morning
Blackbird has spoken, like the first bird
Praise for the singing, praise for the morning
Praise for the springing fresh from the word

Sweet the rain's new fall, sunlit from heaven
Like the first dewfall, on the first grass
Praise for the sweetness of the wet garden
Sprung in completeness where his feet pass

Mine is the sunlight, mine is the morning
Born of the one light, Eden saw play
Praise with elation, praise every morning
God's recreation of the new day

by Cat Stevens.

this was my dads favourite song. I'm dedicating M for him today. Always on my mind Daddy.

L-O-V-E

from Indonesia to Japan

this is a video made by the Indonesian embassy, to show our support form Japan on these difficult days. がんばれ 日本！You will never walk alone.

creative blog award!

just got this from Deirdra! Never got anything as cool as this before! thank you!!

Kyoto

in a hurry, a photo by asihsimanis on Flickr.

there is this atmosphere in Kyoto that is just so old, you gotta like it. this is a picture I took in Gion, she is a Geisha.

Geisha are an important trademark of Kyoto, and they are just so beautiful to see.

japan

ichi nichi kippu

travelling in japan is expensive.thats why in big cities they created one day passes. in japanese its called ichi nichi kippu -which literally means one day ticket-.

In Kyoto for instance, you can buy a one day ticket for the city bus which will cost you 500 Yen. If you didnt take the one day pass, one bus ride will cost you about 220 Yen for adults and 110 for children, which means if you used the ticket more than twice, you will already gain from it. In my experience in Kyoto, in one day, you could go to up to 7 places (from 8a.m - 10 p.m), so the ticket is very much worth it. However if you are planning on going to Kyoto on high season, or weekends, the bus could be very slow since the traffic is horrible. So you should consider that.

In Osaka you can buy the subway pass for 850 Yen per day (600 Yen on Fridays). These are also very very worth it. When I was in Osaka, I bought a one day pass that also included the aquarium ticket, so it was 2,400 Yen. The Aquarium ticket itself was 2000 Yen so it was very cheap.

so whenever you are travelling in japan, be smart, go to the nearest tourist information and get yourself information on the available passes and get one that suits you.

trains and subways in japan

In Japan your cellphone is not allowed to ring or make any other sound for that matter inside trains or subways, this also applies in other public transportations. Your cellphone should be on silent mode,or manner mode as the japanese would say. When you forget to do so, you will receive some very cold stares at the time your phone rings, which is like social punishement.

You are also not allowed to make or receive calls, for it is considered rude. Nevertheles, texting and browsing or using any other feature in your phone is still allowed, as long as it is on mute. Which is why the Japanese have their head inside a phone almost all the time.

In Japan, people can sleep while they are standing and most likely they will wake up on their designated station right in time to get off. In Japan, people use their notebooks inside the trains and do their work reports. They also have pens and fill out some papper work -while standing up-. In Japan they read novels,comics and porn magazines in trains. They have book covers, to cover their novels, but not their magazines.

best takoyaki

osaka is famous for its takoyaki, which are like round omeletes which use octopus as its signature ingedient. so next time ur in town, you gotta try it. its the best!

hanami time

hanami is a japanese term for looking at sakura trees,which is a very japanese tradition.i am now in osaka,doing just that.

I will post some Sakura pictures later on, they were amazing!

ginkakuji from above

ginkakuji from above, a photo by asihsimanis on Flickr.

Today I will be leaving for osaka and Kyoto to see tha Sakuras at its best at the best places possible. I am a photography freak, so it might be a good time to visit. Im planning on visiting Ginkakuji again, its the temple I love the most in Kyoto. I love it because when I am inside it, I feel like my Dad is close with me. It might sound stupid, but the place is magical. I will try to post pictures and stories during my travel. I will catch up with everyones blog on Monday. Thank you for visiting!

Via Flickr:
this is my most favorite temple in Kyoto

growing up

When I was growing up I had this idea stuck in my head, I always thought that in order to be strong you have to fall big time. I think its pretty much the no pain no gain principle. So when I was growing up I knew that with my background, it would be difficult for me to have that hunger for life, because I had it all.

I had a good family, with parents who loved me and had plenty of time to love me. I had a good childhood, with those play times, colors, travelling and everything else you could possibly wish for. I had a lot of friends, sometimes too many  I could handle. and I was happy.

But I knew that in order to grow one has to strive and to fall. So I wondered when my time was, when my falling would begin. I almost felt like captain Huck who always heard that tick of clock following him, knowing that that crocodile would someday come to eat him. but unlike him, I was ready for it, I wanted it to happen -or so I thought-.

I always look at those people who fall and rise to the occasion enviously, thinking that they would benefit from it, become stronger in person and learn lessons money could not pay for. where as I have to content with what I know, having everything. I wonder how it was possible to grow as a person if you had no experience of falling.

People say be careful what you wish for, for it might come true. And it did. In my happy life where I had everything and achieved pretty much everything I wanted, I finally hit that big rock, where things started to fall apart. And everything was not quite as I imagined it. it was not as hard as I thought it would be.

I always thought that when that time of struggle comes, it would be bloody and really really hard, but if this really is my time to fall, and I think it is, its actually pretty civilized. I might actually say that when it happened, when you actually lost what was dearest to you, it makes things pretty clear. its like an opening in the sky where you suddenly see everything in front of you in a new way. And its relieving.

I'm not saying that I am not sad to loose my Dad, but hey, things happen and life moves on. And for the first time in my life I know that what ever happens later on in life, I might be able to get through it -because I know I have it in me.

fast-forward

OK. lets all just take a minute to imagine life for us fast forwarded 10 years after now. Please start to picture it. Now lets break the big questions first.

1. Where are you?

2. How is your family? is it just you alone?

3. Where are you working?

4. How do you look?

If anyone is interested in answering those questions, please leave them in the comments below, or email them to me, or post your own version on your blog, I would love to read your imaginations. but please please tell me about how you are now too, so I can see what did and what did not change 10 years from now. Now if you would excuse me, I would like to do some wondering myself.

Ok I imagine myself in a ma ma house, ma ma is Japanese for so so, not too big, not too small, but enough. I imagine having a huge back garden with a lot of grass to run around. I imagine myself playing with my children, probably there are two of them, hopefully one of them is a girl, so I can buy cute girly stuff for her. that would be a good obsession. 10 years from now my girl might be 2 years old already, and I could see her play in our backyard. Wow, this would be a privilege.

I imagine myself working as an educator. Hopefully if I could teach in my almamater, I would love to be able to be part in someones growing up, college are the best times of our life, I would like to think that I contributed to those times.

As for looks I would say I look smoking hot! Hopefully I am in a state where I have enough time and money to take care of my own body. Well, that's a really short description. I was hoping I could do more than than. but well. That's me 10 years from now!

end elsewhere

so life gets bumpy and seriously complicated, but that's life, you should expect it to act that way. Just grab your bags, get your ticket and travel your worries away. You know there is more to life than this. you just gotta end up elsewhere.

dreamers dream

no matter what your heart is dreaming, if you keep on believing, the dream that you wish will come true.

thank god for led lights

sushi time.

its sushi time!just found a great new sushi place near nitori.best sushi i ate so far in nagaoka,its called nikoniko. We wanted to eat there because the sign board said that one plate was only 90 Yen! 90 Yen is super cheap. usually the cheapest would be 100 Yen, you might think its only 10 Yen, but in reality, when you eat sushi, you gotta eat at least 8 plates. Boys usually eat more than 15 plates, so 10 Yen matters. hehe. but when we went inside, we found out that only certain plates were 90 Yen, the other ones were either 100 Yen, 150 Yen, 300 Yen or 500 Yen. Haha gotcha! but we decided to try out the place anyway, and it was so worth it! I ate 7 Plates , which is an improvement, because I usually eat 15 plates or more.. Hehe.

What I want to say is that anytime you go to nagaoka, you should stop by! its super nice and oishii, so why not:)

brownies

a little friday experiment

cheesecake my way