.: stay cool in Semarang :.

clockwise from top left: es tjong lik, es campur klenteng, oleh2 java, es mang Kirman

L-R 1st row: Nasi Jamblang Mang Dul-Cirebon; Nasi Pindang - Semarang; Nasi Opor - Kudus
2nd row: Lunpia Semarang; Sate Kerbau-Kudus; Nasi Ayam - Semarang
3rd row: Lentok-Kudus, Nasi Gandul-Semarang, Gudeg Mrakmati - Ungaran

just got back from 4 days culinary-tour at central java! :D the food there were amazing, I think I gained several lbs :( more pics are coming! I hope this one is torturous enough LOL..

.: photo cocktail of Bandung :.

Some ITB Fine Arts students are repainting the Siliwangi Mural, yay! I applaud you guys, great job! If only everyone have similar concerns about the environments...

While this is my fave Sundanese restaurant ever, I'm curious with what they put in their menu. What is Shop Ikan Mas & Shop Gurame? My initial guess was soup, but they do know how to spell soup... (look at pic below, taken at the same restaurant) And what is 'Piritan'?

This pic is specially taken for you, who missed Aloy so very much! LOL...

.: layers of luck :.

I need all the luck in the world next week as I'm about to do something that will open the door to a better future (hopefully). Luck and a very good skill of communication, both I'm not very good at... what to do, what to do? Speaking of luck, I found this good luck charm called Fukuro (owl/luck) in Daiso;not only cute but also very useful:

as a good luck bandana! how 'bout that, eh?

This is a very interesting 'kue lapis' ; usually each layer is about 0.5cm thick, while the layers on this one is barely as thick as a string of thread... and smells good too! I don't have the heart to eat it, it's so pretty!

.: 3 days to eternity :.

Well, the official title is 3 days to Forever, but I prefer eternity, sounds so... extremely forever! LOL. What am I blabbering about? It's this new indonesian movie, 3 Hari Untuk Selamanya, directed by the talented Riri Riza. The story is very simple, about 2 cousins taking a road trip to a family wedding in Yogyakarta; but due to their endless 'smoking' and utter ignorance of places outside of Jakarta, they run into troubles and got into hilarious situations. I love it, can't wait for more good Indo movies... Yay! Keep 'em comin'!

.: more yumsies... :.

My very own homemade spaghetti, with a lot of help from Prego

Green Apple + Mango Yoghurt Gelato from Gelato Bar

.: baaa! :.

I just recently got Cable TV in my room and found this show on Disney channel... it is from the creator of Chicken Run and Wallace & Grommit movies... It is so funny!! Unfortunately I don't think they're on air on the US just yet, but do enjoy the official website :)

.: Bandung oh BANDUNG!! :.

The writing on the sticker reads: GEMPAR: Gelar Akbar Metode Penyembuhan Alternatif & Penampakan Manusia Super S@#@$^ (my guess is Shadad...something)
Also, my Bandung friends, where on earth is Derwati?? Massage parlour around Ciwastra??

Bandung people are soo creative, look what they put inside the traditional Cireng (translate as fried flour-cake): Spicy Peanuts, Spicy Chicken, Spicy Sausage, Spicy Corned Beef, Cheese, Spicy Meatball, and Regular Corned. My question is: what's up with the spicy?

Ooh, the scary sign actually works! For once in Bandung, nobody dares to break the rule!

.: scratched from my list... :.

Bibimbap: DONE *might need to repeat due to the unexpected taste of this one*

Spaghetti? DONE

Salmon Sushi & Spicy Tuna: DONE

.: again, Katjapiring :.

Bandung is quite small and the people loooves to eat, so when there's a new restaurant in town, everyone must try. Almost all of my friends have not visited the new installment in Parijs Van Java mall; Katjapiring. So I went there again and still find it very nice. I love the tiles, feels antic & authentic. And I love the food! We ordered roti chanai & curry (gone in 15 minutes), nasi lemak, asam iga, grilled oxtail, and teh tarik. Yumsies!

.: farming! :.

These are chayotes, or in indo: labu siem. And believe it or not, we got these from our very own farm! No kidding. My parents have this property in Lembang and apparently the land is volcanic, so everything grows rapidly and gave abundant results; mangoes, chayotes, butter cassavas... and occasionally some bitter-melons.

.: Kedai Teko

Tuck and hidden in Ciumbuleuit area is Kedai Teko, with it's cozy & homey decor, lush greenery, so quiet, feels far away from the bustling of the university district only minutes away from it. They served variety of teas in traditional clay teapots, special drip coffees, poffertjes, chips & homemade salsa, and a few more light meals. Do wear long sleeves & pants though if you don't want to get mosquitoes bites...

.: guess where? :.

sorry for the low quality of the pics, I took these while I was driving... can any of you Bandung people guess where are these places? *wink* I'm quite happy realizing that there are still lots of trees in Bandung... I wish I can plant some more ;)

.: cravings ... :.

It's that time of the month again when I'm at my most greedy mode. I was craving for the crispy duck dish from Kafe Bali last week *yesh, it's the Kafe Bali that a particular friend of mine hated so very much*. It is so tasty & crispy, I actually nibbled on the bones... shamelessly. They served it with 'sambal acar bawang', 'sambal mangga muda', 'rempeyek kacang', and 'sambal khas Bali'.Then today I suddenly wanted some beef satay. You can find the best beef satay in Lembang, right outside of the Carmel Monastery. The second best is in GOR Padjadjaran. Meat & gizzards not as chewy as the one in Lembang, but the peanut butter sauce taste just the same. *Oh my , just looking at the picture makes me crave for some more...*Another cravings I have at the moment are for: bibimbap, galbi, spaghetti bolognaise, spicy salmon sushi, strawberry juice, and green milk tea with pearl... Well at least I know what's for lunch & dinner tomorrow then... :p

I found my old 'sewing basket' yesterday. *more like a basket of forgotten hopes, I suppose* I always wanted to learn how to sew but never got the will to actually learn how to do it properly aside from mending minor tears & tightening lose buttons. Inside it I found some fabric scraps I saved from my old company's trade shows. I'm browsing several blogs that can give me some ideas on what to do with these beautiful scraps. I'm a regular visitor at Print & Pattern, one of the most inspiring blog. And I'm drawn into collecting the patterns around me. How cute is this pouch?!

.: other blogs :.

wow... so many cool blogs out there that inspires & enlightened me! I just found this link from here, what a fun movie promo!! I love it! I'm also fond of taking quizzes so I took the quiz called 'what color are you?' ... hmmm i doubt anyone who knew me agrees with the result...

GREEN

You are a very calm and contemplative person. Others are drawn to your peaceful, nurturing nature.

Find out your color at QuizMeme.com!

.: tempo doeloe :.

The trend started approximately 4 years ago when they opened 'vintage' restaurants serving dishes made from grandma's recipes. They used names like "mom's kitchen", "grandma X' house", etc. They went all out on the decor, recreating old colonial houses; peranakan style, javanese & balinese houses... In Jakarta they have 'Kedai Tiga Nyonya', 'Dapur Babah', 'Loro Djonggrang', and the famous 'Kembang Goela'. About a week ago a restaurant opened in Parijs Van Java mall in Bandung called 'Katjapiring', serving peranakan meals. I personally think the decor is quite nice; and the most important thing is the food was great. I had 'Soto Betawi'. The meat was soft & digestible, soup was yummy, altho they need to put a bit more potatoes in it. And they have four pages of peranakan food!