The Flock

On last Saturday, my hubby and I went to the cinema @ SMS.
We're watched "The Flock" movie.
Not more than 10 minutes after the movie began, my hubby just realized that he had watched this movie before but he forgot the title. :D
Later I found out that it's an old movie (2007).
Still wondering, why they put this movie inside the box for such a long time??

Anyway, The Flock is kind of a thriller movie.
Full of surprises, with a lot of sexual violence scenes (brutal!) which makes me sick. Seriously, I lost my appetite for the whole night!

This movie is about a hypervigilant federal agent (Richard Gere), while training his young female replacement (Claire Danes), must track down a missing girl who he is convinced is connected to a paroled sex offender he is investigating.

Apart from the "brutal" part, I like this movie because it's so unpredictable!
And this movie taught us about a FAITH.

"Have faith in yourself and in the direction you have chosen."

And at the end, this movie's reminding us...
"When we're trying to beat a monster, be sure that we're not become one of it in the process."

Negative Feelings.

Negative feelings are in you, not in reality.
So stop trying to change reality.
That's crazy!
Stop trying to change the other person.
We spend all our time and energy trying to change external circumstances, trying to change our spouses, our bosses, our friends, our enemies, and everybody else.
We don't have to change anything.
Negative feelings are in you.

No person on earth has the power to make you unhappy.
There is no event, condition, situation, or person.
Nobody told you this; they told you the opposite.
That's why you're in the mess that you're in right now.
That is why you're asleep.
They never told you this. But it's self-evident!

*De Mello*

Heidelberg - Germany

Well.., if I should have said two words summarizing my trip to Heidelberg (Germany), I would say that Heidelberg is a very beautiful city. I went there twice, with a very good friend of mine. So, there we were..walking around the beautiful city, along the Neckar river, the old town square, and its gorgeous Castle.
Church and town, town and castle-intricately woven in the history of destruction and reconstruction. Promenades through the old town up to the Castle: historical encounters in narrow lanes.

When we were standing on the top of Koenigstuhl..,there was no need to discuss how amazing view that we have been looking at...there was no enough time to ask what do you feel to each other..coz..we were just speechless looking at God's AMAZING paintings.

Heidelberg..,not just a postcard of beauty. Even today a charming city which successfully resits the dismantling of its romantic beauty.

May every farewell be said with the intention of coming back.
To find once again the memories one has taken along.
Encounters with a myriad of beautiful things in this old city.


Heidelberg in memoir! (Autumn 2003-Summer 2004)

Volendam

Apa ya yg bisa aku tulis tentang Volendam???
Jujur aja sih, buat aku ga ada yang special2 banget yang bisa diomongin dari Volendam.
Gimana ya? Biasa banget...
Pantainya? Banyak pantai yang lebih bagus deh di Indo perasaan...
Trus apalagi ya? Hmmm...cafe2nya...? Kayaknya ga penting deh...
Toko2 souvenirnya yang berderet-deret sepanjang jalan di pesisir pantainya?
Hmmm...bolehlah, buat nyari oleh2. :)

Satu hal yang biasa orang lakuin kalo berkunjung ke Volendam ya apalagi kalo bukan bikin foto dengan pakaian tradisional noni2 dan broer2 Belanda itu --> seperti yg bisa di liat sebelah ini! Huehuehuehue..:p
Selain itu sibuk ngeliatin foto artis2 Indonesia yg udah pasti bakal kalian temuin di setiap studio foto disana. Aku jadi berasa kaya jalan di Blok-M, yg biasanya hampir disetiap toko majang foto atau kalender artis2 Indo dari mulai yang beken ampe yang ga.

Tapi paling ga ada satu hal yg cukup menyenangkan buat kalian lakuin kalo kalian pergi ke sana.
Duduk..duduk..persis di pinggir pantainya..menikmati semilir angin musim semi,sambil ngebayangin apa ya yg ada di ujung lautan sana..? Inggriskah atau Medankah? Huahauhauaha:D Maklum nilai geografi aku jelek banget waktu SMA! Kalo males mikir ya..boleh juga deh duduk..duduk..sambil ngelamun.

Yang jelas aku sendiri ga ngerasain sesuatu yg kalo dlm bhs Inggris istilahnya 'exciting' semuanya flat aja, terlepas dari perasaan sampe juga aku disini!!! :)
Dulu aku cuman bisa ngeliatin foto2nya Oma, Opa, Papa, Mama & keluarga ku lainnya yg juga pernah foto2 di Volendam. Selebihnya, biasa aja.


Volendam in memoir!
There were no so much things to remember...

London's Reunion

London oh London..!

I do not know, why? But London is my obsession since I was in Junior High School. I really want to have an opportunity to go there or even to gain my further knowledge in one of those famous universities in England. Then, I found out that was not possible for me to make my dream come true according to how bloody expensive the tuition fee also a total amount of living cost in London except I have a sponsorship.
Apparently my life has leads me to another direction. I went to Germany instead of going to London which is could be another way for me to visit London sometime.

So I just can not wait for my self to go to London. Finally, I have had a chance to go to London on winter season 2002. I went there with one of my best friend and we were lived in my friend house. I was so excited during our flight on the way to London. As soon as we were arrived in Stansted Airport, I have got used to heard kind of British dialect which is I find it so sexy.
From Stansted Airport we were heading to China Town to have our dinner. I was so surprised at the time coz I really feels like home! Not because of my dream come true but its all because London is look like Jakarta in one and another way. Within a hectic traffic jam, the highways, what a crowded town, and its hard to find a free parking place there (its more effective to go with underground/metro or Londons famous red bus.), dirty, and so on and so on.
My first impression was, OMIGOT another version of Jakarta apart from the language of course. But still it does not reduce my curiosity of London. Especially with all of my lovely friends there who really kind to make my trip WONDERFUL!

London is not a place to do in a day or even a week. To experience all this cosmopolitan and historically rich city has to offer would challenge even the most cultured of locals! Lying in the south-east of England on the river Thames, Greater London is home to 9 million people. With world-famous landmarks such as the Palace of Westminster (Houses of Parliament), Buckingham Palace, Kensington Palace Garden, Trafalgar Square, Picadilly Circus, St. Pauls Cathedral (the second largest dome in the world), Tower Bridge, Millenium Dome, Big Ben, National Museum, the London Eye, and still many more obliged places to see. For those who really like shopping than London is the right place to go. London have so many big and famous shopping centre such as: Plaza Shopping Centre (Oxford Street), Victoria Place Shopping Centre (Buckingham Palace Road), Covent Garden Market (The Piazza), The London Pavillion (Picadilly) and many more. And for those who loved Indonesian food, then never forget to try Bali-Bali Restaurant (the food is amazing, not because one of my friend working there!), Satay Restaurant (they have a very big portion, delicious of course! And a lot of Indonesian people work there including my friend. Btw, bener kan ya Mam namanya..gw lupa2 inget!), and Melati Restaurant (we had our farewell dinner in this restaurant, the food is also delicious especially rujak-nya!) Hmmm..,yummy!!! And for those who loved Japanese food, do not forget to come to Wagamama Restaurant (Soho, but there are several places of this restaurant in London.), one of the most famous Japanese restaurant in the world. For those who loved clubbing, there are so many great lounge and club to hang out but remember everything is so expensive in poundsterling.

London is no stranger to destruction, mourning and reconstruction. The Great Fire of London struck in the seventeenth century and gave Londoners no chance to recover from the great plague which swept the city just before. In the twentieth century, it was the first and second World Wars which claimed their toll on the nations capital and its people. Despite this, the ever-present resilience of the Londoners has seen the rebuilding of this grand, exciting and prosperous capital to be enjoyed by all its visitors in the new millennium.

London has never made much of an attempt to be one of the most beautiful European capitals and nor does it pretend to be such. Instead, as the architect Piers Gough put it, 'London is a dirty, gritty, hard-working city', which is seen by many as one of its endearing characteristics. The gradual growing together over centuries, of towns, villages, peoples and cultures has made London into the exciting, unpredictable and varied place it is today.
Two weeks just not enough for me to explore London, I would like to go there again next time! So London, just wait for me, I will come to you!


London in memoir! Winter 2002/2003


*Thank's to all of my friends in London who makes my journey WONDERFUL.., especially to Imam for being so nice to gave his room for us!*

A Real Life

After spent almost 6 years living abroad...
I realized that many things has been changed ever since.
I'm not the same person anymore as I was.
Not only my eyes are now open wide but especially my mind.

I never stop to thank God for all of the opportunities that He has given to me.
Without His mercy, I would never be like who I am now.
Living in abroad had teaches me to be a realistic person.
I learnt how to survive.., I learnt how to make a good decision...
I learnt about how to live my life to the fullest with all ups and downs.
Life is always move forward like a clock that always ticking anyway.
There's no point to linger on our past.., except to take a lesson from the mistakes that we've made.

Just move on and let everything falls behind.


* Dedicated to Muenster my second home...*

Winter in Paris

Paris, City of light, Paris, one of the most beautiful cities in the world.

Seems that it took forever just to post a story about our trip to Paris.
Kind of short trip with a long stories and unforgetable memories .
Feeling of tired because of almost 10 hours sitting on the bus from Darmstadt to Paris was suddenly disappeared as soon as we were arrived in Paris.
It's an incredible feeling when you know that you are standing right in the heart of the most famous and romantic city in the world.
We were looking and walking around, along the largest square in Paris, Place De La Concorde which taken place right at the end of Paris main street, Des Champs Elysees.

Although still not satisfied enough after taking our first pictures in Paris, we have decided to had our first breakfast in the Chambolle Cafe.
At first we were totally confused why there were several different price for the same menu! Then we found out that the price's determine by the place we have choose. For example: you should pay more for your food if you want to have a table, but if you are just sitting and having your food in the bar then you will pay more cheap. (What a funny rule I think first.., but since a lot of tourists regularly come to Paris.., than I understand its make sense anyway.) Finish took our first French baguette and morning coffee, we were check in and put our bags in the hotel.

Since then, our journey in Paris was begun. It was really cold at the time though it was a bright sunny day. But we just did not have so much time to gave any shit to the weather because we were so excited and there were so many great places & buildings waiting for us to stop by and come over.

From Notre Dame Cathedral to the arenas of Lutetia.
From The Concierge to Musee Du Louvre.
From the Basilique Du Sacre Coeur to Tour Eiffel.
From Arc De Triomphe De L’ etoile to Des Invalides.
From Palais De Chaillot to Le Pantheon.
From Opera Garnier to Jardin Et Palais Du Luxembourg.
From Centre G. Pompidou to La Fayette.
From the oldest clock to the oldest house in Paris.
And there were so many places that I could not mention here coz it will takes the whole week for me to explain.

Most of the beautiful moment that I have ever had in Paris was the Christmas Eve.
We went to Notre Dame following International Mass which was held in three language (French, Spain, and English). I could hardly explain what kind of feeling that I had at the time, until suddenly I felt that my tears fallen down on my cheeks. Its just so..so...unexplainable.

When you are on the trip.., time is just too short!!!
Then it comes to the point that those moments have to come to the end even when you are not ready for it. Even when you do not want it to end.
As the peak of our trip in Paris, we were having our last dinner in the most delicious cafe in Paris (at least for me!), Cafe Le Petit Pont just direct on the left side of Notre Dame.
The food was so delicious, the atmosphere was so cozy with a friendly waiters, and most of all with the great jazz live music performance.

Then we were heading home, wishing that will come another opportunity for us practicing our limited French phrases:
'Excusez-moi'
'Merci-bien'
'Bonjour Madamme/Monsieur'
'S’ il vous plait'
'Comtoir'


Paris in memoir!
Beautiful city with a beauty of sorrow!

Muenster, Meine Stadt: My Lovely City..!

Muenster is the capital of North Rhineland-Westphalia.
The history of the city begins in 800, when the first Christian monastery was established in this area.
In 1170 Muenster received the municipal rights and shortly became a very influential religious and administrative center.
In the 16-th century the city remained under the strong influence of Anabaptists. In 1648, after 5-year lasting negotiations, the Westphalian Peace Treaty ending the 30-year war was signed in Muenster.

The Westphalian Treaty brought substantial territorial changes in Europe.
From the very beginning Muenster was perceived as a central city of North Rhineland- Westphalia and in 1816 the city became the capital of the region.

Nowadays, it is one of the most beautiful and characteristic locations in Germany. Approx. 280,000 Muenster's inhabitants live in the area corresponding to approx. 30,000 hectares. More than 40% of working population is employed in the public sector of the national economy, 30% in trade and 25% in industry.

Muenster is the regional center of administration, trade and science.
The third of the largest German universities is located in Muenster.
The university educates about 50,000 students.
Moreover, the academic nature of the city is reflected by a number of scientific associations and other organizations.

In the Muenster's surroundings there are about one hundred castles on the water, all in exceptionally good condition. The city market called Prinzipalmarkt, a shopping center with exclusive shops, big department stores and famed cafeterias, is the most beautiful place in Muenster. Since 1280 generations of traders built their tenement-houses at the city square.

At the square of the city the Saint Lambertius Church was erected, on the tower of which, three cages are hung, where in the thirties of the 16-th century corpses of three Anabaptist movement leaders were kept. A fronton of the historic city hall built in the Gothic style and a cathedral clock, which was heard for the first time in 1540 and its ticking will sound up to 2017, are exceptionally interesting monuments of the city.

The Muenster inhabitants say that in the city there are about 50 churches of many beliefs.Muenster has much to offer - apart from urban history, historical old part of town and westfaelischem peace the free culture scene and the museum landscape are singularly and supraregional well-known.
Muenster takes these and many further "Pounds" to the cause to apply than culture capital of Europe 2010.
Thus Muenster historical old part of town offers not only a singular closed window blind of impressive buildings, but also unmistakable meetings and high-quality offers.
Modern architecture, contemporary sculptures, the federal state museum for art and culture history, the graphics museum Pablo Picasso and the museum for lacquer art are to be found here.

A further culture area is the "creative dock" at the port with Wolfgang Borchert theatre, Hot jazz club and various catering trade and club scene.
Exciting leisure experiences guarantee all-weather zoo, Aasee and further attractions e.g. balloon travels and the international kite celebration in the local recreation area Aasee.

When points of program load firm the "euro town center celebration", the Weihnachtsmaerkte in historical city window blind as well as (large Stadtkirmes three times annually) and the international riding tournament "tournament of the winners" sends in before the lock for experiencing.
The culture and leisure offers are also by wheel experiencable, e.g.. traditional "Paettkesfahrten", a route along the art in the urban space or a radtour on the traces of the giro d`Italia.


*I lived in Muenster since 2002 - 2007. I left some part of my heart in this lovely town...*