Wisdom of the day

The older I get, the happier I am.  Weird.  When I was younger, I somewhat afraid to be older. As if being older is something I want to avoid of. But somehow, age gets the better of me. I somehow (and hopefully) become wiser and humbler. I admit that I don't know everything, and still willing to learn things that excite me, or peek my curiosity.

To sum it up, I only have 3 simple wish I have in life:
1. I want to be happy.
2. I want to always be healthy.
3. I want to be wiser.

Success and wealth are important too, but being in a state of mind of happy and contentment are something that I can always have in any age level. No matter how old (or young) I am. Bob Marley once sang,"Don't Worry Be Happy!"

Health is another point of view. No matter how much money I have in the world, nothing can buy life. Yes you can prolong your life by keeping healthy habit, take vitamins, and exercise. But eventually, we all going to die at some point. So having a healthy life till the end is a priority to me. At least if I die, I want it not because I have certain disease or something.

Lastly, wisdom. This, I found, I can only get by age. Doesn't mean I have to be older. Learning from those who had walk before me. Like learning from my parents, grandparents, uncles and aunts, and all those who have more seniority than me. One thing for sure, wisdom is something that I will always pursue.

I guess it's true what a wise man once said. "The more I learn, the more I know that I know nothing."

That's ok. As long as I'm happy, healthy, and getting wiser each day. :)

Tidur dengan pria lain?

Suatu hari seorang pria bertanya kepada tiga orang wanita yang sudah menikah.

Pria: Maukah anda tidur dengan pria lain kalau anda dibayar satu juta dollar?

Nyonya A: Tentu saja.  Bahkan saya akan berikan bonus satu malam lagi.

Nyonya B: Sudah pasti, siapa yang tidak mau satu juta dollar.  Bahkan keesokan paginya saya akan bilang pada pria itu kalau saya sebetulnya bersedia tidur gratis dengan dia!

Nyonya C: Iya saya mau, kalau nama pria itu adalah Tuan C, suami saya.

Pria: Kamu tidak mengerti pertanyaan ini.  Pertanyaannya adalah apakah kamu mau tidur dengan pria lain, yang artinya bukan suami kamu sendiri.

Nyonya C: Saya mengerti pertanyaan anda.  Anda tidak mengerti jawaban saya.  Saya hanya mau tidur dengan suami saya sendiri.

Pria: Kenapa begitu?

Nyonya C: Mudah saja.  Saya bisa tidur tanpa satu juta dollar.  Saya nggak bisa tidur tanpa suami saya.

Pria dan dua nyonya yang lain: ...

Kesetiaan seorang istri tidak ada harganya.  Berbahagialah Tuan C punya istri yang tidak bisa dibeli dengan satu juta dollar!

Busy

"I'm a very busy person."

"Busy doing what?"

"Busy relaxing."

...

Have a good day/night everyone! :D

Which Type of Glass?

In my previous blog,"Why Half-Glass Perspective Is Important", I outlined the pros and cons of having both point of view.

Now here's a question for you.  Which type of glass would you like to have?
a) Full glass
b) Half glass
c) Empty glass

I think the answer for this answer will depend on the context.  What's the context?  There are situation that required either full, half, or empty glass.  If you're thirsty, of course you choose full glass.  But if you're fulfilled, then there's no point of having a full glass.  Unless if you predict you can't get refill! :)

Either way, understanding the context of situation you're in will help you determine which type of glass you need.  Have a good day!

How Many Ways to Get 4?

Really, how many ways?

2+2 = 4

2X2 = 4

But then you can get it with 1X4 = 4, or 3+1 = 4.

Or 100-96 = 4.

Or 80/20 = 4.

The true answer is.... infinite.

There's infinite ways to get to 4.

The end. =)

Thank You, Readers!

My dearest readers,

This blog article is dedicated for you.  You are the reason why I write this blog.  Through my blog, I want to support people.  I want to instill hope and inspiration.  I want to provide motivation.  That you can do whatever you want to do as long you put your hearts and minds into it.

Readership.  That's a new word I learn today.  I enjoy our readership (me writing, you reading).  And I like that we can "talk" about whatever issue or concern or topic our heart desires.  That's the purpose of my blog.

So readers, thank you.  Thank you for your time reading my blog, and I truly hope you enjoy it too.

Decide to do it in this lifetime

Whatever it is you plan to do, to make things better, faster, cheaper, decide to do it in this lifetime. You will amaze yourself on tapping your capabilities in a way that you never think before!

I'm proud that at least I achieved these 3 accomplishments:
1. Closed a $10 million dollar deal when I used to work in a big foreign bank in Indonesia.
2. Closed another half million dollar deal that land me a trip to Italy for 2 weeks.
3. Lead a direct sales team of 40 people.

And I did it all before I get married at 26!

These achievements are something that I will always carry in my heart for the rest of my life.  And all because I was dare to do it. So whatever you wish, dream, and want to do, just do it!  You can do it!

Time.

Why "Half Glass" Perspective is Important

Let's face it, we live in a world where "half glass" concept exists.  They say half-glass-full people is optimistic, and the other half live in a pessimistic world where no one wants to live in it.  But the truth is, we need both sides of the story.  Why?

Half Glass Full
* To be grateful for what we have
* To be thankful for what we've experienced
* To enjoy life as it is
* To count our blessings
* To be in the mindset that "now I know more"!

Half Glass Empty
* To know that there's more work need to be done
* To realize the race is not finished yet, keep moving on to our goal!
* To tap more into our deeper potential
* To understand what it means to not have everything and be kind to those who less fortunate
* To learn more!

Our reality will always balanced out between these 2. The secret is to choose one condition based on our situation.  Hope this help. :)

Shopping Marital Advice

A couple who had been married for 15 years is asking a marital advice from a couple who had been married for 35 years.  The older couple gave 5 advices to the wife and 1 advice to the husband.

Wife:
1. When shopping, do shopping.
2. That means check price comparison.
3. Do your due diligence on quality.
4. Stick within your budget, do not over extend.
5. Do not regret things you buy.  You need it, right?

Husband:
1. Let your wife shop.

Change

Some people that knew me since my childhood years, or even back 5-10 years ago, might thought that I don't change that much.  They are partially right.  The truth is, I changed.  Now I decide to let go things that no longer matter anymore.

At some point in my life, there are things that are more important than the others.  But the thing is, you really need to try to look beyond your present day.  Try to look ahead of what will come, but not too eagerly want to peek at your future, is truly an art.  Mastering this can help us avoid unnecessary mistakes and get us to our "destination" faster.

I guess it's true what they say.  Life is about how you handle plan B.  And that's why, to a certain degree, I will always change and evolve.  To something better. :)

Terhalang 20 Years

20 years ago, 10th June 1995, was an important date for me.

On that fateful day, me and my high school friends produced a theater play "Terhalang", adaptation of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.  My role as Mercutio (aka Jaen Lohai), which was the 1st guy who died on stage, is something that I will never forget and will probably take with me till death do us part.

Oh btw, it was an all girl high school, so somebody gotta play the guy.

My love for drama and theater will never die.  I think.  Now fast forward 20 years later, and here we are today with new movies, tv series, and plays.

But something authentic about all girls drama high school is just an experience that you will always cherish and remember.  I especially want to say thank you to my high school drama club.  Thank you for the opportunity for me to play that special guy, Jaen Lohai. Thanks for having me in your show. :)

Pelajaran Berharga

Kemaren ada kejadian luar biasa. Banyak hikmahnya. Dan membuatku merenung dan ambil pelajaran2x berharga.

Jadi ceritanya gini.  Aku dan suami sudah on the way home, skitar jam setengah sebelas malam. Tiba-tiba ada suara kayak DOR.  Aku bingung dan nanya suami,"Kamu denger, nggak?"  Dan gak berapa lama kemudian,  ban belakang sebelah kiri kempes seolah2 kena paku.  Alamaak!

Nah, terus mau nggak mau ya kita stop di pinggir jalan.  Bingung, gimana ganti ban, soalnya kita nggak punya ban serep (mobil zaman sekarang nggak nyediain ban serep, adanya cuma satu kotak kecil untuk mompa gas, dimana gue & misua kaga ngerti gimana cara makenya.)  Alhasil kita akhirnya mutusin untuk nelpon nomor darurat 911.  Mana batere telpon udah cenat cenut pula, alias tinggal 5 watt.... haiyah! >_<

Sementara suami lagi berusaha kontek 911 (minta bantuan roadside assistance), mendadak ada orang asing ngetok kaca jendela.  Mungkin dia berusaha jadi good samaritan kali?  Tapi instingku berkata lain. Suara hati bilang, "Jangan percaya sama orang ini!".  Susah ngejelasinnya, pokoknya nggak feel good deh sama orang ini.  Dia berusaha untuk menolong kita ganti ban.  Pake acara keluarin toolboxnya dia segala.  Tapi dia nggak berhasil ganti ban kita, entah kenapa.

Aku kasih kode lagi untuk suamiku telp 911 lagi, dan kali ini mereka bilang mereka akan kirim mobil patrol.  (Berarti polisi dong? hore!!).  Dan beneran aza, nggak berapa lama kemudian, mobil polisi tiba.  Baru sekali ini aku ngeliat polisi dan langsung bernafas lega.   Polisinya wanita berbadan tegap bernama K.Gibson.  Aku tanya,"Bisa nggak kamu stay?".  Tadinya aku pikir dia setuju2 aja, tapi ternyata responnya dia aku nggak nyangka!  Dia cuma nanya satu kata gini: "Why?" Waduh!  Gelagapan jawab, jadinya aku nggak bisa jawab...

Nah, mungkin bu polwan ini kasian kali ngeliat kita luntang lantung kayak orang digantung, jadinya doi cuma nasihat gini,"Sudahlah, masuk mobil kamu sana, naikin jendela, kunci pintu, dan tunggu sampe tow trucknya dateng."  Ya wes, abis itu kita ya nurut saja sama nasihat beliau.  Padahal hati gue jadi dag dig dug lagi. Getar getir mikirin kalo ni polisi mungkin bakalan pulang dan ninggalin kita sendirian.  Ihik!

Oke, sekitar setengah jam kemudian, akhirnya tow truck yang ditunggu2x dateng juga.  Horeeeee! Gila, seneng bangeth deh gue!  Mana udah jam 12 malem, dan hp udah mati total.  Drivernya muda, namanya Nick.   Sementara itu, orang asing nggak dikenal yang sok nawarin bantuan tapi berniat jahat (maybe? I don't know, looks suspicious, sih!) ngelewes2x pergi mundur teratur.  Terus, tiba2x aku denger suara di sebelah kiriku,"You guys are so lucky.  Jangan percaya anyone!"  Eeeeh, ternyata ibu polisi Gibson udah kembali!  & Ternyata Madam Gibson kenal sama Nick the driver ini!!  Hatiku jadi damai tentram.

Akhirnya setelah semua urusan tetek bengek kelar,  kita smua berpisah dan pulang ke rumah masing2x.  Phew!

Pelajaran berhargaku:
1. Asuransi mobil langsung harus ditambah dengan feature Roadside Assistance!  Supaya lain kali nggak makan waktu lama kayak gini dei...
2. Jangan percaya sama orang asing yang pura2 baek.  Selalu percaya insting!  Always count on it!
3. Pulang ya jangan malem2... *kalo bisa*

Ya gitu deh cerita kali ini.  Semoga bermanfaat.

3 Persona

Did you know that you have 3 personality types?  It applies to everyone.  What are they?

1. Past Self
Past Self is your self in the past.  It's history.  What's done is done.  This is your collections of your success, failures, and all activities leading to it.  Past Self could bolster your next steps into the right direction, and vice versa.  Past Self could imprisoned you if you don't let go of guilt and dwell too much on "mistakes".  Instead, look at it as a practice field to refine your skill.  After all, practice makes perfect.  The good news is, by reconnecting with Past Self, you can always look back at how determined you were to achieve your goal in time of trial and tribulations.  Look at it as a rear view mirror.  Just occasionally check to see how far you've grown!

2. Present Self
Present Self is your self in the present.  In the now.  If life is illustrated as a journey going from point A to point B, this is your point A. Be in the present. Be aware of your surrounding.  You never know when opportunity knocks.  Although discipline in daily grind is important, but "stop-and-smell-the-roses" attitude will help you appreciate your condition right now.  Present Self is also the busy bee. Present Self do things that must be done, or lack of thereof. So?  Get it done.

3. Future Self
Future Self is your self in the future.  You're not there yet, but eventually will be there.  This is your point B.  This is your finish line and/or multiple checkpoints.  Future Self will often time caught being thankful to the Past Self and Present Self, when the Present Self finally arrive in their destination and hitting their goal.  Future Self eventually become Present Self on the destination day.

So which one is important?

The truth is, all of them are important.

You need your Past Self to remind you your history,  to not repeat the same mistake twice (Mistake is okay, but don't repeat it again.  Learn from it!)

You need your Present Self to do things that have been planned by your Past Self.  And prepare your next stop for the sake of your future.

You need your Future Self to constantly draw you to the better place.  Keep going.  Eyes on target.

All these 3 personality types work cohesively together and form the most important thing that matter. YOU.

1st Violin Lesson

Here we go!

Now I can mark this off from my bucket list! :)

3 Points of Success

1. Success is not a birthright
Nobody born as a successful person right away.  I've never heard of "successful baby".  Success is not something to be inherited.  And definitely not genetic.  I found in my studies that success is a trait.  A skill.  Successful people came from various background: rich and poor, school-smart and street-smart, young and old, any type of gender, race, and all other types of diversity.   Because it's a skill, that means it is something that can be learn, practiced, and refined with time and experiences.

2. Success is not exclusive
It is not mutually exclusive to certain trades, profession, or socioeconomic status.  I used to think of terms "successful businessman" as something to aim for.  Like if you have your own business (versus working in a company), then you must be successful.  But in reality, it doesn't work that way.  There are unsuccessful businessman too.  There are successful employee too.  With that term in mind, that means success is not really belong to a special elite club.  It is a condition where a person able to reach their goals in a strategic manner, applied to any status they hold.  And yes, that includes successful housewife and mother too!

3. Success is relative
Success is defined by your perspective.  It is not an absolute, it's a relative.  My success standards might be different than yours, and that's fine.  A success achievement for a musician is different than what success means for movie producers, or high school teacher, or a park ranger.  And the funny thing is, what we defined as success five years ago, could be evolving into something entirely different now.  Our environment may change, especially in this digital revolution age!  What seems important back then, might not be necessarily the same now.  We continuously adjust, adapt, and alter our success measurement as our condition changes.

For me, success means progressive actions to the betterment.  Keep moving towards the goal I set up, not just moving in motion towards nowhere.

Just what my dearest mama always said to me every morning before I go to work,"Sukses ya!" (Indonesian translation: Be successful, ok!), I will depart with you now with a wish: Have a successful day!

Divergent Professions

For the last fifteen years, I've been working in the financial industry.  I've done jobs that most people prefer to avoid, like sales or being a debt collector.  What I've imagined  back then when I was just a fresh grad from campus to my condition now, is somewhat different. I always want a career in banking industry, and I thought the ladder will be vertical, but instead I've gained various experiences in a divergent way.  Why?  Because it's all different experiences, and it's expanding.

I started my professional experience being a broker-trader for a commodity index exchange market. It was challenging and I truly learned a lot from it.  Then I became assistant manager, then junior manager, then back to business consultant again so I can finish my studies and get my degree.

Next, my journey brought me into the world of direct sales.  Cold-calls, door-to-door, canvasing business offices, you name it.  I've sold traditional and modern banking products, including investments and insurance.  I enjoyed it.  It's truly helped me getting rid the fear of talking with strangers, and enhanced my communication skills.

Then I became personal banker.  Maintained my customer's wealth portfolio for retail, premium, and priority banking.  I love this job.  I like visiting my clients and getting personal touch at their lives. Whenever there's new products or services, I can't wait to tell all my clients about it, because I want them to get the first dip of the benefit.  This one is my second most favorite career ever!  (Why second? Keep on reading, save the best for last!).  I get to meet hundreds and hundreds people with diverse backgrounds, as customers, peers, bosses, and beyond.  Great people with various experience. Truly a humbling experience for me.

Then, sales manager.  Sell! Sell! Sell!  But wait, there's more.  I have an army this time.  An army of outstanding goal-oriented people with high motivation and full spirit to achieve our target!  I love it!

My adventure did not stop there.  I moved to a new country, and start from the beginning again. I still stick with banking, so I decided to start as a teller.  I was very nervous before the job interview that I've made my husband trained me to test me the difference between the coins!

After that, I became a debt collector in a call center.  It's definitely a new environment for me, but I adapted.  It was a challenging job and I don't know how I survived back then.  But I did my time and get more experiences out of it.  My teams and managers were fun and great people.

Next stop, operations.  I got behind the screen and getting new experiences as business support. Some call it ops desk, some call it analyst, some call it auditor, some call it scheduling.  It does have many names.  I like to think that this is the all you can eat buffet type of job.  I like it!  Really really like it!

Moving on, I got deeper into the world of monitoring call center in a bigger scope.  I want to call this job:  "The Watcher".   The coolest job I've ever had. My favorite one by far!  Watching the universe. Everyday is new experience, can't be bored!  I also really like the company and believe in it's values. I trust the way this company is headed.  I like how they do business.  I admire my leaders.  This is not a lip service, but I'm just confessing the truth. Maybe I need a separate blog for this specific one! For sure, this job makes me believe again in banking business.  I definitely love it!

My career journey took me to places I've never imagined before, but I think it's more interesting this way.  There's more twist and turns than what I've expected.  I don't know what I will have in the future, but whatever it is, it will surely add more value to my experience.

Today's Question

Have you heard this question,"If you can go back in time, would you change anything?".  This question have been asked in magazine, newspapers, and any other online articles.  Most will answer,"No, I won't change a thing.  If I changed, then I won't become the person I am today."

But if you ask me, I will certainly without a doubt said,"YES!  YES I WILL CHANGE SOME THINGS!"

Not that I'm regretful or anything, but surely there could be something I can improve by changing things.  I probably would be more patient.  Or be more ambitious.  Or be more careful.

Then I just realized, I could simply apply these changes today.  I can still be more patient.  More ambitious.  More careful.  If I don't like something, I can simply change it.

While I know I can't go back in time and change things in the past, but I still can change something that I want to change right away, right now.  Then this question would not become "I-wish-I-can-go-back-in-time" thing.  This question will lead to "What-can-I-do-better-today-so-I-can-have-better-future?"

This is a deep question.  Take some moment to reflect and ponder on it.  Will you change anything?

Peggy's Special Chicken Vesuvio

I've been making Chicken Vesuvio for the last 10 years, and every time I made it, I always add something.  The celery, cauliflower, and some spices were not included in the original recipe, but somehow I think the above additions make this dish more flavorful and certainly delicious.

My husband really like it and even said that tonight's version was the most spectacular Chicken Vesuvio I've ever made!  So with that thought in mind, I'd better jot down this recipe in my blog before I forget.  I'm sharing this with you so you can try this wonderful dish too!  Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS:

3 red potatoes, diced 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, diced 2 teaspoons olive oil 1 lemon, grated & juiced 2 stalk celery, diced

1 head cauliflower, cut in florets 4 cloves garlic, minced 2  green onions, chopped 1/2 cup mushrooms, sliced Seasoning: salt, pepper, paprika, nutmeg, cloves, oregano, basil, sugar

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Place potatoes, chicken, celery, cauliflower, and garlic in a casserole dish. Drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice. Sprinkle with the seasoning blend.  Mix together. Cover, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
2.	Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Sprinkle green onions over chicken.
3.	Bake, covered, in preheated oven for 30 minutes. Remove from oven, add mushrooms and season if needed. Return to oven, uncovered, and bake for 30 minutes.

"Spend-to-Save" Philosophy

Ah, where do I begin?

I'm chuckle at this concept mainly because I was guilty of it.  "Spend-to-save", said the retail stores and marketing department behind it.  But now I will a bit more vigilant to safeguard little money that I have and not fall into this clever maneuver!

Few years ago, I shopped at Kohl's and justified my purchases because "I need new clothes". I denied calling it the impulse buying urge even though it was really an impulse buying, not a planned shopping.  I love shopping and can't resist the temptation to try out those new outfits.  After all, there's no harm for just "trying" that cute red blouse with chic black skirt that comes with it.  And when I look at the price tag, I thought,"Not bad.  Market price $20 but Kohl's price only $14.50!  What a bargain!".  Then my shopping journey continues to the hat and gloves section.  Winter is coming so I thought I would need to stock up my winter gears.  Hat $12, gloves $8, but if I bought one more pair combo, I would have them all by just $30.  ($12X2, $8X2 = $40, so technically I'm "saving" $10!).  And I continue to shop around till it's time to go home.

I went to the checkout line and was shocked to see the grand total.  It was $212.  I surely didn't plan to spend this much originally, but alas, I can't back out of course.  So I paid and then checked my receipt. "You saved $108 today!".  So I'm thinking,"Does that mean I suppose to pay $320 for all these clothings?  And why I don't feel I'm not saving anything at all?"

I mean granted, everyone like discount and sale.  But I won't forget what I felt that day.  Call it a buyer's remorse or something like that, but I don't really feel I save money by spending money.  I save X amount but I have to pay Y amount?  I spent $212 to save $108?  Where's the saving in that?

I'm not complaining because in the end I wear the clothes and loving it.  But next time I go shopping, I would be very careful with the "spend-to-save" philosophy.  I should remember that I won't save anything by spending.  If I want to save, then just tuck the money away somewhere and not using it.

I guess that's why having a budget is very important.  Stick it to the budget and save by save.  Not save by spend.

Sims 3 : Purchase Vacation Homes

Sims 3 ! ♥♥♥

I'm a huge fan of Sims games, ever since the beginning of the original Sims 1, then Sims 2, and Sims 3 now.  Yes, I know Sims 4 has been out there for a while, but I'm still having fun playing Sims 3 and although I've been playing Sims 3 for about 3-4 years, I continue finding and experiencing new things, which make me still want to "man the game".

I have to admit that bugs and glitches are part of my Sims 3 life.  And after several trial and errors, researching via Sims Community Forums, and other walkthroughs, I pretty much sum it up to the below points to help enhance our gaming experience:

1. Always "Save As" in new file game.

2. After you have several files, o let's say more than 5 files, delete the previous old files.  Don't delete all, at least leave 2 or 3 copies.  Just in case your current game glitches, you can at least start from your freshest files or the last 2 or 3 files.

3.  Try to keep your household to be under 4 people if you can.  Less file to maintain.

By implementing the steps above, now my Sims upload the game very fast.  In the past, it took me 15-20 minutes to load, but now it's about 100 seconds!  That means it's also faster in saving and faster in travelling (since it has to upload another world).

And that lead us into the fun part : vacation!

With save, upload, and travel time reduced from 15-20 minutes to just about 1.5-3 minutes, my sims can easily travel back and forth and having max level 3 visa easily for all 3 countries : Shang Sim-La (China), Al Simhara (Egypt), Champs Le Sims (France).  Once you have max level 3 visa for all those places, you can purchase vacation home.  Another cool feature that you don't want to forget is to buy Certificate of Partnership for each countries (can be bought with Ancient Coins - and you'll get these easily by completing Adventure Quests and/or loot in Treasure Chests inside tombs/pyramids). The Certificate of Partnership can prolong your vacation time to the max days possible. :)

Now buying vacation homes, that also means we need simoleon, right?  Some homes are less than 100k, and of course there's the lavish one above 100k (In Champs Le Sims, there's one for 318k!).  It would take forever for my sims family to work, work, work and afford to buy just 1 home.  With 3 vacations spots, that means I want to have 3 vacation homes!  So here's my "strategy" (not cheat mode!  just another way to get it faster):

1. When starting a fresh game from the start, I chose rich family (duh, it's already there - why work harder? hehe).  Rich family of just a husband and wife, with a big house.  Ensure you include "sell furniture" to increase the sale price.

2.  Sell the house and move them to a small house.  This way I have big simoleon savings to begin with. Ka-ching!

3.  Start buying businesses with the savings.  Remember, they yield dividend income that you can collect every Monday, ... as long as you have the businesses.  Talk about passive income! :)

4. Have the husband and wife work & thriving with their careers.  Especially the wife.  Eventually when she reach high level of profession (8,9,10), when she pregnant, she'll still get paid big bucks while on maternity leave.  Very cool, huh?  And eventually when they both retired, they'll bring home retirement income in daily basis.  Nice!

5. When the wife is almost at level 8,9,10 in her profession (I choose 10 of course, max maternity benefit in simoleon), have her befriend a vampire, and when they're pretty close, have the vampire bite her by "offer to turn".  After the bites, wait few days until she became full vampire.  Then "try baby" with her husband, get preggy, then bam, you have a vampire baby.  Not instantly, since vampire baby are just normal kids until their teenager age done.  The vampire kid will become full vampire when they reach young adult.  At this point, it's up to you if you want to turn the wife back to human.  If you want, simply "Purchase Vampirism Cure" in Science Laboratory.  It's only 3000 simoleon.

6.  Now their kid will be the one that have all the adventure traits & wish list!  Now you ask me, why vampire?  Well, vampire lives longer than human.  Since it would take time and effort to fulfill the wish list "Max Level 3 Visa in All Vacation Place" - or something like that, I choose vampire type to complete this.  Vampire kid will also max skills in few minutes.  Writing 10 minutes - bam, level 10! Painting a medium picture for the first time - bam, level 10!  Imagine the possibility!

7.  Vampire kid turns to teenager, that means they can start travel (with their parents) and start doing Adventure quests!  Our first trip was to Egypt, because there's the high tech camera cannon that they can buy, and my vampire kid can start builing photography skills right way (and of course max it in just few clicks without any problem).  While my teenager vampire collecting photos, keep them, don't sell it yet.  Later on when he/she become adult, I have the vampire choose Photographer profession, and then "sell all photos" - and again, bam! Level 10 Photographer.  Sweet!

8.  Having the vampire teen start doing adventure quests early means they can build up their level 3 visa quicker, without the hassle of building up skills needed for job/profession.  The parents can enjoy vacation whatever they want while the vamp doing quests.

9.  Vampire teen eventually turn into vampire young adult.  And if your vampire young adult exceed level 3 visa, then go ahead buy the vacation home from phone!  By now, hopefully your household have enough simoleon to purchase them houses!  Remember: high level professions earned income (or daily retirement income when parents retired), passive income dividends from businesses, and sell celebrity rewards if any.  It's easy to become celebrity - just mingle with one of them!

10.  Some businesses (especially "property" type) might need to be upgraded.  So try to level up your property to max level 3, in order to obtain the highest dividend income.

Well, hope this strategy helps.  Now, let's play Sims 3!  Enjoy!

10th Years Wedding Anniversary

It was our 10th years wedding anniversary last week.

Wow - is it a decade already?

My husband, me, and my mother celebrated it in Petra House Restaurant - a Mediterranean cuisine for this occasion.  Nothing fancy, just simple down-to-earth get-together.  And the food were definitely yummy! :)

So what this 10 years journey means for me?  I truly feel blessed and lucky to have a husband as my dearest one.  Why?

1. He is patient.
2. He is funny.
3. He cares.
4. He fixed broken things.
5. He is peaceful.
6. He is simple.
7. He is smart.
8. He is strong.
9. He is handsome.
10. He loves me!

I love my husband just the way he is, and I'm happy that he accepts me just the way I am.  What a lovely marriage it is to be in! ♥

"Don't Worry, Be Happy"

Does being happy means to laugh all the time?  To smile all the time?

I think not.

I think... being happy is more likely means "being content".  It doesn't mean that we should smile, giggle, and laugh all the time like some silly person.  But be content - with what you had, have, and probably don't have - is a skill that one can try to develop anytime.  It's not something that you born with, but something that you practice day by day.

It is easy to find reason to not be happy and content.  But I think we should see the bigger picture.  It would be nice indeed to have everything and experience all the things that our heart desires, but the reality is it's nearly impossible to hit everything in the checklist.  Why?  Because as human, we are yearning for more, better, and progressive situation in life.

But be content while you're not having everything and perhaps even experiencing challenges - now that I called that mastery.  Understanding that life may not be perfect but everything still going upwards, perhaps not now but eventually.

Suddenly I just got a song stuck in my head while writing this blog: "Don't Worry, Be Happy".

Have a good day! :)

Dining : In or Out?

What our family did (and still do) to be one step closer for financial independence, is discontinue dining out in restaurants.  We love going to restaurants to celebrate special occasions or just to spend our weekend in the norm.  Or just a random passing up unfamiliar territory and have that sudden craving of trying out something new.  It’s a family tradition since I was a little girl.  We love trying out new restaurants, new themes, new flavors, and spending quality time together.  However, with a bigger goal in line to manage our finances wisely, and thinking ahead of our future, my family and I revisit our budget, and decide to take a proactive approach on taking control of our money back.  After all, we don’t want to outlive our money and have nothing in the future retirement days.  That would be a bleak future!

At first, it was difficult to break the old habit of not going out to restaurants.  But we've made a commitment and would love to see it through.  We start using kitchen again to cook our meals.  We utilize fresh ingredients from our local produce markets and get innovative with alternating recipes.  We use whatever available on the market that day.  My family enjoy the time we spend together both in the kitchen and at the dining table. 

Soon, we see a dramatic changes in our finances.  It’s a huge saving for our family by converting restaurants menus with home cook dishes.  A typical restaurant bill for a family of three will cost you average of $50, and obviously you have to add tax and gratuity in every occasion.  While the expenses of producing the similar dishes are not as nearly as half the cost.  Okay, perhaps we don’t have a commercial stove or top-notch range, but you don’t really need the most superior culinary items for just an everyday meal.  Any cooking utensils you have will be enough.  The most expensive ingredients you’ll need to buy is meat, and $5-$10 can stretch your budget along the way.  Once in a while there might be a seafood sale and you can get $9.99 for a pound of fresh salmon, which feed for family of three.  Just add fragrant jasmine rice or roasted potatoes on the side, and you can call it a day!  This doesn't cost you as much as dining out in your local fine dining establishments, which will charge you at least $5 or more for just a salad bowl.

And don't forget, some meals can be extended as the next day leftovers and taste even better.  A pan of lasagna can last for a while, who can really eat all of them in a day?

The best thing about cutting dining out, is that you actually can explore unlimited version of producing meals that will fit your budget and your mood of the day.  You can go Indian, Chinese, Italian, any time.  In the long run, making your own homemade meals are healthier (as you know exactly what you put in each dishes) and friendlier for your wallet.  In the last few months our family saved around $400-$500 a month by not going to any restaurants at all.  What a saving!  It was a relief to see this new habit comes to a fruition.  It was a success we accomplished as a family!

Dining out now is just another luxury, no longer a ritual weekly habit. :)

Red Cliff

One of the best movie I've ever seen is... Red Cliff.  Not going into details of the story here, as this Wikipedia link will reveal more info, but I'd like to share why I felt this movie is one of my favorites.

1.  The story line was unexpected, full of twist and plots.  Unpredictable - which is an indicator of a great movie.  Make us glued to the screen.

2. Beautifully arranged.  The battle scene are not the same as those typical war movies.  There are tensions and previous scenes which build up enough pressure leading to the climax.  Especially the last battle in the night time.  Brilliant!

3.  Mystical.  This movie takes you to summer of year 208 AD.  Imagine that.  Year 208!  And China is already full of war masterminds and strategists and politics advisers.  History lessons became alive and exciting!

4.  The casts played important roles and each of them are so deep into the character.  Well, Tony Leung and Takeshi Kaneshiro alone already a household name for Chinese/Mandarin movies.  The result?  Powerful on-screen partnership.

John Woo made a fantastic, top-notch, over-the-top movie, and I would like to see it over & over again.  I wish and hope there are more new movies like this one! ♥

Homemade Buttermilk

Ok, I'm putting this homemade buttermilk recipe in here so I don't forget! :)  Also, I'd like to share some info that might useful for all of us who like to cook!

1 cup buttermilk = 1 cup milk + 1 tablespoon vinegar.

Since I only use 1/4 cup buttermilk in my homemade banana bread, I'll just use 1 teaspoon vinegar in 1/4 cup milk.  Sometimes we have few too-ripe bananas, so I end up always making "accidental" banana bread.  Just like last week.  For variety, I've incorporated cheddar cheese.  (Jadinya roti pisang keju dech!)

That's it for now, see you in my next blog!

12 Basic Human Needs vs Maslow's Hierarchy of Motives

Growing up, I've been taught that there are 3 basic human needs (food, clothes, house), 3 secondary human needs (I forgot what are them), and 3 tertiary human needs (luxury, stuff that you don't really need to live on but nice to have).

But recently,  I came across an article that detailed 12 basic human needs, which somewhat similar to what my elementary teacher taught me, and yet there are some different factors tied to it.

The 12 basic human needs - today's modern version - are:
1. Family/Kinship
2. Health & Well-Being (Nutrition, Diet, etc)
3. Home/Shelter
4. Economic Security (Income, Savings, Budget, Retirement, etc)
5. Work/Career
6. Learning
7. Spirituality (Religion, Arts, etc)
8. Environment safety
9. Transportation/mobility
10. Community
11. Social Relationships
12. Leisure (Travel, Vacation, etc)

This make me think back of Maslow's pyramid of human needs.  In this theory, basically the basic needs must be fulfilled first before we can progress to the next one on top of it.  I think it's true.

So I can't help but wonder if the modern 12 basic needs illustrated in a web figure could really be declared as basic needs?  You can't have leisure if you don't have any food at all (let's say in a case of war or famine).  But you still can skip leisure (okay, not altogether, but perhaps just a little bit.  Just an hour of TV time) as long as you're healthy, safe, and secure.

I think all of this is just interesting to ponder. :)

Baked Mustard Chicken

I've been making breadcrumbs chicken (Indonesian translation : ayam goreng panir) since I was 13, and normally I use eggs as the binder between the flour and the breadcrumbs parts.  But when I came across this recipe last night on an app in Kindle, I thought it was clever to replace the "eggs" part with "mustard"!  This one doesn't even use flour as the first step, so it's kinda a healthier version of the breadcrumbs chicken.  No frying too, so you can avoid the negative aspect of saturated oil!

I've tweaked the recipe a little bit and settle with this one below.  Putting it here so next time I can make it again and again and again! :)  Hope you will give it a try and enjoy it too!

Ingredients:
Chicken:
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts.
1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
Salt, Pepper
Paprika powder
Dried Basil

Mustard Sauce:
1/4 cup Dijon mustard (or any of your fave's mustard brand)
2 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
Dash of hot sauce

How to make it:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. In a bowl, combine all the ingredients for mustard sauce.  Set aside.
3. In another bowl, mix Panko breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, dried basil.
4. Prep the chicken: I use 2 large chicken breasts and halve them horizontally, so I end up with 4 pieces of thinner chicken.  Season both sides with salt, pepper, and paprika powder.
5. Add chicken to mustard sauce, turn to coat.  Then dredge chicken through breadcrumbs.  Place it in cookie sheet covered by aluminium foil and sprayed with cooking spray.
6. Bake for 30 minutes.

Enjoy!

Closer to Finish Line

February.  Ah, the month we've been waiting for.  This is the month when my husband and I will finish one of our financial goal - being debt free except the house.  It's so great to be so close at the finish line!

On July 2014, 7 months ago, we've made a commitment to be more disciplined with our financial situation.  We have lived like the Joneses, buying this and that emotionally, and try to justify it logically.  Such a human nature, isn't it?

But after reading Dave Ramsey's book, The Total Money Makeover, we've decided to follow his baby steps to get out of debt and handle our financial better.  We're not irresponsible, we still pay our bills on time, and try to live within our means.  But without a written goal and budget, we were just running in place, with no finish line to aim.  We lived too comfortably by going out once or twice a week, and spending too much in birthday gifts here and there, in the name of love.  Travel every year just because we saw other people do it too in Facebook and think it's a normal thing to do.

Well this time, it's called tough love!!  We committed to not buy each other birthday gifts anymore, not until we debt-free!  You can't get out from a hole by digging the bottom.  So to be one step ahead, we HAVE TO make sacrifices for now, so we can live better later.  I'm sure our future self will thank us!

I thought it will take us longer than 7-8 months to be debt-free except the house.  But with such an extreme discipline, we did get it faster.   Somehow once we crunch the numbers and stop the "bleeding" of our budget, we are getting closer to our goal.  Sure it would be much faster if we win a lottery or have a huge significant raise or promotion.  Well, it's not happening (we stop buying lottery ticket and instead focus on increasing paying debt fast and stop unnecessary spending), and really in life, sometimes you just have to play the bad hands well (quote by Robert Louis Stevenson, author of Treasure Island).

Discipline.  Sometimes it's hard to stick to the rule we've made, but one of the good thing of doing it together with your spouse, is that your spouse can remind the commitment we've made, and the goal we aim to reach.  We can be our each other's check partner.

Well, the momentum is going, and I can't wait to scratch this one task of my list.   Because as soon as this baby step done, our eyes are onto the next one!  Bumping up savings like nobody else!  So we can live like no one else later on. :)

For those of you who also in this financial journey with us, I wish you the best and may we be in a better financial state very soon. Keep it going!  Have a great day!

PS: Dave Ramsey's website is a great source!  Check it out!

Can you control your dreams?

dream

drēm/

noun

1. 1.

   a series of thoughts, images, and sensations occurring in a person's mind during sleep.

Last few nights, I've dreamt the same dream again and again.  Well, perhaps it's not exactly the same, but it has a similar theme.  I dream of having a gigantic aquarium in the basement.  In real life, I don't have a basement.  This occurs at least several time this week.  Weird.

Sometimes dreams are so vivid, look so real, feel so real.  The intensity of a dream (or nightmare) could wake you up.  It happens to me about two nights ago.  I dream of trying to escape from a witch (too much watching Charmed, lol), and I was going to rescue this one puppy by pushing it across a fence, but it bounced back because the witch cast a spell on it.  And at that moment, I knew I was doomed to death since the witch only have one prisoner, me.  The witch must have known that it was me who did the rescue (and escape) attempt.  So I shout, "Nooooooo...!"  and it got carried away to my reality.  I woke up with still yelling,"Noooo" and it woke my husband up.  He simply said,"Aww, you just had a bad dream."

I'm not sure if we can control our dream.  Somehow random thoughts jumping here and there, and in some cases it doesn't even make sense at all.  Sometimes I want something really bad that it appears in my dreams.  But often times, I don't have any clue whatsoever of what those dreams could mean.

Can you control your dreams?

Catchy Commercial!

Going home from work tonight, my husband and I heard a catchy commercial in the radio.  It's a weight loss ad, and "only call if you want to loose weight for legitimate reason".  For legitimate reason!!  Hahaha,  I wonder if there's an illegitimate reason to loose weight?

I think that commercial is great!  It's capturing audience's interest by using different wording and interesting idea.  After the commercial long gone, me and my husband keep discussing it (and joking about it) for the next ten minutes.  Wow!

We ran several scenarios of what might happen when a prospective buyer call in after the commercial.

"I want to buy your weight loss product, but for illegitimate reason.  Will you still sell it to me?"

"No Sir/Madam, cannot sell it to you if it's not for legitimate purposes."

"Okay, okay, I'll use it for just legitimate purposes.  I promise!"

Hahaha,  this is just too funny.  :)

Spicy Roasted Cauliflower - the perfect recipe!

After experimenting with different recipes, I finally found the perfect recipe for this healthy veggie. This recipe is so simple and easy!  You can expand it to lots of variety by changing the seasoning if you'd like to.  I've made it over and over again for my family, and everyone loves it, including my picky husband!  Hope you like it as we do.  Thursday night normally is the cauliflower night! :)

Ingredients:
1 cauliflower, cut into bite-size florets, washed and cleaned.
1/4 cup evoo (extra virgin olive oil)
5-6 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper or cayenne pepper
Pinch of salt and pepper
2 teaspoon of dried basil or thyme or oregano

How to make:
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
2. Mix all the ingredient in a bowl, spread into a single layer on a baking sheet.  As always, grease your baking sheet with PAM spray, or use the silicone mat.
3.  Roast for 20 minutes.

Going Blind

This post is dedicated to Dana Elcar (Pete Thorton in Macgyver)

If you can read this, then you are a very lucky person.  Or fortunate.  Or blessed.  Or whatever you name it.  How so?  The story below is the reason why.

I always amazed at the guy who play as Pete Thornton, Macgyver's boss in Phoenix Foundation, from the TV Series Macgyver (1985-1992).   Pete is the fatherly figure and definitely not the arrogant bossy type.  There's an authority aura around him, but yet we can feel his genuine and kind spirit in him.  I think Dana Elcar is the perfect match to play as Pete Thornton.

I searched more about Dana Elcar, since I only knew him as "Pete" from Macgyver.  I was curious to see if he played in other movies.  As it turns out, he did played in some other movies before, and regarded as one of the good actor of his time.  As Richard Dean Anderson said about him, "There were no bumpy roads with Dana."  Such a great co-worker too!

Unfortunately, during the 4 seasons of Macgyver in the making, he was diagnosed with glaucoma.
An illness which will eventually turn someone to blindness.  He reported to his producers that he was going to be blind, and his producers simply replied,"The fact that you are losing your eyesight does not mean you have forgotten how to act," Elcar recounted in a 1991 speech to the National Federation of the Blind.

Eventually he became blind.  But even after he lose his eyesight, he kept on acting.  Mainly on stage, at Santa Paula Theater Center.  He passed away in 2005.  I can imagine that about the last 10 years of his life was spent in blindness due to glaucoma.

Then here's what I'm thinking.  How can you live a life without the ability to see?  Yes you can still hear, taste, smell, touch.  But I think being blind also means that you will have to re-learn to live with a new condition.  To try to imagine color in a colorless reality.  To use your other senses more keenly.  To forget the world you knew so well and enter into a different dimension and adjust with it until you fully accept it and  let it become your new reality.

I think sometimes we take things too lightly and take it for granted.  Instead of truly appreciating of what we have, we become ignorant and only focusing on things that we thought is important.  Well how important is one imperfect surrounding in a selfie photo to a man who cannot see?

It's still amazing that there are a lot of blind people who possesses courageous spirits to continue moving on and actually become successful.  I think Dana Elcar is one of them too.  To continue living in a world that he loves, the acting world, till the end.  Stevie Wonder (musician) , Helen Keller (author), Louis Braille (inventor of Braille system - reading method for the blind), Andrea Bocelli (opera singer), Galileo Galilei (astronomer), and the list go on and on and on.

Suddenly our problems seem so petty.  Our trouble seems smaller.  We can still see!  If they don't let blindness in their way and even can contribute more to humanity, then we should not give up for whatever reason.  Human spirit is one of the strongest thing in the world.  So let's not loose hope!

If you can still see, you can still conquer whatever it is you're facing now.  Even if you can't see anymore, you can always learn the new skills and live your life to the fullest.

Thank you Dana for your contribution to the world. May you rest in peace. (He passed away June 6, 2005).

MacGyverism

So today me and my husband watched one of our favorite TV Show, MacGyver.  We love watching Macgyver!  And we both agreed that if one day Macgyver ever be produced again, the leading actor should and must be Richard Dean Anderson! :)

Most of us who ever lived in Asia continent around late 80's and early 90's practically grow up with Macgyver.  I know there's lots of new TV series out there these days.  But there's just something different with these 80's-90's TV show.  Somehow I think they are more original, simpler, and can convey the message better.

Macgyver is such a persona of a genius handyman who can survive in any dangerous situation using his wit and his Swiss army knife.  And lots and lots of duct tape.  I remember seeing one episode when he escaped by creating an airplane made of bamboo sticks and large garbage bags.  So cool!

We like other supporting characters too, like Pete from Phoenix Foundation - his boss, Jack Dalton and his "Dalton Air" - his buddy, Penny Parker - his actress friend, and even Murdoch - his villain.
Every episodes are different and unique, yet they resemblance same theme over and over again.   There is a situation, there is a threat, and with Macgyver there, there will be a way out.

Another thing that I like about the show, is the morale of the story.  Macgyver believes in protecting the environment (Episode: Black Rhino, The Negotiator), save the innocent (there's lots of episodes where his mission is to rescue the imprisoned from their captors), and raising awareness on social-economic issues (like the Jewel Heist, the Wish Kid, etc).

If we ever stuck in a dangerous situation, I want Macgyver to be there with us. :)

Roasted Terong Istimewa/Special Roasted Eggplant

I'm so happy to found such a perfect recipe for this special roasted eggplant!  So excited to share this with you!  Every time I made this, me and my mom end up always finishing it!  I planned to bring this to work as an office snack, but alas, always gone before the end of the day, lol.  

Here's the how to:

1) One eggplant, half it, then create a X cross pattern with your knife in the flesh.  No need to make a too-deep cut.  Salt it.  Let it sit for 30 minutes.  In the meantime, preheat your oven to 400F.

2) Drain the salt since eggplant will draw up some moisture.  Then cut it to big cubes like picture above or below.

3) Season time!  Mix it altogether in a bowl.  I use pepper, cloves, and paprika.  No need to salt it since the eggplant still retain the saltiness from the previous 30 minutes.  If you'd like to be spicier, put cayenne pepper or chili powder.  The seasoning is up to your liking.  Don't forget the olive oil.  

4)  Place the seasoned eggplant in cookie sheet.  Make sure to spread it as a single layer, we don't want to steam it.  Bake for 1 hour.

5)  1 hour later.... voila!  You'll have a perfect healthy snack ready to go!  When you bite to it, the skin will be crunchy on the outside, and the flesh will be tender and juicy in the inside.  Yum!

Enjoy!  Hope you like it as we do! :)

7 steps to a better state of mind

A great reminder for both you and I.  I've read the article in my friend's Facebook long time ago, I don't remember all the words, but I did summarize the bullet points of that article.  Here we go:

1. Wake up early.
Everyone said they wish they have more time, right?  Then there you go.  Waking up 30 minutes early could mean that you have 30 minutes more time.  But don't deprive yourself from that precious sleep though.  Sleep is still important!

2. Organize your life.
I can't stress it enough, organizing your life is critical to your well-being.  Everything has its own place.  Place important documents in the folder/drawer/cabinet.   Track and manage your finance. Make a budget.  Stick to the budget.  Clean your house.  Take care of your well-being.  Simply put, organizing your life will make you feel better and live better.  Knowing that everything are taken care of put less stress and the weight out of your mind.

3. Try something new.
Sometimes routines and the same daily grind could lead to the kingdom of boringness.  So let's try something new!  Pursue new hobby.  Do something different today.  Or revisit old hobbies.  Back to the kitchen and put those spices to work!  Whip up new dish.  Internet is your good sources for inspiration.  Or perhaps instead of jogging the same route over and over again, take different path this time.  Enjoy different scenery.  Meet new people.  Doing something new put the world at a fresher perspective.

4. Take a mundane task and make it interesting.
Simply put, attach a flair on it.  Make it personal.  Make it yours.  Who knows typing could be so much fun when you transfer all of your energy and personality into it?  

5. Be kind.
It is easy to build up a wall and put a distance for the people around you, especially the ones you don't like.  But the truth is, everyone is at some point fighting a battle that you don't see with your plain eyes.  So be kind.  Extend generosity.  At least acknowledge their stories with the appropriate response.   A little smile won't hurt anyone.  If you offer "Good morning!" plus the smile and that perky attitude, and nobody responding at you back, don't get discouraged.  At least you've placed yourself in a position where you are ready to be happy and spread that joy to those who'd like it.

6. Let go of resentment or grudge.
Like Queen Elsa from Frozen said (or sang), "Let it go!".  Resentment is like an anchor that weight you down, pull you towards the bottom of the world.  Let it go.  Fly away.  Forgive and forget.  Look at that bad experience as the stepping stone to propel you forward.  You can do it!

7. Live with gratitude.
Be thankful of your life, your achievement, your family, and your bright future ahead.  Always aiming to the next success point.  Gratitude makes you feel accomplished.  Gratitude prepares you to the next exciting journey, whatever it is.  Gratitude gives you gladness, that everything is okay, and will be okay eventually.

Have a fantastic day!! :)