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!! :)

Blog Revival. I'm BACK! :)

After about 3 years absence of blogging, I decided to come back here.  I am back!!! I have not yet decide to continue this blog in my native language, Bahasa Indonesia; or in the universal language of the world, the English language.  I do enjoy writing in Indonesian, as a reminder of how much I miss my homeland.  However, I think by writing in English, I may reach out to broader audience. So people from all nations can enjoy the benefit of my thoughts and feelings!  After all, the more the merrier!

For a start, I'm going to continue in English.  But who knows in next future blog I'll write again in Indonesian.  I don't want to lose the skill of "being able to speak in another language". :)

It is now 2015.

Wow.  Time sure flies fast.  In few months, me and my husband will celebrate our 10th year wedding anniversary.  Sometimes I think I've been married longer than that time, but in other days it feels that it was just yesterday of me meeting him for the first time.  We met via yahoo chess online.  And just when you think that chess is so 1983, I see that my husband is now still playing chess online (his desk is right next to my desk, so I can see his game on the other computer screen), and still winning them games!  Yay honey! ♥

Sometimes I think my past life are just dreams.  Now I live in a different reality.  Sometimes I can't believe that once upon a time ago, I lived in another country, under different weather, with different type of people.  Different dreams, different goals.

But you know what, people around the world are basically the same.  They have feelings.  They have worry.  They have pride.  There are humble people, there are arrogant ones.  There are nice people, there are rude ones.  There are considerate kind, and there are selfish type.  There are the ones that you can trust, and of course there's also the type that will "throw you under the bus".  It's the same here and there.

So, I decided to not worry anymore about the "people" part.  I'm going to focus on my goals, my dreams.  It may have been changed, adapted, and evolved; but I still have the willpower to see it through.  My short-term goal is to loose weight with daily exercise.  Not that I need to, as my BMI level is at normal. But I think it's important to ensure I keep the daily workout for longevity.

During July 2011 till July 2013, I've lost about 23 pounds (roughly 10 kg).  That's just by limiting my portions and watching what I ate.  No exercise.  But looks like I've hit the weight loss plateau.  From July 2013 till late 2014, I haven't loss significant amount, and the weight is creeping back up.  So as the New Year's 2015 resolution, I decided to put my 100% commitment in back to portion control, plus now, the exercise.

Lately, I've been doing the dance workout from Youtube (thank you Michelle Le May!! You're awesome!).  Here's the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEjsAW5rokA.  And I gotta tell you, the first day I've done it, I was sweating!!  I haven't sweat in a long time, well because I wasn't exercising regularly, but after that 1st time of doing Michelle's dance workout, I felt refreshed and excited!  I am committed to do this in the daily basis!

Well, that's it for now.  I'll see you all again in the next blog.  Thanks for your time reading this.  I'm happy to share my life with you, my dear blog readers!  Have a great day! :)

An Eulogy to my Papa : Endry Tjandrawidjaja

An Eulogy to my Papa : Endry Tjandrawidjaja. 

Dec 15th,2008. 4 years ago. Little did I know that it will be the date that my physical strong bond with my dad will be severed forever. On that fateful day, my beloved father passed away due to a sudden heart attack. Just few weeks earlier I was still on the phone with him, asked him if everything okay, if he has illness or not, & he said he was just fine.

I have a very close relationship with my mom & dad. To me, Papa is not just a father figure. He's way more than that. He's my personal advisor in times when I seek his wise advice & mature wisdom. He's my bestfriend in times to share our happy moments, share our love of food! He always have a reason to go out to restaurant to celebrate anything. I even have a written list of restaurant in Jakarta that I want to visit if time permits for me to go back after my wedding in 2005. I also have prepared a restaurant list for my parents to try when they planned to come to visit me in US back in 2006 [their trip was cancelled though, not sure why].

My wedding day, 3/12/05, was the last moment I physically hugged Papa. The day when he walked me down the aisle. We both live in different continents, dad in Indo, I live with my husband in USA. We have already made plans together that in few years, after I became citizen, I will sponsor my parents to become green card here. I became citizen in Feb 2009, just 2 months away after his passing. Sometimes reality is different than our own planning.

Although I sad that I won't be able to meet him again, won't be able to talk with him anymore, but I realized that Papa had taught me everything that I need to know, to live & survive. He had become a living example of how a person should be to their family : a provider. He told me that no matter if I was born a male, nor female, I should become a provider to my family.

I've inherited the most important legacy from him : His character. My Papa is a fair person. He's just. He constantly remind me to be able to differentiate what is right, & what is wrong. He taught me to not compromise the core principle of life, but balance it by being flexible in a situation that need understanding. He also taught me to be strong. To move on. Try to forgive & forget past mistakes, both my own mistake or other people's wrongdoing.

Papa is a special person to everybody that come to know him. I think each of eveyone that ever have a contact with him, can't really forget what impact that he made to change the person's life for the better. He is a great uncle to his nieces & nephews. He's a good son-in-law to my grandparents. He's a good brother in law. He's a good brother to his own siblings. And for his friends [he has thousands of them, I can't count anymore], & even to some of my friends too, he is a good listener, great wise advisor, & he's so sincere to them. People will end up having a bright day after talking to him. I know I do.

Papa is a natural born strong-willed leader. His involvement with lots of churches, teaching & preaching about the principle of Jesus Christ, have touched lots of lives, including mine & my mom. We became more mature, more wise, more empathy to the others. Papa not only talking about Jesus, but he actually living his own teaching, until the day he drew his last breath. In an unique way, he had helped grown Perduki [Indonesian Catholic Charistmatic for Professional & Businessmen/women] from just a small chapter in Central Jakarta, to now have multitude branches in other cities as well. He's not only become my own idol, but also to our Catholic & Christian community as well. Perduki will not be like today without his 25 years ++ support.

His passion of righteousness & his deep understanding of Bible made me proud of him. He never stop to try to fix imperfect things & make it better. Over the course period of years, I saw his change -- to the better. More patient, more smile, more peaceful, more content with life. He's such a simple person, that happy with his lot in life. He doesn't jealous with other's fortune, instead he feel happy & glad when other's being blessed. He also reminded me to be an extended blessing to other people too, to not just keep my knowledge & things to my own.

From Papa [and mama too] I got my sense of music. He was a master at singing, everyone that ever hear his voice will admit that he moved them soul. When he sing, he sing wholeheartedly, praising the Lord with his full mind & soul. When he was younger he played guitar. My mom played piano. I long for our family to sit down & sing together, just like the old times. Maybe we will one day in Heaven, who knows.

Once my husband told me that he regret that Papa was taken too soon. He was excited to have a father-in-law, whom he can share "guy things". My husband admitted that Papa was a great man, great leader, & good family guy. I do wish my husband have chance to interract more than my dad. Papa too, was happy to have me married Lloyd. I sometimes laugh at Papa's silly joke "Lloyd is a "bule" [white guy] with Asian heart" --> this is because Lloyd likes kung pao chicken, lol.

Papa is a faithful husband to my mom. They never cheated to each other, they always in love with each other, & their long-lasting love does spread to others that see them. Papa likes to see movie in cinema with Mama, they always have a "date night out" after their ministries, a simple 20 minute break in cafes, just having a quality moment to each other. They always holding hands in the mall & other public places. He never afraid to show off his love to her! He encourage Mama's love of jewelry & make up & beauty stuff. Even buying her stuff although funds are limited! He said, well, let's enjoy it now while we can. He's right. You need to indeed enjoy your money [well of course he wants us to save too in our savings], but he wants us not to become slave of the money, but master & conqueror of the money. To control our finance responsibly, & yet still have fun with it.

12/18/2008, 3 days after Papa's passing, was supposed to be their 32nd wedding anniversary, but instead, me & Mama went to the sea to give his ashes his final rest. I myself hold the jug, and, did what he wanted in his demise, pour his ashes to the sea after the cremation. At that point, I tried to be strong to Mama, because this has shocked both of us to the core. I was grieving, still grieving. I still mourn about it. I did not blame God at all, I mean... death is a part of life. Each one of us will eventually passed away. I just want to hold him longer. That's all. Papa told us that if he being cremated & his ashes poured to the sea, then everywhere in the world all we need to do is just come to any sea, & "meet" him. Such a simple man. I love him. His cremation was his wish since I was 10 year old. So at the point when me & mama had to made decision, we both came to same conclusion in less than 5 seconds.

Papa never made his shortcomings stopping him from doing great things. We all know that he had an accident when he was 27 yr old, that made him loose his 3 half fingers on his right hand. But he moved on, keep going strong, & never made an excuse of it. If he saw a beggar with both full hands & both full legs, he just raised up his "disability" hand, as a poignant symbol that even he, did not become a beggar although he doesn't have full hand. This is an important lesson to me. This has made me going for years & years & years. Never give up. Achieve higher things, accomplish more things, eventhough you don't have all that you need. Sometimes lack of things will make you gain more achievements.

Papa was a great man. He was a humble person. He didn't boast of his experience, instead he's using his knowledge to help people that seek his advice. He's a great person if you need to discuss serious matter of your life. I remember one time, one of his friend had a marital problems. Papa did not judge what he did, didn't criticize what he was thinking. Instead, Papa just offered few options & simple suggestions to him that can help his friend's marriage to be a little bit joyful. In the end, last I've heard he have a happier marriage. :) That's what my dad all about, for a person to have a happier happy ending.

Papa, I want to say thank you to you. Thank you not only for giving me life, but also for sharing my life 100% of it. You knew every single thing about me, you knew what I like and dislike, & yet you still appreciate me. You treated me not only as a daughter, but you made me feel special when you asked my opinion & really valued them. You saw me not only as a little kid, but since I was 13 yr old [or maybe since I can start remembering things], you always put my thoughts into consideration! Not many parents can do that, & Papa, you have come to a level where your life is enriched because you value everyone's input, including your wife's & daughter's.

Papa, I wish we can talk more like we did before when I lived with you & ma in Jakarta. I wish we can hug each other again. I wish we can pray together again. My only hope is that one day we can do all this again in another lifetime in Heaven. Papa, you told me once that when you die, you will prepare a house for our family in Heaven. I'm looking forward to join your house when the times come. I will not be afraid to die, because I know that's when I get to meet you again! I'm excited that you have come to prepare a nice house, wait..., palace!! for us. :)

Papa, words are limited. This is not all. This is only a tip of the iceberg of what I have felt for the last 4 years. This is what I can express now to share with our family & friends via facebook. You know I love you. I miss you. Please be safe there in Heaven. [Hm, maybe it's safer there than here, earth]. I'm sure I'm not the only one missing you, Papa. Mama missed you tremendously. Everday she always pray for you. Mama is strong. I told Mama that you would want us to be happy & smile & just enjoy life, just like you enjoyed simple small things in life, Papa. I take care of her. I will make sure she eat good everyday. That's my promise to you, Papa.

I appreciate that all of you, my friends, my families, who read this, have spare a moment to read this eulogy. I would still like to write more, maybe another time. Thank you again for your willingness to read this. And feel free to comment [neither below, or separate wall post, or message, up to you], if you'd like to share with me what you feel about my Papa.

Papa, you're a special guy.

Rest in peace.

Until we meet again, Papa.

I love you, Papa.

　

Your Daughter,

Peggy Tjandrawidjaja

Disneyland-California Adventure Park

It's just like a dream come true! Disneyland & California Adventure Park... 4 days is just not enough to ride all the rides there, not to mention there are some cool rides that we want to go twice.

There are some scary-exciting rides : Hollywood Tower of Terror, Indiana Jones, California Screaming, Soaring over California, Maliboomer, Matterhorn Bobsleds, Mullholland Madness, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Space Mountain, Star Tours, Grizzly River Run. There are some fun-peaceful rides : It's a small world, The many adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Monster Inc, Pirates of the Carribean, Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters, Haunted Mansion, Snow White's Scary Adventure which is not scary at all, Jungle Cruise.

There are 3D movies : Honey, I shrunk the audience, Muppet Vision 3D. We can pretend as Brother Bear in Redwood Creek Challenge Trail, we also saw the movie of Disneyland's The First 50 Magical Years. We dine in so many good restaurants, street vendor, and ice cream parlor in Main Street, New Orleans Square, Frontierland, Adventureland, Fantasyland, Mickey's Toontown, Tomorrowland. When we tired, we just hop inside Disneyland Railroad that connect 8 different area at once! And we also investigate the future in Innoventions!

In our last day, we walk around inside Downtown Disney, with Haagen Dasz ice cream on hand, exploring Rainforest Cafe, ESPN Gaming Zone, Jazz Kitchen, etc... IT'S A WOW TRIP! When we'll be back again? =)

Near Death

Hi friends... gue mau sharing cerita gue hari ini...

Kejadian ini terjadi barusan aja, hari ini, Rabu, 10 Januari 2007, tepatnya skitar jam setengah sepuluh malam. Gue & suami gue dalam perjalanan pulang dari kantor ke rumah, dan tepat pada saat kita sampai Vancouver (kota tempat gue tinggal, by the way kita berdua kerjanya di kota Tigard),mendadak mobil yg gue setir selip(karena salju & licin sekali), dan mobil kita terjebak di gundukan salju tebel deket exit highway. Dan by the way, exit highway tempat kita berhenti itu curam sekali, sperti jurang kecil gitu.

At the moment, gue pikir gue udah pasti gak selamet. Gue udah injek rem berkali2x, tapi mobil gak mau stop & meluncur terus dengan derasnya ke lembah jurang kecil itu,untuk ada kayu kecil yang menghalangi mobil jatuh lebih dalam lagi. Suami gue bener2 tenang menghadapi situasi ini dan segera ambil alih kemudi. Gue shock banget, gue gak pernah ngalamin kejadian "near death" kayak gini.

Akhirnya mobil berhenti & suami gue berusaha utk injek gas kuat2 supaya mobil bisa kembali ke jalanan. Tapi gak bisa, masih terjebak di rumput salju tebel gitu. Akhirnya gue(setelah gak panik & pulih kesadarannya), bilang ke suami gue untuk telpon 911. Dan untungnya mereka segera kirim towing truck utk narik mobil kita keluar dari jebakan rumput salju, dan kembali bisa normal kejalanan biasa lagi.

Pesen gue cuma satu : value your life. You will never know what might come to you. Sesaat gue berpikir, seandainya mobil meluncur terus gak berhenti2 dan nabrak pohon, atau jatuh ke jurang,apa gue langsung meninggal??? gue betul2 takut saat itu, waktu mobil akhirnya berhenti, gue bernafas lega & bersyukur gua masih hidup. Friends, ini bener2 pengalaman ngeri yang gak bakal gue lupain seumur hidup gue. Smoga gue bisa mengisi hidup gue dengan hal2 yang lebih baik, hal2 yang gak penting jangan dijadikan hal yang penting, hal sepele nggak usah dibesar2kan.

Life is so fragile. In a fleeting moment it can be taken away from you. Just like that.

Be safe, and live your life to the fullest.

lagi tahun yang baru

Masa 10 tahun itu sudah selesai.

Sudah selesai.

1997. Itu adalah awal semua kegembiraan, harapan, & tujuan2 yang jauh untuk dicapai. Flashback memori memang selalu menyenangkan, & betapa bangganya kita melihat segala bentuk macam prestasi yang sudah kita raih, biarpun kadang2 ada selipan air mata & genggaman kekuatan untuk menggapainya.

Di awal tahun itu, saya baru saja merayakan jadian satu bulanan pacaran dengan pacar pertama saya. See? Harapan, excitement, impian & angan2 untuk merangkai masa depan bersama. 6 bulan kemudian, saya lulus SMU Santa Ursula, dan mulai mendaftar sana sini utk masuk kuliah, mencapai gelar sarjana, jadi orang berguna. Dan memang selama masa 4 tahun sesudah itu, sudah banyak sekali peristiwa2 baru di luar rencana yang terjadi. Banyak teman2 baru, banyak persahabatan baru, banyak pengalaman baru, dan akhirnya, pekerjaan baru!!!

Tahun demi tahun berganti dengan cepatnya, roda2 waktu seakan saling kejar mengejar satu sama lainnya. Pacar datang silih berganti, tapi yang lebih penting teman2 baru muncul satu persatu. Nama2 tak dikenal mulai memenuhi panggung sandiwara, menambah setiap variasi pernak pernik warna kehidupanku. Salah satu dari nama2 tak dikenal itu menjadi spesial di hati saya, dan kita mulai serius menjalin hubungan untuk merencanakan masa depan yang lebih besar lagi.

Tentu saja, akhirnya cinta yang menang. Kami menikah & menjalani romantika pernikahan yang indah. Terus waktu berlalu lagi, berlarian lagi. Nostalgia lama terkadang sekelibat nampak di benak saya, tapi tetap waktu terkini menjajah seluruh fokus saya. Kesibukan bukan lagi di tempat kerja, tapi juga di rumah untuk membagi waktu & perhatian ke suami & urusan2 rumah tangga.

Beberapa hari yang lalu, 31 Des 2006, sembari bersenderan di sofa kami yang nyaman dan main video gamecube, tiba2 mata saya mengarah ke jam dinding kami, dan saya kaget melihat waktu sudah menunjukkan pukul 11.59 malam! Suami saya yang sedang baca buku di sofa satu lagi (yang juga nyaman dan comfy) dengan tenangnya berkata,"Yup, it's almost 2007".

Satu menit kemudian, lagi tahun yang baru mengganti kalender2 rumah kami. Jeez, it's so fast. I'm not ready! Dan suamiku yang bijak itu cuma bilang gini,"After high school, time flies so fast". Dan ingatanku kembali melayang ke jaman 10 tahun yang lalu. Betul2 jaman lulus sma & jadi anak baru lagi di kampus Atma. Dengan segala suka dukanya. Dengan segala harapan2nya. Betulkah 10 tahun sudah berlalu?

Apa yang sudah kuraih selama ini?

Apakah ini impianku yang jadi kenyataan?

Am I living my dream?

That's my resolution of 2007...

Jika Anda...

Jika anda tinggal di rumah yang baik, memiliki cukup makanan dan dapat membaca ...
anda adalah bagian dari kelompok terpilih.

Jika anda bangun pagi ini dan merasa sehat ...
anda lebih beruntung dari jutaan orang yang mungkin tidak akan dapat bertahan hidup minggu ini.

Jika anda tidak pernah merasakan bahaya perang, kesepian karena dipenjara, kesakitan karena penyiksanaan, atau kelaparan ...
anda berada selangkah lebih maju dibandingkan 500 juta orang di dunia.

Jika anda dapat menghadiri pertemuan politik atau keagamaan tanpa merasa takut akan dilecehkan, ditangkap, disiksa, atau mati ...
anda beruntung, karena lebih dari 3 milyar orang di dunia tidak dapat melakukannya.

Jika anda memiliki makanan di lemari pendingin, baju-baju di lemari pakaian, dan memiliki atap yang menaungi tempat anda beristirahat ...
anda lebih kaya dari 75% penduduk di dunia ini.

Jika anda memiliki uang di bank, di dompet, dan mampu membelanjakan sebagian uang untuk menikmati hidangan di restoran ...
anda merupakan anggota dari 8% kelompok orang-orang kaya di dunia.

Jika orang tua anda masih hidup & menikmati kebahagiaan kehidupan pernikahan mereka ...
maka anda termasuk salah satu dari kelompok orang yang dikategorikan langka.

Jika anda mampu menegakkan kepala dengan senyuman dibibir dan merasa benar-benar bahagia ...
anda memiliki keistimewaan tersendiri, karena sebagian besar orang tidak memperoleh kenikmatan tersebut.

Jika anda dapat membaca pesan ini ...
anda baru saja menerima karunia ganda, karena seseorang memikirkan anda, dan anda jauh lebih beruntung dibandingkan lebih dari 1 milyar orang yang tidak dapat membaca sama sekali

Semoga anda menikmati hari yang indah ini.

Hitunglah karunia keberuntungan anda, dan sampaikan hal ini kepada orang lain untuk mengingatkan bahwa sebenarnya, kita adalah orang-orang yang sangat beruntung.

Dengan bersyukur, anda akan lebih menikmati hidup yang hanya sebentar ini.

Respect all heroes

In our daily job, failure means: customer don't want to buy our products, customer get angry at us, boss not satisfied with this year's profit, too many complaints in a day, we don't get a raise for next year, bonus are cut due to tardiness, competitor get orders twice than us, etc.

Then suddenly, I realize this one fact. The word failure in our profession is overlooked as the self-failure, where we look stupid, slow, and not successful. In certain profession, failure has its own meaning. 

Ok, let me explain this.

I just saw CNN (while waiting for Lloyd finish work and pick me up at my office). CNN shows, "HEROES", where they detailed all US Armies personnel who had passed away in Iraq war. There are one personnel which really touch my heart. Her name is Emily Perez, a black woman who was stylish, chic, always smile, and had lots of friends. Her service in Iraq is as one of medical team, her age was only 23 years old. Unfortunately, she is one of the hero who died because her truck where she transported the medical equipment was bombed! Very tragic.

When her military funeral was shown, my mind race up and I thought: the word failure to these military soldiers means death. Pain. Loose their limb. And ironically, they obviously left so many families who will never hear their laugh forever. Wow. This fact wakes me up.

After all this time, when I felt "fail", I feel that I'm the most stupidest person in the whole world. But which one is more important? Stupid or alive?

So next time you feel fail, be thankful that you still have breath to enjoy this beautiful life. And be thankful that your families and friend can still hear you say,"I love you.. thank you for being in my life".

Respect all heroes.

==============================================

Dalam pekerjaan kita sehari2, kata gagal berarti : pembeli nggak mau membeli produk kita, pembeli marah2x sama kita, boss gak puas dengan profit tahun ini, terlalu banyak complain dalam satu hari, kita gak dapat kenaikan gaji untuk tahun depan, komisi dipotong gara2 kita telat masuk kantor, pesaing mendapatkan order dua kali lipat lebih banyak, dan lain2x...

Tapi tiba2 pikiran gue disadarkan oleh satu fakta ini. Kata gagal dalam profesi kita terlihat sebagai suatu cerminan diri pribadi, dimana kita tampak bodoh, lamban, & tidak berhasil. Dalam beberapa profesi tertentu, kata gagal memiliki maknanya sendiri. 

Oke... let me explain this.

Kebetulan barusan gue nonton CNN (sperti biasa, sembari nunggu Lloyd kelar kerja & jemput gue di kantor gue). Tayangan di CNN berjudul "HEROES", di mana mereka mengupas abis smua personil2 US Army yang meninggal di Irak semenjak terjadi perang di sana. Ada salah satu personil yang sangat menyentuh hati gue. Namanya Emily Perez, seorang wanita kulit hitam yang berpenampilan menarik, sangat modis, selalu tersenyum, dan punya banyak teman. Dia ini service US Army di Irak sebagai salah satu team medical, umurnya baru 23 tahun. Sayang sekali... dia termasuk salah satu pejuang yang meninggal karena truk dimana dia menumpang utk mengangkut medical equipment dibom! Aih, tragis sekali.

Waktu ditayangkan pemakamannya secara militer, terbesit di benak gue suatu pikiran ini : kata gagal bagi para perwira2x militer ini, berarti kematian. Luka. Kehilangan anggota badan. Dan ironisnya, tentu mereka meninggalkan banyak sanak keluarga yang mungkin gak bakalan denger tawa mereka lagi selama2nya. Wow. Kenyataan ini membuat gue terhenyak.

Selama ini kalo gue merasa "gagal", rasanya tuh gue orang paling bloon sedunia.. tapi, lebih penting mana.. bloon atau hidup?

Jadi lain kali kalian merasa gagal... bersyukurlah kalian masih punya nafas utk menikmati hidup yang indah ini, dan bersyukurlah keluarga & teman2 kalian masih bisa mendengar kalian berkata "I love you.. thank you for being in my life..."

Hormatilah mereka yang berjasa...

Sitting Quietly in a Coffee Corner

Here I am... sitting in the corner of Starbucks Coffee at Washington Square Mall, 4.30 pm, waiting my husband to come and pick me up after he finish work. Mellow jazzy song is teasing me softly while I zapping my green tea latte, thinking about how drastic the change of my well-being. 4 to 5 years ago, I will never thought that this is the life that I will have. Don't get me wrong.... I love it! Every bit of it!

As I look through the window I saw many cars parked in a very big huge spacious parking lot. The parking lot itself is mixed between giant trees and beautiful scenery over flying highway I-5. And don't forget, this is fall season. I see some leaves of high standing trees change colors to red, purple, fuschia, and yellow. Very very soothing. So beautiful.

Gee.......... 5 years ago... all I saw in Sudirman street was full of tall buildings, and macetness (I'd rather not translate macet to traffic jam because it's already a word!) But now... totally different view. Clear blue skies with a little dazzling cumulus clouds, people walking across the stress, children running in a cozy free-smoking environment. This make me think again about my past, my families in Indonesia, my old friends, ... how I want to go back to myself few years ago! I really love what I am today, but there's always a tiny part of me screaming,"I wanna go home!"

I kept asking questions to myself : Am I be ever able to go back home? I star blankly at my cup of Fruit, Yogurt, & Granola Parfait. (Does Starbucks Indo have one of these? These are awesome!!!!!!) I never can answer that (answer when I can go home, not answer is there any parfait or not!). I guess we'll just wait and see what happen next. As I love living in United States, I also miss live in Indo. I do really glad I grew up in Indo. =)

Well.... since I still don't know what my future may hold, I mind as well continue on my sudoku puzzle. This one is tough. I've been working this sudoku for the past 15 minutes just to finish one square! Gosh! While scrapping the last pieces of my parfait, I think about what will I make up for dinner. At least I can think of this now. Maybe a sausage sandwich with oniony coleslaw lettuce. Hopefully Lloyd (my hubby) will like it. Whenever Lloyd likes my cooking, I felt like I've just won a million bucks! Another funny things that I never imagine will happen after married...

And now this is sunset. How very peaceful can it be? I look at the window again & I just saw a pair of birds chirping around, a mommy strolling her kids, & a nice Honda sedan just passed by to out of to mall. Some things are mend to be viewed.. just like now. Viewing nothing. Or viewing life? Left me a feeling of secure, warm, and peace of mind. Time really flies when you have fun (although now my friends at Indo will laugh at me for describing SITTING QUIETLY IN A COFFEE CORNER as fun!) Totally opposite of what I pictured fun when I was in Indo!!!

As it gets darker & darker outside, I felt a lil bit chilly here. Ah, I forget... summer is gone. The air conditioner here is the same temperature as an hour ago, but perhaps the grey scenery outside make me kinda blue. I smile at myself, I never think my life will be like this. I'm on top of the world.

WorkPlace : HSBC (Collector)

Ini nih kantor gue yang kelima nih! Semoga ini menjadi tempat kerjaan gue yang terakhir.. I don't mind dipromosi, tapi semoga gue gak perlu pindah ke company lain, begitu maksud gue..

Di sini gue kerja sebagai Collections Representative, dimana inti dari job descriptionnya tuh adalah menelpon orang2 yang telat bayar kartu kredit HSBC mereka, menelpon orang2 yang menunggak atau bahkan overlimit their credit card. Trainingnya 6 minggu! Dan yang bikin gue hepi tuh kerjaannya gak terlalu fisik seperti vault teller di Us bank, dan gak ada tuh acara dikejar2 target bulanan semacam di Stanchart atau Commonwealth.

Mungkin temen2 gue pikir ini kerjaan rendahan (maklum lah, mereka kan udah jadi boss besar di Indo, ada yang udah jadi Branch Manager, ada yang udah jadi General Manager, dll lah), tapi bagi gue pribadi, gue nggak ngejar karir lagi, karena biasanya kalo gue mau ngejar karir (misalnya jadi teller coordinator atau branch manager di us bank), harus sacrifice jam kerja (kerja lebih lama alias lembur) atau bahkan sacrifice anak buah... atau bahkan.. stress sendiri karena dikejar2 target. Gue udah alergi deh sama yang namanya target.. hihihihi

And sebetulnya sih kerjaan ini bukan kerjaan rendahan, terbukti dari level gaji yang ditawarkan pada gue, yang 30% lebih tinggi dari posisi gue terakhir di US bank. Bahkan lebih tinggi dari banker..=) Oh ya, trainingnya itu lho...6 minggu! Very intensif & komprehensif. Truz benefit2nya banyak sekali, seperti medical insurance, dental, vision, dll yang jauh lebih baik dari US Bank.. (apalagi dibanding sama Stanchart atau Comm, jangan tanya deehhhh)

Intinya.. I'm happy! I'm truly are! Oh ya, yang bikin gue juga hepi tuh.. di cafetaria kantor gue ada kokinya! Masakannya enak2 pula.. hehehehe... =)

So I hope this will be my last workingplace, kan seru juga kalo ditanya orang, udah berapa lama kerja di HSBC & gua bisa jawab... oh 5 tahun, oh 7 tahun.. hehehehe

Saying Goodbye is the Hardest Thing to Do

I never know that saying goodbye will be the hardest thing to do. Well, actually I kinda know that kind of feeling, because there are so many times in my life that I have to face "the goodbye masks"... But anyway, one thing that made me realize is that feeling.. that feeling of never be able to see those people you like anymore (for a while.. or maybe forever?).. that kind sad of feeling really make my heart ache..

Today is my last day at US Bank. I've been working with the bank for a year, particularly in Washington Square Branch at city of Tigard. This is not my first time leaving a company. But.... to be honest, this is the first time I cried of leaving everything behind me. I really do. Why I cried? I don't know. I just know that everybody there really loves me. Weird, isn't it?

My bosses (Dianne & Jonathan) took me for a lunch at Cheesecake Factory Restaurant, and then I receive so many gift from my coworkers & my customers (including free glass of beer & oreo cookies). Dianne also made me a handmade crystal bracelet that cost a fortune!!! Vincent gave me dried plums & apples. Sue, Cindy, Lina, & Gavin give me a very big hug. I really felt numb...

And finally, in my final hours there, they all just hug me & cried (together with me! huh!).. and they said this to me,"Peggy, there's always a place for you here. So if you don't like your new job (at HSBC), you can always comeback. We always open our door for you..". How sad is that?! I'm leaving them & they still open a spot just for me!

Tears are just flowing away when I drove away from the bank's parking lot. Really. I really don't know why I cried, but, i really sad leaving them =(

Suddenly, all memories of goodbyes came back to my mind like a flash. Like a flashback. I remember when I said goodbye to my mama & papa at Portland Airport.. right after my wedding night. Right before my honeymoon. I owe them a hug!

I remember when I said goodbye to Vivi, Sutoyo, Thedu, and Roy at Bandara Internasional Soekarno-Hatta at Jakarta, right before my one-way ticket plane leaves to America. March 4,2005 before 7 pm. 

I remember when I said goodbye to all of my friends at Commonwealth Bank. They all gathering in our meeting room at Feb 28,05.. gave me wedding presents, and wish me luck for a new life in new continent...

And weirdly, I remember when I said goodbye to Standard Chartered Bank. This bank means a lot to me, they made me who I am today. I will always forever in debt to all my colleagues in Standard Chartered Bank, every single one of them. I wish I can hug them and say thank you for their contribution in my life. They shaped me to who I am today.

I also remember when I have to say goodbye to my sweetie Lloyd.. when he has to return to America (this is when he visited me, long before we married). Really feel sad, really shocked, really numb. Can't face the reality. Don't want to face the reality.

And now.. reality hits me back, strikes me hard, and whatever happens tomorrow, will be something that I cannot turn my back to. I'm happy that I'll start working at HSBC soon, but in the same time I also sad to not be a part of US Bank anymore. Very tragic thing, isn't it?

One thing I learn more about myself now is... saying goodbye is the thing I hate the most...

Pengalaman Memalukan

Hari ini gue super geblek banget deh...

Gimana enggak, masak waktu gua makan siang di kantor (gue bawa mie instant yang direbus di mangkok plastik gituh, kayak pop-mie, tinggal seduh air panas), gue nggak sengaja menumpahkan seluruh isi mangkok ke diri gua sendiri! Untung bakminya udah kaga ada, alias tinggal kuahnya doang, tapi buset deh... sweater putih gue kontan langsung berubah jadi oranyeee!!! (kena kuah bakmi). Kena celana panjang gua pula! huh, untung warnanya hitam, jadi gak parah2 amat... Gara2nya pas gue makan tuh gue sambil baca buku, pas gua angkat tuh mangkok plastik untuk menyeruput kuah penghabisan, eh, tuh mangkok nakal malah pake acara kepeleset dari tangan gue, jadinya basah kuyup deh gue, serasa pake parfum wangi bakmi...

Aniwei, abis itu gue cepet2 ke kamar mandi, bersihin tuh sweater gue pake air, tapi kaga epek... akhirnya gue terpaksa buru2 ke departemen store deket kantor gue, Target, untuk beli satu set baju kerja dan celana panjang kerja (soalnya celana gua juga basah total, mana cepet nyerap lagih!).. dan orang2 di dept.store jadinya pada ngeliatin gue, yang dengan pedenya pake sweater putih dengan bundaran oranye besar di tengah2 baju itu.. huh!!!

Jadi ada "alasan" untuk belanja baju baru kan? hehehehe...

Jadinya gue pulang pake kemeja pink deh...

Sushi Hana

Hari ini Jumat, dan seperti biasa gue kerja sampe jam 6.30 malam, dan yang pasti gue udah capek bangeth deh kalo disuruh masak buat dinner kita. Jadinya gue ngerayu2 suami gue supaya mau makan di restoran jepang yang baru buka deket rumah kita : Sushi Hana.

Mengingatkan pada Sushi Tei.. dengan skala yang lebih kecil tentunya. hehehehe.. tapi makanannya enak2 bok, dan berhubung kokinya orang Jepang langsung, yah pasti uuueeennnaak buanget deh! =) Tapi kasian deh si Lloyd, dia gak makan apa2, soalnya dia gak suka sushi sama sekali! Padahal gue udah ngambil edamame (kacang jepang), salmon sashimi, tuna sashimi, tempura..... dan akhirnya mata gue ngeliat ada satu piring kecil yang isinya nasi putih plus bulgogi (kayak beef teriyaki, tapi versi korea, sausnya pun saus bulgogi!... mengingatkan gue pada masakan bulgogi nyokap gue!)... terus gue suruh doi coba, eh dia suka lho (soalnya mateng kan, gak mentah2 kayak sushi), dan kokinya juga sampe kasian liat lloyd cuma sukanya makan bulgogi.. akhirnya tuh koki ngambil inisiatif ke anak buahnya, untuk ngeluarin semua "american plate" buat my "american husband" : yaitu ya nasi bulgogi & nasi chicken katsu...

Well, lucunya, setiap 5 menit sekali, tuh koki ngecek suami gue, udah habis belum makannya, kalo udah habis, langsung disuguhkan lagi tuh american platenya.. hehehehe.. lucu sekaleee.. akhirnya si lloyd malah kekenyangan deeeh.. hihhihihi....

Oregon Zoo

Hari ini kita ke kebun binatang.. hehehehe, lumayan buat iseng2 mengisi waktu liburan gue yang 2 minggu ini. Letak kebun binatang ini (Oregon Zoo) tepat di antara rumah kita & kantor gue! Tepat di tengah2nya! Jadi kita udah tau sih arah jalan ke sana.

Berangkat dari rumah skitar jam 12.30an, nyampe sono skitar jam satu-an… lumayan gede juga tempatnya (mengingat gue TIDAK PERNAH ke Ragunan… atau mungkin pernah kali yah waktu gue masih keciiiiiiiiiiiiil banget, makanya nggak inget). Panas! Tapi untungnya banyak pepohonan rindang yang bikin sejuk, jadi gak terik2 banget panasnya. =)



Pertama2x kita ke Pacific Shores, untuk liat singa laut (yang kebetulan lagi tidur jadi kaga keliatan), Polar Bear (lucu banget sih! Dari dulu gue emang pengen pelihara binatang yang satu ini), dan beberapa binatang2 laut sperti bintang laut, ganggang laut, dan plankton2x.

Terus, kita ke bagian monyet2xan (Primates) untuk liat simpanze, orang utan, mandrills, dan gibbons. Gak gitu menarik sih, makanya gak usah dipotret. Terus kita ke “Africa”… mampir ke Afri-Café sebentar untuk makan siang, dan lucunya kita makan siang tepat di samping Vollum Aviary alias sangkar burung raksasa dimana banyak pepohonan tinggi2 tempat burung2x pada tinggal. Biarpun namanya Afri-café, tapi makanannya tetep aja cheeseburger dan corn dog, yah, namanya juga makan di amerika.. =) hahaha…

And then, abis makan kita meng-explore Africa untuk liat2x rhinoceros (alias kuda nil), zebra kembar yang sibuk mengunyah lunch-nya di rumput2x, naked mole rats, pygmy goats yang sibuk dibelai2x oleh beberapa anak kecil, dan jerapah. Ternyata jerapah tuh tinggi banget ya. Tinggiiiiiiiiii banget deh! Hehehehe =) oh ya, kita sempet mampir ke Asian Elephants, buat liat gajah. Dan ternyata gajah itu gedeeeeeeeeeeeee banget ya? Kirain tipuan kamera, ternyata setelah liat mata kepala sendiri, wow.. Tuhan itu memang luar biasa deh! Ck ck ck… Oh ya, rencananya kita mau liat Tree Kangaroos (kangguru kecil yang hidup di pohon), tapi mungkin dia take a nap kali ya, soalnya kaga keliatan tuh. Dan terus kita ke kandang kelelawar, wah, lucu juga mereka menggelantung2x gitu, up side down, apa gak capek yah tu kaki?! Tapi kalo terbang mereka terbang normal, gak terbalik. Abis itu kita ke kandang penguin.. wih, baru 3 detik gue masuk ke ruangan buat liat penguin, gue langsung ke luar & berasa mual2x, abis bau banget…. =((( Akhirnya malah gak jadi photo2x tuh penguin yang lucu2x (tapi stinky)…

Lalu.. kemana lagi ya.. oh ya, kita mau naik kereta api untuk menjelajahi Washington Park Forestry, tapi sebelumnya.. liat kandang singa dulu dong. Kebetulan gue kan pake tas bulu bermotif loreng singa… wih, untung tuh singa kaga liat gue! Kalo keliatan, mungkin abis kali ya gue dimangsa akibat mempekerjakan “sepupu”nya sebagai tas gue?! Aniwei, akhirnya kita berdua naik kereta liat2x hutan di dalam Washington Park Forestry.. indah sekali deh pohon2 yang rimbun, lebat, dan tinggi2x itu.. =) Skitar 30 menitan…

Jam 5.15 sore.. capekkk.. kaki udah pegel2x, tapi hati seneng & puas sih bisa jalan2 ke kebun binatang, apalagi jalan2nya sama yayang.. hehehehe =) and now, giliran gue download photo2x deeeehhh.. ada yang mau liat?

Cerita Hari Ini : Indomie & Coffee Maker

Gue seneng deh, soalnya today hari terakhir gue kerja di US Bank.... untuk bulan ini! hehehehe... kenapa? soalnya starting 24 Juli 06, gue start my paid vacation time gua for 2 minggu, and setelah 2 minggu, gua bakalan masuk kerja lagi tanggal 7 Agustus. Vacation ini artinya gue gak usah masuk kerja, bisa memanfaatkan waktu buat liburan kemana2, plus gaji tetep dibayar. Asik kan?

By the way, hari ini gue masak indomie di coffee maker di kantor! hihihi.. gelo gak seh... soalnya dulu gue pernah coba masak di microwave di kantor, gagal total alias terlalu mateng jadinya. Terus kalo gue rebus airnya dulu di micro, juga repot. Oh ya, di kantor gue kaga ada kompor, jadi kaga bisa masak air panas. Nah, kemaren malam gue baru kepikir, kenapa gua kaga masak tuh indomie di coffee maker! kan yang penting filternya kaga usah diisi bubuk kopi, tapi filter tetep dipasang aja, supaya air mendidih seduhannya gak berasa kopi gitu. Eh, berhasil juga lho! hihihi... anak sanur emang harus kreatipppp.. iya gak?

capek apa udah tuir???

Gila hari ini gue capek banget. Pertama2... bangun pagi kesiangan! Gue bangun jam 8.15, padahal jadwal kerja gue tuh 8.45 am, dan perjalanan yang harus gue tempuh ke Tigard (kantor gue) biasanya makan waktu 45 menit ... dan tentu saja karena pagi ini hujan, jadinya macet total di mana2, dan alhasil gue nyampe kantor sejam kemudian yaitu jam 9.15.... hiks, harusnya gue gak telat, tapi.. gimana dong?

Terus, setelah nyampe kantor, boss gue bilang kalo our BM mau traktir kita2 makan2 di resto Olive Garden besok malam.... well, itu artinya gue harus terpisah lebih lama dari suami gue dong! huh... jadinya gue call suami gue, dan rencanain kalo besok gue kaga masak, dan dia pesen pizza ajah buat dinnernya dia. Kasian si lloyd, gak ada yang masakkin... Oh ya, salah satu customer gue dari restoran Shari's kan hari ini last day di kantornya, eh, dia malah bawain gue chocolate cream pie lho! asiiik, free breakfast! mana enak pula, chocolate cream pie kan salah satu pie favorit gue dari shari's... thanks, Rick!

Jam 11 siang, sperti biasa, jadwal makan siang gue. Gue memutuskan ke Taco Bell untuk beli lunch yang gak terlalu berat2 banget, soalnya makanan di sini rata2 porsinya gede bangeth deh... So, gue cuma beli chicken quesadilla (itu aja gue kaga abis makannya!), dan baca novel gue seperti biasa.

Sebetulnya hari ini gue kaga sibuk2 amat, saking kaga sibuknya akhirnya gue malah ngerjain project2 yang lain di kantor gue, misalnya, fotocopy formulir2 yang udah hampir abis, dll.. admin stuff lah.

Jam 5 teng... kantor tutup! bank tutup toko! kita semua pengen cepet2 pulang, udah capek kali ya? hehehe.. lagian besok masih kerja ini lah.. =) Hm, yang sebelnya tuh, maceeeeeeeeeeeeeeet lagi di jalan. heran, akhir2 ini kok amrik kayak jakarta seh? macet total gak karu2an, plus banyak kecelakaan pula di jalanan,...sebeeeel!

Setelah nyampe rumah, gue mandi, ganti baju, dan mulai masak ayam goreng panir gue yang kemaren malam udah gue prep (alias udah gue taburi garam, merica, mandiin di kocokan telur, dan di'bedakin' pake tepung panir alias breadcrumbs). Suami gue yang baik udah masak kentang di oven 30 menit sebelumnya (untuk bikin baked potato gue biasanya perlu waktu 1 jam bok di oven). Terus kita dinner deh.

Duh, punggung gue kok pegel2 ya? capek .. apa udah tuir nih???

WorkPlace : US Bank

Setelah 7 bulan gue jadi ibu rumah tangga di Vancouver, America, akhirnya social security number gue terbit juga. Di Amrik kalo mau kerja harus punya SSN. Dan begitu SSN gua terbit, gue langsung gencar deh ngelamar2 kerja ke beberapa bank di Vancouver. Kebetulan temannya Lloyd punya teman yg namanya Karen Van de Griend, branch manager di US Bank di kota Tigard, Oregon (skitar 20 miles di selatan kota Vancouver), dan melalui Karen ini akhirnya gue diterima kerja di US Bank di cabang Washington Square, Tigard, Oregon.

Tadinya gue & Lloyd mikir2, terima gak yah, tapi akhirnya kita memutuskan terima saja, itung2 buat pengalaman (kan gua belon pernah kerja sama skali di amrik, dan sistem perbankan amrik kan pastinya beda sama indo), jadi walaupun harus macet2an di jalan tiap hari, melalui 5 freeway, makan waktu kurang lebih 45 menit sampe satu jam tiap harinya, yah, dijalanin saja dulu deh.

3 Oktober 2005, gua resmi jadi full timer permanent staff untuk US Bank, dengan posisi teller. Tadinya gua ditawari jadi banker, tapi gue sereeeeeeeem sama target (maklum, masih trauma dengan target banking di indo kali yah? lagian gua udah males deh sales lagi). Dan boss gue, Dianne Foster, doi is a middle-aged woman yang baik banget & keibuan. Beliau jugalah yang nyusun2 jadwal training2 gue & jadwal teller school gua.

Oh ya, pertama kali gua masuk kantor, gue kenalan sama 2 Teller Coordinator : Cindy & Sue. Dua2nya baik, punya stylenya sendiri, tapi mereka menyenangkan. Gue juga kenalan sama Lina, teller yang diassign khusus untuk drive-thru lobby, juga Elise, Tim, dan Sarah yang jadi vault teller (merchant teller=alias service ke company2 yang nyetor deposit). Branch manager gue, namanya Phil Kobbervig, doi udah luamaa banget kerja di bank ini, makanya leadershipnya "jadi" banget deh. 2 banker kita namanya Gerardo & Lacey. They all totally nice.

Setelah beberapa lama beradaptasi dengan cara kerja teller di amerika, gue mulai tenang & pikiran mulai damai. Tadinya panik setiap kali mau balancing. Takut gak balance... takut over atau short. Tapi practice makes perfect, makanya gue udah mulai terbiasa lah untuk balancing. Plus tadinya gue juga takut ngomong sama nasabah, bener2 gak pede, soalnya takut gak ngerti apa maunya mereka. Tapi lama2 gue terbiasa dengan kecepatan bicara para bule2 itu.. hihihihi... malah beberapa nasabah udah tau nama gua, dan gue jadi hafal sama nama2 mereka walaupun cuma ketemunya 2 minggu sekali (mereka kan gak tiap hari ke bank gituh). Elise banyak sekali membantu gua sebagai senior, dia baik bangeth. Sedangkan Tim agak2 sombong, padahal dia anak baru juga tuh. Sarah.. she's membingungkan. Kadang baiiiiiiik banget (sampe ngasih gua baju2nya segala lho!), tapi kadang tegeesss banget.

Skitar December 2005, Elise bilang ke gue kalo dia mau resign. Ih, sedih bangeth deh, tapi ya gimana, dia ngerasa gak cocok dengan kerjaan sebagai teller (tadinya dia manager sebuah restoran). Dan dia bilang restoran tempat dulu dia kerja, nawarin dia untuk balik lagi kerja sama mereka untuk cabang Vancouver (Lho, padahal dia tinggal di Portland, Oregon, jadi kebalik sama gua). But life goes on, the show must go on.. dan akhirnya boss gua bilang kita akan kedatangan teller pengganti untuk sementara, yaitu Tori. Haiyaaa, si Tori ini menyebalkannya minta ampun, soalnya dia tuh childishnya setengah mampusssss deeeh (maklum, baru nine-teen sih).

Gak berapa lama, Tori resign karena back to school lagi, dan kita kedatangan teller pengganti, yaitu Caroline Michalski (dia nih yg now jadi bestfrieeeeeeeend gua di kantor). Kita sama2 seumur (27 tahun), dan sama2 newlywed, dan... dia juga udah lama kerja di banking world. Cuocok! =)

January 2006, Sarah resign, pindah ke Washington Mutual Bank yang deket rumah dia (cuma 5 menit kalo jalan kaki). Yah, gak nyalahin sih, soalnya Sarah kan punya baby Luke yang baru setahun usianya, makanya wajar, kalo dia gak bisa ninggalin babynya jauh2x. Dan Tim menggantikan posisi Sarah sebagai Vault Teller. Dan akibatnya? Dianne memutuskan supaya gua jadi back-up vault teller. Jadi kalo Tim lagi makan siang, atau day off, ya gua yang melayani merchant2 customer. Wah, harus mulai hafal nama2 baru lagi nih...

February 2006, Tim kena kecelakaan, dan 2 minggu gak bisa masuk kantor. Akhirnya gua pontang panting jadi vault teller deh, mana gua lagi sakit alergi penisilin waktu itu sehingga badan tuh rasanya sakit2 perih gak karu2an.

Maret 2006 , Tim resign. O-o! Ini yang paling gua takutkan. Kerjaan sbg vault teller itu lumayan berat, karena harus balancing duit yang 10 x lipat jauh lebih banyak dari regular teller... plus ngurusin administrasi ke departemen2 yang bersangkutan.. waks..takut. Tapi Dianne, my boss, dia mau gua jadi vault teller for the branch, dan memotivasi gua bahwa kerjaan vault teller itu sebetulnya ringan, dan tidak memusingkan seperti regular teller yang terkadang dicela2 nasabah2 personal. Dan dia bener juga lho! Nasabah2 di merchant room pada baek2, dan kita jadi teman. Total nasabah yang gua handle is 50-60 company, dan rata2 tiap hari gue serve 23-25 customer per harinya, kecuali senin or jumat, bisa sampe 30an customer total. Rata2 gue udah tau apa maunya mereka (thanks for the experience being the back up vault teller), & mereka pun juga baeeeeeeek bangeth ke gue.  =) Oh ya, jadi vault teller enak juga lho, soalnya computer gua flat screen, gue punya ruangan besar sendiri untuk gue serve customer, dan another ruangan besar sendiri untuk meja kerja gua. Gue juga punya telpon pribadi dengan extension pribadi. Kalo dulu jadi regular teller, ya telponnya rame2. Oh ya, untuk masuk ke ruangan vault teller, harus buka pintunya pake kunci, dan yang punya kuncinya juga cuma gua... =) dimanjain, kali yah gua?

April 2006, kita kedatangan "anak" baru.. yaitu Vincent Lee (he's a Taiwanese) and Aynas Rana (she's a Pakistanese). Keduanya cepat berbaur bergaul sama kita. Aynas mengingatkan gua pada gadis2 indonesia yang berambut hitam legam panjang bak iklan gadis sunsilk. Dengan cepet Aynas & Vincent menyerap pace kerja kita yang lumayan cepat & cepat! Kadang2 si Vincent suka error sih, tapi dia lucu, bikin kita semua ketawa.

But anyhow, Caroline... hiks, bulan depan dia bakalan resign, karena suaminya dapet promosi kerja di Las Vegas, yang menyebabkan dia & suaminya harus pindah ke Las Vegas. Oh welll.... nice to work with you Caroline dear!

Setelah satu tahun satu bulan kerja di US Bank, gue dapat tawaran kerja dari HSBC sebagai debt collector! Wuiiih, titelnya serem amat, tapi gue merasa tertantang karena kalo diitung-itung, kan bagus buat nambah pengalaman baru! Akhirnya gue terima kerja di HSBC, dan cerita kerjaan berlanjut ke "episode" berikutnya...

Who I'm beyond

Terkadang gue melihat hidup gua ini bagaikan keajaiban dunia kedelapan. Babak pertama kehidupan gue selama 25 tahun pertama berlangsung di Indonesia, dan tiba2 tanpa gua sadari, semuanya itu tinggal kenangan. Umur 26 tahun, gua menikah di Amerika, dan sekarang udah setahun gua tinggal di negeri Paman Sam ini. Gua betul2 masih rindu dengan kehidupan gua yang rame & bising di Jakarta, kangen bangeth sama jajanan makanan2 di restoran2x maupun kaki lima, sampe ke hotel2 berbintang lima yang menyajikan buffet super mewah dengan harga masih dalam jangkauan.

Bukannya gua tidak bersyukur tinggal di amrik, .. well... tinggal di sini ada seninya sendiri. Vancouver kota yang indah, jauh dari kebisingan, bebas polusi, dengan aneka macam pepohonan yang tinggi rindang dan bikin sejuk di hati. Hidup gua jauh dari temen2 yang dulu asik karaokean di Nav sambil makan kwetiauw lebar (with VV and Thedu), hidup gua jauh dari nongkrong2 di Coffee Bean or Starbucks bareng Merry sambil curhat2an soal kerjaan, cowok, dan masa depan. Hidup gua betul2 now terbalik 180%.

I'm a home-maker, a housewife, and you can guess everything i made at home is homemade... artinya, kalo dulu di rumah as anak kecil gua tiap hari pasti bikin indomie goreng, tapi sekarang indomie goreng cuma kebagian jatah buat snacking doang. Lagian di sini jenis indomie yang dijual cuma satu dua jenis aja. Beda banget sama kalo dulu gue belanja di Carefour Duta Merlin bisa ribuan jenis mie instan!

Setiap episode kehidupan ini punya artinya sendiri2x. Dan gue bersyukur kalo gua bisa mengalami itu semua. Satu pelajaran yang harus gua ingat : waktu itu cepat sekali berlalu. Tanpa kau sadari, waktu telah menelanmu, dan membawamu ke realita terbaru yang mungkin bertolak belakang sama sekali.

Mam, Pap, I miss you =) so much. =)

And friends all over the world, believe me, I do miss you too =)

My own spaghetti

Ini resep paling gampang sedunia kali... but gue doyan bangeth makannya...

1. Rebus spaghetti sesuai instruksi di paket, mereka yang biasa gue pake al dente skitar 10 menitan setelah direbus di air yang mendidih + garam biar kaga lengket2 satu sama lain

2. Di wajan (atau skillet), panasin 2 kali putaran olive oil (atau minyak goreng apa aja lah, gue doyan pake olive oil soalnya fruity bangeth), terus kalo mau tambah butter boleh, tapi gue sih skip the butter (ciee, yang mau sehat)

3. Setelah bbrp menit, masukkan cincangan bawang putih, bawang merah, celery, & ham (gue doyan honey ham, tapi akhir2 ini gue suka makan smoky ham). Oh ya, boleh tambah irisan jamur.

4. Go season it with salt, pepper, gula (or honey.. kemaren gue coba ganti gula dgn madu.. enak lho), nutmeg (alias pala) and sedikit bubuk paprika.

5. Setelah spaghettinya al dente, tiriskan & drain it well, terus campur di wajan, masak together, kalo perlu re-season with point no.4

6. Jangan lama2 masaknya, yang penting incorporated well alias tercampur aduk dgn baik & benar... terus sajikan di piring saji, taburi parmesan cheese...

7. Wih, gue jadi laper nih, jadi pengen masak ni spaghetti!!

Naik Bis...

*Pengalaman Naik Bis Pertama di Vancouver*

Well.. sebetulnya sih gue udah biasa naik bis sejak dari sma (thanks to Merry) dan kuliah dulu (bareng2x Ijoel!).. tapiiiiiii.. udah ada 10 tahunan kali gue kaga pernah naik bis kota lagi.. hehehe.. makanya nih jantung rasanya mau copot gara2 jalan kaki dulu dari rumah ke halte, belon lagi pake acara lari2 takut ketinggalan bisnya...

Jadi ceritanya gini... suami gue punya ide untuk "membahagiakan" mobil kita, yang biasanya dipake dari senen sampe sabtu buat kerja. So kita setuju untuk naik bis kota untuk pergi ke Vancouver Mall. Rutenya cukup beradab, alias ada schedulenya & tepat waktu pula. Gak kayak dulu pas jamannya gue kuliah, nunggu di halte jam 1 siang, bisnya baru nongol jam 3 sore.. huh. Tarifnya per orang di sini USD 1.25,-.... berAC.. jangan dikurs ke rupiah yah, kan standard of livingnya beda, minimum wagenya juga beda kan...

So... kita berangkat dari rumah sekitar jam 12.20an hari minggu siang.. panas terik berangin sepoi2x (namanya juga musim semi), berharap bisnya segera datang jam 12.31 pm. Tapi ternyata si Lloyd salah liat schedule kedatangan bis. Doi liatnya jadwal hari sabtu, padahal harusnya kan jadwal hari Minggu. No problem sih, kita duduk2 aja di halte bisnya (dimana gak ada orang sama sekali, cuma kita berdua doang). Bisnya arrive sesuai schedule jam 1.13 pm... terus kita duduk nyantai di dalam busnya (pengemudinya cewek lho bok!) and terus kita nyampe di mall jam 1.30 pm. Karena hari minggu, ya gak ada macet.

Setelah puas makan siang di food court & makan es krim di baskin robbins, plus check out a book from perpustakaan di mall (gue pinjem buku yang judulnya : Alexandra, The Last Tsarina), akhirnya kita decide utk pulang (naik bis juga) jam 3.15 pm. Perjalanannya gak terlalu lama (heran, perasaan pas pertama kali naik bis ke mall kok rasanya lamaaaaa bgt).. dan kita nyampe rumah jam 3.30 pm. Jalan kaki lagi ke rumah dari halte sampe ngos2an.. duh, jantung udah gak kuat, makkkk... hehehe...

Lucu juga tuh hubby gue, ada2x aja idenya!

Humor garing

PERNIKAHAN DAN PEMAKAMAN

Saya selalu merasa tidak nyaman kalau harus datang ke pernikahan keluarga. Pengen tahu sebabnya? Biasanya, tante-tante saya, oma, dan para kerabat lainnya akan datang menghampiri saya sambil menepuk-nepuk pundak, "Kamu berikutnya 'kan?" kata mereka. Sebel banget, tidak berperikejombloan sama sekali! Kebiasaan ini berhenti setelah saya melakukan hal yang sama pada mereka di setiap acara pemakaman keluarga.

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TUKANG BECAK

Suatu malam ada seorang tukang becak yang sejak sore tidak mendapat penumpang. Ketika ia dalam perjalanan pulang, ada seorang wanita yang memanggilnya. Lalu ia pun berhenti dan wanita itu pun naik. Tukang becak bertanya, "Mau kemana, 'Dik?" Dan wanita tersebut berkata, "Jalan aja, Pak, nanti saya beritahu."Ketika sampai di dekat kuburan, si wanita menyuruh tukang becak itu berhenti, "Stop, Bang!"katanya. Pada saat si wanita turun, tukang becak melihat kalau kaki wanita itu tidak menyentuh tanah. Lalu si tukang becak berteriak, "Kuntilanak!!!" Dengan spontan si wanita itu menjawab, "Biarin, daripada 'lu cuma tukang becak!"

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KECELAKAAN JALAN TOL

Pada suatu hari, tol Cikampek terserang kemacetan yang dahsyat. Ternyata ada sebuah mobil minibus Carry yang terjungkir balik, dan seluruh penumpangnya yang terdiri atas seorang bapak, seorang ibu dan dua orang anak - terluka parah tak berdaya. Hanya seekor monyet, yang ternyata merupakan binatang peliharaan keluarga, yang masih segar bugar. Pak polisi kebingungan ketika harus mencatat dan melacak kejadian sebenarnya untuk dilaporkan pada atasannya. Kemudian, ia memutuskan menanyai si monyet untuk memperoleh keterangan kuat untuk dicatat sebagai laporan. "Toh, dia kan monyet peliharaan. Biasanya, monyet peliharaan punya tingkat intelegensia yang tinggi" pikirnya. Mulailah ia menanyai sang monyet, yang kini tampak memegang sebuah botol bir."Monyet, apa yang terjadi sebenarnya?" Si monyet kemudian berjungkir balik beberapa kali. "Oh...mobil terjungkir balik beberapa kali..." kata polisi dalam hati sambil mencatat. "Lalu, apa yang dilakukan oleh si bapak?" Si monyet menirukan gerakan mabuk sambil minum dari botol bir yang dipegangnya. "Oh...si bapak sedang mabuk saat menyetir. Pantas saja..." "Terus, si ibu ngapain? Dan anak-anak ngapain?" Si monyet menirukan posisi orang tidur, kemudian bergerak-gerak seperti orang sedang bertengkar."Oh...oke deh. Eh, ngomong-ngomong, kamu sendiri ngapain, monyet?" Dan ....... si monyet kemudian menirukan gerakan menyetir ...

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GANTI PAKAIAN DALAM

Kompi C sebuah pasukan sudah berbulan-bulan bertugas di pedalaman Irian Jaya, sampai suatu ketika mereka dikumpulkan oleh sang komandan. "Saya ada dua berita untuk kalian, berita bagus dan berita buruk. Berita bagusnya, hari ini pakaian dalam kita akan diganti..." "Horeeee! Siap, komandan!" seru seluruh anggota pasukan dengan sukacita. "Nah, sekarang berita buruknya. Bambang, ganti pakaian dalammu dengan punya Joko. Iwan, kamu ganti dengan punya Budi..."

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ADA SUKA DI BALIK DUKA

Dua orang sahabat bertemu di tengah jalan. Salah seorang di antaranya memperlihatkan wajah murung, seolah-olah cerahnya hari itu tampak seperti mendung baginya.
Teman 1: Kenapa, lu. Kok kayaknya sedih banget?
Teman 2: Tiga minggu yang lalu, Om gua meninggal dunia, dan gua dapet warisan 100 juta rupiah. Teman 1: Lha, bagus, dong!
Teman 2: Bagus apaan? Denger dulu cerita gua. Nah, dua minggu yang lalu salah seorang sepupu gua meninggal karena tabrakan. Gua dapet warisan motor Harley-nya.
Teman 1: Enak banget lu!
Teman 2: Terus, minggu lalu kakek gua meninggal dunia, gua dapet warisan 500 juta rupiah dan sebuah rumah di Pondok Indah.
Teman 1: Gile!!! Lantas ngapain lu kelihatannya sedih bgt?
Teman 2: Soale minggu ini belum ada yg meninggal!

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