bentar lg pulang

huhuhu..bentar lg pulang...
sedih :P senang :P campur aduk :P ga jelas :P ga tau ah gelap :P

ga mo mikirin !! Bsk Disneyland!! Welcome me Singapore :P

bombie {=^o^=}

it aint over till it's over

Soon I'll be back. The thots tat my holiday is over, is excruciating :P

Well, they say all good things must come to an end one day. So is mine going over soon. Back to SG means back to work immediately. Office is waiting 7 hours after I landed. 2 meetings waiting at the end of the week that I'm back :) hua hua hua hua.... and when I ask where has my youth been gone ? U noe the answer !! tadada dadada dadada :) (answer is : Gone for the glory of the Lord : HALELUYAH AMEN !!! )

Gitulah hidup kata Ieie gua. Terus berputar. Loe baik sama orang, orang lain lagi yg akan berbaik hati sama loe. Erm..ga nyambung yah ? heuheuh:P anyway : buat gua waktu itu yg terus berputar :P hahahah :)

Back to my last stay in States, I'm supposed to go to Disneyland with Bella today. But since dia stomach cram kemaren (aduh kasian banget) en that she has a project meeting today, we will be going on Friday instead. So my schedule for today : going Beverly Hill, Rodeo Drive & beli koper at the end of the day :P *hahahaha butuh banget yg ini*

Went to the mall near my Aunt's place on Monday, Pasadena & De grove yesterday (I got the BEST DEALS for shoes @ DSW ! Cant believe my eyes), en beverly hills today. Not going to Vegas this time around. Well, not a gambler in the first place, not fancying lights @ buildings, and might not be happy going Vegas alone, I decided to stay & just enjoy LA for a full week, while waiting for my cousins or any group of friends who want to go to Vegas together !!! ehhehehe :) gua tungguin yah guys !! My Ieie says : Vegas itu lbh enak kl perginya rame rame * en gua percaya hal itu benar *

Some tips for those going States next year : Come during Thanksgiving or Christmas for the best shopping deal. Off course u have to queue and maybe do some grabbing here & there, rub many ppl's shoulder altogether, fight a lil bit, give in a lil bit. They call it : the Black Friday (Friday after thanks giving). I dont know wad they call it during Christmas. It was a crazy sale that some things go for just 1 dollar!

But no, I dont want to fight Americans who are huge in general. I got couple of good news in states.

1> My dress size is considered : PETITE !! (gua...petite...HAHAHAHHA :p ngakak). Off course I took L size petite, but still's petite.

2> u've heard them. Sizes in States are ranging from a smaller number (perhaps just to make girls mind happy...psychological I suppose) Some girls fit size 0 in states. So this size 0 is around Dian, Jojo's size. I was wondering if they are size 0, wads my size ? en to my surprise ( I thot I was again minimal 8, 10 or 12) I'm size 4 !!! tada !!! hahaha :P *cukup senang to fit some size lesser than 5*. I'm pretty sure that Fenny is size -2 / -4

3> as for my jeans : I am size 6 !! nananananana nananananan :) (When I was over confident, I took 4. Off course cannot fit lah my fren)

4> When I ask them to guess my age, many believe that I am ....drum roll : 22 or even younger. When they know that I'm 28 and still serving in uth, they say that it's the benefit of staying in youth :P Percayaaaa :)

So my conclusin : life works in many wonderous way. It gets better as I aged, or should I say it gets better and better the more I know Him better. Gua cukup terharu sama cuplikan FB El that wrote : envy bombie :)

That's a real flatters El :) I never regard my life as sth that can cause ppl envys. But the journey I walked this year have changed quite many things. Yup, I enjoy this trip, this year, this journey, and the freedom that a single person can ever have, to do whatever one wants to do, achieve whatever one wants to achieve, reach the sky, paint them blue-pink-anything, without having any limitation other than one self doubt & fear. I have not loved my singleness any better than this year, any beter than I am now.

In fact one night after Nasi Boengkoes, when I remember those moments, I was laughing in bed *haha stengah gila* realizing how happy I am with the condition I'm in, single this age, and how wonderful that He made it to happen. It's a longgggggg and windingggggg and tearingggg & stormy journey I walked to reach & find this peak of happiness.

But to any of my friends who are happily married or in a relationship right now, pls don get it wrong. If only u noe how many litres of tears (1000 litres of tears kalah sama gua), sleepless nite, heartbroken pace I overcomed, believe me......u would not want to choose this path of mine.

Neither did I. In fact, this has been the toughest year that every single closest of girl friends of mine are married. U noe what I heard ? A sirene sounds like this:

"This is the final call for babies born in 1981 to board the plane called marriage. If you are in this flight, pls board the plane soon. Be sure to check in, get your boarding pass ready and we pray you enjoy your flight. "

I have no boarding pass. My visa was dis-approved. I have no choice than to wait for the next flight if there is, and if there isn't, stay in the island called singleness 4 eva. Imagine that : en u'll noe how many littre of tears I poured (together with my sweat I throw during dance practise this year --> all those contribute to the amount of waters I shed & my weight loss...hahaha)

Yet having no choice, and in a wonderful surrender heart, He has shifted my perspective and bring me a joy that I should have long discovered. Singleness --> is long translated : FREEDOM !!! I should have found this dictionary long time ago :P


So to El, thanks :) I really am flattered that I'm envied. But if there's anything that I can conclude in this trip, is that joy & happiness is best shared with ppl that you love. And to be able to find someone whom you love and loves you even more, is a pure gladness :) *ada yg bawain barang gitu loh... hahhaha. Joking*

To my friends who have find one: real congrats for you guys :) Have a safe sailing through the sea of life :)

To my friends who are in the wait : keep waiting with open heart. Who knows he/ she might just be next to you.


And to all who are enjoying whatever condition God has brought us into, just like me now, trust me :) We will never regret it. Coz He knows, much way better than us. He knows His way :) Just wait till the right time comes :)


see u in SG soon :) I do miss u all:)


bombie {=^o^=}
very much grateful for being blessed by His loving kindness:)

Picture time

Here are the pictures as promised. Nah, karena aturan blogspot, somehow foto yg lama ada di bawahan en foto yg baru ada di atasan. Jadi baca dengan chronologi terbalik.

Enjoy !!!! :)

Di rumah Wiwid while waiting for the cab to fetch me :)


Wid, Di, Lyd, Jo: mo nitip anak ke gua ? gua ajak maen and ajarin narsis deh pasti : FOTO !!!


Ini kl lagi normal jaga anaknya.


Life Changer International Church.


Mirip El yah kl lagi gini ? heheeh :P

I'm the Goddest of Moon!!

Along the bridge going down to Chicago Riverwalk

As it is : Chicago Riverwalk.

Saingan-nya hotel 81 di Singapore: presenting to you : Hotel 71 !!!

Gentlemen, look at this & behave!! hehe

Dinner @ Potbelly. Sandwich restorant aja tempatnya bagus gini :P busyet :P

Chicago Theatre !! One day my friend, we'll be dancing in REAL THEATRE !! TLG let's make it happen !! yuhooo :)

Fountain @ where ? Guess.

It's @ the centre of an 8th story MACY's store !! Pretty pretty pretty

Second day Breaksfast @ chicago. Omelete:)

Irene: my Angel from Chicago who has let me stay @ her home, use her internet and guide me through Chicago downtown.

See the lights, Christmas spirit starts to come :) haoehoahoe

Dan inilah restoran Pizza gua itu !! wohohohoho :) jangan2 yg punya Giordano di SG itu orang Italy jg benernya :P hehehhe


Sneak preview of my half eaten Pizza @ Giordano's !

And the one u have been waiting for : THE PIZZA CAKE !!!!!! TADAAAAAAAA... *ngiler ?ngiler ? yuk ke Chicago bareng gua..hehhehe balik lagi kita one day*

BUS STOP !!! Just like in movies. Their Bus stop is pretty & cute :)

Under man made starry starry sky :)

The building behind me is called Water place. Aduh, foto ga bisa jelasin cakepnya deh. U got to go there and see for urself :)


Another stranger help me to take this wonderful Pic. Om yg ini cukup jago :)


Sebenernya gedung belakang gua itu cakep banget. Cuman maklum stranger yg ini jepretnya ga bisa dapetin :P haih :P gapapan deh yg penting ada. Thank you stranger.

Hasil jepretan Bapak security :)

Foto di atas dan dibawah adalah berkat pertolongan seorang security yg ber suku Afro Amric (yg konon temen gua wanti2 jangan dideketin tapi in this case he's the one who offer me his help) berhasilah gua dapetin foto yg mana tampang gua riang gembira putih cemerlang :P heheheh :)

@ a structure shaped like cashew nut / half donut, where u can see urself and from whichever way u stand from the structure.

the looks from the mirror :) Matching loh kacamata & baju gua warnanya ... haha baru sadar :)

Still @ donut mirror ! Just this time me short short :P heheeh :P

@ the nichole bridge in Chicago ( mirip Nichol highway yah namanya. hehehe)

Mbak kasian mbak, anak ilang :P *kayak homeless gua*

Udah dapet foto bagus bagus...eh si Om di belakang lewat.

I'm going to conquer Chicago alone today !!!! hoho :)

Liat buildingnya...liat buildingnya...huaaaaaaa.. :P ..

Tupai di bangku taman di siang hari yg makanin Apel sisa. Lucu :) hahha :)

One of the Park in Chicago yg berhasil gua bidik with self timer and my wide angle camera yg hasilnya gua jadi kecil banget adoh :P

But look at the lamp & the bridge behind. Along Michigan Avenue, the road is filled with this kind of Park !! So ..beautiful

Chicage Hilton Hotel

After breakfast on day 1 in Chicago, liat patung2 di belakang itu ? It's a lower body sculpture with triple my heights and they have them all along the park.

My breakfast on day 1 Chicago: Bongo Room

Scramble egg, with sausage patties (yg kotak 2 biji itu) and harsh brown (nah...harsh brown nya itu kayak kentang tumis, bukan kayak HB yg kita kenal) The the scattered brown thing ? That's harsh brown !! yummy !!

Behind them is my English muffin bread !! very very filling Brunch to fill me with energy to walk long Michigan Avenue.

Isn't she lovely ? Becca: Wiwid's beloved daughter.

And my Teka, SD, SMP's best buddy : Wiwid Umbul Bachtra with her mini-her (becca), who look exactly like Wiwid's Teka version.

Aunty Melissa with Rebecca Ashley Bachtra

Minie Reunie @ Chicago : bombie, umbul, Irene.

Reuni lagi :) I love the trees behind. Scarfnya punya-nya Wiwid :) Bagus yah !! hehehe :)

IHOP Eggnog pancake

IHOP Strawberry pancake

IHOP International Omelette (with Ham, Pepper & Cheddar)

Our breakfast @ IHOP. A sumptuous morning.

The remain of me & Yuki's Red Velvet Cheesecake. Superbly YUMMY !!!

Universal Studios baby :) Last Picture

Coraline miniature. Be careful what u wish for.

And SHE'S A STAR !! *Dreaming dreaming dreaming*

When we are about to enter to Universal Studios

GOOD DEAL BABY !!! Great stuffs too :)

Kawaiiii !!!

Tadaaaa !!!!

I love you Mickey

Opposite Hollywood sign is a Lake. I have another breathtaking scenery here. Dalem banget itu kl jatoh :P heheheh

We drive all the way through small road with beautiful houses along the way (pasti artis2 punya, sapa jg yg mo tinggal di daerah secluded deket Hollywood sana kl bukan dia orang), just to get as near as possible to this Hollywood sign anddd.....WE MADE IT !!!! wohoooo !!!

Back to entertainment capital of the world

Yup yup, I'm in LA now. Sambil merenungi kl Liburan gua udah mo berakhir !! hix hix .. well anyway, sedihnya belakangan aja deh di SQ nanti. Lanjut cerita dari Chicago.

So setelah conquer Chicago di hari kedua, gua nginep lagi di rumah Irene, karena mrk berbaik hati buat anterin gua ke Train Station di hari Sabtu siangnya.

Paginya itu, Irene & cowoknya ada doa jam 10 pagi (wah, mirip doa puasa kita yah. Cmn mereka doanya di rumah mereka. Nah, kl yg gitu gua dateng deh, kl ada di Singapore *hehehe..alesan*). Mrk berdua btw pulang jam 2 malem hari jumatnya coz mrk abis cover shooting & photo wedding orang. Kasian jg, keren jg.

Anyway, kl gua jadi mereka, mgkn gua udah ga doa (hahaha). Tapi not only mereka tetep doa, they even wake up earlier than 10 AM. Jam 9 pagi Irene bangun. Gua yg udah terkapar karena dihajar jalanan Chicago 2 hari berturut turut ditambahin bag gua & coat yg kl digabung jd super berat bgt di body, msh terbaring tak berdaya di ranjang. Tp Irene dah bangun. Gua otomatis ikut bangun. Gua tanya napa pagi banget, dia bilang dia mo ke rumah si Adi dulu (cowoknya, yg tinggalnya cuman satu lantai di bawah rumah Irene, apartment yg sama), karena mereka ada janjian Skype sama bonyoknya Irene di Jakarta.

Napa mereka Skype ? Karena Sabtu ini. orangtua Adi bakalan ke Jakarta (Adi orang Tulung Agung) buat lamaran. Nah, mereka berdua mo irit ongkos, jadi org tua adi ke Jakarta, di jakarta mereka skype-an sama States, dan sementara kedua belah pihak mempelai ada di US, bersama sama !!! WAKAKAKAKKAKA :p ngakak gua dengernya !! Creatip !!!!! cara baru yg mujarab abies !!

Lanjutlah mereka mencoba skype, diikutin dengan doa. Selesai doa, mereka anterin gua pulang sambil Irene temenin gua makan di train station & then gua naik train pulang. For their kindness, ( yg si Irene sampe terus terusan bilang sorry sorry ga bisa temenin loe di Chicago...adoh...gua terharu banget pdhl mah gapapa atuh), I thank God and I pray for a smooth sailing marriage preparation for them, and a bright future ahead. (Chicago - Tulung Agung - Jakarta, and to think that Singapore wedding is tough, think about that !! hehehe) One for sure, I can see why they are meant for each other.

So gua lanjut pulang ke rumah Wiwid, naek kereta Amrik sejati. Lucu banget loh !! Ada conductor nya yg bakalan cek tiket satu persatu, & panggilin orang2 masuk, or keluar. Pake seragam lagi (sayang ga foto yah ?) Conductor gua om om, keliatan baek, kayak ke disneyland aja gua berasanya.

Train nya ini tuh, ga kayak MRT. Ada jadwal fix nya loh. So bisa ambil kertas jadwal mereka, and liat boarding timenya. Terus, ga ada batesan yg boleh ke pinggir train siapa. Jadi Irene anterin gua sampe pinggir kereta bok. Kayak felem2 bisa bye bye gitu :) ...off course kita ga lah yah... pls dong !! malu :P ehhehe :)

Anyway karena kmrn itu sabtu train-nya cuman sejam sekali! Waduh, udah mepet waktu gua naek. 2.24, keretanya 2.30. Irene bilang, masih ada 6 menit, keburu kok. Gua biasa ngejar. HAHAH :P nekad. Gua udah serem aja. Eh beneran keburu!! itu jg udah lari2 dramatic geto. Pelok pelokan depan conductornya, terus naek dah si train. Lewatin suburb2 di Chicago yg gede gede bener rumahnya, en cakep2 ... serasa mudik gua (mana gua beli si Adidas itu beneran jadi kayak TKW balik kampung..haahha)

Sampe di station nya Wiwid udah jemput (arrival time udah di stated di schedule). Pulanglah gua ke rumah Wiwid & maen lagi sama Becca. Malemnya gua cek facebook en guess wad ? Bella online en ternyata dia masih di LA !! wohoo.. so besok gua ketemu Bella :) horeeeeee :)

Terus tadi pagi gua ikutan ke gereja Wiwid, gereja bule. Namanya life changer. Anterin anak2 Wiwid dulu ke Sunday school class, gua drop Becca. Terus lanjut ke servicenya.

U noe wad ? It's been more than 1 mth since I last went to Service due to one ore many reason that I can't come. Mostly gara2 siapin travel ini. When I got in, I don't noe why, I'm just in tears. I kept tearing tearing, tanpa hal yg jelas napa. Worship leader udah selesai nyanyi, en pendetanya jg belon naik. Masih announcement waktu kita masuk. They ask us to tell one another I love you with the love of God. The afro lady next to me said that at first. Then in the end she came back facing me and say, u noe wad ? I can give you a hug for this. Then she hugged me, waduh makin kejer!!

Deep down, I know why I teared. Simple answer : Presence of God. I know that it's going to feel like this when we got home to heaven one day. That warm fuzzy feeling, is awesome. He, is awesome. Ever the same forever more.

Then, the next good news. U know point of grace ? Christian singer. Mereka lagi concert di gereja nya and they present a song for us. Wadoh :P Indah bener. I know Point of Grace and they sounded COOL. Cakep2 lagi biar kata udah mama mama :)

Selesai gereja kita makan di Mitsuwa: Asian restorant. Wiwid bilang ada ramen enak disana. Ternyata : ramennya : adalah ga lain ga bukan SANTOKA, ramen favorit gua di Central, Clarke Quay. AHHAHHAH :) jauh2 masih ada Santoka jg. Plg ke rumah Wiwid, maen bentar sama Becca, terus cabut ke LA.

Yah cuman tinggal segitu penghiburan gua, coz this holiday is going to end soon:) Seneng seh bakal ketemu orang2 lagi di SG (ga boong loh ini, bukan iklan), cuman tetep aja..gua bahagia jalan2 :)

Karena itu, marilah sekali lagi bersyukur kepada Allah Bapa yg maha kuasa yg baek bener dan sayang kepada anakNya yg satu ini sampe bisa jalan2 sendiri menikmati keindahan dunia ciptaan-Nya.

Becca nanya ke gua : Aunty Melissa, why do you have to come back ? Why don't u stay here with me ? Don't go Aunty.. *dengan American English Accent. HUAAAAAAAAAAAAA.. mo nangis*

My answer: I have to work in Singapore Becca. Why don't u come and visit me there ? And let's pray that I will be back to Chicago one day. Okay? U have to be good and collect all the smiley face so I can come back !!

Tuhan, kembalikan daku satu hari ke Chicago :) ohohoho

bombie {=^o^=}

hari ke 2 di downtown Chicago

Lanjut dari kemaren, about my dinner.

Jadi setelah hari pertama jalan2 sekian jauh, gua ketemu sama Irene. Irene bawa gua ke tempat dinner yg namanya : GIORDANO !! hehehe :P ga kebayang kl Giordano di Chicago is an Italian dining place.

Specialty si Giordano ini adalah: Pizza yg thick crust. Nah, gua ini amat sangat sungguh sekali, ga suka sama Pizza yg thick crust. Gua pencinta thin crust. Tapi, karena ini adalah specialty nya si Giordano Irene bilang, gua decide to try them.

Keluar2, bayangkan Pizzanya itu seperti ini. Inget strawberry cheesecake ? Nah, Pizzanya itu persis kayak strawberry cheesecake bentuknya. Tengahnya full mozzarella Cheese (kita tambahin filling : sosis), atasnya full saos tomat special mereka. Pinggirnya itu kayak sisa panggangan bread yg naek ke atas sedikit, tapi ceking (nanti liat fotonya deh kl udah bisa diupload). Rasa ini Pizza, enakkkk abies. Gua yg plg benci makanin rotinya pizza hut yg ujung, ini demen banget bagian ujung si Pizza itu. It tastes like Popeye punya roti. Inget ? Yg garing2 gitu rotinya ? Nah gitulah !! Heaven. Cowoknya si Irene kl pulang indo bawanya si Pizza ini, dalam keadaan Frozen. They call this Pizza : Pizza Cake coz it looks like cheese cake.

Jujur gua mau coba bawa pulang, tapi: kl kena cekal imigrasi Singapore bahaya. itu alasan pertama. Alasan kedua: ga punya oven di singapore. *kl ada yg baca en punya oven : let me know, heheheh*

So biarkanlah si Giordano jadi memory Chicago dinner gua. So begitulah hari pertama gua berakhir, dengan dinner en jalan2 bareng Irene after shopping. Foto2, makan Ice cream, nikmati gedung2 & lampu2 lagi, pergi ke daerah yg katanya banyak artist *ga ketemu sayang* en pulang deh.

Then hari kedua. Somehow gua cukup gloomy kemaren. Super moody. Jadi gua naik bus, breakfast di tpt yg sama : Bongo place. Waitressnya mungkin liat gua bengong sendiri and moody kali, dia kasih gua koran buat baca. Padahal kemaren-nya lagi kagak. Waduh thank you banget. Jadilah gua agak enjoy dikit karena banyak berita di koran itu (bukan gossip okay ?)

Terus mulailah gua berjalan di jalanan yg namanya State street. Ga gitu liat banyak pemandangan kmrn coz State street is where Forever 21, H&M (ada brand ini ga seh di Singapore ? Kayak ga pernah denger. Tp terkenal banget di US), Aldo, Agaci & many more shopping place. Gua jalanin satu persatu.

Tapi beneran ga tau napa, gua cukup moody. Padahal gua berhasil shopping, dapet good deal, dapet foto tapi ga byk seh. So gua decide buat masuk Macy's yg cakep banget decornya. Beli starbucks, duduk di sana sambil nangkring dan berpikir.

Mencoba menganalisa apa yg bikin gua moody sambil minum starbucks, I list them down:
1> Kepegelan, kaki gua jalan nonstop dari kemaren.
2> Udah agak sore, gua belon berhasil ketemu si Chicago River, padahal tadinya mo turun ke Riverwalk and jalan2.
3> Gara2 shopping terlalu banyak jadi agak menyesali diri ? Tapi ada good return policy @ every shops but still gua kayaknya kl udah beli, karena masih culture Asia, jadi ga berpikir buat balikin.
4> Gara2 sadar liburan gua udah mau berakhir : Nah ini yg paling memungkinkan.

5> Gara2 gua mengerem utk ga beli certain stuffs, karena gua akan belanja lagi di LA nanti dan gua berasa udah shopping kayak shopaholic, and realizing that greed is indeed a very bad thing for human ?
Semakin banyak kita punya, semakin banyak yg kita mau, en semakin complicated hidup ini. But at the same time, cukup menyesali kenapa gua ga punya personality yg cukup cuek to just buy those stuff that I want, or kenapa gua ga punya duit yg bisa dibuang buang gitu aja.. HAHAHHA :P *Sapa jg yg punya duit buat dibuang buang gitu yah ? Kl kenal en kenal anaknya : kenalin gua yah !! ahhaha*

6> Gara2 kurang banyak foto kemaren. Kurang banyak scenery, dan kurang banyak kesempatan buat narsis Ria sambil nikmatin alam. Kyk the day before, gua ga shopping2 banget, tapi sepanjang jalan2 itu gua bahagia en senyum2 sendiri liatin Architectural & building2 nya downtown. Hm: emang shopping & scenery viewing itu baiknya ga digabung.

7> Gara2 gua nyesel gua ga ambil si tas adidas itu *which in the end gua balik buat beli, en 100 % tidak menyesal*

gara gara apalagi seh gua moody ? Somehow gua lost aja waktu di starbucks. Gua suspect jg gara gara kurang minum !! hahahha :) Gua bingung mo jalan kemana lagi , mo ngapain lagi , or apa langkah selanjutnya .... dimana ada water cooler yg biasanya gua liat ada dimana mana....*kayak kena dilema apaan aja*

So setelah minum starbucks, menenangkan diri, serta berdoa minta arahan dari Allah Bapa * cahhhhh* gua berangkat, decided to make full use of the remaining day.

Gua foto2 di Macy's yg paling cakep yg pernah gua liat. Gua balik beli Adidas, then jalan lagi cari tempat makan and gua menemukan POTBELLY, tempat yg udah di suggest sama temen gua from the day before. Gua masuk, order Smoked Ham sandwich. ENAK bgt !! Adoh, pantesan bule demen Sandwich. Beneran teman temin, sandwich yg benerr itu harusnya gini gua rasa. Makan di toko sandwich jg jauh lebih murah banding makan restorant * yah iyah lah yah*, sambil nikmatin ruangan si Potbelly yg cukup unik & cakep.

Gua foto2 after dinner di Potbelly, terus jalan keluar to chase anything else I miss. Then gua liat : RIVERWALK !! Yeah, ternyata gua udah sampe si River itu. Gua turun, foto2 sendiri, jalan sepanjang river (much better view than Singapore river, much better weather too...hahha) then .....selesailah hari gua karena jam menunjukkan pukul 9 malam waktu Chicago setempat, dan toko2 udah tutup semua, en udah ga ada lg yg bisa diliat.

Gua jalan balik, naik bus, pulang. Sepanjang jalan I just count my remaining days in States.
Hix, sedih, udah harus balik bentar lagi. HUAAAAA....rasanya pengen turn back time to October 30. Haih, though time travel slows in States, it still travels :P

Yet remembering what He says to count every blessings we have, I thank God for every single day I experienced here, and one more time, for this holiday.

Hari ini gua balik rumah Wiwid & bakalan ketemu ponakan2 lucu lagi. Ga tau napa 2 malem berturut turut gua mimpi anak2 Wiwid terus, padahal baru sehari doang gua main sama dia orang :P Ngerti dah perasaan seorang ibu yg ga bisa jauh dari anaknya. Calon2 mother : Jo, Di, Wid, Lyd, Fenny jg : dengerin !! haha :)

Anyway : some old but good discovery : emang bener yg orang2 bilang : barang2 US murah banget di US sendiri. Segala macem Aldo lah, Forever 21 lah, the price (& the hype) is super marked up in Singapore. Haih *geleng2 kepala*. Makanya gua ga beli barang2 itu di Singapore. HAHAHHA *pdhl gua jg ga beli baju dia orang disini. Kecil2 gitu, mana muat. En sepatu si Aldo : biar kata lebih murah, tetep aja mahal banding heatwave*

Final conclusion: murahan idup di SG !! Coba aja SG gedean dikit *gimana kl kita nego sama JB buat beli tanah dia orang & develop mereka ? Gua bakal ditangkep ga yah ngomong gini ? hehe becanda bok..*

Yah udah lah. Idup itu emang ga ada puasnya. Mari bersyukur buat apa yg udah kita alamin & dapetin aja. Puji Tuhan, Haleluyah !!!

foto2 nyusul

bombie {=^o^=}
yg sdg belajar bersyukur

hore berhasil jalan2 tanpa halangan !!

HOAH !! Berhasil !!

Jadi gua berhasil naek Bus, dari rumah temen gua, berhenti di tempat yg tepat, ketemu tempat breakfast yg udah ditargetkan, dan berhasil jalan di jalan yg baik, indah, terang, membahagiakan, dan sangat benar :) HOAHEOAOEOHO :)

Tapi instead of naek Bus dari satu tempat ke tempat lain, gua memutuskan supaya ga nyasar, buat jalan kaki !! kl di peta, itu panjangnya ada 30 CM btw. Dan waktu naek mobil, it really feels long. Tapi memang kekuatan udara dingin, matahari yg cerah, serta pemandangan yg indanya 1000 watt, especially the architecture, gua pun decide kl gua kangen hobi jalan gua dari CK Tang sampe ke Plaza Singapura (off course ini panjangnya ada 4 x lipet CK Tang - PlaSing)

So gua berangkat jam 10.30, berenti di tempat breakfast called : The Bongo place. Ampir nyasar en menyerah, ketemu gerombolan yg quite nyeremin jg, dan gua decide ga mendekat, balik lg masih bingung2, sampe gua liat ke kanan jendela : THE BONGO PLACE (tulisan-nya kecil aje, ditempel di bagian sedikit sejajar pinggang manusia yg berdiri !! Puji Tuhan keliatan, kl ga seh bahaya deh...gua ga tau gua dibagian mana di Peta, or pada dasarnya tempat gua berpijak udah di gambar petanya atau belon)

Lalu..... makanlah gua disana. ENAK !! Kenyang abis :P I ordered 2 eggs with Saussage Patties, Harshbrown & English muffin (HB & muffin is part of the package). Sausage patties nya, is the best sausage patties yg pernah gua coba. Ternyata begitu tuh seharusnya sausage patties:P haih yah :P Mac Donald punya kerasa jauh banget :P

Selesai breakfast, gua nekad buat cari Michigan Avenue yg udah gua lewatin malam sebelumnya, yg mungkin bakalan lebih familiar buat gua. Dan ketemulah gua sama jalan itu, proven by the wonderful architectural of the buildings & bridges. Gua mutusin buat jalan along Michigan Avenue yg in the end will make me end up at : Macy's !! hoho :P

Sepanjang jalan itu banyak banget park. I saw ppl reading books, many homeless lying around, ada squirel makan Apple sisa orang, ada orang yg sehat walafiat, ga jelek dan ga kekurangan suatu apapun, teriak2 & nangis2 sendiri kayak depresi, tapi badannya stay still di pinggir bridge :P (sedih dah liatnya)

Terus after a series of parks & museum, datenglah gedung2 Business Centre. Kerasa banget beda crowd orang2 yg around Business Centre. Suddenly gua berasa sedikit Singapore. Orang2nya udah pada jalan cepet ala crowd manusia menuju Orchard MRT. Benernya yesterday night when I arrive at the Train Station @ Ogilvie, orang2nya ding....serem banget. Kl Loss or ga tau arah, dijamin kena bawa arus, tabrak or minimal klakson berbunyi "excuse me". Yg di Chicago pada bilang kl emang gitu !! Kl udah downtown daerah Business, things start to be a lil bit differrent :)

Percaya ga percaya, gua sempet culture shock dikit walaupun speed manusia2 ini sama with ppl generally in Singapore. Kata mereka, orang2 sini jalannya cepet karena daerah luar itu dingin, and jalannya itu lumayan jauh, and karena ini winter, they just cant afford to walk slow: bisa dingin banget. Wah : si Ncep & Rani bisa latian jalan disini neh biar cepetan dikit jalannya ! But then again, napa orang2 Singapore jalan-nya cepet gitu coba kl udara kita ga dingin ? Avoid panas ? jreng :P yg ada body makin panas !! Nah : ini pertanyaan yg harus gua jawab sendiri since speed gua jg ga kalah sama HRT (human Rapid Transfer).

Balik ke my adventure, jadi gua berhasil coba2 self timer berulang ulang, got pretty good pictures off course (cieh cieh... udah pro moto sendiri) & berlatih foto muka dengan balikin camera ke muka, and Thank God banyak strangers yg cukup baek buat fotoin gua. Some are good, some need training :P

Dan, end up lagh gua di Macy's. Terus datenglah SMS bertubi tubi dari my best friend Wiwid (Widya Umbul, bukan Widiya Gani :P hehehe). Tadinya harusnya gua tinggal di rumah dia terus. Tapi since hubby dia lagi sibuk sama project, jadilah gua nginep semalem di rumah temen SMP gua Irene buat bertualang di downtown. Nah wiwid suggest buat nginep lagi sampe besok. Tadinya gua harusnya pulang today. Pertama gua pikir, gapapa deh pulang aja. Eh... lama2, nginep lagi seems to be a good idea. Since Wiwid jg harus jaga anak2nya 2, and hubby nya lagi lembur2 gitu, gua pikir ada baiknya gua ga merusak keseimbangan rumah tangga orang lain. En since ini ide Wiwid jg, jadilah gua nginep lagi di rumah Irene & gonna conquer downtown again tommorrow.

Terlalu gede downtown-nya. Banyak yg belum gua pergiin: So, sekarang gua di rumah Irene lagi. Beneran, I met lots of God-sent Angels during my trip. If not for Ci Lily, Tante Hanny, Jenna (nama asli Jannela, napa jd Jenna : begitulah lucunya dunia), temen SD gua: Irene, these unthinkable ppl yg suddenly popped out just to make sure I can go around & enjoy my stay.... gua mungkin di rumah aja. Which is fine since I love American Show. Tapi pengorbanan dia orang beneran bikin gua terharu. Baek banget !! Mereka sampe jemput & anterin gua ke Hollywood boulevard, Universal Studios, jemput & anterin gua around Chicago + bonus foto2 nite time yg keren abis pake camera-nya cowoknya Irene.

Kita kita yg di SG udah ga se-enthusias itu kl ada orang/ temen dtg ke SG. Napa yah ? terlalu sibuk, terlalu kecil, terlalu aman ? or terlalu banyak yg dateng that we take it for granted ? Or emang culture yg udah ubah kita sedemikian rupa yg jd mikir kl orang dateng itu gangguan dari rutinitas idup kita di SG yg super rutin banget? hm.... apa itu gua doang ? wah... tobat !! tenang, I promise to be a good host from now on okay ? A better one deh !!

okie, segitu aja today. I'm going downtown again tmrw. Happy banget hari ini, senang rasanya jalan2 sendiri, enjoy scenery, liat2 kanan kiri, senyum2 sama strangers yg say Hi (Americans lbh friendly dari orang Indo sekalipun). HUAH !! Thank you God !! Thanks for the holiday of my life !! yuhuuu !!! Thanks for a GREAT year !!

Bsk update lg yah, especially on food matter ! Tadi makan Italian food yg susah dipercaya deh :) Bsk baru kasih tau :)

bombie {=^o^=}

sendirian di negara Paman Sam

Tmrw
is the first time I will conquer States alone :P

setelah beberapa hari ditemani Angel2 yg baek hati yg bersedia nganterin gua kemana mana pake mobil mereka,
besok...gua cuman bermodalkan nekadness, peta downtown & kereta Chicago..gua bakalan jalan2 di downtown Chicago, land of the legend Chicago Bulls NBA player Michael Jordan.
Jreng jreng....

jujur serem !! but it's gonna be exciting, knowing how I love to walk & enjoy the scenery alone.
There's a sense of freedom and achievement in it that makes u go own.
But still, wish me luck buat balik sampe rumah Wiwid dengan selamad dah yah !!

bombie {=^o^=}
*yg semakin buled gara gara makanan disini bagaikan food dreamland for me*

Seattles' beauties

7 Deadly sin : Shopping




@ apartment's lobby


UW Park

In the middle of nowhere


Colours of Pike Place Market


My Garden


They call this University Village. Village ? hm...


Where art thou?





The view outside UW library

On the street outside my cousin's apartment


Surrounded by lights in the shape of love


Dinginnnnnnnyaaaa Seattle


Auction lady wannabe


The view from a bridge b/w 2 shopping malls in Seatle






University library


Who's that girl ?


This pig's name is : Rachel


First starbucks ever


The Pink Door Italian Restaurant

Seattle

This is my last day in Seattle. Tommorrow, I'm leaving to Chicago.

Kl bisa, pengen stay here forever :P hehaheha :) Though I know that's just a dream. And though I know that the moving days and time means I'm closer to Chicago & Vegas (and going back to SG too), I still hope time moves slower here.

Even though, time already has move sssooo slow in here.
Beneran berasanya selalu kaya: ha ? baru jam segini, perasaan udah lama kita di luar, udah lama kita kesana sini sono sene sunu. Slow gitu dah....

But the slow motion of time means full satisfaction and enjoyment here. Generally, time does move slower in States overall.

Well now, Seattle. States ppl are generally louder, friendlier than Singaporean (as I said: mostly, don get offended as u noe this is true. I'm half singaporean myself having lived there for 9 years). I can feel that when I go to LA. But to my surprise, Seattle ppl are even more friendlier than LA ppl. Wow !!

U juz feel it everywhere. Even my cousin says, at Pike Place: Strangers talk to Strangers. Indeed. U now American are generally louder than any average person in the world ? When they talk, they just don care whether u are listening to their conversation. Unlike me, I'm a ghost whisperer my friend called. I speak in such small desibel ppl generally can't hear me.

And then, the thing about Seattle is: it's very very Romantic. Somehow I can imagine Dasu with Vina here. HAHA :P *sorry, only this Dasu man come to mind everytime I want to remember MUSHY, and to give him some credit : romantic*

Generally, the feel, the weather, the greeneries, the atmosphere. It's like there's music playin on your ear everytime u walk around.

I went to Space Needle yesterday. If you watch Love happen, basically Aaron Eckhart was standing there, when he was looking over his house in Seattle. It's that tower that is standing @ 300 feet tall. When me and my cousin walked there, u seem like u don't see ppl. It's like so quiet and less crowd (or no crowd at all). But when we enter the tower, suddenly u see ppl, alot.

When u reach the roof, again it's like quiet. But wait for awhile, and then again : people :P Wonder where do they come from. When I left the building, it's quite one more time.

Our agenda yesterday is generally Photo taking. I went to the place suggested by Lie Mei, UW :) She told me I have to go there as it looks like Harry Potter's school. And indeed it is. Oh my goodness. If I can study there, I think I'll continue studying over and over there :P

I went to the library and basically, u can just make Harry Potter Gala dinner scene there. It's like Cathedral itselves. And I have never seen a fountain as wide as bunderan HI in a school. If you have such fountain in ur school, dont u feel like pickniking there ?

huah ..... ! Shopping too. On Saturday I want to Outlet in Seattle (Tulalip area). No wonder ppl go crazy over there. I think I went crazy myself. The tax is lower than LA actually. And I have bought like ...a ... lot...*censored* But I still want to go back to another outlet on my way to Vegas as the prices are a lil bit impossible for our eyes to believe. HUAAAA :P I hope I don burn a hole in my wallet. One shopping list added : new luggage.

I learn new fact about Seattle recently, that Starbucks is first opened and originated here. I took a picture at the first starbucks stall ever built. It's still the most traditional, and they have street performer singing in front of the stall. When u listen to African American ppl sing, u just shiver my friend :P

hu hu hu hu hu..... I fall in love to Seattle. I fall in love to States. But I think I find this country as a nice place to live as I have spending power & on my holiday mood. To live here will be another story of it's own. I might not have as much spending power as I have now. hm....the curse of greed :P I don noe if I have enough guts to live here.

We'll see. For now, I'm still enjoying the best holiday of my life.

bombie {=^o^=}

MACY'S

Everyone who have been to states, or have relatives went to states, must have heard the legendary MACY'S.

And I spend a whole day @ downtown Seattle yesterday ( Pike's Market, Pacific Place) and the highlight one more time ladies and gentlemen, is MACY'S.

Guess what ? Let's just say that I shopped, and the receipt shows me how much that I save from shopping yesterday, and the savings cost like 2.3 from my shopping expenses, HOW COOL IS THAT ? So I'm actually paying a third of my actual cost.

U see, the price tag in Macy's doesnt always show u the real price. As said in my earlier blog, when u scan them @ the scanning machine everywhere around the shop, u will find some more Fabulous price.

So yesterday, I bring in like 15 top maybe, try them on, do some selection, and settle with 5 piece, scan each of them and I got a shock for some of the prices they show.

Then, I met this salesgirl, who is Chinese Nationals who once live in Singapore, who is so friendly, and she told me to open a Macy's Account, and I got A FURTHER 20% Discount.

I am mad, and I am going shopping again today !! hahahah :P I promise to stop myself from crazy shopping spree okay ? I will, do my best effort, to stop going crazy !! (but having a supportive cousin, who don really like shopping, but she's all the way helping me to shop, might not really help. But seriously I thank her. She shopped herself too :) ahhah :)

Oh off course I got some other comment. Americans service are seriously, cool. They are professional in doing service business. I'm shopping in what the likes of Robinson/ Tangs, and each of the salesgirl are like introducing themselves, Hi my name is who and who, if u need any help, pls just look for me. I'll be back to check on u later.

And they really do. Oh my, I got some serious learning on service business here. No wonder we, Singapore, kind of suck.

Oh, and I have another problem now. Ppl kept asking, where are u from ? I have to stop for a while and think. Sometimes I say Indonesia, sometimes I say Singapore, sometimes I took the pain to explain, I'm Indonesian living in Singapore and coming here for HOLIDAY.

But seriously, what should I answer next time ? Singapore, Jakarta ? Where ?

anyway: be back when I finally have the chance to upload my pics en blog again. Meanwhile, take care !!

bombie {=^o^=}
*blogging is fun this way. HAHA*