Keep Calm and Explore London

Ya ampun lanjutan cerita traveling-nya lama ya jedanya. In previous post sudah nyeritain siap-siapnya. Sekarang cerita bagaimana all the place I visited, through my eyes and what came across my mind at that time. Back then, February 2015, bisa dibilang it’s a not so good time in my life. So, dari awal perjalanan, niatnya adalah melihat , merenungi  dan merasakan Allah presence in this world. I need to feel HIM to calm me down. Jadi it will not be an usual catatan liburan, tapi lebih seperti pondering notes of mine.

I want to write about London trip first. Here we go…

Di London saya merasa dimudahkan sekali dari hari pertama saya datang, terutama untuk urusan hotel. Dari awal strategi kita untuk hotel adalah, kalau ada Ibis lebih pilih menginap disana saja, karena at least mereka standard chain hotel dan affordable. Jadi pasti aman dan nyaman. So, we choose Ibis Budget Whitechapel through Booking.com. Yang jadi plus point adalah ternyata whitechapel  adalah muslim area dan dekat masjid. Jadi banyak halal food dan gampang dengar adzan, Alhamdulillah..

Keesokan harinya, it is our one full day sightseeing around London. Kita ambil dulu London pass, one travel card for everything, a  great deal for travelling and sightseeing. London Pass, include Pass untuk naik bis atau underground (subway train), Pass ke banyak tempat wisata seperti tower of London, Pass untuk naik river cruise hop on hop off, etc. (Kalau mau lihat detailnya, see in previous posting). After collecting London Pass and off we go…

Kompleks Westminster dan sekitarnya

Big Ben - Teacher

First place yang kita tuju adalah kompleks Westminster. First thing yang saya lihat is Big Ben, the famous big tall clock tower. Somehow, merasa sedikit mellow melihat jam representing waktu. Time is the only thing that you can not turn back. There are moments in my life, that I wish I could have done differently, but I can not go back again. So, time teaches us to be wise and really think about what we are going to do with our lives. Move along now….tidak mau termangu kelamaan…

Tidak jauh, sudah kelihatan Westminster abbey, gereja tempat prince William and kate middleton married. And for those who is familiar with davinci code, adalah tempat  of Sir Isaac Newton dimakamkan, dimana Langdon memecahkan riddle of the cryptex (Ga pernah bosan lihat filem itu berulang ulang). 

Saya tidak terlalu berlama-lama disitu, saya terus jalan agak lebih jauh sedikit, dan saya masuk ke taman st. james, which I wish Jakarta punya taman seperti itu. Besar, enak buat duduk-duduk, you can find squirrel as you walk. I can easily spend my entire day, sit in a random bench at that park. Sometimes when you sit down and do nothing, everything will come into better perspectives. 

Bench at St. James Park

Mr. Squirrel

Karena kita berhenti dan kita jadi pengamat dengan segala hal yang bergerak all around you, the sun, the wind, birds, people, and somehow you will find a piece of your story related atau bisa dianalogikan dengan apa yang kita lihat. Berdiam dan memaknai segala hal, its better use of time than hustling around mechanically. That’s why we need a holiday or time away sometimes. I desperately need one these days…

I walked through the park dan baru kita sampai di Buckingham palace yang ya menurut saya begitu saja hehehehe. Cuma terlihat penjaga-penjaga dan pagarnya saja. Foto-foto sedikit, terus saya berjalan lagi dan ga terlalu jauh dari sana, we reached London eye. Kita memutuskan  untuk bought the ticket first untuk night ride jam 19.00 (not incl. in London Pass). Dan kita memutuskan untuk lanjut dulu ke Tower of London via hop on hop off river cruise. 

Cruising through London Bridge
Hoping into the boat of this river cruise, kapalnya enak, ada deck dalam dimana kita tetap bisa lihat view outside, dan ada deck luar diatas kapal. Kita pilih duduk diluar walaupun dingin sih hehehehe…Iconic structure yang kita lewati during cruise adalah London bridge. It used to be the only bridge di sungai thames. 

Talking about bridge, it is something that take you from one place to another place.  Sometimes, we are wondering is this bridge is the right one? will it take me to my destination? In life, kita menyeberangi banyak jembatan yang menghantar kita from one place to new place. Contoh, Sekolah adalah jembatan untuk mencapai cita-cita, bekerja adalah jembatan for making money, dan seterusnya. Dan sometimes kita wondering apakah saya memilih sekolah yang benar untuk menjadi apa yang saya cita-citakan? Apakah saya memilih pekerjaan yang benar yang bisa memberi penghidupan yang layak? Apakah saya memilih pasangan yang tepat yang bisa memberi kebahagian rumah tangga, and the doubt list goes on and on and on.

For me, doubt and fear itu adalah significant evidence that deep down inside, I know that I am powerless and have no control over everything in my life. Doubt and fear itu seperti reminder to submit myself to Allah yang maha perencana dan maha mengetahui. A note to myself, in time saya  berhadapan dengan perasaaan ragu, takut, do not reject it tapi justru embrace it, for they will take me closer to Allah. Well, saya sih cupu, masih suka lupa untuk mendekat ke Allah pada saat senang hehehehe...Lebih ingat untuk mendekat padaNya saat saya in the face of hardships. Jadi say a lot of prayers, cross my bridge (what ever it is now at the point of my life), keep my faith throughout the journey, and be grateful for the new found place at the end of the bridge, because I surely believe Allah will give me the best. Itu yang saya pikirkan when I looked at London Bridge....

London Bridge is falling down....falling down....

Tower of London - A story of great Queen
Soon as we passed London bridge, kita sampai di Tower of London. Saya juga agak mellow when visiting this place. Tower of London di sebagian waktunya berdiri, digunakan sebagai penjara bagi high level criminals (dari kaum bangsawan), tempat mengadili dan tempat mengeksekusi mati those who is judged guilty by the court. 

One corner at Tower of London

Ada satu sosok yang very famous, dipenjara, diadili dan dieksekusi di tempat itu, she is Anne Boleyn, former queen of England, 2^nd wife of Henry VIII, the mother of the great Queen Elizabeth I. I admire Anne boleyn, why? Karena menurut saya, she is the example of a woman yang memilih untuk menunjukkan kekuatannya in the worst point of her life, pada waktu orang yang paling dicintainya, suaminya, justru menyakiti dan menghukumnya mati. And above of all, examples of a great mother’s love for her daughter (baby Elizabeth). It is believed, salah satu reason kenapa beliau tidak melawan king Henry at that time, is only for the hope, the king will spare her daughter’s life. Dan ternyata her daughter became the greatest queen of England. Her brave and graceful speech, on the execution day reflect all those qualities I admire above:

“Good Christian people, I am come to hither to die, for according to the law and by the law I am judged to die. And therefore I will speak nothing against it. I am come hither to accuse no man, nor to speak anything of that, whereof I am condemn to die. But I pray God save the King and send him long to reign over you, for a gentler nor a more merciful prince was there never. And to me, He was ever a good, a gentle and sovereign lord and if any person will meddle of my cause, I require them to judge the best. And thus I take my leave of the world and of you all. And I heartily desire you all to pray for me. O Lord have mercy on me, to God I commend my soul.”

----She lay her neck on the prepared log of wood, and just before the sword fell, she said her final words---

“To God I commend my soul, lord Jesus receive my soul”

And it was said she was buried at the altar floor of a Church within Tower of London, named St Peter ad vincula, without proper coffin, it was only an empty arrow chest. All my respect to her. Semoga kalau saya berada di posisi yang unfortunate seperti itu, saya bisa taking the higher road & able to forgive those who hurt me dan diingatkan bahwa tidak ada yang lebih baik selain mengabdi ke Allah SAW dengan iman, tawakal dan ikhlas. Aamiin…

London Eye - Wheel of Life

As the sun ready to sets, kita balik ke London eye with the same river cruise mengejar our London eye ride jam 19.00. Sampai disana, antri, naik dan melihat London di malam hari itu cantik banget

Wheel of London Eye 

Kalau dipikir-pikir, kalau pas kita di posisi atas kotanya terlihat cantik sempurna, pada saat sampai di posisi bawah, you loose all of those beautiful sight. Tapi sebenarnya the city is still the same, same buildings, street, people and so on so on. Hanya saja sudut persepsi kita yang berubah, jadi itu ilusi persepsi. Buat saya, it’s a reminder, if I’m in a high point of my wheel of life, it doesn’t mean that life is more beautiful. If I hit rock bottom of my wheel of life, it doesn’t mean that my life is a mess. My life is remain the same. Yang kita namai beautiful or a messy life, adalah ilusi dari sudut persepsi kita. Jadi keep calm and carry on saja, My life is actually was, is and will always be the same.

London from above

Somehow saya merasa puas jalan-jalan di kota ini. Banyak reminder, insight dan perspective that i had and I felt serene. It was a tranquil journey. I adore this journey of mine this time. Bon Voyage Tyas!!!

Sneak peak for next journey... Paris...

The Rover,


Tyas

THE REAL WEDDING CHECKLIST

Salah satu teman baru aja melepas masa lajangnya, meet the newlywed Cyndi!! Dan ada juga Sita!!!! Temen kita yang baru nikah dan sekarang sedang expecting (alias langsung gol ga ada jeda). So we decide to celebrate our two friends, by having lunch diluar beberapa hari yang lalu. The newlywed (termasuk yg sudah expecting), ceritanya request, 2 orang (me & merryza) yang sudah advance alias sebagai yang lebih lama berada di squad “Wife” share the do's & the don’ts for wives.  Apart from that, ada 3 orang teman yang masih “in relationship”,  tagged  along for that lunch, and they also willing to know more about “Married world”. They are Hanna, Cut & Okti. Obrolan lucu tapi saya pikir-pikir itu adalah obrolan paling penting buat newlywed or young woman in general. I thought, hey…no one told me about these stuff back then…pantesan banyak kejeblosnya alias error…

Orang-orang (termasuk gw dulu heheheh…) checklist for a wedding, isinya gedung, kebaya, catering, souvenir bla…..bla….bla…preparation BEFORE the ceremony. Certainly it’s far from sufficient. Wedding checklist harus juga include  preparation AFTER the ceremony, AFTER becoming Mr. & Mrs. And that AFTER part of the checklist, is the focus of our discussion in that lunch. We call it “The Real Wedding Checklist”.

In order to have a happy marriage and family, us (woman) & partner needs to work on things. So, a happy marriage and family is not given, you have to work hard to earn yourself with one. Next question is, what and how to work it? Let's see our checklist!

No 1 : Roles

Us & partner, need to have to get agreement mostly tentang bagaimana peranan masing-masing in marriage and family. I think at some point, menganggap gender equality adalah benar2 equal itu mislead. Mungkin lebih realistis dikatakan pembagian peran dan kontribusi yang imbang. Misalnya, suami janganlah menganggap enteng urusan rumah tangga dan mengasuh anak, bila disepakati peran & kontribusi terbesar seorang istri dalam keluarga adalah dalam hal tsb. Sebaliknya, istri juga jangan menuntut keterlibatan suami 100% dalam urusan rumah tangga dan anak-anak, bila disepakati peran & kontribusi terbesar suami adalah sebagai pemberi nafkah. Nah, itu butuh banget diskusi panjang lebar to know our & partner expectations, limitation, tolerance, in order to get the right balance of peranan masing-masing. Us & partner need to be very specific, real & practical, dalam mendiskusikan hal ini. Kalau diskusinya ngambang dan yang besar2 aja, dijamin pasti terkaget-kaget. You probably want to take a look at some summary that we have noted about husband and wife roles

• Role in house routines & bits

Saya amazed banget dengan cerita Hanna…Kebetulan di dalam adat tradisi Batak, setelah menikah, istri harus tinggal beberapa waktu di ruman mertua. Maksudnya adalah supaya istri mengerti, how the husband being raised and what are the routines at the house. Menurut saya, adat ini harus diteruskan, karena believe me, it will save you a lot of time for adapting to each other house routines.

Why? Because, mau tidak mau, kita selalu punya setting-an house routines  dari keluarga masing-masing. Kalau partner terbiasa disiapkan bekal ke kantor oleh ibunya dulu, which our family did not do that, kita bisa terkaget-kaget lho betapa itu matters banget untuk diketahui in order to give our partner that HOMEY feeling. Tanyakan household routine apa yang ada di rumahnya. Mungkin kita bisa tanya ke mertua saja kalau mau lebih gampang (similar dengan adat batak yang diceritain Hanna). In reality, it is the most important thing you need to know and vice versa!

• Role in earning income or career

Ini sering jadi item sensitive, apalagi generasi sekarang, perempuan juga punya aspirasi yang tinggi untuk punya karir and earning money. Kalau ternyata partner punya ekspektasi kita perannannya full at home, wakwak mungkin akan jadi masalah. Kalau ternyata diputuskan punya peranan yang sama imbang dalam hal mencari nafkah, limitation-nya apa? Apakah jam kerja? (e.g. boleh lembur ga? boleh banyak perjalanan dinas ga?, etc.), Apakah lokasi? (harus deket rumah, deket orang tua, etc.), Siapa yang mengelola keuangan keluarga (sentralisasi atau desentralisasi?) and so on and so on…You can add your own checklist

·    

• Role in raising kids

Merryza punya cerita yang lucu…it’s a constant battle to get her partner to clean up the kids….Simple sih, tapi kalau kita punya ekspektasi on what kind of father that we would like our partner to be or vice versa, its better they know from the start. Misalnya, kita ingin partner yang take lead dalam kegiatan fisik anak2, atau untuk pendidikan anak2. Sebaliknya, tanya juga ekspektasi partner terhadap peran kita in raising kids, apakah 100% harus  oleh kita alias no asisten (apakah itu orang tua, kakak or baby sitter)? Itu just a few questions that pops up during that lunch.

No 2 : Danger Zone

Okay, this section is not to be discussed with our partner hahahahaha…But it’s kind of list of threat for your marriage and family and tips on how to deal with it. Sometime, us, woman tend to get lost in our own definition of happily ever after, for far too long. Kita pikir, once the vow is spoken, the bond will AUTOMATICALLY strong at all condition , in better or worse, happiness & sorrow. Well, we agreed that it is not quite like that at all in Reality. We need to INTENTIONALY WORK on the bond to remain strong at all condition. The work need to be done are some of these listed below, based on our discussion.

• Location…Location…Location

Sama halnya dengan prinsip jualan, kalau mau customer banyak yang datang, toko kita harus sedekat mungkin dengan targeted customer kita dan harus terlihat oleh targeted customer kita. Our partner, our family, also need us to be close and to be seen by them in order for the bond remain intact. So, sebisa mungkin stay in the same location, always. Yes mungkin ada teknologi yang semakin canggih, kita bisa skype, video call, etc. But nothing can replace our presence. If you are not present, somebody else will be present for them and that somebody else will take your place. Finally the bond will be slipping away…

• Stay connected

Well, tentunya being at the same location, even the same house or the same bed doesn’t mean that you are connected. Masih perlu usaha lebih keras lagi. TALK to them about their day or your day, no matter it is a happy or a bad day. NURTURE your interest toward their hobies, learn about it, try it. THROW AWAY your gadget whenever you are with your loved ones, give them your 100% attention. If your boss can get your 100% attention, you need need to give your partner or kids 300%. By doing that, they will see you as a friend to talk to, to share their happiness and sorrow. If not, they will seek someone else to talk to, and you will loose the bond even further away...

• Stay connected (Again)

I used to think, the way of loving is giving as much as time and space for your loved ones, when they do their thing (business, hobbies, etc.). Well, I think I migrate to a new directions. You need to ensure they can feel your love & attention even when you are away. I used to think, texting to ask for lunch or asking when to come home will be bothering them. Now, I realize, that I need to do that more often so that they know they are loved and always in our mind. Stay connected no matter where you are. If not, somebody else will do that and the bond will be “Poof” alias gone kaya hidup sendiri-sendiri.

• Keep flirting with your husband

Kadang-kadang kita berpikir kan udah nikah, harus terima kita apa adanya dong, pakai daster ataupun pakai rok mini, mau gendut ataupun langsing. Tapi keeping the feeling that you want to be or look at your best in front of your partner is important. Melihat effort kita, mereka pasti ngerasa jadi orang special juga. So, stay beautiful in the outside is as important as being beautiful on the inside. If you don’t want to be the best for your partner, somebody else will and this is very dangerous. The bond maybe will never be the same.

Teng…Teng…jam sudah menunjukan jam 13.00, lunch-nya harus bubar dan balik ke kantor. Checklist-nya harus disudahi for now. It was a fun lunch, we had a lot of laugh but also inspiring talk. Yang paling lucu, 3 orang yang masih “in relationship” itu langsung mau pakai “The Real Wedding Checklist” itu untuk diobrolin sama pacar masing-masing hahahahahaha…Well, good luck in utilizing that checklist Girl!!! May the force be with you!!!

Well, for me, I took a minute and reflect things to myself…..I do agree that “Your Love & Your family must be cultivated like a garden. Time, effort & imagination must be summoned constantly to keep any relationship flourishing & growing” – Jim Rohn.

XOXO

The Wedding Organizer Team

Tyas, Merryza        (Advance; 7-8 yrs of marriage)

Sita, Cyndi             (Intermediate; 0-1 year of marriage)

Cut, Hanna, Okti    (Beginner; in relationship)

UK & Europe Fiesta

February 2015…Hubby got invitation for a training in London. Since we really wanna go there, suddenly we planned UK & Europe trip. Sis in law joined in, so off we go. Me, personally mau mengademkan hati dan try to understand God’s Love through His creations hehehehe..

Ceritanya dari awal yah...karena preparation-nya juga seru lo! Berhubung kudu mencocokan kapan hubby selesai training, so kita agak2 susah kalau ikut tour travel, secara waktunya ga ada yang cocok. Jadilah kita arranging the trip by ourselves and it was surprisingly fun! Full of thrills & chills...

1) Planning the trip...

First thing first, saat itu kita decide mau ke kota apa aja plus bikin Itinerary perjalanan ke kota-kota tersebut.  Kita akhirnya sepakat mau ke London, Manchester, Paris, Venice & Rome. Di masing2 kota kita stay rata2  1.5 sampai 2 hari. Itinerary itu berguna banget buat: 

<Obtaining Visa>

Based on our destination, kita butuh mengurus Visa UK & Visa Schengen (for Europe countries). Our trip is around awal bulan februari. Dan kebetulan saat itu bener2 masih hangat kejadian Charlie Hebdo. Agak-agak takut bakalan dipersulit proses bikin Visa Schengen*-nya.

*karena kita stay di Paris paling lama untuk trip ke Europe-nya makanya visa schengen kita urus lewat kedutaan Perancis, baru tahu juga kalo gini

Ternyata, obtaining UK visa and Schengen visa adalah susah susah gampang. Well, kita dibantu travel agent untuk administrasinya. Walaupun dibantu, administrasinya agak ribet juga, here is the reason why.....Ternyata oh ternyata, kita harus serahkan itinerary detil. Pergi kemana aja, berapa hari, tiket semua transportasi* & bukti reservasi hotel* harus ada. OMG! Berarti bener2 pengaturan jam udah harus FIX nih! Misalnya sampe di Venice jam brp, puter2 harus selesai jam brp, karena kita harus berangkat ke Rome jam brp, etc etc….Ini nih yang kita ga perlu pusing kalau pergi pakai tour travel, alias udah dirancangin. 
Hectic dan pusing but it was fun, jadi banyak tahu ini itu. We also need to provide them with our bank account informations. Setelah itu semua lengkap, submit, foto di Visa center di Kuningan City and that was it. Kita nunggu sekitar 1-2 weeks, keluar deh visa kita, Alhamdulillah….Harganya around 2-3 juta per visa.

*pesawat & around Europe kita pilih pakai kereta. Untuk lihat rute kereta, jadwal, price, etc. bisa lihat di eurail.com or eurorailways.com. Reservasi dan pembelian dibantu travel agent.

*Hotels kita pilih pakai agoda.com

<Tiket terusan untuk City Tour>
Setelah semua visa keluar, transport, akomodasi (karena tarikan ngurus visa) sudah beres, baru deh kita berani arrange tour inside each city. Untuk London & Paris, gampang banget karena ada London Pass* & Paris Pass*. Itu semacam “CARD” yang berlaku sebagai tiket terusan untuk masuk ke tempat wisata. Kita beli sepaket dengan tiket terusan untuk menggunakan transportasi umum di kota tersebut seperti kereta dan bis. So it’s a good deal, free of hustle dan praktis. Gampang banget, tinggal reservasi via internet, bayar, trus kita tinggal ambil “CARD”-nya setibanya kita di kota2 tersebut. Sebenarnya, Roma juga ada Rome Pass*, tapi kita akhirnya memutuskan ga purchase. Reason-nya, coverage tempat wisatanya ga mencakup tempat2 yang kita ingin kunjungi terutama Vatican. Kita decide untuk buy tour on the spot di rome saja. Nah, kalau venice as the world known as floating city…betul disana tidak ada transport lain selain boat atau jalan kaki, seru banget! Dan itu kota kecil jadinya ga ada fasilitas “CARD” pass tiket terusan untuk tempat wisata or transport. Semuanya on the spot.

*For more details, tulis aja Londonpass.com; Parispass.com; romapass.com di search engine pasti keluar

2) Packing Packing…

<Clothes>

Packing adalah kegiatan yang penuh dilemma terutama buat perempuan (am I right ladies??). Pas Februari kan masih dingin sekitar -4 sampai 5 derajat celcius, tapi harus travel light enough karena kita naik turun kereta sendiri, for 10 days travel. Pusing kan? Akhirnya kita memutuskan untuk bawa koper medium aja jadi masih kuat angkat2. Supaya muat semua baju2 tebel, sweater dll kita beli rolled pressed plastic bag*. Plastic bag itu sangat ngebantu making room in our luggage. Kita susun satu plastic bag adalah baju yang dipakai untuk di satu kota, jadi praktis. Tinggal ambil plastic bag satu, bisa ditaroh di lemari hotel, koper bisa disimpan biar kamar ga sempit. This trick worked perfectly!

*Beli di ace hardware juga ada 
(Bajunya diplastikin & dipress gitu...maaf alaska the cat ikutan masuk koper hihihi)

<Your beauty stuff>

I brought all my face & body beauty stuff, remember has to be max 100 ml, kalau dibawa di tas kabin. Jadi belilah container2 kecil, personally saya lebih suka bawa dikit karena dimana mana lebih enak kalau traveling light. Sedikit tips, mending untuk urusan lotion, beli disana ajah. Karena udaranya itu beda banget tingkat humidity-nya dengan Indonesia, jadi lotion yang dibawa dari Indonesia ga mempan, alias kurang bisa melembabkan kulit di level yang dibutuhkan untuk udara di eropa. Kulitku disana sampai bintik2 merah mirip kaya bintik2 demam berdarah gitu. Agak panik karena ga pernah kaya gini sebelumnya. Pas Tanya ke Ibu mertua yang dokter, beliau bilang itu kulitnya cuma dehidrasi, fiuh lega. Jadilah beli lotion disana. Kalau lip balm sih kemarin masih cukup mempan alias ga ada masalah.

<Makanan>

Hubby termasuk orang yang sangat berlidah nusantara, alias ga bisa kelamaan makan makanan western yang roti-an dan cita rasa-nya jauh banget sama makanan Indonesia. Jadilah kemarin bawa indomie hahahahaha. Cuma 10 bungkus aja sih, yang penting jaga-jaga kalau hubby “craving” makanan Indonesia. Share tips lagi, sebelum bawa makanan mending lihat website custome* (bea cukai) Negara yang dituju. Waktu itu kita tiba pertama di London, jadi review juga barang2 atau makanan apa yang tidak boleh dibawa ke UK (tergantung kita dari Negara apa. Negara EU dan non-EU, items yang dilarang untuk dibawa masuk berbeda). Saat itu sih yang penting tidak mengandung daging, dairy products and potatoes. Jadi kalau Indomie aja sih, aman.

* for details bringing goods into UK check https://www.gov.uk/browse/abroad/travel-abroad

<Important stuff>

Preparing ourselves for immigration check

Karena saat itu kita traveling sendirin not in group, plus, saya dan adik ipar saat itu berangkat terpisah dengan hubby alias perempuan without laki-laki.  Saya agak extra mempersiapkan hal-hal yang might needed pada saat proses immigration check. Bawa semua dokumen perjalanan semua dibawa, paling penting adalah itinerary lengkap, tiket dan bukti semua reservasi hotel. Tips lagi, sebelum berangkat, ada baiknya telpon semua hotel memastikan reservasi kita aman2 saja. Karena saya pernah baca, karena miss info tentang reservasi hotel, seorang turis tdk diperbolehkan masuk ke Negara tujuan oleh immigration officer. Ingat, walaupun  kita sudah punya visa, immigration officer punya wewenang untuk tidak mengijinkan seseorang masuk ke Negara tujuan apabila dia mencurigai sesuatu. So, travel wisely guys…

Passport dan Money

Temen yang lama tinggal di eropa warned us about pickpocket, disana juga banyak. So, kita misahin dompet passport, dompet uang dengan nominal besar, dan dompet uang kecil. Kalau bisa, dompet uang nominal besar ga usah dibawa jalan2.  Jadi kalaupun apesnya kecopetan, ga semuanya hilang.

Semuanya ready, berangkat deh kita. Wow, belum cerita perjalanan-nya kok sudah panjang gini nulisnya? Sepertinya nanti cerita perjalanan-nya dipisah saja deh. Sudah sore and mesti buatin dinner for hubby...

Seperti yang tadi diatas saya bilang, arranging travel by ourselves itu menyenangkan, banyak cerita, banyak tahu info baru. Jadi dapet insight, if I arranged my journey of life by myself, based on my needs, based on what I think and feel right, Life in general will be much more fun and meaningful. So, don’t you worry if you are walking to different directions against what people say, as long as you know what you need.  #selfreminder#

Okay, the journey itself nanti dishare di tulisan terpisah yaa…See you next in London! 
Kasih teaser dulu deh hehehehe...

"Night view from London Eye"


Love,
The Rover - Tyas

The Story of Lipstick

It's 1st of April, means I will be adding one more number to my age very soon. Believe me, semakin bertambah umur , otomatis battle scars in life pasti nambah (hahahaha serem ya…). We are all have scars in life dan bentuknya macam-macam, like loosing your loved ones (break ups, infidelity, divorce or death), loosing your job, bankrupt with no money at all, failing in your final exam, battling infertility or serious illness, et cetera et cetera. I have some of those scars in me....

Pas gw lihat muka gw di kaca, OMG kucel banget. Like these ugly things that are happening, is also making me look ugly and older than my age. OH NOO! NOT ANYMORE! ENOUGH! I said to myself sambil gebrak meja rias gw (biar ada efek seru aja hehehe.......). 

These scars of my life, maybe bring me down to my knees, but this time, I will go down BEAUTIFULLY and GRACEFULLY….

At least, I will feel good about myself and like Tyra Banks said “I love the confidence that make up gives me”.  

Pernah baca good quote not so long ago…”Makeup will not solve your problem, but its pretty FAB START” 

It is very well said ladies!!

Looking back, saya adalah tipe perempuan yang berpikir bahwa inner beauty, brain, kind hearted is ALL that you need. Dengan prinsip seperti itu, I NEVER EVER have any urge to be updated with what’s the latest gem in make up world. Seperlunya saja beli make up standard, bedak, blush on, lipstick that was it. Jadi bener-bener I have ZERO knowledge about make up and really  don’t know where to start. Thank God, I found HER. There she was at that time, seating behind my desk, she was a junior at my office. I introduce to all of you…Cut Fitri, my 20’s something year old besties!! 

Hahaha, inget banget hari itu (around 6-7 months ago), gw kasih dia list of make up & beauty product that I need, and ask her to give her recommendation what is the best brand that I should bought. We had a good laugh! Dia heran banget sama Asst. Mgr-nya, umur 30an yang kuno banget ga tahu apa2 soal make up or beauty things.  Sebaliknya, gw heran banget sama semua nama-nama produk kecantikan yang keluar dari mulutnya, mostly baru pertama gw denger. Can you believe it, at that time I didn’t even know what BB cream is, GOSH! We had a blast that day! Now, thanks to her, well, at least gw sedikit paham soal make up dan beauty things. However, 30’s something woman should not look less trendy than the 20’s something girl right? hehehe…

Now, that I know, I am fascinated with lipstick. Karena menurut gw, dengan lipstick aja, it will bring colors to my face and change my look instantly. Warnanya macem2, you can play with the colors. So, ceritanya akhir-akhir ini dapet project kerjaan yang bisa bikin gw ketemuan sama Cut. Jadilah kita coba-cobain lipstick sebelum mulai kerja, and again we have a good laugh. So today, we've tried several lipstick, before deciding what colors we will put on......

Tarte matte lip tint, in allure

Cut’s opinion     : Glossy, light and minty! Love It…

Mine                     : Light, love the mint, but not my kind of color

Too faced melted in fuchsia

Cut's opinion : Matte, love the texture & color, the applicator is really handy (big YES)

Mine                : Love love the color, applicator also a plus, stay longer in your lips!

 Maybeline colorsensational in PinkAlert

Cut’s opnion      : Love the color, Matte but not too heavy, & the price is very reasonable

Mine                    : My kind of color! Matte but easily glide in my lips & pocket friendly price (A Fab lipstick for your lips, not always the expensive ones)

 The Face Shop – Overgirl edge lips

Cut's opinion      : Ga cocok, bikin bibir kering after using this lipstick

Mine                     : Not loving the color

NYX soft matte lip cream in Praque

Cut's opinion      : Texturenya ringan, sdkt glossy, warnanya jreng tapi msh acceptable.

Mine                     : Light, surprisingly not too matte, but the color is too dark for me

Lime Crime in red velvet

Cut's opinion     : Strong & Intense color. Kudu pilih2 when/where to wear this.

Mine                    : Looked perfectly covered my lips. But for me terlalu berat, spt spidol          kalau di bibirku. Not my cup of tea.

So, after all the trials, Cut’s pick of the day is Two faced melted in fuchsia!! 

For me, the winner is Maybeline colorsensational in PinkAlert!!  We are ready to start our day!!

Okay...that's my fun kind of story lately. This story teaches me new things, not only teaches me about make up or lipsticks hehehehe....Somehow, It teaches me about how to handle lemons in life.

It all turns out that First, is to take a good care of yourself. For me, I feel the needs to make myself feel beautiful, so I did make up. Only you know what is that you want to feel, is it content? or confident? or wanted?....then do things to feel that way, it can be eating a good delicious food or go for a long holiday, anything... Second, seek comfort and courage in your true best friends. For me, they are my anchor and my saviors. No words can describe my love for them. 

For me, it works. Finally, gave me enough energy to start fixing scars on the inside.

So there you go, those are the reasons why this mantra suits me at this time :

“Lipstick will not solve your problem, but it is  pretty FAB START!” 

Love,

Tyas & Cut

January 2015

"2015 is time to have a long discussion with Allah"
Berat amat yak? Hehehe....
Allow me to share how I take this as my only agenda this year...It's simple, really...

Awalnya bingung kenapa tidak ada agenda apapun di tahun 2015? I don't even have any target!!! Asli blank!!! Padahal dulu selalu ada mimpi-mimpi untuk keluargaku. Padahal dulu rasanya ga ada habisnya target di tempat kerja.  What happened?!!It's not me at all!!! Who is this person?!!! Panic!!!

Tapi setelah dipikir-pikir ada beberapa fakta yang lead me to say to myself "Hey...All is okay..."

Fact #1 : Transition

Well, indeed I'am in transition of my life. Career woman turned into Self employed woman hihihi, alias i do what i wanna do. It's just, I don't know what wanna do yet. Selama 10 tahun kerja, the job is already there, mau tidak mau harus ikut menggelinding dengan semua sistem. Now, I have to MAKE THE JOB.
It's A NEW THING and I don't know how to do it....It's understandable...It's Okay...

Fact #2 : Sudden change

I changed my path quite in an abrupt and in a sudden manner. Sesuatu membuat urgent untuk keputusan itu diambil. Jadi memang belum sempat punya design or rencana.
It's A NEW SITUATION and I don't know what to do...It's understandable...It's Okay...

Fact #3 : Life cuts you into pieces
Unfortunately it happens. Tiba-tiba suatu hari, universe yang sangat nyaman dan familiar jadi tempat yang asing and cuts you into pieces. I have to build my life from scratch again.
It's A NEW LIFE and I don't know what to do...It's understandable...It's Okay....

Jadi kesimpulannya.....All is understandable...All is okay...Voila!!! 

Ga perlu panik kalau memang belum punya target apapun di tahun ini...
Kalau ternyata kita sedang diam di satu tempat satu waktu di hidup kita, itu artinya kita memang sedang butuh untuk diam. In my case, Having New Path, New Hope is not enough to get my life instantly moving. Saya berarti memang butuh untuk diam dulu and there's no need to deny that condition. Maybe, God push a STOP button in my life, to make me come to him more than ever before and really....that's a true blessing. I just accept it dan waktunya untuk ngobrol lebih banyak dengan-Nya. Wow, It feels pretty amazing realizing that.

That's how I conclude that "2015 is time to have a long discussion with Allah", like I said in the begining of my post. Cheers.....