i hate toko perhiasan

sebagai orang yg gak pernah kawin dan gak pernah berhubungan dengan masalah teknis perkawinan (kecuali jadi WO ya, itu lain perkara) gw sama skali gak ngeh dengan apa aja yg mesti di siapin untuk menikah. untungnya sih gw menikah di luar, jadi gak ribet2 amat. sialnya, krn meritnya di luar jadi gak tau apa2 dan gak ada yg bisa bantuin siap2. calon suami? jangan ditanya. namanya juga lelaki, mana ngurusin hal2 tetek bengek.

yang sempat bikin kelimpungan adalah pas dia nanya ukuran jari, untuk beli cincin kawin. sebagai orang yg gak pernah pake cincin gw tentunya gak tau ukurannya berapa. setelah tertunda2 selama bbrp minggu akhirnya minggu kmarin gw memberanikan diri pergi ke salah satu toko perhiasan yang ada di mall puri.

"mbak, kalau mau ukur jari bisa?"
"mau pesen di sini?"
"loh ya belom tau. mo ukur dulu sama liat model."

mbak pun kasak kusuk sama yg punya.

"gak bisa.. kalau pesen sini baru diukur."

grgmrgrhgruhgrgmrhg. >(

ok. pindah mall. besokannya gw ke TA. kan banyak tuh toko perhiasan.
masuk toko 1, kali ini lebih pinter dikit, pura2 nyari cincin kawin.

"yg polos ada gak, ci?"
"ini semua polos."
(pura2 nyoba, kok semua kegedean...)
"gak ada yg ukurannya pas ya?"
"nanti kalau pesen kan diukur jarinya. semuanya dibikin sesuai ukuran."

grhgurhgruhgrgm.

pindah ke toko 2.

"yg ini harganya berapa?"
"oh yg ini blablablabal juta, kalau yg ini blablablabalablablaa juta soalnya blablablablablablababiablaiblabalibalablaiba."
(ok, kayaknya mesti gombal2 dikit).
"kok semuanya kegedean sih? ini ukuran berapa?" (tentunya dengan harapan jari gw diukur.. ternyata... dia cuma ngambil cincinnya, trus diukur..)
"oh ini nomor 13. gak papa nanti pas pesen kan dibuat sesuai ukuran jari mbak."

udah, gitu doang?
RGHRGHRGHRHGRHGR.

begitu juga di toko ke 3. pengen rasanya mengutuk2 dalam hati.
akhirnya setelah menenangkan diri di metro (walhasil beli baju dan celana deh!! padahal tadinya gak ada niat belanja loh), gw memberanikan diri untuk masuk lagi, kali ini ke frank n co. this time dengan tekad bulat.

setelah pilih2 cincin.... si mas pun membuka percakapan dengan bertanya ...

"calon suaminya gak ikut dateng untuk pilih?"

AHAA! pucuk dicinta ulam tiba! saatnya ngayal.

"nah itu susah masss. saya ini jadwal shiftnya beda sama suami. dia kerja siang saya malem. jadinya gak pernah bisa bareng kalo milih cincin. stress saya."
"oooh.. kerja di mana emangnya?"

tingkat khayalan makin tinggi.

"di rumah sakit. saya lagi kena shift jaga malem, dia jaga siang."
"ooh.. susah juga ya kalau begitu. rumah sakit mana emang mbak?"
"medistra"

if you wanna lie, pick the best one! jangan nanggung2.

"oh kalau begitu gini aja. sekarang mba pilih mau yang mana, nanti calon suami tinggal dateng trus bayar.. sekalian jarinya diukur. gimana?"

YESSSSS!! FINALLYYYYY!!!

"ohhh bisa gitu ya mas. jari saya jadi diukur sekarang?"
"iyaaaa.. gitu aja."

si mas pun dengan sigap mengeluarkan selembar kartu pesanan, menulis cincin mana yang gw suka, lalu mengukur jari gw. apparently, i'm either a 9 or a 10. hallelujah dear God.

jadilah akhirnya gw pulang dengan nomor ukuran jari, dan sebuah kartu pesanan yang seharusnya ditebus oleh calon suami. huahkahkahkahkahkahakakh. pulang sampe rumah nyokap nguakak setengah mati ngeliat gw udah pesen cincin. gak cuma 1, tapi DUA! dah gitu si mas2nya pun gak nanya no telp kek apa kek.... gak tuh. oh frank n co, you guys have the BEST service in the industry. honestly. ntar kalau suatu hari gw punya duit, gw akan beli berlian di tempat kalian deh. ^___^

on leaving home

pepatah home sweet home sangat berlaku buat saya, yang gak pernah meninggalkan rumah sedikitpun (well, kecuali untuk 3.5 tahun waktu saya kuliah di australi). jangankan ninggalin rumah, pindah rumah pun gak pernah karena rumah ini dibangun di saat bersamaan saya lahir, .. jadi umurnya sama. in fact, gara2 rumah ini juga saya diungsikan ke surabaya untuk dirawat oleh opa-oma dari umur 2 bulan, krn rumah kontrakan terlalu sempit untuk menampung 3 orang anak kecil.

sewaktu berbenah untuk pindahan ke australi pun saya tidak terlalu kawatir. karena saya tau ini hanya temporary.. setelah lulus akan kembali ke indonesia. dan memang benar, secinta2nya saya sama melbourne, tetep aja saya memilih untuk tinggal di rumah dan kerja di indo. and i love my parents, tinggal sama mereka (walaupun kadang ngeselin) banyakan enaknya daripada gak enaknya kok. sure, they have rules and they can be annoying sometimes. but they're one of the coolest parents on earth, and they're funny. so i like living with them (not to mention it's cheaper too.. :P)

now it's time for me to move out of the house again. and this time i know it won't be temporary, and somehow, although i'm excited about moving and getting married, i'm also sad about leaving my parents and home behind. sengesel2innya ni rumah (panas lah, banjir lah, debuan lah, segala macem apalah) tetep aja ini rumah ternyaman yang pernah gw tinggalin. liat aja, secara lokasi rumah ini strategis sekali. dikelilingi 3 mall (TA, citraland, puri indah) and soon to be 2 more malls (central park, puri pavillion, atau disingkat PX). ke sudirman deket. ke airport deket. ke kelapa gading tinggal naek tol, deket juga. mo ke tol jagorawi/cikampek, tinggal lurus2 doang. malem2 kekurangan makan, tinggal keluar pager. daerahnya aman. cukup bebas banjir kecuali setaun sekali, itupun gak sampe segenteng.. paling semata kaki. kurang apa lagi???

of course, a home is a home karena konten/isi rumahnya (besides my parents of course). ada anjing2 gw yg oh sungguh lucu2nya, walaupun suka dodol. ada si bonni yang manja banget selalu minta peluk kalau pagi2, ada ciko yang takut gelap dan hantu, ada dede yang udah mulai budek dan buta (gejala penuaan), dan suka curigaan kalau ada yg meluk2, disangka mau guntingin kukunya. belom lagi kucing2 tolol yang setiap siang dan sore ngantri di depan dapur, minta jatah makan. trus ada pembantu gw yang selalu setia mencarikan makanan kalau gw lagi lapar.

tapi tentu aja yg paling berat adalah mikirin nanti bonyok gw tinggal berduaan aja.. gak ada kerjaan gitu. dulu kan masih ada yg bisa diomel2in (me :P) dan dijadiin supir. gosh i worry a lot about them, especially my dad yang udah mulai tua. gak bisa lagi nyetir jauh. mom yang harus ngurusin semua rumah berikut ngerawat bokap yg udah tau diabet masih aja kekeuh ngemil coklat dan makan enak. dan belom lagi mesti kemana2 nyetir sendiri krn bokap udah gak kuat nyetir jauh. duh.

ternyata emang gak gampang ya ninggalin rumah. i hope they'll be alright though. and one thing's for sure, i'm gonna miss this house and my parents a LOT.

keluh...

dengan adanya twitter, kok sekarang jadi pada jarang nulis blog ya? blogwalking jadi gak seru. :( ayo dong pada tulis blog lagiiii... biar gw jadi gak nganggur. bingung nih mo baca apaan di internet kalo gak ada blogwalking. masa fb sama twitter doang.. pendek2 gitu kaga seruuu.. :(

*keluhan orang egois yang maunya baca doang, gak mau nulis.. :P*

woohoo!

tsk. got so many things to write but somehow am too lazy to write. :p
anyhow... here's a few updates.

1. i'm getting married. woohoo! finally. there wont be a big party though, cos i hate big-and-overly-charged wedding receptions. besides, i'm getting married in the U.S so there'll only be a small party there. wish me luck guys.

2. i'm moving out from jakarta (again, woohoo! finally!) and move to arizona to my future husband's house. it's a small town but i think i'll like it. there's zero (nada, nol, none, null) mall in town but at least they got walmart. :p

3. and for those two reasons, i have soooo many things to do within a month (yes, i'll be leaving on mid nov guys). find/buy/make white dress for church wedding, resign from job, disconnect phone services, buy plane tickets, make arrangements for family to fly there, work (yes, until i resign i still have to work, and work's pretty hectic right now), and so many other things i can't remember. hmph. i don't know how other people do it. right now all i wanna do is clone myself so i can do multiple jobs and the same time.

4. hmm.. apa lagi yah updatenya? oh ternyata gak ada deng.. baru itu aja. :P

things i love...

about being with someone:

- the way we talk, laugh, tease, mock, share secrets...
- knowing i'd be there soon, he already subscribed to 3 different magazines, just for me.
- waking up to his texts, asking me if i'm already up.
- sharing food. he eats what i don't like and i can eat his if i want (which is often..)
- travelling to various part of the world.

*midnight ramblings*

lebaran bow

akhirnya, makan ketupat juga taun ini. :p
tadinya sempet putus asa secara yang biasa ngasih donasi udah pindah sejak 2 tahun yang lalu. taun lalu sih memang gak ketupatan.. terpaksa ngerayain lebaran dengan menu standard. tapi tadi sore dapet surprise dari tukang handyman.. ketupat lengkap pake rendang, sambal krecek dan lodeh + kacang bawang 1 toples. YUUUMMMMM. i loveee ketupat. sayang gak ada opor ayam. ah yang penting masih bisa makan ketupat. be thankful for your blessings. :)

tapi seharian gak enak feeling deh. ini mungkin gara2 dada kiri agak ngilu dan detak jantung rasanya kok jadi kenceng banget (dunno why padahal tekanan darah lagi rendah). bikin ngerasa lagi deg2an aja, padahal gak ada apa2. apakah ini efek makan mie korea sore2 padahal kagak laper??

dan hasrat makan pasta italia dan sate ayam madura kok belom juga kesampean ya??? hmph. sayang si abang sate udah mudik....

travel tips

+ if english is not your mother tongue, it's never a good idea to say "suckling pig" and "dirty duck" in one sentence (one breath). i ended up saying "suckling d*ck".

...

errr... yes, well..... . apart from the blunder, this trip was awesome. i went to bali - flores and then to jogjakarta. can't tell you all of it, so i'll just write the highlights.

bali.
- pura uluwatu: not bad. the temple was nice but the monkeys were not. i just found out that apparently i'm afraid of them. padahal udah siap2 dengan sebungkus pisang loh buat dibagi2in, gak taunya tiap mereka mendekat gw menjerit dengan kencang (oh so embarassing) dan pulangnya langsung stress berat. the kecak dance was magnificent though.

tips: bring a sweater. siang emang panas, tapi begitu sunset anginnya terasa dingin and you might have to wait for quite a while before the dance begins.

- babi guling bu oka: again, not bad. actually some bits were quite delicious and tasty. tapi after that while travelling around ubud area we stopped at a local sawah to take some pictures, and lo-and-behold, there was a warung pinggir jalan that sell babi guling. so we ate (yes, again). ternyata lebih tasty loh. believe it or not. si ibu yang jual even had a kind of sausage (dari daging tetelan).... ini sosisnya ENAK BANGET!! kalo titi kamal makan di situ, dia pasti bilang "MEGANG BANGET!". :p

tips: kalau makan d warung pinggir jalan yg kebetulan enak begini, mendingan lauknya aja banyakin. nasinya gak penting! dan berhubung bahasa indo si ibu agak terbatas, ngomong lah dengan perlahan. gw minta sambel diacunginnya malah sedotan..diiringi senyuman keibuan.

- bebek bengil: seriously not a resto to be missed. the view was excellent. the food were excellent. a bit pricey but i suppose you can't help it. bebeknya enak, baby back ribs nya juga uenakkkkkk!

- ubud & kintamani area: skip the usual tourist spot. tampak siring is quite ok, but skip gua gajah, monkey forest and other unnecessary tourist attraction, including bali bird park!! boy that bird park is so exaggerated!! udah harganya mahal untuk turis asing (271rb compared to 71rb buat turis lokal), isinya juga gak bagus2 banget karena burung2nya kebanyakan ada di balik kandang, jadi gak bisa di foto2. quite annoying. burung kakaktuanya juga gak se friendly yang ada di kuranda, so it wasn't as exciting. it's better to go straight for the shops (if you're into it) or the view (sawah terasering..) and the food. much much better.

tips: for shopping, kuta might seem a little more convenient with all the stalls and vendors, but i think ubud has better taste.

- bedugul: go to lake beratan. it's a must see place. more importantly, go to pura something2 at beratan lake. it's really beautiful.

- on the way to lovina: another must see places: gitgit waterfalls. kalau dari arah kuta, ada 2 git2 waterfalls. yang pertama, itu bisa lihat 2 air terjun, yang single dan yang kembar. both great, tapi di air terjun yang kembar bisa mandi2. it's really gorgeous. di git2 yang kedua equally good tapi gak terlalu bisa mandi2 karena bentuk alirannya agak bertingkat2 gitu.

tips: git2 pertama dari bawah: bring towels. might be better to hire local guide to help carry your stuff. if you're not carrying much, then no need to hire one.

git2 kedua dari bawah: no need guide cos you can just follow the path. but it's a bit of a walk dan naik turunnya cukup bikin cape, so bring something to drink. a can of cola there cost 10rb. and come early in the morning if you can, so no one is around so you can take pictures without having someone lingering at the background of your photos.

- lovina: trust me. when you go there, stay at frangipani hotel. it's really gorgeous. the website didn't lie when it said gorgeous view and private rooms. i simply loveeeeeed it there. the owner were a nice elderly couple. the food is mostly homemade (homemade bread, jam, juice..) and it is only a few minutes walk to the main area of lovina.

- tips: they have tv, but you don't need tv there. for dining, you can enjoy the jasmine restaurant. ask the locals, they know where it is. it served delicious thai food for reasonable price.

if you want to go dolphin spotting, don't count on it. the boat cost 60rb per person (can fit up to 4) but i didn't see any when i went out. it was a good morning to spent looking at sunrise though.

flores.
labuan bajo: to get there it's really easier to book a flight via travel agent located at bali, cos the flight is a bit unreliable. i took indonesia air transport to flores, and transnusa on the way back. they're a bit pricey, 875rb one way per pax. but you get snacks on board, and the view from top is magnificent. do reconfirm the flight one day before though, cos they only open the labuan bajo airport for check in (hence, once a day).

oh ya, di sana boleh nginep di bayview garden hotel. owned by a dutch. lumayan, 500rb per room sudah termasuk breakfast dan afternoon snack. kamarnya gak indah dan gak magnificent, but it's got decent room, decent bathroom, and MAGNIFICENT view of the harbour and the islands. apalagi pas sunset.... uughhhhh.... gak ada duanya deh. if the locals don't know the hotel name, mention "tempat pak adrian". they'd know it.

tips: ways to travel within labuan bajo: walk, ojek, or angkot (they call it bemo). bemo banyak, tapi gengges banget klaksonnya. ojek juga banyak, most usefull kalau udah lewat magrib (angkot cuma sampe magrib doang). to go to and from airport, hire an angkot for 25rb.

- diving and snorkelling: you could hire one of the many dive operators there. i went with divinediving. not as crowded as dive komodo and the crew were nice. the diving site: SPLENDID. clear water all around and the waves aren't as crazy as the ones in cairns, so you can swim with ease.

tips: if you're going snorkelling, wear your tshirt. mataharinya ganas bo.

- waterfalls: in flores, there are also a few more sceneries to die for. apalagi kalau habis nyelam, harus spend a day free of diving kan sebelum terbang. nah isilah waktu ini dengan a bit of exploring. ada cunca rami (cunca = waterfall), ada crater lake, dan lain2. i went to the cunca rami. apparently, "a bit of exploring" is a bit of an understatement. the trekking involved walking on path (1 hr more or less), then went thru a jungle (more or less 2hour), then after seeing the waterfall walk back to the car (more or less another 40 minute). the hike to the waterfall was so tiring, but it was worth it.

tips: really!! bring your towels and bikini!! bisa mandi2 di sini, walaupun airnya dingin. tapi after all those walks... i'm sure you won't mind getting a bit of fresh dip there. oh, and bring your camera!!!

jogja.
- food:
untuk dinner cobalah makan bebek goreng di gejayen. seblahnya resto gajah wong. mantep abis. baik dari sambelnya sampe bebeknya. sampe kebawa2 mimpi loh. beneran.
untuk lunch soto yg di gejayen (lupa sotonya pak siapa... ) juga bisa jadi pilihan. seger banget.

- temples:
borobudur is always a good place to go. prambanan is next best, although gara2 gempa taun 2006 kmaren candinya jadi super berantakan dan hancur. sayang sih.

tips: again, foreign tourist mesti bayar 10x lebih besar dibanding turis lokal. untuk di borobudur ini sudah termasuk welcome drink (tea coffee water).. jadi manfaatkanlah itu dengan membawa sebanyak2nya botol air ke atas. daripada beli kan bo? oh ya, kalau mau sih di borobudur bisa hire local guide untuk ceritain tentang reliefnya. i was more interested in the view though, so no need for local guide.



so far that's about it. i'll post photo2 next, kalau udah dapet dari si fotografernya. :p