Union Bakery

Yesterday, i went out with a lovely friend, Desi. Graduation is coming for several days and we're no longer college girl. So, as a farewell to college life, we decided to have a fancy lunch together. We went to Plaza Senayan, and had lunch in Union Bakery. It was our first visit to that restaurant. I don't really like the ambience, full of smokers (hoek) and it has a glass ceiling. Hot indeed, we did feel uncomfortable with that situation. But, the food came to save us. They are great, and have average prices. I once read on someone's twitter (she's an Indonesian artist), Union Bakery's red velvet is the best in town. So, i'm looking over the menus, but surprisingly it doesn't there. Huff. I straightly chose another menu, Bourbon Pork Ribs, and fortunately its good. When we almost stepped outside the door, i finally saw it. The famous RED VELVET, but it's not a cupcake. I thought that the red velvet will come in cupcake looks, but it's not. It's a red velvet layer cake. So, i'll save it for take away. And now, i've finished it and forget to take its picture, but the taste is really good. Yup, i could say, it was the best red velvet in Jakarta. I want moreeee :)

converse, again

Converse was my shoes in high school.
Basically i am lazy girl who hate to wear sporty shoes. It takes time to bind it. Flats do faster and more cute. But society told me that Converse was on. At least you should have one pair of them to wear at Saturday in school. My high school was kinda strict with the shoes rules. You have to wear black shoes from Monday to Friday then free shoes in Saturday. I also have a college boyfriend in my last grade in high school. He was wearing Converse everytime we met after school. So, i put it in mind, in time you enter college life, you'll wear Converse until you graduate.

Converse was my shoes in college.
I moved to Jakarta and brought along one pair of Converse. But, living in Jakarta, gave you many many option of things. Many restaurants is in here, many malls, many bookstores, and many shoes stores. No doubt my heart goes to flats again. I still bought 3 more Converse these years, but ended up by giving them all to friends and (hiks) throw them. I was thinking not to wear more Converse. It was a symbolize of teen life, a rebel time of our life and now, i'm facing life as an adult. Being a fresh graduate with no recent job gave me more time to rethink about many things, choosing best shoes is one of them. No more sneakers, but high heels.

Converse is my newest sandals.
Sandals should be feminim in my opinion. I collect some sandals and wear it any time i don't have to wear shoes. At least i have to bring one sandal when i go back to hometown. It's easy to wear, comfort, fit in jeans also, and have various type and colors. You have no reason to refuse sandals. And now, Converse sandal came to rescue me. They made a very comfort sandal, with their own touch. It looks like sandal, but it was Converse. See? I love this sandal to bits, my feet loves it too. I hope, Converse will produce new type of sandal more, i'll grab them all :))

first week in Jakarta (through instagram)

Heyhoo. I'm back to the city, to prepare some things in terms of my graduation by the end of this month. I arrived safely exactly a week ago and already tired now. For the first two nights here, i didn't sleep at my crib, i haven't clean it yet cause i have to accompany my sister in hospital. She had an appendix surgery on Monday and had no company, so there i was. Slept over at the hospital for two days in a row, with an unhealthy condition is bad, guys. Huff. But still, the next day, i have to fit my kebaya and make sure mom's is ready too. Mine is not ready yet, i'll pick it up  tomorrow i guess if i have company.

On Saturday i went to campus with a friend to attend jobfair. My faculty held that event and one of the reason why i come back to Jakarta is to find suitable job for me. One big company has already interviewed me, i had pass two others already but still waiting for the best one. Being a jobseeker is not my thing, to be honest i'd like to take master next year. Meanwhile i have to find a job to keep me in this psychological test and stuff. So good luck for me and you.

I also went out with Arlene. We talked about everything, yet the main topic was her recent relationship. I'm so happy to see her smiles all over the talk. We ended that day by watching Smurf and having ramen as our late lunch. It was also a late celebration of her birthday, a month ago. I wasn't in town on the time. One last thing, i'm glad because Arlene also loves Peach Sus that i chose for her. It was my favorite cake in Starbucks by the way. Have i told you that i so miss Green Tea Frappucino back in Manado? Finally i had tasted it again with my girl.

And yesterday, my brother turned 19 years old. Happy birthday to him. We went to Pulau Dua Restaurant for lunch. Too bad it was located nearby MPR - DPR building and there was an demonstration by the time. We couldn't pick taxi easily so we asked the police to help us. Fortunately, we didn't face a long crowd in our way home. I straightly called mom and tell her to watch news, in case me and brother was shown up in that demonstration. Hahaha.

 

his mie ulang tahun / birthday noodle 

So, that was my week.Yes, it's kinda strange to start a week in Wednesday hahaha. I won't use that term of course, it just one of my case in this city. All of the pictures were taken with my ipod and have been edited in instagram application. It was my last addiction lately, to capture pictures, edit it and post it. Too bad i have to find wifi connection everytime i'd like to upload some photos, but no big deal for these days. Hihihi. If you have instagram account, do follow mine (annavaganza), in time i can online, i'll follow you back. Have a great day! xoxo

happy birthday dear:)

I'm blessed to have a very humble boyfriend, who always accept all my silly habits. I like to make personal nicknames to most of things in the world, especially for things which happen in my daily life. So, no wonder i have million nicknames for boyfriend, since the first time we've become friends. Hahaha, it was a year ago. Time flies, right, Xiao Po? 

Then, few days ago was his birthday. I won't tell you the number, to make him comfortable (giggling all the way.hihihi), but let me give you some of the photos on that special day. Last year i gave him a picture, later i put it on BBM's display picture. Just a picture, but i knew he loves it to the bits. A simple photo of me, holding a doll, an eeyore, and a paper "Happy Birthday, nduttt". Yup, that time i call him Ndut. But this year is kinda bit different. I was here, so i can greet him myself, so here i am went to his crib. I brought him a cake, with his face on the top of it. To make it complete, i also gave him a card and some presents. It was a relieving moment so far, more than my own birthday. We ended it with a fancy dinner and pray together. 

Happy birthday dearest one. Thanks for being real, warm, and big-hearted. Love you! 

Mari Memasak

Oleh karena tangan saya bisa keriting bercerita tentang masa-memasak dalam bahasa Inggris, maka post ini akan dalam bahasa Indonesia. Yeyy! Jadi ceritanya sudah 4 hari terakhir saya masak. Ga semua menu buat orang rumah sih karena mama saya masih harus turun tahta memasak sayur dan tentu saja selalu tak pernah lupa memasak nasi. Tapi cukup banyak menu saya, karena porsi makan 4 orang menjadi menu utama. Ciyeee *mendadak salting. hihihi.

Menu 3 hari yang lalu, seperti di foto adalah muntahu, sedangkan menu 2 hari kemaren (kelamaan ngepost, maap!) adalah udang goreng telur asin. Biasa, penyakit sok kambuh, disamping lagi ngidam berat sama telur asin. Baru masak muntahu dengan tingkat kesulitan sebiasa, udah langsung mau ribet total dengan menu berat. Hahaha, namanya juga manusia ya, kapan bisanya juga kalo ga belajar, so, mari kita membuat. Gimana hasilnya? Sukses dong, ini fotonya.

Tapi eh tapi, bukan maksud hati pelit bagi-bagi resep, melainkan karena saya malas ngetik resep, jadi saya akan berbagi kesalahan-kesalahan yang saya perbuat sebagai pemula dan juga tips bagi yang hendak membuat udang goreng telur asin seperti saya. Ehm, terutama yang kemampuan memasaknya minim hehehe. Yuk!

1. Periksa baik-baik telur asin yang anda beli.
Serius, ini penting sekali agar tidak mengalami nasib buruk seperti yang baru sadar telah membeli telur asin mentah dan masak sekaligus di saat udang sudah dibumbui. TEPOK JIDAT LEBAR-LEBAR! Ini benar-benar kejadian yang perlu ditertawakan, oleh sebab itu telitilah. Akhirnya saya merebus kembali telur-telur asin, karena yang digunakan adalah telur asin yang sudah masak. Bodohnya lagi, jumlah telur asin mentah yang saya beli lebih sedikit daripada yang masak. Huff!
2. Pilih jenis udang yang baik.
Ehm, saya tidak ingin menyalahkan si papah yang salah membeli udang, tapi udang yang beliau beli udah tuir alias ga fresh lagi. Huhuhu. Jadilah udang saya berbau amis dan tidak memiliki ekor. Udang kecil yang dibekukan di kawasan terkebelakang. Hwuahh.
3. Pelajari teknik memberi asam yang pas kepada segala jenis calon lauk, terutama seafood.
Penting untuk tahu apakah udah cukup asam atau belum. Setidaknya ini nasehat dari mamah saya.

Akhirnya besoknya saya mulai bandel mencoba masak Tom Yam, tidak dengan segala rempah-rempah melainkan dengan bumbu instant buatan si Asian ... Dan rasanya saudara-saudari, amat pedas. Saya tidak punya ayam segar kala ini, tentu saja di kulkas mama, dan akhirnya mencemplungkan beberapa potong tuna di dalamnya. Ikan tuna-nya terasa segar dengan kuah tom yam, tapi saya bahkan tidak kuat dengan pedesnya. Akhir kata, ikan tuna ludes, kuah tom yam berakhir di sink mamah. Huff.

Menu terakhir paling mudah dari semua menu yang saya coba, grilled salmon. Tak perlu kerja berat untuk membuat salmon layak makan. Menurut pacar saya yang hobi masak, cukup berikan olive oil, salt and pepper. Diamkan dan panggang di atas panci datar. Udah deh, jadi, salmon yang menyenangkan hati. Besok-besok saya masak lagi, atau mungkin minggu depan, tapi mari kita usaha lebih demi keberhasilan di masa depan *lebay! hehehe. Mari memasak!

how to make a better monday?

We are all hate Monday. Agree? I guess in my opinion is because we had fun in Sunday and we don't want Monday end it. As for me, i went to church with my family, friends or even myself, felt overwhelmed after the sermon and have a nice lunch or movie afterward. Sunday is always a relaxing day for me. But yesterday was a bad Sunday for me. But still, i have to wake up this morning and greet Monday, hey Moanday!

After i woke up at 9 am this morning, i prayed to God, to give my strength to face this day. And i got an insight to do something productive today, then i cooked. Yes, i cooked. A simple menu, but i'm so glad i made it, with less mistakes. Brother and mother said it tasteful, i thought it so. Then i felt i already made my day. No one will make me feel the way i don't, and when i feel success with this Mun Tahu (Mun Tofu), i knew i was so overwhelmed. I really am beyond happiness. Tomorrow i will try new menus, i know mom will always give me space, alone, to explore my self, and my cooking skills. I know that my parents will always support me, and the ones who love me will never really leave me. All i have to do is to serve them "my best food", myself.

the taste is really nice. nyumm.

I cried over the post. I'm not a good cook but i'm trying to cook. I'm not going to win MasterChef but i will make The Master smiles at me. You will smile at me too, dear.

I will share you the recipe, but tomorrow after one more menu. Hehe. So, keep an eye!

IKEA stuffs upcoming

No, no, we aren't waiting for the real IKEA stuffs to come, but mom has decided to make some stuffs according to IKEA's. My home has been renovating for the last 3 months. Yep, one of the reason why i came back here is to help mom redecorate home. And thanks God, we've already celebrated it for 3 times with some relatives and neighbours. Our home is bigger than before now, i have my own bedroom (i used to share bedroom with brothers during my years here), new bathroom (to me, of course hihihi), a new garden, and so on.

Today, mom asked me to browse on our pictures in Singapore last year. I wanted to post this for almost a year ago, pardon me. Hehehe. We visited IKEA Singapore and pretty amazed with that store. Yeah, especially for us, me and mom whose interesting on stuffs like that. So, we wont waste time, mom took some pictures there and today i looked it agan and why don't i post it now? I bet you'll love IKEA too.

 one of the dream : walking closet!

 my dream kitchen :))

 one nice children room

 andddd, me! 

sakit gigi

Sayang sekali saya harus membayar hutang nulis saya dengan cerita mengenai sakit gigi. Sepele mungkin tapi nyatanya ini mengganggu saya dan cukup membuat saya desperado. Saya sudah berada di rumah (baca: Manado) selama hampir 1 bulan dan baru mengalami sakit gigi selama seminggu terakhir namun sudah cukup membuat saya senewen. Gimana tidak?

1.  Dokter yang sudah saya sepakati bersama orangtua ternyata mendadak akan cuti 2 minggu. Memakai jasa dokter pengganti tentulah bukan opsi yang tepat untuk gigi saya. Untungnya dokter saya yang lucu tidak punya dokter pengganti.

2. Operasi hanya dapat dilakukan pukul 8 malam, ketika semua pasien sudah pulang. Yak, operasi akan berlangsung lama.

3. Suntikan bius yang cukup banyak namun tidak membuat rasa sakit itu hilang juga membuat saya senewen. Saya hanya bisa mengerang kesakitan :(

4. Setelah selesai operasi hari pertama, si dokter pun berkata, "Bisa tolong besok foto panoramic tidak? Saya ingin mengecek apa sudah bersih". Ok, dan saya setelah semalaman tak bisa tidur (efek pasca operasi) ternyata hasilnya masih ada mahkota gigi yang tertinggal. SAYA MAU PINGSAN!

5. Kembali ke dokter dan langsung operasi lagi. Bekas yang belum kering kembali dibuka dan yak, tak ada bius yang mampu mengatasi rasa sakit itu. Saya pun terisak-isak hingga operasi harus dihentikan. 

6. Setelah tenang saya kembali melanjutkan pembedahan dan akhirnya sisa gigi itupun keluar. Saya lega bukan kepalang, tapi diikuti dengan sakit luar biasa juga. 

7. Kondisi ini cukup membuat heboh mama saya yang takut saya kekurangan darah dan tenaga. Sebelum operasi saya hanya makan sedikit bubur.

8. Ah ya, kondisi hanya makan bubur dan tidak boleh makan makanan keras-panas-pedas juga membuat senewen. 

9. Tapi moga-moga bikin kurus juga sih. Cihuy!

Sekarang saya udah merasa mendingan. Masih nyut-nyut sih tapi saya udah berhasil makan ayam goreng tadi. Yeyy! Tentu saja dengan menyuir-nyuiran terlebih dulu hehehe. Sekarang saya mau mandi, mau kontrol lagi sama dokter. Satu wisdom tooth saya sudah lengser dari tahta, yang satu lagi, nanti aja kali ya. Sakitnya oh sungguh luar biasa sih. Hehehe.  

Zen Garden-nya mamah

Judulnya mungkin agak kurang familiar, tapi setelah saya balik ke Manado, inilah benda yang terus menerus mengusik hidup saya *lebay. Yap, Zen Garden dari game Plant vs Zombie. Semua bermula ketika pacar mengajari saya main game ini sekitar bulan April yang lalu. Ternyata game ini sudah ada di iPod kala itu, tapi tidak tahu bagaimana permainannya dan fakta bahwa i'm not a gamer. Akhirnya ketika kunjungan singkat di Manado meninggalkan kesan mendalam bagi adik bungsu yang kemudian mengisi laptop ini dengan si game. Alhasil tak hanya dia yang berhasil menyelesaikan adventure-nya tetapi juga ibunda alias mamah sebanyak 5 kali! Tak hanya itu, mamah juga menanam plant, dan mengurusinya tiap hari. Laptop pun nyala dari pagi hingga malam hari mamah mau tidur.

Yasudah, akhirnya saya penasaran apa yang membuat mamah betah duduk manis di depan laptop. Ternyata game ini bisa mengurusi garden-nya sendiri, hanya perlu kita mengawasi untuk memenuhi kebutuhannya seperti fertilize the plant, play music, menyiramnya ataupun memberi coklat kepada siput. Apakah siput itu? Siput merupakan hewan pengumpul tiap koin yang dihasilkan tanaman. Koin-koin tersebut dapat digunakan kembali oleh si mamah untuk memberi makanan, pupuk atau air bagi tanaman. Jadi haruslah terus mengecek kondisi dari plant-plant tadi. Huff, cukup jelas bukan penjelasan saya?

Lihat yang saya lingkarin biru? Itu adalah siput yang tak lain antek-antek mamah dalam mengumpulkan koin-koin. Uang mamah saya kurang lebih sudah banyakkkk sekali mengingat sayangnya mamah kepada garden-nya ini. Saya yang tidak tahu apa-apa kemarin berusaha membantu mamah dengan mengurusi garden ini. Oow, saya pun melakukan kesalahan fatal, yakni memberikan coklat kepada semua plant! Padahal coklat tersebut tidak bisa dibeli dengan uang dan hanya bisa didapatkan lewat adventure. Benar-benar kesalahan yang bikin mama agak-agak senewen. Kenapa? Karena siputnya mandek saudara-saudara, tidak mau jalan tanpa dikasih coklat. Tidak jalannya siput juga membuat mamah harus stand by mengumpulkan koin dan harus lebih lama depan laptop menyelesaikan adventure agar bisa dapat coklat. Fyuhh, saya ikutan capek juga. Hahaha.

Tapi, tenanglah, pagi ini lewat beberapa kemenangan adventure mamah berhasil mendapatkan 3 coklat sebagai makanan siput hari ini. Saya pun selamat dari tugas mengurusi Zen Garden mamah. Saya sih senang-senang saja mamah saja jago main laptop, tapi seandainya uang dari garden bisa ditukar jadi uang beneran mah saya lebih senang lagi. Hihihi. Mari main puzzle Plant vs Zombie lagi! :)