More about Me

A million thanks to sweet Robin from Carrie Bradshaw Made Me Do It for giving me this award.

I know you don't need to know more about me.
I know how narcississtic I am already.
But I'm gonna go ahead and share more about me anyway :P

1. Where is your cell phone? bag

2. Your hair? curly

3. Your mother? best

4. Your father? gone

5. Your favorite food? sinful

6. Your dream last night? none

7. Your favorite drink? coke

8. Your dream/goal? happiness

9. What room are you in? work ;) hehehe

10. Your hobby? many

11. Your fear? loss

12. What do you want to be in 6 years? successful

13. Where were you last night? home

14. Something you aren't? brave

15. Muffins? chocolate

16. Wish list item? lenses

17. Where did you grow up? indonesia

18. Last thing you did? breakfast

19. What are you wearing? colors

20. Your TV? enough

21. Your pets? lenses

22. Your friends? precious

23. Your life? "simple"

24. Your mood? ecstatic

25. Missing someone? family

26. Vehicle? public

27. Something you're not wearing? jewelries

28. Your favorite store? thrift

29. Your favorite color? colorful

30. When was the last time you laughed? now

31. Last time you cried? movies

32. Your best friend? lucky

33. One place where I go over and over again? Jakarta

34. One person who emails me regularly? workmate

35. Favorite place to eat? KFC

Read Robin's here.
Whoever feel like doing this, go for it :D

My Vintage Valentine Outfit

Sorry to disappoint, it was nothing sexy, seductive, nor slutty. :p
I wanted it to be something comfy, terribly sweet, and hopelessly romantic.

If it wasn't the day when I could pull of a baby pink vintage cotton lace frock...then when is?
Plus, it goes well with my little bunch of pink carnations ;)


Dress = vintage pink cotton lace from Jakarta
Belt = stretchy cream belt with gold flower buckle, from Argyle Center
Necklace = faux pearl, remixed
Earrings = pink stone with gold frame from Forever 21, Jakarta, remixed
Shoes = white peeptoe heels, remixed

...more details of that day to follow, please bear with me, and try not to puke ^_^

Bargain Boots

Grey mocassins...aren't they cuteeee???? These are for my sis. Imagine wearing these with skinny jeans, tights...vintage dresses or mini skirts for warmer days.

Beige ones. They make my legs look like elephant's. I don't care. I'll think of something and I'm gonna wear these babies. They are for my sis too. They are both from a HK$99/any pair shop in Argyle Center, Mongkok. I wanted to buy the whole shop!!!!

"For my sis" is one of my overused tag lines when it comes to shopping. I buy them early (wayyy before going back to Indonesia), and wear them before forgetting to pack them into my luggage. Hahah! So, essentially, the phrase is just my lame excuse for more shopping! It fooled sous chef nicely, though. Try!

Boys Sweater - Embracing Girliness

My sis told me that I make anything look girly. A frilly lacey frock, a harley davidson tee, an oversized sweatpants, you name it! It doesn't have to be pink, it doesn't have to be floral. Even if it is something studded with heavy metal chains, it will still look girly on me, and I dunno why. I wasn't happy about this and I used to be in a hugee state of denial, tried my best to look as "non girly" as possible...without success. No matter what I did, I still look they way I do. Girly.

Nowadays, I've come to terms with the way I look, embrace my being girly and exploited it to the highest potential. What the heck. There's nothing wrong with turning everything girly, right? I am just a girl after all.

I turned this oversized boy's sweater to something that's so me. Added layers of feminine necklaces (I learnt this from my sis), tiered chiffon skirt, pretty tights, cute and sweet heels, and there you go. The girliest of girls!

top = vintage polka dot shirt, remixed
sweater = Orange thick cotton, borrowed
necklaces = multicolor wooden necklace, Rp.10.000,- from a small stand in front of Roti Bakar Edi, Jakarta. The faux pearl is from Argyle Center and the cream beaded necklace is from H&M, remixed
Skirt = Tiered black chiffon from Zara, remixed
Tights = houndstooth patterned tights from Ladies Market, remixed
Shoes = Brown heels from Union, remixed
Bag = LV monogram canvas trouville, remixed. with a gold heart ornament, free from a Japanese magazine

Mochachocolata-Rita is Living La Vida Rita

I've been tagged through my alter-ego Mochachocolata-Rita by Michelle of Greedy Gourmet. I've decided to post the article here as it is more about me me me me than food.

What were you doing 10 years ago?
Goshhh....year 1998. I was clueless, figuring out what I would do with my life, ended up deciding to go to Australia to study a short course. I was probably learning English, preparing myself for IELTS. Looking back, I've gone a loooonggg way from struggling with English writing to blabbering on the Internet now.

What were you doing 1 year ago?
I was having so much fun at Hong Kong's AIA World Carnival. I managed to scare the cxxp out of my friends by forcing them to play adrenalin pumping games.

5 snacks I enjoy
1. Ruffles' Cheddar & Sour Cream Chips
Super tasty and sore throat provoking . I know, I know....unhealthy
2. Snickers Chocolate Bar
Chocolatey, nutty perfection. I know...unhealthy again
3. Gorengan (Indonesian Deep Fried Street Snacks)
OK I know, unhealthy again...
4. Jajan Pasar (Indonesian street snacks)
5. Curly Fries
Now you start to wonder...how long more I will live eating all these junks?

This is why I exercise, as stated in 5 Facts about Me, and I try to cook healthier every day. But for snacks, I'd stick to what I love.

5 Things I would do if I was a millionaire
1. I'd make sure my loved ones are taken care of
2. Travel, Cook & Eat whatever I want, take pictures and write about everything
3. Invest in a business or run my own, it must be related to something I am passionate about
4. I'd have my dream kitchen in my dream home, which must include a library of books, magazines, comics, films and TV shows
5. Donate more

5 things I would never wear again
1. Uncomfortable clothes (anything which requires holding my breath, sucking my stomach, scratching here and there, or pinching my feet)
2. Unflattering clothes (anything which does not complement me: long tops with narrow hips, clingy fabrics)
3. Tight ankle boots. Makes my legs look (even more) like elephant's legs
4. Neon tights (I think you know why)
5. G-strings, T-backs (these fall under category 1 too)

5 Favourite Kitchen Toys
1. My sous chef (a picture of my sous chef will be posted someday)
2. Microwave (handy for defrosting, reheating, baking cakes)
3. Conventional oven (handy for reheating anything crispy without deep-frying them again. Considering my love for fried food, I should be an expert lol)
4. Non stick pan (what would I do without you, baby? I'd have to add lots & lots of oil)
5. Rice cooker (I can't cook rice the conventional way. Yes, I should not call myself Indonesian, or Chinese for that matter)

Now I tag:
- Eliza of Notes from My Food Diary
- Benny of Grande Ice Caramel Machiato
- Sarah of Life through Food
- Elsye of Dari Dapur Saya
- Liv of FoodahoLiv

Growing Nationalism

For as long as I can remember, when I grew up and was staying in Indonesia, most people around me (including myself) craved foreign related products (so called - buatan luar negeri). Anything foreign was generally deemed superior compared to local products. This might get myself beaten up but honestly, I was not really into Indonesian products, people would make fun of me if I wore batik/kebaya (Indonesian traditional clothing), people would look down on me if I claimed that my favorite food is gudeg (Javanese traditional food) and people did roll of the floor laughing when I sang dang dut songs (Indonesian music). I would get accepted and probably admired if I wore Esprit/Benetton, dine and hung out at Pizza Hut, and listen to rock and roll. I loved everything foreign, and I seemed to have taken Indonesia for granted.

Strangely, when I moved overseas, first to Australia, then to Singapore and currently now I am in Hong Kong, my sense of nationalism towards Indonesian products has been ever-growing. I miss Indonesian products all the time, I regularly crave Indonesian food, I proudly say that I am Indonesian, JAVAnese, even when people thought I was JAPANese (this is a huge compliment since Japanese is perceived to be superior).

Every year, when I visit my home country, most of the time I just wanted to eat and drink everything Indonesian, I desperately seek for some more Indonesian ethnic decor for my home, bought loads and loads of batik clothing and wear it with pride in Hong Kong. OK, I went one step further, there was a day when I asked my colleagues to wear the Indonesian clothes they purchased during an event in Indonesia.

I gave out packets of Indomie (Indo's famous Instant noodles) to my colleagues and promoted the use of Kecap Manis in Hong Kong at BBQ/cooking party events with my friends. I sang Indonesian songs not only in karaoke (I just changed Japanese lyrics and made up the Indonesian version) but also in the office (this probably won't promote Indonesian music, this could kill it-I'm sorry, will try to stop. lol)

Maybe:
- Everybody misses things they can't get hold of
- Only realised they love something when the thing isn't as easily available
- Anything unattainable is crave-able
or some other reasons...

For whatever it is, despite all the minuses, there are so many good things about my country (not only Indomie and kecap manis yaaa)...So, I just know one thing: Saya Cinta Buatan Indonesia (I love Indonesian products), termasuk saya (which include myself) LOL!

*So much for Rita's Nationalism, she is just another female narcissistic pig*