These Things Made My Day

1. Check out my new striped dining chairs. Ahhhh one of my dreams finally came true! I'm so in love with my dining chairs, I'm having Chairgasmic! LOL... aww I'm going to spend a lot amount of time on them! <3 Well, that doesn't sound right at all... but frankly my dear, I don't give a damn! (;

2. 5 of the 10 items I bought on eBay arrived today: a pair of flip-flops, sunglasses, a book, a blouse and Audrey Hepburn wall decoration. I bought them at really good price, three of them were priced at US$ 0.99 + free shipping too. Score! Christmas came early for me (: I'm still waiting on my other shipments from eBay, ASOS and etsy to arrive... I can't wait! Yeah! *FreddyMercuryairpunch*

So Many Things To Do, So Little Time

December is surely my busiest month of the year 2012! Taking care of many many things, my business, packing and moving my things to the new house and sadly my girl is sick at the the same time. Lowy has a problem with her right eye and she was even crying. That situation broke my heart top pieces and I'm having a hard time to cope with my sadness. So last night I just broke down and cried for a good half an hour. I haven't cried for so long, as a matter of fact, yesterday was the first day I cried in 2012 and it felt so good to be able to cry and it's actually quite relieving. Cutest thing happened while I was crying, my boy Chewy wiped me tears away... literally! He licked my super wet eyes and put his head on my chest. Isn't he the loveliest boy in the world? (: 

via Etsy

Please pray for my Lowy, I need my sunshine healthy and live a happy life. 

And oh the other thing, moving into a new house is not easy. Pack up all my things, unpack them, buying some new stuffs for the living room, kitchen, storage room, garage, garden... doing a little renovation too. Everything should be in place just few days before Christmas, so I'm crossing my fingers, hoping this will turn out great (and I could be back blogging as often as I used to).

Toodles!

Rambutan Rapiah ❤

Rambutan, is one of my most loved tropical seasonal fruits, I love them the most, especially the local variety which is called rambutan rapiah. They are now in season! Yay!!! *FreddyMercuryairpunch*

And I just had them today, so good! ❤  They taste soft, a bit chewy, mildly sweet. Although they're the "cousin" of Lychee, they're not as sweet as Lychee. And I happen to like them! Go try some. 

A bowl of Rambutan Rapiah! The leathery skin is reddish-yellowish-greenish, and covered with fleshy pliable spines.

How to eat Rambutan

They're all seasonal tropical fruits! My favorite fruits in no particular order.

I Adore You, Sophia Loren!

"Everything you see I owe to spaghetti." - Sophia Loren

via Dandelion Girl

Enjoy your favorite foods because life is too short to be spent depriving yourself all the time! And most importantly, ladies, be like Sophia Loren, who embraced her figure and wore beautiful garments to enhance her curves. Focus on your best features just like Sophia Loren did!

Let's eat carbs, people!!!

The No Junk Food Challenge

Can I do this? 

Can you do this? 

Is this even possible? 

Anyone care to try???

via weheartit

Sunday Thoughts: Be Strong and Courageous

via because of grace

This is the most meaningful bible verse for me. On my Confirmation day (May 1998), the pastor handed me a bible and wrote this verse on the first page. According to him, after spent few months of attending Catechism class led by him and based on the result of my tests and et cetera, this is the perfect bible verse for me to hold on to. 

I'm a strong woman but there are times when I feel like giving up and powerless. This verse helps me to get through those times, gives me hope and faith that God will always be with me at all times. His words strengthen me (:

I also chose this verse for today's Sunday Thoughts because today was my besties Tikyta Syarani and Letisia Manoe's Confirmation Day at GPIB Paulus. Since I was not able to attend due to my illness (sinus, y u no leave me alone huh?), I dedicate this post and this verse to them. We are only human, in life we will be facing ups and downs and this verse speaks to us that God will always be with us! God bless. 

PS: The Pastor who gave me this verse was Pdt. R. A. Waney, MTh. from GPIB. Thank you! (:

Being Thankful

First of all, Happy Thanksgiving to my American readers! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday with your loved ones. 

I love the Thanksgiving culture, the day where people reflect on things to be thankful for. It would be nice of all the people in the world celebrate this lovely tradition. One of the best holidays people ever invented, don't you agree? But please remember to be thankful not just on Thanksgiving day, be thankful everyday so you won't take anything for granted. 

In this spirit of gratitude, I want to share some of the many many things I am thankful for everyday in my life: my darling husband, my precious family, my adorable huskies, my wonderful friends and of course you, my readers. God is great. (: 

via Kerry's Kronicles

I read an interesting article on Reader's Digest a couple days ago, about being thankful. According to the article, people with a strong sense of gratitude don't necessarily have more than others but they recognize and see the beauty in their lives. Moreover, people who count their blessings are generally happier and healthier than people who don't. WORD! I do count my blessings every day and I do feel happier and realize how good what I have after all.

Some tips to be thankful: 

1. Try to be more relax, don't stress out too much. It's hard to be thankful if you're in a bad mood (angry, anxious, etc). 

2. Live in the moment. DON'T DWELL IN THE PAST. It's probably a nice place to visit but not a great place to stay.

3. Live a healthy lifestyle! Good health is expensive. Don't wait until you get sick and have to pay a fortune to get your health back. 

4. Cherish the small things. Never underestimate the power of small things in life. 

5. Take a vacation once in a while to rejuvenate your spirit and mind. Remember this, to travel is to live.

6. Keep a gratitude journal. Write the things you're thankful for everyday and read them again in the future. You'll see how much you are blessed every single day so (ideally) you will complain less.

Thank you for reading this post! (: God bless you. 

via Pinterest

Shine On, Darlings!

via Help Ink

Must Love Green Tea

I'm a tea addict, I don't do coffee. Well I used to be a coffee drinker, but not anymore. I'll share that story one day.

I drink all kinds of tea and that includes one of my favorites, the famous green tea. In this post, I wanna share with you the benefits of drinking green tea, so you'll start drinking more tea and be more healthy!

Care to try?

via Pinterest

Sunday Thoughts: What God Does

I'm going to start a series of religious / biblical quotes which I think are perfect for Sundays. Can be used for personal reflection, guide to start a new week and something to be thankful for.

So, without further ado, here's the maiden post of my Sunday Thoughts series.

via Life of a Loffler

E-Volo Multicopter

Wow, the kind of transportation Jakartans need. Bluntly speaking, with the traffic and all, well in my opinion Jakarta has the most worst traffic I've ever experienced. Don't forget the pollution, I have to remind my self every now and then, that grey skies are not normal. Why did I ever move back here from Bali?! Oh well. As much as I miss the blue skies and friendly traffic, I'll try my best to make peace with this city of mine. (Chanting: I love Jakarta, I love Jakarta, I love Jakarta)

Anyways, back to topic.

The traffic is enough to make people lose their mind.  Sitting two or three hours in a car to go 20 or 30 km is mind-melting. Having a multicopter will change my life! This device is several years away from becoming a realistic option, but really, they have to work on this device and mass-produce it. I would love to have one. 

Jakartans, what do you think?

via E-Volo

Hair Tutorial: Sock Bun

I'm intrigued, surely will try this one day. I love the bun, looks classy and after a few hours you'll get a natural wavy hair out of it. What's not to love! 

via Pinterest

A Sip of Soda

Have you ever wondered what soda in general, does to your body? Take a look at below image. Thank God I don't do soda! (: Drink water! See the benefits here. Choose to be healthy!

                                         Source: momandwife.com via Rachel on Pinterest

No Place Like Home

via Rachel Dowda

Everytime!

via i can read

Airframes

How adorbs are these airframes? Travelers (and aircrews) can always have a lofty window seat view with this portal overlooking aerial views from places visited in their home. I know my husband would love these airframes, as for me, I wonder are they going to slowly cure my fear of flying or worsen it? 

Nevertheless, I think I want them! Don't you? 

via Design Boom

Wanderlust: Kiruna, Sweden

via Antony Spencer

#2 on my bucket list. 

Fun fact, my parents almost named me "Aurora". My parents two name options were Aurora and Amarantha. 

Aurora, because my parents are in love with the Aurora Borealis phenomenon and it is a name of unimaginably beautiful lights that people gasp at. Thank God they didn't choose this one, it doesn't fit me! However, I do want to see this beautiful natural phenomenon one day. Be it in Sweden or Norway, I want to go. 

Amarantha, because my great great grandmother from my father's side (Aletha Umboh) had a sister named Amarantha Umboh. Mind you, mostly Minahasans (especially my family) love to re-use names of ancestors instead of using a new or unique name for their baby. Also the name has a sweet meaning (*ahem), Amarantha: originated as a Greek name. In Greek legend, it's the name of a  flower that never fades and never dies. 

I'm glad my parents named me Amarantha. I sure love the meaning, a flower that never fades and never dies. I hope my faith, spirit and determination in living my life will never fade and never die, just like my name. Amen. 

2 Corinthians 6:10

via Tumblr

Vacation Memory Jars

I stumbled upon this cute crafty project for kids on Martha Stewart's website and really like it. Loving the whole idea to fill a jar with souvenirs collected on trips and pictures developed afterward. Looks like I need to buy some jars, stat! 

via Martha Stewart

Yes, But No

I stumbled upon this funny tumblr blog few months ago and loving it a lot. Remember this post? I'm thinking to print some of these, frame them and put them on my wall. Here are some of my favorites... 

Green Dining Room

Such a cute chic dining room. I love this and am keeping this image for my future reference. Isn't it lovely?

via REMODELISTA

Physical Books versus E-Books

Lately I love purchasing e-books through iTunes Store so I could read them on the iPad anytime, anywhere. Before e-books era, I'm already at the point that a book has to come with me wherever I go. Business meetings, hang out with my friends, eventhough if I'm not going to be able to read, a book always comes with me. Things I have to check before leaving the house: wallet, cellphone, keys, small beauty case and book... OK I'm good to go! ((: I even have back up books in the car just in case. But now, the iPad is good enough.

I still prefer the physical books, I love the look, feel and smell of paper books. Still my favorite! However I find myself quite enjoying the e-reading revolution. I like that I have plenty books on my iPad and that I can read whatever I fancy at any time without having to wonder about where I put it. Also I have way too many books already and they're taking a lot of space in the house! And e-books are cheaper too. 

I’ll never go completely to e-books just because I still love having packed shelves in my home, but about half of my reading is done on the iPad these days. If I like what I read, I will surely buy the physical books. For example, these are the e-books I read on the iPad (time period October - November)...

1. The Son of Neptunes - Rick Riordan 

Recently bought the physical book! (: I love Rick Riordan!

via Rick Riordan's Blog

2. The Help - Kathryn Stockett 

Great book! But not in a hurry to get the physical book. Would love to one day.

via Sarah's Cover

3. Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) - Mindy Kaling 

Definitely will buy the physical copy as soon as they available in Jakarta. I love her, she's hilarious!

via Movie Line

4. Aleph - Paulo Coelho

I liked it, but I don't think I'll buy the physical copy of this book.

via Arab News

5. Hector And The Search For Happiness - Francois Lelord
Going to buy the physical book for sureeee!

via Buy Her

6. Out of Oz - Gregory Maguire

I bought this already but haven't read it yet. But make no mistake, I'm so getting the physical book! I'm actually collecting his Wicked Years series. This is book #4.

via Passages To The Past

7. Paper Angels - Jimmy Wayne and Travis Trasher

Very Inspiring book, it's about kindness and Christmas. How can I not love this book?

via Got Country Online

Both physical books and e-books are divine. I love them almost equally (65% physical books and 35% e-books). Well I guess what I'm trying to say is that... It really doesn't matter what format we read, as long as we are still reading!

PS: Guys, date a girl who reads!

via Tumblr

Positive Steps for Mental Health

via Tumblr

Pixie Cut

I still want this Pixie Cute hairstyle...

via Happenstance

via Hair on the Brain

Photographs of Oscar Wilde

via Book Aesthete

London ca. 1890’s.

Two albumen cabinet card photographs, each approximately 6½x4¼”. Two handsome portrait photographs of Wilde, one on the studio card of Alfred Ellis, 20 Upper Baker Street, the other on the card of Alfred Ellis & Walery, 51 Baker Street.

Well hello, Mr. Wilde! I truly admire you as a writer, you're brilliant. Lovely portrait photographs by the way. XOX

Wanderlust: Cappadocia, Turkey

via (LIKE IDEA)

My Christmas Carols

It's never too early to hear Christmas songs! I really don't care what anyone thinks because it's my favorite time of the year. And now I would like to share some of my favorites. If we share the same taste, I believe you would love my selections.

In no particular order:

1. A Very She and Him Christmas --- new!

2. Michael Buble Christmas --- new!

3. Mariah Carey Christmas

4. Mariah Carey Merry Christmas II You

5. All Frank Sinatra Christmas Album

6. Nat King Cole Christmas

7. Christina Aguilera My Kind of Christmas

8. The Hotel Cafe Presents... Winter Songs

9. The Judy Garland Christmas Album

10. Ashanti's Christmas

11. American Idol: The Great Holiday Classics

12. Lea Simanjuntak - My Christmas Song --- a friend of mine who is really talented! Lovely woman with amazing voice and of course very enjoyable Christmas Album.

All of the above albums/songs are in shuffle mode starting a week ago and surely after New Year!

Enjoy the songs darlings!

Sushi Etiquette

I now feel slightly impolite...

via tumblr

King and Queen of the Room

via because im addicted

Albert Einstein

via La Dolce Vita

Monday Inspiration

via tumblr