Braga Festival 2011

Actually, Braga Festival 2011 was not listed in my agenda. But, Icih - my best companion today - came with 'how if we visit Braga Festival?'. I thought it would be very exciting and Braga Festival was just held once a year, so why not? Likewise, we haven't come to this event at all.

Braga Festival is held once a year to commemorate Bandung's Anniversary and this year is its 201 anniversary. It attracts both domestic and foreign visitors. Many food stands, clothes stands, accessories stands unites here. There are also live performances from several local band, martial arts and traditional music instrument called karinding. Besides, you can see some photographs that show every corner of Bandung, the people and the arts. What surprising me is some photos which captures people who suffer from schizophrenia emplaced in South Gate of Braga Festival. In one of the corner of the Festival you can find a painter who improvises with his painting. The painting would be entitled 'Corrupter Rats' I guess.

Frankly, both of us were not too interested to what Braga Festival presents. Haha perhaps we don't have high sense of art. The only thing that directed our attention the most was the grilled sausage! LOL! Yes, we were starving. Really.

Before leaving this festival, we took our self photos to tell others that we have been here. Do we look amidst Braga Festival? :D

Today is the last day of Braga Festival. So, see you in the Braga Festival next year. :))

(500) Days of Summer

I finally got to (500) Days of Summer. Honestly, this is the first time I saw the movie. Maybe you think I’m slightly outdated since this movie has been released in 2009. But yeah, I know this movie from someone’s blog accidentally lately and searched for the DVD hardly. At last found it in Movie Room – Dago. Tee-hee! :D

Starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Tom Hansen and Zoey Deschanel as Summer Finn. Tom believed he would be truly happy after he met the one he loved, but Summer didn't share the same belief. The tagline of the movie is "A story of boy meets girl. Boy falls in love, girl doesn't."

(500) Days of Summer is a simple and quirky film. It is sooo true-to-life, no love-fantasy. It is told almost entirely through Tom's perspective.

My first favorite scene is when Tom finally slept with Summer. I love the way he walked out in the morning with a super happy feeling, nodded at strangers, high-fived, and they all danced in the street. Suddenly a sweet blue bird fluttered in. Of course the soundtrack by Hall & Oates - You Make My Dreams Come True behind it is the reason why I love this funny scene. That's impressive and perfect! 

Second favorite scene is when Tom came to Summer's party after they broke up. It's funny how Tom's expectation and reality went so different. Haha. And in this scene Tom eventually realized that Summer has been proposed by someone. :'(

Third favorite scene is on the 488th day. Tom and Summer had a conversation after she was married.

S: It just happened.

T: What just happened?

S: I just woke up one day and I knew what I was never sure with you.

T: *sigh*

T: You know what's sucks? realizing that everything you believe in is completely a bullshit.

S: What do you mean?

T: Ah, you know, destiny, soulmate, true love, and all of that childhood fairytale. Non senses. You were right. I should've listened to you.

S: No, I just kept thinking that you were right. Yeah I did. It just wasn't me that you were right about.

When you watch this movie don’t expect it ends happily ever after, but that’s life. Life doesn’t always get like that. I mean, you must have someone that you thought he’s the one but he’s not. He breaks you into pieces and you suffer heartache for long long time. All you need to do is just get over him, time will heal. Though it sounds cliché but it is. I experienced that. By the time goes on, you’ll get over him, you move on, you meet someone who’s a lot better than your ex. And hope he’s the right one for you.

Speaking about the music, this movie has a great taste in music. I love the whole soundtrack. Here are the lists and try to listen to 'em guys.
1. A Story of Boy Meets Girl - Michael Dana and Rob Simonsen
2. Us - Regina Spektor
3. There Is A Light That Never Goes Out - The Smiths
4. Bad Kids - Black Lips
5. Please please please let me get what i want - The Smiths
6. There Goes the Fear - Doves
7. You Make My Dreams - Hall and Oates
8. Sweet Disposition - The Temper Trap
9. Quequun Ma Dit - Carla Bruni
10. Mushaboom - Feist
11. Hero - Regina Spektor
12. Bookends - Simon and Garfunkel
13. Vagabond - Wolfmother
14. Got You High - Mumm-Ra Shes
15. Here Comes Your Man - Meaghan Smith
16. Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want - She & Him

That's all I can share about (500) Days of Summer. Closing line for this post: Everyone has ‘Summer’ in his/her life. :)

Another Ride with Besty

It was a bright sun shiny day, I had a trip to Kota Baru Parahyangan. You got to know this famous place. I and my besty, Eka, explored every stunning corner and did a brief photoshoot. The dress code should be feminine this time, so I wore a flowing blue jeans skirt and a white-spotted gray sweater. Perhaps my look somewhat odd since I commonly wear pants everywhere I go. Well, there it goes..

Such an astonishing voyage to go with best friend. Talks related to updated fashions, pasts, love and boys, light laughs, and jokes will always be part of our long walks.

The ultimate place we wandered was Al-Irsyad Mosque. It's a unique mosque with the absence of a dome. The shape is square and the main facade of the mosque is stacked stones. A calligraphy of 'Asyhadualla illaha illallah' embedded on the stones remind Muslims to pray.

Image is taken from google. The picture I've taken by phone is not worth to display due to bad photography skill. :p

99 lamps reflect 99 Asmaul Husna

Silhouette of people doing Shalat Dhuhur. Inside you are able to look out the external scenery.

The ambiance within the mosque is very cool even in hot season due to natural ventilation of the stacked stones. I recommend you guys to visit Al-Irsyad mosque or Kota Baru Parahyangan. Many interesting places are waiting for you to be explored.

By the way, for your information an art, design, jazz festival called Locafore will be held on 23-25 September 2011 in Bale Pare Kota Baru Parahyangan. Don't miss it!

The Sacred Journey Part 2: Mecca & Jeddah

This entry will describe my travel in Mecca and Jeddah. Keep rolling down the blog and enjoy. (:

I stayed for 4 days at Ufuk Al-Fath Hotel Mecca for 4 days. It's located approximately 500 meters from Masjidil Haram. I took the first Umrah at 2 in the morning. Still remember the first time I saw Ka'bah. It was an indescribable feeling. I cried at that time, couldn't believe I could see Ka'bah directly. It was such a wonderful blessing I've ever had. Subhanallah.

When I did Tawaf wif granny. The golden glass enclosure behind is known as Maqam Ibrahim. This is the standing place of Prophet lbrahim (peace be on him) when he used to stand here while building the Ka'bah with his son Prophet Isma'il (peace be on him).

After shalat Ashar around Masjidil Haram

Around Masjidil Haram there are many hotels with tens -even hundreds of floors, the most famous ones are Hilton Tower and Zamzam Grand Suites. When I was in Mecca, a giant clock was built on a skyscraper so called Makkah Clock Royal Tower. It's already finished now and replaced the GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) in London as the world's biggest clock.

The project of Giant Clock is behind me

In Mecca, I went to camel farm located in a desert a short drive away from the downtown of Mecca. You can buy fresh camel milk here.

One day before getting umrah, I toured to a museum placed in Hudaibiyah, outskirt of Mecca. The museum keeps some important things from Masjidil Haram like weaving curtains of Ka'bah, a teak staircase of the Holy Ka'bah and mouth piece of Well of Zam-zam.

After 4-days-travel in Mecca, I tripped to Jeddah to visit Siti Hawa's cemetery. Unfortunately, it was just allowed to see the tomb from bus.

Siti Hawa tomb is behind the wall.

During my time in second largest city in KSA after Riyadh, Jeddah, I went to the Floating Mosque. It is located just next to Red Sea which gives the impression the mosque is floating in the water.

Before catching flight, I went shopping to Al-Hijaz Shopping Center. It's an international modern market and sells many products like sajadah, clothes, foods and souvenirs. There was a surprised and wonderful thing happened here. When I did shopping wif dad and Adzan Dzuhur calling people to do shalat, sellers directly closed their shops and everyone stopped their activities to do Shalat together in the mall. It's hard to find in Indonesia literally.

At 7 o'clock I flew back to Indonesia from King Abdul Aziz International Airport. Such an unforgettable moment and Insya Allah I'll go back to this holy land next time. Amen.

The Sacred Journey Part I: Medina

Happy Eid Mubarak, blog-walkers!

In this special moment, I’d like to post about my travel journal to Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Although it was so last year, but just wanna share some Islamic historic sites in Medina, Mecca and Jeddah where I’ve been. I went to KSA to get Umrah alongside with dad and granny.

I touched down the King Abdul Aziz Airport Jeddah at late afternoon. Then headed to Medina - the city of the Prophet Muhammad - to check in at a hotel called Al-Haram where I stayed for 3 days. It took two hours to get there by bus.

Medina really wowed me by its beautiful buildings and of course the Nabawi Mosque where Muhammad was buried. From the hotel which very near to Nabawi Mosque, I could see a modest mosque named Imam Bukhari Mosque. This mosque looked quiet because people choose to pray at Nabawi Mosque.

Imam Bukhari Mosque amid the lofty buildings in Medina

Nabawi Mosque is behind me :D

Besides Nabawi the prophet's mosque, there are two more oldest mosques located in Medina. One of them is Quba Mosque. It is the oldest mosque in the world. Its first stones were positioned by the Muhammad on his emigration from Mecca to Medina and the mosque was completed by his companions.

In front of Quba Mosque (the first mosque in Islam's history)

After having a sight-seeing to Quba Mosque, I wandered up to Baqi' Cemetery located to the southeast to Nabawi Mosque. Many of Muhammad's relatives and companions were buried in this graveyard. One of them is Uthman ibn Affan.

Pilgrimage to Baqi' Cemetery

Another amazing place I visited was Jabal Magnet (Magnetic Hill). It's situated around 30 km from Medina. This mysterious hill is believed having a magnetic power. To prove the phenomenon, the bus that I was in could run without engine power against the slope! cool huh?! One more strange phenomenon found is there is a writing of Allah on the slope formed by black stones. Subhanallah.

The slope with Allah on it! Subhanallah.

In the last day in Medina, I went to Medina Dates Market. Here you can find many kinds of dates such as Ajwa - the prophet's favourite date, chocolate dates. Apricots are also sold in this place. The market is surrounded by date palm trees.

Next place to visit was King Fahd Quran Printing Complex. This place was built by King Fahd bin Abdul Aziz in 1985. The company produces about 10 million copies a year. It has published 55 different translations of the Quran in 39 languages. Only men could enter the company, so I and the other women in the tour stayed outside while having a look of some Quran displayed in a waiting room. My dad got one Quran as a souvenir.

Inside the printing complex, taken by dad.

 That's all my 3-days-travel recap in Medina. By the way, Medina was getting so hot at the time with 46 degrees of Celcius. So, if you are willing to go Umrah, it's better to visit around January-May which is not as hot as June-December.

You're Not Getting Older, You Are Getting Better

You say it's your birthday
It's my birthday too, yeah
They say it's your birthday
We're gonna have a good time
I'm glad it's your birthday
Happy birthday to you.

Yes we're going to a party party
Yes we're going to a party party
Yes we're going to a party party

I would like you to dance (Birthday)
Take a cha-cha-cha-chance (Birthday)
I would like you to dance (Birthday)
Dance

I would like you to dance (Birthday)
Take a cha-cha-cha-chance (Birthday)
I would like you to dance (Birthday)
Dance

You say it's your birthday
Well it's my birthday too, yeah
You say it's your birthday
We're gonna have a good time
I'm glad it's your birthday
Happy birthday to you.

Beatles’ Birthday is travelling through the air of my crib. Hell yeah, I am officially an agent 23 right now.

In my head, I am knitting an imagination in which I am the stardom. The four-piece line-up of Lennon, Harrison, Mc Cartney, and Starr are singing their Birthday song to me and we dance hysterically together. Haha wish those were true and I would never ever forget that wondrous time.

Anyway, I am dreadfully grateful to Allah the Most Merciful for the breath He gives until this second. Really thankful for every single small blessing He brought to my life. Thank you thank you thank you Allah. Alhamdulillah.

Honestly, I do have loads of hopes and generally I’m expecting something big will happen to my life, wishing God’s light will keep leading me to my dream, my goal, my destiny. Specifically, I crave travelling around Indonesia and the world, discovering new epic places with my loved one – heaven yea just the two of us. Then, I wanna build my own business whether it’s a shop or share (Yes, I wanna be like Warren Buffet). Last but not least, wish I can survive in my post-graduate study and grab the master title in just two years. Amen.

From now on, I wanna be someone new, someone who can make this life matter, someone who grows much much stronger facing the true life ahead.

By the way, birthday is an ephemeral moment which comes once in a year, but thankfulness should remain whole year, rite?

Well..apart from that, with tons of love I’d like to say ‘merci’ to all friends for their sweet greetings and hopes. You are the sweetest, pals :D

Best Friend's Graduation

Heylo heyday!
At last, three of my friends in Friendsix: Nda, Uwi, and Boyu had a graduation day on Monday August 15, 2011. So, the only friend remained in UPI is Bung Es (Keep up your spirit bung! :D). I should have taught in 3 different classes that day, but I left them. I did it all for you gals :D
Okay, let the pictures tell cause pictures can say what the words can't.

with bung es in front of Al-Furqon Mosque waiting for the late one: Icih!

flowers for Dik C mate

Me, Icih, Nda, Bung Es (Left to Right). Taken in the middle of the crowd by Nda's daddy.

Met Boyu at English Department. Poorly minus Uwi.

One of the campus spots which suddenly turned to a market every graduation day. You can find many things here in cheap price.

Actually, that was a plain graduation day ever. Just met two friends instead of 9 classmates we should've seen! And the worst was I couldn't find Uwi. Uwi left the campus before I arrived. So sad :'(