2009's wrap-up. @ Wednesday, December 30, 2009
2009 has indeed been a year of change for me. let's see where i was beginning of last year.
... scanning through old blog...
oh, there i was, sitting on my bed with cherie, watching the fireworks from the tv in my room. was it snowing outside? i can't really tell, but i'll assume it was. i don't remember the snow clearing up until early january anyway. hmm, let me take a look at my resolutions at the beginning of this year.
1. i wanna be more organized. DONE! ever since i graduated, i found more free time to tidy up my stuff. and i guess the whole college-kid-mess thing was over too, since there's not as many papers for me to toss around my room anymore.
2. i wanna look better. DONE! well, at least i feel like i'm more fashionable now, i learned how to curl my hair and am taking better care of my skin.
so i guess unlike most people who don't fulfill their resolutions, i fulfilled mine this time :D
now, scanning forward... time frame: somewhere between february and march 2009. ah, another fight with my ex over the same old things again. what he'll do when he goes back to indo, how i hated him being so idle and directionless in life, etc. every week, same ol' fight. i prayed to God that he'd do something about it, cos i was sick of facing the same problems everyday. i thought, it was his life i was worrying about, and yet it seemed like i worried about his life more than he did. perhaps God, You can do something about this. anything, Lord. just do it Your way, i prayed.
and perhaps, God does work in ways we cannot fathom. instead of letting me fix the mess, he pulled me out of it, and gave me someone better. for once in my whole life, i found someone who, in a way, i don't have to fix. come to think about it, my first boyfriend was a mess. lazy, poor, no direction in life, rebellious... i felt like i needed to "fix" his life. so was my second. different case from my first, but also depressed, no purpose in life. but perhaps it took me two relationships to make me realize that, i'm not the one who has to fill up someone else's holes. that's not a woman's role in a real relationship.
now, fasting forward to today, i've finally grown to be somebody i was not in the beginning of the year. remember how i did not know what my life'd be like five years from now? ask me the same question now, and i can answer you better. i'm happier now, i'm more capable. i'm working, and... i'm still in seattle. for a reason and a purpose. maybe, this has just been God's plan all along.
i wonder what 2010 will bring for me. :) hope it'll be filled with more blessings from the Lord.
with love-
the best x'mas in three years- @ Monday, December 28, 2009
i'm finally back from my 1-week vacation to LA & las vegas! aaahhh, it was probably the best christmas i've had in three years. anyhow, a short recap on the places we went to:
landed at the LAX int'l airport at 10pm on the 19th, and headed to daikokuya for dinner. we LOVE the ichimen ramen there! the egg is especially good :D. after dinner, we headed back to the hilton checkers in LA downtown and called it a night.
next day, we headed to disneyland! love, love disneyland, although things didn't look as great as they used to when i was younger (prolly cos we're grown ups now, and it's not our first visit to mickey's land...) we practically enjoyed all the rides, except for the long lines for nearly everything (restrooms, restaurants, snacks, rides...) which definitely taught us a little patience or two.and some tricks to cut the lines... we especially enjoyed the x'mas parade and fireworks. after a long, tiring day there, we headed back to the hotel.
day three: checked out of hilton's, headed for the sin city. stopped at tan cang's for lunch. great lobster, great fish. loved the food there. that, followed by a 3.5hr ride filled with random music from koko's iPod, random sights along the highway, and random convos. reached vegas, checked in at wynn's, and headed for the buffet at le village in paris las vegas. WORST buffet i've tasted in that restaurant (and i've been there three times, including this visit). some walk along the strip, and back to the hotel.
day four: lunch at Red 8 in wynn's. it's some chinese casual dining restaurant, and food was... so-so. walked around la palazzo and shopped. headed to ARIA and saw the new louis vuitton store and the funky whirpools at the center of the mall. headed for dinner buffet at sushi mon! BEST sushi buffet i've ever had. literally any kind of sushi, all-you-can-eat. what can be better than that? walked around the venetian to burn down some of that calories from the buffet, and called it a night.
day five: checked out of wynn's, and headed to caesar's palace to try one of wolfgang puck's restaurant, spago. our conclusion? wolfgang puck should stick to making pizzas. the pizza we tried was superb, but the entrees were disappointing. bought a red epi leather LV bag at caesar's OUT OF THE BLUE which i'm sooo returning right after this. tried serendipity 3's frozen hot chocolate and decided it was, like zainal said, overrated for its $12 price. walked around a lil more, and headed back to LA. checked into the westin bonaventure hotel, which definitely has a cool concept with all the water and all, but... it's nonetheless an old hotel. i mean, orange and yellow striped wallpaper? not in trend anymore.
day six: headed to simpang asia for some good indo food for lunch. then drove down the rodeo drive, bought a cup of the ultimate mocha from coffee bean, and back to the hotel to get ready for x'mas eve dinner at tradition by pascal. it was definitely not worth the $77(inc. tips & taxes) we paid for the 3-course pre-fixe meals. after that we headed to le circle club for some x'mas eve fun. turned out to be a BAD mistake we made. basically, the korean club's bartenders don't know how to make any drinks at all. i mean, WHAT KIND OF BARTENDER DOESN'T KNOW HOW TO MAKE A SIMPLE MARTINI?! not to mention the weird club system whereby the waiters would grab any girl who seemed to be by themselves and pull them to tables full of disgusting guys waiting. even the dancing sucks. apparently, we all saw through their whole system. this is how a korean club works: girl comes in with some of her friends, guys come in and book a table with overflowing alcohol. girls buy their first shots to go dancing, guys join in. when the music slows down, the already-sort-of-high girls would be dragged to the tables with those guys. guys would prolly give the girls more drinks, do whatever they please, and when the music picks up, they'd dance with the girl. and the cycle goes on. how weird. anyhow, never going back to that place again. not to mention, $15 for vodka + soda? f*ck you. i'd rather go somewhere else.
day seven: it's x'mas! checked out of the hotel, and headed to gyukaku for lunch. unfortunately, gyukaku was sooo full, so we headed to jazz cat instead for some shabu-shabu. jazz cat's meal was good, but definitely not enough meat to please us for its $18 price. so after that we headed to alhambra for yogurtland and the shen jian bao there (which was really, really delish!) we wanted to take some pics at the purikura machine there too, but alas, we had no time, and we headed to the airport. and flew back to seattle.
anyhow, this weekend in seattle was pretty fun too! did some shopping in downtown on saturday, followed by a free sherlock holmes movie (let's just say we had our lil tricks! hohoho). oh, and not to mention the tory burch clutch that david bought for my for x'mas gift! *^^* love you, baby! it's just what i've always wanted! today, had lunch at the old sichuanese restaurant, and another free avatar 3D movie, and a *ahem* paid it's complicated movie. so, all in all, 3 movies for just $10! :D what could be better than that?
not looking forward to work though... *sighs* how i wish i'm still a student with my long holidays. oh, a higher salary would motivate me more too. but sadly, it's neither of those.
with love-
一年前- @ Monday, December 14, 2009
it's only hours away before the first snowflakes fall into seattle, and here i am in bed, looking back to how christmas was last year.
oh, how dull it was back in december 2008. caged in by the same four white walls day in and day out. felt so imprisonated, yet i wasn't exactly physically restrained. it was more of the psychological barriers that kept me in there. sunlight peeked in time to time from the white blinds on my bedroom's window, yet the air remained cold. and still. snow fell, and time went by slowly. my only form of entertainment? the laptop, the tv, cherie and dina's dog.
i wanted to be out. i wanted to visit my cousins down in san francisco. i wanted to go back to indonesia and be with my family. i wanted to be out shopping. i wanted to hang out with my friends.
yet day turned into night, and night turned into day. i was only waiting for time to pass quickly. slept in more. surfed through facebook more. played the same old alternative rock songs over and over on iTunes that i already memorized the tunes and the lines. watched re-runs of the same old reality shows. trapped myself in a delusional world where everything was kept simple. i did my best to make my day through.
i envied the people who posted pictures of their holiday trips on facebook. i envied the people who are hanging out somewhere at somebody's house. i envied the people who walked past me at Fred Meyer's cos i knew they had friends and family to go to. i envied the people who were out there shopping. i wanted to be like them too.
that's why i'm glad this christmas is different. after three whole years, i'm finally feeling the christmas spirit that everyone else feels around this time of the year. and it feels good. thanks love♥
with love-
random iPhone snaps- @ Thursday, December 10, 2009
nordstrom's branded shoes sale. what do we have here? TOD's, manolo blahnik's, jimmy choo, PRADA... all in a jumble. you'll never see this in asia i guess.
live fish? doesn't look like one to me.
an old couple dancing in the middle of the pacific place!
"snow" in the pacific place!
old school barbie looks evilll.
my new iPhone casing! took it at my workplace's bathroom cos i wanted to show it to iva.
with love-
impulse- @ Wednesday, December 9, 2009
i love day offs! especially day-offs like today, when david doesn't have class too. and so we decided to go to bellevue square today, since well, we don't have much to do, and it's been a while since we go shopping with just the two of us. not to mention, bellevue square was the place of our first date *hehe*, so why not? and as i've mentioned in a post dated back in october, i'll be going to LA & las vegas next week. i know i've been spending a lot ever since i graduated, so i thought i'd save up a little so that i can spend more on my trip. and i guess i've made some efforts. i've started cooking at home on weekday nights, bought less clothes and stuff... but all that effort went down the drain today. at least $200 went out to some impulse shopping. let's see what i bought. five pairs of undies from victoria's secret PINK. a purple casual dress and grey leggings from aritzia. and the most expensive of all but comfy, warm and looks like a leather jacket from far :p, a black GUESS bubble jacket. all the money i've been trying to save up doesn't even equal to what i spent today! D:
so project save-up-for-LA-trip: FAIL.
then there's the diet and exercise. i thought, since i'll be going there and i'll prolly be eating A LOT (LA & las vegas have grreaattt foods!), i'd cut down my intake, hit the elliptical machine more so that hopefully, i can lose some weight and have more room to stuff in when i'm there. apparently, that hasn't happened. my eating habit hasn't changed, and exercise... it's still the same once a week routine.
another project diet-for-LA-trip: FAIL!
i guess i still have to maintain my intake and spending there.
P.S. i've just realized i've crossed off mostly everything on my wish list! maybe i should delay creating a new one. gotta save up!
with love-
everything she touches turns into ice- @ Tuesday, December 8, 2009
two seasons have passed, and before i know it, winter is here! all the x'mas decors, lightings, songs... not to mention the sudden drop in temperature last weekend that leaves all of us frreezziinn' cold! even as i'm typing this (time check: 12.52pm, place check: thanh vi restaurant at the U district the power of the mobile internet!) it's -1deg.C outside. and the weathers in LA and las vegas are, surprisingly, cold as well, with temperatures hovering around 3, 4deg.C. hope it'll pick up when i go there next saturday!
with love-
dear ex-boyfriend- @ Sunday, December 6, 2009
i hate you very, very much. some guy you are to run away with my dog and my money. i thought you said you are rich? then why can't you pay me back what you owed me? f*ck you.
with love-
david's 21st ++ @ Friday, December 4, 2009
okay! time to reveal what i bought david for his birthday. hehe. well, i got him a LV damier graphite multiple wallet, and while it's kinda expensive, it's just my token of appreciation for him and all he's done for me so far. and yeah, that's probably the most expensive gift i've ever given to anyone in my life. other than the amount of UNPAID loan my ex-boyfriend owes me, up til today... but i guess that's not really a gift, that's a LOAN... so, to make things fair to my parents, i used the money i earned from my job, and not the pocket money they sent me. i'm just glad he really liked it.
so that was the good part.
now comes the bad part.
i've just realized that my close-to-a-month-of-no-exercise has made me FLABBY. and the worst part was i did not realize it myself until i saw my own picture on FACEBOOK and my REALLY HUMONGOUS arms are super, duper obvious for the whole world to see! and while i felt like un-tagging myself from that picture to prevent my mom or aunt from seeing it, it's a picture of me surprising david and giving the cake to him. how can i untag that?! i guess it's time to cut back, and hit the gym more often. and so i did. for the first time in such a long time, i actually felt more exhausted on the elliptical than i ever had. and i only ran for 30 minutes, slower than my usual pace. gosh do i feel FAT. better lose all this flab before LA, or it's gonna get worse ):
with love-
