Moving Out: Time to clean everything up!

30 12009vUTC11bUTCMon, 30 Nov 2009 00:28:33 +0000 2008 · Filed under Life, Love and Relationship, Uncategorized

I’m moving in to my new apartment tomorrow…So this week until today, I’ve been so busy with all the cleaning and packing stuff. I have to leave the apartment the way I had it the first time. So it’s quite a hard work for me to do all these things. The most tiring and annoying part of cleaning was the fact that I have to clean the oil stains all over the stove. I tried so hard to remove the stain with the soap and some kind of Mr.Muscle spray…and guess what..it didn’t work! Thanks to Google and all the writers out there who gave me some suggestions on how to clean the oil stain. One very useful tips that I got, that also might be useful for you too: Use baking soda to clean the oil stains! Yup, baking soda is natural yet has magical cleaning power. However, it doesn’t mean that it would work that magical…you still need to scrub it with quite some energy, but it worked….now the stove looks just like I have just purchased it. Yayyy!!

So, this is surely the last night of me and my roommate in Adriaan Kluitstraat 88…Many good memories happened here. I  met great people who also happened to be my neighbours…They are the people who I talked to, laughed and shared some stupid stories with, people who offered the help to carry your groceries, people whom I could get the egg when mine runs out, people who lend me the vacuum cleaner all the time since mine never works and people who even helped me to jump through my window in the 5th floor when I got locked up! Indeed, lots of things happened during the three months I live here. I certainly should be grateful to God for everything He had given me.

Oh yeah, I watched Julie and Julia just now. And I loved it!! I love how they portrayed the food, France in 1950’s, the passion, the lasting and happy marriage and self-commitment…I just loved it, very inspiring!

I guess I’m better off now…
There’s gonna be a house final inspection in the morning then I’m shifting to the new house right after day. Sooo…It’s gonna be a big, tiring day tomorrow.

Good night everyone
Sleep well ;)

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just a short line in the conversation..

30 72009vUTC11bUTCSun, 22 Nov 2009 15:02:45 +0000 2008 · Filed under Uncategorized

A: ….yeah me too, I also like Irish Pub. I usually go there to watch football…I like the atmosphere, you know, watching football together with all other people
(A came into the discussion about Paddy’s Murphy – Irish Pub)

me : indeed, I think it is nice there. So I see u like football, eh?

A: yeah…I do. A lot. I play it on the weekend with some friends.

Ok, so what’s with football??

This really doesn’t help me at all. It suddenly brings back some unimportant memory..
Haha.

P.S.
I sometimes wonder why I can remember unimportant things easily, until I remember every detail of it perfectly. I wish I would do the same for my exam material. Lol.

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Cooking Series: Foo Yong Hai (Fu Yung Hai)

30 22009vUTC11bUTCTue, 03 Nov 2009 23:11:15 +0000 2008 · Filed under Foods and Recipes

Just today, I suddenly thought of having something different than I usually have for lunch. So I decided to have an experiment in cooking Foo Yong Hai. Foo Yong Hai is a kind of Chinese omelet where we put vegetables, crabs, and chicken with the egg and it is served with sweet and sour sauce. So here is the detail.

 

foo yong hai

 

Preparation time: 25 mins
Cooking time: 10 mins
Cost: 1.2-1.8 euro
Serve: 2-4 people

Ingredients

The eggs:
3-4 pieces eggs
2 tablespoon (tbsp) oil
carrots, cabbages, green onion (the amount is as desired), thinly sliced
50 grams breast fillets, cut into small dice
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 small onion, minced
1 teaspoon sugar
Salt
Pepper
1 tbsp flour* (optional)

*optional, just to give the big and more crunchy texture of the egg

Sauce
2 tbsp oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 onion, thinly sliced
6 tbsp tomato sauces
3 tbsp peas
100 ml water
1 tbsp sugar
Salt
Pepper
1 teaspoon corn starch, dilute with 2 tablespoon of water
Pineapple**

**optional, to give the more sour yet juicy flavor of the sauce

Preparation Method

  1. Mix all the ingredients with the egg. Put salt and pepper as desired.
  2. Heat the frying, fry the egg until both sides turn brown
  3. Make the sauce; heat the pan with the oil, saute onion and garlic until it turns brownish
  4. Put sugar, salt and pepper as desired
  5. If available, put the pineapple, then tomato sauce, peas, water, and corn starch
  6. Ensure that the amount of saltiness, sweetness and sourness is enough. Put some more if it is needed.
  7. Once the sauce done, pour it on the top of the egg. Serve hot.

Enjoy :)
Any comments or suggestions is more than welcome..

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a revelation after the gloomy Sunday….

30 22009vUTC11bUTCTue, 03 Nov 2009 22:13:26 +0000 2008 · Filed under Life, Love and Relationship

After a gloomy Sunday night that I had 2 days ago, now I can think much more clearly. Thanks to the very supportive friends that made me realize of how beautiful life is :)

 

I need to make up my mind, I should know what I want and what I don’t want, what I like and what I don’t like. I have to know in which side I stand on. I have to know what’s good and what’s bad. I should be more persistent and not just go with the flow. Indeed, there is always a bright side to every problem. If it wasn’t because of the gloomy Sunday, perhaps I wouldn’t have realized how stupid I was and how I just wasted my time in doing nothing. I also realized that I haven’t set up some specific goals toward myself during the first two months here. So I should be more tough to myself so that I am forced to work harder and achieve higher, hopefully…

 

Anyway, here are lists of my short-term goals and plans:

  1. Get a high mark for the subjects that I’m doing ( I should aim high, right??)
    The grades that I got during the first block was more than satisfactory, but indeed, I know that I can achieve more than that. I didn’t push myself hard enough to get higher grades.
  2. Speak some Dutch by Christmas
    I should put serious effort in this. This should be even easier as there is a language aid called Google Translator that can translate what you want to say or write. My target is to be able to speak with Dutch in Dutch, not in English. Although learning Dutch may not be as fancy as learning French (especially Dutch is only use in Netherlands, Belgium, and some small countries in the Caribbean) but still, being a fluent trilingual is a plus, right?
  3. Get a part-time job or Internship
    The main problem here is: Dutch only hire those who can speak Dutch. I would love to have a part-time job as it is a form of socialization, you can get to know many new people as well as to get some extra cash for your pocket. I guess if I can sort out the previous target, I would be able to have the part-time job. For internship, I need to browse more and see if there are good opportunities for me. But for now, I should start to apply for the working permit, as my visa doesn’t allow me to work.
  4. Start thinking about the topic of my thesis
    While the time keeps on ticking, I am still not sure of which major that I want to take. By now, I should have known which major that I want to take so that I can start to find the topic! But I’m thinking of taking Financial Economics as my major. Well, let’s see….But I should be reading the related material in The Economist, Wall Street Journal, etc. more frequently..
  5. Be a better cook and learn some skills in food photography
    Well, the last target is merely because I need to cook to survive here. And I thought like, why don’t I take it more seriously and make this something that can also be enjoyed by others around me. Why food photography? Cause such a nice photo of food can really increase your appetite.

 

Now it is time for the execution of my plans and goals….I have to put high effort in achieving this…

 

And for you guys out there, whenever life doesn’t go as the way you want it to be. Don’t be depressed and give up, cause life is still there waiting for you to be part of it. You still have dreams and hope and that will keep you alive.

Indeed, life is too beautiful to be missed :)

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Welcome November….

30 72009vUTC11bUTCSun, 01 Nov 2009 23:19:37 +0000 2008 · Filed under Life, Love and Relationship

Welcome November….

I remember a friend says this “It’s amazing how God put good thing in negative look-alike thing” (you know who you are). Now I guess I understand what he was trying to tell me at that time…

I got hurt so bad, really…by the stupid thing that I did. I sacrificed my idealism, my faith. I played with my life, my heart. I did something that I knew I shouldn’t have done in the first place. But hey, isn’t it all too late to regret? There’s nothing that I can do to turn back the time…Doesn’t regret always come at the end? So there is no reason for me to regret anything…but one thing for sure I shouldn’t have played with my heart and people’s trust!

Now that I fell down,  I drown into the sea…I can’t think of anything. I never thought of having too much expectation for something that I shouldn’t have expected in the first place. But I just never thought it would be this hurtful. Well, despite of how hurtful it was to me, I still have a family who loves me and really supportive towards me, someone who loves me for who I am, and friends who are there to pick me up whenever I fall. So actually, what more could I ask for?

And apart from this hurtful thing, I couldn’t stop saying how grateful I am to You, God. Thanks for not letting me stray too far. I believe this is how u remind me of all the silly things that I’ve done…

yay!!! I’m okayy now :)

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Am I wrong?

30 62009vUTC10bUTCSat, 31 Oct 2009 13:35:14 +0000 2008 · Filed under Life, Love and Relationship, Uncategorized

Apakah aku salah?
Bila aku masih mengingat semuanya?
Setiap detail saat-saat itu…

Satu hari di bulan Oktober…
Kenangan hari itu masih terngiang di benakku
Terus dan terus berputar seakan tak bisa berhenti
Bagaimana aku bisa lupa, bagaimana aku bisa menghentikannya?

Apakah kau juga mengingatnya seperti aku?
Apakah itu hanya suatu hari biasa yang tak bernilai apapun untukmu?

Aku tau aku salah, terlebih dengan semua kondisiku…
Aku tau aku tak seharusnya memikirkan hal itu
Aku tak seharusnya menginginkanmu untuk bersamaku
Akupun tak seharusnya bertanya-tanya apa yang sedang kau lakukan dan dengan siapa kau menghabiskan hari-harimu…

But, I just can’t help it…

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Who am I, really?

30 52009vUTC10bUTCFri, 30 Oct 2009 21:26:07 +0000 2008 · Filed under Life, Love and Relationship

Lately, I think I’m experiencing a personality crisis. It seems that I just can’t figure out my real personality and I began to ask who I really am.

If you see me during the day time, u might get to see a girl who knows what she wants in life, a serious and ambitious girl who is pursuing her dreams. A girl who is sweet and innocent. But u may get to see a different me during the night time, a more spontaneous, crazy and fun – yes, you see the the wilder side of me-.  And now I’m confused, It seems that I’m stuck in the middle. I realized that I can’t be a extremely good one yet I can’t be the extremely bad one either. This is about the decision that I’ve taken couple months ago. Somehow,  I think it is better if we can choose in which side we should stand in, the good side or the bad side, not stuck of (pretending) to be an angel while it is not.

Please God, give me some strength so that I can be strong enough to be in Your way, only Your way…..

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Cooking for living :)

30 72009vUTC09bUTCSun, 06 Sep 2009 19:21:25 +0000 2008 · Filed under Foods and Recipes, Life in the Netherlands

Rotterdam butter chicken :p
Rotterdam butter chicken :p


Ketika hidup di negeri orang dimana terdapat perbedaan yg cukup signifikan antara  nilai tukar mata uang kita, Rupiah, dengan mata uang asing, kita dituntut untuk hemat dan cermat dalam mengelola keuangan kita. Meskipun 400-450 euro per bulan untuk biaya akomodasi yang bila dilihat dari Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) kota Rotterdam bukanlah suatu angka yang besar dan masih masuk asuk dalam taraf wajar, akan tetap terasa berat, terlebih bila kita mengkonversi angka tersebut ke dalam Rupiah. Namun ketika biaya sewa kamar (akomodasi) tidak dapat lagi terhindarkan, kita dituntut untuk lebih cermat dalam memaksimalisasi budget. Untuk transportasi, bagi yang bisa, biasa dan mau bersepeda adalah suatu solusi untuk berhemat karena sistem transportasi di Rotterdam cukup kompleks, selain itu juga hitungannya seperti taksi (setiap km di charge, somehow it’s fair, karena kita kena charge terhadap apa yang kita gunakan). Namun bagi mahasiswa yang bermobilitas tinggi, transportasi yang dihitung per km seperti taksi tersebut terasa cukup memberatkan, karena semakin aktif kita, semakin besar pula uang yang dikeluarkan.

Selain bersepeda, cara lain untuk berhemat adalah dengan memasak sendiri. Di kantin kampus, misalnya, untuk sekali makan (roti+kopi/coke) menghabiskan €5 euro, di restoran atau kafe-kafe tentunya jauh lebih mahal. Bila kita makan at least 2x sehari, maka kita menghabiskan sebesar €10 (belum termasuk cemilan, susu atau jus). Sedangkan bila kita masak sendiri, mari kita hitung :)

Today’s menu: Ayam Goreng Mentega, Brokoli tumis bawang putih dan Sup Jagung Manis.

1st Menu

Ayam Goreng Mentega (Total 1.3 euro)

1. Paha (atas dan bawah): 2 euro per kg, pakai setengah, 1 euro
2. Bumbu-bumbu dan minyak: +- 30 cent

Brokoli Tumis Bawang Putih (30 cent)

1. 250gr brokoli (80 cent per kg): 20 cent
2. Minyak dan bumbu2: 10cent

Sup Jagung Manis (70 cent)

1. Jagung kalengan: 1 euro per kaleng, pakai setengah: 50cent
2. 1 butir telur: 17 cent
3. garam dan lada: +- 3 cent

Total 3 jenis makanan bergizi untuk sehari: 3.3 euro + Nasi 30 cent: 3.60euro..

and guess wat?  it can be served for two people :) so if u share it, u only need to spend around 1.80 euro per day..
Jadi jauh lebih hemat daripada makan di kantin/restoran kan?

…dan uang sisanya bisa untuk beli jus, susu atau coklat, hehe atau ditabung buat jalan2:p

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Islam in Rotterdam

30 52009vUTC09bUTCFri, 04 Sep 2009 21:22:42 +0000 2008 · Filed under Islam

A  month ago, I felt so worried and insecure regarding my decision to study in Rotterdam. A lot of questions wandered in my head: whether I can cope with the difficulty of the study, whether or not I can stand the weather that constantly change every minute and questions whether I will have friends or not. The last questions was quite bothering me, why is that? Because I’m a Muslim and I wear Hijab. I was wondering if I would still be allowed to wear hijab there, and if I weren’t, should I take this off? I’ve heard a lot of things about discrimination that happens to Muslims everywhere around the world, especially in the Europe, after the September 11 attack.   Then I ask myself, what if people throw eggs or yogurts on me when I walk in front of them? Would I be strong in enough? Would I be brave enough to live my days with the hijab on my head if they treat me like that?

I made my decision, on the last day of August, I flew from Jakarta to Amsterdam and continued by train to Rotterdam. Thank God, I finally arrived in Rotterdam after a long, long journey (you can imagine sitting for more than 12 hours continuously :p). The fresh air of Rotterdam suddenly left all my body pain behind and my new journey began at that very moment…………….

After nearly a week living in this amazingly beautiful city, all of my worries and concerns about Islam and hijab is suddenly gone. Here,  Muslim women are walk around in hijab. Most of Muslim women here are Turkish, Moroccan, or other middle eastern ethnic background. Indeed, Muslims comprise close to 25% of the city’s population. It is quite a big number, particularly since Rotterdam is the second biggest city in the Netherlands. It has the biggest mosque in Europe. The Mayor, Ahmed Aboutaleb is also a practicing Muslim of Moroccan descent, and is son of an Imam. Some sharia law are also applied here. What a surprising fact, isn’t it? There is an article titled Eurabia Has A Capital: Rotterdam that analyze the condition and progress of Islam in Rotterdam.

Back with the hijab issue, in Rotterdam, there are many types of hijab that are worn by Muslim women. You can see some of the pics in a small size in the article above. (I will post some of the pics that I take by myself sometime later in the next post :) ). Most of women in hijab here are very fashionable. They mix and match the style, the color and the pattern of the clothes that is available in the local store so it looks good yet still fulfill the sharia of covering the whole body except for the face and the palm.

Indeed, I feel relieved, even every other people that are not Muslims do not see me and look at me differently as I first expected. (Well, this is how I feel). Some places, such as the campus that I go to (Erasmus University) also provides Muslims praying room in the campus. I feel so lucky and blessed to be able to study in this city while keeping my faith at the same time (Look: The Hijab in Belgium). Besides the clean, fresh air and organized traffic, Rotterdam and its people respect diversity. They understand that every people have their own characteristics and they are unique in their own ways. And that’s what I love about it :)

I hope this first impression lasts forever………….

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my comeback :)

30 42009vUTC09bUTCThu, 03 Sep 2009 18:22:55 +0000 2008 · Filed under Uncategorized

Heyy guys…

It has been a long time since the last time I wrote something on my blog. I remember the last time I wrote was about 2 or 3 years ago, in a blog of Friendster. Yeah indeed I miss writing, since it is one of my hobbies, but all the assignments have taken my life and made me forget about the excitement of writing. Up until I met this girl, named Affa, an Iraqi girl who loves to write and share her passion of writing with me. She writes books, novels even poems in her time and more importantly, she met the love of her life through her blog :) . Since I met her my passion of writing suddenly came into surface, especially because now I’m in a new, exciting life in Rotterdam. That’s why, I decided to keep journal of my life in my blog. I just wanna write, keep it as my memory and share it with the world :)

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