Light Steps of Cathy

Winter Fun

2007-12-01T21:08:00.000+07:00

this story is about my first time skiing..and snowboarding XD

I went to NanShan ski resort, 1.5 hours driving from Beijing city. It's not a real snow resort, so the snow doesnt look as nice as ive seen in Mt.Buller, Australia before. Compare to mt.Buller, the snow in Nanshan was more thin and slippery, not thick,soft and powdery. So.. NO SNOWMAN! hehe

This experience was so valuable and unforgettable.My friend recommended me to try ski first instead of snowboarding.so, i go for it.The first time skiing is very fun, tiring and painful.I decided not to get an instructor, cus i know a friend who can assist me learning skiing. But still, i have problem with balancing and stuff

so i fell down.. like .. UNCOUNTABLE times ^^"

The bad thing is, the queue line to ride the ski-lift was CRAZY! it makes me tired to wait for the line and lots of chinese jus stepped on my board to cut the line.hate that!

The next day after skiing, very painful, almost all over my body is cramp, cant move easily.

There's a big bruise around my thigh and sidebutt, so it sounds like "pain on my ass".HAHAHAHA XD .At this the word Massage sounds very delightful.

*the snow bunny*

The next week after i went for snowboarding. Which is A LOT MORE FUN than skiing. Snowboarding is real fun, real challange for me :D fear not trying the medium slope with Irwan and Michelle (she's the one who taught me snowboarding). The more fun a sport is , i guess the more painful its risks, i hit my butt a couple times and also have muscle sore the next day. But after second time trying Snowboarding, i already can control balance and direction

and i felt so undescribably HAPPY!!

What about next time? snowboarding ? Give up ?
NO WAY! once you step on the boards, you could never stop.

* Merry Christmas ! *

May this joyful season brings happiness through your life, and warmth through winter ^^
God Bless You

The autumn whispers

2007-11-27T16:09:00.000+07:00

Early November, right after speaking exam (mid exam), me and my friend went to 三里屯儿SanLiTunr embassy district in Beijing. One of my friend, Anna wanted to apply visa @ Mexico Embassy, so we left right before lunch time.
That day .... I DIDNT BRING MY CAMERA. means breaking rule#1.

* Damn lucky me bring my mobilephone, so i can take one quick shot ( low quality picture ) *

This was one of the most beautiful Autumn scene that i've seen in Beijing. The whole street was covered by falling yellow leaves and sunlight goes through inbetween the yellow trees. Some of cars which parked all along the street was also looks so yellow. Whilist walking along the pedestrian walk, we can also feel the whispering wind showers of yellow leaves falling from the trees.

After getting the visa application, we went to a near by Greek restaurant to try the lunch offer there. As i walked into the restaurant, i can feel the Greek atmosphere, cus they decorated them very very authentic. All the waiter,waitresses dressed up with Greek traditional clothing too. The food was very nice too ^^

I really love spending Autumn in Beijing. The weather is very nice, not so cold, and also not so hot. Whats the word.. for tat.. ? hmm.. so refreshing.

China's Paradise

2007-10-16T16:21:00.000+07:00

National holiday of China (Oct 1) is over. Many students and workers been freshen up after one week holiday but i also see some grumpy face of my friends on the way to school , each of their steps seem to be really heavy even though they only wear sneakers. One week seems to be such a short period when your holiday is full of enjoyment and excitement.

What did i do during holiday ?Do you even have to ask ?

I went to a place which deserve to be called " China's Paradise " Its called Jiu Zhai Gou 九寨沟 , located in Si Chuan 四川 province , can be reached in 10 hours by bus from Cheng Du 成都. It was the most beautiful place i've ever visited in China. I've seen the pictures from my parents when they went there on a tour a couple months ago, But TRUST ME - It's totally different feelings when you are there and see the wonderful scenery by yourself .

Cheng Du 成都 back then was the capital of China, now is known as the hometown of Panda.

Jiu Zhai Gou is known as a beautiful nature place, where you can see various trees and lakes which you can imagine in the fairy tales. They said the best time to visit is during Autumn, because of the colorful trees which reflected by surface of the lake. The trip isn't as pleasant as i thought, the hotel provided from the tour was just OKAY and the public toilet is HORRIBLE. But the scenery EXCELLENT.

The beauty of Nature
(please please and please don't litter our world)

The first place we went is Jiu Zhai Gou itself. Jiu Zhai Gou has lots of beautiful lakes, waterfalls with different characteristic.

The Colourful Lake
五花海

Look how clean and clear the water is ^^

The next day, we went to Huang Long 黄龙, located in higher elevation area, it's pretty hard to breath up there so its so highly recommended for those who wasn't in fit condition or seniors to buy some oxygen cans which are sold at entrance gate. On the way up there, because the place is so high, the bus went through the clouds. It's amazing ! The feeling is undescribable with just some words. Experience it !

Huang Long has some great scenery as well and some natural colorful pools (or ponds). But we was not so lucky because it was raining, so the fog pretty much block the view. We walked about 5 kilos whilst there to see all the view. I will also show some pictures of this place.

The Colourful Pools

Friends from different nations

One of the Colour , Green ^^

I do have more pictures i cannot show one by one here. But Travelling is not about pictures , its all about how you experience it by yourself. This place is highly recommended to everyone who's coming to China.

My apologize

2007-09-27T11:53:00.000+07:00

Dearest all readers

"I haven't updated my blog for a while. I cannot log into blogger or view my blog page at all due to the school (or dorm) internet blocked me from directly accessing them. I have to find a way how to update or view my blog :P "

I have some new stories - pictures i wanna show and share about. Bout what is going on with me lately (while im away from blogworld)

So far i've been learning chinese for 6 months, and i enjoy learning here. Beside learning language, we usualy also learn the China culture, how they live, and how all the cultural events in china related to food ( such as Moon Cake Festival ).

Moon Cake Festival Sept 25 2007- The day when Chinese watching the full moon light and eat moon cake. They usually slice the moon cake and eat them together with the whole family. Our teacher also brought a lot of kind of moon cakes to class, sliced them and let us eat them together.

We also learn how to bargain HARD with chinese. I think slowly, in time we learn how to live and get used to the living here.

Lots of things happened last semester, including i celebrated my birthday in China .That was my first.. i mean second time i celebrate birthday not in my home country, Indonesia. But That was the first time i celebrate without family :) but all of my friends are really nice and makes it really a great memory.

Happy birthday to me ^^

This Early September we came back to Beijing to start another semester. First trip of all is the school trip last week. We went to another gate of Great Wall called Mu Tian Yi. My second time trip to Great Wall (+ free) :D and because its autumn, so BETTER VIEW LESS TIRING. Learn from the past. hehehe

We took cable car to go up there, and walking down to a Toboggan slide post and sliding all the way down. That's what i call FUN !

Three muppets were tired and hot

Going to slide down. YAY!

Midterm exam is OVER

2007-04-26T16:14:00.000+07:00

19 and 20 April was midterm exam days! a couple days before , we were so not going out and we were jus staying at twelve oak coffee shop downstairs to study and study, reviewing all lessons, writting han zi, pinyin, doing some dictation by listening to cd ToT But then right on the mid exam days, i already felt sick of studying. lol >< 91 for listening, 88.5 for speaking and 95.5 for writing. which i think is pretty good - cus i know my limit. hehehe.. thanks for everyone's pray for me during exam.
Midterm is over, me and some friends went out for drink, movie night, skip some classes (LOL) - pretty much fun. Luv all my friends here. They really take a good care of me, eventho sometimes we have misunderstanding, but everything went well.
First week of MAY, we will have one week off for the LABOUR DAY. This weekend (28-29 April) we'll b leaving with school trip to Qin Dao seashore , then Xi an to see Terracotta warriors and many many more. I can't wait for travelling!!!

It's April!

2007-04-06T22:07:00.000+07:00

It was April fool day ( 01. 04 .07 ) !

We were so so smart , a lil bit mean tho. My friends - Katika, Pon and Suqing and me were going to Xin Jie Kou for shopping and dinner after i went to Wang Fu Jing. It was already 9 o'clock when we realised that it was april fool day and we havent fooled anybody yet. So we were kinda planning for a strategy to fool our friends - Mike and Frey (the main target was Mike tho). We were making a drama about Pon leaving Beijing soon because of a marriage arrangement with someone she never met. It was a GREAT plan = Mean Plan. haha . And we did fooled everyone, and they look mad and jus leave our room at once.
We were so scared until i called Ana and asked for an advice.Well, after all they fooled us back by making us worried about them. so, it was kinda frustating .lol ^^

Classmates 100-2 Spring'07
Anyone could spot me?

Few days later, we had dinner with all classmates in Min Bao Huo Kuo- IT WAS FUN! I think we should do it more often, like once a week, but now i feel tat not all our classmates feel the same way.

GreenBeans 'bu hao zhi'

On Thursday , i had lunch with Su qing and Pon. We tried a new dish which is completely ruined (because we were expecting for meat) and it turned out to be GREENBEANS! so we kinda play with the food! We took picture of it. The name of the restaurant isnt published tho.

Some Random pictures : Me and the Thais, Me and Eiffel Tour

Me and the Moai

At Wanda Plaza after Shopping

Tips of the day : TRY to add Granola Bar Crumbs +Yogurt together and have it as a breakfast. IT'S GREAT!

I enjoy live in Beijing

2007-03-30T22:52:00.000+07:00

Dearest all readers...

I feel bad not blogging about my daily life in Beijing, since some of my friends keep asking how im doing here. I actually start to enjoy my life here. I live in the 3rd International Students apartment, called Liyun Apartotel - they call it "the cool one, or the one with McDonald .The room is pretty nice, and clean ( i got the small one tho ) -but the rent is pretty expensive. But since its so close to the school , id prefer to live in campus ^^ well... you know , i have an "wake up early" issue :P

5th floor sign

My room is on 5th floor - and my roomate is a korean girl 韩国人, her chinese is soooooo much better than mine >.5029b room! Cathy's room!

My messy bed 床 with my bag on it

My favourite side ^-^ 电脑 !
我学习也在这儿! - i also study here

Stuff !
Cute towel (baby cloth look alike) - is given by my ex-roomate, NAGISA 日本人!

Mostly indonesians live on 7th and 11th floor. Thats why some of my friends complain of how noisy they are. hehehehe... One of my friend who lives on 7th floor is a MAGICIAN called Ronald (mcdonald.lol). I mean it. He only wears BLACK 黑. He is really talented, and knows a load of magic card trick. I hope he will be success in the future.

The classes are not boring, even tho it was... the first time. Now everything is getting harder and harder , i cant skip class at all. We have speaking, reading(writting) and listening classes. We have A LOADS OF HOMEWORK 很多作业. Well, Su Qing (my friend) told me tat tats the reputation she heard about BNU before she came to Beijing ! :P

Anyone doenst like to do homework - i recommended not to come to BNU, but if u are seriously interested to learn chinese better - this is the best place :D

I miss INDONESIAN food.. for sure.. AYAM PENYET ! I cant believe it. Its my first month here, and i already miss ayam penyet.
damn. i wish i could find it here... T_T But i start to love yogurt since i came here. The yogurts are so nice. I always had it when i dont have time to eat breakfast. I hope its ok for my stomach T-T...

GREAT NEWS!! soon.. i'll be exploring new Adobe Photoshop CS 3 ! if anyone have the CD Installer. please let me know.k ?

Great Wall Trip

2007-03-24T20:09:00.000+07:00

Today 8 buses were parked near by east gate of Bei Shi Da. So many students with their backpack are lining up to get into the buses. We're going to Ju Yong Guan's Great Wall !
It isnt the best Great Wall gate, but today is my first time go visit Great Wall (and Its FREE). So it was worth it. Me , Pon and Su qing was climbing the great wall together - until the first post! It was so tiring, and so frightening especially when u look down ( eventho its a great view too )

Great Wall.. and the crowds..

Me and Cute baby
(look at her cheeks...aaaaww)

Some wierd locks - i never know why and what for

more photos coming up soon .....................................

Beijing , snow and cold...

2007-03-17T18:15:00.000+07:00

Its been almost 3 weeks since i arrived here in Beijing, for my extra study (learning chinese language). And not everything went smooth and perfect. First i got a shared room in the apartment ACROSS THE BRIDGE, which is so unconvenient (and dangerous too) to cross the bridge everytime going to school.sigh! my roomate was so nice and cute tho.. she's a japanese and she's SO SWEET!!!! but then i have to book another room in another apartment which is closer to school ^^ (lucky i got it in a week)- this time i got a korean roomate -- we only share the bathroom.
There was snow too- for one day, and it was soo cold, so chilly, i bet it was -10 degress. I was so lazy coming out of my room while my mum was so EXCITED! Im so glad tat my mum was coming with me to Beijing, cus she's such a great help (a great companion) - the BEST MUM. Cus soon after she left, i felt so lonely :(

This is Beijing Normal University, where im going to spend my life in 2007.The main building looks great huh. but trust me, you wouldnt want to see the building where my classroom is. lol.
There was one another problem i had is when they hold my passport for residence permit application,while i really need tat to exchange my money into RMB (Ren Mi Bi) to pay my apartment rent. It was my stressfull day. Cus the key was blocked already and i cant get into my room. Thank God , they still give me one more day -so i can manage everything well.
Lately, ive been sick. and its BAD! I got this fever, and bad sorethroat infection.So all i can do is jus sitting or laying on my bed and DRINK a loads of water.I cant even do the laundry and dishes. I was wondering why the school's clinic closed T_T now i have nowhere to go. I hope i will get better soon cus i already skipped classes yesterday and wouldnt want to miss more.Jia Yo, Cathy. God will Bless Me.

Jingle Bells

2006-12-26T08:05:00.000+07:00

It's been a while since i blogged the last time. So many things i have to do back in my hometown, plus the hella slow internet connection, keeps me busy and away from blogging world.But now im back to blogger lovers world. i should apologize to any of you who have been waiting for my updates.

I always love christmas time. Since i was a kid and learnt watching movies, i've been dreaming to spend my christmas time in a country which always b winter on Christmas with the decorating lamps, carol singers and awesome choir singing christmas anthem. And this year, i feel that my 'kid' dream has come true. I come to the States right on christmas month.

I got here to LAX (Los Angeles) on 18th. This is also the first time i go on a very looooooonngg trip on plane. It took almost 18 HOURS sitting in the plane. SO TIRING!! But its worth it, since everything in the States so nice, and i could experience more here.

There will be loads of pictures this time, but i canot post them yet since stupid me forgot to bring memory card reader and the usb cable for my new camera ( aw.. sweet, new camera)

Most of time so far i only go to shopping mall, shopping mall and shopping mall.. My Favourite is THE GROVE in Beverly city. This shopping promenade area showered us with the fake snow every one hour and we can listen to the christmas song all the way- plus the SANTA HOUSE with a long queue line up of kids.

The reason why i havent gone on travelling yet is because we're so busy preparing christmas , buying gifts, and there was a party in my cousin house ( Mission Viejo). I meet a lot of new people, most of them are Tim's family (Tim is my cousin's husband from Vietnam). Jane , Tim's sister was very friendly to me, at least i find someone to talk to. So i dont have to feel lonely. Ashley , the little girl is very cute too. She kissed me on my cheek after admiring my mickey mouse's necklace. ^^.

On christmas eve, we went to Crystal Cathedral, the building was made of glass. The perfomance was GREAT. I was talking about the orchestra, the pianist - Roger Williams with the golden piano, the soloist. Their voices undescribable. Like you're watching a movie.

Late at night, 3 Am. We opened our christmas gifts. I got cute bebe beanie, nice knitted sweater and very CUTE teeshirt with humourous prints on it. I'm so happy !!

My Xmas present
( The only pic i have is from my cousin's camera)

Well.. its time to taste the oreo cheese cake ! I can smell the bake from here.
I Jus wish you all..

Merry Christmas
for everyone all around the world!

10 things I Love about Perth

2006-10-13T15:54:00.000+07:00

Finally i get a chance to give all the blog readers a free trip to explore Perth.

Before i start mumbling, let me apologize for not blogging quite a long time.
Several excuses which should be acceptable are i went on a long trip to Perth and secondly, i couldnt got into my own blog account. WHY ?? i dont know !it jus happened ! everytime i login my username and password, i always went into a certain someone's account. that is wierd...

Ok, but now.. everything is under control. so id love to share my travelling stories and 10 things i really love in Perth - this could be used as references for anyone who's going to travel there ^_^ Here's the list.. not in order :

1. Bloom . . . bloom. . . and blooming. . .
Flowers flowers and flowers .Perth is full of beautiful and unique wildflowers in Spring.

I love Tulips

Never expect to see Sakura in Oz

2. The beach and the sea
Who doesnt love beach ? i always love beach, thats why i enjoy Bali so much when i travelled there last year end. Its always a good feeling to see the blue- breathtaking view and smell the breeze of the water by the beach.

The biggest Light house in Oz, the Cape Leeuwin.
Here's where Southern Ocean n Indian Ocean meets . . .

Who disagree with me ?
Perth got loads of fishing boats, which could be seen at Fishing boat harbour and Sorrento quay ( Hillary harbour) plus Nice and clean river by Port Bourvard Bridge in Mandurah makes me wanna swim . The water is so clean so you can see through to the bottom. Who wouldnt fall in love in Perth ? ^ ^

3. Large vineyards - famous winery
Who drinks ? i do, sometimes. but not this time... cus i always got sick if i drink when travelling.
I went to Xanadu and Houghton for FREE wine tasting ( jus a little bit), but they have the best wine ( and also CHEAP ) in Perth. I bought 2 bottles of wine, one red and one white wine fo my parents. Its only like AUD$10 - $20 each.

Large Winery

4. The City
I'm so thrilled explaining about the City. As i had thought before, i could memorize all the streets in CENTRAL city in 2 days, and i dont have any problem of wandering around by myself there. Try having lunch in Shimizu, they have the best japanese food in City.

From Hay St

Dont forget to take picture in front of London Court. It's not really a court, but its an alley which connect you to St.George Terrace from Hay St. It has a diffrent environment, the shops, the buildings, its UNIQUE!

London Court

Oh yeah ! i also got a chance to see some people fought in the central city when i was sitting on a bench and enjoying my Gelati. It's not something you see everyday... ( this doesnt mean Perth is a brutal city ,lol )
One tourism resort i could not miss is Swan Bells. A famous tower shaped like a swan built around a pond (so it looks like swan swimming on the water) at Barrack Square. I thought i already took some pictures in front of the tower.. and i was pretty sure about it. When i finally realised, i took them at the other side. means.... Swan's Butt -_-" But i still think its the best angle !

I wonder why its more popular with the swan 'butt'

The Swan and the Princess (hehe)

5. The Fremantle
It looks like an old fashioned city, with old buildings, but so unique. Its a great place to visit for tourists. I went to the famous old fremantle prison, and the fishing boat harbor, and so on. The market only open in weekends though...

May be you wonder what building it is..
so many "West Coast" suporter watched the game on tv there

Blue Sky.. Fremantle on high

Old Fremantle Prison, always looks better from the outside

6. Amazing yet mysterious nature tourism resort.
Seeing is believeing... I went to Pinnacles dessert, Margaret River Tour, and still Wave rock is my favourite !

Amazing huh...

The waverock story-teller

7. Kings Park
The best view of Perth city can be viewed here, in Kings park. I took some pictures of the wild flowers too, and the city view. I also went there the night before i left Perth jus to take a nice photography of the night city view. It was so beautiful ^ ^

Always love flowers

Perth City- im lovin' it !

8. Animals
Some experiences with animals, fun camel ride, fun wombat hugging, and els..

How cute ! can i take it home ? can i ??

9.Make New friend
Meet Ash from Sydney... know her from the tour :P

New Friend !
And She Luvs.. Chocolate

Speaking bout chocolate, i also went to Margaret River Choc Factory - and got FREE choc tasting! I love the white ones..

Chocs Factory

10. But most of all, i love Perth because of there's also a place which feels like home somewhere in Murdoch.

My home for 3 weeks long

My Auntie's home. She took a good care of me, spoiled me, and makes me feel comfortable to live there. She's also a GREAT cook, fed me until i gain 3 kgs just in 3 weeks. She has naughty yet adorable kids which always warm the house eventhough its 15 degrees out there everyday.

Arrived in Perth

2006-09-16T21:09:00.000+07:00

I never book business class ticket, not even think of it when i bought ticket to Perth. Yesterday i arrived in Perth airport to visit my auntie here.

I had an interesting experience when i was in the Garuda steel bird thousands feet above the sea. My seat was 6D before the stewardess noticed that the passengers on the front row was overlimited. A couple bringing 2 babies - a baby boy and another 18-months baby girl - and another pretty lady (who almost lost her passport) beside them was counted as 5 person meanwhile the oxygen mask was only 4. So one of them plus the baby has to switch seat with me. The couple insisted to sit together, and asked if the pretty lady could move to business class zone. The idea was refused. I still have to move my butt to the front seat.

Thats the first time i swap place. and I sat on 5D!
I can't even feel a minute of silence sitting there cus the baby girl was crying too much. The mother thought it might be, the baby wont sit in the middle. then she asked me if i dont mind swap place with her.

Thats the second time i swap place. Eventhough first i think she's cute, but then i started to get annoyed and bored when she kept crying when i tried to sleep.

This time the stewardesses asked me to move to the BUSINESS CLASS ZONE so the couple can sit togehter ! how lucky i was ! may be the other passengers thought so as well. I got to sit in big comfy seat, serviced well, got extra snack and drink, but above all... i could sleep well and tight... Zzz... :P

******Arrived at Perth! A little investigation and stuff and no problem at all. ^^

Lake Monger Reserve Park, Meet new friends, Meet Indo Community : accomplished

My auntie's house was a lot bigger than i thought, and i got my own room , bed plus warm wool blanket. Here i post a picture i took in the house jus today.

at my auntie's

Today, i was offered if i want to join some barbeque held by Indonesian church community. And it was fun! We got to LAKE MONGER RESERVE PARK at 12 for picnic. The view was breathtaking - LOVED it so much!

park i'd never seen in indo

I was playing a lot with some 12 years old kidds, made me feel and look younger. A woman thought me i'm as young as them. Lol. One of them called Alexandros (or Alex- so we called) He's half greek half australian

Meet my new greek friend, Alex

BBQ picnic was cool. Burnt something, but tats ok ^^ ! I saw some duckies (or swans) queueing for food beside the griller. Very very funny!

BBQ time - the adults were praise and worshiping, the kids... burnt the food. LOL

(jus kidding)

me ? busy shooing and taking pics of swans... and duckies

Meet the rockstar- wannabe

I hope this holiday will be greater than what i had today.

to be continued ...

I Graduated

2006-09-11T10:42:00.000+07:00

On last friday - 8th Sept 2006, my name has been added another 3 letters , S.Sn (Sarjana Seni) as known as Bachelor of Arts .

It was really a happy day,exciting, unforgetable moment.
I woke up at 3.20 a.m because of false alarm, then went back to sleep for another hour and go to Ricky L for make-up at 5 a.m.

The ceremony started at 9 a.m ! I was still panicked becaus i dont have enough invitation to let both my parents and my auntie to get into the auditorium. My dad was about to let my aunt get in, but im still sad since i really want him to watch me too...
But then wat a lucky day, my aunt could get through the security unnoticed . May be they're too busy checking the guests with camera and handycam, cus those are forbidden.

Everything went well except when my name was called, as i walked to the stage, my left robe stucked with the decoration flowers. so embarassing!

I'm so happy cus i got 3 bouquets from my parents, my aunt and ko Yo. Nobody els got as many flowers as i got.

Well these are pictures ( i posted only a few of them ). Hope im still recoqnizeable with the make-ups.

three bouquets of flowers - lucky me

With my parents

With my best friends - so many purple... -_-"
and at last
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My favourite pictures -showing how happy i am

Panda

2006-09-04T11:10:00.000+07:00

I've been known as an animal lover since i was a kid. I once had many many cats and kittens at home before our home got burnt down by the BIG FIRE when i was in elementary skool. It was a painful moment to remember.

My first cat name was Untung (or means 'LUCKY' in english). She's so adorable , smart and obedient. Everymorning at 6 am SHARP , she used to wake me up by meowing in front of the door until i wake up. She's like a living alarm clock to me. Miss her so much. She died by an accident :(

Now i only have one golden retriever dog. He's FAT! hehe.. reminds me of another lovely animal from China called panda. Lately, I got an email from a mailing list which i never notice being enrolled there. It was a bunch of pictures of Baby Pandas ! VERY CUTE !

One zoo in southwest China has its hands full with 16 baby pandas.

They're not hugging Balls.. but baby panda

Playing around and feeding time for pandas

A picture of me with my stuffed panda , i took this a long time ago

Marvelous Trip on Independence day

2006-08-24T20:43:00.000+07:00

We know, August 17th is the independence day of Indonesia , but for me, it's a holiday , a chance i would not want to miss ^^. I had so many great offers by my friends and family of how i spend that holiday.
My aunt offered me to go to Singapore with her, my dad offered me to a recreation at Villa Tamara in my hometown, my other friend offered me to play paintball in Jakarta, my friends offered me a national youth retreat in Bandung. . . but my choice was to join my great friends in Surabaya to have a trip to mount bromo and madakaripura fall.

You know what ? ... I made the best choice, i never regret it. I had a marvelous moment with them.

Mount Bromo : Accomplished

My friend, Lisun had made a good preparation of this trip, from the transportation, invitation, and all with the provocation. But the one i should thanked most is Ko Yo ! He made it all happened and most of all, he made me happy and satisfied with this trip.

I packed last minute ! it was an hour before we left. kinda rushy but nothing left behind ^^

We left after praying at church and supper at Aroma. It was almost 11 o'clock. There're 4 cars leaving , i was in the last one, left behind because we stopped by at the gas station. The trip wasn't tiring at all, we're all so excited so that nobody fell asleep on the way to Bromo. It took 2.5 hours to get to the hotel, and we're all rush to the toilet - note : it was hella FREEZING ! and 2 o'clock in the morning. The Jeep will go to the top peak of the mountain (mount by the Bromo mount)at 3 a.m, we got one our to wait and rest our head.

2-3 a.m Once again, nobody rested. Whilist waiting, we had some hot tea and instant noodle cup plus some little chit chat. It's still freezing.

4 a.m ! we're at the top peak of the mountain, watching the million stars above us. It was a great night scenery ive ever seen. I saw 2 meteor - and had my wish on the second meteor ^^

I WISH UPON THE STAR !!

Wish it come true .hehehe. COLD!!! (need to pee)
note : we have to pay to use the toilet, and its expensive T_T

Do you know which is me ? Yes ! the one with the white horns ^^
Lisun (man in yellow) acted like James Bond.lol

5 a.m - still waiting for the most famous sunrise moment of mount Bromo. We're waiting and waiting.. to kill the time we also play some quizes. cold cold cold!! brr...

around 5.20 a.m we finally saw the sun rising. It took a long time but it was worth it.

The Famous Rising Sun at Bromo
Some of us even singing our national song theme there to celebrate independence day
Tourists were looking at us , we're the most noisy group. . . who cares :P

Me and My best friend, Listya with the Bromo View

We had another trip to the real mount Bromo. I consider it as a painful trip, we're suffered of the dust, bad smell of the horses and sulphur. but the view to see so worth the suffer. hehe

Real Adventurers : Bromo Hikers got to the top
(only these are real hikers, out of 27 of us all the trip members)

I was the first lady. hehe
Look at the long way i've been through to get to the top!
Plus the 273 stairs (do you believe if i counted them?)

Question : Why am i so strong and still look fit ?

Smart ME!
I ride the horse halfway to the top

Madakaripura Fall : Accomplished with satisfaction !

Breakfast was late. Most of us has stomachache because of it. but we still must go on to the next place, Madakaripura Waterfall ^o^
Ko Yo said this one is much much better than the torturing suphur mountain we went to. hehe
And yes, We enjoyed it very much there.

It was an incredible view, more than my expectation. They're were 4 small waterfalls with the biggest one at the end. The water looks like falling out from the sky and i did swim at the small pond down there.

Amazing Creation
I Love this one!!

Wet! I did swim though
Look how happy we are !!

Special thanks to Ko Yo (middle front) who brought us there ^^
Hey,you with the umbrella- no wet no fun :D ok?!!

Aquarium

2006-07-11T21:23:00.000+07:00

I think i really deserve a great aquarium for my birthday as well as my reward after finishing my very final exam , and im so proud and happy everytime i'm looking at it.

It cost quite much, since the water, corals, and all the fishes arent as cheap as i thought. But its still worth it! I'm glad tat mum and bro like the aquarium too. And i guess my dog secretly admires it as well.

Want a prove ? . . . Jus take a look!

Firgo didnt notice when i took this pic. Dont tell him! he's a bit shy :P

I call this lionfish is the danger of the reefs.. since i found out tat it's poisonous

It's Beautiful, isnt it?

ps. dont mind the quality of pictures, since they're all taken by mobile phone

Happy Birthday to Me

2006-06-24T11:56:00.000+07:00

Funny and Stupid : B-day Greetings i got

Happy 21st Birthday to Me!
This birthday( on June 22nd) felt so special.

Undoubtly stressfull, happy, confuse, extremely exhausted and memorable.

I call it Double Happiness! I finished my final exam as well as i got many greetings from friends , even the stupid one like the funny song i attached above. I dont know how should i feel listening to the song. It was freakin' funny but also saying stuff i dont really wish to hear like "getting fatter" lol. but i like it. Thanks !

Unfortunately -My best friend has to re-concentrate on the final project again due to her unfinished gsm book. I was crushed to see her crying yesterday. I dont know wat to say or do, but i'll spare my time to help her with all i am. I wish you luck , my friend. And ill pray for you too.

Don't give up!! I Know You Can Do It, with God's Help (of course)!

I also jus got my new salt-water aquarium, a nemo (clown fish) and an anemon :D It costs pretty much but i feel so excited about having one. I'll post the picture later soon after i finish decorating.

Once more, Thanks to everyone who has sent me msg, sms or presents ^^ *kiss*

Launching Cathysnap

2006-06-13T16:37:00.000+07:00

I finally get my first online album at CathySnap
Please Visit and Enjoy ^^

Countdown to my birthday. It's one day before my exam day , this will be the unforgetable birthday for me. Yes... FINAL EXAM as my present( and i have to accept it no matter what)

SO SAD ! I have to work everynight, no WORLD CUP show time for me, getting fat cus i eat too much snacks, dont have enuff sleep plus my bro gave me some banner editing job. I cant wait til i finished my project then my very final exam. I could do anything.. i mean ANYTHING i want !

(note : you dont have to read these)

* * Buying new aquarium salt-water fishes, making lasagna, travelling around, chatting all day, changing the layout of my blog ( i always want to do this ), rooting for Brazil on WorldCup, experience with my new camera, watching movies, and this and that and bla..bla..bla.... * *

ENUFF dreamin' -study first! So..Wish me luck on my exam !

ps : I'll blog more when i'm done *kiss*

Feeling in the middle of nowhere

2006-06-05T20:01:00.000+07:00

Another week has passed . It was the birthday of Surabaya city, the city where i live at the moment. Loads of celebrations, crowded city, a little shower at night and the city looks really bright at night.

Crowd
I took this picture from inside the car - in the middle of nowhere

I thought i would have my own celebration, i was such in a really good mood to do my spa at home when suddenly my phone rang.

It was my friend- used to be a realy good friend of mine and the best friend of my ex-boyfriend. He just arrived here in Surabaya a couple days ago and called saying he missed me. Its been a long time since last time we talked ( almost a year) so he asked me out for a dinner. Once i had a crazy thought about him, he might have the same feeling for me as he has confessed last year, then i thought.. 'damn, what am i thinking about ? It's diffrent now. We're back to where we are. Good Friends!'. I was stupid and so negative-thinking ... i thought... until the following day.

The fact spoke to me, that i was right. He still has feeling for me , and he's in love with me. I really dont know what i should do or say and i dont want to hurt him or loose such a good friend. But one thing i know for sure is ' We are not what we used to be - When love grows, It's the moment to make a decision either to step forward or step back'

Let's Sing and Praise Him !

I got sick the following day- just right before the day when i have to be the singer in the Youth service.

I had bad flu and sorethroat so that i was pretty sure i couldnt sing not even a song. I was so sad and start to give up on the service. But then all my friends support me and telling not to give up- that i would be able to take a good care of my condition by taking medicine (which i hate) , taking Vitamin C, drinking some warm honey with lime and more water regularly. ^_^ then i got BETTER ! and Thanks to Everyone!
*picture : a snapshot of capsule i took- Looks really wierd. that's one reason why i hate medicine

A Little Secret from Me : Not mine

Oh yeah - i had to wear blue shirt and long skirt as the singer :( but too bad i cant find any skirt in my wardrobe , so i had to borrow my mum's . Hehe - glad to know many people compliments on how i look eventhough i thought i looked funny.

Soccer Fish

2006-05-22T09:36:00.000+07:00

It's soon to be the most wanted season next month- the World Cup 2006 !!

I see some sales selling soccer stuff in the street, some friends betting on their favourite team, and me personally watching all these things happened and still on my fav team side BRAZIL
(Italy is good too though)

Mean while Yokahoma, Japan - If the forecasts are to be believed, Japan's players in next month's World Cup are small fish in a big pond. I read this news on the Jawa Pos newspaper and decided to put it in the blog because its very interesting.

An aquarium in Yokohama is organising a piscine World Cup, in which fish the colours of national teams fight for a ball packed with bait in a tank holding two goalposts.
( picture: They're after something fishy ! the Yellow Tang and Blue Palett Surgeon fishes go after a fish-bait packed ball in a fishtank shaped like a football field )
Japan - whose blue jerseys on the football field are represented in the tank by Blue Palette Surgeonfish - seem to have less fighting spirit than Brazil, played by Yellow Tang.
"The Blue Palette Surgeon tend to stay at a corner of the fish tank while Yellow Tang is more active," said Osamu Masubuchi, a spokesperson for the Hakkeijima Sea Paradise in Yokohama, south of Tokyo. ( me: Yay! BRAZIL! )

There's so source i could find the ending score of the match though- makes me really curious

I Love KIDS !

Talking about kids, I always love kids ! They're adorable, innocent, and cute!!
I met this cute 2-years-old boy named Gailvin last week. His mum is half-dutch. Ko Yo showed me his cute nephew, and he's so sure that i will like him. and He's right. I Love Gailvin ! He also invited me to Solo someday so i can play with him again. 2-years-old boy will never tell a lie, very innocent, eventhough his older brother,Alan (i hope i dont miswrite the name) cheated on him by giving him the unplugged PS2 gamepad, while he's playing with the real gamepad.LoL.

Hope to meet you soon, Gailvin!
ps. his cheeks are kissable *

The Da Vinci Code : I give it a 8.5 !

This movie has becomed as controversial as the book. Since the day it was announced that it's gonna be made, there were protests against it being done, and it has escalated to calls for boycotting, or banning the movie altogether. I'll not waste time and go into its controversies, because i know and i have truly believe in what the Bible says much much more than a fiction novel says. I believe most of you would already have some vague idea of what it's about, or have read the book, since it's on the bestsellers list for months. The structure of the movie, is mostly the same as the book.

I went watching this movie with some friends from the church. I was pretty late because my friend picked me up late too -_-" In the middle of the movie, because they cencored some part if the movie by not showing the subtitles , one of my friends fell asleep for a sec.

Damn! i dont believe it at all ! sleeping in the main scene of the movie ?

The musical score was as good as the visual look of the film - it paired perfectly with the storytelling as well as the visual editing. and so I left the cinema feeling satisfied, because a great book had been turned into a really good film. Approach this film with little expectation, and you will enjoy the ride.

I went home - with full stomach ( after some supper by the birthday boy- Yogi) and have a good sleep... :P hehe

I Smell like Peanut

2006-05-17T10:06:00.000+07:00

Instead of Olive body butter [for normal to dry skin],this time i prefer to buy Shea body butter [for very dry skin] for my skin condition. Unfortunately, it was out of stock so i had to wait for another week to get it. It mosturizes very dry skin to get the royal treatment with three additional Community Trade ingredients: cocoa butter from Ghana, babassu oil from Brazil, and beeswax from Zambia.

and guess wat.. Puff! My body smells like cocoa peanut >P
Hahaha.. and everytime i rub the butter all over my body and arms.. i feel i want to lick myself.lol - jus kidding

The WIERDO

Another stuff i want to share- i 've seen this wierdo since the second semester in university. What is he doing ? He's actually pretty helpful with the traffic at the T-Junction of Kutisari area - near by Petra university [ Kantin 88 ]. So i bet anyone with cars and always goes to school with the same route as i take will have known what this guy doing there.
In February, We seen him dressed up like Santa Claus, the other month- he was dressed up like Batman- and jus when i took this picture, he wears his fav costume- Indians -_- with all the bottles hanging around his waist like belt.

Did he notice me taking his picture ? Why is he waving then ? -_-"

I wonder why he's doing this. For money ? Absolutely not, For sensation ? May be . Who dares to give him some money seeing his wierd-look ?? ME ? NEVER!! one time i heard from a friend that he's been interviewed by newspaper journalist , saying he's not a CRAZY man. ok. he's jus wierd then..

AM I BAD-TEMPERED ?

Last time i went to Pasar Atom on Waisak day [Buddhist], it was really crowded so i couldnt find any place to sit at the food court. There's an old man who asked if we would share our table with him. So We let him sit in front of us.

He's pretty old, almost lost all his teeth, but talks pretty much. He adviced me to eat more so i will look more healthy , fatter, cus having a round bouncy body = LUCK. Damn! i never believe in this chinese myth.What about those actress and models with their skinny body ? They're lucky and RICH too!! . He said one thing about me really irritating. I'm Bad-tempered!
It shocked me to know that a stranger like him dare to say things about me that way - so i decided to ask my friends if i'm bad-tempered... Here are their answers :

Mum : Not really - but may be its your looks ! ( What?? )
Sendy : I dont think you are
William : Hahaha. . . funny! You're not,cie (why laugh then ?)
Widya : huh... quite! err.. may be somtimes. How if he saw me- may be he called me evil .LOL
Cia En: No, you're not. Don't believe him.
Pao Yen : You are definitely not bad-tempered! may be Bold!
Titi : hm... i dont have any idea. may be no.
Listy : No, you are not . (Hahaha thanks lis ^^!)
Maria : Pong's not bad-tempered - but may be when she is when it comes to money's stuff ( i dont know if i should thank you or not,mar -_-")

Conclusion : I'm NOT Bad-tempered!!
LOL

what do you think though ? am i bad-tempered ?

I'm sick!

2006-05-09T13:17:00.000+07:00

It was 11 p.m . . .

I dont know why i could be sick. Suddenly i got stomach ache followed by painful headache and the next 3 hours i'm already in my bed, laying down, with extra sweater, trousers and blanket, and have been to toilet for 3 times, and cant even move my legs. I turned off the air conditioner but didnt sweat at all -_-" tat's wierd.

I decided to call my parents cus i dont know what meds i should take - there're so many medicine my mom kept in the drawer and they confused me.. Mum said i should take medicine for my headache, stomachache and gastric. 3 BIG TABLETS ! i hate tablets. in fact, i prefer syroup - cus they tastes better. hehe

meds i took -_- !

This morning, i already feel better, but still wearing sweater, and covered by blanket, sitting here ... writing blog, talking to some friends, still wondering how ki-ol's doing rite now in Oklahoma. Bet he's spending time drinking at the bar with his friends -_-" Actually, i was thinking to leave home, and wander off to school to visit the campus bazaar. I'm pretty sure there're be hella stuff i wanted to buy there O_o but, i cant, my body is still too weak to go outside.

oh.. i hope to get well soon..

A Movie review ' HOSTEL' : never watch it!

2006-05-01T22:54:00.000+07:00

I jus finished watching dvd lent by my cousin ' Hostel ' and damn ! this is the craziest thing ive ever done. When i read the review on the newspaper before its premiere, i was so excited to watch it but then . . .
well , this movie more likely about two american backpackers travelling around Europe to get some hot girls, which then finally they fall into some hot chicks' trap in a Hostel in Slovakia. That's why guys has to be careful with girls- there's something mysterious (even tricky) beneath all those beauty.
I couldnt believe myself i've ever watched such disgusting and immoral movie.
I bet this movie created only for masochists and sadists only. I watched this movie from under my blanket and in my room.. alone at night. I wish i had someone to watch with. And if you're not one of those (masochists or sadists),i recommend to stay away from this movie... don't tell me i never warned ya.

here some other reviews i found on internet :

WTF this is not entertainment this is a snuff flic

Downloaded from the internet... yea its wrong but nothing if more imorral than this "movie". If you can enjoy this film you have some serious issues. This is not a movie it is a journey through the most disgusting and immoral series of scenes that only the serial killer at heart could truely enjoy. I've watched saw , texas chainsaw massacre etc. this is not even in the same realm of gore. This is something that only the darkest of minds could watch and truely find it entertaining. This movie makes you feel like you should go to church and beg gods forgivness for watching it. Consider yourself warned.

me : YEAH.. im agree wif ya :D

Here is my take on the movie...

Well, I have planned to see this movie since it first came out. Let me say this. If you think reviewing this movie, even if you have not seen it is an intelligent thing to do, you are wrong. People who read these reviews are looking to see if the movie really sucks or is awesome. They don't care if the majority of the general population disapproves of this "type" of movie. I expect the overall Yahoo rating to be a C+, yet this movie is well worth the see.

As for the movie, you know the story. Two American guys go to Holland to have a good time. They get lured into what they believe is a greatest time of their lives, only to have it turn bad. The acting was more than satisfactory, but the story lived up to the hype. It is exactly what I thought it would be...sick and twisted. It will leave you emotionally scarred. It will freak you out. If you are against this type of movie, you will hate it. Please view the Yahoo ratings as an overall genre opinion poll, and not a rating of the movie. If not, you will miss out on a whole new breakthrough in movies. Hopefully, this is the start of more movies like this to come.

I recommend this movie. (thumbs up)

me : Thumbs up?? ohhh ..please..

This is crazy even by Tarantino's standards

If you're into a ton of gore and just skin crawling disgust, then this would be the movie for you. This is the first Tarantino movie that's not even the least bit able to poke fun at its low budget feel and excessive gore, though. It does accomplish its task of being a true "horror" movie, though...haven't seen anything that rates so high on the "disgust-o-meter" in a long, long while. It was so bad my wife actually went to the bathroom and apparently dry heaved for a couple minutes following a particularly nasty scene.

The plot itself was thin (as usual), the acting was...alright, but nobody could save this story. The visuals, while I didn't like them, were on par with what I expected. Overall though? Pay the 3 bucks to rent it next Halloween. Definitely not worth 10 bucks a ticket.

me : Absolutely not worth it !

oh, btw- the guy named Paxton. he's kinda cute ^^ . I also post his photo in this post so you all can see.

See.. He's cute, isn't he ?

Too many Jay Chow songs.... too addicted...

2006-04-13T16:22:00.001+07:00

Lately i've been listening to Jay Chow's songs- i think he's so cool. Most of his video clips are awesome- could not be compared to another Asian singers ^ ^
i think im addicted- currently using one of his MP3 as my mobile phone ring tone.

my fav song "HUO YEN JIA" - its the soundtrack of Jet Lee's Movie!

Plus i love his latest CD cover- really simply vintage >o<>

YAHOO !

My primary email account is yahoo- so is my messenger account ^ ^ lately yahoo mail has been updating the new preface so it becomes look like the preface of outlook.
Its much easier to use- and the most important more friendly. but i still hate all of those junk ... -_-

my special friend's putting on a very sweet status on his Yahoo while napping ^^..

"its samarinda not semarinda"

Melbourne Moment

2006-04-09T13:22:00.000+07:00

Special thanks to Victor ^o^