[Imaginary]: HOUSE #1

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

I just finished watching The Royal Wedding Live report!! Wow, I've been glued in front of the TV from noon until about 7.30 pm (Jakarta time) where the TV shows a live report on the royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton (from now on will be known as Duke & Duchess of Cambridge). I mean, this is history! Being a royalty fanatics like myself I can't believe I have a chance in my lifetime to watch a real royalty wedding hahah This is something that I will remember and told my children and grand children later on hahaha The wedding was fantastic, the bride is beautiful in an elegant white lace gown, and the groom.. oh the groom.. I am now officially had a big crush on Prince William ^____^

Anyway, that was an intro. Here's the real post that I want to publish earlier:

I fell in love at first sight when I saw this photo of a beautiful house. I really love the facade of the house; the slightly vintage feel and the homey aura of it. I also love the driveway, the balcony on the 2nd floor, the neat little garden, and I can't help to also imagine the neighborhood must be pleasant to live in too ;)



And being the great imaginative person I am, here's what I imagine the inside of the house would look like:
Right after the main entry door, to the right will be an open-stairs leading to second floor.
And on the left of the stairs there's a small living room area to welcome guests.
There's an area rug with a matching set of deep brown sofa and chair, plus a single wooden chair, completed with a small side table and a mini rounded table in the middle. The sofa was flanked by a set of standing lamps with solid black lampshades. The stairs' wall is adorned with pretty wallpaper and a couple of watercolor paintings as focal point.


The next room on the back is the dining area which located at the right side of the house. This dining area is actually a wide open room that adjoin the kitchen/breakfast area in the left side of it. So there's no walls separating the kitchen and dining room but there is a clear space between the dining room's rug and the kitchen/breakfast counter to separate both room.
The dining area has a window that overlook the neighbor's tiny garden. The room is of eclectic design, pairing a traditional style with more modern touches such as the the classic chairs and sofa, as well as the colonial style glass cupboard, paired with a modern chandelier, vase, and water glass bowls as centerpiece. This dining area usually used for special occasion or when there are guests. While the house owner chose to eat their daily meals in the kitchen/breakfast area as there are only two of them + a baby in this house.



Still in the dining room area there is a half-bathroom that located right under the stairs that functions as powder room or a guest bathroom. This tiny bathroom has a door that faced the dining area and a window that also overlook the neighbor's house wall, but don't worry.. thick bushes are planted right outside the window so no one will peek. In this half bathroom you'll find a metal milk bucket that stands atop a wooden three-legged stool that used for a sink. The whole wall are covered with wood wallpaper to create a country/traditional look. 



The next room is the kitchen slash breakfast area. This room is located on the back of the house adjoining the dining area on it's right, and it has a door facing the driveway.
If you look again in the first pic you can see on the facade of the house that there is a window and door on the edge of the driveway, that's the location of this kitchen. The kitchen is quite wide and open space with natural lights from the window and glass door.
The floor is black & white tiles, the sink is right beneath the window, the stove and cabinets are on one side of the wall while the fridge and another kitchen table are on the other wall on the back. In the middle of the kitchen there's a small rustic counter with wooden surface and two high-chairs for the house owner to enjoy their daily meals.


And that's all the rooms in the first floor.
Let's go to 2nd floor now, shall we? 
There are only 4 rooms in 2nd floor: Main bedroom, a Nursery, a Bathroom, and a small room for laundry.

First stop is the main bedroom. This main bedroom is located on the front with opening to the balcony that we can see from the first pic (imagination mode ;p). 
This main bedroom is quite spacey and very airy with lots of sunshine from all those windows and balcony door. The decor is simply casual with domination of brown color. Instead of using drapery or venetian blinds for the windows the house owner uses a rattan blinds in dark color to accentuate the overall brown shades of the room. They only uses long flowy drapes on the balcony door.
Not much interiors here unless for the bedside tables, the long ottoman, and a few potted plants. A set of graphics in a rustic style frames adorned the bed head.

The next room you see will be the Bathroom which is right after the stairs landing. This bathroom is overlooking the right side of the house. It's a small bathroom with a sunny cheerful aura. The wall is painted with deep yellow tone and the shower curtain is of a bright yellow & white toile pattern. The window also adorned with the same fabric. The rest of the bathroom is in white to tone down the strong yellow and this result in a fun and fresh looking bathroom. Nothing will freshen you up other than waking up in the morning and enter this bathroom with it's refreshing color ;) >> and maybe use a minty orange soap while in the shower ^o^


Right next to the Bathroom is a small room that used to be a storage but now converted into a Laundry room. The room is narrow and small, with door facing the hall and a window overlooking the neighbor's house and thick tall trees on the right side of the house. This room only contains a washing machine + dryer and a sink. The walls are covered in a dark red / almost brown striped wallpaper and some wall-mounted cabinets in dark mahogany color that have open shelves as well as closed cupboards for laundry storage. There's also a small rug and two wicker baskets for laundry purposes.


The last room of the house is the nursery room or the baby room. This room's door is also facing the hall, in front of the laundry and bathroom. It is located right above the kitchen area with two windows overlooking the driveway below. 
The house owner has a baby and this is where the baby sleeps and play. Sometimes the mother would take a nap on the small bed right beside the window after breastfeeding or just lay down on it while playing with the baby. The small bed can also be used if the baby has grown into a little kid. The room's decor is in a soft pastel green and pale blue with mostly brown. Looks like brown is the house owner's favorite color because there are lots of brown in the house ;)

----------------------------

Have a great weekend!

Council of Chefs Event

Friday, April 22, 2011

Last week I got an event invitation to this:


Minggu lalu saya dapat undangan untuk menghadiri acara Council of Chefs di @america, Pacific Place mall. Basically sih event demo masak gitu yang menghadirkan 4 chef ternama Indonesia yang dikukuhkan sebagai Council of Chefs oleh USDA (US Dept of Agriculture). Intinya, demo masak 4 chef Indonesia yang memasak dengan bahan makanan khas Amerika seperti kentang, apel, pear, dan kismis.


The USDA Council of Chefs (CoC) is a group of four Indonesian chefs who have different culinary expertise, including baking and pastry, hot kitchen, and healthy and nutritional foods. The Council will work together with the Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) Jakarta and selected USDA Cooperators in conducting training and culinary demonstrations. The focus of the training will be on the availability and applications of U.S. food products to Indonesia’s food service industry.


Inside the @America:


Event nya diadakan di tempat yang namanya @America, lokasi nya di lt.3 Pacific Place, Jakarta Pusat. Udah sekian lama penasaran sama tempat yang namanya @America karena sering banget namanya berkibar di timeline twitter ku, akhirnya kesampaian juga kesini. Ternyata semacam tempat berkumpul dengan auditorium mini yang nyaman banget. Kalo pengen belajar lebih banyak tentang Amerika juga bisa kesini karena ada touch screen computers plus iPad pinjeman untuk tau lebih banyak tentang Amerika ;)
Tapi, masuk ke tempat ini screening nya udah kaya di bandara hehe Yaa rada ketat gitu laah.. ^o^

The 4 chefs are:  

  • Chef Ucu Sawitri
  • Chef Haryanto Makmoer
  • Chef Muchtar Alamsyah alias Chef Tatang 
  • Chef Edwin Lau (si ganteng yang suka ada di TV)

Mereka masing-masing demo masak di panggung pada saat yang bersamaan sambil ngasitau tips & tricks dapur. Trus setelah itu presentasi makanannya, dan terakhir tentunya acara santap bersama :D Kita bisa nyobain makanan mereka yang udah disiapkan dalam porsi kecil. Mmm...kalo menurut saya sih paling enak dessert nya chef Haryanto soalnya daku fans sejati pastry hahaha.. Kalo hubby K paling seneng masakannya chef Edwin yang pake beer masaknya ;)


Here are the presentations of the food that the 4 chefs cooks right on the spot :
They all look so yummy, aren't they? We're so lucky we get to try all of those :D


The food that were cooked that day include appetizer, main courses, and dessert. Each of the chefs uses each of the 4 American-based ingredients (apples, pears, potatoes, raisins). It's really a fusion food which tastes good in mouth as well as looks great in presentations.

And I got to take pics with two of my fave chefs! Chef Edwin Lau and chef Tatang yang ternyata aslinya kocak juga. Inget kan dulu dia pernah rutin ada di Ceriwis Trans TV? hehe.. 
I didn't get a chance to take pics with the other two chefs because of the limited time I have, but I still adore their food :)

Me and Chef Tatang
Me and Dessy from Living Daisy with chef Edwin. (thanks for the pic, des!)

And of course we wouldn't leave the event without souvenirs ;) Look at what we got here !
 We got a big bag full of stuffs!

 Each of our bag had big apples in it. I think we got the Granny Smith apple and the Fuji apple.

 We also got recipe book

 ..some magazines.

and old school Sun Maid Raisins!
I remember I used to have this in my house as snacks when I was little :)


Thank you for inviting us and having us there, we had a really great day! And I hope this cooperation will lead into more educational partnership and projects in the future.

See you on next event!

Jakarta's Street Food edition: Bakso Malang

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Aah...eating street hawker food in the midst of an afternoon is our favorite past time! There are a lot of hawker food here in Jakarta. One of the benefit of living in landed house in Jakarta is to have various hawker foods selling their stuffs by motorbike, bicycle or by pushed-cart passing by our houses. The sellers will pass the houses and make some noise to sell their food. Every type of hawker food seller have their own distinctive sound.

One of my family's favorite street hawker food is Bakso Malang. In my area the seller uses a modified motorbike to brought the food:


Bakso Malang is simply just a mix of meatballs, fried wontons, tofu, etc served a la soup with water and beef stock. You could also add some noodles in it. You could make your own mix and choose which one you want to include in your bowl.


It is such a refreshing as well as satisfying food. Served hot and spicy with added chilli sambal, yumm..!!


Writing this post makes me hungry.. ^o^

Winner's Board: Winner of Udderly Smooth Giveaway

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Thank you so much to all of you who participated in Udderly Smooth giveaway!


The random number generator has decided, and here is the winner...

mamavalveeta03 said...
1. I added you to my blogroll: http://mamavalveeta03.blogspot.com/


CONGRATULATIONS TO VALERIE FROM USA !
YOU'RE THE WINNERs OF TB's GIVEAWAY!



I will send you email notification shortly and you have 48hrs to confirm and reply to my email otherwise I will have to draw another winner.

Many thanks to you lovely readers who has entered the Giveaway.

PS. Check out my other Giveaways here at Tigerlily's Book (find the current giveaways links on the side bar!) And don't forget to also check out my other blog Two Thousand Things for more giveaways!

CSI: The Experience

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Akhirnya ke CSI: The Experience jugaaa...!!

Finally, last week me and K went to CSI: The Experience !


Kalo seneng maen detektif"an harus kesini nih judulnya, apalagi kalo seneng mantengin acara detektif di TV macam CSI gini. Kudu cobain jadi detektif beneran di CSI: The Experience ini :)


After winning a free tix from Urbanesia via Twitter it took us a few weeks before we can finally go there. We got the ticket last month but at that time we had our mini holiday and then when we came home from holiday I got quite a few busy weeks full with events and appointments. I was afraid that we wouldn't make it since I know that this is just a temporary exhibit, but luckily I asked via their Twitter and they confirmed that CSI: The Experience is being extended until May! Hooray!

So we went to M.O.I (Mall Of Indonesia) where the exhibit is being held. MOI is in Kelapa Gading area, quite far from our home at Ciputat ;) but that doesn't put our spirit down. We went there on work day so the exhibit was not crowded at all.


CSI: The Experience is an interactive exhibit created based on the famous CSI TV series. It's a 3000 Sq Meter experiential event facilities including crime lab, forensics and high technology equipments, just like in the real CSI TV show!
I always love playing detective and it's no wonder if I'm an old fan of CSI series, my fave is CSI Las Vegas when Grissom is still the boss ;) So when I heard about this exhibit I practically scream and swear to myself not to miss it!

 
In this exhibit we can play as if we are part of the CSI team (well, a newly trained investigator, actually). We helped identify evidence at the scene of the crime. So if you love CSI or if you're always longing to become a detective (like I did ;p) then this is your chance to have a try and see if you have what it takes to become a great homicide detective ^o^

They make it real at the exhibit, they even made us report to Grissom! (yay!)
There are 3 cases and we have a hard time to decide which case we want to play. I like case #3 because there's a surfaced skeleton involved, and I always like playing archeology too (you know, dusting bones, digging up old mysterious skeletons). While K love case #2 which involve a dead body. He likes identifying dead bodies in the crime scene and in the morgue. So we did "paper,rock, scissor" and K won. So that means case #2 it is :)


Intinya kita ceritanya jadi trainee di CSI team, kita kudu bantuin tim CSI untuk mecahin suatu kasus (kasus nya ada 3, kita bisa milih mau yg mana). Trus kita musti buat laporan ke Grissom, apa aja bukti yang berhasil kita kumpulin di crime scene, trus hasil lab apa aja yang mendukung bukti kita. Pokonya persis kaya jadi anak buah nya Grissom di serial TV nya lah hehe


I love all the experiences, from taking notes and gathering evidence on the crime scene where the dead body was found, to the crime lab where there are many different tests that we must run based on the evidence that we gathered. We have forensic lab, DNA testing lab, pathology lab, etc..
It was fun and a wholly different experience. We both love it and would love to play other cases if the price was much less ;)

Agent Yuri and Agent Krisna, in front of Grissom office

The ticket is IDR 100.000/case for workday and IDR 150.000/case for weekend.
You can also buy multiple-pass ticket for IDR 225.000 for all 3 cases (workday) and IDR 350.000 (weekend).

Discount Alert: 
- 15% Off with Mega Card (creditcard/debit) > I bought K's tix w/ Mega card so it was only for IDR 85K
- for student group: IDR 80.000/case for minimal of 10 students


Sorry if the photos are grainy and blurry, those are the photos I bought from the exhibit. We weren't allowed to take pictures inside but there's a photographer who will took our pics while we play and we can buy the photos once we finished the game. It was IDR 15.000 for 2 photos so it's IDR7500 each. BUT the photo quality is not so good because it's really grainy. I don't know if it's the printer or the photo paper or if we're just not that lucky but it was all like these when we got them.


MOI Kelapa Gading - Jakarta Utara >>> I recommend to go there on workdays ;)
Twitter: @csi_jakarta
Facebook: www.facebook.com/CSIExperienceJKT

Party Planner: Easter Party (+ egg hunt for kids)

Friday, April 8, 2011

Here's some fun ideas for your Kids Easter Party (or at least, what I would do on my own easter party in my imagination world - LOL). I hope this can give you some fun pointers and ideas for your own party. Meanwhile, you're welcome to my "imaginary" Easter Party, dedicated for Kids:


The Invitation:
via PhotoGreetings on Etsy
I bet every kids (and parents) would say yes to this party once they saw this cute invitation.

The decoration:
via Southern Living
 Put up a long side table that doubles the function as a part of decoration and an extra table for snacks!
Arranging little pots with tall grass and colorful flowers would look pretty and inviting at the same time. Put all the various pastel-colored snacks on lovely pastel-colored mini buckets.
And then adorn your potted plants / baskets with pastel-hued eggs and decorative ribbons. Add some butterflies ornaments if you want. Then put these on some corners as part of decoration.

via Pier 1
These pretty flowers are perfect for garlands or buntings, you could hang it from tree to tree, or hang it on the picket fences if your backyard is surrounded by it.

via Pier1
Decorate the chairs with colorful plastic eggs and ribbons!

via Martha Stewart
 This basket of "carrots" is put near the door so when the kids first entered the party area each of them can get one of this "carrot" for themselves. This "carrot" can be opened and the kids will find an easter-themed trinket inside it. This should bring out the party spirit among them ;)

via Delish
This is the decoration on the table near the door where we put the carrot thingy above ;)

via Delish
 And put on this cute sign on a tree to show the kids where to hunt for their easter eggs! :D

via Wandering Starfish on Etsy
The kids can grab their mini pails here to start hunting for the eggs, aren't these adorable?


 And don't forget the colorful eggs for the Egg Hunt:
via Pulsar Wallpapers
via Asian Mommy


The Table Decoration:
via Delish
 Table decoration on the kids table.
via Delish
And this is what the kids plate would look like in the table. The plates are plastic of course, put on top of it are a fake bird nest, complete with mini eggs, a butterfly, and a couple of branches. The mini eggs are chocolates so they can munch on it while waiting for the main food to be served.
via CK Events Blog
And as for the adults table, here's what's on top of their plates. A more elegant design of the same "bird nest over branches" theme that we found on the kids plates above. This one has name tags on it while the kids don't have any name tags because they can just sit on whichever chair they like ;) Kids don't need name tags on their plates -lol


via Pottery Barn
Table decoration on the adults / parents table.



The food served:
via The Sac Chef
Deviled Easter Eggs for everyone's appetizer.


And on the Kids menu:
Glazed Mini Carrots via Delish
Fairy Tale Mushroom, made from eggs, tomatoes, baby spinach and some mayo - via Taste of Home
Roasted Chicken with Lemon Sauce via Martha Stewart


And what's on the adults menu:
Trio of Peas via Delish
Roasted Asparagus Salad with Citrus Dressing via Delish
Seared Salmon with Mustard-Caper Butter via Martha Stewart


 And for Everyone's dessert:
Carrot Cake via Delish
Meringue-Topped Strawberry and Rhubarb via Delish

Cookies & Cakes:
via ShindigParties on Etsy
Easter Cookies
via sweetsuccess888 on Flickr

Easter Egg Cookies
via Three Honeybees on Flickr


And the cake:
Easter basket cake
Easter Cake
via CupcakeEmporium on Flickr



The Goodie Bag:

As we have two kinds of guests (parents & kids) so there will be two types of favor bags!
Here is the goodie bag for the little guests:
via favor.makers on Flickr
They will receive these cute rabbit shaped boxes. The blue ones for the boys, and the pink ones for the girls. And here's what's inside the box:
via Delish

These real-looking eggs are actually edible chocolates that are shaped like mini eggs!
And there's also a "thank you" tag inside the kids goodie bag:
via Bubbly Shnooks on Etsy

And we don't forget about the parents, they got their own goodie bag too:
via Jackie and Arlo on Etsy
These glass top tins with Happy Easter sticker are packed with this stunning souvenir:
via DearJes on Etsy
A darling "carved egg in a nest", isn't it lovely?
And of course, the gift card that went with it:
via Chasing Bliss Design on Etsy

So? Do you like my "party"? ^o^
 
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