The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (The Chronicles of Narnia) - C.S. Lewis (1950)

This book told us about an adventure of four children: Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy who were sent away from London due to the war and lived in a country house with a Professor. The house was big and adventurous. It was Lucy who went inside a wardrobe full of coats in a room and came to a snowy wood, a different place called Narnia where she met a kind Faun named Thumnus. Narnia was controlled under a wicked lady called herself a queen: White Witch whose real name was Jadis. She was the one who made Narnia always winter. Thumnus was in fact commanded to bring human to White Witch and he was friendly to Lucy to lure her. However, he felt sorry and changed his mind. He led her to the lamppost where she could go back to the wardrobe and her real world.

Her siblings didn't believe her about her adventure in Narnia. But the next time in a hide-and-seek game they played together, as Lucy came again to Narnia to meet Thumnus, Edmund also came but he met the White Witch. She seduced him with Turkish Delight and promised him more if he brought his siblings to her the next time he went to Narnia again.

Then four of them came together to Narnia and instead of meeting Thumnus, they found out his place to be wrecked and a note left there, saying that he was brought to White Witch's castle for betraying her by fraternizing with her great enemies (human).

Lucy felt sorry for Thumnus and wanted to helped him but didn't know how. Later they met Mr. Beaver who told them what was really happening in Narnia. He told them that they couldn't do anything to beat White Witch, but the real King of Narnia, Aslan in on the way, and he was their only hope.

The story goes on when Edmund remembered the delicacy of the Turkish Delight and betraying his siblings by going to the White Witch himself just to be chagrined next. And how Aslan came and save Edmund and the whole Narnia, bringing back spring to the white dull-always pale Narnia.

- - -

This story was quite light and suitable for children. From my point of view, the concept of story was great and flexible that if Lewis had wanted to, he had been able to make the story much longer and heavier for adult consumption but he didn't.

I love the story, the adventurous feeling you feel when you imagine coming to another world from a regular wardrobe full of coats. The fear when you found your friend's place was empty and knew that he was kidnapped by the evil. The admiration you feel when you see the Mighty King Aslan, his golden mane and his roar, his sacrifice.

This book told us also about betrayal and teach us to be careful of 'Turkish Delight'. Anything in this world can be 'Turkish Delight', looked seducing and worthy and by the time we use all methods to pursue it, we had just fallen to the trap. Nothing's good about this 'Turkish Delight'.

Green Tea

Green tea - instagram : emikodayoo.id

I asked for things I've wished for long and I now have and I am grateful for it.

I really am grateful for it.

For things unanswered yet, I am so happy today,

That I can embrace grief very well.

Inhale, exhale.

The best is yet to come :)

What A Day

Today my friend and I went to Balubur to buy stuffs and it was 6pm when we separated. I chatted with my sis via Whatsapp that my friend went home first. My sister would finished her task at 6.30 pm. I planned to take her home with me but I was too lazy to wait for her so I changed my mind and want to go home by myself instead. And there I was, standing in front of my motorcycle in the parking lot when I realized, MY MOTORCYCLE KEY IS NOWHERE TO FIND ("OoO)

I was still calm, I carefully checked it again inside my bag and my plastic bag but still there were none. Started to be panic, I went inside the mall again and check the shops I visited but they didn't find my key.

I went back to the parking lot, wishing the key fell around the motorcycle but there were none. I asked the helmet security but he didn't find any lost key. As long as I have the parking ticket and STNK with me, the motorcycle will be save, he said. But hell no I can't go home this way -_-"

I scrolled the mall again, hoping that my eyes would find the key...

But there were none.

Balubur Town Square is very complicated, I was afraid that my key fell inside a box which was full of stuffs how on earth i could find it.

But Praise the Lord, somebody gave my key to the security... I could go home finally.

Whoever you I do really thank you so much!!

On my way home to Ciwalk (I finally decided take my sis home as it was 6.30 already) again I realized that my left rearview mirror was lost that I went back to Balubur again. I asked the helmet security againd as he checked the parking area, he gave my rearview mirror back.

Thank you Sir...

Well I was so carelless wasn't I...

Flaming Pots - Jl. Sukajadi 193, Bandung

Le Facade

This Saturday I went to Flaming Pots (next to Tomodachi boutique at Jl. Sukajadi 193, Bandung, because they have 2000 free suki :D (that was still available at least till this Saturday when I came there) 

We just have to follow their social media account (Instagram: @flamingpots) and order one drink to get one free suki. Hot or Ice ocha is recommended as it is the cheapest and free refill. (Well all these infos are thanks to an office pal of mine^^)

This!

~Food~

Contents: Kinda fishball, lettuce, cabbage, mushroom, tofu, U.S. sirloin beef, siomay. These are the free sets we got! Oh and we got a bowl of rice too.

Closer look

The sauces, I just picked some I thought I'd like. My favorites are: garlic, chili oil, and ginger-garlic! X9

Trying Vietnamese coffee.

Spicy crispy squid. It was good, but I thought it was slightly lack of salt :x

Boiling the meat first! I love how the mushroom looked like swimming squid :D 

Lastly we put the vegetable. 

The food tastes good, the veggies were fresh and the chicken broth was mild. It was so nice to eat hot soup in such a cold weather. However, the crispy squid was a little bit flavorless. Vietnamese coffee is standard lah, but it was kinda not suitable to eat suki and drink coffee ^^" so I prefer Ocha to accompany your suki.

~Room Design~

Semi outdoor areas. It would be a good idea to sit there but unfortunately the weather was too cold.

Outdoor eating area. Looks somebody was celebrating her sweet seventeen party soon^^.

Outdoor eating area

I freakin' loooooove the ceiling detail! Seen from this point of view, the ceiling looks so splendid.

Indoor eating area. The place is so cozy. 

One simpler corner

Seen from here, the room looks so luxurious.

The bowl.

I do really love the way the colours used are so well-designed. The light grey cushions blend very well with light brown wooden chair, table, and floor. The boxes arranged black hollow steel add strength and contrast which create harmony in the whole room design. Plus, I think the lighting choice has an important role as well.

 light grey textured cushion and the masculine pattern of greyish brown wallpaper give warm and comfortable homy atmosphere

The flooring detail

 The place was quiet and they played slow soothing songs which makes the room feel warm and pleasurable. The colors and lighting add a warm ambience in the room. The ceiling is high and the distance between one table and another are quite distant which make the room looks spacious. This place is definitely good to have a quality time with your loved ones,

Even if the 2000 free suki has been out of stock, coming to this place again is very worth it. Good food, good price, very well-designed rooms, what else ones would ask for?

~Rating~

Food: 4/5

Ambience: 5/5

Price: 4/5

Cherish

I was once told  that anything, either good or bad, can happen to anyone at anytime.

What does really matter is the way we react.

If it's good it's temporary.

If it's bad, it's also temporary.

Keep calm and react well.

Cherish today, everyday. ❤

Adam Levine - Lost Stars

Lately so in love with this song, hahaha.

I started doing stuffs with a friend... It had actually been planned since end of May 2015 but we stopped (maybe due to our quite heavy workloads that time) and we continued again several months ago. 

So happy that today we have our very first order^^. I'm not that new in the world of online shopping so handling orders should be a common thing but still today I am so happy to a point that I become alay.

I am just grateful. Grateful for things.

Several days ago I went to church cell group and we talked about many things, one of them that have been my contemplation for long is about vision. When we live without vision, we are just surviving, a thing which mere animals also do. But I don't know what my vision is. We had small discussion and I found out that they too haven't known their visions yet. 

It had to be searched by ourselves. I thank God for having a chance to do something new.

Lately I am quite galau (early period time as always) and I kinda lost control of my tongue. I talked some meaningless things.

And I learned about forgiving myself. Teenager me often felt guilty for stupid mistakes I made. Now I learn to not overthink (though I still do it sometimes). I am grateful that I watched Philip Mantofa's preaching video about Ecclessiates chapter 1.

Living a life is writing a book with a permanent ink and no eraser. 

I keep doing mistakes and bad things happen, but God teach me to have a right response for everything. Sometimes I win yes, but sometimes I lost, too.

I may have not found my vision in this world yet but I have clearly stated a very last goal of my life. I really want that the time I died and meet Him in any way I can't rightly imagine, He'd say to me, 'well done, kid!'

SNOW

Second video, yay!

No Internet Connection [GINTAMA VERSION]

No Internet Connection [GINTAMA VERSION] was the very first video I made, woo hoo! \ (^///^) /

The process of making it taught me something called 'EFFORT' hahaha. Hours in front of laptop to produce this mere twelve seconds short video. However, I am very satisfied with this one.

I upload this one in my Instagram, (@limliyoo) too.

The Keep Changing World

This caption is not related at all with the post, I even forgot what the kanji means

I realized something today that the world is keep changing, and the acceleration of the change is now so fast. We can't use a lame method to encounter current problem. It's both scary and challenging at the same time, yes? What a dynamic world I am living in.

It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent. It is the one that is most adaptable to change.

What Happened This Wednesday

Last evening I had an appointment with church friends to go to a Praise, Worship, and Unction Service. It was started at 6 p.m. so I stayed late at office till about 5.30 p.m. before going there. I realized that my fuel had gone beyond E and I recklessly didn't try to search for a petrol station but just went. 'It will be enough,' I said to myself.

Unfortunately, it did run out of gas in the middle of my journey. To be detail, in a railway junction near Jl. Braga. I coudn't turn my motorcycle on. I took it to the left and saw a security about twenty meters in front of me. I left my motorcycle then went there and asked him where the nearest gas station I could reach. He told me to turn left, go ahead, turn right, a suggestion that sounded pretty far. I boarded out my motorcycle to him and walk there. And it was really far, hahaha. If I hadn't been insecure about leaving my motorcycle to a stranger and a fear of not finding the petrol station, I would have enjoyed my walk. I passed through Crowne Hotel, Rasa Restaurant and some others I didn't really pay attention at. 

Thankfully I got it, premium worthed IDR 13,000, in an IDR 2,000 plastic bag. I got lost on my way back, oh man, I am really suck in memorizing road. If I got lost in my way to, we say, Istana Plaza, I can just ask a random pedestrian where it is and they will show me the way. Or google map will help. But it's the place where I took my motorcycle, how I can ask others for help? 'Excuse me Ma'am, do you know where I took my motorcycle?' Sounds silly. I don't even know neither the exact street name nor the building name. But finally I found it.

The security helped me to pour the premium into my tank. I had a difficulty to turn my motorcycle on and again he helped me. I was about forty minutes late to the service and I didn't even meet my friends. But this man, he was such a big help!

I want to give IDR 10,000 to him as sign of gratitude but he rejected it (don't know whether he did sincerely want to help and need nothing in return or it was too little that it hurt his pride to receive it) I don't care which one, I do really thank him for his help. We were total strangers and I have even forgotten his face (I'm also suck in memorizing a person's face in first meeting) but his help touched me.

I don't care what his religion is. Who his God is, either. For a situation like what I encountered, they don't matter, his action by helping me who need help, that's one that matters. What's the point in being so close with your God through daily prayers, Sunday service etc, but neglected His great commandment to love each other by closing your eyes when you see people need your help? I was both touched and slapped by this security's action.

...And to be more careful about my fuel meter, too. It's been my third time running out of gas in the middle of journey, hahaha.

My brother sent us a sadistic video through Whatsapp. It showed some African people beat other fellow African people abusively and burnt them alive. I sent them to my friends and we had a small discussion about it. It led me to think: Why. What's the purpose of doing such an inhumane act. I browsed about history of Crusade and medieval witch massacre. I even looked for instruments of torture they used. It was all brutally cruel. I found out that I am now living in a truly peaceful place and peaceful era compared to those I had just read. The cruelty I saw in this video might be pretty common during that time. It got me trembling.

A Quick Meeting in A Genocide

A Quick Meeting in A Genocide

Gintama has poisoned me to a point of which I am now deeply obsessed with anything related to Gintoki. This time I was just trying to draw for fun and I found out that I drew this random man so similary with young Gintoki, the bloody sword and saggy white outfit.

I do really love Gintama's 1st  and 5th opening song (Pray by Tommy Heavenly6 and Donten by DOES). I played these two songs over and over and over and over and over and over and over again and hasn't gotten bored yet so far. I do really love Gintoki's fighting scene in the clip, he looks so dashing and valiant there , really mezmerizing.

Happy 37th Birthday Sorachi Hideaki-sensei!

This heartwarming picture is beautifully drawn by @Dkthb219  

Well it's actually been two days late. I even completely forgot it. It's a post that popped up in my popular posts list in Instagram that led me to realize, May 25th that has already passed, was his birthday!

Happy birthday to a man that creates Gintoki and all his friends, all their funny moments and thrilling adventures, everything. I adore your extraordinary idea and concept of stories. The laughters, the thrillers, the tears, everything feels so alive when reading Gintama. Thank you for creating such a wonderful manga with wonderful morons inside.

I don't speak Japanese so I just rely on Google and Google translate to write these down (sorry for any gramatical mistakes but I do sincerely say:)

誕生日おめでとうございます 空知 英秋-先生!

Wish you a healthy and happy life! 

宝の持ち腐れ

I entitle it Winter Seat

宝の持ち腐れ - takara no mochikusare


Means: A jewel held and rotting. It is a metaphor for wasted talents and gifts. (I know it from here)

These two days I was in a dark mood, I think I have run through imbalance hormones in my brain. (Looking at my sensitive behaviour, insane appettite, and stomachache, I guess I'll be in period really soon). I finally made a decision, without discussing it with neither my mentor nor friends. Well, I don't think I have to! It's not a rush decision, I've been thinking about it for about a month. And my decision is final.

Today I downloaded Line Webtoon in my cellphone, and of course the one I was so excited to follow is Siluetsrip. I love his artworks, they're simple and ridiculous yet so deep. His comic I love most is Komik Cengeng. It is just ridiculously deep.

Also today, I made the picture above... Winter Seat. All using artrage except for the text, it was made using Photoshop. Really, drawing digitally is so fucking hard. Drawing manually is easier, faster and finer line result. Quite satisfied with this one though, hehe. Hours sitting in front of laptop paid off.

Yorokobi Usachan 喜び 兎ちゃん

赤

青

緑

I don't speak Japanese so the title above might - or better I say definitely is - gramatically incorrect, neither is the Japanese kanji written above the bunnies' ears. Days ago I made those using Adobe Photoshop and it was so amusing to playing with just Marque and Paint Bucket Tool combined by usage of Stroke option to get those super kawaii bunnies over there. Photoshop is fun. It will make a cute kids' birthday card. My niece will have her 1st first birthday celebrated this early June and stupid me, I completely forgot to offer making the invitation cards.

Days ago I also finished reading Angels and Demons written by Dan Brown, I'll review it later. Four books in about a week - I think I am insane, hahaha. Lately am so in love with books, they bring me exploring new horizon, wandering in different kind of place and time, both historically and fantastically. And what's more magical than seeing fancy things so realistically not with your actual eyes but imagination?

Lately as well, I love observing the blue sky. Both every morning on the way to the office and on my way home, each day sky is uniquely different, that's one what makes it so wonderful. I posted them on my personal Instagram account and I love to put deep quote as the caption. I am not a poet and not a big fan of ones, so I rely on Google to find the suitable caption. And one day, I found this very deep quote.

Konrad Adenauer — 'We all live under the same sky, but we don't all have the same horizon.'

Murder on the Orient Express - by Agatha Christie (Released in 1934)

credit of the pic

This book is about a murder occured in a snowy winter night in a first class compartment of Orient Express, of which Poirot was half-awake in the very next compartment.

It was all started when Poirot was in the middle of his journey by train, observing a young man and woman as another passenger of the train. The three of them then, by any chance, met again in the Orient Express heading to London.

The compartment was full and Poirot met an American man with heinous face who wanted to hire Poirot as he felt threatened. An order which later refused. This man is the one then found murdered, brutally with twelve stabs of blade. It was all snowing hard outside that the train had to stop.

Then Poirot, accompanied by Dr. Constantine and M. Bouc investigated, interviewing all the passengers about what might have happened by the time Ratchett took his last breath. The more they investigated, the more puzzled they became. Many evidences of all passengers overlapping, taking some time for our detective to sit and think. They all finally  led him to the two final conclusion, which was quite unthinkable, just as every ending of Christie's books always offers.

This book is quite popular, though I, to be honest, wasn't really impressed with the final conclusion. It feels like this book is unfinished and need additional thirty pages for more explanation. However, I guess everyone has different point of view, so I recommend everyone to read it, as it may please you^^.

The Big Four - by Agatha Christie (released in 1927)

This book presented a different kind of mystery case from other Christie's books. This one is like a compilation of many minor cases interlocked with just one objection: hunting The Big Four. The Big Four itself, was a group of four powerful and influential people as the boss with many henchmen around the world helping them. It's an intelectual worldwide fight between Poirot (accompanied by Hastings again this time) and them, with the whole world as the battlefield. Yes, here we are led to travel from London to Paris, to Belgia and even to the eastern land, a town in China, facing different minor cases everywhere their foot stepped on.

The minor cases were, though some were kinda shallow and a bit boring, quite exciting, though they were short but still have you some shocks in the end. My favorites are one in China and in chess match part. They got my heart pounded fast with excitement and curiosity with what will happen next.

For you who read Detective Conan (Case Closed), reading it seems like reading Conan's adventure facing The Black Organization. We haven't neither met nor even know who the Big Boss is but Conan has fought some of his henchmen in some different occasions. Ya that sort of stories!

This book is quite exciting, the opening, the concept, the minor cases, it offers variety. However, I honestly did expect for a more splendid ending. I was surprised when I've met the last page, 'Hey is this all? No more twists and explanation?'

Curtain - by Agatha Christie (released in 1975)

I've just finished reading this book and I felt the pleasing suspense, a sense of complecancy, a high admiration for this book. I started it with high expectation, knowing that it is the last case of Hercule Poirot (although I found it out later that it was actually had been finished written three decades before publication). I did expect it to be something very impressive. And this book didn't let me down.

The interesting prologue, a total different kind of mystery case, the loneliness and the feeling of helplessness of elderlies, a nostalgic feeling of the place and people (although to be honest I haven't read the very first book: The Mysterious Affair at Styles yet). Yes it was all started and ended at the same place, an inn in Styles.

I haven't read all Christie's books, but from a little bit I've read (about fifteen books by now), I realized that she exploited so much feelings in many of her books, and in this one is very strong. Love, hatred, psychosis, powerlessness, anxiety, all can be found here, together with logical way of thinking, lead me to enjoy reading this book very much.

Some parts were predictable, yes, but the final conclusion was exceptional. And it was a great ending of a great man named Hercule Poirot.

Because the title is Curtain and this song has a word 'curtain' in it, I imagined My Way (a song popularized by Frank Sinatra releazed in 1969) will be a perfect soundtrack of this final case of Hercule Poirot.

'And now, the end is near, and so I face the final curtain. My friend, I'll say it clear, I'll state my case, of which I'm certain.'

And yes he did it his way.

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-

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What's written next might be a SPOILER so for those who haven't read Curtain and don't want to miss the excitement, you'd better STOP here ^^.

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-

Personally I don't agree with the way Poirot murdered Norton by himself and then ended his life by commiting suicide. Yes, law can't punish Norton for he didn't do all the murders with his own hands but tongue, and in fact no matter how hard Norton provoked his prey to murder somebody, just if the person was strong and sane enough, the murder might be avoided, just like Hasting's and Mr. Luttrel's cases. In this case, Norton was more like the serpent in Genesis, he was the one who provoked Eve to eat the fruit. But (again, just) if Eve ignored his idea, she would stood a chance not to eat the fruit. 

Poirot's justification was he did that (murdering Norton) to prevent Norton to do the same thing again and to protect the innocents. And he thought he was the law. In emergency, law of wars is allowed and such things. But in the end, sorry to say, it was a great story, yes, extraordinary ending, no doubt, but still, no matter how I adore him (Poirot), I don't agree with what he did in the last pages of final chapter of his life.

But then again, we lived in different era and place. I am living in peaceful era in peaceful city, I may never see a firing gun directly, but he went through both World War I and II and everything was of course different. So I'll finish this review with what Poirot also said (crap I read in Indonesian and I can't find the original English texts but approximately), 'but now I humbly say like a little child, I don't know.'

Provisory

Sometimes I do wonder what hearts are made of.

At a time people may feel so zestful about a thing to a point which they can't even catch a breath but being passionate.

Again a time that they are so weary about the exact same thing.

Pick a person you know in your mind and think about him/her.

At one time you might realize that he/she is the kindest person you will ever know.

Yet at another time, the exact same person may lead you to to hatred, even revenge.

Life is kinda funny.

You appear in nothingness, pass in a glimpse, to leave again in nothingness.

Compared with seven billion inhabitants of the earth, the life of such one person does not mean anything.

Despite knowing this, being left by a loved one still got people grieve.

Despite knowing that everybody  will all meet an end, still tears flowing in the eyes, still the heart suffer in misery.

Compared with 4.54 billion years age of our earth , our mere 70 years age of average human's life seems like a single eyewink.

Despite knowing this, still we work hard struggling in career.

Despite knowing that everything we've gained will all be left, still we feel so worried about gaining.

And yes we have to struggle in years we have.

Because life is kinda funny.

Each person's existence are both meaningful and meaningless at the same time.

Our lifetimes are both so short and long at the same time.

Crazily in Love With This Guy

Gin

To be honest, I barely neither reading mangas nor watching animes nowadays. The ones I keep on reading are just Detective Conan and Hai Miiko. I even stopped reading Naruto in about volume 51 and find it hard to continue reading it. I don't even read One Piece yet eventough I know it is one best manga everybody (and I should) love. But I don't really like the artwork so I stopped reading One Piece as well in about chapter 5.

But one day in about May - June 2015, i googled around and searched for "funniest anime in 2015" because I kinda miss the excitement in watching animes as I felt when I was a junior high school student back then... and most webs and blogs I found put Gintama in their first rank. So I watched the anime and later on reading the manga and then

.

.

.

I AM TOTALLY IN LOVE!!!

.

.

.

I just can't stop laughing XD

The puns, gags, the madness, everything about this is superb! I can't stop reading it, I could all of a sudden laughed uproariously in the silence of midnights when either watching or reading it. Haven't finished neither reading nor watching at all, and I'll enjoy my time munching so much foolishness Gin and friends do around.

Oh and by the way, the mangaka behind it, Hideaki Sorachi, was born on May 25, 1979, which means in the year of sheep and under the sign of Gemini, which is the same as me, hehehe.

Let's sum it all up, my favorites mangakas are: #1 Akira Toriyama and #2 Aoyama Gosho and lately I'm so in love with this absurd manga Gintama so I put Hideaki Sorachi as #3.

I was born in the year of sheep under the sign of Gemini.

Akira Toriyama was born in the year of sheep. (1955)
Aoyama Gosho was born under the sign of Gemini. (June 21)
Hideaki Sorachi was born both in the year of sheep and under the sign of Gemini. (May 25, 1979)

So what?

Hahaha nonsense stuffs like this makes me so happy somehow ^///^

Dealing With Homeworks

Dealing Wih Homeworks

Yesterday I took my sister to take a class at 7 whilst I started working at 8 so it was too early for me to go to office. So instead of going there, I stucked in a book shop, buying drawing pens and two cute notebooks.  I also started to wrote down my expenses daily. (it was my 2011 unfinished resolution to be honest) My friend told me to download expense manager app in Play Store to do so and it helped me a lot!

The pic above was finished this early morning. The pic reminded me of my high school years, spending hours sitting in front of Physics or Mathematics assignments, got stressed, etc etc. And the messy room, haha.

And I thank Lord for these early months of 2016 :)

Best Place on Earth

My grandma's living place, Batur Village near Dieng, Central Java, is my happiest place on earth.

There are freezing cold. But everytime I went there I was always happy, so happy that I can't stop smiling. The green is different, the breeze, everything.

One random time I think, 'I haven't gone to all places on earth, I have never seen Paris, neither have Tokyo, how can I state that this one is the best?'

Well,

We don't have to meet all people in the word to be deeply in love with one :)