No Feast Lasts Forever

It was a semi-autobiography about Oei Hui Lian, a daughter of one richest sugar businessman in Southeast Asia, Oei Tiong Ham. She had a luxurious life by the help of his very rich father's money and she also married a man with political power, Wellington Koo. Having an ambitious mother as well, she is what is so called jetset socialite at that moment.

It is concluded at the end of the book that she finally found out that knowing rich and powerful people are nothing. It's brain and attitude that matters. It's also told that in the end of her life, she felt lonely and realized that she should have appreciated people she knew more than how she actually  had treated them.

Well, for me, honestly I said if I could be in her position, I'd very glad to! Haha.. Come on, it's like having that "motherlode" bar in The Sims. I want this I want that, and all I have to do is just typing "m-o-t-h-e-r-l-o-d-e" or in her case "ask papa" and the money will be sent right away to my bank account.

She is lonely at the end of her life. Hey? Won't poor people feel lonely as well? If both are lonely, I'd choose to be a rich one of course. Money is like health. Being perfectly healthy doesn't mean I am happy. But having my health destructed ensured my difficulty to enjoy life more. Unless you have been so strong that you can still be grateful despite your disease, I'd happily be healthy at the first place.

Well, I quite enjoy reading this book, felt like watching a Chinese drama, hahaha. It somehow containts general knowledge and a bit of Indonesian-Chinese history, social culture, etc.

And the main message is the title itself, no feast lasts forever :)

Illustrated Stories I Fall to

 Super Secret | LINE Webtoon The boy next door, friends for life, is actually a werewolf! 

Click here to see this manhwa!

Lately fall in love with this Line Webtoon comic, Super Secret. The sweet storyline, soft and cute artwork style stole my attention. What a cute boy Ryan is, haha.

Looking at the stories, I bet the author is in the generation which read Harry Potter , Naruto and Twilight. But he/she is so great that he/she is inspired by many other famous fiction stories but manages to make his/her own good and unique. Love this very much.

I've read all the 70 chapters so far and can't wait for the next issue!

Well,

I am that kind of reserved person, for some cases I do enjoy having my own sanctuary, a very wide personal space. Having it destroyed by unwanted interference made me feel like a mess, oh man, I regret opening up, I need to create another self-shelter.

Dancing Queen

My brother once told me,
When trapped in thundering storm, don't break loose but stay still.
Once the storm begins to subside, start swimming.

Don't waste your power competing in a battle you can never win.

Human Nature

I firstly maturely claimed on my own to follow Jesus, devoted to Him sincerely without expecting anything back in return about two years ago. I was in search for God, wondering who He is, the One i've been told about since before I was born (my grandmother had been a Christian) hoping I would know Him more if I read Bible and have a private conversation with Him regularly, day by day.

I had a doubt several times, after experiencing bad things, after reading some articles, one of them is The Da Vinci Code, another was other religion's texts and histories.

But whether I was in doubt or not, the world would still be going as it is.

I can't put my trust in a thing I don't really understand, in a thing that can't be logically explained.

It was my principal. However, after these past two years, experiencing both good and bad, I now honestly claim: I trust in Trinity, as I trust my Chemistry teacher that water is H2O, consists of Hydrogen and oxygen with a ratio of  2:1, and just now I found an article that explained it not really is. Doesn't mean it was wrong either, better said, what I've been told is an oversimplification.

Because I have very limited capacity. We are all. I am a flashdisk with 2GB memory and the real picture is 10GB. I can't never know the picture unless it is compressed to less than 2GB. And what would I got? A blurry picture. It's not that the picture I got is wrong, but just a simpler one, one that my limited brain can comprehend.

How can one put all water in the world in a little bowl? One can just put a very little bit of them in their own little bowl. Ones who got it from the sea would tell that water is salty. Ones who got it from the river would tell otherwise. And neither of them is wrong. Neither is the water. It's us who's limited.

I can't proove Jesus' rise, but I'd like to put my trust in it.

And to be honest, I used to have another confusion. Why have God created us human? After finding out that human forget Him, living on their own, He still saved us, why don't He simply kill us all, failed creatures? I have a reflection when I think about human itself, Why would a person want to get married and have kids? Knowing that kids just consume all money we earn, growing adult to leave and forget us after we are old and useless. Isn't it the same? I imagine if I have a child who is broken, failed at life or whatsoever, I wouldn't let him die. I must be dissapointed but I would still love him just the way he is, despite of his failure. I am merely human and can think this way, isn't God way way way more than this? My conclusion is, I don't understand why He created and saved us as I don't understand myself why human get married and want to have kids. My answer for now is, either love or avoiding loneliness, or even both. Whether it's true or not, I humbly say I don't know.

My other reflection is, Pride. I didn't get it why God wants us to worship Him. Singing or dancing for Him. Giving offering and such. Does He like watching performances and need money? I reflect to myself and find out that I am, too, love to be praised. I love drawing. And when someone says my drawing is good, I'd be happy. And it's hurtful to see what I did isn't well appreciated. It's very natural. However, I realized as well, I hate fake praises. I hate it when people are nice to me merely because they want something from me. Those kind of praises are meaningless. Worship and praises should naturally and sincerely be given from the lower ones to the upper ones. It's the expression of pure admiration, honour of the creation. With any fake intention behind, it's called bribe.

I do think that this is what is meant by 'creating us in His image, after His likeness'. What He thinks, we think. What He feels, we feel. However, with a fine line between, a separation between cloud and mud.

Well, this is what I got after two years following and learning to understand Him more. I may be wrong or what, but this is where I am now, a second grader. I honestly say I can't state that I am that good little worshipper that doesn't expect anything in return. I do expect! I want this and I want that. I ask God several things and He hasn't given me many of them. Yes I worship Him and yes I want Him to bless me a blessed life. Am I right or wrong I don't know. I am just being honest.

Spinach Pesto Pasta

Bahan (untuk 3 orang) :
- Spaghetti 150 gram
- Bayam 3 ikat kecil
- Kacang tanah 30 gram
- Bawang putih 4 siung
- Keju cheddar 30 gram
- Daging dada ayam tanpa tulang 2 potong
- Tomat ceri 2 buah
- Garam secukupnya
- Merica secukupnya
- Minyak goreng secukupnya

Cara memasak:
1. Ulek/blender bawang putih, kacang tanah, dan bayam sampai halus. Tambahkan garam, lada, dan minyak goreng secukupnya. Sisihkan.
*Tips*
Jangan takut keasinan saat membubuhkan garam. Ulekan mentah  sebaiknya agak keasinan, agar saat digabung dengan spaghetti, rasa asinnya jadi pas dan gurih.

2. Tuang sedikit minyak di atas teflon. Bubuhkan garam dan merica pada satu sisi daging ayam, lalu tumis di atas teflon. Taburi garam dan merica pada sisi yg satu lagi, masak sampai matang. Potong-potong ukuran jari / sesuai selera.

3. Rebus dan tiriskan spaghetti sesuai saran yg tertera pada bungkusnya.
*Tips*
Tambahkan sedikit garam dan 1 sdm minyak goreng dalam rebusan air, agak spaghetti tidak lengket.

3. Tuang sedikit minyak lagi di atas teflon bekas memasak ayam tadi. Tumis ulekan halus, tambahkan keju, lalu tambahkan potongan daging ayam. Masukkan spaghetti, lalu campur hingga merata.

4. Saat hampir diangkat, tambahkan potongan tomat ceri. Aduk sebentar, lalu jadi deh^^.

- - -

Personal Story

Well, I'm kinda easily-influenced type of person. Days ago I went to Ambrogio Pattiserrie and got impressed by the savoury taste of their dishes. Everything is well flavoured, the chicken, croissant, potato wedges, even the salad is delicious! I know they use certain oil and seasoning which is quite expensive. And I just cook for fun, spending too much in stuffs I won't use regularly seems too much for me. But coming to Ambrogio inspired me to cook a delish Western cuisine, with regular ingredients. I've tried creamy pesto pasta in The Cups Cafe before and quite impressed. So, I googled the recipe. Some use basil leaf, but it's hard to find, I must purchase it in specific store such as Setiabudi Supermarket or Riau Junction, and I bet it would be quite pricey. So I use spinach instead, hehe. Spinach is used in other recipes. The recipe above is not originally mine, I modified it from here.

It is quite easy to make and so tasty. I love cooking for some reasons. "If one can make it, why must one purchase it", haha. I've tried some recipes before but I never write down the recipe when I found out, I forgot them all. So starting now, I'll write down the recipes of dishes I've made.

Soursweet Lime of Time

In this one week long holiday
Had a little roller coaster of feelings
Till a time to say good bye
From spending lots of time working

My friend got a wedding invitation job
So I spent most of time cutting paper and stuffs
Early days wasted by much cuts and sobs
Gratefully cured by family gatherings and much loves

Having a relaxing chat with brother
Memorizing our beloved father and grandmother
That have passed away
Leaving many lessons in such a way

Everybody has their own kindness and wickedness
You are and I am as well
See ourself in a way no more or less
Learn wisdom like hearing a ringing bell

My past is a thing so deeply tied with me
No matter how hard  I try and forgive
They will eventually come towards me
Eventhough I refuse to perceive

Forgetting is a whole different thing from forgiving
But a bird learn to walk first
Before being great in spreading the wings
Rather than curse but bless that's burst

So be grateful for this past one week
It has sweetly gone
Wish to have lots more to seek
And keep going on

The Man in The Brown Suit - Agatha Christie (1924)

I've read about twenty books of Agatha Christie and found out that her books usually has slow and rather boring plot. What's most thrilling is usually only on the last forty pages when the truth is being revealed. Well, The Man in The Brown Suit is different! It has been thrilling and exciting since the prologue. It spent me only two days to finish it, a brand new record for me finishing a book of Agatha Christie series.

The prologue is about a Russian dancer Nadina who is as well a spy works for someone called 'Colonel'. 'Colonel' is a dodgy man, he is involved in many crimes yet he is so cunning that nobody knows and can capture him. He has big influence and can make anybody his scapegoats to run away from his own responsibility. Nadina helps his boss in a diamond robbery in South Africa, and she now tries to trick and backmail him back with the help of her husband.

The story is then centered on Anne Beddingfield, a stubborn, hard-boiled and strongwilled young girl whose archaelogist father has just died of lung disease. His father is her only family left and from now on she has to live her own life. She accidentaly suspects an accident which makes a man with smell of camphor died crushed by a subway. Then a doctor comes to check him, concludes that he has died and left away. An agreement letter to see a house in Marlow is found in his pocket. But our Anne has another evidence from this man, a piece of paper with a writing on it. Not long after this incident, a beautiful young woman is found murdered in a house in Marlow, a place this man ought to be seeing. The caretaker witnesses that not long after the woman comes into the house, there is a young man comes in and then leave with pale face.

Triggered by a curiosity and thirst of a life full of freedom and adventures, Anne tries to solve this case, by following the note, going to place written on it. A voyage journey to South Africa using Kilmorden Castle awaits her.

She meets some people on the ship, suspecting everybody, making friends, falling in love, and endangering herself by deeply involved in the case, confronting with Colonel, and all this case is started by a diamond robbery in South Africa not long ago...

I think the type of the story is pretty similar to "The Big Four". But honestly I like this one, more. It's thrilling and makes you wonder what will happen next. I am amazed by how brave and reckless Anne is, daring to involve herself in such a danger.

This book containts quite much romance, and my conclusion is, everybody has their own matching matte. Wild woman like Anne deserves another wild man after all.

However, I found some irrelevant hints in this book which rather bothers me. Anne Beddingfield's background as a daughter of a professor of archaeology isn't related at all with her upcoming adventures. Her past is interesting but has no use.

Crooked House - Agatha Christie (1949)

Looking up for this title because it is stated as one of most recommended Agatha Christie's book in ratings I found in several websites. After half reading it I realized I've read this one before, but in Bahasa ndonesia which has a total different title: "Buku Catatan Josephine". Silly me reading one book twice^^".

Well, Crooked House is started when Charles, a young police officer comes and proposes his beloved, Sophia Leonides. However, she refuses the proposal, at least until the murder case of his wealthy 85 year old grandfather Aristide Leonides is solved. Aristide is clearly poisoned by one of his households, which are a young wife Brenda, his two sons Philips and Roger and their wives Magda and Clementine. He also has a relative named Edith de Haviland and three grandchildren: Sophia, Eustace and Josephine. And there is Laurence Brown, a tutor that teaches Eustace and Josephine in the house.

Aristide is a powerful rich tyrant, he loves having his weaker and dependant family surrounds him. He is also adored by his sons. And each of his family member has their own specific --if it can be stated as one-- different motivation to have Aristide died. Jealousy between brothers, a will to set free from the house, a fear of loosing money after having to deal with bankruptcy, and so on.

The case continues as somebody tries to kill Josephine. This little girl loves playing detective and investigating. She has a black notebook where she writes down whatever she finds out. So, it's likely that the culprit who killed Aristide is scared of some informations she may have.

Then Charles finds a set of love letters between Brenda and Laurence. Although both of them deny it, they are arrested.

After Josephine comes back from hospital, the Nanny is found dead after drinking cocoa that should have been drunk by Josephine. The police officers are afraid they have arrested the wrong criminal.

Finally, after another circumtance happens, the real culprit is revealed by a letter written by one of the household with a black notebook inside it.

Although it is stated as one of the best, I personally disagree. I just give 3 of 5 to this book. It is just another Agatha Christie book. And although Christie herself enjoy writing this book, I personally didn't really enjoy reading the book, nor the conclusion presented in the end. It was shocking, yes, it is out of what everyone will think. However, the way the truth is revealed is kinda too flat and easy, Charles is a passive and slow investigator in my opinion. Another person acts more real actions as a detective than he does. And the ending scene is a bit necessity. Like an episode of a soap opera, everything goes slowly as how the director wants it to be. I think I have a too high expectation knowing it's stated as "one of the best". But hey, I also have a high standard for "Curtain" for it is the very last, "The Murder of Roger Ackroyd" for my bro highly recommends me and "And Then There Were None" for what's written on the back of the book seems really interesting, but those books didn't fail to impress me. I am satisfied with those titles, but not with The Crooked House.  Well, everybody may have different point of view, sooooo, you have to read it by yourself to find out. Kindly tell me your different opinion about this book :D

Life of Pi - Yann Martell (2001)

This book shares the adventure of Pi, a sixteen year-old Indian boy. He is a son of zoo owner living in Pondischerry, India. In the prolog, it is told that Pi is practicing Islam, Christian, and Hindu alltogether. Because of some things, he and his family decides to move to Canada together with all animals they have. His father plans to sell them all in North America.

Unfortunately, the cargo-ship Tsimtsum they are on sinks in a storm and miraculously, Pi is alive, floating on a lifeboat. He is not alone as a hyena, an orangutan, a broken-legged zebra, and a royal bengal tiger are there on the boat. All herbivores are killed by the hyena and lastly the tiger named Richard Parker killed the hyena, leaving him and Pi the last two survivors on the boat.

Pi manages to survive from his own hunger, weather, the sea, sadness from losing all his family, and threats from a big cat he is together with. He firstly plans to get rid of Richard Parker just then he finds out that he will be much more hopeless and lonelier if Richard Parker dies.  He realizes Richard Parker is more as a companion rather than a threat, he is a fellow friend with the same fate. So, he gives fresh water and bigger parts of fish he catches to him. They survived together. Pi uses circus coach and zookeeper methods to train Richard Parker to obey him and he succeeds. Both of them pass all the sunburn, the cold night, heavy storm together till they comes to a Mexico beach, after 227 days floating on the sea. Sadly, they finally separates as Richard Parker jumps over tired Pi, walking alone and lost in the wood.

The epilogue tells the story of an interview held by Japanese maritim people to Pi but they finds his story about the tiger and the lifeboat is too exaggerating and does not make sense. So, Pi told another same story but without animals. Neither of them can be proven but the same fact is that Tsimtsum has sunk and the only human survivor is Pi, and the 227 days beetwen the sinking and his arrival on the land, he has suffered so much. Which story you'd like to trust? It's the same as God. Every religion offers different -hard to proove and logically believed- story, and it's all our choice to choose one. Whether one wants to choose or not, the fact is there, the earth and all entities on it, they are too real and massive to deny.

The book is quite interesting, about the boy who survives. The explanation is detail and easy to read, it's fascinating the way Pi creates a raft to keep a distance from Richard Parker, his willing to survive spirit, looking for food, catching dorado, flying fish, sea turtle, even shark for himself and to feed Richard Parker. The extreme weather they have to deal with, and it is saddening the part when both Richard Parker and him get blind. Both of them has been so weak and Pi is almost desperate that time, but both of them manages to survive.

Before coming to Mexico beach, they come to a carnivorous island, a place where they spent for days. Richard Parker gets countless meerkats for his feast and Pi has sweet algae and meerkats. However after Pi finds out that this peaceful place actually consumes, he finally decides to flee.

Rather than God, I personally think this book tell more about faith. I adore Pi's living spirit. He has lost his family and he is floating nowhere in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, lack of foods and clothes, and he is always under the pressure of the existension of a royal bengal tiger in the same lifeboat. He is actually fully hopeless. But he survives, he tries to survives. He is a vegetarian, yet he learns to kill and eats fish. He is sad and lonely, yet he still looks for food for himself and for his big cat as well. Struggling without even knowung what may happen next. It's one biggest fiction faith I've heard of.

A Whiter Shade of Pale - Procol Harum (1967)

A Whiter Shade of Pale

Music is like a window on the wall, it lets me see anything it provides outside my own tiny shell.

Making me wonder how it would like to live in the time and place when and where the song was firstly released

 People are also like music

Everybody has their own tunes

Every single one is good but bad order can turns them into chaos

And good music is when people are together in harmony

The Lost Symbol - Dan Brown (2009)

This book is about Robert Langdon's adventure seeking for 'Ancient Portal' in Washington D.C. in order to save his captivated dear friend Peter Solomon. Plots and everything are not much different from his other books: The Da Vinci Code, Angels and Demons and the latest one Inferno.

This book stimulates readers to seek for ancient terms and architectural sites described inside and that's what I love most about this book - provides new general knowledge to pursue. And to see things from different point of view. Freemasonry, Rotunda, George Washington, Ouroboros, Magic Square, Abramelin Oil, Akedah knife are little bit of new things I know from reading this book.

This kind of book open my mind more widely and tells me that earth has been there for more than five thousands years and there's so many things I don't know. Many things I see weird now may be common years ago or somewhere else, such as occultism and idolatry, those things did(or even do) exist. They might be not much different from modern science to us nowadays. The simple parable is: F4 was a big thing in 2001 but teens these days would find them old-fashioned and idolize EXO instead, but what's the difference? They are both groups of handsome men idolized by young girls at the moment. Knowledge is a tool, and like all tools, its impact is in the hands of the user, Trish said. Have a more mature faith...

Architecture Portfolio (2)

I am an architect.