Friday, April 30, 2010

my desk

this is my desk in the new room =)
*finally i could make it pink!*

graduation ceremony, apr 30 2010

Semalem acara graduation ceremony dilaksanakan. Acara terakhir untuk angkatan ke 28 2010. Acara terakhir di masa putih abu-abu selama 3 tahun. Acara terakhir yang mengharukan. Sekalipun banyak sekali kekecewaan yang mendera perihal acara terakhir ini. Tapi mau gimana lagi, namanya sekolah negeri, guru-guru suka seenak jidat, enggak tau hak dan kewajiban. Acara yang lebih mirip pesta kawinan ini pun berjalan. Dengan semua perempuan mengenakan kebaya, dan jas bagi yang laki-laki. Semua berubah, tampil mempesona.

Meskipun acara tangis-tangisannya enggak ada, meskipun acaranya enggak ada asik-asiknya, meskipun makanannya kurang enak, meskipun enggak seru cuma sampai jam 11. Tapi yasudahlah. Wall of fame-nya kereeen, siapa dulu yang design! ADYA! hehe. Nah kebetulan banget malam ini gue jadi tukang poto. buat danti yang pengen foto sama firga, dan zaskiah yang pengen foto sama budi. Asikk ga tuh. hahaha.
Tapi benar-benar engga terasa, 3 tahun kesel-keselan sama sekolah norak itu udah berakhir. 3 tahun memakai seragam penuh kebanggan sudah terlewati. 3 tahun sibuk panitia ini itu sudah tamat. 3 tahun berteman dengan orang-orang yang hebat meski berbeda ruang sekarang. Gue percaya, masa SMA adalah masa yang enggak terlupakan. Sekalipun itu memalukan dan bikin malas kaya SMA 65. Tapi gue cinta 65 kok.

Gue sayang teman-temannya yang beranka satwa beraneka ragam. dengan guru-guru yang baik sebenernya, tapi suka bikin emosi dengan ke-KOLOT-annya. Tapi guru favorite gue cuma Bu Dwi dan Pak Soleh. Sekalipun dua guru ini suka ngehukum murid, tapi mereka yang paling bijak dan mengerti.

Nilai UN gue cukup bagus, totalnya 48.80 atau rata-rata 8,13. Dengan rincian : Bahasa indonesia 8.20; bahasa inggris 8.60; matematika 9.50; ekonomi 7.50; sosiologi 7.60; geografi 7.40. Lumayan laaah. Meskipun di sekolah gue ada satu yang harus mengulang ujian, Sahuri. Gue enggak percaya dia enggak lulus ujian pertama, secara dia bukan anak bodoh dan imannya tidak bisa diragukan. Tapi kayaknya dia apes. 

Sekarang gue sudah libur panjang tinggal gimana  nanti kuliah aja. Tiba-tiba gue kangen. Kangen santa, adya, yvonne, puspita, rusli, robin, augry, ardy, eya, gevi, danti, tary, dimas, erik, semuanya! Semuanya yang selalu bikin rame hari gue. Ishong yang suka nyanyi-nyayi sambil gitaran, rusli juga yang suka bikin kita nyanyi bareng-bareng. Ahhh, kapan kita bisa bersama lagi? hanya di SMA semuanya terjadi. Gue enggak bisa bohong, gue sayang 65 dan teman-temannya.


Supperlicious....

Today after I got home from work I decided to make gluten steaks for supper. I have not had these in ages and it is one veggie dish that David actually likes. So I figured I should make them! Here is the recipe, that I got from my mom.


Gluten
1 1/2 C. walnuts
1/4 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup yeast flakes
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 cups cold water
2 cups gluten flour
Blend walnuts and oats on high until ground. Pour into bowl and add flours and seasonings. Add cold water and quickly knead. (I usually rifrigerate this dough for a little while) Cut into desired shape depending on which entree will be used or roll into a log shape about 2" in diameter. Cut into 3/4' slices and drop into boiling Broth and boil for about 1-2 hours until done or soft throughout.
There are two different broths you can use. Here are both, I used the second one this time, minus the chopped onions. 
Broth #1
10 cups water
1/3 cup soy sauce
1 1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sage
1 3/4 tsp thyme
1 1/4 tsp oregano
2 1/2 cup sliced onions
Broth #2
10 cups water
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp onion powder
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 1/2 tsp McKays Chicken seasoning
1/4 cup yeast flakes
1/2 tsp celery seed
1/2/tsp italian seasoning
1 tsp. soy oil
1 tsp sweet basil
2 bay leaves
1 cup chopped onions




Granola

Today I made granola for breakfast Sabbath morning. Here is the recipe.

1 large box of quick oats
2 c. shredded coconut (optional, I don't add this)
2 c. wheat germ
1 c. whole wheat flour
1 T. salt
1 c. chopped or sliced nuts of your choice
I also put raisins, cranberries, chocolate chips, and mixed dried berries.

Liquid:

1/2 c. brown sugar
3/4 c. oil
1 c. honey
3/4 c. water
1 T vanilla

Mix liquids and dry ingredients separately and then mix together. Bake at 250 stirring every 20 minutes for 1 hour or until brown.


On Tuesday, April 13 of 2010, we - Sarah and Anna - departed on an adventure of a life time. Delta flight 242 carried us and our 20 pound carry-on bags across the Atlantic Ocean and landed us at the Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam of the Netherlands - continent: Europe.

Our plan? To backpack by train across Holland, Belgium, France, Switzerland and Italy in two weeks. They say it's crazy, but we had to find out for ourselves. We had about 2,370 dollars each to spend - some in euros, but our goal was to not come home broke. So we intended to do what we wanted to do, but be thrifty about it. We had the first 6 nights of rooms booked, then we'd play it by ear.

Day one began with no sleep, an eternally long plane ride and an entrance into the unknown...



First mission: figure out the transportation system and the buses...

We made it to Haarlem without much difficulty. The people are friendly and willing to help. I'm sure we looked pathetic, tired and lost. It was a little confusing, but after waiting for the wrong bus at line 4, we waited for the right bus at line 4, and finally made it to what we thought was the right bus stop, which was actually the wrong bus stop. That made our walk a little longer to reach Paula's B&B, but we did find it and, WOW!, it felt good to lose our backpacks and get freshened up!


first bus ride and figuring things out...


...it's Haarlem!



...looking for our B&B.


Ah! We found it!


...one of Haarlem's beautiful canals.


...overly exhausted but enjoying the town...
All I wanted to do was to crawl into one of Paula's amazingly soft beds and take a nap, but we had to stay awake until at least 8 o'clock, so we hit the town. We walked and walked and walked. That was the first day of many that we walked and walked and walked. :)

There are bikes everywhere!
Everyone rode bikes from toddling children to wobbly old men. It was lovely! Cobble stone streets everywhere and beautiful old buildings!
St. Bavo Church
We walked, oh, I think I already mentioned that, and just took in the sights, sounds and smells -that sometimes were not so pleasant.

... toured the incredible Molen de Adrian mill.


...enjoyed the colors and architecture.

...toured the Corrie Ten Boom home.
Just to be in her exact same home, still with a watch shop in front, and to see the fake walls that hid so many people was amazing!

Ah, finally a break and a bite to eat.
And some people watching -so entertaining! :D
We feel and are treated like locals here. People even speak Dutch to us in passing. I guess we don't look American. It's fun, but sad that we can't understand them.

Can I go to sleep yet?
We did get these buses figured out! They are a great way to get around.

My soft, and cuddly friend that I found in our own private sitting room.

BED...finally...wow!
And thankful hearts that God is with us where ever we are, and so many people at home are praying for us.
Also, loved finding and reading notes from Sage and Tera! Thank you! :)

econs class! *random*

*lecturer is teaching the oligopolist*

econs class is so boring
i'm always lost! =(
its week 6 already, and i'm still lost..

assignment duedate coming soon..
midterm test even soon..

and..

me..
TOTALLY LOST!

looks like i should run this book...

do you understand this?
because i have no idea about the thingy called graphic at all =_="

and some more..
the book even thicker from my laptop
even if i flip my laptop, the book still thicker.
784 pages!!!!!

T__T

I always have intention to study, but i'm always procrastinating..
please Anty!
start to study!!!

Happy Birthday Joanie!



Hello April 30!!!

It's another birthday. The year that was--came so quickly that it already wiped the twelve months that I once looked forward. I noticed when an individual grows older, maturity really comes with their age. For me, it just came at this point of my life that I stopped looking forward on having a birthday party, a birthday surprise, birthday presents and birthday greetings. I just suddenly felt that if people will remember me I’d be happy. If they don't then it will be ok. That simply means no more expectations this time. I just want something plain and ordinary.

This may sound contradicting of wanting something ordinary but I wouldn't let go of the fact that I want a birthday cake no matter what happens. And I started that promise to myself two years ago. And I'm glad that I am having my birthday cake in 3 consecutive years. Blowing it with eyes closed year after year still excites me! Always wishing that all my wishes will come true one day...

Since I don't expect anything for my birthday, I just slacked and waited for that day to come. Surprisingly I got the chance to pull my leg and went out of town to Nha Trang. It's a 12-hour bus ride from the busy city of Saigon. I celebrated it with good friends and they can't help but give me surprises, which include the birthday cake. I didn't really expect anything but a lot of things during my birthday surprised me---like tried parasailing for the first time; it surprised me to see myself up in the air. I was very stiff and tensed. I was really scared before it went on air. But as I was sailing up in the sky, I was flabbergasted with the fantastic view above the ground. It was a different feeling to see things in a different perspective and a courageous way to conquer my fear. End reward---I was able to fulfill my dream.

I remember last year I came up with bags of good wishes before I headed Saigon. Some did come true. Some are still work in progress. And now, additional dreams are coming my way. I just can't stop setting goals and visions for myself. It always include the things that I am passionate about--My cooking and art. What I have and will always be proud of is a a marriage of two talents. I always keep my fidelity on these two things that I will be forever grateful that my creator has bestowed upon me.

My life in Saigon is a maze-like journey. Few more days I will be approaching my first year anniversary here. How time flies, I really have to say that. And that's another story for me to tell because Saigon is my life now. Up to when it would be? I don't know yet. For now I am just happy to cuddle and embrace him in my life 'til the day that we are still meant for each other.

Oh my Birthday. A really happy one. I was amazed to all the people who greeted me on Facebook. They are a lot for me to thank here. I wasn't expecting anything but just a good birthday but three surprises made me at least happy on my birthday. First, my friends who were my company during Nha Trang trip that made my birthday really fun and exciting. Second, my Aussie friend whom I thought will not remember my birthday but called me and surprisingly he was the only person who called me that day. I could've spent my birthday with him if I was not in Nha Trang. That call compensated everything he owed me. Lastly, to my best friend who greeted and sent me a video he did with a soundtrack "Summer Song" by Chad & Jeremy. That made tears fall over and over again in my eyes. I can't thank him enough for being the person who helped and inspired me to become the woman I am today.

Life is nothing but a journey. I will continue to travel and I will see you again next year to narrate another birthday blog :-)

hugs,
joanie xxx

GIVEAWAY YAY!!!


Hi Everyone!!!
In my previous post, I talked about a giveaway. Well, here it comes! I have been contacted by CSN online stores www.csnstores.com and as soon as checked their websites I REALLY fell in love with a lot of the items they sell! I felt like I wanna order & order & order! What really thrilled me is their affiliate German site which I can also use here in Germany :)
Another thing that amazed me was the home bars, this is something that I myself consider to be a necessity for people who like to entertain a lot (like us) :)
I chose my giveaway from their other site www.cookware.com and it took me forever, because I simply could not make up on my mind easily :) but finally I did. My choice landed on this Le Creuset 6-Quart Stock Pot
I use Le Creuset and love their quality! It heats rapidly, really good for slow simmering, doesn't absorb odors or flavors and is easy to clean. Very elegant item.

So come on, residents of the US and Canada all you have to do is let me know if you like this item :) Then the names of all of you will enter the draw through random.org and the winner will be contacted to receive it! Soooooooo easy no???
I am waiting...

Last day to participate is Sunday May 16. Good luck to all the participants!

Two more ways with nettles

The sheer mettle of nettles. They are taking over the garden: cropping up in the vegetable patch, dominating the borders and creating no-go zones in the middle of the lawn.

But revenge comes in many forms – all of them tasty.



Nettle soup is a well-worn classic: virtuous and brilliantly evocative of Spring but hardly exciting and there are a thousand and one recipes for it washing around the Internet. In short, it needed re-mastering.

Sweet Potato, Nettle and Chickpea Soup



This is a soup with substance; a filling bowlful of hearty satisfaction. Pepped up with the warmth of some aromatic spices it is perfect for those evenings when the sun dips a little too fast leaving the seven o’clock air with a surprising, biting chill.

Two large sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
A baking potato, peeled and diced
Two white onions, peeled and sliced
As much garlic as you wish
Spices: cumin, cinnamon, coriander, cloves, star anise – take your pick
Lots of fresh nettle tops
A tin of chickpeas
Vegetable stock, about 3 pints

I’m fairly certain you know how to make a soup so forgive me if I patronise.

Fry off your chosen spices in a little oil until they in turn start to release their oils. The smell will change, just take care not to burn them else you will add a bitter note to the soup. Crush them in a pestle and mortar then add the garlic.

Fry the onion until soft then add the potato (both sweet and regular). Give it a little colour then add the spices and garlic before covering with stock. Leave to simmer until the potatoes are cooked then blend and pass through a sieve to remove and rogue crunchy spices.



Wash and pick over the nettles removing any thick stems and inevitable creepy crawlies. Cook in plenty of rapidly boiling, salted water then leave them to drain in a colander or sieve. Chop the nettles then add to the soup along with a can of drained chickpeas. Heat through and serve with bread or cheese straws anda big jumper.

Nettle Aloo

As an accompaniment to Indian food, aloo saag (potatoes and spinach) is a firm favourite. Here the spinach is replaced with blanched and chopped nettles which gives a wonderfully fresh, almost grassy flavour. It works.

A large white onion, finely chopped
3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
Teaspoon of mustard seeds
Two teaspoons black onion seeds
Two teaspoons methi (fenugreek seeds)
Salt and pepper
2-3 potatoes, depending on size, peeled and diced into c.2cm cubes
Nettles, lots.

Blanch the nettles in boiling water then drain in a colander. Finely chop them and set them to one side.

Boil the potatoes in salted water until just shy of being cooked. About 10 minutes should do it

Fry the spices in oil, lower the heat then add the onion and cook until it softens. Add the garlic then the potatoes. Cook until they begin to colour and are soft throughout then add the chopped nettles. Let down with a little water if necessary, season and serve with whichever curries you desire.

Photos by @photolotte (flickr)