shopping for silver

Mom has a thing for bags... And brooches... Well, and flower seeds and gardening. She tried to resist my offer to buy her something from Bali, but then she said, "Well, if you INSIST, then a silver brooch," to which I replied, "But Mom, I bought you a silver brooch when I came to Bali two years ago and you never wore it!"

"Says who? I wear it often! The thing is, it the pin was bent, so I'm worried it'll break," she said.

So off we went to Ubud, where silver jewelry (the highest quality in Bali) abound. If you're looking for silver jewelry or silver artisans, Bali and Yogyakarta (central Java) are famous for silver. The designs and the craftsmanship are exquisite (this was the word I kept muttering when I saw the silver collections).

Our search began in several artisan shops in an area called Celuk. They sell exquisite jewelry from rings, brooches, hair pins, to earrings, and bracelets and bangles, and decorations made of silver and or gold. We went to one artisan shop and there was this exquisite (see, I keep repeating that word) brooch. The price tag was around USD 600. The seller saw that we were locals, so he gave us USD 300. When we were about to leave, he gave us USD 100.

We went to other artisan shops, including one called UC Silver. Their collections are beautiful, but too crazy contemporary. Too modern for my taste. I was looking for something more local, more traditional, more Indonesian, and definitely not that expensive (Ruby encrusted brooch for USD 1,200? Really? I guess they have to pay for the billboards, the shops, the personal assistants for shoppers (yes, kidding I am not), the display, the decor, and the renovation for the new parking lot).

Then we began our search to smaller silver boutiques in Ubud, and I found the perfect brooch for Mom. Strangely, it was at CV Utami, the store where I bought Mom her first silver brooch.

Isn't it just exquisite? I couldn't find a cat, so I chose a peacock. Hopefully it'll remind her of my tattoo and give her subliminal messages to allow me to get more ink.

Finally, we had lunch at Tutma, a cozy open-air restaurant in Ubud. I had Vegetarian Platter (seriously overpriced and not even tasty) and iced tea (which had an icky aftertaste), and Cinnamon Roll (this one is crazy good. It was big and warm, picture attached). 

fabric frenzy

Whenever I'm in Bali, I always go to Jalan Sulawesi / Pasar Badung. It's an area that sells all kinds of imaginable fabrics: Batik, solid satin, charmeuse, taffeta, velvet, stretch velvet, organza, to Balinese golden ceremonial and traditional cloths.

I felt I needed more pantaloons, so my boyfriend drove me to Jalan Sulawesi. I've been looking for either charmeuse or stretch print velvet, but I found better ones.

As I was paying for the two Indian print fabrics (I had a hard time deciding which color, they were all so beautiful, but I only had a budget for two prints), my eyes brought me to another section and I found it: print taffeta. The fabric was soft and drapey, the motif was perfect, and the color... I tried my best to take photos, but I just couldn't capture the color.

When the fabric was cut and the roll was placed back to the section, I still couldn't take my eyes off of it. I guess it meant I really loved it. It's the top one in the picture on the left. It's ridiculously cheap: only about USD 4 per meter! The Indian prints are even half the price.

jetlagged much?

I promised myself that I would go straight to FatChanceBellyDance for a class. I took a little nap after lunch (I had Chinese). The nap was much needed because I just carried tons of WholeFoods stuff for five blocks. After setting the alarm on my cellphone, I dozed off. I woke up to a strummed guitar sounds from my neighbor and realized that it was 7 PM already - I had missed my class.

Lord knows how many times and how hard I've been kicking myself on my arse.

By the way, the Chinese restaurant located right in front of my apartment doesn't sell the Chinese pancake like the restaurant near the hostel. However, the Kung Pao Tofu was quite delicious and satisfying and I was also given a treat: a fortune cookie! So after the nap, I opened the cookie and guess what's inside the content:

Yes, me and hundreds of other people who received that cookie. Creative? Perhaps. Original? Who is anymore. Alert? BAHAHAHAHAHA... I wouldn't have missed my class had I been alert.

Anyway, for dinner, I made myself some toast, cut a half of a tomato and microwaved (!!) several pieces of broccoli nuggets, all served with a decent serving of vegannaise... That 4-month old vegannaise. Thank goodness it was the last serving. I had to go back to WholeFoods to buy more.

Oh, well. I forgot to purchase some few items. Plus, I have plans to clean the whole apartment tomorrow... If my mind decides to be alert.

guess what came in the mail

I just got accepted at St. Mary's College of California for the MFA program in Creative Writing in Fiction.

This is...

This is clearly, one step, no... ONE LEAP towards world domination literary world domination becoming a disciplined writer that I wish to be.

So umm... I went on a shopping spree on Amazon.com and bought three books out of my very long wish list and now the books are here.

Or were here, since I got the books yesterday and I've been reading my first one called Lover of Unreason by Yehuda Koren and Eilat Negev. It's an interesting biography about Assia Wevill, Ted Hughes' other woman in his marriage to Sylvia Plath. Even as a hardcore Plath fan (I'm going to have a bell jar tattooed on my arm this year), I find Assia's character sometimes endearing. I'm on page 73 (of 227 - my God the fonts are small and the book is quite big) now and I just adore how the two authors described Assia's life in a neutral, academic way.

Next up is The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath (edited by Karen V. Kukil). I had no idea that this book would have 675 pages with the same small fonts and relatively same book size with the Assia Wevill one.

Then again, it's Plath. I always have high expectations on her work and she never fails to impress me. And yes, I'm writing in present tense.

The final book will be Snow by Orhan Pamuk. I read My Name is Red years ago and was absolutely smitten by how Pamuk wrote it. I fell in love with him (and found out that he's rather cute - HAHA. This is absolutely not professional or academical whatsoever). I just picked Snow out of the blue. This will be my second Orhan Pamuk, so I don't really know what to expect.

my love affair with spongebob squarepants

My fascination with Spongebob Squarepants had begun even before the show itself was famous. When I became infatuated with the show, I didn't even know that a "random joke" existed or that randomness could be invented into something so original, so funny, and so entertaining.

I have to say, I don't have a favorite character. I love every one of them and I just can't get over the fact that Gary the Snail MEOWS. I mean, that practically means Gary is a cat and I love cats. Then again, I may have to point out that I totally love Squidward (Tentacles) and (Sheldon J.) Plankton. They're both so... So real. I love Spongebob's enthusiasm and charm and sometimes nonsensical enthusiasm and charm, but Squidward and Plankton are totally awesome. I also think Squidward might be gay and that makes me love him more. Plankton is diabolical, and I have an affection towards evil doers such as Maleficent (Sleeping Beauty), Ursula (Little Mermaid), and Scar (Lion King).

And I also know that I happen to live in the USA (for the time being, obviously) and I keep finding really weird stuff. I was at the Walgreens and I made a quick and impulsive purchase on a Spongebob Squarepants Krabby Patty gummies. How cool is that? It was the only one in the rack left, so I quickly snatched it, smiling to myself proudly having acquired something Squarepantsy.

Now if only I could afford that Spongebob Squarepants Lava Lamp...

spring break

Spring break is almost over. I didn't go to Las Vegas, nor to San Diego, nor to Los Angeles. I almost went to Seattle for Cues and Tattoos, but FCBD's class was full to the brim, so I'd rather stay at the hostel.

It's been raining on and off and today it's sunny.

I haven't blogged for ages but my Acer laptop just died all of a sudden (motherboard problem) and my Samsung R540 laptop arrived yesterday night. My head is filled with so many issues I have to write about, so I think I'll rant on.

No, I haven't been to the Golden Gate, the China Town, the Alcatraz, or even the Indonesian restaurant not 15 minutes away from the hostel with bus. I was simply enjoying the time off. The hostel is very quiet and internet connection is very fast. Then again, there have been big groups that are understandably very loud. And the French... Well, they're boisterous as ever.

However, I went shopping... ONLINE, that is. Amazon is good to people in the US of A, what with its Free Super Saver Shipping and their return policy (no wait, I think Amazon's return policy is also available for international customers, but I could be wrong).

I went shopping for stuff I didn't really need. What's amazing about Amazon is that it always has good bargain. The key is to know what you need, not what you want. And no, I'm not smacking my head as I'm writing this.

When my Acer laptop was still working, I made use of my lazy days going online, browsing for cute items. And I found this: a Pamela Love's Tribal Spike cuff (bronze, USD 645). And you know, many "fashion forward" bloggers reviewed it as completely original.

Umm... The same "Tribal Spike Cuff" has been owned by Carolena Nericcio of FatChanceBellyDance since ages ago and the magnificent design and work belong to the Kohistani tribe whose women wear the spike cuff as protection against stupid people. The spike cuff is also called Gokhru cuff, since it is designed after the Gokhru seeds and leaves. Here is the original and antique Gokhru cuff from TribalSouk.com (antique silver, USD 600).

Now, my .02 is that as far as I know, the Kohistani tribesmen still manufacture such cuffs and embellishments. And then there's some "fashion jewelry maker" who makes the almost exact replica but using bronze instead of antique silver, and selling the cuff for USD 45 more! Talk about rip off.

However, if you happen to be an exec at a cheap knock-off fashion manufacturer like Forever 21 and TopShop, you might want to sell this for USD 40. And so I ordered a pair of "Warrior Spike Cuff" along with two wicked costumey necklaces from TopShop.

Now that we've got that sorted out, I have to confess that I didn't really show a sense of solidarity with my friends in Indonesia. I went to see two movies (and I think I'm going to see three more and be broke at the end of the week. I really want to see Rango, King's Speech, and Red Riding Hood).

The first movie I saw was Battle: Los Angeles, starring Aaron Eckhart, Michelle Rodriguez and a bunch of hot marines *giggles*. Michelle Rodriguez was right when she said it was a cross between District 9 and umm... something else that I forgot. It was not Avatar in that it wasn't beautiful or scenic or anything (just ruins). It was a bit like War of the Worlds (the one with Tom Cruise), but not that jarring or gory. War of the Worlds also has its scenic moments. It is not as gory as District 9, but just as emotional although in a different way. I have to be honest here: I cried when watching Battle: LA. That scene where (SPOILER) Hector's father died was just so powerful. Hector's such a good kid actor.

Battle: LA has some inspiring moments and quotes, such as, "Marines never quit!" (I can totally use that level of discipline in my own bellydance regimen).

The second movie was Adjustment Bureau. I never really cared about Matt Damon, but I love Emily Blunt. Now this movie is amazing. I'm going to say that the plot can be cliche (you create your own future) and atheistic (even God will follow what you say if your will is strong enough), but its romance is strong, and one can learn so much about waiting and let Chance trigger a little catalyst. The rest, paired with our will, is what's going to define our future.

I have seven minutes to get dressed, walk five blocks to AMC Theatre and catch Red Riding Hood.

The question is, do I really want to?

kiss the cook

Yes, yours truly here prays every night to God almighty to confront his fears and soar like an eagle in the sky.

One of those fears being conquered is... COOKING!

Okay, folks. This is extremely easy. I mean... I'm cooking illiterate (whatever that means. You get what that means, right?) but it's easy as apple pie. (OKAY SO MAKING APPLE PIE IS NOT EASY. BAD ANALOGY.)

Here's what I did:

I took a bunch of broccoli, chop them up and even keep the stems. I steamed them in already boiling water for two minutes until they turn bright green and just yummy. I added some salt too. After some more stirrings, I took them out of the pot and set them aside.

I bought the tofu off WholeFoods and it turns out to not contain water (or at least minimal), so I didn't have to dry it. I just dice-cut it and prepare it with some sliced mushrooms.

Now for the frying pan, I used an iron pan because I'm somehow scared of using teflon. So I used quite a lot of vegan butter to grease the pan and make it non sticky since I heard tofu can get stuck on to the surface of the pan. After the butter is all melted and sprinkly, I poured the tofu slices in and sauted them until they're golden brown. And then I added the mushrooms, sauteed a bit, and added the steamed broccoli. I also added an extra pinch of salt (I really should've bought maize powder and soy sauce to make that thick sauce), and voila! It's done!

Just for a little taste, I put mayonaise as a dip. Next time, I should learn how to cook rice. I can always buy cooked rice from the nearest Chinese restaurant. It costs less than USD 1.

I deserve a kiss!

on losing

So I've lost two things now. I've lost one of my rings when I was washing the dishes and then my bluetooth stereo headphone when I was moving my things to my new room.

When I went home last Wednesday, I almost died. I could lose the ring and the headphone, but I can never lose my doll.

Her name is Kitty. She's been with me ever since I was in the sixth grade. I actually got her as a replacement for another doll named Kucil. I lost Kucil months before I got Kitty and when I lost Kucil, I felt like a part of me went with him. And I think I also lost a chunk of innocence when I lost him. I learned about losing and how to cope with it. I think I cried for weeks.

Kitty has come with me to many places in the world. She's been to England, France (twice), Greece, Italy, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, and now she's here in San Francisco.

The thing is, the linens are replaced either every Wednesday or Thursday. I can never seem to remember. I always tuck Kitty in whenever I go to school. Usually during housekeeping days, I'd put her in the drawer with my clothes. However, that Wednesday I was late for school and I remembered that the week before, housekeeping was on Thursday, so I assumed that it would also be Thursday (the day after) and I just tucked Kitty in bed.

When I got home, I got new linens and Kitty was gone. I was hysterical. I went downstairs to the RA's (residential advisors) and they told me ask the cleaning ladies who were on the 5th floor. The cleaning ladies speak only Spanish and little English but they told me they had to check the laundry first, which is, thankfully, done in the same building. I filed a lost report on the front desk and then went back to my room. When I went out, the cleaning ladies had gone home and so I had to spend one night without Kitty, without knowing if she really was in the laundry with my linens, or lost forever. I shut my body down and just sleep. I didn't even bother to clean my eye make-up (I've started painting my nails black, worn chunky rings, and put on black eye shadow). I just slept.

I tried not to be panic when I went downstairs the next morning and asked if someone had turned in a kitten doll and the front desk girl shook her head. So I tried to eat something; I didn't eat anything for dinner. When I was done and ready to go to school, I saw the cleaning lady and I asked her about Kitty. She asked me my room and I answered my room number and she said she'd return it to my room. Although somewhat unsure, I still went to school.

When I returned, Kitty was there on my drawer.

So I went to Britex Fabrics on Geary Street to buy ribbons for Kitty and guess what I fooooooound... A VELVET BLACK ROSE!! Which was so pricey but I just had to buy it anyway.

I'd never going to go back to Britex Fabrics. It made me broke! Here the thing: It's situated smack dab in the middle of posh boutiques (Saks Fifth Avenue, Chanel, Armani, Macy's, you get the idea) in Union Square. It has 4 floors of PURE AWESOMENESS! You can get all kinds of fabrics, ribbons, buttons, just anything. But yeah, it is very expensive. Although, then again, I haven't gone shopping for a very long time and I have made a promise to Kitty and I've always wanted a black rose (AND IT'S FRIGGIN' VELVET!!) for my new Tribal Fusion costume, so... Yeah. Hahaha...

Oh, and there was another anti-Mubarak demonstration. It was bigger than the last week one in Market Street, though. This time they had a march. Someone actually brought a doumbek and played a Beledi rhythm.