Project 365

Not many people knew that I’d go back for good. Most of them found it out a week or even a few days before my departure. So I never expected to receive anything from them. I have too many stuff with me already. I didn’t want to bring anything more. But there was one special gift I got from our angklung team that really touched me and almost made me cry:

This frame is now put in my room in Jeddah. It’ll be brought to Malaysia next year, for sure! I’ll definitely miss playing angklung with them! 🙁

I still can’t believe that I have left Europe for good. It does feel like a dream. It really feels like yesterday when I stepped into this country for the first time. Now I have left. I have left for the better :).

I had a lovely Moroccan farewell dinner with mbak Widi, Cintya, and Farida. We sat at a Moroccan restaurant called Chomicha located in Kruisstraat. The restaurant was quite cozy with a lovely setting. I ordered a 3-course surprise menu. The chef got to choose the meal(s) for me. They were delicious :). The beef tajine was fine. I think Cintya’s kofta tajine was better 😀

I hardly sat in a “real” restaurant here in Eindhoven. I have done it before, only one or two times a year. I decided to do it again since this is my last week in the Netherlands. I just want to treat myself with a really good meal! Alhamdulillah!

 

I’ve been so busy these past few weeks! Too many things to write but so little time. I’ll resume this project next week, insya Allah 🙂

There is a candle in your heart, ready to be kindled.
There is a void in your soul, ready to be filled.
You feel it, don’t you?

— Jalal ad-Din Rumi

Love is such a vast sea, it has neither
edges nor ends nor corners.

— Jalal ad-Din Rumi

I found a blog post on The Jakarta Globe about  Jakarta’s A-Rated Girls. To be honest, I find it disturbing but I can’t deny that it is so true! It doesn’t apply to only guys in Jakarta by the way. You’ll find these kind of guys everywhere. Somehow I see them as a majority. That’s just my guess! 😀

I’m not an A-rated girl that these guys talk about, of course (I hope not!!!). Physical beauty? Are you kidding me? I’d get irritated whenever my guy friends would comment on other girls’ physical attributes. I’d get extremely annoyed and offended if they dared to comment on my clothing or how I look, worst my physical attributes. Seriously, don’t they have any other things to do besides commenting about me and looking at me?! Sorry guys, but that’s EWWWW. Don’t ever dare to say anything about it to me if you’re not my husband!!! hahaha. I’m dead serious.

So, as always, I tweeted this article and got a lot of replies. Who would expect to receive an advice from Pak Harry, a fellow blogger? This is what he had to say:

Sad thing is, many ended up not realizing that with good partner, they CAN become an A-list boy & girl. A loving couple will end up supporting each other. Enabling the other to achieve more. Heck, even just by being in love & in understanding with each other WILL make you more beautiful 🙂 They will shine more brightly than the others, smile more, and clearly truly in happiness. Nothing is more beautiful than a happy woman. Content with everything in her life. So why torture yourself looking for A-list girl/boy – when you can make it yourself ? 🙂 Look for a partner with good attitude & behaviour, be happy together – and people will be jealous with you two.

🙂

Isn’t it such a beautiful advice? 🙂 It makes me want to find that person right about NOW! hahaha.

Be like the sun for grace and mercy.
Be like the night to cover others’ faults.
Be like running water for generosity.
Be like death for rage and anger.
Be like the Earth for modesty.
Appear as you are. Be as you appear.

— Jalal ad-Din Rumi

I just love it to have my passport’s page(s) filled with  stamps, leaving little or no empty space. These are the pages of my old passport, that almost caused me heart attack. This particular passport only contains 24 pages and it only has 5 empty pages left. Too bad I had to renew it, otherwise I could get the entire pages of the passport full of stamps 😉 hehehe.

The year 2009 was a great year indeed. I traveled to 8 different countries in one go! 🙂 I started with a road trip with some friends to Luxembourg, Strasbourg (France), Heidelberg and Köln (both in Germany). From Köln, I went to Düsseldorf to catch a flight to Jeddah. I had an almost 20 hours of transit in Dubai so I decided to explore Dubai (which — as expected — I didn’t really like. Dubai was not my thing). From Saudi Arabia, I flew to Indonesia, visited some friends in Singapore for a day, and stayed with my sister in KL for five boring days (it was an exam week for my sister. So I was there feeling rather bored. Nothing much to do). I came back to Europe through Paris, where I stayed there for 3 days. That was my first time visiting Paris. I love Versailles!!! 🙂

It was a crazy trip, to be honest. At the end of the trip, I was left with only 10 euro on my bank account! hahaha.

One day, I was in a clothing shop, queuing, when a woman went straight in front of the cashier. I told her politely, that I was there first. Instead of saying sorry, explaining why she did it, or moved back, she gave me a nasty look and immediately put her stuff on the cashier desk like I didn’t even exist.

I was obviously very angry. What an arrogant selfish woman! She then looked at me from top to bottom, as if she’s saying, "Who are YOU to tell me where to queue?" What the hell! I wanted to say things to her. I wanted to give her a lesson. I HATE to be looked down by her society. But I just couldn’t think of any words to say in her language! I was stuck there, didn’t know what to say. Ah, I need to be ready next time!!

I know, this is the same old frustration that I have about the people in this part of the world. They failed to change ever since I stepped my feet into this land. Indonesian people cannot queue too, especially in the busway terminal. But at least they queue in the shops, restaurants, food courts, or whatever! They’d back off if you told them that you were there first. They’d stop smoking if you told them that you couldn’t stand the smoke. They’d apologize if they did something wrong. They have manners.

But these people are different! It’s so frustrating!