A Letter To Myself

Dear DebbZie,

I've been waiting the right moment to write a letter for you and since today is your special day, I'd like you to read this...
I often see you as a person who's not comfortable with yourself. You lost your confidence because of  mean things people said to you since your childhood. You were struggling to grow up in a community where people judge based on appearance.
"You are Chinese but your skin is so dark, are you adopted?"
"You're short and chubby."
"Your mom is beautiful. How come you don't look like her at all?"

darkest skin among the family

Their comments hurt your feeling very deep and it has changed the way you think about life. Suddenly all those trophies you've won from various competition didn't matter anymore. You ignored all the achievements you've accomplished.You started taking diet pills from a very young age. That's because you grew up with an idea that beautiful means skinny body, fair skin and long straight hair.

As you're getting older you often feel lost. You look at your reflection on the mirror and thought you actually are not ugly at all, but nasty comments keep coming and saying otherwise.
"Why are you still single? You're getting old and you're expiring soon, you know?" (as if you are some kind of canned food which has an expiry date).
"You're fat. You must lose some weight if you want to get a boyfriend."
"You will be lonely for the rest of your life."
The wound in your heart is getting deeper and deeper. You're very sad yet you refuse to show it to the world. Cheerful smiles never faded from your face, little did they know you have spent countless times crying and feeling shattered.

Dear DebbZie,

Please stop being too hard to yourself. You may not skinny, tall and have a supermodel face but believe me, you're beautiful just they way you are. You just need to love yourself more. Even though you're very stubborn person, rebel, forgetful, moody and undisciplined, still you deserve to be happy. You should appreciate all the good things you've done. It's fine to focus on more useful things than just your appearance and worrying about other people's thought. It's your life, you don't need to prove anything to anyone. Just do things that make you happy, like rescuing and feeding the street dogs or visiting the orphanage. They never fail to put a smile on your face, right?

adorable kids at the orphanage

taking the hit and run victim to the animal hospital

they're happy to have a place called home

don't be sad, let's play with us!

my new bed is so comfy

 And don't you forget about some accomplishments that you should be proud of. Earlier this year you were invited to be one of the speakers of a cool travel event called Wego Hangout. As a person who's lack of self confidence, you dread public speaking. But you fought it and braved yourself to share your stories in front of the audience. You were also interviewed and featured in Joy magazine and some of your works have been published on book and magazine. 

nervous but you did it!

awesome people

featured in magazine

  

When in doubt, just remember all these good things that happened in your life. Ignore the people who have negative influence in your life and stick to those who always support you no matter what. 

Happy birthday to you! Wishing you many fabulous travel adventures ahead. Let's repeat your mantra every year. Age is just a number and you are as old as you feel.

taking a nap on the roof of Milan Cathedral

I love you, myself
           D

Review: Baca Resep Dulu

Rutinitas memasak di rumah bisa dibilang mengasikkan buat yang hobby memasak. Namun kadang kita merasa bingung juga mencari ide, "enaknya masak apa ya hari ini ?". Nahhh...itu berarti saatnya mengintip Baca Resep Dulu, satu website baru yang berisi resep-resep masakan lezat.Meskipun website ini masih muda umurnya, namun koleksi resep mereka sudah cukup banyak. Mulai dari menu appertizer hingga dessert, baik masakan Indonesia maupun mancanegara.

Rata-rata resep di website ini cukup simple dan step by step cara memasak yang mudah untuk diikuti. Selain foto makanan yang menggiurkan, di setiap resep terdapat penjelasan asal/ latar belakang menu dan tips untuk mendapatkan hasil masakan yang maksimal. Jadi bukan hanya mendapat resep baru, dari website ini kita bisa belajar banyak pengetahuan baru tentang kuliner mancanegara

Nah kan siapa bilang memasak itu ribet dan susah? Sebagai pemula, coba masakan yang mudah dahulu. Saran dari saya, kumpulkan semua bahan masakan di meja dapur. Timbang atau takar bahan tersebut dan olah sesuai petunjuk resep. Setelah semua bahan siap, baru dech kita mulai memasak sesuai dengan urutan cara memasak. Jadinya tidak kalang kabut, waktu memasak sambil bingung mencari, menimbang atau memotong bahan. Bisa-bisa keburu hangus kan :p

Saran yang lain, jangan ragu menyesuaikan takaran bumbu sesuai selera kita. Umumnya untuk makanan utama, takaran bumbu tidak terlalu baku. Jadi kamu bisa menambah atau mengurangi bumbu. Misalnya menambah sedikit takaran garam apabila kamu penggemar rasa asin begitu pula sebaliknya.

Psstt....ada beberapa resep saya yang dimuat disini lho. Kalau mau, kalian juga bisa jadi kontributor dan kirim resep andalan untuk website Baca Resep Dulu. Info lebih lanjut, silahkan email: susan@bacaresepdulu.com. Website ini dimanage oleh Adam & Susan dari Pergi Dulu, sebuah website traveling yang mengupas tempat-tempat menarik untuk dikunjungi.Untuk mendapat update resep terbaru, jangan lupa untuk follow twitter @BacaResepDulu

Jadi hari ini kamu mau masak apa ?

2012 in a Nutshell

Happy New Year 2013 to everyone !!! I wish you all a great year ahead :)

2012 was quite a whirlwind year for me. If you have read my birthday post or follow my twitter you probably knew that I had been in so much stress because my Dad had to be hospitalised couple times for being sick. Even now as I'm typing this post, we've been in Singapore for one week for daily hospital visit. On December 2, 2012 my father had a stroke from brain hemorrhage (bleeding). We had to rush him to the hospital because he couldn't move his body and was about to lose consciousness. It was just 3 weeks away from our Christmas holiday to Sapporo, Japan. We had to cancel the trip and lost all the money we've paid :(

But I believe that life is about a balance of good and bad times. I had some rough days in tears while my Dad in the hospital. In the other hand I also have some happy days when I feel so blessed for being able to travel some countries that I had been dreaming to visit for a long time.
Without further ado, here's my 2012 travel photography review:


Netherlands - March
Travelled to Amsterdam to help my sister packing all her stuff and back to Indonesia for good. It was during spring so we managed to visit the most beautiful spring garden in the world, Keukenhof.

Amsterdam

Belgium - March
I joined a one day tour to Antwerp and Brussels from Amsterdam. A beautiful day when I stuffed my stomach full with Belgian waffle, chocolate, fries and escargot. Unfortunately the day ended with a traumatising groping incident.

Antwerp

Rome - March
I lost my checked in suitcase during a short 2 hours flight from Amsterdam to Rome by KLM. After 4 days and 100 phone calls later, they finally found my suitcase and sent it to my hotel.....only to find my suitcase lock has broken and lots of my stuff have gone forever (YES! including my precious 5 boxes Belgian dark chocolate!)

Colosseum

Vatican - March 
I couldn't express my feeling when I finally walked through this Holy city.  I had been dreaming to visit St. Peter's Basilica since ages ago. Specially after watching Angels & Demons the movie. I'm so intrigued by the mysteries that's hidden there. I felt so lucky to be able to have a private mass in the basement of St. Peter's basilica.

St. Peter's Square

Dubai - March
A short 3 days visit to Dubai before flied back home from Rome. I had great time exploring this fascinating city, specially during the desert safari.

Atlantis the Palm hotel

Alaska - June
I had a freezing summer holiday by joining a 8 days Alaskan cruise. Alaska has the most stunning nature life that I've ever seen. Oh ! and dog sledding was so much fun too !

Tracy Arm Fjord

Canada - July
A road trip along British Columbia will never bore me. The scenery was just so breathtaking that it looks surreal sometimes.

Peyto lake

Singapore - November & December
Flied to Singapore in November and December to take my father to the hospital. As much as I love the food, I feel like I easily get bored when I stay here for more than 1 week. I don't know, maybe because I visit Singapore mostly for medical reason. It could be a different story if I were having holiday here.

Garden by the Bay

So...that's roughly my highlights of 2012.
How about yours ?

The Day I Was (Finally) Born

my beautiful Mom

Once upon a time, there was this beautiful lady who had to go through several procedures in the hospital because after 11 months, her baby persisted to stay inside her womb still.  Yes, that stubborn baby was me. I don't blame if Mom was freak out that she was going to be pregnant for the rest of her life. I can’t remember though what facilities inside the womb that made me stay longer. It can't be the free WIFI for tweeting or FB-ing, right? Maybe Mom has eaten so much delicious food which I absorb greedily through the placenta. Or I think most probably was because I enjoyed travelling around the world for free. Carrying a baby inside your tummy doesn’t count as excess baggage, right?

the stubborn baby aka me

So today is my 17^th birthday……….well….OK, I lied, actually I’m turning 25 today…….What, that's not true?  Gosh! can’t you just pretend to believe that and make a girl happy on her special day? Fine, the truth is, I’m 33 years old now with wrinkles, grey hairs and fats here and there. I know, getting old sucks but still I'm grateful for every seconds of my life. I’m grateful for having wonderful family and friends, but most of all I'm grateful for having such amazing Mom & Dad who I caught the travel bug from. My parents jokingly told me that I was being “made” during their trip to Taiwan, Japan and USA in 1978 thus made me a travel junkie.

I’d like to make a wish before blowing out the candles on my birthday cake. What are they? Well, there’re some on my bucket list including catching Aurora Borealis, to work as a wildlife volunteer in Africa, to build a place for the stray dogs and cats and visiting countries I’ve never been.  Also I wish the best health for Dad and Mom, my travel companion.

Dad & Mom travelling to USA in 1978

Lots of people asking me why I often travel with my parents which they think such a nightmare and no fun at all. Well I beg to differ, because regardless their age (Dad is nearly 70 and Mom is nearly 60), they are so passionate about travelling more than anyone else. Last June just 3 days before our trip to Alaska & Canada, my Dad fell down in the bathroom and fainted for about 15 minutes before we finally took him to the hospital. Turned out his haemoglobin level has dropped to 7, when the normal haemoglobin level for adult male is 13, 8 to 17, 2. He had to do blood transfusion to boost his HB level.

I was so panic and was about to cancel our trip and lost all the money we’ve paid. But Dad insisted he wanted to see Alaska, even though the doctor strongly forbade him to do so. Because even after 2 days and 8 units of blood transfusion, his HB level was still too low to even get up from bed and walk without feeling dizzy.  In the end we flied to Vancouver. It was the most terrifying flight I’ve ever had. I couldn’t sleep the whole 13 hours flight because I kept checking on my Dad. The doctor has warned us that it’s very dangerous to fly with a low HB, one of the reason is shortness of breath. Thanks God even though he was very weak most of the time in Alaska and Canada, he has survived and was very happy to finally visited Alaska. 

He looked so pale yet happy

Actually the same case happened last year too before our trip to Jordan, Israel and Egypt. He was hospitalised 1 week before the trip for having gastric problem.  And guess what? He insisted to go even though he was far from well. He even walked 5 km through the Siq in Petra under the scorching hot weather and refused to ride a horse carriage.  He walked very slowly and weak, step by step while Mom and me were holding his hands. Seeing his face basking in happiness after we reached the Treasury was indeed priceless. I’m so proud of my Mom who has been so supportive to Dad no matter what happened.

He made it to the Treasury

So that would be my answer if any of you ever wondered why I love travelling with my parents. I've done many solo travel thing, backpacker thing, tour thing so why not travelling with my family? It makes me feel warm inside and family bonds grow stronger. They had been holding my hands and showing me the world since I was born. Now when they are old and weak, it’s my turn to hold their hands and guide them to explore the rest of the world that we haven’t seen. Thank you Dad and Mom for always being there for me every step of the way. Thank you for being who you are and making me what I am today. No words can express how proud I am to be your daughter. I love both of you…so much!

exploring 5 continents from Asia to Africa

Last but not least, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME !!!

Age is just a number. 33 maybe sounds quite old but I still feel young. Because I believe that you're only as old as you feel !

I'm still young ! YAY, let's dance !

Indonesia: A Month of Festive

This year, August is a month full of celebrations here !

a cloudy morning in Sanur beach, Bali

Started with Indonesia Independence Day on 17 August. This is the 67th anniversary of the Republic of Indonesia's independence in 1945. The red and white flag (Indonesian national flag) were raised everywhere, ceremony were held in every schools and offices and neighbourhoods gear up some fun games. One of the most popular is "Panjat Pinang" means pole climbing. The pole is greased with mixture of oil and clay and at the top are hung varies prize such as bike, television and etc. Lots of people would try to climb over each other and struggling to reach the prize. It's so fun to watch !

the Blue Mosque, Istanbul - Turkey

Followed by the Eid-ul-Fitr on 19 August, to celebrate the end of Ramadan (a month of fasting). Islam is the dominant religion in Indonesia, so it's one of the biggest celebration every year. Families begin this Eid morning with a special Prayer also known as Eid Prayer. People distribute sweets and children wear new clothes on this great Muslim festival known as Eid.

Garuda Wisnu Kencana, Bali

And today here in Bali, the Hindu people are celebrating Galungan, the celebration of the dominance of dharma (good) over adharma (evil). Every 210 days the Balinese people decorate their streets with ornate penjor - bamboo poles weighed down by offerings suspended at the end, and visit their special temples to celebrate Galungan and Kuningan.

Indonesia is known for its rich cultural diversity, with over 300 ethnic languages, each with its own cultural traditions, including musical and dance. There are 6 official religions in Indonesia; Islam, Catholic, Christian, Hindu, Buddha and Confucius . I have a lot of friends with different religion and different ethnic group from me, therefore I feel lucky to experience some of celebrations . Despite all the political problems in Indonesia, I'm proud to be born in this beautiful country, as an Indonesian :)

Travel Updates: Alaska

I’m on Alaska cruise right now! The weather has been unfriendly these couple days, rainy and very windy. It’s summer here but I’m wearing 4 layers of clothes and still I catch a flu, boo hoo.

It’s in the middle of nowhere, there’s no network for my mobile phone and the internet connection is super slow. With $ 0.75 per minute, I think it’s ridiculously expensive. Please bear with me; I’ll reply all the comments when I get a decent internet connection. Until then I’ll try to enjoy this bumpy ride. Please follow my FB page for a status updates. Cheers!

Blog Award Backlog

 

Thanks a bunch to Lexi for giving me this award.
My 1st blog award to celebrate my 10K page views, YAY ! I know 10.000 page views is not a lot but I'm happy! Thanks so much to all of you for stopping by and reading my blog :D
Please don't forget to"like" my FB page and follow me on Twitter: @twitdebbzie

I figured out that there's some rules to do when you received this award.
1. Say 7 random things about yourself
2. Pass this award to 15 bloggers
3. Link back to the blogger who awarded you

Well, actually I'm not really good about describing myself. Most of the time I would say that I'm a simple yet complicated person. That's all, if you want to know more, just find out yourself *act mysterious*
Since I've got this award, I'll try harder. Here's my attempt:

1. I'm a coffeeholic. I'm not sure if that term even exists. I can't live without coffee. I'm a very moody person and without coffee it's even worse. In fact nobody dares to talk to me in the morning before my daily intake of coffee.
I'll bite, believe me :p

2. Every night (or morning?) I go to bed at 4am and wake up after 10 am. My family and friends who know me very well would not disturb me before 10am otherwise they will be in big trouble. What ??? I'm not normal ? according to who?
After moved back from Europe couple years ago, there's been a mismatch between my body clock and Indonesia time zone.

3. I have 1 piercing on my right ear and 5 on the left. Nowadays I hardly wear them though

4. Many people assume I'm younger than my age. Some even think that I'm a high school student. Should I be happy or sad? The truth is I'm as old as a Port Ellen '79 vintage Whisky. Please do the math if you're curious about my age :p

5. I love animals so soooo much that I don't mind giving up shopping to buy food to feed the street dogs and cats everyday. I own 2 Persian cats at home named Leslie & Lucky. I do talk to animal as well. I know, I'm just weird like that.

6. Despite of my great love to animals, I'm NOT a vegetarian. But it's not like I eat cats or dogs though. I only eat chicken, beef, ostrich, pork, crickets, ox testicles, snails, etc...That's quite normal, right ? or not really....

7. I started driving and got my driving licence when I was 14 years old. Psstt.....this is a secret. Please don't tell the police, OK :D

I'd like to nominate this award to:

Fidel

Grace
Sally
Oneika 

Laura & Cipri

Audrey

Cole

Kae Lani

Mary

Carrie

Fish 

Jenny

Kiting

Cumi Lebay

Chinta 

And a blog post is not complete without any pictures, right ? So here's a shot from my beautiful island, Bali.

my secret beach....peaceful :)

2011 in a Nutshell

2011 was definitely the busiest year for me. Normally I travel to less than 10 countries in a year. But last year I visited 12 countries, including Abu Dhabi in the UAE (staying only 8 hours for transit).
So here we go, my 2011 travel photography review:

MAY - Singapore
 We went to Singapore for my Mom annual health checkup in Mount E hospital. And took my sister to Changi airport and bid farewell as she was moving to Netherlands after getting married. It was heartbreaking to see my Mom and Dad crying in the airport :(
I was sad but thanks to Luzi, my best friend, she came all the way from Bali to accompany us. It meant a lot to me. We've been best friend since we were kindergarten student. But it was our first trip abroad together, so it was really fun.

with Luzi and my sister in Universal Studio, Singapore

JUNE - Jordan, Israel, Palestine territory
It's a dream comes true. I've always wanted to visit Petra and no doubt it's truly amazing. I wish I stayed longer there. And as a catholic it was my first pilgrimage trip to holy land, Jerusalem - Israel.

Petra the Red Rose city, Jordan

Haifa, Israel

Bethlehem, Palestine territory

JULY - Egypt
My second trip to Egypt. This time I climb to reach the peak of mount Sinai. It was a tough 8 hours journey and I fell down which caused a very nasty bruised on my legs. Nevertheless it was my great achievement to overcome my acrophobia - the fear of height.

at the peak of mount Sinai, Egypt

SEPTEMBER - Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary, Austria, German
Visiting eastern Europe countries, very beautiful indeed. But I got really sad when visiting the Auschwitz Nazi Camp. All the sickening facts was overwhelming.

Warsaw, Poland

Auschwitz Nazi Camp, Poland

Prague, Czech Republic

Budapest, Hungary

Salzburg, Austria

Neuschwanstein Castle, Germany

NOVEMBER - Singapore
We went to Singapore again because Mom needed to see the doctor.

Orchard Road, Singapore

DECEMBER - Beijing, Shenzhen, Hong Kong
Annual Christmas holiday in Hong Kong and visiting my Grandmother's sister. Also spent some days to explore Beijing and Shenzhen.

the Great Wall, Beijing, China

Shenzhen, China

the Peak, Hong Kong