I don't believe in Hermes

I was freezing from the AC when an associate whom I had a meeting with lent me a piece of scarf. It was off white-base with bright summer colors and adorned with motifs that caught my eyes - bicycles, hot air balloons and orange ribbons. It felt silky soft when I put it around my neck. It's so pretty that I couldn't keep my eyes off its reflection.

"Where is it from?", I asked her. "Hermes", she replied. I was dazzled.
For days after the meeting, I couldn't forget about the prettiest scarf I ever wrapped myself with. 

Among the classic high end brands, I never thought much of Hermes nor did I bother to learn the correct pronunciation of the brand. I heard that you need to buy smaller items like dining sets or scarfs before the brand lets you own a bag. Whatever. I have not had the intention to own one. But I couldn't get the scarf off my mind....

My sister once attended a workshop by an Italian branding guru. He said "People don't need luxury goods. But they desire luxury goods. They want to be part of the history. They want to be part of the story." It sounded stupid. And I'm guilty as charged.

So when I found myself strolling on the shopping belt of Cannes, I know where I wanted to go. Eghmesz. That's how the French say it.

The good looking shop attendants and security guards greeted us, "Bonjour madame, welcome".

I looked around and felt a bit intimidated by the posh ambiance. I saw an Indonesian lady (her batik and kerudung gave it away) sitting mighty on the other end of the shop. A store assistant was attending to her and her daughter was translating for her. Like a highlander sensing another member of the clan, the lady turned around, looked at me and gave a nodding smile. In my head she was saying "Go ahead. You deserve it".

The shop assistant patiently parading all the scarfs to us, explaining the details, giving recommendations and talked about 10 designers who worked on different designs, and how they each signed on the scarf. I settled on the one that taken my breath away the most - an "Ex-Libris En Kimonos" (I never knew scarf has a title). It's bright with spring-in-the-orient theme. 

I felt complete as I paid for it. A beautiful person deserves only the most beautiful things. 

I will always remember the beaming smile on my mother's face when I presented the scarf to her.

Ex-Libris En Kimonos 

Home Coming. Mom posed in front of  a Hermes' statue at The Museum of Jakarta in her Ex-Libris En Kimonos

Living Out of a Suitcase

I spent 6 months of 2012 living out of my trustee red Samsonite suitcase. That includes the months living in Lao, the transition period when I shifted apartments in Singapore and when I was travelling throughout December.

The packing-unpacking process, trying to fit my life in to just one suitcase, taught me important life lessons.

1. Letting go 
Packing is like moving on in life. You have to leave behind stuff that are less important to make space for the really important ones. You are only allowed 23 kg on Lao Airline. If you insist to carry everything with you - you have to pay the fines and carry extra baggage wherever you go.

2. Make your choice and stick with it
If I could have my way, I'd travel with 3 suitcases; one for clothes, one for accessories and footwear and a 'comfort suitcase' filled with my fave stuff ie.water bottle, frying pan, reading light, my gingerbread man doll....

But I hardly have my way. I have to choose what I needed the most and fit them in one luggage. When I thought of my red platform shoes that I left in Singapore, and how it would look great with my outfits in Vientiane, I told myself "You've decided to leave those shoes behind.So work with what you have".

What's done is done. Just look ahead of you.

3. Simplify your life
I normally have about 5 choices of working shoes, and more for play. And don't get me started about body care. I use different moisturizer for different parts of the body. I counted more than 10 products that I regularly applied between shower and stepping out of the house.
But for months, I managed to rotate 3 pairs of shoes - to work and play. I opted for multi-function products to cut down baggage weight. I realize I can live without a lot of things if I want to. IF I WANT TO. 

4. Invest in a really good suitcase
You need one good suitcase that is: 

• large enough to fit all your important belongings 
• light enough so it doesn't  take up your baggage allowance or when you have to climb up and down the merciless staircases of London underground
• ergonomic enough so it runs with you when you're late for your flight/train/bus/ship/tuk-tuk
• sturdy enough to walk through the potholes of Vientiane or the cobble stones streets of Marseille. Or when it gets thrown about inside a Damri from Cengkareng
• presentable enough to stroll through the lobby of a posh building

Scotch egg I love you.

I was introduced to scotch eggs by a Brit hunk named Andy Bates. He was busy in his kitchen when I first saw him, mixing minced meat, herbs and spices and wrapping it around half boiled egg. Then, the baseball sized mixture was dunked in egg wash and bread crumb before he dropped it in the deep fryer. A few minutes later he took out a round golden brown crispy fare in his arm. It was love at first sight. Obsession, to be precise. 

Andy was hosting a deelish-looking show on food network called Street Feast. We first 'met' through the 51" Toshiba in my living room on a lazy Sunday afternoon. A former restaurant chef, Andy travels around UK to feature popular street food around the country and give a twist to traditional British street food recipes in his kitchen. I have never heard of scotch eggs before Andy. It looks super yummy and dreamed about it one night.
 
Andy recently launched his cook book and Street Feast USA where he does the same with American street food.

His food is available in a street stall in London twice a week. So when I was in town, sampling the scotch egg is a priority on my list. Traditionally made with mince pork, Andy created a variety of scotch eggs with fish and a vegetarian version. They tasted way better then I imagined. In the spirit of holiday, I also sampled the spinach pastry and custard pie. LOVE. And I love it even more when Andy (He served the customers himself!) gave me a discount after telling him I watched his show on this part of the world.   

I miss scotch egg so much I could smell it....

Scotch eeeeeegggg :

Andy - the cutest mamang penjaga jajanan pinggir jalan.

To Keep

I cleared quite a bit of old stuff from my room in Jakarta right after the new year.
Old diary books, university brochures, old magazines and plenty other random things that I can live without.

But I also came accross memorable items that I will definitely keep.

1. My penpal.
My former Finnish penpal -now Facebook friend- Anne Kyro first wrote to me when I was 12 yrs old.Throughout the years, we shared stories about our lives over airmails. Schools, holidays, friends, guys, birthday presents, christmas presents, university, moving, our parents' separation, jobs, life commitments..

 I found her first letter sent from Helsinki in 1992 and a series of pictures sent between 1992 and 1998.

We've never met in person to this day. We really need to work on that.

1992-1998

Anne's first letter

2.  My first analog watch.
It a birthday present that Mom bought when I was in 2nd grade. It's a Benetton with brown leather strap bought from a shop in Melawai Plaza. I'm gonna bring this vintage item back to life.

3. My gang.
My high school gang and I spent one Sunday afternoon in the old part of Jakarta, back in Dec 1999.Ayse just joined a photography class and wanted to test her skill by taking our portraits. I found a picture of younger us. 13 years later, we're still a gang. Slightly more wiser and 'slightly' heavier.

I noticed how Kamjet used to have smilar jeans' size as Fanny.

4. Camilla the Torturer.
Most senior students exchange goodbye notes when they graduated from high school. But not many took the notebook home, spent overnight to recount the past 4 years in school and wrote a 10 page memoir. Hasief did. Apparently the thing that he remembered the most about me was my collection of male models' collage. And how I used it to (or what they feel like) torture my guys' friends. It's an entertaining account. He always have better writing skills then interpersonal skills. Maybe he's changed. He..he..pissss Heb!

7% 
Written by a 90 year old



Written by Regina Brett, 90 years old, of the Plain Dealer, Cleveland , Ohio .

"To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 42 lessons life taught me. It is the most requested column I've ever written.

My odometer rolled over to 90 in August, so here is the column once more:

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short – enjoy it..

4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and family will.

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don't have to win every argument. Stay true to yourself.

7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.

8. Save for retirement starting with your first pay check.

9. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

10. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.

11. It's OK to let your children see you cry.

12. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

13. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it...

14 Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

15. Get rid of anything that isn't useful. Clutter weighs you down in many ways.

16. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.

17. It's never too late to be happy. But it’s all up to you and no one else.

18. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.

19. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

20. Over prepare, then go with the flow.

21. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.

22. The most important sex organ is the brain.

23. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.

24. Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years, will this matter?'

25. Always choose life.

26. Forgive but don’t forget.

27. What other people think of you is none of your business.

28. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.

29. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

30. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does..

31. Believe in miracles.

32. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

33. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.

34. Your children get only one childhood.

35. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

36. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

37. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.

38. Envy is a waste of time. Accept what you already have not what you need.

39. The best is yet to come...

40. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

41. Yield.

42. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift."

2013

1. Try 

2. Try Again 

3. Try Once More 

4. Try It A Little Differently 

5. Try It Again Tomorrow 

6. Try And Ask For Help 

7. Try To Find Someone Who's Done It 

8. Try To Determine What's Not Working 

9. Try To Determine What Is Working 

10. Just Keep Trying

Globalisation is catching up with yr Indonesian friend who lives in Singapore, over Italian coffee and food in a German city. And then had a pee stop in Holland and now back for dinner in Belgium.

Sat, 8 Dec

The immigration police at the France-UK border has never seen an Indonesian before. So he called his friend to catch a glimpse of this rare Indonesienne sighting. If they stare 2 seconds longer, I'd charge them 2 Euros each.

Six hours later I arrived in Brussel. My friend Aki has the whole weekend planned for us. He straight away whisked me to snowy Cologne in the warmth of his Audi. We toured the Christmas markets, drank warm wine (Aki) and hot chocolates (just me) and checking out the Dom cathedral. It's beautiful at night. We then drove to snow-covered Dusseldorf. The temp was -10 degree at one point. I saw only white from our hotel room.

We explored the zentrum and discovered my new fave beverage - kinderpunsch!

We're back in Brussel by dinner time. He took me to old school Aux Armes de Bruxelles where I had the best vol-au-vent and  kue semprong. Brussel's Christmas market is even better - the scent from the waffle stalls and hot fruit juices complement this 'warm' city. After sub-zero Germany, Brussel's 5 degree temp feels 'mild'.

Dusseldorf
The red hat figurine remind me of my fave tale character - Noddy.

I'm obsessed with that elf. I want it!

Aki and busy mini bakers.