An Advice From A Good Friend of Mine

"As a good friend, I want to give you one advice and I hope you will remember it whenever you are about to find a boyfriend. Never lower your standard. Be positive and be patience. The right one will come to you, I am sure for that. And I will be your brother, when somebody breaks your heart, I will break his bones," - Andrei, 2012.


Thank you, dear my Germany friend. Somehow I feel like I can keep your advice and encourage me to be more positive. When I heard this advice, I think it's a really good one, so I was thinking of sharing it on my blog. Be positive and be patience. Thinking about it right now, I think he's right. That's all what we ought to do when it comes about love. Be yourself, keep smiling, be positive and be patience. No one knows who is waiting on the other side of your door =)


Maya


ps. don't worry, I am not desperate of getting a boyfriend right now lol

What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Stronger

Today, I start again all of those RA jobs that I had done last semester. Making Guidebook of AP House, picking up the new residents, and (later on!) training camp of RA. I just finished meeting two of my new residents, both of them are Japanese. Unlike the previous floor where I was taking charge of post-graduate students which most of them were international students, this was the first time to me to guide them all in Japanese which made me so nervous.


Every time I saw new residents moving in, I always remembered my first day here. Like any other of my first day at school, I was alone. Well, I was with the Indonesian Group, but still, you know what I mean. Unlike my older brother, I never been accompanied by my parents during my first day of almost anything (except kindergarten?). I was all alone during my first day of junior high school, which I had to commute for approximately an hour from my house back then. I was alone as well during high school. And finally I went all alone, crossing the sea for 7 hours on the plane to reach Japan. In the other hand, my older brother always got accompanied by them. Junior High School, High School, University, and even when he had to move to other city in Indonesia for work.


I don't complaining for their absence all these time, but just now, I saw the Japanese new residents moving in with their parents helping them, I cannot help but I wish my parents also accompany me on my first day. But, on the second thought, I think it will only make me dependable on them. Yes, my parents didn't accompany me on my first days, but somehow it just made me much stronger and stronger.


Seeing the parents helping with all the stuffs and boxes during the moving in period, I cannot help remembering just exactly the same scene when me and my family went to Bandung (one of Indonesian Cities) to help my older brother to move there for college years ago. Slightly in my heart (while seeing those scene), I miss that moment and miss my family as well.


But, let's put the RA Sweater on for one more time because it's time for Pick Up Day!


With Love,
Maya

How This Book Saved My Life

Finished with The Devil Wears Prada, I picked up something new. A based-on-true-story book titled How Starbucks Saved My Life. 

I haven't finished it (but soon will be) this inspiring book. It teaches you the kind of message of fulfill your life to the fullest thingy. Don't regret it until you are in your sixties for sure. Recently, I am dying to read more and more books, and I'm keen to read a light holiday type book. I posted this on my Facebook as my status (which is something I rarely do!), how I badly needed my friend's advice on picking a new book to read. All their picks were great for sure, but, in the end, I am just into something light and inspirational story.


And this book, saved me from this boring routine I have to face everyday in this almost-over-for-me Spring Vacation.

What would be my next book on my reading list? Let's see.

With love,

Maya

For Every Fools Out There

 Found this old short poem of mine in one of my notebooks. Suddenly feeling of posting this as I cannot get into sleep in this windy night. It titled "A Fool".

"It's been a while since the last time I met you. 

バーカ 

I wish I can say it out loud. 

バーカ 

I wish I can hit you right in the face. 

バーカ 

I wish I can ask you to stay away. 

バーカ 

Yes, because I am バカ , I cannot do any of them." - M

 Enjoy!


Maya


ps. バーカ (baka) means a fool in Japanese

The Holiday I've Always Wanted

This Month on my Reading-List

Everybody knows this book. It had made into a movie on 2006 starring Anne Hathaway and Meryl Streep, deeply in love with this movie since the very first time I watched this with my bestfriend. Yes, it's about fashion and New York. That Big Apple City I always wanted to live of. The book itself (haven't finished yet!) very very enjoying to me.

As being an RA and engaged in all of those stuffs (Indonesian Week 2012, etc.) I literally mere have a good free time. Those precious time of me spending my weekend in bed all day long while reading some novels or watching some movies became something that I always crave of. And today, I got what I deserve the most: a relaxing Sunday.

I kind of wanting make my own Reading List that I will update it every month. It feels so good to get your hobby back: reading something so passionately. Believe me, I was quite terrified when I started losing my passion of reading and writing something several months ago due to my tiredness. Guess it just coming back to me, right?

I will post something more when I decide to start reading another book ;)

With love,
Maya

Just A Story

Now, I am not in Japan, this is my first blog post live from Busan, South Korea!


Today, as my relative that guides me around Busan had an urgent meeting in her campus, I strolled around near Pusan National University. It's quite big and lots of shops to see. After went around for almost an hour, suddenly I passed a shop that sells a thing that my friend wanted for a very long time ago. So I decided to enter.


The bad thing is, I cannot speak Korean beside 'Annyeonghaseyo'. Oh, no.


Two clerks that's been chatting near the door welcomed me.
「어서오세요」"Welcome,"
I don't know how to answer it in Korean and all I can speak is Japanese or English, so I just nodded and look at the thing that I wanted to buy for my friend. The two clerks looked at me while arguing about something in Korean.


Then, they spoke up.
"Are you Japanese?" Again.
"Oh no, I am not," answer me.
"Then, Chinese? Taiwanese?" asked the girl clerk. I still said no. Then the boy clerk tried to guess.
"Oh! Bangladesh? Nepal? Philippians?" Come on.
"I am from Indonesia," I said finally with smile, followed by long "oooowhhh" from the two of them. Then, the girl clerk got away.
"How old are you?" The boy clerk tried to start the conversation with his English-Korean accent.
"How old do I look?" I asked back, my usual answer whenever someone ask my age.
"Uh.. huh?" Seems the clerk cannot understand my English.
"Well, nineteen," I answered, still looking for some souvenir for my older brother.
"Aah! Nineteen!" He said, glad that he can communicate with some foreigner in English. Still, he wanted to talk more, "Are you studying in Pusan National University?"
"No, no. I am just visiting here," I said.
"In Busan?"
"Yeah, in Busan," I said lightly.


The clerk followed me to the cashier as I finished my shopping, then with smiley face, he even gave me some discounts for the things I bought. And the funny thing is..


"Total is 14,000 won. Here you go. And here is my telephone number," 


He happily slip a small paper with his telephone number on it to the shopping bag. After receiving the shopping bag, I got out from the shop as fast as I can to burst into laugh. Hahahaha! What a day. What a funny guy. Simple meeting? Yes. Made my day? The most. 

The Thing I Never Think Of

When I came to Japan one and a half year ago, I didn't really get homesick.. at all. Everything seems so brand new and all in my head was I want to explore this country as much as I could. Being busy everyday, meeting new friends from different backgrounds, joining bunch of activities, and enjoying every minute of my stay in Japan kept me away from homesick.

Before I came to Japan, I read some book about studying abroad, and it always mentioned about how people will get homesick during their first 3 months or so. That time, I honestly thought it won't happen to me. I didn't feel homesick at all for my first year so I think I won't get homesick until the rest of my year in Japan.

As usual, I was wrong. Since last December, suddenly something that I never think will happen to me happened. I miss home. That's it. I said it honestly. I miss live in Jakarta. I miss how I spend my time with my brother to Bandung which was my routine activities since I was in my 3rd grade of elementary school. I miss hanging out with my friends in malls. I miss being so young, carefree, watching DVDs at home, hanging out with friends on Starbucks, going to Kinokuniya Plaza Senayan, going around Jakarta, laughing with my high school friends like there's no tomorrow, wearing things I like, reading magazine every month, watching movies every week, talking about the latest trend, going to hair salon every month, watching Disney Channel everyday, studying AS Level, going to bookstore to buy some books and others.

There are so much things that I miss. Not about the foods, but I miss the memories. Now, I am willing to pay with everything I have to get those moments back. I miss just doing nothing with my friends on Friday. Miss those big city life where I always go to malls to check the latest sale or just window shopping. I keep listening to Indonesian songs and old songs I used to play in my iPod back home. Seems I really really miss home right now. Moreover, I miss my friends so bad.  Miss spending time with them. And now, I really can't wait to come back home.


I think the reason I can overcome the homesick during my first year is that I didn't meet a lot of Indonesian back then. I was too busy to enjoy my new life. This semester, I gather with Indonesian Community quite frequently so I started to miss home. So badly that I didn't realize I am... this homesick. Maybe this is one of the reason I cannot concentrate recently. Well, guess I cannot do a thing but wait until summer to come back and meet all my friends in Indonesia.