Vivid Colors

most-anticipated event

yohanna.yuni@gmail.com — Mon, 02 Apr 2007 03:36:23 GMT

Back to the... '60s? '70s? '80s?

yohanna.yuni@gmail.com — Tue, 20 Mar 2007 06:51:32 GMT

Forgive me, God, for I have sinned. I know I should not waste time on posting stuff, but please do forgive me for I’m kinda stuck in the middle of “heavy” translation, so I suppose I’m entitled to a bit of… “entertainment”, aren’t I?

Anyway. A couple of weeks ago my office had some kind of a picnic, inviting all staff and their families. Not all of them could make it, of course, but it was such GREAT fun with those who could.

I’ve planned to post a photo album on it, but perhaps later, when time permits. For the time being, I’m gonna share this fave pic of mine with you. I don’t know why, but it kinda reminds me of the… Hm. ‘60s? ‘70s? ‘80s? *lol* I dunno, maybe the pose (awwww... look at those cheerful grins and smiles!) and the outfit and the colors and the setting make it look like a bunch of undergrad students on their KKN (on-field final project) days *grins*

Ah. And when you give it sepia effect, it looks even more… “ancient”. Like, what, ‘60s? *rotfl*

(just make sure you ignore the digital camera held, though)

Pics courtesy of A.A. Kresna

at seventeen

yohanna.yuni@gmail.com — Mon, 12 Feb 2007 09:34:11 GMT

...

Next day, same time, our phone rang. We answered it immediately, and after some confusion (the phone was dropped), heard a needle bump down a record, and the voice of Gilbert O’Sullivan singing through scratches. You may recall the song, a ballad which charts the misfortunes of a young man’s life (his parents die, his fiancée stands him up at the altar), each verse leaving him more and more alone. It was Mrs. Eugene’s favorite, and we knew it well from hearing her singing along over her simmering pots. The song never meant much to us, but once we heard it playing tinily through the receiver, coming from the Lisbon Girls, the song made an impact. Gilbert O’ Sullivan’s elfin voice sounded high enough to be a girl’s. The lyrics might have been diary entries the girls whispered into our ears. Though it wasn’t their voices we heard, the song conjured their images more vividly than ever. We could feel them, on the other end, blowing dust off the needle, holding the telephone over the spinning black disc, playing the volume low so as not to be overheard. When the song stopped, the needle skated through the inner ring, sending out a repeating click (like the same time lived over and over again). Already Joe Larson had our response ready, and after we played it, the Lisbon girls played theirs, and the evening went on like that. Most of the songs we’ve forgotten, but a portion of that contrapuntal exchange survives, in pencil, on the back of Demo Karafilis’s Tea for Tillerman, where he jotted it. We provide it here:

the Lisbon girls - “Alone Again, Naturally,” Gilbert O’Sullivan
us -- “You’ve Got a Friend,” James Taylor
the Lisbon girls -- “Where Do the Children Play?,” Cat Stevens
us -- “Dear Prudence,” The Beatles
the Lisbon girls -- “Candle in the Wind,” Elton John
us -- “Wild Horses,” The Rolling Stones
the Lisbon girls - “At Seventeen,” Janice Ian
us -- “Time in a Bottle,” Jim Croce
the Lisbon girls -- “So Far Away,” Carole King

Actually, we’re not sure about the order. Demo Karafilis scribbled the titles haphazardly. The above order, however, does chart the basic progression of our musical conversation. Because Lux had burned her hard rock, the girls’ songs were mostly folk music. Stark plaintive voices sought justice and equality. An occasional fiddle evoked the country the country had once been. The singers had bad skin or wore boots. Song after song throbbed with secret pain. We passed the sticky receiver from ear to ear, the drumbeats so regular we might have been pressing our ears to the girls’ chests. Occasionally, we though we heard them singing along, and it was almost like being at a concert with them. Our songs, for the most part, were love songs. Each selection tried to turn the conversation in a more intimate direction. But the Lisbon girls kept to impersonal topics. (We leaned in and commented on their perfume. They said it was probably the magnolias.) After a while, our songs turned sadder and sappier. That was when the girls played “So Far Away.” We noted the shift at once (they had left their hand linger on our wrist) and followed with “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” turning up the volume because the song expressed more than any other how we felt about the girls, how we wanted to help them. When it finished, we waited for their response. After a long pause, their turntable began grinding again, and we heard the song which even now, in the Muzak of malls, makes us stop and stare back into a lost time:

Hey, have you ever tried
Really reaching out for the other side
I may be climbing on rainbows,
But, baby, here goes:

Dreams, they’re for those who sleep
Life, it’s for us to keep
And if you’re wondering what this song is leading to
I want to make it with you.

The line went dead. (Without warning, the girls had thrown their arms around us, confessed hotly into our ears, and fled the room.) For some minutes, we stood motionless, listening to the buzz of the telephone line. Then it began to beep angrily, and a recording told us to hang up our phone and hang it up now.

We had never dreamed the girls might love us back. The notion made us dizzy, and we lay down on the Larsons’ carpet, which smelled of pet deodorizer and, deeper down, of pet. For a long time no one spoke. But little by little, as we shifted bits of information in our heads, we saw things in a new light. Hadn’t the girls invited us to their party last year? Hadn’t they known our names and addresses? Rubbing spy holes in grimy windows, hadn’t they been looking out to see us? We forgot ourselves and held hands, smiling with closed eyes. On the stereo Garfunkel began hitting his high notes, and we didn’t think of Cecilia. We thought only of Mary, Bonnie, Lux, and Therese, stranded in life, unable to speak to us until now, in this inexact, shy fashion. We went over their last months in school, coming up with new recollections. Lux had forgotten her math book one day and had to share with Tom Faheem. In the margin, she had written, “I want to get out of here.” How far did that wish extend? Thinking back, we decided the girls had been trying to talk to us all along, to elicit our help, but we’d been too infatuated to listen. Our surveillance had been so focused we missed nothing but a simple returned gaze. Who else did they have to turn to? Not their parents. Not the neighborhood. Inside their house they were prisoners; outside, lepers. And so they hid from the world, waiting for someone—for us—to save them.

The Virgin Suicides, Jeffrey Eugenides

(Click>http://vividcolors.multiply.com/music/item/294%E2%80%9D">Click here</a> for playlist based on the excerpt)

shake your groove thing

yohanna.yuni@gmail.com — Fri, 26 Jan 2007 10:52:41 GMT

Remember when you were a kid, and your biggest worry was, like,
if you’d get a bike for your birthday, or if you’d get to eat cookies for breakfast?
Being an adult, totally overrated.
I mean, seriously, don’t be fooled by all the hot shoes and the great sex,
and the no parents anywhere telling you what to do.

Adulthood is responsibility.
Responsibility, it really does suck

“I mean, do I really have to be the one to handle this?”

Really, really sucks.

Adults have to be places and do things, and earn a living and pay the rent.
And if you’re training to be a surgeon, holding a human heart in your hands…
HELLO?! Talk about responsibility!
Kind of makes bikes and cookies look really, really good, doesn’t it?

The scariest part about responsibility?
When you screw up and let it slip right through your finger.

“We’re adults. How did that happen? And how do we make it stop?”

Responsibility; it really does suck.

Once you get past the age of braces and training bras, responsibility doesn’t go away.
It can’t be avoided.
Either someone makes us face it, or we suffer the consequences.

And still, adulthood has its perks.
I mean, the shoes, the sex, the no parents anywhere telling you what to do.
That’s pretty damn good.

(Meredith Grey, Grey’s Anatomy, Season 1 Eps. 5, “Shake Your Groove Thing”)

if i've never been

yohanna.yuni@gmail.com — Tue, 23 Jan 2007 11:37:16 GMT

If You've Never Been (In Love With Anything)
Embrace

Throw me a line and I'll bring you the hook that caught me
You reel me in to where I cannot breathe
Throw me back and jump in after me

It's happened before but I'll see you're never betrayed
No wrongs to cure or fears to beat away
And though I'll run I'll never run away

I know you think that we're all the same and you say
That you'll love when love comes you're way but today
We've both got time to spend not waste

If you've never been in love with anything
Why do you stop it now it's happening
And though you know it now you won't admit
You've ever been in love with anything

Never before have I had somebody so close
I'm lying here wondering why you let me go
You drive your life like it's a car you stole

You need to be told that you can only live the one life
Forever starts before the day you die
If it get hard just take it in your stride

If you could see the bad in yourself when you see
All the bad in everyone else and in me
You wouldn't need to run away

With gazillion thanks to Chris. You have no idea how much i miss this song (and album )

accomplishment?

yohanna.yuni@gmail.com — Fri, 15 Dec 2006 07:58:05 GMT

Sooooooo…
A brief update. Let’s see… What’s new?

My editor got me Death Cab for Cutie’s Plans CD from Hong Kong. Another friend found me Terry Pratchett’s Mort from S’pore. My first Christmas card arrived today, from Donna in Santa Clarita (and I haven’t even sent mine for her *blushes*). I finally bought the Pura Vida dress I have always wanted since over 2 months ago. I have finished two-third of James Patterson’s Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment. I went to see Eragon movie two days ago (review’s here).

And my friend sent these cute pics of cuddly kitten a few days ago. After seeing baby Saphira in Eragon movie, I sort of see these pics in a new light *lol*

How’s your days?
^_____^

Deadline

yohanna.yuni@gmail.com — Thu, 07 Dec 2006 14:39:14 GMT

It's almost 10 PM and I'm still at the office.

The production and graphic designer people, the copy editor, plus the managing editor are still working on the final editing for next week's issue. The distribution and circulation manager is still here, too. Finishing up some reports, probably.

I completed all my workload yesterday afternoon. So actually I don't have to stay much later at work today. But somehow, being at the office with only very few people is kind of fun. Even though there music blaring from one of those Mac PCs, the managing editor making and taking phone calls, the graphic people coordinating some edited articles with the copy editor, I find it somewhat peaceful and quiet. Something almost impossible I feel during normal working hours. Well, to be honest, when you work in a media, it's kinda hard to define "normal working hours."

I have always noticed I have this huge sense of belonging to this magazine. It may not be the best magz ever, but the fact that I am part of it makes it harder to leave. Yes, despite everything. I've been here for more than 4 years. It'd be 5 years in April 2007. And I still don't know if I want to leave.

Maybe I love my workmates too much *grins*

Hm. Or maybe I'm feeling much too comfortable and secured I no longer want changes? Is this what people call "settled"? Wow. I know a friend who'd freak out to hear the very word...

...

yohanna.yuni@gmail.com — Sat, 25 Nov 2006 09:47:29 GMT

One of those days when I really, really, and I mean really miss my former workmate, Sam. If I were Frodo, then he may be my Samwise Gamgee.

I could always talk to him about everything. And I mean everything. Joy, resentment, dreams, despair... And this is just one of those days when I feel like running to him and let it all out. And he would just listen. And probably responds a bit. No guarantee for solutions offered, but simply being able to let it all out is enough.

For now.

Bond Virgin

yohanna.yuni@gmail.com — Wed, 22 Nov 2006 04:48:49 GMT

Pengakuan.
Baru pertama kali nonton film Bond. Rada bingung. Habis "beda" sih...

Payahnya, giliran bener-bener nonton dari awal sampai akhir kok ya langsung Casino Royale, yang kabarnya berkonsep setia pada buku, belum ada Q dan lusinan gadget canggih ciptaannya yang sekilas-sekilas sering aku lihat kalau kakak lagi nonton film-film sang agen rahasia kawakan asal Inggris itu -— yang di mataku kadang terkesan bak pejantan penebar (maaf) sperma.

Katanya yang ditunggu-tunggu orang dari film-film Bond adalah: gadget-nya, mobilnya, dan cewek-ceweknya. Ah. Dan opening-nya, ketika Mr. Bond berbalik dan menembak, kemudian lingkaran khas itu menghiasi layar. Gak salah dong aku menunggu-nunggu poin 1, 2, dan 4 itu –- I don't care about the girls, obviously *grins*

Tapi gak bisa juga dibilang menyimak dari awal sampai akhir kali ya? Soalnya di tengah-tengah film sempat pilih ngerumpi ama temen sambil buka-buka graphic art CD The Black Parade-nya MCR dan lebih berkonsentrasi pada nachos ataupun tidur-tiduran menunggu adegan serunya muncul lagi...

Sejujurnya, seru juga sih laganya. Scene lompat-lompatan Foucan-Craig di kontruksi gedung pada menit-menit awal film itu sangat gripping (serasa nonton Fear Factor, tapi jauh lebih ekstrem. Hehehe...). Sayangnya, semakin ke belakang-belakang, aku kok malah jadi bosan. Dan mungkin karena secara subyektif aku udah lebih terkonsep "Pierce Brosnan is Bond" dan "Bond is Pierce Brosnan" (atau, well, Sean Connery -– tapi aku juga belum pernah liat gimana Connery kalo jadi Bond sih. Hihihi...), rada-rada aneh juga liat Craig being addressed as Mr. Bond. Ditambah lagi karena 3 hari aku marathon DVD Remington Steele season 1. Gak heran kalo maunya liat si suave Brosnan jadi Bond di layar perak.

Ah, well, I'm never into Bond movies anyway. Nampaknya not my kinda movie. No wonder aftertaste-nya rada-rada bitter. Mungkin perlu dicerna lebih lanjut dengan lebih banyak "research" tentang book!Bond (nah, ini nih perlunya riset kecil sebelum nonton film-film yang book-based atau yang udah "setua" Bond...) atau nonton CR untuk ke-2 kalinya? Hehehe... We'll see.

(PS. Entah kenapa liat Daniel Craig kok jadi inget Peter Weller ya? Itu lho, yang jadi Robocop... Kenapa ya?!)

great indoors

yohanna.yuni@gmail.com — Mon, 06 Nov 2006 09:06:40 GMT

check your pulse
its proof that you’re not listening to
the call your life’s been issuing you
the rhythm of the line of idle days

scared of the world outside you should go explore
pull all the shades and wander the great indoors

lamplight makes the shadows play
and posters take the walls away
the TV is a window pane
the view wont let you down

so put your faith in a late night show
I bet you didn’t even know
depends on how far out you go
The channel numbers change

scared of the world outside you should go explore
pull all the shades and wander the great indoors

though lately I can't blame you
I have seen the world
And sometimes wish your room had room for two

so go unlock the door
and find what you are here for
the great indoors
leave the great indoors

check your pulse
its proof that you’re not listening to
the call your life’s been issuing you
the rhythm of the line of idle days

~John Mayer - Great Indoors - Room for Squares album~

resolution of the day

yohanna.yuni@gmail.com — Fri, 13 Oct 2006 11:42:27 GMT

I should REALLY start to learn to say “NO” instead of feeling guilty every time I say “No” but then feeling victimized for not being able to say “No”, because NO, I’m not victimized by others. I victimize myself!

That’s it.

No more this nice girl who cannot say “No”.

And when I say “No”, it shall be a definite “No”.

What was I thinking?

A Wonder Woman or something?! *rolls eyes*

ashes

yohanna.yuni@gmail.com — Wed, 11 Oct 2006 02:27:58 GMT

Today's Ivan's birthday.
Great.

....

wipes sweat

yohanna.yuni@gmail.com — Sat, 07 Oct 2006 08:01:41 GMT

Sheesh... Jakarta has been sizzling hot lately.
This afternoon, it’s some 30 to 32 degree Celsius! *wipes sweat*
I am so NOT happy. And I keep having Shirley Manson’s voice in my head, screaming I’m only happy when it rains, the title being so literal in describing what I truly desire right now.
Hey, I have an "affair" with the rain, come on.
I miss rain! So much!
Give me rain, please... *begs*

the dungeon and the dragons

yohanna.yuni@gmail.com — Fri, 06 Oct 2006 10:35:21 GMT

(nicked from Jenavira)

INT. ALVY'S LIVING ROOM-DAY

A lighted Christmas tree stands in the middle of boxes, books, and the general disarray of packing and figuring out what belongs to whom as Alvy helps Annie move out.

ALVY
(Holding up a book)
Whose "Catcher in the Rye" is this?

ANNIE
(Walking into the room with an armload of books)
Well, let's see now ... If it has my name on it, then I guess it's mine.

ALVY
(Reacting)
Oh, it sure has ... You know, you wrote your name in all my books, 'cause you knew this day was gonna come.

ANNIE
(Putting down the books and flipping back her hair)
Well, uh, Alvy, you wanted to break up just as much as I do.

ALVY
(Riffling through the books)
There's no-no question in my mind. I think we're doing the mature thing, without any doubt.

ANNIE
(Holding a framed picture and moving about)
Now, look, all the books on death and dying are yours and all the poetry books are mine.

ALVY
(Looking down at a book)
This "Denial of Death". You remember this?

ANNIE
Oh-

ALVY
This is the first book that I got you.

Annie goes over to Alvy. They both look down at the book; the fireplace, burning nicely, is behind them.

ANNIE
-God.

ALVY
Remember that day?

ANNIE
Right. Geez, I feel like there's a great weight off my back. M'mmm.

ALVY
Thanks, honey.

ANNIE
(Patting Alvy's shoulder)
Oh, no, no, no, no, no. I mean, you know, no, no, no, I mean, I think it's really important for us to explore new relationships and stuff like that.

She walks away.

(Annie Hall's script from www.godamongdirectors.com)

Yeah. And then I couldn't help texting pinguin_oren, telling her about the scene and basically saying that if one day I had a partner ("partner" not in a sense of a potion-class-kinda-partner *grins*) and we ended up moving in together but things didn't work out and we had to split up, I could imagine he would say something like Annie said, "Now, look, hon, all books and DVDs about death and dying and gloom (and probably dragons and elves and goblins, too) are yours and all the poetry stuff (or in this case maybe philosophy or IT or management or law or basketballs or architecture or media or whatever) are mine."

(And this is where I picture my partner with Bob Woodward & Carl Bernstein's All The President's Men or Pirates of the Silicon Valley DVD in his hand and I have Frank McCourt's Angela's Ashes or perhaps one of my all-time favorites, Schindler's List, in mine.)

*grins*

I love Annie Hall. It's a smart movie. I even find Woody Allen kinda sweet in his feeble-awkward character, and, maybe, Erlend Øye would look something like him when he's older. Well, much cuter and taller, I believe.

Oh, and I just found out today that the newest Eoin Colfer's Artemis Fowl adventure, Artemis Fowl: The Lost Colony, is already out. Oh, God. Where have I been? *smacks head * Oooooo... I miss Arty! *hangs on to i_o_r_h_a_e_l* I miss his witty remarks and high-tech gadgets and know-it-all-yet-amusing attitude... Gotta read the previous books before I could get my hands on the new one! *suffers from an acute Arty Fever at the moment*

*inhales...exhales...inhales...exhales...*

So... How are you all?
*hugs all in friend-list*

The Strange Case of Mr. Fine and Angelina Jolie

yohanna.yuni@gmail.com — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 08:37:07 GMT

Every week I have to work on Jon Fine's MediaCentric column. Despite the challenging "very American" words, idiom, phrase, and facts he uses, I must admit his writings are interesting and informative. I learn about the battle of digital media vs. traditional media, Google's hottest three deals for expansion, 30-years-old MTV's efforts to stay "young" and highly demanded, the power of teen-targeted media, viral marketing, content vs. distribution in broadcast…

A few weeks ago he highlighted the strange case of YouTube's lonelygirl15. Having to grasp the idea of the column's content while translating it, I browsed through YouTube and found this lonelygirl15's video posts. Interesting. Youngsters these days… They get more and more creative. You might wanna check it out yourself?

The week after, his MediaCentric was even more interesting. He wrote about Angelina Jolie and how he viewed her as media's master manipulator, what with her "well-managed" scandal and her social activities.

So, is Angelina Jolie a media manipulator, or simply a gothic turn Mother Theresa? Though I'd like to think she's a fake (coz, oh, come on, it'll be juicier that way, right?! *grins*), you can read it here, and it's all yours to decide.

I forget where I got this, but I love the angle and focus...

from www.justjared.com

i love it when people write me story ^__^

yohanna.yuni@gmail.com — Wed, 13 Sep 2006 08:15:55 GMT

Illyria wrote me this yesterday, based on my experience with a late friend. And since I think it's just too meaningful to be left in my comment section only, I decided to re-post it. It deserves its own entry *hugs Illyria*

You sit beside me in the dark, wrapped in the air-conditioned, claustrophobic air, slightly musty from the seats and the carpeting. You sit beside me in the dark, bathed in the glow from the screen, and partake of the food, sprawled in its wrapper on my lap now, forgotten for a moment because my eyes are avidly licking the face before me, above me, larger than life.

"Kebabs?" I frowned, incredulous, when you said you were getting some to eat in the theater. "Well, that's new."

"At least they don't crunch when you chew 'em," you said grinning. I laughed, we laughed. We smuggled the kebabs inside, unwrapping them when the music was loudest and men were shooting on screen, then guiltily left the plastic bag and wrapper behind, giggling at the thought of the theater cleaners shaking their head at the evidence of our audacity.

You were right, though. Kebabs make perfect theater snack. They're easy to eat, they're filling, they're cheaper than greasy, stale popcorn with artificial flavoring. The smell of peanut sauce tinged with chilies, a hint of seared meat, the green smell of banana leaves all waft around me. I know you'll smile when you sniff it.

You sit beside me and we gaze, entranced, at the screen swirling with colors and movements, listening to the crisp, brittle sounds of uttered words, the sound effects, larger than life.

~fin~

been a year

yohanna.yuni@gmail.com — Sat, 09 Sep 2006 05:50:31 GMT

Exactly a year ago today, around 10 PM, I received a phone call from Estee, my Plecing Kangkung mate. I was in my room, having a chat with my roommate, Dee, and illyria_novia.

Me: "Hi, Estee."
Estee: "Hi... Where are you now?"
Me: "At the boarding house, just chatting with the housemates. Why?"
Estee: "Oh, good. I have some news for you."
Me: "Yeah? What's up?"
Estee: "Are you sitting down? I think you'd better sit down."
Me: "Well, actually, I'm kinda in bed, if that'd make any difference."
Estee: "Ah. See, I just wanna tell you Agie got a message on her Friendster, saying Ivan passed away tonight."
Me: *gasped and sat upright* "What?!"
Estee: "We tried calling his home to confirm, and we tried his cellie but no one answered. But she'd called his friend, the one sending the e-mail to confirm."
Me: *long pause*
Estee: "Hey... You're OK?"
Me: *another pause* "What happened?"
Estee: "He's got an accident, and was rushed to the hospital. But it was too late."
Me: "Oh." *another long pause*
Estee: "We're planning to go to the wake tomorrow, but don't force yourself to come if you can't take it."
Me: "No, I'll go. It's ok, I wanna go." *holding back the tears*
Estee: "Ok, it's at Carolus,......"

And I spent most of the night (and the next few days whenever I was alone) crying, regretting all those things my Plecing Kangkung friends and I never get done for him, like the potluck he'd always asked. How we'd miss his midnite SMS and phone calls. And how Jiffest would never be the same again.
(Agie and I first met him during Jiffest and went seeing O Brother Where Art Thou? together at Djakarta Theater. I remember we brought kebab inside instead of popcorn... We last met him also during Jiffest, to see Bowling for Columbine.)

It's somewhat funny how you cherish people more when you finally lost them. That every little thing seems to mean so much more. And the regret's never fully gone.

I dreaded the day when I had to go to the wake, to see him in the casket. But I just had to. I needed to see him IN the casket with my very eyes. I needed to make some kind of closure. I needed to know the dear friend had gone. For good.

Physically.

But the memory of him will always be treasured, as a significant part of my—and his friends'—life.

on press machine and revenue

yohanna.yuni@gmail.com — Fri, 08 Sep 2006 05:54:28 GMT

I went to Indocomtech (it's the largest annual IT exhibition in Indonesia) last night with pinguin_oren. She needed a new XD card and I needed to get a card reader and Bluetooth dongle for my office mate. In total, we spent some $111 on computer-related paraphernalia. To be honest, there were dozens more stuff we'd like to buy, since during exhibition prices are lower than normal price, but we didn't bring enough cash (and since I, obviously, have bought too many books and DVDs before, so, yeah, it was more of a window-shopping for me *grins*).

As we shuffled along booth after booth packed with visitors, Pingu said, "We're so weird. Most girls would probably buy clothes or fancy shoes, and here we are, buying these kind of stuff," she glanced around. (Indeed, we often have this kind of conversation, too, every time we go to record stores, gadgets stores, and bookstores.)

Funny thing was, there's this booth selling pressing machines. The ones to make badges, silk-screened-T-shirts, plastic-based ID cards, and printed mug. And there she was, Pingu, expressing her deep interest in the badge-press machine, so wanted to buy one (it's only some $269) and imagining how fun it would be to design her own special badges and making them, both for personal collection and for sale. And there I was, wanted to buy some mugs (not the press machine). See, she's the creative, I'm the user. She makes, I buy *grins*

And as I go from booth to booth, I couldn't help wondering, how much transaction is made in a day. How much the revenue is. How much profit the vendors make. It seems that people buy a lot of stuff there what with the great availability and lower prices. Hm. I've been working for this business magazine for more than 4 years. And I guess I've been getting too much influence from it. I often see revenue and profit and graphic and accountability and prospect everywhere!

I think I'm gonna ask my editors who cover the exhibition about the digits.

wanted: one helluva great therapist

yohanna.yuni@gmail.com — Wed, 30 Aug 2006 13:04:18 GMT

Books:
The Merlin Conspiracy - Diana Wynne Jones
Anansi Boys - Neil Gaiman
Men at Arms - Terry Pratchett
Hoot - Carl Hiaasen
Valhalla - Tom Holt
How to be Good - Nick Hornby

1984 - George Orwell
Bartimaeus Trilogy: The Amulet of Samarkand - Jonathan Stroud
Bartimaeus Trilogy: The Golem's Eye - Jonathan Stroud
The Silmarillion - J.R.R. Tolkien
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
Monstrous Regiment - Terry Pratchett
Spin Cycle - Nick Duerden
A Life Less Ordinary - John Hodge
The Ice Storm - Rick Moody
Inventing the Abbotts - Sue Miller
~~The Leap - Jonathan Stroud~~
~~The Cello - James Riordan~~
Dragon Rider - Cornelia Funke
Eragon - Christopher Paolini
American Gods - Neil Gaiman
Ewan McGregor: From Junkie to Jedi - Brian J. Robb
Half Moon Investigations - Eoin Colfer
Circle of Friends - Maeve Binchy (reread)
His Dark Material Trilogy - Philip Pullman (reread)
Me Talk Pretty One Day - David Sedaris (reread)
Neverwhere - Neil Gaiman (reread)

DVDs:
~~Forever Young (Mel Gibson, Jamie Lee Curtis)~~
OC Season 1
The Ice Storm (Sigourney Weaver, Kevin Kline, Joan Allen)
E.T. (Henry Thomas, Drew Barrymore, Robert MacNaughton)
Dick Tracy (Madonna, Warren Beatty)
Blow (Johnny Depp, Penelope Cruz)
The Wind that Shakes the Barley (Cillian Murphy, Padraic Delaney)
~~Hoot (Luke Wilson, Brie Larson)~~
~~The Virgin Suicides (Kirsten Dunst, Josh Hartnett)~~
Fetching Cody (Jim Byrnes, Sarah Lind)
The Weather Man (Nicolas Cage, Michael Caine)
~~Around the Bend (Josh Lucas, Michael Caine, Christopher Walken)~~
Closer (Jude Law, Natalie Portman)
Tim Burton's the Nightmare Before Christmas (Danny Elfman, Chris Sarandon)
The Motorcycle Diaries (Gael Garcia Bernal, Rodrigo de la Serna, Mia Maestro)
Cocoon (Brian Dennehy, Linda Harrison, Steve Guttenberg)
Days of Thunder (Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman)
Last Man Standing (Bruce Willis, Christopher Walken, Walter Hill)
Good Night, and Good Luck (George Clooney, Jeff Daniels, Tate Donovan)
Syriana (George Clooney, Matt Damon, Amanda Peet)
~~Kingdom of Heaven (Liam Neeson, Orlando Bloom, Jeremy Irons)~~
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (William Moseley, Georgia Henley, Tilda Swinton)
Crime and Misdemeanor (Woody Allen, Martin Landau, Mia Farrow)
Annie Hall (Woody Allen, Diane Lane)
Deep Impact (Tea Leoni, Robert Duvall, Elijah Wood)
L'Arc~en~Ciel Asia Life 2005 Concert
Keane - Strangers
Keane - Under the Iron Sea

Yes. They are lists of unread books and unwatched DVDs in my room. And yet for the last three days I had this unbelievable craving for Eoin Colfer's Half Moon Investigations and Gilmore Girls Season 5 and 6 DVDs. Last night when I went to Kinokuniya Plaza Indonesia and saw Half Moon, I delightedly grabbed the book and went straight to the cashier.

Not that I was running out of reading materials. I mean, my managing editor had just got back from NY last weekend and got me Neil Gaiman's American Gods. And on Monday the week before I bought Merlin Conspiracy (Diana Wynne Jones), Dragon Rider (Cornelia Funke), and Valhalla (Tom Holt). I haven't read any of them.

And on Sunday (27/8), btw, I went to Movie Plus and bought Mel Gibson's Forever Young DVD. A few days before my managing editor told me he found me The Virgin Suicides and The Ice Storm. And before that I bought Kingdom of Heaven. And dozens of bootlegs *grins*

I seem to have an unquenched thirst for books and DVDs, and I'm getting scared of this craving me. Sheesh... I mean, hey, look at the list! They could last me at least 2 to 3 months of joyous reading delight and visual enjoyment! And yet I still want more books and DVDs! At the very moment I even make mental note: Welcome to Sarajevo, Shallow Grave, Brassed Off, A Life Less Ordinary, Stand By Me, Fly Away Home, The Shape of Things...
Oh, and Cornelia Funke's Inkheart and Inkspell, David Sedaris' Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim, Jonathan Safran Foer's Everything is Illuminated...

Now THAT is sick.
I'm sick!
I need a therapy.
Badly.

more dvds!

yohanna.yuni@gmail.com — Mon, 28 Aug 2006 07:14:37 GMT

A bit of update.
My managing editor's just got back from NY and got me Neil Gaiman's American Gods, The Ice Storm DVD, and The Virgin Suicides DVD.
And Bob Roberts DVD for pinguin_oren.

Yes. Joy!

Back to the Land of the Living

yohanna.yuni@gmail.com — Tue, 15 Aug 2006 10:04:26 GMT

Yes, I haven't had a life for the last month or so, and the only updates I made were mp3s. I wouldn't call that a real update. It would only shows that you're still alive and you're still online sometimes ^__^

Ok...
Still have scattered brain what with the routine schedule thrown out of the window for a major project: finishing Diana Wynne Jones' The Worlds of Chrestomanci: Charmed Life translation. After almost a week of "sleepwalking" (my personal definition in this case is a state of having too much work and lack of sleep that you're feeling no less like sleepwalking during office hours, doing things somewhat out of habit and nearly robotic in a way), finally the translation was finished. Postponing working on it for too long is entirely my fault, and therefore, well, I would understand it very much if that would be my first and last project. I would start beating up myself in a few weeks, you'll see *grins*

Oh. Another thing. Musing of the week: some friends said I'm a reliable person, but I sometimes hate being one. Last week our freelancer sent back his work, somewhat unfinished (he's got the usual allotted time, but the file still has 3 more pages to finish), and asked me to finish it. Nice. Like I didn't have as much workload myself? And as usual, I could only look at the file, gritted teeth, sighed, and worked on it. $#$#^%#@#$$^%#@!!! Yes, he used to be such a great, reliable person himself, but please, don't promise unless you're sure you can keep it. Oh. And please say more than just "Sorry I couldn't finish it in time, please take over". I needed to know why you couldn't finish it, even if you lied, so at least there was justification to why I'd be completing the task for you.
(Why is it so difficult for me to say "no" and be as thoughtless and firm as others? Seems like I gotta start setting my standard of expectation lower.)

But finally I decided to sent his work back and told him to finish it. I ain't cleaning up for others anymore.

OK. Enough complaining. Now YAY for the long holiday! Five consecutive days starting from the 17th! Yippie!

Anyway, I've been planning to make some kind of photo journal since last month, so here it goes...

This is Oscar. My sister's new puppy. I wanted to call him Gromit or Timmy but my nephew found Gromit too difficult to pronounce for his 5-year-old tongue and my sister said Timmy would be rather sensitive as her next-door neighbor’s son is called Timothy (!). So, well, Oscar it is then... (I'm really sorry tupaikecil and tupaibesar, I tried :D)

Oscar is very fond of toes.

When he is not chasing toes around, he snores.

A couple of weeks ago I went to EX's Beppu Menkan with pinguin_oren and we had our usual favorite, kamado jigoku and gyoza. And took some pics with her Taylor Hicks' CD single she found earlier at Beatz. We have a love-and-hate relationship with that particular place. I found my two L'Arc~en~Ciel concert DVDs and Keane DVDs there, and they cost me like WHOAAAAAA!!! *having suicidal thoughts*

And that's pinguin_oren's reflection on the CD case *winks*

Taylor Hicks, ambassador for Beppu Menkan's kamado jigoku *grins*

gyoza

Those dvds... (Yes, I also bought "England's road to Germany" *blushes*)

And below are two books I bought a few weeks ago. I borrowed Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere from a friend and it's such a great reading, so I decided it's a must-have book. And I've been wanting to read Jonathan Stroud The Leap, so it was perfect that I got it for a 50% off! *is feeling extremely satisfied*

My attempt at learning manual focus. Nothing sophisticated. I'm not that good

*sllrrrrrrrpppp*

And this is some of the "Middle-earth people" of Indo-LOTR and Eorlingas posing under a party tree at Mirkwood (a.k.a. Kebun Raya Bogor). I just love the trees. It was a pity, though, that we went there a few weeks after they cut down some of the old, huge trees after some trees got uprooted what with the heavy and windy rain often pouring in Bogor.

I don't really "know" Asterix, so tupaikecil lent me some of her collection to read. So far I've only read two, Asterix in England and Asterix and Cleopatra, and I must say that I love Asterix in England but I don't really find Asterix and Cleopatra funny. Maybe because I've seen the movie before reading it, so it kinda ruins the imagination.

Now, below are some pics I took during Indo-Harry Potter Offline last month (yup, the one broadcasted by O Channel for their Jali-Jali program). It was a TOTAL BLAST! It was just amazing to see the mailing list members had so much fun enjoying and participating in all games. I find the committee's long, arduous, exhausting weeks of planning and preparing the event so very much worth their smile and laughter. It's just great.

That's me on the furthest wearing my Wizarding Weekly t-shirt *is proud*

They claim to be playing wizard chess ^___^

Now this is the most hilarious one! The title is "Looking at the Future" *lol*

I'm running out of topic

Oh! Last night I finally bought Kingdom of Heaven DVD. The 2-disc deluxe edition one. Haven't started watching the additional feature though. I haven't even watched Narnia's special feature and I've got the DVD like almost 3 months ago. Wow. I keep on hoarding stuff. My managing editor left for New York this morning, and when he said he planned to go to Virgin Megastore, I ended up handing him some cash to get me A Life Less Ordinary, Virgin Suicides, and The Ice Storm. Plus Neil Gaiman's American Gods. Dang. I actually wanna start saving again *smacks head*

Now I really am running out of topic. I'm gonna stop now.

hosh.. hosh...

yohanna.yuni@gmail.com — Sat, 29 Jul 2006 07:30:40 GMT

IT'S DONE!
FINAL TRANSLATION OF CHRESTOMANCI IS FINISHED!
TODAY!

*faints*

i'm not sure they'd hire me again, though.
Think I blew it *sigh*

Now I want to sleep so much...

I'm sorry, I can't

yohanna.yuni@gmail.com — Mon, 24 Jul 2006 05:24:37 GMT

Why do I hate saying "I can't" so much?
Because afterwards, I always feel guilty.

And why do I always feel guilty?
I don't know. Maybe because I am guilty?

But most of the time it's not my fault or doing! I can't help it!
I know, but I still feel guilty...

I'm so weird.
Maybe I am. This is a weird, sickening feeling.

It's just that, I'm only me. Why can't I be enough?

On music meme, geek love, and B'Day Bash a la Eorlingas

yohanna.yuni@gmail.com — Sat, 22 Jul 2006 04:58:44 GMT

Oh how I miss blogging *sigh*
I have so many things, so many reviews, so many stories, so many thoughts I wanna write. Ah well...

Anyway, I owe some friends some updates. Sorry if it takes me ages to make them, but you're on my list, so not to worry, I'll get it done eventually ^__^

First, Music Meme -> tagged by effin_peaz
(sorry it takes me ages that my playlist has gone through some 3-4 mood changes since the first time we talked about You'll Never Walk Alone *grins*)

List seven songs you are into right now. No matter what the genre,whether they have words, or even if they're not any good, but they must be songs you're really enjoying now. Post these instructions in your LJ along with your 7 songs. Then tag 7 other people to see what they're listening to.

Mine right now is:
Keane - The Frog Prince
Embrace - World At Your Feet
Snow Patrol - You're All I Have
Embrace - Gravity
Sondre Lerche - Track You Down
L'Arc~en~Ciel - Link
L'Arc~en~Ciel - Hitomi no Jyuunin

(When effin_peaz tagged me, actually I was into Brit Alternative, but now I'm missing Hyde, so, yeah, there are some Laruku's songs in my playlist *grins*)

Urm. Can I tag less than 7? Well, anyway, just wondering what illyria_novia, i_o_r_h_a_e_l, and pinguin_oren are into right now... (no pressure, lasses)

Okay...
And now, big thanks to duckness for making me this when I "participated" in her icon meme *loves*

Isn't he lovely? Geek love *adores*

Oh. And a bit of community pimping, here's a link to my Tolkien Society's B'Day Bash a week ago.
Eorlingas B'Day Bash

We had a blast!

Well, that'd be all for now. I'll make time to share more next time.

another earthquake...

yohanna.yuni@gmail.com — Wed, 19 Jul 2006 11:24:15 GMT

Around 5.58 PM today another earthquake shook Java. www.detik.com says it's 6.2 on Richter scale. My. Today's even bigger than the one on Monday (17/1).

The Monday earthquake's epicentrum somewhere on southern shores of Java, some 6 point something (or was it 7 point something?) on Richter scale, causing a tsunami in southern West and Central Java's coastal areas (the so-called "minor" has so far killed over 470 lives!), worst is Pangandaran Beach (Ciamis and Cilacap).

Jakarta had three quake ranging from 5.5 to 6.1 on Richter scale magnitude on Monday. Today, since the epicentrum is closer (Sunda Straits), we felt a stronger one. The portal says today's has nothing to do with Monday's quake, though. However, there is potential for tsunami, particularly in southern West Java and Lampung coastal areas.

I'm really scared.

A while ago my brothers and sisters in Solo and Malang, and the one living in Depok, called and sent SMSes to confirm my whereabouts and safety. Suddenly I miss Mom and Dad and those days with them at home, feeling so safe and comfortable... *sniffs*