Jurnal

As a little girl, I was not a big fan of animated movies. I spent more time playing outside rather than watching the cartoon marathon on TV. I remember watching Doraemon and Tom & Jerry, but that was all about it. But years later my brother introduced me to Studio Ghibli and it won me my heart. Studio Ghibli is a Japanese animation and film studio headed by the directors Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata. Their Howl’s Moving Castle caught my attention. [...]

We love meeting people with big passion and even bigger dreams. A shooting session at Tulisan the other day, left me with that tingling feeling I have every time I meet that kind of person. We met ASRI WELAS PRAMAWATI, a wonderful host and extraordinary woman with whom we instantly felt attached. “NGULIK”, the name of the TV program, means “to dig more for more information”. It is a weekend feature show on one of Indonesia’s national TV channels, Trans TV. The program speaks to a different theme every week. [...]

One of our favorite places to eat is next door to the shop, FJ Rotisserie. It is warm and intimate and is always at the top of our list when we have friends in town looking for a bite to eat. If we could, we would probably eat there everyday. That said, you can find Melissa and Tante Didi (Melissa's mom) there most days - almost everyday. FJ Rotisserie has a light dishes and generous portions of Indonesian and European food. [...]

The one thing I love about working at Tulisan is seeing Nur every morning. To me, she is the living example of our Labor of Love philosophy. Her little workstation - that stands right next to our little garden - is one of a true artisan. All of her materials are piled in order of work and progress. She is very modest about the works of art she is creating. [...]

Missing someone is such a drag. Imagine the mild irritation of being sandwiched between lovey-dovey couples at the movies. There you are, alone, eating your popcorn trying hard not to pay attention.  With no one to talk to, you feel a little blue. Not to mention the sleepless nights, oh the sleepless nights. It is just the worst. But the universe, and a special someone (my landlady) sometimes conspire to make a girl jolly with a simple, random act of kindness. When I arrived home from work I found this on my bed. [...]

 To my beloved sister Ani Sunjaya and your heroic grandfather Bung Karno, “Hanya suatu bangsa cukup berani untuk mengambil nasib ke dalam tangannya sendiri akan dapat berdiri dalam kekuatan.” - Bung Karno (Pejuang & [...]

Last week, we went out to celebrate Melissa’s belated birthday at our favorite spot, FJ. It was also Adit’s birthday, which added to the fun and made it a double celebration! We had such a great time all together – it’s so rare that we have time to spend an afternoon together as a team. With Lebaran just around the corner, we hope you have a great time with your loved ones this Lebaran time, too. [...]

On Monday night last week, a huge fire occurred in a densely populated area of Bendungan Hilir, Central Jakarta. Flames spread rapidly and soon close to 300 houses were engulfed and destroyed causing the affected families to take refuge in the nearest available open space: the public cemetery. It was devastating. My friend Irma, who works in high-rise building nearby, passed this information along to our group of friends through our “What’s App” group text. A friend and I had worked in the same office a while back, so this catastrophe really struck close to home. [...]

My earliest memories of friendship were of giggles, tickles, and pure delight to be in the company of a friend. Back then; we had carefree days of braiding each other's hair and fixing tea for our stuffed animals. Friendship was naive and unassuming; kids never think about what they get in return from their friends, they are friends because all that matters is that they have fun when they are together. Friendship should always be this simple. Miya and Caitlin were god sisters that once again reunited after four years. [...]

It's that time of year again - getting the kids ready to go back to school. It has always been helpful for me to get few things out of the way before school starts. [...]

My high school friend Wulan came by our store today and did some last minute shopping before her vacation trip to Canada. [...]

West Third Street in West Los Angeles is crowded with cute boutiques, unique galleries and delightful cafes. You will not find ordinary shops or merchants on this walk. My favorite place to stop for coffee in the area is The Little Next Door, owned by two eccentric Frenchmen, Fredo and Nico. It is hard to miss this place. [...]