The Dua Coffee Shop

I absolutely love sitting down and spewing my thoughts here for all to read, and although I honestly am very tired of working from Monday to Saturday. But I am desperate to fill these pages with something good! So here I am, under my cozy blanket in bed with a hot milk next to me. Today was very chilly, rainy, grey day and I have my evening snaps to share with you.

Jovita, Giba and I paid a visit to a small cafe tucked away nearby Seven Eleven Cipete called DUA. Inside, were all sort of interesting furniture to make up the entire coffee shop. We went on a Saturday evening after Jovita and I have finished our classes and we certainly were not disappointed. I love all things unique, so for me, this cafe was so lovely to sit in. If these sorts of coffee houses are not your style then I would not stop by there, however, I feel it should be experienced regardless. I highly recommend going with a friend and spending a leisurely afternoon wandering around the homey surroundings.

Wifi - 5/5

Easy to log into and find and very good speed. Perfect for evenings on your laptop whilst drinking coffee, or instagramming your drinks. 

Drinks & Food - 3/5

I had matcha latte which was very delicious, and as I was not really into coffee this time, I chose matcha instead of coffee. My other friends, they both had mocha and they said the mocha was…okay, but not that great. There's also a really great variation of hot teas, iced drinks and coffees so there will be something for everyone. One thing that quite a few people had recommended we try was Affogato. But instead we tried a cheesecake ice cream. It was okay though. I wish the strawberry jam was a bit more sour..

Atmosphere and Decor - 5/5

For me, the best thing about DUA as it was SO COMFORTABLE, and VERY HOMEY.   The hospitality was great. The staff here were so lovely. It had a really nice feel to it and a really nice relaxed vibe. The atmosphere was just as I like it, dim light and less people (sounds particular but there's nothing worse than a crowded, hot cafe with bright lights..someone tell me I am not alone here) 

Price - 5/5

The pricing here is brilliant. Very good value for money and very reasonable.

Seat Available - 4/5

It may appear quite small from the outside, and from the inside. But they have larger or smaller tables depending on how many people you are with. If you are planning on visiting, you will find DUA at Jalan Cipete Dalam No. 2 open from 9am till 9pm.

I am definitely going to be visiting again! x

Life As A Part Time Teacher…

This time, I took a moment and just looked around, took it all in. For some reason this moment in my class was perfection to me. As the kids worked, I thought about my profession. I am currently working in Lawfirm, and I am also still taking a part time job as an English Teacher. I thought about being in high school again, and I thought about how interesting it was that I became a teacher. 

Some of the happiest moments of mine that I spent time in school. Even though I enjoyed my time with friends and teachers, I never thought that I would one day be a teacher myself. My mother would repeatedly talk about how much people enjoyed their work, but would often tell me that the pay was too low for the job at hand so no chance for me. 

I was the kind of person who really enjoyed my high school years. Friends for me were the reason  to love high school. But I did not enjoy class though, and it was often a struggle for my parents to get me to do work. I was incredibly bored! If someone would have told me that I would be a teacher one day, I would have laughed. Even in Uni I did not consider this idea. Although it was my first choice of majors, I had originally shied away from choosing this path, but I decided to give it a go anyway, and one semester in I could not get enough. I reveled in my surroundings, other literary nerds who found great pleasure in writing poetry, reading old books, and sitting around discussing contemporary fiction. It was a welcome break from the everyday life, as cliche and silly as that may sound. I was hooked.

As the next few years went by, I knew that I loved writing, but I was not sure where exactly to get started in that field. It turned out that I decided to take some time and continue working for a few companies. I liked my job and I enjoyed the atmosphere very much. I even toyed with the idea of making this my career. But no matter how much I enjoyed it, it just was not fulfilling a part of me. My love for kids was there since the beginning.

Around February 2016 I started to feel like maybe I wanted to become a teacher. I was not exactly sure where that thought came from. I did not know any high school teachers my age, and I was not sure what the road to becoming a teacher even entailed. While all this was going on, my feeling of idleness and my unhappiness with my life continued to grow. I knew one of my best friends, Jovita is an English Teacher. She asked me to join her as a part time teacher. In early March 2016 I applied for a part time English Teacher, and surprisingly a little less than a few minutes a general test I received a call from Miss Lisa The Principle informing me that I had, indeed, been accepted, and my start date was the following week if I am not mistaken. At the same time, I was very scared. With no experience AT ALL, used to hate school and stuff. Was I making a mistake? DEFINITELY NOT!

"I call my students "MY KIDS" because they're not just kids on my class list, they become a part of my heart."

I never would have guessed this for myself. I wake up everyday looking forward to meeting Saturday excited to get there, happy to see the kids, sharing something with them. Some days are harder  than others, but like I said, most days are great. When you think about simple magnitude of the possibilities involved in that, it is dizzying. I have the great opportunity to shape these little minds into something than they walked in with. I am able to share anything and everything full of language and knowledge. Aside from my current job in Law firm, my mood directly is into classroom. Each Saturday I get up in front of my kids I have the chance to positively inspire them and we each other as well. THIS IS AMAZING. I AM GRATEFUL :)

Some of my former and current students :)

AND This Is The Story :)

LIFESTYLE

Can't believe I am actually doing this. Started writing my blog in 2014 and now it is already 2016. WHERE has the time gone?! This time 2 years ago I felt like I was taking the most random thing. I literally had no idea what was to come next. I was constantly battling huge waves of excitement one minute and then feeling completely lost the next..but knowing that I was taking the jump for myself and my love for being creative, made everything totally clear the second I ever doubted my decision…

Let's talk about my blog which is, you know, the whole reason behind this post..I honestly had no idea what an impact starting this journey would have on me as a person. I have grown so much more confident in myself and with my decisions - from reading other people's posts on topics that I have also struggled with, to recipes I've loved trying, or having some down time over a cup of tea reading about new beauty bits, there is just an endless amount of inspiring people who are creating content which makes me want to do it,  see more and make more everyday!

To anyone with any kind of creative writing, if you want to do it, PLEASE just give it a go. I've never thought of myself as a great writer, I'm totally dyslexic and it takes awhile to read or write anything, in fact I dislike reading books or writing essay! BUT you know what, none of that matters when you want to try and love what you're doing. Keep reminding yourself that you don't have to be the best of the best and there really is no such thing as perfect - just have fun, and you what you love. My blog is all about random stuff and they're still far from perfect, but I do enjoy writing stories especially things about travel, food, and daily life..

And finally (I feel like this is a wedding speech or something…) I need to thank YOU. The ones who from day one have, my friends without a doubt, supported everything I have done. I may not be able to do it, but I really do want you to know just how much I appreciate every single person who reads this page, looks at my photos and stuff. Very happy I get to do this for myself and hopefully it inspires each one of you.

If you are reading this, hope you are having a good day, you are the best! <3

A Weekend With Friends

HEY YOU TWO!        

I spent most of the weekend talking and eating, which was perfect. Made the best of my long weekend chilling out and relaxing. When I was thinking of what I'd like to blog, this was at the top of that list. After being friends for over 18 years (minus Jojo), our schedules never allowed us to properly hang out so this gave us the perfect opportunity! 

I sat down with Giba and Indah chatted openly about careers, marriage, what future plans we have and our thoughts on some issues. Everything from our childhood, uni experiences to what we are doing right now. It's always reassuring for me to speak to my friends and talk to them about what I'm going through and what they're going through as well. We inspire each other to think outside the box, be purposeful in the things that you surround yourself with and just be free!

SRSLY COFFEE CIPETE

EVENING COFFEE WITH BEST FRIENDS 

10TH September 2016

      

If you're into your coffee feeling completely and utterly pure, you will absolutely love it here. The decor is so perfectly simple, yet totally appropriate. All of these factors combine to ensure that your coffee feels like a complete experience, from the moment you walk through the door until the minute you leave. 

The coffee starts off quite simply, but you can add more to your cup if you fancy extras. I went for Iced Matcha Latte, Iced Mocha for Jojo, and Giba obviously went for iced latte. They were just MMmm. They just tasted real, that sounds like a really strange way to describe something but it made all iced coffee feel almost fake. They made me want to make my own, which is always a good sign!. They were just so good. Even though you are having coffee that you feel like you have everyday, it tastes completely different. From my other friends opinion (and also how much they spoke about the coffee and place for the rest of our visit) I think they were equally as impressed. I'm going to have to stop writing now as it's making me want more. But yes, please do go. It's a very nice place to chill and the coffee…soooo good!.

I really enjoy the whole space, with white-dominated walls, wooden furniture and random splashes of color on the floor. Don't even get me started on how much I love the lights in this place! The clock strikes 4 o'clock in the evening when Jojo and I got there and the place got pretty full already. 

If you're around Cipete, I highly recommend checking this place out and spend a leisurely evening wandering around the good surroundings. Will definitely put this place on my go-to list whenever I need to chill out or something, even simply for the ambience. 

The Iced Matcha Latte (IDR 40.000) I ordered was pretty simple but soooo good!. SRSLY Coffee's matcha latte is not overly sweet and you can still taste the milkiness (they used Greenfields branded milk) and the bitterness of matcha. And what I have mentioned before, the portion is smaller than what I've expected though..

Photos taken by Giba Hutabarat and Jovita Pontoh

The Edwin's Kupi

FOOD

Dining Aceh Style

We (my friends Jovita & Giba) don't go out for a Sunday dinner very often, but when We do..we really do! Edwin's kupi is a place we've been meaning to try out, so while mooching around Cinere the place where we live, we decided it was finally time. 

Aceh is located in the Northern part of Sumatra, Indonesia. Typical Acehnese food is a blend of various cultures such as Arab, Indian, Melayu, Dutch and Spanish. To enjoy Acehnese food in Jakarta especially is not difficult to find because there are many restaurants of coffee shop around (that's what I've found). We got to try Edwin's Kupi which where exactly is in my neighborhood. It's in Jalan Markisa blok B No. 2, Cinere. 

We opted for the roti canai (flat bread with condense milk), spicy noodle (noodle cooked in Acehnese style with a special flavor and sometimes mixed egg and beef), aceh fried rice, timpan ( traditional cake of Aceh).  It's sticky and sweet, consists of flour with a kind of eggs jam or sweet coconut put in the middle of it and wrapped with young banana leaf steamed for half an hour) and martabak (made from wheat flour, eggs and veggies. Baked on a hot flat pan using oil. Meat pancake that strongly influenced by Arab and India cuisine). 

For drinks we got teh tarik (pulled tea), and arabica sanger (milk coffee). The preparation of coffee also becomes the main attraction for the guest, coffee is filtered through a cloth lifted up high over a cup. This is an old tradition in preparing coffee since the Aceh Sultanate era. There were exactly what we were hoping for, how could we say no?! It was completely indulgent meal that really hit the spot!

There's something nice about going out for a casual dinner on a Sunday, don't you think?

Seriously, if you are ever in Cinere and around Blok A stop by Edwin's Kupi and you will not be disappointed. We ended up going back few times now for Sunday pre-dinner snacks or a casual dinner which was equally good. The staff are lovely, the Acehnese food is amazing. The atmosphere is just okay (no aircon :p )

Let's talk about…food

Let's talk about something that's very close to my heart…OF COURSE it's food…! I have posted one of my favorite recipes recently and hope to post more as I really do just love being in the kitchen. Now I need to start off by saying that I am no dietician, so please do not take this as a "this is what you should be eating" kind of thing..more of a "this is what I like to eat" post :p

I have always loved watching my grandmother cooking in the kitchen, my grandmother for her amazing home cook Chinese comfort food and my mom, well…for her homemade sweets. I had the best homely food from grandmother and mom. My grandmother, especially, she was the reason I LOVE home food, and I always go all out when it comes to cook. Spent my childhood living with my grandmother, had the most amazing time in my life!

Uni came and this was the first time I was really left alone to cook, I actually ended up cooking some good stuff as well but was not as good as I used to. Let's just say I wasn't very creative back then just because of lack of ingredients. Always bought street food or restaurant food and It was so bad. Especially in first year, always dive into big bowls of cereal every morning. There's nothing wrong with that, it's just not good enough.

By third year things had changed a lot…I would take it in turns to have huge "bring a dish" from home. It was then that I really started to care more about what I was eating and what certain foods did to my body. I gain weight tho due to lack of sleep so bad!

I was big and I still am now..but I am in a good health I believe. I did eat a lot of junk but now I managed to eat healthier. Which means more veggies, more water, more fruits and more good stuff. Are you a foody? what is your favorite food?

What I am loving right now :)

A bit struggle with breakfast because I am more of a brunch time eater, but recently I have fallen in love with banana pancakes (without maple syrup). You have probably seen my other post about pancakes, I cook up the pancakes as usual, but then also add some fruits or yogurt on the side. Yummy!

I am obsessed with spinach, tempeh, and fish (especially tuna & salmon). Anything that's not oily I am good. Warm spinach soup would probably be much more fitting..healthy and stupidly good as well. But for the weekend, I usually eat everything good on menu whether it's oily or not cuz why not!

I love seafood pasta for my dinner, I do not really care about calories tho but I just do not really eat rice at dinner. I am good with noodle, pasta, pancakes PLUS lots of fruits, milk, or fresh juice (I am obsessed with green juice). I always cook my dinner very simple and light but tasty at the same time.

 I have a right sweet tooth at the minute. And you have no idea how much I love banana. This ones not the prettiest, but it's super easy. Grab a peeled banana, slice down the middle and fill with chocolate. Then wrap it up in some tinfoil and pop in the oven/ microwave for 10 mins, until its all gooey and lush…!

Find what you love doing..mine is cooking, yours could be baking!

Plan your meals, it makes everything easier

Try something new, you could love it

Have fun x

Paris, je t'aime

Summer 2014

Meet my good friend, Alaia Issany <3

Was wandering among some of the main attractions, stopping for café lattes and generally loving every corner of this gorgeous city. We are living in Montmartre, Paris and I remember I was worrying about taking metro in Paris. Would it be safe? confusing to navigate? but fortunately the metro was a cinch to figure out. And I felt completely safe on the trains and in the stations. And as for getting lost,  Google maps app works in Paris too. It was a lifesaver in Paris in my opinion (cuz you do not ask people on the street) lol

Montmartre is the home that nurtured most of the great artists and writers living in France for over 200 years. Picasso, van Gogh and countless others lived and worked in these streets in Montmartre.

Sacre Coeur Basilica is a Roman Catholic church dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. You can go inside and go up to the top of the dome for a view of Paris, but I did not do that. It is just around my sister's flat, made my way up the many…many steps. Workout every single day!  You can get a very pretty view outside the church, my friend Alaia and I loved to just sit there and enjoying the view.  You can do the picnic as well! ;) 

And here's my other friend, David. We strolled around Montmartre and managed to get some delicious cheesecakes from Berko around Montmartre, very famous cheesecake place and indeed was stupidly good. If you happen to be in Paris, you need to try the cheesecake! after that we stopped by Rue Saint-Anne the little Tokyo thats what people call it. Located near many city landmarks and tourist attractions, like Louvre, and the Opera, Rue Saint-Anne is a wonderful street to visit for lunch while out sightseeing or shopping. The closest Metro stop is Pyramides

We took a walk to The Louvre the biggest museum in the world with thousands of square feet of space and million of exhibit. It houses pieces from classical times to the 19th century. It was summer going on to autumn. The weather was really nice:) 

There is an ever-present line outside this great, traditional Japanese restaurant, always a great sign for any dining spot. They served a variety of handmade udon. The tempura udon-a steaming bowl of delicious broth, topped with tempura shrimp; zaru udon- cold noodle served with dipping sauce; or the curry udon. The many also includes side dishes, like pickled veggie. The udon is well worth the wait.

K Mart is a grocery store stocked full of Korean and Japanese products. My friend David Young and I stopped by to pick up some korean snacks and soju. He never tried korean food so I managed to get him some goodies. "Soju tastes like chinese medicine HAHA", David said. LOL

 You could find fresh produce, seafood, noodle, sake, spices, and much more. And also the cafeteria or the to-go food shelves for a quick lunch. It's open for Monday to Sunday, 10.00AM to 9.00PM. It is Rue Saint-Anne

Had a second meet up with David Young. This time I came over to his. I forgot how we came up with an idea of the second meet up but that time my friend, Anne had an appointment with her "boyfriend" and she currently checking her new flat so yeah I gone out with her from my place. David wanted to show me the other side of Paris (not typical Paris). It was at Bibliothèque, I just took the RER and was there in no time! Time has passed so quickly and it was very far away from my place. I couldn't find a wifi and my phone was about to die soon. Borrowed Anne' phone to text David. Got his call and I waited for couple mins in MK2 Bibliothèque, luckily there were lots of food trucks and great attractions. MK2 is a cinema, probably the biggest cinema I have ever seen. It's not in the mall, but the cinema alone is very huge. I didn't get the chance to take picture because it was too crowded and I was on my own so yeah.. (oh I did manage to see David an hour later, he came by a bike he rented :p)

Here's the one I been telling you about. This is what we call it as Bibliothèque Nationale de France aka The National Library of France. I never thought I would see this side in France. I thought I could only see old victorian buildings around, but this is different, if only you could see this view in real life, you would say wow too! that time was very windy and cold crazyyy! David and I spent couple hours here, amazed by its view here. You should come and see!

It carries a sense of monumentality and visual iconicity that is, of course, familiar to Parisians, but the library is distinctly modern in affect and progressive in ethos.  Classical arcades, stone carving, and ornamental expressions of wealth and power are replaced by the glass, steel, and weathered wood, and the understated  of the urban masses and a throwback to midcentury ideals.

And this is Docks de Paris. The river facing façade features a glass covered steel tube structure that is inspired by the flow of the river and its pedestrian promendades. The rood has also been developed using wood decks and grassed area. The front façade addition serves as the buildings circulation system allowing visitors to move between levels. Inside the new building will feature a variety of programming including galleries, retail shops, the french fashion institute, and cafes. And this' what I was doing with David, he brought me here to see some art galleries. Was a lovely night!

When Paul stopped by and enjoying his indomie after 1 year HAHAHA #indomieforlife

Starting to enjoy my stay in Paris because there are lots of hidden gems in this city. Thank you so much for the hospitality Alaia, David, Paul, and Nicko. So very thankful that I get to know them for years. See y'all very soon! x