Ca me fait jalou...

Hahaha, i'm not sure if i write the title correctly, since i almost forget my french completely. Anyway, i just found a french site about lifestyle, mode, art etc called jalougallery com. And in it's article there is one image that caught my attention: an eclair with Brigitte Bardot on top of it. Yes, the eclair cake i'm talking about...It is Christophe Adam (chef executive) and Benoit Couvrant (chef patissier) made this sexy eclair from two yummy flavors (and colors): almond & rose! This BB eclair sold at Boutique Fauchon, Place de la Madelaine, Paris 8eme, for 6 euros. Yup, i know, it's in Paris. But who knows if there's any patiserie in Jakarta will make eclair with Manohara on it... ehmm ... err... naaaaah!!!;-p

December 2009

It's Forever 10:10 on clock

Have you wondered why clocks, watches, and timepieces always say (roughly) 10:10 before you set the correct time. If you go into a store selling any kind of time-telling device, that is the default factory setting. Why is that?!!”.
First things first, let’s get the myths out of the way. There are plenty of people out there who think that clocks in advertisements and in-store displays are set this way memorialize Abraham Lincoln/John F. Kennedy/Martin Luther King Jr. because that was the time at which they were shot or died. In reality, Lincoln was shot at 10:15 p.m., and died the next morning at 7:22 a.m., JFK was shot at 12:30 p.m. CST and was pronounced dead 1 p.m. and MLK was shot 6:01 p.m. and pronounced dead at 7:05 p.m.

Another theory has it that 10:10 was the time that an atomic bomb was dropped on either Nagasaki or Hiroshima, and the setting is in memory of the casualties. The Fat Man bomb was actually dropped on the former at 11:02 a.m. local time and the Little Boy on the latter at 8:15 a.m. local time.
The real reason for the setting? Aesthetics. The 10:10 position gives the clock or watch a number of benefits:
• The hands not overlapping, so they’re fully and clearly visible and their styling can be admired.
• The arrangement of the hands is symmetrical, which people generally find more pleasant than asymmetry, making the product more appealing to customers.
• The manufacturer’s logo, usually in the center of the face under the 12, is not only visible, but nicely framed by the hands.
• Additional elements on the face (like date windows and secondary dials), usually placed near the 3, 6, or 9, won’t be obscured.
According to the folks at Timex (who set their products at 10:09:36 exactly), the standard setting used to be 8:20, but this made the face look like it was frowning. To make the products look “happier,” the setting was flipped into a smile (occasionally, you’ll still see the 8:20 setting on some clocks or watches where the manufacturer’s logo is at bottom of the face above the 6).

Living in Luxury

i'm not sure what i see in that window is Jakarta's city view =p

hmm, comfy bed with white sheet...yummy!

...just got the press material from Senopati Suites, at Kebayoran Baru, Jakarta. Senopati Suites just launched their Show Room with its theme: Senopati Suites-Martha Stewart Concept Apartement!
These are some of the pics from their showroom that opened since early of June 2009. The showroom located at Jl.Kya Maja, Jakarta Selatan. So, anyone wants to buy any apartments, maybe?!

Confusing Blogging

i have another blog in blog (dot) com
the system is not 'human technology'
meaning: complicated processing
it's not simple as blogger or wordpress
...no wonder i rarely post there...

Mangatar

mirip gak?
...lol...

(Oops) Drink Warm Tea!

PARIS (AFP) - - People who drink their tea piping hot run a higher risk of throat cancer than counterparts who prefer a cooler cuppa, according to an investigation published Friday by the British Medical Journal.
Cancer of the oesophagus is linked especially to smoking and alcohol abuse but hot beverages have also been considered a risk factor, possibly because of damage to throat tissue.
Interested in finding out more, Iranian researchers went to Golestan province, which has one of the highest rates of oesophageal cancer in the world.
Inhabitants there sip large quantities of hot black tea -- typically drinking more than a litre (1.8 pints) per day per person -- but also have a low incidence of tobacco and alcohol use.
A team led by Reza Malekzadeh of the Digestive Disease Research Centre at Tehran University of Medical Sciences looked at 300 people who had been diagnosed with a throat tumour and a matched group of 571 healthy people who lived in the same area.
Those who drank hot tea (between 65-69 degrees Celsius, 149-156 degrees Fahrenheit) were twice as likely to develop throat cancer compared with those who drank warm or lukewarm tea, whose temperature was 65 C (149 F) or less.
Drinking very hot tea (at least 70 C, 158 F) was associated with an eightfold increased risk compared with warm or lukewarm tea.
In an editorial, The Lancet said the study backed evidence that scorching fluids may cause damage to the throat's epithelial lining and lead to cancer, although exactly how this happens remains unclear.
But it also said that there was no cause for panic, as most people tend to drink tea at a warm temperature. Previous studies in Britain have reported an average temperature preference of 56-60 C (133-140 F).
It recommended that tea junkies wait at least four minutes before drinking from a freshly boiled cup.
The study said there was no association between the amount of tea that was consumed and the risk of cancer.
Its scope did not include an assessment of risk for coffee and other hot beverages.

i got this text from yahoo
gotta start to drink warm tea from now on...

Tax oh Tax...

hari ini rencananya anak-anak di kantor mau lapor pajak dengan isi formulir yang udah mereka punya trus cari drop-box di mal terdekat kantor. tapi begitu nanya soal formulir keterangan pajak dari kantor, kebingungan udah mulai muncul. dari soal pajak tahun kapan yang mau dilaporkan, trus formulir pajak kantor ternyata tahun 2007, jadi untuk form 2008 musti di-print ulang dan ditandatangani bos, meanwhile boss lagi di singapore dan baru balik jam 3 sore ini, and others confusing questions...walhasil mereka nggak jadi lapor hari ini tapi hari senin. my guess, itu juga masih dengan beberapa pertanyaan di benak mereka. this sunset policy emang bikin bingung, bukan policy-nya yang ngebingungin tapi (seperti biasaaaa) kurangnya sosialisasi dari pemerintah. emang sih, udah banyak kemudahan dan fasilitas yang dicoba pemerintah sehubungan dgn kebijakan yang satu ini, tapi tetep aja informasi di media2 yang banyak di konsumsi masyarakat mash terbilang sedikit. dan ocba deh lo buka ttg pajak dan tetek-bengeknya di net, yang lo dapetin juga gak jauh membingungankan! mau dibaca sendiri juga bisa sih tapi percaya deh, bikin dahi berkerut banget. paling enak mungkin nanya langsung sama org yg ngerti pajak dan dia bisa ngejelasinnya dgn baik. untuk gw, urusan lapor pajak ini gw minta tolong sm temen deket gw yg suka dan ngerti urusan pajak (thanks, mamih!). Jadi, yg gw perlu lakukan adalah melengkapi surat2 yg dia butuhkan, kayak nomor NPWP, keterangan potong pajak dr kantor tahun 2008, tabungan/deposito yg dimiliki, dan keterangan harta yang gw punya. huehehehe, jelas harta gw belum ada, tabungan ada tapi jumlahnya belum perlu untuk dilapor (huahahaha), dan luckily kantor gw udah potong pajak setiap bulannya, jadi gaji yg gw terima selalu bersih (kecuali pas jaman di Gogirl! yg gaji gw ternyata belum termasuk potongan pajak, but it's ok, yg penting gw bayar pajak deh dr dulu). Nah, dari situ, temen gw yg bakal nulis formulirnya, trus gw ttd, dan dia yg bakal laporin pajak gw. emang sih, gw jadi gak tau apa2 soal lapor pajak, tapi gak apa lah, ntar kalau ada duit gw ikut kursus pajak deh...:P). Tapi, berhubung sekarang belum selesai, gw belum bisa bilang kalau laporan pajak gw udah selesai dan baik2 aja. temen gw cuma bilang kalau surat2 kelengkapan lapor pajak gw udah oke dan gak ada masalah. well, let's see lah...

new title

huahahaha...gonta-ganti blog mlulu nih...
maklum lah, namanya juga moody-an
skarang jadi hot tea & chocolate...
what d you think?
abis gw selalu pake nama setiap kali
bikin judul, baru kepikiran kalau itu
rada-rada narsis juga ya, hehehe....
dan mencontek pada banyak blog lain
yg biasanya milih nama dgn benda2 atau
hal2 lucu atau favorit penulisnya,
ya udah gw juga ikutan deh, hihihi...
meski sekarang gambar header kayaknya
agak kurang cocok yahh....
ntar ganti gambar ahhh.......................

blablablaaaaaa...

yaaaayyy... december 30...we are really getting closer to the end of 2008...
you know what, talking about resolutions, plans, and stuff..i think i know what cause
all that...i mean, in my office, there's kinda strange atmosphere that makes people
think what have we done in this 2008...it's like all the situation makes you think
and remember again what have you done for the whole year, what have you achieved,
what have you missed, the failures and the success and everything...and that kinda
makes you lil'bit think: will i pass 2009 just ordinary as 2008? or will i make more success
in 2009 than in 2008? will i happy and satisfied with my life with all the goals that i plan
for 2009 and so on and so on...
well, it tired me already just to think of it...but i have to admit that i also got that strange thing.
the thing that kinda 'ziiip' and then role back all the things happened in 2008...and off course
all i see is just all the loses, the failures, and all things that i haven't done yet...
that is why probably i had this-after so long-weakness seizure- in my office... yeah right...
maybe i kinda feel down a lil'bit and i dunno, maybe i'm not too enthusiast or excited
welcoming 2009..cause i kinda worried that even in the new year i still live my life just
like i did for whole my life...you know, nothing changed, nothing is new...
anyway, let just talk about something else...
shopping...harusnya sih gw bisa beli Birkenstok hari ini di Metro. Tenaaaaang...bukan gw
banyak duit makanya bisa beli Birki, ini gara2 gw dapet kiriman voucher Rp 500ribu as a
thankful gift karena gw nulis artikel Birki tahun ini. So, yaa lumayan lah meski gw tahu
sendalnya aja harganya 600ribuan alias gw musti teteup nambah. But hey, kapan lagi
gw bisa beli Birki asli di Metro kalau gak sekarang? Sayangnya, vouchernya ketinggalan
di rumah, so kayaknya besok aja deh.
Trus trus, salah satu spot lip shopping gw kali ini adalah sebuah toko sepatu di Kemanggisan
yang kayaknya seru banget (and hopely gw gak tergoda untuk belanja-karena well mustinya
gw bulan ini udh belanja Birki kan?!-tapi katalog toko ini seru-seru, berupa sepatu flat yang
bisa banget gw pake, kerja atau buat main)..jadi mudah2an sih gak boros...
trus trus, working in the 116th edition, gotta read books from Fou Media, one of
the-un favorite-publisher in Indonesia, in my opinion! Gilaaa....penerbit yang satu ini
emang kayak namanya, Fou alias gila....mereka kayak gak milih, nyeleksi, dan ngedit semua
karya yang dipilih untuk diterbitkan. Setelah berderet novel tentang kehidupan hedonis
para model, selebriti yang diceritakan dgn shallow-nya, sekarang gw harus baca dan mereview
novel berjudul 'Viena, I'm In Love' karya Bintang Alzeyra-whoever she is...
Dari sampul aja udah gak menarik banget, trus baru baca teks di sampul belakang yg isinya
testimoni dr seorang manager mcDonald (whoever he is) yg kayaknya pendapatnya
penting sebagai bahan pertimbangan lo membeli sebuah karya sastra..(i mean, McDonal
and litterature? come on...) daaaan apa yg ditulis di testimonial ini gak singkron pula
sama yang ada di isi buku..(sebenernya dibaca gak sih atau dia juga males bacanya
kayak gw yak?!) trus seperti yg gw tebak, isinya duhhh....gak seru banget, tentang aupair
di Viena yg jatuh cinta sm cowok, patah hati trus ketemu cowok baru, nikah, trus bbrapa
tahun kemudian ketemu lagi sm cowok pertama dan pacar si cowok itu, trus tahunya
pacarnya itu psiko dan berusaha membunuh di aupair yg asli Yogya ini...ok, mungkin sekilas
ceritanya terlihat biasa...tapi coba deh baca bahasa penuturannya...duhhhhh ancurrrrr!!!
belu lagi tata bahasanya yang ngasal. Gw tahu banyak buku yg pake bahasa keseharian
apalagi kalau menggambarkan percakapan, tapi kan ada aturan penulisan yg tetap bisa
diikuti apalagi untuk sebuah novel yg dibaca oleh banyak orang dan menjadi tambahan
literatur atau roman di daftar katalog karya sastra kita. sedih deyyy..kalau gitu sih
gw juga bisa nulis2 ngawur gitu meski mungkin kelebihan si penulis buku ini adalah
dia emang aupair di Viena, jadi untuk latar tempat dia punya kelebihan untuk menulis
langsung dari lokasinya, bukan lewat studi perpustakaan. tapi dr sekian banyak yg keluar
negeri gak lantas lo nulis novel dgn bahasa seadanya kan? tapi ini bukan salah dia juga
sih, toh harusnya ada editor dr penerbitnya...tapi namanya juga Fou Media, apa sih yang
lo harapkan? - by writting it, mungkin gw malah bikin org penasaran untuk pingin baca
novelnya yah...jangan deh, pinjem aja dulu-.
jangan pula dgn lahirnya karya2 yg kurang bernmutu dr Fou adalah suatu strategi pembodohan
bangsa ini, seperti yang dilakukan produser-produser film yg-unfortunately-kebanyakan dari
negeri Syah Rukh Khan itu, dengan membuat film-film bermutu rendah tapi dihajar promo
yang hebat sehingga menggiring org2 beli tiket dan nonton film dengan bego....
well, this is book, people...something that you grab, hold on to, read with your heart, watch
with your eyes, and think with your mind...feel it so when this book tells you something
that annoys you or bothers you with some stupid things that don't make sense, then stop
reading it! close the book and throw it to the garbage can! just like when you're ready with
your popcorn in the theatre but then all you see is sexy ladies with half breasts pop up
and lots of slaptics actions that don't even make you smile..then you have to stop watching it!
go outside, leave the theatre...i know the money for the ticket already made the producers smile
but next time, i know you wont let your self get fooled by another stupid movies like that...
stop pembodohan diri sendiri...
setidaknya jangan ulangi di tahun 2009...
...yaaaayy..apa sih gie.....?????????????????

Blu Ray format Viewing Room

Nonton Lukisan Bergerak di Viewing Room baru Subtitles Dharmawangsa Square Citywalk

Kapan tahu gw dapet email dari Irna, Subtitles Dharmawangsa Square. Dia kasih info kalau Subtitles punya Viewing Room baru yang kapasitasnya cuma buat 2 orang dengan lazy chairs kulit yang nyaman. Tapi yang lebih menarik lagi adalah player yang digunakan di Viewing Room terbaru ini adalah dalam format Blu-Ray (bukan HD DVD biasa). Sebenernya gw dulu waktu masih di Gogirl dan nulis rubrik Hilite Gadget pernah nulis soal launchingnya Sony Blu-Ray DVD Player yang pertama kalinya.Yang gw tahu sih emang format Blu-Ray punya banyak kelebihan dibanding format DVD biasa, di antaranya bisa menyimpan dalam kapasitas jauh lebih banyak dan yang paling kentara adalah gambar yang tampil di layar. Blu-Ray bikin gambar jadi lebih hidup, warna yang keluar juga loud banget, bahkan efeknya bisa jadi 3D (terutama untuk beberapa film seperti animasi atau yang eksplore abis setingnya kayak pemandangan/ landscape). But then, that's it. Ketipisan layer pada disk Blu-Ray yang bikin dia punya teknologi lebih bagus drpada DVD biasa, but it costs more...mahal malah. Nah, player Blu-Ray tentu aja khusus, selain Sony yang emang jadi pionneer, Toshiba juga ngeluarin kok. Tapi sebenernya, PS3 juga bisa putar DVD Blu-Ray tapi harus pake plasma screen...Hehehe, intinya mah mahal lah (secara DVD abal-abal aja udah bisa bikin movie freaks puas nonton film apa aja yahhh). Ok, makanya waktu dapet undangan untuk nyicipin nonton Blu-Ray di Viewing Room terbarunya Subtitles, gw langsung mau. Bareng Nyoman gw pergi dan memilih film 300 (list DVD Blu Ray Subtitles belum terlalu banyak. Yang paling recommended sih Ratatouille dan Die Hard 4 yang konon kerasa banget bedanya sama nonton di bioskop atau dvd biasa). Gw teteup milih 300 karena apaaa? Yup, ada Gerard Butler (dalam busana Romawi kuno pula, enough reason lah!). Maka, mulailah gw dan Nyoman duduk di lazy chairs yang emang nyaman dan bikin males siyy, apalagi disediakan bantal dan selimut pula (ehemm...ini agak2 Viewing Room++ yah, hehehe).

Awalnya sih gw gak 'ngeh' tapi karena 300 adalah film epik dengan seting pemandangan yang indah, landscape jaman awal dengan tampilan warna kebanyakan keemasan dan warna kontras, barulah nampak efek Blu-Ray ini. DENG!!! Seting padang rumput, ilalang, pasir, dan lautan jadi kelihatan gimanaaaa gitu, keluar, hidup dan bergerak real banget.Ada adegan ketika King leonidas (butler) pisahan sama Queen Gorgo (Lena H) dan anaknya di mana itu adegan jadi kayak lukisan abesss. Udah mah ceritanya bagian yang sedih gitu (perpisahan) trus setingnya ilalang pula. Warna keemasan di mana-mana, tiupan angin aja kelihatan gimanaaa gitu. Bagus sihhh TAAPII sayangnya efek serba nge-bagusin ini kasih efek ke tampilan fisik, mimik, dan emosi pemain. Dalam format Blu-Ray semua pemain punya tampilan warn akulit yang sama, jadi mulus, bagus dan nyaris tanpa cela. Guratan nadi, otot, atau ketegangan yang dikeluarkan si aktor untuk memaksimalkan aktingnya malah jadi kelihatan flat, yaitu: BAGUS! Padahal kan setiap scene itu gak melulu harus bagus. Aktor harus kelihatan emosi, nahan emosi, meledak-ledak, terharu, marah atau bahkan menahan kesakitan dengan segala yang ia punya dari fisiknya (terutama wajah), nah sisi ini yang menurut gw agak dirusak oleh efek Blu-Ray yang tujuannya memang perfectionizing atau comforting view of the images (dasar orang Jepang dan ambisi kesempurnaannya!). Well, gw sih secara umum berpendapat begitu (meski pantat dan otot-otot dada Gerard Butler jadi emang kelihatan sintal dan ciamik baged buat diuyel-uyel, wuahahahaha...). But again, sebaiknya nggak menonton semua film dalam format Blu-Ray deh, apalagi kalau cua drama atau bahkan film-film sekelas Oscar yang biasanya nonjolin cerita dan karakter pemain. Nggak puas malah. Tapi buat film aksi, fantasi, animasi, kartun, epik, kolosal, atau bahkan mungkin horo ya bo, nah bolehlah nonton berformat Blu-Ray. Paling enak juga nonton di Subtitles. Viweing Room Blu-Ray nya buka tiap hari jam 10.00, 12.30, 15.00, 17.30, 20.00, dan 22.30 dengan harga Rp 135.000/1 kali pemutaran film. Mahal sih, tapi kalau berduaan sama si doi sih ( 'set dah bahasanya...), enak banget deh (apalagi kan tadi gw bilang ada lazy chairs++ nya). So, kalau lagi punya duit, coba deh sesekali. Di sini juga jual makanan dan minuman yang bisa dipesan selama lu nonton. Ada juga DVD Rentalnya (semua orisinil) dan Viewing Room format DVD biasa dengan harga lebih murah.
So, long weekend ini ke mana?

PS: Pas nonton, gw sempet lihat ada kecoak keluar dari balik karpet dan ngumpet di PS3 playernya. Gw sama Nyoman dengan sigapnya menepuk kecoak itu pake sendal. Hihihihi, ini bukan maksud ngejelek-jelekin Subtitles loh, but crockroachs exist evrywhere gitu loh, so it was just a lil'story ...