If only we could still see Dinosaurs…

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Just received a copy of “The Casual Vacancy” from Mizan, signed by none other than J.K. Rowling herself. Jakarta Book Club will be giving away this book to one lucky winner during “Festival Pembaca Indonesia” next week (Dec 5-6)! Don’t miss our booth if you’re visiting! #jakartabookclub #bookclub

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This anti-itch cream is effective indeed. It’s no news that my skin is sensitive/allergic to sulfa, grass, insect bites, cold, sun exposure and carpets, especially in the leg area.

2 months before my US trip, I had a tiny insect bite on my left shin. It was small but itchy, so I tend to scratch it automatically when I’m wearing tight jeans or in my sleep. Within a few days, it got worsen. The itch had become wider and it formed several spots like pores. I hated it so much, but didn’t have time to go to the doctor.

I ended up buying minyak tawon, betadine, garamicin, hydrocortisone 1% from the pharmacy and treated the itch myself. No actual result achieved, cuz the symptoms cleared up but returned within a few days if I felt stressed out or not in a happy mood. Weird, but allergy/ skin condition is also influenced by your stress level (according to my previous shinse/ specialists who treated my allergy when I was young). This includes eczema or acnes.

So, the itch became reaaaally bad when I was in the US, since the weather is cold and dry, and I had to wear tight leggings/ stockings every day. At some points the 3 cm pores bled when I scratched the itchy skin. I went to Target (so love the place, hehe, that I went to 4 different Target stores throughout my trip) and bought this cream.

I used it upon my return in Jakarta, and within 2 days the itch was gone, the pores are healed and the symptoms didn’t come back. Thank God for the healing, of course. Aveeno is a good daily treatment brand, like some friends say, maybe cuz it’s a division of J&J. I just hope I can find it here along with Boots no7 and Neutrogena skin care. #random

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Coffee is a personal taste. I have to admit that my tongue is used to a certain flavor of coffee, could be 100% arabica or blends. Indonesia is familiar with arabica coffee and its sugary taste. That’s why I don’t usually drink “2 in 1”, “3 in 1”, or worse, “4 in 1” coffee in sachets. They have no impact on me, except that I will accumulate lots of sugar if I continue to drink them on regular basis.

However, I have been stocking this ready-made coffee drink for months. I really like this brand cuz it’s not just trying to impress hipsters with their “cold brew in mini glass bottle” over-the-top bullshit, but it simply creates good mix of coffee, steamed milk and creamer. Plus, they sell it at a very affordable price, 15k each. Have met the maker once & I hope they’ll keep on selling coffee for its quality (and maybe add the “less sugar” variant) #coffeeholic #coffee #weekend

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Pork belly and cafe late. They changed the menu, more like simplifying the list. Coffee tastes mediocre today, I don’t know why. Maybe, just maybe, because I’ve tasted better (third wave of) coffee in Seattle & SF. Our tongue doesn’t lie. – at Common Grounds

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Naik Uber lupa kalau ada 3 in 1. Akhirnya drivernya nawarin 50-50 bayar joki. Haiyo, joki 20rb + bau sepanjang jalan. Ini bukan menghina, tapi memang kenyataan. Jarang kan joki yg wangi dan rapi. Secara personal, ide joki saya juga tidak suka, krn ngga kurangi macet. Jadi hari ini saya jadi yg ikut bikin Jakarta tambah macet

Anyways, Uber di Indonesia belum mapan kayak di Amrik, akibatnya penumpang sering mesti nunggu lama, telepon-teleponan, kirim sms, dsb, supaya bisa dijemput di tempat. Di Amrik, mereka tinggal pasang GPS dan tunggu semenit langsung dijemput di depan lobi/ pagar, asalkan kita kasih directionnya bener. #random

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GEPI Graduation day – at @america

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Don’t be afraid to meet new people, even if they are strangers in the street or someone who passed away a smile to you or gave an inspiring talk at an event. What’s the worst thing that could happen? Being rejected or ignored? Just go with it and move on. It’s still far better than following and stalking people on Instagram or wishing to have a better life than those who posted their pics on Facebook. Go out, and be discovered. #random

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Found this while I’m storing my big luggage. Lol, ibu and I played the flight simulator at Museum of Flight. I was the pilot, she was the gunner. The mission was to shoot down enemies and not to crash. In the next 15 mins, we were screaming and giggling, while trying to hit the targets and mostly upside down cuz I was such a bad pilot. Scary for sure!! 😆 #throwback

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Interviewing Peter van Dongen, creator of graphic novel “Rampokan Jawa” after a session at Ubud Writers and Readers Festival 2015, while he was drawing my friend Dina’s face. The award-winning novel has been translated into several languages, and he is currently making another novel about Indonesia. Rampokan was based on his mother’s story when she grew up in Indonesia. A lot of the settings take place in 1940s. “What’s your fave city or town in Indonesia?” I asked. “I always have a feeling for Jakarta,” he said, while continuing his doodling and looking up once awhile to maintain eye contact with me. Hope to see you again in near future, Peter, either in Bali or Jakarta. #uwrf15 #ubud #bali – at Ubud Writers and Readers Festival

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