The Short N Sweet Life of Mr. Butterfly

I like butterflies not just because they resemble from ugly-to-beautiful metamorphosis. I like them because in their short lives, they spread joy, beauty, and happiness to anyone who happen to see them. All in their sweet and simple little ways.
Warning: this is a long post full with words, so if you don't want to read the whole thing, just scroll down and see the pictures instead. Enjoy! I also had it published under www.divinecaroline.com sometime last year.

"Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again: rejoice!"

(Philippians 4:4)

Remember Pollyana?
I’m a firm believer that being happy is a good thing. It is my special way to show my love to God. Some people show their faith by reaching out, loving others, and doing good, like Mother Theresa. Some by doing little deeds with love, like St. Theresa, the Little Flower. Some, by contemplation and silence, like the monks. Other ways are by fasting, maintaining self-control, being an example to the young, praying, avoid greediness, going to Church, spiritual retreat, charity, loving your brothers and sisters, etc. All are good; all require hard work, good will, and perseverance to carry them out constantly.

Of course, I try to do all or a little bit of all the ways I know on how to show my love to God. But my special way, my special calling, my special mission, is by always striving to be happy.

Sounds fun and easy, right? It’s not like organizing charity ball, or giving alms to the poor, or teaching children under the bridge or praying rosary three times a day.

Well, think again.

Being happy, like any other ways to practice spirituality, is hard work.

It’s not easy to be happy when you’re lonely.
It’s not easy to be happy when the “love of your life” suddenly dumps you.
It’s not easy to be happy when you lose a job.
It’s not easy to be happy when you are in an abusive relationship.

It’s not easy to be happy and content when you have no money and you know for a fact that your nasty, bitchy, cheating, but beautiful co-worker can spends thousands on a LV bag because she has a rich “sugar-daddy-husband.”
It’s not easy to be happy when you’re being passed up for a salary increase or promotion.
It’s not easy to be happy when people around you are laughing merrily and you’re sitting in the corner feeling like an outcast.
It’s not easy to be happy when you feel that your career is going nowhere and your boss is a “devil wears prada.”

It’s not easy to be happy when your children are sick and your husband is out of a job. It’s not easy to be happy when the news constantly remind you how corrupt the politicians are, and how bleak the economic future will be, etc.
It’s not easy to be happy when the people around you, your family, friends, parents, spouses always put you down, being cynical, negative, pessimistic, and constantly criticize you—no matter how good their intention might be. (Sometimes, the one who can kill you fastest and with the most excruciating pain is the one whom you love most)

It’s not easy to be happy when you’re sick and alone and feel like no one cares whether you’re dead or alive.
It’s not easy to be happy when all you want to do is crawl under the cover and cry your heart out and then go to sleep and never wake up again because you feel so sad and alone and miserable and it seems like there’s no reason to live.
I am a Catholic, so I did a little research in Vatican’s Bible on-line, and found around 890-something verses in the Bible, in which God tells us to rejoice, to be glad, and to be happy. In my humble opinion, if the Almighty, Loving, and Magnificent God, who created Heaven and Earth and everything under the sun and the stars, took the trouble to say over 800 times that He wants His children to be happy, then He must really mean it!

God wants me to happy.
God wants me to strive to happy, in any circumstances.

Being happy in whatever circumstances He puts me in, meaning I trust Him wholeheartedly that He is my Father, Protector, Savior, and Provider. That He loves me and takes care of me. Even when I cannot feel His presence at all.

Being happy in whatever situation is being a light bearer in this world, being a testimony, a witness of God’s love, through the little and insignificant me.

Being happy no matter what is one of the most unselfish things I can do for people around me, because I don’t scatter poison of negativity nor complaints to my community. Because when I look happy even when I just want to roll out and die, people who love me won’t be sad for me nor worry about me, because they’ll think that I’m OK. Because by working hard to be happy, from time to time I find myself being an inspiration for others to also be happy.

And because you always look OK, people don’t offer to help you, instead they come to you for help because you look like you’re “free from the problems of the world”, when all you want to do is crying out loud “Help me! Please! Somebody, anybody, help me! I want to die!” And helping others is always good and make you feel better.

So, yes, you can show your love to God by being happy.
Yes, being happy is hard work.
Yes, being happy is an unselfish thing to do.

So I always strive to be happy. No matter what.

“I don’t buy in to the despair of this world.
I don’t see life as misery. No matter what.
So I celebrate. I celebrate God and His creation. I celebrate life.
And all the things it has to offer.”

Black top: unbranded. Black jacket: tailored. Butterfly skirt: Mark & Spencer. Shoes: Yongki Komaladi. Tosca blue bag: Stradivarius. Butterfly keychain: Warna MKG.

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Not The Biggest Fan of Harry Potter, But...

... still dragging myself to finally watch the latest and final installment of Harry Potter movie!

Ten years ago, I was a fan. I love to read more than anything, so I bought the first book and read it cover to cover. I thought it was really amazing. Then came out the second book. And the third. By the fourth book I stopped reading the series altogether, opting to just watch the movies instead. So the first Harpot is the only Harry Potter book that I own.

Don't get me wrong. I stop reading not because the books are too thick. I read Lord of The Rings and the whole Chronicles of Narnia series. I read ALL Little House the original and the additional series and combined together they're even more voluminous than Harry Potter books. I stopped reading because I no longer interested to read any further.

After reading the history of both Lord of The Rings and Harry Potter, I think I understand why. Tolkien wrote the whole LoTR in the camps during The First World War. At that time, he just wanted to portray the ugliness of war and the reason to live, and since he was a literature professor, what better media he could express himself with than jotting the thoughts down on a piece of paper? He had no idea it would be a huge hit. That's why the whole story feels so genuine and beautiful to me.

Rowling wrote the first manuscript of Harry Potter when she was a poor single Mom slash waitress. The lady truly has amazing imagination, and for that I give her four thumbs ups (Yep, four, arms and legs, haha!) Then Harry Potter the first book became a hit. A HUGE hit. Rowling became the richest woman in England, richer even then the Queen, I heard. After that she wrote the second, third, and next volumes. So, with all the media and the success and the frenzy, I think somehow the story becomes more commercialized and is no longer as genuine as the first book. At least to me.

I realize I might put myself in jeopardy for writing this, so for all Harry Potter die-hard fans, please don't get mad at me! This is only my personal opinion! ^0^'v

However, I still want to know how the story ends and all. Not to mention that I loooove Emma Watson. (The girl has style!) So of course, I can not NOT watch the final movie. I purposedly waited until several weeks have passed after it hit the theater, so the queuing is no longer crazy. You know, Hollywood movie-lovers in Indonesia have been having a movie-fasting for about six months or so because the movie importer had some tax problem with the government. Since the beginning of the year most Hollywood box office like Pirates, X-Men, etc. couldn't get to Indonesian theaters. Some die-hard (and moneyed) movie-lovers even chose to book a ticket and fly to the nearest countries like Singapore, Malaysia or Thailand just to watch the latest box-office movies! So after the six-month ban, you can imagine the craziness when Harry Potter finally arrived in Jakarta cinemas!

Anyway, this is what I wore to the movie at Blitz Pacific Place.

I always wear an extra layer for the cinema because the AC is freezing cold!

Some funny art work at the mall lobby. The cheerful colors match my outfit, and the polkadot on my top and shoes, so I took a picture!

Yellow polkadot top: Abercrombie (gift, bought at an outlet in San Fransisco). Nude lacy tank top: unbranded (Mangga Dua). White crocheted long cardigan: unbranded (Plaza Semanggi). Bag: Esprit (gift, also from San Fransisco) Jeans: forgot the brand, they're old. Sandals: Orange (USA). Pearl necklace: gift from a friend. Bracelets: Debenhams. Earrings: Diva.

I love how the polkadot top matches the polkadots on the sandals. Even the heels got polkadot pattern!

A friend brought me the yellow Abercrombie top and Esprit bag for my birthday last year. At that time, he gave me a lot of pink stuffs because he knows I love anything pink, then he presented the top and the bag and said: "I know your favorite color is pink, and you prefer feminine look instead of sporty, but I saw these at an outlet in SF and thought you'll look great in them because they're so happy and fun and sunny and cheerful just like yourself!" Awwww! How sweet! He didn't need to say that, of course. What girl doesn't like birthday presents?

I love the yellow peekaboo under the flap.

Another pose at Pacific Place lobby.

Now you know why this mall is called PACIFIC Place. Can't you believe that I've been here like a hundred times and never took any pics with the miniature sailing boats before!

After brunch and movie (yep, we went for matinee show), we went to Kem Chick supermarket downstairs to buy some fruits, and look what I found. Cool huh! That's a saying dear to my heart, I carry my own reuseable plastic bag everywhere so I don't need to ask for store plastic bag to the cashier. I mean, do I really need to ask for plastic bag when I only buy a pack of chewing gum? Hello!

And as an end note for today's posting, the final Harry Potter movie is cool, but boy, I'm so glad that it's finally over!

Musing N Pondering

I went to the US for two main reasons:
One: I want to experience living in another country. Speaking different language. Eating different food. Meeting new people. New culture. New way of life. New everything.
Two: A full-time job after graduation with some nice USD salary would be nice. ^__^ Studying abroad is expensive, so I want to be able to at least reaching a break-even-point - with some additional savings if possible - before going home to Indonesia.

I am very thankful for those wonderful years I spent in Texas, and felt that my life had been enriched beyond measure through the experience. Over there, in a country where most of the world calls a secular country, where Hollywood movies are made, where outrageous behaviors of celebrities like Paris Hilton and Kim Kardashian dominate the tabloids, I embraced what I never thought I would embrace there in America.

Faith

Femininity

Modesty

Frugality

Recycling

Don't get me wrong. I watch The Simple Life and Keeping Up With The Kardashians. Reality shows are my guilty pleasures. (If I ever had a daughter, though, I don't think I'd allow her to watch any of those until she's at least 18 for fear she might think that public nudity and yelling at your Mom are cool! They are definitely not!)

Anyway, speaking of modesty, my friends were confused that after I got back from the US, I stopped wearing micro minis or showing off my midriff. I don't judge others who do. I still follow blogs that feature minis and skintight clothes for inspiration. But I personally don't wear them on daily basis anymore. Unless maybe when I go to the beach or something like that. My rule of fashion is to dress attractive, NOT attract-ing!

About three and half months ago I started this little blog. What prompted me the most to start was the fact that I saw more and more young women, even older women, wear itsy-bitsy mini skirts and very short shorts to Church. And let me tell you, even my male friends, who generally enjoy seeing sexy women, were horrified by that spectacle! So I wrote this post: "Please Ladies, No Showing Off That Body of Yours at Chuch!"

I started hunting for more fashion blogs out there that feature modest, but stylish and modern fashion. I mean, no Victorian dresses or Little House On The Prairie dresses here!

One of the blogs I found is Natasha Atkerson's blog. So I'm so delighted that she just featured me as her Feminine Friday challenge winner! Thank you, Natasha!

Clover Finds Celebration

"I dont' buy in to the despair of this world. I don't see life as misery. No matter what.
So I celebrate. I celebrate God and His creation. I celebrate life.
And all the wonderful things it has to offer."

LeeAnne, Style N Season And today I celebrate my lovely Plaza Semanggi finds, where I did some of my twice-a-year shopping excursions. I went there to visit a secondhand book store that I frequent regularly, but in Plaza Semanggi, or Clover Mall, everything was so cheap, especially during Jakarta Great Sale, somehow my feet took me for a tour across the mall, with numerous stops at almost every store, and I ended up with several shopping bags at the end of the day. Oh well, at least I bought everything on sale... In this case, self justification is perfectly... well, justified. This morning I'm going to meet some friends for lunch at Senayan City, so this is a good opportunity to wear some of my finds that were featured on a previous post here.

Old jeans, rolled up. Metal star belt: Charlotte Russe (USA). Coral loose-knitted short-sleeved cardigan and wedges: Plaza Semanggi (forgot the name of the stores). Turquoise earrings: art market at Sydney. Turquoise beaded necklace: DIY project. Bracelet: Naughty MKG. Magenta tank top: Express (USA). Baby blue sheer ruffled top: Wet Seal (USA). Sky blue bag: Les Catino. I totally adore these wedges! Especially the cheerful piping. And the cute bow. And the lovely lace detail. And how comfortable they are. OK, I love everything about them!

So what do you think? Did I had some great finds or what!

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21 Day Challenge: Color Blocking at Freckles in April.

Pastel Pallette

First of all, this is not what I'm wearing today. These pictures were taken some time ago after I strained my ankle. So naturally I had some difficulty to walk in style for a couple of days after that. So I cried. Then I realized that I just bought six pairs of Yongki Komaladi heels from Matahari that I couldn't wear until the ankle heals. So I cried again. AND, without proper heels, it would be very difficult to wear skirts or anything cute for work. And I work 5 days a week, which is, a big chuck of my life. And I cried some more. Cried and whined and rambled and mumbled.

Then I got creative. If I have to wear black pants, then why not wearing ultrafeminine, pastel tone for the rest of the outfit? You know, like the saying goes: "When God closes the door, somehow He opens the window." And the back door. And the balcony so you still can jump out. Whatever. (Sounds cliche, I know. But cliches become cliches for this particular reason: they have stood the test of time!)

So, I decided to wear this cute chiffon pink top that I stole from my Mom. (Perhaps I strained my ankle because I stole so many things from my Mom's closet?) My Mom said that one of the fun things of having a daughter is, that Mom and daughter can swap clothes, shoes, and accessories. Errrr, perhaps, but in reality, I take many things of her closet and she almost never takes anything from mine, hehehe...

Also, after so many positive comments about this little mustard yellow bag, I changed my mind from "Oh, this color is so difficult to match" to "Gonna wear it everyday!" Kidding. But I do try to incorporate this bag more to my outfits. Luckily, there are so many inspirations from wonderful fashion blogs out there.

Pink chiffon top: gifted (stolen?) from Mom. Black pants: Ann Taylor LOFT (USA). Silver-copper-gold metal bangles: Takashimaya, Singapore. Earrings: from an art fair in Arizona, USA (either Phoenix or Sedona, I forgot). Mustard yellow bag with bow: Sogo, MKG, forgot the brand. White and gold low wedges: Voir (Malaysia)



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Money Money Money

Good morning, Jakarta! Good morning, Indonesia! Good morning, World!
What do you think of my outfit today? Very casual, you think? That's absolutely right.
Let's hop to Museum Bank Indonesia or Indonesian Central Bank Museum. You see, I I love art. I love culture. I love history. So naturally I'm very fond of museum hopping. My favorite museums are The National Museum of Fine Arts in Washington DC and Neka Museum in Bali. I still dream to visit The Louvre in Paris one day.
One of the perks of living in the capital city - despite the traffic jam and the pollution - is that I have access to numerous museums and art galleries, which can be visited for a very low budget.

The building where Museum BI is located, which was Indonesian Central Bank Building in Old Batavia, is a beautiful and grand Dutch colonial style building, built during Dutch East-Indies era.

Check out the bronze gate where I took picture here. Marvellous!

Museum BI, I think, is one of very few museums in Jakarta that is airconditioned. Considering that Indonesia is a tropical country where it's hot and humid all year round, it's wise to wear something old and comfortable (you will get dirty and sweaty and dusty, so yeah, don't wear your best new outfit) and carry a big bag for all the essentials to stroll around the city in a hot, sunny day: tissue, antibacterial wipes, water bottle, some snacks, you get the picture.

Striped T-shirt: Jones New York. Jeans: GAP. Sneakers: Reebok. (All were old collection from my college years) Red bag: from Makati, Philippines.

This is a fun game when you enter the museum. Basically you have to catch the falling coins with your shadow - yes, with your shadow - and when you succeed, there will be a note with information about that particular coin on the wall display.

I think banks and governmental buildings in the yesteryear are much prettier than they are today. Check out these lovely mosaic tinted glass windows! The blue one on the left and the saints on the right. Gorgeous!

And as many old buildings in Old Batavia (an old part of the town), the museum has huge doors and windows to improve air circulation.

Another original Dutch colonial architectural signs: long, airy halls and "inner courtyard/garden". The rest of the place was built to surround this garden, each walls with high ceilings, high doors and windows to ensure that fresh air can move freely. Remember, these people didn't have AC back then. Hmmm, I can imagine employees of the Central Bank a hundred years ago, having lunch in this lovely courtyard instead of driving to the mall. Delightful!

So, now you know what to do with those old comfy favorites you cannot bear to part with: wear them for casual days!

In The Depth of The Ocean, There Lay Pretty Flowers

This teal/tosca blue bag might not fit the whole look, but nevertheless, I'm so in love with it I just have to wear it today! Must, must, must!
I laid my eyes on this gorgeous thing at Stradivarius clothing store at Central Park during their midnite sale several weeks ago, and it was love at the first sight. So, I don't know what happened to me, that I completely forgot to buy it later on and sashaying home without this lovely thing!

Weeks gone by, and I was so busy I didn't have the time to make a visit to Central Park or Plaza Indonesia where Stradivarius stores are located. But I did whine to several friends about how much I want this bag, and somehow Santa Claus heard about my wish. So, eventhough it's not Christmas yet, last Sunday a gift arrived at my place - yours truly - in the form of this gorgeousness. Awwwwww!!!

So, tell me, how can I NOT craddle it now, matchy or not?

I got this cheerful flowery skirt at Neiman Marcus. And no, it's not as expensive as one might think. Even at upscale deparment stores like Neiman, where most of what they sell are expensive pieces, you can still get some very good deals. I went to The Galleria Houston a lot, and though it's considered a high-end mall, I managed to score some amazing stuffs at steeply reduced prices.

The black shirt is by Invio, and I got it for free, since it was my previous office's uniform. ^_^

Black shirt: my previous office uniform by Invio. Skirt: Anna Perenna. Silk scarf: tailored. Teal blue bag: Stradivarius. Copper colored shoes: Yongki Komaladi.

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All Dressed Up! at http://www.nomodellady.com/