Melbourne Graffiti

Other than known as the most multiculturalism city in Australia, Melbourne is also famous for its street art. It even considered as one of the world's great street art capitals for its unique expressions of art, specially on approved outdoor locations. 

I've seen some of it, but the best that I can recommend you, my readers, are those in Hosier and Rutledge Lane, just at the opposite of Federation Square; Centre Place in between Collins Street and Flinders Lane; somewhere off the Little Bourke Street (Caledonian Lane and Union Lane); and nearby my favorite area in CBD where I used to have my coffee in the Degrave Street, close to Flinder Station or City Library of Melbourne. 

Of course there are some restriction, but the City of Melbourne recognizes the contribution of this street art to a vibrant urban culture. Today, this street art has become an attraction for local and overseas tourist visiting the city and its creative ambience. 

Here are some photos that I captured on those art graffiti. The last photo is actually the main entrance to an office building. I've had a chance to sneak a peek of the inside, it's beautiful office and very creative design, indeed! 

Eleventh January By the Beach

This year we start a new tradition in celebrating our birthday and anniversary. Prior to this 2014, we  celebrate the Eleventh January, my birthday and our wedding anniversary, with dinner and some party with friends and families. But this year, we just had it with the two of us! I guess the more older you are,  crowd is not longer important, but the quality and essences of the togetherness. 

So on January 11th this year, we took a tram and followed by a-50-minute train to the Black Rock beach in Sandringham. We explored the little beach town by walk, then took a bus to another nearby beach, and have our picnic in there! Facing the beautiful ocean. Had our lunch pack, cracked a bottle of wine, and have little nap time, and celebrate my birthday and nine years of our togetherness. I always love crowd and surround by friends and families, but sometimes just enjoy the moment in silence, is much more beautiful too! 

Happy nine years anniversary, love. I everyday grateful that I have you besides me and shares this life together. May God bless us and this marriage. Always. 

Damn! I Love Melbourne!

Living a year already here in Melbourne, Australia. It seems only yesterday we arrived in this beautiful city and start our new phase of life as international students. Another year to go. And I just realized I don't write a lots here, despite I actually do have more time to write. It just everyday when I wake up, I feel like don't like to loose time to explore and knowing more about this city. Oh! I guess this city is just to easy to be loved. 

Everything looks so beautiful and we can just have an easy and more quality of life here. We don't have to drive and stuck on heavy traffic everyday. We don't have to get stressed with bad transportation system and the air nor voice pollution. Definitely no yearly flooding which makes people crazy and stuck, like poor Jakartan! Even public transport schedules, such as departing and arriving time of train, trams and bus (including other information such as location and the number of the vehicles) are all easy to be access via online or through the application at our mobile phone. Not just put it in there, but it all almost always operate on time and we hardly experienced any delay! Well! There was one situation from my last journey by train from Canberra to Sydney. The train driver announced and apology for we will have a-5 minutes (!!!) delay than the scheduled time! I was smiled and almost laugh! So many times when I had to travel via various mode of transportation in my motherland, and I have to experienced delay for hours, never I heard the management of the company or the driver say something nice like this! It just an apology, but makes us feel appreciated! 

Back about this city, I believe one of the most thing I love about Melbourne, also known as the "Australia's most European city", other than the beautiful surrounding with lots of green parks and old architectures (I always always falling in love with old heritage buildings style!), I impressed with the diversity of the people coming from almost all over the places around the globe. Melbourne is so proud as one of the world's most multicultural nations, and as a home to people from all corners of the globe. I live in Carlton area which is a walking distance away from the Lygoon Street, known as Italian precinct or "Little Italy", the first place where Melbourne famous cafe and coffee cultures was born. Everyday when I walk (and I walk most of the time! :)) and crossing the street, I can hear people talking in different languages, from English, Italian, Germany, French, Japanese, Malay, Bahasa, Chinese, even to the language that I never heard before! A few minutes walk and just a-two-stop tram away, you can find China Town in surrounding the CBD area. You can also easily find the Middle Eastern area in Sydney Road, which is less than 15 minutes tram away from my place! Jewish community area is in another 30 minutes tram away! Aren't that awesome? 

(photo I captured during last Australia Day, Jan 26th 2014)

In this city, I also start expand my networks and friendship with friends from all around the world. It just beautiful to have many new good friends and learn more about their cultures! During last Sunday celebration of Australia Day, I witnessed the long parade which representing the diverse communities and cultures mingled and live together in this city. It just amazing to see all the diversity offer by this city, from the variety of foods, street performances, exhibitions, music, movies to the parade, like what I seen last Sunday. It all portrait about: YOURS, MINE and OURS. Yes! Differences are just too beautiful!

(While Ahmadiyyah Muslims can enjoy their freedom living in Australia, their fellow brothers and sisters in Indonesia haunt to death by the radical Muslims in the country, and minor protection to their rights from the Government!) 

After all, one says that "Journeys of a lifetime explores how no matter who we are or where we have come from, that we have all had a journey". And about myself, where tolerance and pluralism alive, I know I can survive and I can live well!

Seeing photos that I upload on my social media, my friends and families in Indonesia comment that I seems enjoy my new life a lot here. I used to response back "What can we not love about Melbourne?".

As I write earlier, this city is just so easy to be loved. Almost all the international students that I met, they just easily falling in love with this city, even to the day that they just landed to this city! Hah!

We then say, "Damn! I love Melbourne". :)) 

I Captured Spring

In my motherland, we don't have the four seasons. So last Spring 2013 here in Melbourne was my first Spring experience. Now I know why people talk about the beauty of the Spring.  Everything looks beautiful. Colorful. Glooming. After cold Winter days, I started seeing people smiling. Just like a new couple had their first loved, Spring is all about LOVE. 

Here some photos that I captured on last Spring. How blessed I am to witness this beauty. All were taken in my surrounding neighborhood. I dreamt to see Spring. I see Spring. 

It's 2014

(St. Kilda beach on my birthday, January 11th, 2014). 

It's 2014. The new year. The new look of me, I believe. A one year older, more mature (I hope so!), more experienced, with the new way of thinking and perspective in seeing and analyzing things. Hopefully I will also be more often writing and updating my blog home here :)

A year now living in Melbourne, Australia. Grateful always for the opportunity given by God to me. All that I hope and wish for, I'll learn more and more. And a door of opportunity to given back of what I learned to the people and the nation in my motherland. May God be with me. All the time.

Like A Rainbow

I am not a kind of black and white person. If you visit my house and come over to my closet, you will find colorful things to wear that I have. Yes. I like color. I love color. I remember when I was kid till at my late teenager, I have a yellow bedroom. All in yellow and blue design. I like red. I love purple. And I lately passionate with green and orange.

I am a colorful person. Just like my mood. Just like my live and life. My life is not only black and white. It just like a rainbow hanging up there. Sometimes I feel blue. Sometimes there are dark chapter. I can also be an angel and have my white clean color :D and in another day, I am just as red as blood. But mostly I kind of a cheerful yellow person :D

So what color are you???

I Love You in All Seasons

(winter in Canberra. Photo courtesy by: @kristian hariyono putro)

I still remember the day when we first met. It was in the springtime when we met and fell in love. Everything was so beautiful. The universe seemed so kind and sweet to us. Just like the season, the flowers grow and it starts blooming. So does our hearts and love. It was in spring when we made our commitment. For nothing below the sky that can separate us. I will always be your number one and you will always be mine. For whatever happens in life, we will always stick to each other. How beautiful was the season in springtime. I can see and I can taste all the beautiful colors and sweet fragrances. Even to those that I never see in my life before. It just because I met you, and in spring we hold on to our love. Just like a poem, words can't simply describe the fragrance of the very breath of spring and nothing's more beautiful than the garden of flowers in springtime and two people falling in love.

It was in the summer time when our love grows and it getting stronger. Where the clear sky, the blazing sun and the gentle summer breeze never leave our days and us. The days were long and the joy was always there.  In summer, the song sings itself and we left the footprint of our love in that summer time. Together we explored the world. Together we adventured the ocean. From one island to another beautiful island. Together we experienced many beautiful underwater. Together we were having fun with the waves, the sea creatures and the sea currents. There was no current strong enough to throw us away. Holding hands we walked across the white sandy beaches. Holding hands we witnessed the falling stars when the night comes.  And as I have the sun of my life, I have no longer fear with the darkness.  It was not the darkness that I see during nighttime, but the beautiful shining of the moon and the stars, and they witnessed when two hearts and two souls blended into one. Yes, I still remember every moment we cherished together in the entire summer time that we had. The whole season just belong to ourselves and the stars went off like fireworks for us. In summer time, the story of our love wrote down beautifully and romantically.

If I only know that summer time is never lasting. It will always end, and the autumn starts to come. When the autumn comes, it is the time when the leaves start to change color. When the green can no longer be seen, as it turns to red, yellow and brown. In autumn, the leaves start to fall off the trees.  In autumn, the birds migrate south, moving from their beautiful summer place to another new summer place. In autumn, the sun comes out less and we no longer feel the warmth but the weather starts getting colder. And in autumn, the daylight hours are growing shorter, and the darkness night becomes longer. How I wish that we lived only in spring and summer time. How I wish there will be no autumn and winter in the journey of our love. But it was in autumn when I remember things just were not the same. It was in autumn when the tears of our love start falling down and the broken heart was there. If I only know earlier that everything will never remain the same, for everything has its own season, then I will learn to prepare my heart. I will learn to love the autumn just as I love the spring and the summer. I will learn to accept thing to change, even our commitment. For nothing's eternal. And changes could be as beautiful as the beautiful garden in springtime. A girl can look beautiful not only on her summer dress but also stunning when she bundles up with scarf and coat in winter dress. Now I realized that I should learn to take time to just sit and watch the leaves turn its color, and when it start  falling down to the earth. And let the autumn passes by too in its beautiful way.

It was on the autumn of our love, I realized that I was just as fragile as the broken glasses. It was on the autumn, I remembered I shall not living in grieve, longing for uncertain things, wonder and asking will it belongs to me or will it belongs to other, or to nobody. Chasing the sun that no longer shining up there. It was on the autumn, the universe reminded me of another dream that I once let it hidden as I busy chasing the sun and the waves in my life. It was on the autumn, I finally made a decision. It's time for me to chase that long hidden dream. But it's also time for me to learn to accept changes and to let go what should go. Learn to detach. So here I am standing alone in this wintertime. Separated by thousand miles away from the sun and the light of my life. Here I am sitting alone on long and cold winter days. Trying to understand and accept life just like the changes of the seasons. When it comes, it will come. Nothing can stop. As nothing can stop when it times to go. Season comes season goes. There goes our life. After all, what good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness? So I ask my heart again on this wintertime. How long will these loves last? Will you be the reason, the seasons or the lifetime in my life? Will the end of this season would be the end of the journey of you and I and this love. Or would be in the depth of this winter, as what happen in all winter and autumn, we can feel the bone structure the landscape on the earth, and something wait beneath, to grow and be blossom again. For now, I let it un-answered. For I also do not have the answer. For I also do not want you to answer it. Let us let this winter also passes by. Let the time heals. Let the time proves our love. Will this love last forever in all seasons. And I may hear the song of the birds again, and the sound of longing whispering that: I love you in all seasons.

(Melbourne in cold winter time)

I Cooked

Yes! I cooked! :)) After so many years I've put it pending and always keep it on so many new-year resolution list, I finally entering the kitchen world. Well, of course as a new beginner being in the kitchen, I am still clumsy. I still find it hard and sometimes complaint to my hubby that I need to sacrifice my time :p. I also still feel upset when I know the taste of the food that I made are weird or tasteless. But I also feel happy when my hubby appraises my food (of course I checked his expression to make sure that he isn't just try to makes me happy!).  

After more than four months leaving in Melbourne, I now can say that one of my "most significant change" is I am now cooking. It's like another dream come true .... hehehe Another changes is I start watching youtube for cooking guidance and recipes! Aha! I also become appreciating and admiring the work of a mother at home and our previous personal home assistant. Now every morning when I wake up, I am start thinking, "what to cook today?" :D and heyyyy...this is not easy! I understand now that cooking needs strategy. It also needs arts. Moreover, it needs patience! 

I am not dreaming myself to be like a truly chef, but at least I can learn a new skill and enjoying the process of cooking, while other (hopefully) can also enjoy my food. 

Walk With Me

Do not walk in front of me. I may not follow.
Do not walk behind me. I may not lead.
Just walk beside me...
Together we walk toward our journey of life...

(Melbourne, April 5th 2013)

Finding Happiness

Happiness comes from small things. It is when we appreciate small little thing in our daily lives, it is when your heart say nothing than just "thank you". You'll get your happiness. Some of mine are  seeing the smile and laugh from my love one when I cracked a silly joke, or knowing that he excitedly eating the food that I made (despite it may have no taste!hahaha). I find my happiness when we walk together, holding hand along the pathway. A little kiss and hug before leaving and arriving at home. Lying down and just cuddling each other.  

[do not be so corky in finding your happiness, like this meerkat that I met in Melbourne Zoo...:D]  

I always love walking. Here in Melbourne and back when I lived in Jakarta, Indonesia. I also find my happiness when I have my daily walk. Seeing the view, the people, the car and public transport like tram and train here, seeing the beautiful trees and colorful flowers, or just by feeling the gentle wind touching my face and knowing that I am still breathing! I feel grateful that I still can sense all these, my heart and mind are still amazed with those sound simple ordinary things that everyday we see and experience with. Happiness is never expensive. Happiness is within yourself! 

So what is your happiness???