American Idol 9th season

Okay Lee, you’ve won the 9th American Idol title. Congratulations! If we want to be honest, Crystal’s singing performance was way ahead of yours last night.. but, again, it’s OK. It’s been decided and let’s move on. (Hey, I am the Queen of Bitchiness. This was my first reaction to the news)

Everyone would –no doubt- agree that Lee and Crystal were the best singers this season. They gave out everything they’ve got - their talent , their confidence and their determination (as Simon said, 10 out of 10).
When I heard from my friends that Lee won, I couldn’t believe it. I watched the finale twice. Twice! And in both of them (haha), Crystal was the better singer than Lee. In paper, Crystal had won the title, the jury kind of believed it too. So what’s the matter? My friend and my sis-in-law tried to answer my thundering question. ‘Lee is more commercial, both the face and the voice.’ ‘America fell in love with Lee cos he isn’t boring, he is cute and vulnerable, like a cutie little puppy.’ ‘If Casey James or Katie Stevens were in the finale, they could win too. These two were more commercially sellable than the rest of the contestants.’ ‘Well, Lee is commercially sellable sih, Mel. Not fair, but that’s the truth.’
So, talent and determination won’t guarantee you to win the title, huh? Maybe not, but not to worry.

Hmm..It's Mama's blackberry!

The Journey of the Clown Kids

1.
Mike : Why do you like playing blackberry so much, Ma?
Me : Why do you like playing NDS so much, Mike?
Mike : (grinning) Oh..

The conversation ended and never resurfaced again. Total understanding is the best conversation of all. If only some of the tough negotiations in the world could be accomplished like the one we just did, the world peace is coming nearer to us than ever.


2.
Nina asked me some questions. My hands and my mind were (still) glued to my blackberry and my longest-most creative answers were “uh-huh” , “hmm” , “err”

Nina : MAMA! TALK! DON'T SAY uh-huh! TALK LONGER! PUT BLACKBERRY DOWN!!


3.
On my desperate attempt to threaten Mike

Me : Mike, if you don’t study now, I‘ll take away your game and your toys.
Mike : Mama, if you don’t listen to me now, I’ll take away your blackberry.


4.
Mike drew me a nice picture on this recent Mother’s Day. It was the drawing of my laptop and my blackberry. And he wrote : To Mama. Your hobbies are reading book, playing computer, and playing blackberry. I love you.

Wow! It's toys!

The Journey of the Clown Kids





My family and I live in a modern toy museum, thanks to my husband’s growing toy collection. Men find toys fascinating. The older they get, the more expensive and complicated their stuff are. You see, all men have the Peter Pan syndrome – a syndrome so powerful that adulthood has to move aside. The toys which fall under the Peter Pan syndrome are ranging from superhero figures to electronic, gadgets, and automobiles. This syndrome is so complex that it’s best for us to set aside a different time to discuss and mock it properly. Today, we will look at the toys and their impact on my Clown Kids.

My husband (or my eldest son, I call him) started his toy collecting hobby when he was in high school. Not too much, not too crazy at that time. Till last year, I asked him to help out in my son’s school performance and I asked him if he didn’t mind appearing on the stage as Darth Vader. Little did I know, that this innocent request has connected him with his Peter Pan soul. It’s like Peter Pan meets Darth Vader in the most comical way. It was the missing link!
My husband collects collectible movie memorabilia, a hobby that quickly covers the whole house, from our bedroom to living rooms, to guest rooms, to kitchen cabinets, to walls and to library. His “vision” is to use his toys as the house’s interior design.

Determination

Talented ordinary women with extraordinary determination
(inspired by Julie & Julia the movie)

I watched this movie a tad too late compare to my other friends. I only watched it once and immediately fell in love with the characters. Two women - in different life and in different time – bound to fill their own sense of purpose through the art of cooking. One started just to fill in her spare time while serving as a diplomat’s wife in the early years. The other one- in much more modern time – was trying to escape her constant feeling of failure and her inability to finish anything in her life.

Both women met challenges in their ordinary lives, but the way they pursue their goals was extraordinary. I once again learn that some dreams don’t take shape in our early lives. We go search them only to go home empty handed before they finally come knocking our front door, usually in a time when we least expect it. Rejections and prejudice always bring our hope and dreams down, but to define and to keep the dream is the art of determination.

I am much interested in the Julie character in this movie. She was a lost puppy surrounded by a pack of friends whom all had accomplished something great in their lives. She was the unhappy-under pressure loser. She once had a dream of being a writer, but never had the willingness to finish her novel. In one of her most frustrated moment, she decided to start something small, something that combines both of her talents – cooking and writing. So there came the Julie&Julia blog – a blog with a simple goal, which is to write her own experience in cooking all of the 514 recipes in Julia Child’s cooking book in exactly 365 days. She determined to finish her project. Along the way, she was alive. She found her happiness and her sense of purpose.
There were downs, many downs, in both of these women’s stories. There were disappointments, tears, and anger. But there was also determination. A determination so strong that it made them keeps going. Not only that, they had a marvelous time in the process too.

Seorang Sri Mulyani

Ibu Sri Mulyani

Hari ini, 5 Mei 2010, ramai diberitakan di media bahwa Ibu Sri Mulyani memperoleh tawaran pekerjaan yang bergengsi di World Bank sebagai seorang Managing Director. Ini prestasi yang luar biasa untuk seorang anak bangsa. Baru sedikit anak bangsa yang sanggup menorehkan prestasi seperti ini di jagat belantara dunia. Namun sayangnya prestasi ini ternoda oleh banyaknya tudingan miring dan nada sumbang mengenai keterkaitan Ibu Sri di kasus Century di tanah air.

Terlepas apakah Ibu Sri Mulyani bersalah atau tidak - perlu diingat bahwa tak ada yang benar-benar hitam dan tidak ada yang benar-benar putih di dunia perpolitikan - kita sebagai saudara sebangsa selayaknya bangga akan prestasi ini. Kalau bukan kita yang bangga, lalu siapa? Kalau bukan kita yang terinspirasi untuk terus maju membawa nama harum bangsa, lalu siapa? Kalau bukan kita yang mau bersusah payah mengikuti jejak segelintir orang yang berusaha membawa kebaikan untuk bangsa ini, lalu siapa? Sangat disayangkan bahwa talenta sebesar ini harus pergi dari bumi nusantara. Kenapa orang-orang yang mementingkan diri sendiri yang menang ? Mungkin terlalu dini buat mengatakan siapa yang menang atau siapa yang kalah. Bisa dimengerti posisi Ibu Sri yang akhirnya memilih mundur dari jabatan menteri..mana enak sih kalau bekerja diusik melulu dari kiri kanan depan belakang? Keputusan beliau ini langsung dibarengi dengan anjloknya IHSG, terjun bebas demikian komentar para pialang. Para investor yang selama ini menghormati kebijakan dan professionalism beliau menjadi panik.