Tips On Watching A Movie For Free

Step 1: Go to your local movie theater. --> went to XXI in e'X Plaza, Jakarta.
Step 2: Decide which movie you want to watch. --> my friend actually forced me to watch Eclipse.
Step 3: Check schedule for chosen movie. --> 14.40
Step 4: Wander aimlessly until said schedule. --> Sushi Tei frenzy.
Step 5: This is the most important step. Wait for another 30 minutes. --> enter theater at 13.10 (-ish)
Step 6: Enter unguarded theater door.*
edit: sorry not, 13.10 but 15.10. thanks qisthi!

Based on a true story. I DID pay for the tickets, but the entrance wasn't guarded, so my friends and I just sauntered in a good half an hour after the movie began.
It was "Eclipse" (the Twilight Saga, duh) so yeah, none of us really minded missing the beginning.

* Unreliable information. May not occur in most cases.

red as blood, black as night, and grey as uncertainty

They say that High School days are the best days of your life..

Okay, that's just a cheesy cliche intro to this post. And there's nothing cliche about my high school years.

I've pretty much grown up in the environment of Tarakanita. I attended SD Tarakanita I, and SMP Tarakanita V, elementary and junior high respectively. And the person who entered these two schools was still the same old me, still the geeky, shy Gracia, product of cultural shock in elementary school. But that's an entirely different story. :)

So when I entered high school, SMA Tarakanita I, I expected the same old experience: shy little Gracia, joining either the Science club or the English club (which I usually avoided), hanging around with the usual small clique of friends.

But on opening day of club extracurricular, I saw the performance of Korps Putri Tarakanita (KPT), the nationally acknowledged school marching band. Their performance was mind blowing.

The one song that I remember them playing, very vividly, was "Two Worlds", a soundtrack from Tarzan.
Until now, it's still one of my favorite songs besides "Sakura" and "Zamrud Khatulistiwa".

Unwittingly enticed by their performance (the color guards were stunning!), I joined KPT and became a "calang", short for "calon anggota", or a rookie if you may.

6 months of pure hell. Yes, it's bad if training can cause someone to bruise all over and not be able to properly clench one's fist, or even fracture bones.

But it was all worth it. The acknowledgement that you were part of KPT, that you endured the hellish training to become a fully-fledged player. The respect that you gain from others when they learned of how you balanced school-work with practice. And the awe that you see in their eyes when you perform.
Absolute bliss. :)

I thank KPT for bringing out the best in me.
During the second year of high school, KPT entered the Grand Prix Marching Band (GPMB held at Istora Senayan). I thought training during the first year was hell, but this brought pain to another level!
Training centres were the worst, because you had to stand up almost all day long practicing..
But then at night, we would stay up late and gossip or just talk about the day..
I thought that during this year, my grades would drop, but instead I got really good ones. And because of that, until now I still believe that being busy isn't an excuse to neglect grades.

Besides grades and the usual respect from teachers (although not all of them favored KPT members), KPT changed me in a way that saved my social life. I found a lot of new friends.
Not only inside KPT itself, but also outside. I had more confidence in myself, confidence that I lost during my return to Indonesia.

Me and Gladys on the notorious stage at TMII, where all first year rookies make their first KPT performance.

What I loved most about Tarakanita? The red, black and grey skirt "checkered" skirt, famous for its bold color and the bold girls that it represented.
What I loved most about KPT? The "PDL", short for "Pakaian Dinas Latihan" or practice uniform allowed and even encouraged us to shorten the skirt 3 fingers above the knee to ensure ease of movement. Of course, we had to wear tight lycra "bicycle pants" as we called them for safety, but still.. It was AWESOME.

Our awesome skirt and Madagastar bag

Even though I've moved to Bandung, my high school bests, who I sadly only became really close to during the last year of high school, still stick around. The listen to all my problems, and they never change. Boys came and went (and one came back again) but they were always there, waiting and listening, although I sometimes forgot that they were there.

Tonight, alone in my room, I decided to remember.

I miss the laughter, chaos, and absurd screams that came with the all-girls school.
I miss sitting in the "imagination corner", at the righthand corner of the classroom, where Candra, Avi and I used to sit during lunch breaks to play "imagine". This usually involved the phantom of the opera, prince andrea, and fernando torres. :)
I miss the mandatory awkward, thick, tall socks that accompanied our short skirts, simply because they were so cool coupled with out uniform.
I miss the tall football socks that we used to wear when we were still in KPT, part of their mandatory uniform.
I miss the story-telling methods that we used to teach each other before exams. It was like listening to the history channel.
I miss gossiping at the back of the line with Olin (my 'sister'), and my 'children' Kiki and Lola. We were the 'officers of order', and were mostly invincible for the part.
I miss screaming "Kamu nggak asal ya!" or "Suaranya ditahan!" to shut up all those gossiping girls during practice.. I miss the blue and white cord that came with the responsibility.
I miss those late hour practices and coming home all black and blue to a welcoming dose of "param kocok". A very strong version of Salonpas and its friends.
I miss the typical high school sleepovers.
I miss the lovely red skirt.
I miss the friends.
I miss the best friends.

I miss stripping the girls who didn't bring anything to eat at school on their birthdays. ;)

They say that High School days are the best days of your life..

And as cliched as the sentence above is, it really is true. I miss High School.

Project: RR

I'll be moving soon.
Destination? That's a secret. ;)
But Gladys and I will be getting a room with a nice view and plenty of space to get creative.
This is what the main room currently looks like:

And a little area where the opening above leads to. :)

I'm thinking of turning it into a mini wardrobe/study/recreational room.

Next step: Design
I shall utilize my newly acquired Adobe Photoshop CS4!

Stay tuned.

Simple, Starving To Be Safe

It's late night here.

And I'm supposed to be working on my internship report.

But I can't be bothered.

Boo sucks to you internship, I could care less.

Missing Icang. :(

Mojang Bandung Gareulis

Before it escapes my mind.
Before my short term memory can no longer recall it.
I want to document the Bandung Copeland Farewell Tour in my own words..

I've been a Copeland fan since the first year of university, 2007. Maybe I didn't know Copeland from the beginning, but I do know that I sincerely love their music. My 'boyfriend' at the time gave me a mixed tape, and inside it, the song "Coffee". Sometimes, just occasionally, I would call him firefly. Because he was the "Brightest" firefly in my jar. :)

After we broke up, Copeland became my companion in sadness. "I'm A Sucker For A Kind Word" and "Love Affair" were just a few of the songs that filled my heartbroken playlist. Somehow the words just reached me.

"Just let me run where I want to run. Just let me love who I want."

"In a house without a back door. I was looking for a fire escape. And I'll be ripping up the floorboards. Just trying to get away. From this sleeplessness.. It's sad, but I'm a sucker for a kind word. And I'll just hurt until I find one"

When we got back together, he gave me even more songs.. Though none of them from Copeland. But "Coffee" and "Brightest"officially became 'our songs'.

So when Copeland announced its split up and farewell tour, I had to see it. Even though a deadly task awaited, I had to go. To say goodbye to this beloved band.

They played all of the classics. All the songs that brought back memories.. Sadness and happiness at the same time..
I missed the first two songs, "Priceless" and "Take Care", which were also very memorable songs, because of the awful traffic. It took me and Icang 3 hours for what was usually a 30 minute trip.

When I entered the concert hall, I was greeted with "I'm A Sucker For A Kind Word". I actually almost cried. No kidding. The I was bombarded with "Sleep", "The Grey Man", "Chin Up", "The Suitcase Song", "When Paula Sparks", "Brightest", and of course the all too famous "Coffee".

Maybe I sound like a total weirdo, but I was happy. So happy that I was on the verge of breaking into tears. :')

The farewell ended with "Attention", displaying Aaron Marsh's amazing vocals..

The saddest part of the concert wasn't when they left the stage.. Upon performing their final song for the night, Marsh parted with the saddest words. But when I brought it up after the concert, no one else seemed to notice..

"Thank you so much for tonight.. We've been Copeland."

*faints dramatically

Dating 101

Tired of lame dates? Feel that simply watching a movie or a game isn't exciting enough?
Need to jazz up your love life?
Here's a little dating tip from Mademoiselle Gracia:

Take your guy on a date at the local salon.

Both of you can kick back and relax while industrious hands work on your scalp.
Your boyfriend will love you for unveiling his more feminine side!*
;)

*Results may vary. Not recommended for the first year of dating.

Sinetron

Continuing my previous posts on Indonesian Soap Opera, I think I mentioned something about 'brainwashing'. It comes from my experience with two nephews. (The fact that I have two teenage nephews at the age of 20 is totally unrelated)

I remember around 5 years ago, a cousin of mine was going to get married. It was going to be his second marriage; his first wife deceased when I was still a little kid (I don't remember her, sadly).

My mom and a few of my aunts were gossiping about the family. They reached a point where they talked about how his kids were coping. One of my aunts suddenly told of a very disturbing event.

My nephews, just like more than half of the Indonesian population, often watched Sinetron. They were worried that just like in those damn tv shows, their new mother would be a cruel, ruthless hag (refer to my previous post on template Sinetron characters).

So, being kids, they decided to pull a prank on her.

They put an amazing amount of pepper and chili into her tea.

Clever boys.

The logic behind these actions: A nice stepmother would be understanding and kind. An evil step mother would throw a fit and probably hit them.

So the moral of the story? Let your children watch plenty of Sinetron. :)

P.S: No, seriously, don't do it.