Untitled (can't think of any title for this post, babe..)

This post is dedicated to Morgan Mellish, a journalist for the Australian Financial Review

The first time I met Morgan was in September 2006 at one of JFCC's parties. This tall and a good looking guy was definitely fun to talk to. He loved to chat, yet he was a good listener too. Since then, we hung out a lot and we got closer and closer... It's been 6 months since I knew him, yet I think it's still too short...

He was such a sweetheart. He could be calm, yet he could be crazy too. When he started to do his "stupid" dancing moves, I couldn't stop laughing. He was very entertaining and I always shouted, "Kamu gilaaaaa!!!" (meaning: You're crazyyyy!!) He asked me to dance for him many times (I used to be a traditional Javanese dancer), but I was too shy to do it. I danced for him once and he said that he really loved it. He found it sexy (that's what he told his friend). Hehehe... Then, couple of days ago, he asked me to dance again, but I refused to do so. Now I really regret it... I wish I danced for you that night... :( If only I knew...

...

Babe, now I could see the bright side of my suspension in that TV show. God wanted me to be with you more often, especially for the last 1 month. Although you're very pissed off about my suspension and convinced me to stand on my ground, I'm glad now that I was suspended. Really. Coz, then I was able to spend the weekends with you. I guess everything happens for a reason, huh? But no worries... I would listen and do as you said...

I really enjoyed the time with you, babe.. When we shopped for furnitures in Kemang, spent hours to print and frame your pictures, ate sushi at our fave restaurant, went to Bali together and you've been very patient accompanying me to go in-and-out those boutiques! (thanks so much, babe... i found it very rare that a boyfriend could patiently waiting for his gf trying clothes), watched the play (although u didn't really understand the story because it was in Bahasa Indo), watched the Wayang Kulit (fortunately it had English subtitles yah, babe? :)), etc.. etc... It was also nice only to spend the weekends watching dvds and chatting with you.... Lately we're too exhausted (or lazy?) to go out yah... unlike the first couple of months, we always went out and had dinner at different fancy restaurants in town... (am glad that you could eat a l'il bit of spicy food!)

...


Am also glad that I didn't go to the Java Jazz on Sunday night. I don't know why, but I just couldn't wait to see him that night... I bought him some children books in Bahasa. He read one of the books, but didn't manage to finish it. One of his new year's resolutions was: to be able to speak Bahasa Indonesia fluently. It was indeed a very nice, quiet and lovely night. I knew I made a good decision to go to his place that day.

It's very hard for me to believe that now Morgan isn't around anymore. Tuesday afternoon (March 7th), he still sent me sms saying that he had to go to Yogya that night. He said that he hadn't eaten anything, was running around the whole day. Later in the evening, I called him, thought that he was already in Yogya, but he said that he missed his flight. He would take a morning flight tomorrow. Then we made an appointment to meet on Thursday, March 9th. Apparently, it was the last time that we spoke... :((

Yesterday morning (Wed, March 8th), when I arrived at the office, my colleagues were all watching TV. I was like, "What's going on here?" They said that Garuda (GA 200), the 6am flight, crashed. I was shocked, "Oh my God, Morgan's on the plane!" ... But there were some confusions since his maid said that his ticket wasn't Garuda, it was Adam Air. But knowing him, I knew that he would prefer to fly with Garuda.

That day was a tough day. I couldn't think of anything. Especially when my journalist friend called up and said that Morgan was one of the victims. I wished this was just a bad dream.... Someone, wake me up please!! You can pinch me so hard, I wouldn't complain, as long as this isn't real...

So, here I am now. In Yogya. I don't know what to do, but I just wanted to be here...

...

Babe, I met your Mom and sister, Caroline today. You really looked like your Mom. I could see you in her. What I didn't expect was that I met her and Caroline in this kind of difficult situation. But they looked very strong. Your Mom kept on saying that it's fate. I guess I should think that way too as there are just so many questions running in my head. What happened? Were you fainted before you managed to get out from the plane? Oh, I should stop questioning yah, babe... it won't make any difference now... :(( it won't bring you back...

Gosh... It feels like you're still around, babe. I really miss you. I want to see you... Can I ?

...

He was very very sweet to me. He really made my days colorful. And FYI, the guy who gave me a cute little surprise in that lovely afternoon, it was him: Morgan Mellish.

Please rest in peace, babe... And say hi to God from me yaahh... Am sure He'll take a good care of you now :) And thanks for the lovely time that we spent together. It was very meaningful for me..

Lots of love, Nila.

A cute little surprise

On a lovely Saturday afternoon, I went to someone's house and I smell durian! Hmm, that's weird, knowing that the owner of the house isn't a big fan of this smelly fruit. So, I entered the house with full of curiosity, "who have bought my favorite fruit?"

Apparently, he was the one who bought it... for me! Oowwh... how sweet! I was touched, knowing that he had to bring the fruit all the way after playing golf in Sukabumi (about 2 hours drive from Jakarta) to the heart of the city. And with the strong smell of the fruit, I was pretty sure that wasn't a very pleasant trip for him... one had to breath a "non-fresh" air in an air-con car! Ooppsss...

For those who doesn't know what durian is, let me explain it to you. It's a tropical fruit with lots of spikes covering the yellow "meat" inside. It tastes sweet and creamy. This fruit has a very strong smell. Some people can't stand the smell, although they agree that it tastes really good. I think with durian, it's either you love it or you hate it. There's nothing in between :).

Having a sweet surprise on a sunny afternoon in South Jakarta have made me realized that how a small thing that you do could mean a lot to the other(s). The thought of bringing a favorite item for someone else is definitely a sweet thing. Making it happens is even nicer!

Thanks for brighten up my day, babe... :) The durian was really yummy...

Congrats to Jerry Aurum's "Femalography"

A young Indonesian photographer has made our country proud. Why? Jerry Aurum, a professional photographer and graphic designer, has launched its photo exhibition themed "Femalography" last Friday, 23 Feb 2007 at Senayan City, Jakarta. One can enjoy his artistic photographs of beautiful women (VJ Cathy, Rachel Maryam, Dian Sastro, Aline, Enditha, Adella Aletta, etc) posing in unusual pose starting from 23 Feb to 11 March, 2007.
Actually, "Femalography" photo exhibition was firstly launched in Singapore, last September 2006 at the Ministry of Information, Communications and Arts. On the same day, Jerry also launched the "Femalography" book. What made us proud is that the book was chosen as the "2nd Best Recommended" book by Borders Bookstore, Singapore in December 2006.

I was thrilled when he told me about this good news (he happens to be a very good friend of mine. So, girls.. please don't be jealous.. hehehe). There are not so many Indonesian photographers willing to publish a book of their artworks (-- especially without any sponsors!) and gained such an international recognition from a credible institution. Salut to Jerry!

Jerry is planning to hold a road show of "Femalography" photo exhibition in London, Sydney, New York and of course, Bali.

On yesterday's debate discussion about "Femalography" book, I asked him, "Jerry, which picture is your favorite?" He appointed a picture themed "Summer", where two ballerinas dance in between falling leaves. I was so happy to know that, because I made a contribution to that picture too! I introduced him to the two ballerinas and actually was there during the photo session. It was really fun to see my friends jumping around and made some difficult ballet movements. Wow! As a photographer, Jerry tried to make the whole photo shoot to be a fun session. Although I knew that the models were tired, Jerry was able to make them laugh. It was indeed a fun photo session, full of laughter, made my stomach hurts! :))

Enny Nuraheni, the Chief Photographer of Reuters (in Indonesia), commented his artworks after seeing the book, "Jerry deserves a big applause. He made great photographs. You can feel the energy in each photo. It's also great to know that a 30 year old Indonesian guy is willing to publish a photography book, which definitely gives a positive contribution to the development of photography in Indonesia".

Congrats Jerry! All the best for you.
Oyeah, Jerry is preparing "Femalography II" project. He wants to make it as a trilogy. So, let's wait for his next Femalography book!

Behind The Screen: "The Beauty of Dieng Plateau"

I'd love to share some beautiful pictures of Dieng Plateau, Central Java. The landscape is very breathtaking. Worth to visit! Seriously.

If you want to see more of these beautiful scenery, don't miss "Melancong Yuk" on Saturday, 9 February 2007 at 6.30am WIB on SCTV ;)









Beautiful, aren't they? Those pictures were taken on top of Sikunir Mountain, one of the mountains in Dieng Plateau. We had to wake up at 4am to go there, climbed the mountain (it took about 30 minutes to go up there. I must say, it wasn't easy to get up there!) and dealt with the cold (around 10 degrees Celcius -- it's cold for an Indonesian girl who's used to the warm temperature in Jakarta) :P hehehe..

In Dieng Plateau, apart from enjoying the stunning scenery, one can visit the oldest Hindhus temples in Central Java. There are Bima Temple, Arjuna Temple, etc. Indonesians are very superstitious, so it is advisable to behave politely and not saying bad words in this area. Guess what, our car's break was broken after visiting these temples! And also, on the way from Wonosobo to Yogya, the radiator's temperature was heated, so we had to stay for a while in the middle of nowhere until it's cooling down. You can call it a misfortune, but a lot of Indonesians believe in superstitious things. (there's other story about this, but i'll tell you later if I have time... hehehe.. will update this post soon, I have to run now! :P)

Anyway, the trip to Dieng Plateau was nice. I really enjoyed it. The fresh air, the landscape, the historical places, everything comes in a nice package! Bring your winter jacket if you don't want to be freezing cold up there yah! ^-^

Behind The Screen of “Melancong Yuk”: Malaysia Episodes :)

“Malaysia… Is it Really Trully Asia?"

You can answer the question on the title after reading this post and after watching the show. This time, the crew members -- Anca (producer), Bambang Triyono (cameraman) and myself (host) – went to Malaysia to witness the opening of Floral Festival 2007, one of the programs of Visit Malaysia 2007. The Malaysia Tourism Board invited SCTV, two other TV stations and 7 printed media from Indonesia to go there. I was surprised to see that the government actually invited more than 190 journalists from all over the world to promote the country. Wow. Was wondering, would my country spend that amount of budget to promote our tourism? Hmm.. I doubt it.

Wanna read my comments on the five days trip in Malaysia? Read here
to understand what we've been through during the filming.

With all the hassle, as a host of a traveling program, I still had to be able to smile in front of the camera, even though I felt disappointed with the conditions there. As a team, we – producer, cameraman and host – had to think hard on angles as we had to bring the audience to see some interesting places in Malaysia, even with lots of limitations due to all the restrictions from the places, tour guide and the board. Below are some pictures and brief stories that I’d love to share with you.

Cocoa Boutique. For chocolate lovers, you should come here! This boutique is the biggest chocolate shop in Malaysia and it has hundreds of chocolate’s varieties. My favorite is durian flavor! The best part is that you can taste all the chocolates for free. Awesome, huh?!






Little India. I really enjoyed myself when filming in Little India. Probably because we were all sick and tired with the restrictions for the past 3 days, we decided to do something funny and stupid. Watch the show yourself. Hopefully you’ll like it ;).
When filming here, we drew so many attentions from people, who were mostly Indian! It really felt like I was in India…


Putrajaya. It’s a central government district. The whole area is so clean and quiet. Lots of big and nice buildings, mostly built by Malaysian architects. The pink mosque is unique as it’s built on top of a lake, so the temperature inside the mosque is cool. It doesn’t even need an air con. I got a chance to take the “dondang sayang” boat ride around the lake, of course after trying to convince the PR staff that the whole purpose was to promote Malaysia (firstly they didn’t allow us to tape anything while taking the boat ride and asked for a letter from the tourism board -- which we didn’t have one).


Batu Caves Temple. It’s highly recommended to go there. I was stunned as soon as I got there. Seeing steep cliffs and a temple inside a cave were just amazing. There were 276 steps to get into the temple, so make sure u wear comfortable shoes/sandals! ☺ It’s really worth to go to this place, especially during the Thaipussam celebration (the first day of an Indian year). I explained more about this celebration and the temple in the show. Watch the show to get more explanation and see how beautiful the place is.

Merdeka Square is very beautiful at night. The lights create a romantic kinda feeling. I love it. We made a funny scene here. I did a crazy thing and even the cameraman couldn't stand not to laugh when filming (I don't know if the editor decided to put this scene on the show as the camera was shaking. Hihihi.. I think, they will still put it on the show :D)

Genting Highlands are also a tourist destination. It’s a fun place where we can take different rides indoor and if the weather is nice, you can take a roller coaster and other heart pumping outdoor activities as well. The temperature is pretty cold there. So, don’t forget to bring a jacket or sweater otherwise you’ll be freezing cold! Hehhee.. Oyeah, I also tried the wall-climbing here. It was so scary at first, knowing that it's the tallest indoor wall-climbing in Southeast Asia. But, after I stepped my feet on the wall, it wasn't that difficult. Thanks to my gym instructor who used to make my days at the gym were miserable. Hahaha!


As for shopping, apart from KLCC and other big shopping malls in the city, one can go to Petaling Street or Central Market to buy some souvehttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gifnirs. Don’t forget to bargain yah! ☺ And.. for nightlife, Jalan P. Ramlee is the place to go. This street is so happening, there are several clubs, lounges, bars and cafes. It’s really packed during the weekend. Lots of young and trendy people walk around the street, trying to get in to the hottest club/bar in town. Are you a party animal? You should check this street out when you’re in KL! ;)

Want to see other interesting places in Kuala Lumpur? Watch “Melancong Yuk”, Malaysia episodes on Saturday, 3rd Feb and Sunday, 4th Feb at 6.30am WIB on SCTV.
It will be two different episodes, highlighting different places of KL city and its surrounding areas. Make sure you wake up early this weekend to watch the show! ;)

If you live abroad, you can see the shows at http://www.liputan6.com/.

"Melancong Yuk!"

What is "Melancong Yuk!" ??

It is a traveling program in SCTV, one of TV channels in Indonesia, produces by Liputan 6 team. SCTV started airing this program in mid 2006, every Sunday at 6.30am. For the past 6 months, they have been visiting many places in Indonesia, highlighting interesting places in the country that are worth to visit for those who want to spend their holidays.

Last month, SCTV appointed me to be their new presenter for this program. So, starting from January 2007, I'll be hosting it. Yiipppeee.. Am sooo happy as I always wonder how it feels like to be a host for a traveling program, since I LOVE traveling so much. :D And, now.. I have the opportunity to be one. Oh, ain’t it cool?


Apparently, being a TV presenter isn’t as easy as I thought. Four days of shooting in Sukabumi – Pelabuhan Ratu – Ujung Genteng were so colorful and full of unexpected things. I had to walk for miles in a slippery and stony path, observed the nature around me then explained it to the camera [read: audience] that always ready capturing the moment; swam in an icy water under a waterfall and waited there for a while until the cameraman finished taking different angles of the waterfall (damn it was freezing cold!); woke up at 5.30am and be ready to take some shots or continue our journey (note: wake up early isn’t my thing at all!); sat quietly at the back of a military truck that brought us to Pangumbahan Beach in the middle of a stormy night to find giant turtles that were laying their eggs; almost carried away by the current when I had to learn surfing; and many many more…

Apart from that, speaking in front of the camera itself is another interesting subject. For this program, I asked SCTV that I wanted to write my own script. But then, writing and speaking are two different things. I had to repeat what I said for a couple of times as they needed two versions, at least, for each scene. Sometimes the director said, “Cut! Retake”, when I slipped my tongue or lost my words (yeah, it happened many times! Hehehe…). Plus, while thinking on what to say, I had to be aware of my body language, be expressive, spoke clearly, and adjusted the facial expressions depending on each situation. Ckckck… (oh, now I have a different opinion towards movie stars! :P)

However, I had lots of fun and learned a lot from those four-days trip. It was definitely a whole new experience for me. And I guess, the whole crew (Mas Gunawan as the Executive Producer, Mas Iwan Gunawan as the program director, Bondan as the cameraman, Vino as the audioman and Mas Ahong as the driver who took us everywhere) also enjoyed the fun, especially when seeing me falling down into a giant turtle’s hole when it was just finished laying its eggs!!! Hahaha!!! What an incident! Fortunately, the giant turtle already covered its eggs with earth, so there were safe ☺. But it was me who left in shocked! And instead helping, everyone just couldn’t stop laughing. Gosh… I bet it was funny as hell :))

On top of that, I think I’m so lucky to be able to have two of my dream jobs at the same time. A PR consultant in a reputable PR consultancy, a profession that I always wanted since high school, and a presenter for a traveling program, a profession that I’ve been dreaming of, especially every time I watch the Travel and Living Journal, my fave TV channel. Hehehe..


This program airs every Saturday and Sunday at 6.30am WIB and I will take turn with a male presenter, Ferly Junandar, to host the show.

And... My first gig will be aired next Sunday, 7 January 2007 at 6.30am WIB on SCTV. Don’t miss it yaaahh!!! (hihi… promosi lhooo!!) ;D

ps: You can also see it on http://www.liputan6.com/

CynicaL ThouGhts AbOuT MeN

I realize that I’m having a difficulty in trusting men. Especially in the last couple of months. A lot of people said that all men are jerks. Before, I wouldn’t take this phrase seriously coz I believe that we shouldn’t make a generalization out of it. But these days, I started to believe that all men are jerks. Even though I wanted so hard to think the opposite.

A conversation with my kindergarten friend had shocked me a month ago. Apparently, many guys around us weren’t as innocence as we thought they were. Living in a big city with having a well-paid job is obviously has its own temptation. Yes. Temptation = Girls. What else?

I think, men just can’t resist the temptation of seeing nice, pretty, sexy girls around them, even though if they already have partners. They’re like animals. They just follow their instincts. Sex, is all they wanted.

What a shame. My friends’ and my own life experiences have taught me that it was difficult to find a loyal man. Someone that is loyal to his/her partner. Even a very nice guy that I’m least expected to be unfaithful is also doing the same thing. And they will do and try EVERYTHING to get you.

A conversation with Olivier through MSN, while I was packing my stuff on my last night in Singapore, provided me with a strong confirmation that all the guys want in this world is freedom. They will run away from you if you try to lock them in your cupboard. Perhaps it’s true that if you love someone you’ve gotta set them free.
But, how free? Isn’t that if we’ve committed to someone we can’t be as free as a bird anymore?

Olivier then shared his friend’s experiences. A couple. Out of the blue, the guy told his girlfriend that he wanted to have sex with other girls. Of course the girl was shocked. But then, eventually, they decided to give freedom to each other, meaning that they can have sex to anyone they want. (Hmm.. it reminded me of a story in Paulo Coelho’s book, titled “The Zahir”)

Anyway, in the end, this couple lives a happy life. Both of them are satisfied with their relationship. I don’t know whether you can call it a healthy one, but at least it works and both of them are very transparent about it. Well, it’s not something new, I know. I’ve heard about these things many times, but it’s just hard to imagine having such a relationship. And perhaps, I just don’t want one. There it goes, another true story that freaks me out about relationship and commitment.

Couple of days ago, another friend told me her story. She had a crush with a guy who lives in a different part of the world. When they finally met after months, she found out that the guy was cheating on her. Of course we can’t blame the guy nor the girl as long distance relationship has always been an issue for thousands of couples in the world. But, she just didn’t expect that a guy that she thought would be the nicest guy on earth could turn out to be just the same as those guys out there: jerks, unfaithful. He even dared to ask the girl to make love with him after telling that he has been seeing (and still) another girl! Gosh! What a story!

On the closing of her email, she wrote me this beautiful paragraph:
"Thank God for showing me this before everything is too late. Before I’m falling into a deeper love hole. Thank God that love isn’t there yet. Thank God that we’ve separated hundreds miles and that what made us apart. Thank God that when I see him now, I can see him from the other side of the fence. Thank God for showing me the light…" :)

I think what she wrote is wonderful. She still could see the positive side of her sadness. And for this, I envy her.

Maybe it’s true that most guys are jerk. So, girls, let’s not give them 100% of our trust or else we’ll be ended up smashed in little pieces. Again, as I said in the beginning of this post, it’s kinda sad to say it coz I really want to believe that not all them are bad/jerks. But hey, THEY ADMIT it themselves. So? Well, I guess, the lesson learnt here is that I just have to be very careful in choosing a guy to be my partner as there are only few of them that can be trusted. *sigh* Ah well… Isn’t our life so colorful and complicated? But, let’s think from this perspective: If it only has one color, then it will be a boring one… :)