Aug 31 - Burning Indian Calories

On my graduation day, Kakak could not leave work sooner so she could only come to the celebratory dinner, which Luis didn't go to cause he was with Araz and Venessa. Kakak had been wanting to meet him this time around, she had been so diligent asking how we were doing and all, being the sweet Kakak she's always been to me. We took a taxi to her office and there she was, waiting for us.

It was the first time for Luis and I to try the Indian booth in the restaurant complex. He had chicken biryani with rice and curry plus naan and I had butter chicken with rice. It was divine! I'm definitely ordering from that place again whenever I meet Kakak for lunch.

The lunch itself was super duper lovely. The first time Kakak and Luis met, both of them were still a little bit closed off, which was expected, learning that both of them are naturally introverted. But this time, the two of them were completely themselves and the conversation was great! Even when I was away to pick up my food and all, they were just catching up and laughing together. They were so warm to one another, I absolutely loved the quality time the three of us shared today.

Too bad Kakak had to go back to the office as soon as lunchtime was over. Just as we were walking her out, my good friend Iksan arrived, the plan was to hang out with him after Kakak. We chatted over martabak and it made me even happier that Iksan also got along well with Luis! Even after we parted ways when Iksan had to go back to his office, he texted me saying we are cute together. To have my friends (and family) support our relationship is gold.

Iksan left around 2.30 pm, which meant we could still make it to the movies in the mall I wanted to watch the movie in, I really wanted to see The Man from U.N.C.L.E.! It was half-an-hour-walking far and the sun was blazing, the wise decision was obviously to hail a taxi. But we didn't, we were stubborn and chose to walk instead, haha.. It was relatively painless though, we just never ran out of topics to talk to as we were walking. It also helped that he refused to stop holding my hand, all the time making sure his pace wasn't too fast for me. Told you, he's the most caring.

The movie was much cooler than I had anticipated! I loved it so much. Then again, spy movies are always my favorite. Love, love, love! We spent some time in the mall and then sitting on a bench in a park just in front of the mall before heading to dinner. Such a wonderful way to end the month!

Aug 30 - A Detour

As resolved last week, today was the day we went to the car exhibition with Araz. It was the closing day, so we had already expected the place to be packed and all........... but we ruled out the possibility of being stuck on the highway for 3 hours.

You know the traffic is nuts when you can take a selfie IN the traffic

Not being able to bear the boredom and tiresome and hunger anymore, we took the first exit and then Araz took us to a mall. Luis is not a fan of all-you-can-eat normally, but as we were entering the building, he suddenly suggested we eat there and Araz thought it was a brilliant idea! He took us to the Italian buffet and we literally ravaged the place. I lost count of how many plates we finished, plus the free drinks included in the package. It was excessive. We made every single rupiah count (we don't have pennies in Indo). 

Araz came into the Italian place with the shirt unbuttoned cause he wore another shirt underneath. Coming out of the place, he had to button his shirt cause he was afraid the belly would show! Hahahaha, hilarious! He drove us to church before heading off to a wedding that he definitely couldn't eat anymore in. :D We stayed in the building for quite and walked to the next mall that's attached to it where I showed Luis the places that sell pirated DVD's. I can tell he was taken aback by how swarmed the illegal place is, haha..

Although we had to undergo the detour earlier, we three sure had a great time. It was another bonding moment for Luis and Araz which I believe would benefit me in a long run, hehehehehehe.. I love it when my two men click.

Aug 29 - Sweet Date Night

As much as I'd like to be with Luis today, I couldn't. I needed to visit my grandparents since the three of them couldn't make it to my graduation yesterday due to physical health, which was absolutely fine by me! Luis also understood, he's really the best. However, before I went with everyone to the grands' (which are so far away from each other and therefore would cost basically almost all day for a visit to both), I asked him to come over for a while. I specifically asked him not to do his hair, hihihi!

Nope, it's only half of the dolls he brought for me.

It was already dinnertime when I arrived back home. Luckily, I remembered to order nasi uduk ayam kremes from a restaurant in Cibubur that he really loved the last time. He still loves it so much! I'm sure if they had a store in our area, Luis would be asking to eat there at least twice a day. Not that I would mind, the sight of him eating something he loves never fails to curve a smile on my face. :)

For desserts, we went to a little cake shop near home, instead of spending the only two hours going somewhere else. We'd rather have a great conversation and enjoy each other's company over those tiramisu and chocolate mousse in the secluded corner of the bakery. We held hands. Smiled. Feed each other. Took silly photos. Joked. People-watched. Exchanged stories. Cuddled. Just made each other happy. Made our own selves happy.

Walking home, we popped into the fruit shop to buy pineapples and ice creams. I know it sounds stupid but doing groceries has got to be one of my favorite activities to do as a couple with him. That and wearing dresses and skirts that he loves seeing me in. Just like this dress, which he first saw me in a photo two years ago and he told me he liked a lot. The time spent is never the indicator of our happiness. It's the connected hearts and the efforts in making the relationship last forever.

Aug 28 - Best Moment of My Life

God's greatest gift

Aug 27 - Last Puzzle Piece

So he's kept up with Adek. With Kakak. With Mariana and Irene. Today was a deal-breaker, cause he was about to meet Kiti face-to-face. On papers, it was supposed to be a piece of cake: he was majoring the program she's taking and, believe it or not, they both share birthdays! For the last two years, I've been putting up a status on my social medias, "Happy birthday, my two favorite nutritionists!" on December 19. The problem is.......... Kiti is the wildest of the Tanjung sisters............. :'D :'D But to my surprise, he nailed it! He didn't break up with me despite knowing everyone in my family is basically a replica of myself, as shown by these two pictures. :D

I was so happy! Kiti's approval means a lot to me, I value her opinions just as much as I do the other girls.

Nearing 2pm, I had to attend my university graduation rehearsal so I trusted Luis to Adek. They had a special mission of finding a good pair of brown dress shoes to wear tomorrow. I completely was positive Adek would be such a great help and I was right! I was impressed. When the rehearsal was done, I found them sitting together, just talking while enjoying their brownie and ice creams. It was such a heart-warming sight, I didn't doubt for a second that they would be even closer after this experience. They ordered another round of brownie and ice creams for me and after a little bit of clothes shopping, we made our way back to the east to have dinner.

My cutiepies!!! 

Aug 26 - Normal Jakartan Day

What can be more predictable for Jakartans other than going to a mall? :P

I was on my way to meet Luis when a car passed me by, we were gonna take a taxi to the mall. It was Mariana's mom, Aunt Adel, who was on her way to my house to pick Mama up. Apparently they also had a birthday luncheon at the mall where Luis and I were heading to! So Mama offered to take me to Luis and then bring us both to the mall. At first I was hesitated cause Bapa and I agreed on not introducing him to my uncles and aunts just yet (cousins are totally cool), I was worried Bapa might think I set this up or something, but Mama assured me that it was okay and she would defend me if Bapa made a big deal out of it (but until today Bapa never brought it up so we're good, hehe).

All over Path, my friends had been writing on how good Inside Out was. I wanted to watch it too! So right after we finished eating at Luis' favorite restaurants-combination in the whole wide world, Bakmi GM and A&W ice cream (hahahaha, for real), we ordered tickets to see the movie. We had a good hour before the movie started, so we made the best use out of it.

The movie was good! I am never a fan of cartoon movies (he is), but the storyline and the moral were great so I too would recommend it.

I'm definitely Joy!

We were basically freezing in the cinema (who puts blasts full AC in a basically-empty theater?). As soon as the movie ended, we exited the mall just to bask ourselves in the sun. We were taking a casual stroll while deciding where to eat and we thought of family's favorite kwetiau restaurant. We didn't plan on walking all the way there, but somehow we did that! Hihihihi, Luis and I just love walking so much. On the way to that dinnerplace, we made a stop at a park where he made me ride one of the working out machines and taped it! It was hilarious, he always knows how to make my day even better.

I was going to hail a taxi to pick up his Indonesian sim card at a store near our house, but he suggested taking a bajaj instead. I'm not joking, the guy is addicted to bajaj! Hahahahaha.. We stopped a random bajaj right in front of the restaurant, and of course the most ridiculous bajaj had to be the one that stopped! The bajaj was equipped by huge speakers at the back of it that blared dangdut songs. Luis couldn't help but videotape the whole situation despite the lack of proper lighting. It was hilarious.

One last thing! This reminds me of the first day, a few days ago. We were exiting the highway and as he climbed down, the traffic greeted us. I asked him in a rhetorical manner, "Did you miss Jakarta's traffic?" He replied in an instant, "No, but I miss being in a bajaj." Hahahahahahaha!

Aug 25 - Chick Flicks with Four Chicks

Only a few days till Adek and Mariana went back to school, so I stayed in today and invited Mariana and Luis over (Adek would be home all day). It was already a long time plan to just hang at home to do movie marathon and cook, so that's what we did!

Adek really couldn't wait to munch those heavenly stroopwafels

It was mean of us to let Luis choose only from the chick flicks we had hand-picked beforehand, hahahaha.. He chose Heartbreaker, a French rom-com starring Romain Duris and Johnny Depp's ex Vanessa Paradis that I've seen so many times with Adek. It was such a great choice because he too actually liked the movie! Hihihihi.. 

The various cookies I've been saving from the last Eid for him

Then came lunchtime. Playing his role as the sweetest boyfriend of life, he had already bought all of the ingredients for today's cooking. So amazing. We all helped and it was so much fun. I always knew he is a great cook, but it was the first time I really put him to the test and he nailed it completely. My goodness was the noodle dish delicious!!!! :9

By the way, while cooking lunch, I randomly texted Irene to ask if she could join us right after school, and she was so thrilled! She came over just as we were finishing lunch (of course we saved some of the food for her). The next movie was Mariana's choice, which is The Holiday, a bittersweet drama starring Kate Winslet, Cameron Diaz, Jude Law, and Jack Black. Adek and I have also seen this a few times, so we agreed right away. Just like the first movie, we were not only watching but also munching chocolates and snacks, hahaha. This family though!

Sometimes I feel sorry that he met me, since all of my cousins are exactly like me. So imagine my talkativeness and randomness, multiply it by 4, and that equals the amount of craziness he had to put up with today. But he hadn't met Kiti yet.......................... *insert an evil laugh*

Aug 24 - Second Anniversary

He came over to meet my parents for the first time, bringing the presents and behaving like a true gentleman. We had a great conversation and they loved the stuffs Luis got them, especially my little sister who absolutely loves the two of us together since the start.

We chose Saint Germain by Cacaote for the night, since we had already planned to celebrate everything altogether in a different place for the last weekend he was here.

There were tons of things I could tell you about that happened today, but I'd like to keep it short and sweet for this special post. Another anniversary celebration, another favorite memory as a couple. A night to remember. We certainly wish for many more.

Aug 23 - Wish We Had Done It Sooner

NO! Not 'it' it, hahahahaha.

Since a few days back, we had been making a plan to go to a car exhibition with Araz, so we prepared the whole day today for it. However, during church Araz texted me saying he completely forgot that he had this random office event he had to participate in which meant we had to cancel the trip. Since I was texting Venessa last night about the eyeliners and eyebrow pencils she bought via Luis, I thought of her and asked if she was idle for the day. She was! She invited us to come over and cook with her, we were so excited! 

Super scrumptious homemade lunch

Luis and I are big on spicy food. Not the hot, chili-spicy food, but food with strong spices, so this curry dish was right up our alley. The sauce was thick, the potatoes and carrots were cooked very well, and both the fried and grilled chicken tasted amazing, thanks to the marinating process beforehand. Needless to say we were enjoying our lunch so much.

Halfway through finishing our second plate, Araz called to tell us his event had been cut short and we still could go to the car exhibition. I obviously declined since we had already been at Venessa's and proposed for us to just go next week. Suddenly I had an idea, why didn't he just join us hang here? I checked with Venessa first, of course, before inviting him. She didn't mind, she had heard so much of Araz anyway and so had Araz. Up to that point, upon Araz' agreement to make his way to us, I didn't know what to expect cause of course it's possible that things would get awkward since they hadn't met in person before. 

It turned out to be the best decision. They got along instantly!!!!!!!! Not the kind of hey-it's-nice-to-meet-you got along but the craziest way as if they had been good friends for years. Unbelievable. Luis and I couldn't stop exchanging looks, we were totally shocked on how, um, compatible the two were. Hahahaha.. Later on, Araz told me privately that Venessa was basically another me, that's why it was effortless for him to try getting to know her. Definitely not in a romantic way, though, they're basically having a cats-and-dogs relationship, haha!

After a good hour of hanging out at Venessa (after all of us witnessed Araz accidentally ---and embarrassingly-- flipped his plate upside down creating a mess on his lap because of how good the food was), we made our way to the nearest mall. The Sushi Tei dinner was on me, it was still a week after my birthday anyway. Prior to this, Luis had never had a single sushi in his life. He was too paranoid of raw food. Araz and Venessa then teamed up to give him a few options of good cooked sushi dish and it was a major success! Luis was so happy with the food choices, especially my favorite tuna salad spicy mentai Ega and Uty introduced me to.

For desserts, we went for a few scoops of Island Creamery while chilling in a park with cute plush seats next to a mini pond, just in time for a live music to begin. Hands down, one of my favorite birthday celebrations. The three of them have a special place in my heart. They're legit the three out of the only four people that I come to for literally everything (the fourth being my sister).

It was also the eve of our second anniversary, so you know we just had to take this photo. :D

One thing about today, we laughed so much. Venessa and Araz are just amazing people to be around with, individually. Being surrounded by the two of them together sure was a treat for me. It really didn't help that Araz always has stupid ideas from time to time, such as this one where he went for a 180-degree photo in front of the upside-down Louvre monument so it would look as if he was visiting the real Louvre in Paris. Our cheeks hurt. 

On the car ride back to Venessa's house before Araz dropped Luis and I home one by one, Venessa and Luis revealed to me that when Araz hadn't reached Venessa's house, they thought of him as someone very smart and charismatic and other good traits. They concluded at the end of the day that he is nothing like what they had in mind. I almost peed my pants.

I wish we had introduced them sooner!

Aug 22 - Fine China

Before we went to dinner, he showed me the neatly wrapped presents he got for my family. The following picture is only 1/3 of my presents, which is 'only' a bunch of chocolates and snacks. 

I have an obsession with chocolates, but he clearly has an obsession with buying me chocolates.

The other two categories are sentimental items and a huge, ginormous doll family. The sentimental ones are his creations and bought gifts either for monthversaries or random letters and drawings. This category includes a beautiful designer handbag and the cutest PJ's ever known to (wo)man. Finally, the last one can be seen in this example. Example, cause it's only a half of all the dolls he gifted me.

Anyway! I was really feeling Chinese food today, so we opted for a classic Chinese restaurant with arguably the best xiao long bao. The dinner was lovely, it was romantic, it was relaxed, it was exactly what we wanted for that night to turn out.

I was ecstatic for Luis that he finally got the real opportunity to call me his fine China, haha! What a perfect first date night.

Aug 21 - Double Date with Eric and Ariel

The ceremony was uneventful, luckily it was also quick. I spent the first hour doing photoshoots with my family and once it's done, I met up with Uty, waiting for Ega and Dimas who picked up Luis at his apartment. Given that Ega and Dimas live in Bekasi................ yeah, it was nuts that they didn't mind facing the weekday morning traffic entering Jakarta only to fetch Luis at his apartment and drove all the way to Depok. I swear I have the best circles of friends in the world.

I treated them to lunch and we left school. But not before we took this magical photo.

Dimas unfortunately had to bolt, but the rest of us went to a museum we wanted to go to last year but was closed. This time........... the same luck. The museum was still closed! How long does it take for a museum to be fully renovated!? Geez. Near the place was a homeware shop and Ega had been looking for a few furnitures, so we figured we'd check it out instead.

And look what I found! 

Ariel was the first ever Disney Princess I wanted to be when I was little. I remember collecting just most random things that have Little Mermaid on it, from the watch I wore all through primary school, all the way to 2D and 3D stickers I used to decorate my, guess what, Ariel notebooks. How lucky that I've found my prince! ;)

Uty's house was our next destination. It was good relaxing for a bit there, we also watched a little bit of Heath Ledger's 10 Things I Hate About You while trying out her parents' awesome feet massage device before heading out to dinner near my house. Just an overall nice chill moment with my two best friends and my boyfriend, the three people who made me feel like a princess that day.

Aug 20 - Gone Are The Lonely Days

I talk a lot in general. I talk even more when I'm nervous. I don't think I've ever been that talkative in front of Ega, my best friend who obviously spends so much time with me. She was taking me to the airport to pick up Luis, and the traffic was proving Jakarta to be even more f***-ed up that it had already been. The thrill was too intense: we were just getting onto the highway when his plane landed. When we finally parked the car, we literally couldn't decide whether we should wait in the arrival gate or look for him since it was possible he already got through security and all and was clueless of our whereabouts.

But then he came out of the door looking handsome and all. As always. We saw each other and he walked to me with a smile plastered on his face. And for some reason my trembling and wobbly feet managed to take over my frozen brain's task to make me approach him too. He hugged me, caressed my hair as he did that, and I honestly could not remember the first thing he said to me cause I was basically possessed by the butterflies in my stomach.

Hahahahahahaha, I seriously almost threw up rereading the first two paragraphs I have just written, but that's more of less what I was feeling that moment (less is more likely since I was acting more than just a fool the first few minutes we were together).

Brownie's turn after Butterfly (arrival 2014) and Bunberry (departure 2014)

It was almost dinnertime so we decided to grab some food on the way to his apartment. He was unimaginably tired I'm sure, but it's not Luis to let his feelings ruin the moment. Sweet as always, just like the way I remembered him treating me last summer when we were together. 

Ega was definitely the MVP of the day. She was so sweet, I didn't even ask for anything!

Initially we were going to find him a pair of black shoes to wear to my faculty graduation tomorrow, but the shoes he was wearing apparently aren't that bad to go underneath his black suit pants, so we ended up heading to his apartment right after we finished yummy coconut ice cream desserts at Kelasi, such a nice refreshment after a ramen feast.

After a year of being separated, after all the FaceTime video and voice calls, after the lengthy WhatsApp chats (that I, of course, record), we are back to normalcy; so ready to welcome a month of charging phones only once in every two days, since we basically would need it way less than when we are apart. :)

Oh! Just in case you're wondering what's inside his suitcase this time.......

Yup! He has gotten worse since last year. :'D How he managed to fit THOSE THINGS into a suitcase and a backpack? Beats me too.

Aug 15 - Birthday and Important Updates

Disclaimer: One really annoying thing happened just now. So if in this post I seem a little bit off and not me, that's totally why.

Unlike last year, Luis is not here for my birthday this year. Even so, he still managed to beat my whole family (and friends) in being the first one to congratulate me! On text, of course, cause he knew my family would come to my room to pray together as a tradition in the house; he's always so considerate and selfless.

I was so busy all day long and he just let me be, not complaining or demanding attention, only a few chats every two hours or so to check in on me and make sure I was safe and sound. I was, and everything went great............ except for the amount of food I ate today! :( Eversince I could remember, my weight has always been something I'm super conscious about. He's coming in 5 days and I'm even heavier than the last time!

Oh.. Yeah, about that.. HE IS COMING IN 5 DAYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So sorry for the lack of updates! I've literally been all over the place that I just couldn't keep up with the blog anymore. That's such a depressing excuse but I promise it's true! So much is happening, the clock is ticking, and I'm almost always in a rush! I'm so glad things just seem to fall into place, though, from the timing (now he can attend both my faculty and university graduations, plus our two years together) to the last-minute-booked plane tickets (I was afraid the only airlines available were MAS and Air China, hehehe) to the housing (his previous landlord is sooooooooo kind to transform his own office to be Luis' bedroom cause at the moment the apartment is full, hahahahaha, he's super sweet). I'm SOOOOOOOO excited!

Terrible picture, I know, but you get the idea. :)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) Cheers to an even better summer together! <3