Last day in town

It’s funny, how in one day you can yell at your mom and your dad and your maids to vent your frustration because no matter how hard you’ve selected your clothes, your luggage is still overweight; and then you have your big family over for a farewell dinner in a party that’s full of music and laughter; and then see some of them in tears — even the ones you thought wouldn’t miss you that much — while saying goodbye to you and wishing you great success in the future; and then you lie down on your bed staring at your own room and everything inside it,  realizing how everything’s gonna be different from tomorrow on, because very soon, 
you’re going to have to wake up alone
on a bed that’s not yours;
in a house that’s not a home;
in a big city you’ve never been to before.

And you have never desired anything as much as you don’t want it until now.

It’s very funny how all these emotions are simultaneously present even though one contradicts the other.

One of the things that makes it hard to leave this town

Tonight was my official last day as a member of the LAPD.
No, it doesn’t stand for the Los Angeles Police Department but for something I’d rather not say here. And that’s irrelevant.
What’s relevant is, LAPD is a band.
The band who I spent six years of Saturday nights with in my small but loud studio in my house.
The (only) people who would listen to my singing and screaming no matter how off-key it is, my mediocre guitar-playing ability, underdeveloped keyboard skill, and sometimes even my if-someone-else-was-here-I-wouldn’t-be-anywhere-near-this-instrument bass notes. 
The people who are my mentors and my classmates at the same time in our little School of Rock.

We’d play Sheryl Crow.
Rolling Stones.
Neil Young.
Dylan.
Hendrix.
Zeppelin.
Pink Floyd.
Guns n’ Roses.
That one-hit wonder by 4 Non Blondes.
And lots more.

I can’t imagine how my life would’ve been without them.
I love these guys to death, and I’ll remember the good times we had together.

But I’m ready to let go and move on.
And more importantly, I will never. Ever. Quit playing rock n’ roll.

P.S. Tonight was also officially my nephew Brandon’s first day as a member of the LAPD, and he’s contributed so much to the band already by his shit-hot guitar-shredding! I’m glad he joined — can’t think of a better new recruit. Now I can leave for Australia in peace

Slash feat. Myles Kennedy – Live in Surabaya: Epic RnR Shit!

Okay, I know I’ve been away for too long now, and I can explain, I seriously can. The thing is, you guys will just have to wait for my explanation after this one special post, because people, I’ve got to tell you about my first musically life-changing experience in my first international band gig I’ve ever attended.

It was a Saturday night like no other. Me; my nephew, a hardcore metal guitarist in the making; and my dad, a soulful blues guitar-shredder in his own right, along with Surabaya’s rock music fans were united in front of Jatim Expo to witness Slash as he visits the city for the first – and hopefully not the last – time.

We were very fortunate to be able to stand really close to the stage with only three rows of people in front of us. That’s a perfect place because 1) you get to see your idols up just close enough and 2) that’s where Slash threw his guitar picks at, although I have to say you’d need some extra luck if you wanna catch them *sigh*

Needless to say, Mr. Saul Hudson was stellar. Whether it’s a classic Guns n’ Roses number or a new song from his solo eponymous album, he rocked the instrument like no other. The two most memorable performances for me are when he mashed up Civil War‘s ending part with Jimi Hendrix’s legendary intro of Voodoo Chile and when he played his Les Paul on the back of his neck. The latter gave me real chills because that is something I thought I would never see with my own eyes except on TV!

What’s equally important is, joining Time magazine’s second best electric guitarist of all time on stage was the man featured as the lead vocalist of this whole world tour, Myles Kennedy of Alter Bridge, who is such hot stuff himself. The dude’s got amazing pipes, no doubt about that, and the way he interacted with the audience was just as awesome. AND I SWEAR AT ONE POINT HE LOOKED AND SMILED AT ME. Okay, the last bit is probably unnecessary and untrue but it was that much of a treat watching and listening to him belt out some crazy rock and effing roll notes from less than three meters away. Him and Slash together gave me my real first starstruck moment ever, one so bad that during the first couple of songs I couldn’t even manage to sing and dance along to the music like everyone there did!

So, all in all, five out of five from me, boys! Keep rockin’ Iiii|; ),

Attachments: Photos! They aren’t of great quality because they were taken from my cell phone, though

Slash solo

Myles Kennedy and Slash

A random quote meets a random picture

Found this old picture while looking through the photo album of my 2009 trip to Bali. Thought up a quote that might be fitting to prettify the photo. And voila!

100 truths

WHAT WAS YOUR:
1. Last beverage: Soy milk.
2. Last phone call: Inez, although she couldn’t hear a thing I said, so it was sorta like my phone call was to myself.
3. Last text message: Vicky, my ex-classmate for two years who’s just moved to Jakarta for university.
4. Last song you listened to: what my band and I played, Sheryl Crow’s Leaving Las Vegas.
5. Last time you cried: when I watched Toy Story 3 on Thursday.

HAVE YOU EVER:
6. Dated someone twice: no.
7. Been cheated on: no.
8. Kissed someone & regretted it: no.
9. Lost someone special: yes.
10. Been depressed: yes – what 17-year old hasn’t?
11. Been drunk and threw up: no.

LIST THREE FAVORITE COLORS:
12. Only three? Well, I guess… it’s black…
13. …and white…
14. …and a three-way tie between grey, blue, and purple. There ya go.

THIS YEAR (2010) HAVE YOU:
15. Made a new friend: yes.
16. Done something you’ve always wanted but never got the chance to do it before? yes – parasailing! Whoo hoo!
17. Laughed until you *nearly* cried: too many times.
18. Met someone who changed you: yes.
19. Found out who your true friends were: yes.
20. Found out someone was talking about you: yes.
21. Kissed anyone on your friend’s list: on the lips, no; on the cheeks, yes.

22. How many people on your friends list do you know in real life: around 70% or more I guess.
23. How many kids do you want to have: none. I might change my mind later in life, but since you’re asking me now, my answer is nada.
24. Do you have any pets: yep – four dogs. That’s one poodle called Mochi and three mutts named Brandy, Boy and Puma.
25. Do you want to change your name: I used to want to do that because my name is often written and pronounced incorrectly by Indonesians, but now I realized that it would be plain stupid and that I just love my name the way it is <3
26. What did you do for your last birthday: I had a small party at Hyatt’s Chinese restaurant with my friends.
27. What time did you wake up today: 9:30-ish AM. I’m not really a morning person as you can already tell.
28. What were you doing at midnight last night: replying to people’s comments on Facebook.
29. Name something you CANNOT wait for: going to Australia for university XD
30. Last time you saw your Mother: like, half an hour ago. I asked her whether she wanted to go upstairs and hang out with me or watch the TV alone in her room. She chose watching the TV alone in her room.
31. What is one thing you wish you could change about your life: nothing. Because if I could change one thing, I’d want to change another, and another, and another, and I’d end up hating everything about it.
32. What are you listening to right now: KT Tunstall’s Under the Weather.
33. Have you ever talked to a person named Tom: …this is pretty random, but no, I’ve never talked to a person named Tom. But this Tom you seem to know, is he hot? If yes, can you give me his number?
34. What’s getting on your nerves right now: to be honest… a lot of stuff. Let’s just say I’m currently not in the best mood, but at least doing this questionnaire helps put my mind off those things.
35. Most visited webpage: Facebook. Sorry, NoAngel.tk
36. What’s your real name: Sara Dee Rusdiah.
37. Nicknames: Sara, Dee, DD… and there’s this one close friend of mine who calls me Alan because she knows I think Alan Smith is really really hot.
38. Relationship Status: single.
39. Zodiac sign: Sagittarius.
40. Male or female: Female.
41. Elementary?: Santa Maria.
42. Middle School?: Santa Maria.
43. High school/college?: St. Louis.
44. Hair colour: between dark-brownish black and blackish dark brown.
45. Long or short: medium.
46. Height: 1.53 cm or about 5’0″. DID ANYONE JUST SAY “SHORTY?!”
47. Do you have a crush on someone?: right now, no.
48. What do you like about yourself?: my ability to answer this question without sounding like I love everything about myself.
49. Piercings: used to have ear piercings, but I never used any earrings since I lost my first pair, so the holes closed again soon afterwards.
50. Tattoos: no.
51. Righty or lefty: righty.

FIRSTS:
52. First surgery: never had one.
53. First piercing: a couple of days after I was born.
54. First best friend: my parents.
55. First sport you joined: crawling, lol.
56. First vacation: when I was only several months old – not that I remember anything about it, I just knew because I saw the photos.
58. First pair of trainers: when I was in elementary school, probably.

RIGHT NOW:
59. Eating: no.
60. Drinking: no.
61. Doing: this is a pretty stupid question.
62. Listening to: …you’ve asked me this, see #32 
63. Waiting on: nothing and no one.

YOUR FUTURE:
64. Want kids?: I don’t think so… but again, as I said before, I might change my mind.
65. Get Married?: yeah I guess.
66. Career?: anything fun and financially-rewarding at the same time.

WHICH IS BETTER:
67. Lips or eyes: to kiss? Definitely lips. But to look at… probably eyes.
68. Hugs or kisses: depends.
69. Shorter or taller: for a lover? Preferably taller. For friends, both are okay although I gotta admit it feels intimidating to be surrounded by an all-tall group when you’re as vertically-challenged as I am.
70. Older or Younger: older, but not too old for a lover, but for friends, both older and younger are okay.
71. Romantic or spontaneous: a little bit of each.
72. Nice stomach or nice arms: nice stomach.
73. Sensitive or loud: sensitive.
74. Hook-up or relationship: hook-ups are fun for a short term, but for a long one, it has to be relationship.
75. Trouble maker or hesitant: hesitant.

HAVE YOU EVER:
76. Kissed a stranger: no.
77. Drank hard liquor: no.
78. Lost glasses/contacts: how can I when I don’t even wear any?
79. Sex on first date: no.
80. Got detention? yes.
81. Lied to your best friend? yes. 
82. Been arrested: no.
83. Turned someone down: yes.
84. Cried when someone died: to be honest, the closest people in my life are thankfully still alive so far, so no.
85. Fallen for a friend?: *gulps* yes.

DO YOU BELIEVE IN:
86. Yourself: yes.
87. Miracles: yes.
88. Love at first sight: maybe.
89. Heaven: I think so.
90. Santa Claus: nah, but I like the idea of seeing people dressing like St. Nick every year around Christmas and giving away presents.
91. Kiss on the first date: yes.
92. Angels: yes – they are in the people who love you.

ANSWER TRUTHFULLY:
94. Had more than 1 girlfriend/boyfriend at a time: no.
95. Did you sing today?: hell yeah!
96. Ever cheated on somebody?: no.
97. If you could go back in time, how far would you go?: I’d go back to the very first day of high school.
98. If you could pick a day from last year and relive it, what would it be?: probably me and my teammates’ last day in Jakarta, competing in the final round of Binus’ general knowledge competition.
99. Are you afraid of falling in love?: sometimes.
100. Posting this as 100 truths?: you should know the answer by now.

Toy Story 3: Time flies. Things change. But you’ve (still) got a friend in me.

I was in kindergarten when I first watched Toy Story, the first CGI picture ever made. I spoke virtually no English at the time, but I guess entertainment speaks a universal language, especially one that’s as beautifully made as this Pixar creation. I immediately fell so in love with the story and the characters that when I go to the laser disc rental, it was the only movie I wanted to rent.

The obsession didn’t stop there — going to McDonald’s, I asked my mom to buy me a Happy Meal so I could have the glow-in-the-dark Bo Peep. Finding out that my grandparents were going to America, I asked them to buy me all other Andy’s toys, and so I got them: Slinky, Etch-a-Sketch, Mr. Potato Head, the green Pizza Planet alien, Buzz Lightyear, and without a doubt, Sheriff Woody himself. Playing the then-popular Sega console, my favourite game was… yes, you guessed it.

Four years later, Toy Story 2 came out and I was an elementary school student this time. Huge laser discs were replaced by compact-sized VCDs, and it was good news for me because it meant I could buy and own the movie instead of just renting and eventually having to return it. When my grandparents visited America again, I only asked them to buy me Jessie and Bullseye because I thought they would be great companions for my cowboy doll. The Evil Emperor Zurg was, well, too evil, and so was Prospector, so I didn’t feel the need to add them to my collection. Besides, I wasn’t that crazy about getting those toys anymore. Don’t get me wrong — I love the sequel as much as I did the original, but, I guess, I was growing up…

…which is a process that leads to today, and will still continue on and on.

Today, I am seventeen years old, which is coincidentally the same age as the just-out Toy Story 3‘s Andy. Me and him, we share a lot in common. We are leaving for college soon; most of our childhood toys are mostly broken, somehow gone, or donated; and we sure prefer sitting in front of our laptops than listening to our moms or tidying up our rooms.

Therefore, even if you haven’t watched this newest one yet, you should know after reading the previous paragraph that this one is about a nightmare since its written from the toys’ point of view. You’re right — it’s full of panic, escape attempts, escape failures, shady bureaucrats, and a swirling inferno. A coming of age tale, this is probably the darkest installment compared to the first two. Although it is about a familiar theme, it screams to us more loudly that change is inevitable, nothing is forever, and that good or bad, all things have an end.

For me, who has been a big fan since I was little, watching Toy Story 3 initially felt like a bittersweet experience. Where are all the other toys — Ms. Peep and her sheep, Rocky, Lenny the Binoculars, RC… and what happened to the young, lively Buster without saggy skin? I was unsure whether it would’ve been better if I didn’t see it so I could just assume they all lived happily ever after with an ageless Andy, just like other fairytales.

And that’s when I found out that, that’s the point. This movie does what cartoons don’t usually do; it tries to open your eyes a little to reality. Therefore yes, it’s about what I mentioned above, the change is inevitable, nothing is forever, blah-blah-blah part. But it’s also about how an end is a new beginning. How real friendships can only be separated by death. How change feels a bit weird at first, but it doesn’t necessarily mean bad. And even if it turns out to be a change for the worse, you could always try to make another change, this time aiming for the better.

You know what, I’ve never cried after watching an animated movie before. God bless the dark cinema and those 3D glasses.

My old Pizza Planet alien toy and my new tumbler which I bought from the cinema today <3

#2

They called the names of the whole-grade top 10 starting from the bottom.
I was sure my name would be called first.
But no.
Number 9. Nope. Weird.
8. 7. 6.
There must be some kind of mistake because I didn’t hear anyone calling my name yet.
The top 5.
4.
Okay, then I’m sure I’m the number 3 again.
3. Still not me. STILL NOT SARA FREAKING DEE! WTF?!

and finally…

“Number 2: Sara Dee Rusdiah”, the vice principal announced.

My last and highest achievement ever in high school.
And I didn’t even see it coming.
Heck, I didn’t even think I would make it to the top 5.

I couldn’t have asked for more.

Comeback

Sorry for my long absence, guys! This has been a hectic-in-a-good-way summer break and somewhere between my activities and the spare time I get, I fail to update this blog. Again, my deepest apologize.

To tell you the truth, now that a thousand moments have passed since my last post, I don’t know where to start telling you what I’ve been doing all this time. Well, to warm up my rusty writing skills again, I guess I’ll just begin with a brief summary of how today went because it’s been a really great day.

I started my day waking up at 4.30 (AM, that is) and calling my best friend Athina to wake up too. The thing is, we were gonna have a photoshoot session with our other best friends Marsha, Inge, Beatrice, Monica, Vicky, Dessy and Melisa, so we gotta make sure we’d get a good morning sunlight as opposed to the harsh, blemish-exposing hot sun for our photos. As expected, from thinking up poses to actually posing them, we had a real blast walking through puddles and wet ground in Citraland’s grass fields. I can’t wait to see our pics!

Another thing is, somewhere between the capturing of the camera, my cellphone suddenly vibrated and it showed an unknown number. I picked it up, and it turned out to be my teacher! She informed me that I was in the whole-grade top 10 again and that I had to come to school wearing the trademark St. Louis uniform — that’s gonna be the last time I wear that — with my parents mom. Like always, they wouldn’t tell my exact rank before the actual day, and this time I really don’t think I’m gonna be in the top 5 since I feel like I totally messed up in the finals, but whatever the result is I’m very thankful nonetheless

Last but not least, THE WORLD CUP IS HERE!!! See ya peeps, gotta tune in to watch the opening ceremony now! ENGLAND FOR CHAMP!

Attachment: Pre-photoshoot session photo of me and Athina! 

spottedmist’s playlist part 6

A cute song by a cute pair. Watch the video (it’s a really short song so you’ll have to think of a better excuse than “It’s gonna eat up my TelkomSpeedy quota”). Prepare to fall in love.

Anyone Else But You – Michael Cera & Ellen Page

You’re a part-time lover and a full-time friend
The monkey on your back is the latest trend
I don’t see what anyone can see in anyone else
But you

Here is the church and here is the steeple
We sure are cute for two ugly people
I don’t see what anyone can see in anyone else
But you

We both have shiny happy fits of rage
You want more fans, I want more stage
I don’t see what anyone can see in anyone else
But you

You are always trying to keep it real
I’m in love with how you feel
I don’t see what anyone can see in anyone else
But you

I kiss you on the brain on the shadow of a train
I kiss you all starry-eyed, my body’s swinging from side to side
I don’t see what anyone can see in anyone else
But you

The pebbles forgive me, the trees forgive me
So why can’t you forgive me?
I don’t see what anyone can see in anyone else
But you

Du, du, du, du, du, du
Du, du, du, du, du, du
I don’t see what anyone can see in anyone else
But you

Juno: “I think I’m in love with you.”
Paulie: “You mean as friends?“
Juno: “No, I mean… for real.”

Short-but-sweet getaway

Spent my last weekend in Europe, people!

Photos:

   

Yep. That’s in Europe, alright.

 

 

…Gotcha!

Actually, they’re only two of the many European-influenced statues located in the Keraton Surakarta, Central Java. Which means I just got home from Solo, not Rome or Paris.

While Solo isn’t either one of those world-renowned cities, though, it doesn’t prevent me from having wonderful time with my family and relatives: dad, uncle, aunt, cousin. Mom couldn’t make it because she had stuff to do here in Surabaya — such a shame, but we’re planning on going there again and staying for a little bit longer than just one night next time, so maybe then she can join us.

Anyway, this trip is most memorable to me as a delicious culinary experience. The local delicacies were yummy to the max, especially the nasi liwet at some street warung that’s apparently been a family favorite since ages, the timlo at the well-known Warung Timlo Sastro, and the delectable traditional snack, kue serabi Notosuman. There are also some overly hyped places, however, and for me those include the famous Bakso Kalilarangan (they’re just regular meatballs. Expensive regular meatballs. Not worth the money, I say) and the always-full-and-crowded Warung Soto Gading (being from East Java, it’s just wrong to eat a soto that’s not even yellow in the first place!).

Well, that’s it for now, folks. Gotta go to the gym today and start working out!

Rusdiah out.