The Nerdy Elephant

i had too much fun with the webcam

2012-02-24T16:18:00.000+07:00

On Sunday, I bought a new laptop and today I got the chance to try the webcam for the very first time. So, instead of putting one picture of my face like I usually do, I decided to put all the eighteen of them in only one post. Enjoy! (Or not :p)

Sincerely,
Putdar.

PS. I got an award from Messy!

sadabamboo soulsensation

2012-02-23T15:35:00.000+07:00

Last night, Mr Boyfriend and I went to this concert held by the Musical Arts Education students of our university. It was very unique because they combined modern musics, such as pop, rock, jazz, and ska, with Indonesian (specifically Sundanese) traditional musical instruments made of bamboo like angklung, calung, suling bambu, etc. It featured famous singers and musicians such as Glenn Fredly, Rieka Roeslan, Risa Saraswati, Fadly and Rindra "Padi", Don Lego, and Idang Rasjidi, who collaborated with the students of Musical Arts Education.

To me, this concert was almost perfect. I especially like the lighting, which was fantastic! The only flaw, in my opinion, was the MC, who couldn't interact well with the audience. I was also disappointed because I didn't win the door prize. Haha!

I really do hope that there will be more shows like this one in Bandung. My city really needs them. (Well, not my city, but I do!)

Sincerely,
Putdar.

music monday (on tuesday): a tribute playlist

2012-02-21T15:35:00.000+07:00

(Silly me put the Music Monday post on Tuesday again.)

This week's theme for Music Monday is tribute. I don't have much to say about the playlist, except the fact that I love each song on it. And I couldn't find The Beatles on Grooveshark, so I put the YouTube video instead. Here they go:

I know, I know. The Long and Winding Road was actually sung by Paul McCartney, and he is alive. (And he won a Grammy! And people tweeted "Who the hell is Paul McCartney? Is he Jesse McCartney's uncle?") I put it here just because John Lennon played the bass. And I love him (though not as much as I love Paul. Sorry, Johnny Boy...)

I'm linking up with Kristen. You should check her version :)

Sincerely,
Putdar.

i'm so sorry. i really am.

2012-02-20T16:37:00.000+07:00

I know saying that I'm sorry is actually no use. Everytime I disappear and neglect this blog, I come back and apologise for my absence, only to disappear again for days. I don't have any explanations for why I've been missing and rarely posted anything here. I'm not busy; in fact, I have a lot of free time. The only problem that I face recently is the availability of internet connection in my house. XL decided to stop their unlimited internet access so I have to use my campus' free wifi to surf the internet.

I'm so sorry for neglecting this blog and not replying your sweet comments. I'm going to try (very hard) to keep up with The Nerdy Elephant and come back to be a full-time blogger again. I kinda miss those days when I was able to post every single day...

Now I'm going to visit my favourite blogs and leaving comments. Put your blog address on the comment so I can visit yours too :)

And now my face (as usual :p)

Sincerely,
Putdar.

pimples

2012-02-16T22:43:00.000+07:00

Since hitting puberty, I've always been a pimpled-faced girl. After so many years, I finally accepted that fact (since it's on my DNA; my mum and dad also had pimples when they were teenagers). But for the past week, they somehow get worst. My face is red now. I think it's time to start looking for help from the experts, no? *insert sad face here*

Sincerely,
Putdar.

music monday (on wednesday): love songs

2012-02-15T04:38:00.001+07:00

Woohoo... I'm such a lazy girl. Two nights in a row, I went to bed earlier than usual. I just felt so tired, even though I did nothing. So this post had to wait two days before getting posted. It actually had sat in my draft since Monday, but I didn't have the energy even to just click 'Publish'. Whoa!

So here they are, my friends, five greatest love songs in my version. Hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

Oh and happy pinkish day :)

Sincerely,
Putdar.

PS. I have another playlist from last year with more songs. Check it out!

life lately

2012-02-12T20:12:00.000+07:00

So, what did I do in those five days I was away from this blog? Aside of watching Downton Abbey, not much. Just the regular things a college student do: going to classes, doing homework, downloading e-books, etc. But there was a special event on Thursday where I gave a tutorial on how to sign up and create a blog in Blogger to some people.

After a (quite) long hiatus, BlowUP!'s sharing class striked again. Three new people attended the class where I shared my (limited) knowledge about blogging with Blogger. I began with explaining the step-by-step to sign up and create a blog, and then I gave a brief explanation on how to use Blogger's Template Design. I'm not an expert (in fact, I was helped by my 'seniors' in BlowUP! ;p) but sharing my little knowledge was fun!

And then today, I went to a seminar on how to wear hijab. The event was called "Lovely Hijab". I learnt three new ways to wear hijab. Here's the before-and-after pics:

The after picture doesn't show any of the hijab styles I learnt today, actually. I didn't bring mirror so I had to share a mirror with Vicky, so it was kinda hard to follow the instructions for the new hijab styles. But I'm surely gonna try them soon.

That is all, folks! What about you? How's life been?

Sincerely,
Putdar.

five days without blogging???

2012-02-11T20:11:00.000+07:00

Blame these people:

Last month, I wrote about how I was addicted to Sherlock and Christianna commented on the post. She mentioned another UK TV series called Downton Abbey. Having been stunned by Sherlock, I decided to give Downton a try. I looked it up and got the first series. It was oh so amazing! The plot, the characters, the actors and actresses... everything is amazing! I ended up finishing the first series in one night only. The next day, I got the second series and I finished watching it in three days. I was completely absorbed by this show that I abandoned this blog. LOL. Thanks, Christianna, for introducing me to this wonderful show!

Have you watched Downton Abbey? Who's your favourite character?

Sincerely,
Putdar.

music mondays: songs from 1991

2012-02-06T22:28:00.002+07:00

When I found out last week that this week's theme for Music Mondays link up in Kristen's blog was 'Top 5 favorites from your birth year', I instantly thought about those slow rock musics which were very famous in the early 1990's. But when I saw this list, I was surprised that I actually only knew four songs (out of 100). So here they are, number 1 through 4. Plus one song from 1990. I cheated, I know. But I really like this song, so I thought it would be okay, eh Kristen? ;)

Why don't you come over her blog and link up too?

*UPDATE*
I was featured on Christianna's blog :)

Sincerely,
Putdar.

i'm vlogging!

2012-02-05T14:55:00.002+07:00

Yesterday, I came up to this blog and found out that they are going to make a vlog link up on Monday. I already had plan on Monday, so I decided to just put it up now, on Sunday. Sorry for the crappy quality of my webcam video result. Also, sorry for my English speaking skill. I gotta improve it. Hope you understand what I was trying to say. Enjoy!

Sincerely,
Putdar.

a quick post to say 'ollo!'

2012-02-04T16:01:00.000+07:00

I haven't posted any picture of my face for days, so here it goes:

Hehe...

I haven't told you guys about this, but my room was renovated a few days ago. I'll be busy decorating it for the whole weekend, I guess. So I'm really sorry if I'm MIA. Again. I'll be back as soon as possible with the regular posts. I love you!

Sincerely,
Putdar.

first day of the sixth semester (+ giveaway winner!)

2012-02-01T18:34:00.001+07:00

Where did the time go? The exams week feels like it was just yesterday and now the holiday has ended and the sixth semester has started! My, my... And because the holiday felt so short to me, I didn't prepare well to go to campus today. I ended up leaving my notebook at home, so I took notes in my laptop. I finally used Microsoft Office OneNote for the first time. Didn't know that it finally turned out to be so useful. Haha...

This semester I only take six classes for 15 credit hours plus 2 credit hours of KKN (Kuliah Kerja Nyata), so that's 17 credit hours. It's an anomaly for me, because I usually take 19-21 credit hours. It's a lot, I know. But it's quite normal in my country. Looking at my timetable, I have some free time. I'm planning to look for a part-time job, but my seniors tell me that the sixth semester is the hardest semester. Now I'm not sure anymore. What do you guys think? Should I look for a job or no?

On a different matter, I already have the winner of my very first giveaway! And the winner is:

Congratulations! I'll inform you via Twitter so you can claim your prize. :)

For others who did not win, don't worry. I already have other giveaway plans in my mind, so stick around! ;D

Sincerely,
Putdar.

music mondays

2012-01-31T17:05:00.000+07:00

As weird as it looks, I'm posting a Music Mondays post on a Tuesday afternoon. I just found out that Kristen has this link up in her blog, so I decided to join in. This week's theme is "Your top 5 favorite songs from a single artist or band". My songs would be those of Melee's. Do you know this band?

Melee Top 5 by Putri Dara Octora on Grooveshark

Sincerely,
Putdar.

a reminder of the giveaway

2012-01-30T22:53:00.000+07:00

Just want to remind you that you still have approximately 25 hours to join the giveaway. You can win this cute Eiffel tower necklace. Yay! Click here to enter (Indonesia residents only).

Sincerely,
Putdar.

i miss him like crazy

2012-01-28T20:32:00.000+07:00

Well, maybe not like crazy. I may not miss him at all. Maybe I'm just crazy because there are no news from him. The last time he texted me was 39 hours ago. 39 hours! That's the longest time I don't hear anything from him. It's driving me crazy. He told me that he would get his phone back on Sunday morning. Let's just hope that he will get it back as soon as possible.

I worry so much. With this wind blowing like crazy and trees and signs are falling, I'm afraid something bad could happen to him. Somebody calm me down, please... :'(

Sincerely,
Putdar.

PS. I over-used the word 'crazy'. Oh, man...

i am sherlocked

2012-01-27T15:33:00.000+07:00

My desktop currently.

I've been watching the whole six episodes of Sherlock for two rounds in the past three days. It is healthy, isn't it?

Sincerely,
Putdar.

cipanas, windy days, & lonely me

2012-01-26T23:10:00.000+07:00

Like I told you before, I went to Mr Boyfriend's hometown for the second time on Tuesday. It was the first time for both of us to go there by riding motorcycle. Exhausting, yes, but it was fun and faster than riding a bus. We had planned to go to Cibodas Botanical Garden once we arrived at Cipanas, but unfortunately the wind was blowing way too strong that it freaked me out, so we decided to just go to Kota Bunga Villa and take pictures.

On our way to Kota Bunga, we saw a tree fell down right in front of us. Had we left a few seconds earlier, we must have been crushed by the tree. Thank God we're okay. The wind has been crazy these past days in the whole country and the news says that it will last for at least another week. I already caught influenza and now I'm starting to cough too. Good thing I'm still on my semester break, so I don't have to go to campus until the end of January.

On a different matter, tonight Mr Boyfriend left for an outbond with his fellows at Beswan Djarum. He is staying at a camping ground until Sunday. Mobile phones are not allowed there, so I think I'm gonna miss him like crazy for the rest of the week. *sad face*

Alright. That is all I can tell you tonight. My head is heavy and my nose is running. I need to have a good sleep. Good night!

Sincerely,
Putdar.

this is what i'm honestly thinking at the moment

2012-01-24T23:44:00.000+07:00

Whenever I watch him saying goodbye to his family, I feel like I'm stealing him; like demanding him to choose between me and his family. He took me to his family house today, but he could only stay for a few hours just because I couldn't stay. He left his family only to bring me back to mine.

And what did I do yesterday? I yelled at him just because he used my laptop for Facebook-ing.

What the hell, Putdar?

i believe in him

2012-01-23T18:46:00.000+07:00

{source}

Last week, I was very surprised to read the news that Sherlock Holmes died. He jumped from the roof of the St Bartholomew's Hospital after being reported as a fraud by the media. There is no way that he was a fake. It was Richard Brook who was a fake. Brook was the real Moriarty. He played a trick on the media. All that he said was a big, nasty lie.

I believe in Sherlock Holmes. Moriarty was real and Richard Brook was a fraud. If you're with me, please join the tribute campaign.

Sincerely,
Putdar.

"and no one is ever gonna love you more than i do..."

2012-01-21T14:00:00.001+07:00

Whenever I find out that my favourite song is covered by other artists, I usually go to YouTube to listen to the cover version. The same happens whenever I find out that my favourite song is, in fact, a cover (as happened in She & Him's Ridin' in My Car, which turned out to originally be NRBQ's song; and Meaghan Smith's Here Comes Your Man turned out to originally be Pixies').

I first listened to No One's Gonna Love You by Band of Horses in a mixtape I got from Kaelah. I instantly fell in love with it. Months later, I found out that the song was covered by Cee Lo Green. I searched YouTube for the song and it turns out that each version has its own official music video. I personally like the original version of the song, but I have to say that I like Cee Lo Green's video much better. It tells a story of a couple in a road trip after being kicked out from their house, while Band of Horses' version only shows a footage of the band playing in a show plus their daily life (including brushing teeth, showering, drinking, sleeping, and smashing bottles on each other's head). What's your say?

Sincerely,
Putdar.

you've got mail!

2012-01-19T23:49:00.000+07:00

{source}

"The greatest feeling of being a blogger is when you receive heartful comments/emails from your readers."

I put this sentence as a status in The Nerdy Elephant's Facebook fan page on Monday. This is exactly what I'm feeling. Lately, my phone's been ringing every now and then, indicating that I've got new emails. They're all blog comments. I can't find the right way to say how I really love getting comments and emails from you. I've been feeling a little bit distressed in blogging, but your comments help a lot. Thank you for sticking with me through the thick and thin. Thank you for visiting my blog. Thank you for following. Thank you for your encouraging comments. I love you guys very much.

Sincerely,
Putdar.

sticks and stones may break my bones

2012-01-17T22:24:00.000+07:00

I don't understand those people who keep saying "Don't be sad!" everytime they see me down. What? Being sad is humane. It's a learning process. I have all the rights to be sad and enjoy the sadness I am in.

Lately, every now and then, I'm trying to find something that can make me sad just because I haven't been in days. I listen to The Beatles, watch movies, re-read Deathly Hallows (chapter The Prince's Tale), and think about my 'dream deferred'. I feel the need to feel sad. That's normal, right? Wanting to be sad is like wanting to be happy, just the opposite. It's to create balance between them.

Ah... I'm rambling, friends. Pardon me.

Sincerely,
Putdar.

pinspirations

2012-01-16T23:35:00.000+07:00

These words are wonderful. Whenever you're feeling negative, do the opposite.

It's an inspiration for boyish look.

This was me last week, when I had Statistics exam. I finished earlier than anybody. Still not sure, though. Haha!

Cute and warming colours. And I love coffee too! I'm thinking maybe I could change my blog's template to look like this a little bit, no?

This is just beautiful.

♥/♥/♥/♥/♥

Sincerely,
Putdar.

why do i blog?

2012-01-15T19:42:00.001+07:00

Last week, I got this comment on one of my posts:

Sadly, when I tried to reply to her comment (like I usually do to almost all comments I get), I couldn't find her email address because she is a 'no-reply@blogger.com'. Her blogs are in Portuguese and I didn't recognise a single word. So, I would try to do my best to answer her question here in this post. (I actually kinda found it funny that at the same time, people started talking about why they blog and what language they use in their blog in this Facebook group. I haven't said anything in that group, but I think I'll answer it in this post too.)

First, why do I blog? I already said something about it in this post last year. I started this blog (named Putdar di Sini at that time) as a fulfillment of an assignment from my lecturer. He asked each student to have his/her own blog and to write there regularly. He also told us to follow each other's blog and comment on each other's posts. It only lasted one semester and then I abandoned this blog. One year after that, I started reading blogs of Michelle (found it via Blogger's Blogs of Note) and Kaelah (found it via Michelle's blog). Inspired by them, I resurrected it from its comma and it has been going on until today.

Well, that was the history of this blog, actually; didn't answer the question "why do I blog?". Sorry...

So, why do I blog? I clearly don't look like other blogging ladies, because they're crafty, pretty, fashionable, inspiring, engaged (okay, not all of them), but I only look like a super boring college student, blogging about her boring life, how she procrastinates a lot, how she keeps running out of money, posting pictures of her doing weird faces (Afief actually said so), and blah blah blah...

But that's me. I'm trying to keep being honest here in my blog. I'm trying to document my life as honest as I can, so that someday (if Blogger decides to keep my blog for a long, long time) I can show it to my grandchildren and say "Look, honey. Gramma was such a bad college student. You must do better than me."

Another reason why I blog is to get overseas friends. I'm actually doing good. I can say that I have a couple of friends from other countries now. We're sending emails back and forth every now and then, and that's amazing!

And to answer Camile's question... I'm now on my third year studying English Education in a university. I choose to blog in English because I want to practice my English skills, particularly in writing. My English is not really that good, so I need to know if people can understand what I'm trying to say. And so far, I think I'm doing good because judging from people's comments, they can understand my version of English.

That's it. I hope this can answer your question, Camile. I really want to be friends with you, so if you could send me an e-mail (can be found in this page), that would be wonderful!

Oh and please answer this question in the comment box:
Do you think it's okay for me to keep putting up pictures of myself (particularly my face) in every post? Because Afief doesn't like it. And because he said so, I'm starting to feel a little bit worried about it. What do you think? Should I stop doing that? (Or maybe reducing it a little?)

***

On a different matter, yesterday we elected Afief the first president of BlowUP! He should've worn the crown, but he refused. So I put the crown on his head right when the camera started snapping. Sandi put the pictures as a gif in his blog. Check it out:

I sacrificed myself in that picture. My face can't be seen. Haha... But it was worth it, no? ;p

Congratulations, Afief!

Sincerely,
Putdar.

the last day of the semester

2012-01-13T22:13:00.000+07:00

Putdar, Yunita, Aini, and Adisti finally finished their module just a minute before the deadline of submission. Cheers for us! :D

These girls finished their module too (with a little help from me, converting their listening files. I guess they just can't live without me, can they? :p)

Congratulations to all of the English Education students who finished their modules on time. I hereby declare that this is the end of my fifth semester as a college student. Yaaaaaayyyy for the holidaaaaaayyy! :D

Sincerely,
Putdar.

it's a miracle :)

2012-01-12T15:46:00.000+07:00

Remember when I told you that I still got one final exam left? Later that night, I received this text from my classmate:

You might not understand the language, so here's the translation in English:

+ Assalamualaykum. Guys, the final exam for Intercom tomorrow is canceled.

- Srsly??

It's a miracle :)

Sincerely,
Putdar.

eiffel tower necklace giveaway (closed!)

2012-01-11T13:08:00.003+07:00

What? Two posts in one day? This must be very important because I rarely do that now. You should expect something unexpected. And yes, it is unexpected because... THIS IS MY VERY FIRST GIVEAWAY! *insert excited claps here*

Up for grabs is this cute little necklace from e.l.s.v.

This giveaway is open for Indonesia residents only (international giveaways coming soon), so the rest of this post will be written in Bahasa Indonesia.

CARA UNTUK MENGIKUTI GIVEAWAY INI:

~~Follow The Nerdy Elephant via Google Friend Connect (caranya: klik "Follow" di sidebar) terus kasih tau saya kalo kamu udah follow dengan cara ninggalin komen.~~
~~Like Facebook page The Nerdy Elephant terus tinggalin nama FB kamu di komen.~~
~~Like Facebook page e.l.s.v. terus tinggalin juga nama FB kamu di komen.~~
~~Tweet kalimat ini "Dapetin kalung Eiffel Tower dgn cara ikutan #giveaway di blognya @putdar :) http://bit.ly/yA5Lde" terus tinggalin user name Twitter kamu di komen.~~
~~Tulis tentang giveaway ini di blog kamu beserta link-nya. Kamu boleh pake gambar-gambar yang ada di sini. Udah gitu tinggalin komen yang berisi link ke postingan blog kamu itu.~~

Jangan lupa untuk nulis alamat email di tiap komen kamu ya? Biar saya bisa menghubungi kamu kalo kamu menang. Inget! Kamu harus ninggalin satu komen untuk setiap entry. Totalnya ada 5 cara untuk dapetin kalung Eiffel Tower ini. Partisipasi kamu ditunggu sampe tanggal 31 Januari 2012 aja. Good luck!

*UPDATE*
This giveaway is now closed. Thank you for participating! :)

Sincerely,
Putdar.

finals week: day 3

2012-01-11T10:12:00.000+07:00

Your nerdy elephant girl just finished her English for Business final exam. Let's just hope that she didn't mess up in anwering all those tricky questions, shall we?

You go, nerdy elephant girl! One more exam and one more final project left!

Sincerely,
Putdar.

an ordinary story about being a college student

2012-01-09T11:36:00.001+07:00

Dark circles and bags under the eyes are unavoidable. I finished my mini research and went to bed at 3 AM this morning. I woke up at 6.30, took a bath, dressed up, and went to the campus to submit it because the deadline is at 8 AM. At 8.50, I had my very first exam in this finals week: Teaching Media. Right after that, at 10.40, I had ESP Material Development's exam. Boy am I so exhausted. Yet I still can't go back to bed yet because I have to finish my team's module.

Sometimes I wonder why I go to college...

Raise your glass. Here's to the struggling for a better future.

Sincerely,
Putdar.

procrastinating at its finest

2012-01-06T00:53:00.002+07:00

It's 12.48am and I'm currently on 375 out of 4000 words I should write for my Intercultural Communication's mini research. This afternoon I finished the final project for Teaching Evaluation slightly before the deadline (or so I thought). The exams week is just around the corner, so I know exactly that I should be studying and/or finishing those assignments.

But... yeah. I decided to watch a movie instead. For the umpteenth time this week. This time, it's What's Your Number?.

{source}

I love Anna Faris' voice. And Chris Evan's body is just so... WOW! The story itself is easy to guess. I can't say that it's the best movie but it can do just fine. Visit the source of the poster to read the review.

Now, I really need to refill my cup of cappuccino and go back to doing my mini research. Bye now!

Sincerely,
Putdar.

PS. Did I mention that Chris Evan's body is, like, WOW?

a game of shadows

2012-01-04T10:31:00.002+07:00

{source}

Have you seen this movie? Well you should! Saw this on Monday with Mr Boyfriend and it was really, really awesome!

Sincerely,
Putdar.

new year = new project

2012-01-01T08:07:00.003+07:00

Hello! Happy new year, y'all! In this first day in 2012, I would like to introduce you to my new project called Putdar Everyday!

Inspired by ^this^ article in Gogirl! Magazine, I decided to follow the path of Noah Kalina who takes a picture of his face everyday for eleven years (2000 - now) and post them in a blog. I will start taking pictures today. Isn't it fun to have 366 pictures of your face with a same expression at the end of the year? :)

Okay. Now let's move on to another thing. I know most of you may have seen this video, but I really want to share it here in my blog.

The two are wonderful! And I'm with the 99% of the world population who think that they can make a very cute couple. Are you with me? ;)

*UPDATE*

I decided to just go with the name The Nerdy Elephant. Why? Because I love it very much! Everybody in the blogosphere will agree that I'm the first one who came up with the name. I don't care about that thenerdyelephant.com guy. Let's just see who will be the nerdiest elephant :)

Sincerely,
Putdar.

good bye, 2011! hello, 2012!

2011-12-31T17:38:00.001+07:00

{source}

I still remember spending new year's eve of 2011 at Ipa's house like it was just last night. But then... KABOOM! It's December 31st again! Where did the time go?

2011 has been fun. Well of course I have my ups and downs, but looking back, it's not really that bad. This year, I have experienced:
+ losing my wallet (and getting it back intactly)
+ writing so too many blog posts in February, March, and April
+ writing an unsual motivational post
+ being the coordinator of Scrabble Competition in AECS 2011
+ going to Mr Boyfriend's house for the very first time and visiting Taman Bunga Nusantara
+ joining BlowUP! and then going to Jakarta and Bekasi with them
+ changing le blog's name from Sincerely, Putdar. to The Nerdy Elephant
+ getting stuck in the worst traffic jam ever
+ going back to Lampung with Mr Boyfriend for the Nationwide E-Fest 2011
+ turning 20
+ being very, very busy during November and December, preparing NATION

2011 has given me a lot adventures. I feel I have grown up a little during these past 365 days. May 2012 be better for all of us :)

And as for my resolutions... Well, I'm not that kind of person who can stick with her resolutions. I will surely forget them as soon as the calender turns into February. But I have succesfully fulfilled my 2011 resolution (yes, it's only one): wearing a better headscarf. The unpractical one. I realised that to be able to fulfill resolutions, I need to make them as simple as possible. So, for 2012, I wish I could:
+ be able to control my anger (my inability to control it has put me through a lot of troubles, actually)
+ try to eat healthy
+ try to be strict with money
+ be more fashionable and learn how to do make up better
+ try to stop procrastinating
+ start planning my final paper

Okay. They're not that simple, but I will try to fulfill all of them. I'll do it one step at a time ;)

I hope you have a wonderful new year's eve. How are you going to celebrate it? I myself will stay at home, watching good movies in TV while eating ice cream and drinking Fanta with my family. We're not going anywhere because Bandung will be very, very hectic with all those people from Jakarta celebrating new year's eve here. (I don't understand them. They have their own fantastic city yet they still want to invade my city.)

Happy new year!

Sincerely,
Putdar.

the good and the bad news regarding this little blog o' mine

2011-12-30T15:45:00.002+07:00

Check out the address bar in your browser!

Yes, my friend! sincerelyputdar.blogspot.com is now simply putdar.net :D

However, I still find an error when opening http://putdar.net (without the 'www') in Chrome, but the address works perfectly fine in Firefox. The old address still works, though. If you open this blog via the old url, you will be redirected to the new one.

That, my friend, is the good news.

The bad news is... well, yesterday I googled 'the nerdy elephant' (like I always do whenever I'm bored). This blog was still dominating the first page, but there was a Facebook fanpage which had a different description than mine. So I checked it out. Turned out someone had a website called The Nerdy Elephant. The site is brand new and still has nothing in it. My heart is broken. Completely broken.

So I might change the name of this blog. Again. Very soon.

I'm still thinking a new name, the one that (hopefully) could be a permanent name for this blog. I don't want to confuse my readers and followers, but since that person who has The Nerdy Elephant website seems serious about it (they even bought a .com), I think I should be the one who takes a step back.

I'm so sad. I got the name by thinking about it very carefully with Entin. I had done some research first by googling various names (like 'the dancing elephant', 'the jumping elephant', etc.) before settling down on 'the nerdy elephant'. Why didn't that person do some research before deciding to use it? :(

Now, do you have any suggestion as to what I should name this blog? (Or if you have any suggestion regarding The Nerdy Elephant)

Sincerely,
Putdar.

PS. NATION was a huge success! Gonna post about is as soon as I get the pictures from Richo (I was so busy that I didn't get the chance to take pictures). In the meantime, you can see some pictures over at Dini's blog or at NATION's official Tumblr :)

i went out on a date with two guys and i wore a different kind of style

2011-12-26T21:22:00.000+07:00

*Oh the lame title...*

My head could really explode in any time by now. It's only two days left until the event! Why on earth do the days go by so fast?

So, to stop (or at least postpone) my head from exploding, I decided to join Mr Boyfriend and his lil bro for a lunch at KFC Ciwalk.

Le boys

It was fun, though the traffic was really, really blah. And I also decided to wear a different style of headscarf!

Most people call it the Hana Tajima's hijab style (and Mr Boyfriend said it looked like a cobra's head), but I think it will be quite better if we call it the Princess Leia's hijab style, just because it reminds me of the famous chinnamon bun of hers (oh why am I so nerdy?)

Hahahaha!

I didn't wear it exactly like the way Hana Tajima does, but whatever. I like it. What do you think?

Sincerely,
Putdar.

i'm taking a break from the reality

2011-12-26T01:25:00.002+07:00

Some people I know say that it is not good to overthink about the future. I know I should really stop worrying and just embrace whatever the future might bring, but I'm not that kind of person. I believe that the future is built by what I did in the past and what I do today.

Every night for the past few weeks, I go to bed very tired and uneasy. I don't sleep well and wake up every morning even more tired. I keep getting headaches every now and then. I know quite well that my body is in its full condition and that the headaches are actually the result of my ineffective night sleeps.

I've been thinking about the reason why I've been so weary. And this morning I came up with a conclusion that perhaps I think about the future too much. I'm afraid that all my past mistakes cannot be changed and that they could keep me away from the future I have designed.

It's breaking my heart to see all these things falling apart. What will you do if you know that something's gonna end soon?

Sincerely,
Putdar.

three more days!

2011-12-25T10:19:00.000+07:00

Yesss, people!

Only three days left until this event!

Sincerely,
Putdar.

dance, dance!

2011-12-19T21:47:00.000+07:00

Whoa! Where did the time go? It's already the 19th! It means that there are only 9 days left until NATION (the ABS event). My Lord!

And this afternoon, we practiced the dance for the flashmob, which is going to be held at the end of the event. Boy was it very tiring! I hadn't done any exercise in three weeks, so I found it hard to catch my breath after the dancing practice. But it was fun!

But I don't think that my gladiator sandals found the practice fun too. Hehe...

Sincerely,
Putdar.

insha Allah

2011-12-18T20:48:00.000+07:00

Years ago, I was playing skipping with my friends when I fell down and skinned my knee on a big rock. I immediately went to a mosque near by and cleaned the wound with water, then went back to playing. I didn't feel the pain back then, not until I came home. Right when I entered my house, the wound started to burn and it hurt like hell. I cried and my mum checked the wound. She asked me why I didn't go home right after I got the wound and I told her that it didn't hurt when I was playing. She then told me that when you were happy, your brain was too busy being happy that it didn't notice the hurt going on in your body.

Perhaps what my mum said was right. Perhaps we wouldn't feel pain if we were happy. Perhaps all this fatigue, pain, temporary hopelessness, etc., would disappear if I keep in mind that I'm doing this for the sake of future happiness. It's what I'm going to build and fill my home with.

Perhaps if I keep trying hard, keep fighting for it, then God will understand how much and how bad I want it. Perhaps He will grant all my wishes. I do believe in Him. Insha Allah.

Sincerely,
Putdar.

table manner class

2011-12-16T20:12:00.000+07:00

Yesterday I had a table manner course as a part of Intercultural Communication class. Actually, I already knew most of the rules, so I just want to comment on the food here. Well, it was oh so wow! Unfortunately, I couldn't take pictures of all the food. I just took the one with the main course in it. ~~It was beef steak.~~ It was a yummy beef steak. I love meat!

My main course

Me and my main course (see how happy I was?)

Me and my table mates

Sincerely,
Putdar.

what to do when the power goes out

2011-12-14T23:04:00.000+07:00

+ light a candle
+ lie on your back, look at the ceiling
+ draw silly (imaginary) pictures on the ceiling using a laser pointer
+ make a confession
+ fall asleep and don't wake up until the alarm goes off (or until the power is on again)

Sincerely,
Putdar.

on cussing on twitter

2011-12-13T21:19:00.000+07:00

If you're following me on Twitter, you might see some tweets where I complained about several things last night. I do believe that it's okay to blurt out negativity in social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook. It's fine; as long as you know when to stop. It's alright to let out one negative tweet or two; but don't bitch all the time (I have a friend who complains in every single tweet she writes and I know that everybody would agree if I said that she is unfollowable). You must keep in mind that while you have all the rights to tweet whatever you want, your followers have all the rights to have their timelines free from negativity.

So, cuss whenever you think it's necessary (don't mind those haters!); but never too much.

And to kick all these negative thoughts out of my mind (and yours), I close this post with this song. It's my favourite one to listen to whenever I feel like a downer. Enjoy! :)

Sincerely,
Putdar.

is this for real???

2011-12-12T14:29:00.000+07:00

I just logged in to my account and this is what I found. IS THIS THE REAL LIFE??? (Or is this just fantasy?)

Sincerely,
Putdar.

days go by

2011-12-11T23:39:00.000+07:00

This is true. I should stop fooling around and start paying more atention to all these assignments I should finish ASAP: ESP's module, English for Business' texts, Intercom's mini research, and yada yada yada...

Sincerely,
Putdar.

say cheese!

2011-12-07T22:34:00.000+07:00

Mr Boyfriend and I rarely go out on dates. I really want to say that it's because we are both busy, but perhaps the strongest reason is that because we practically spend everyday together: we go to the same university, same classes, we have lunch and dinner together, and blah blah blah...

But today, we finally got bored and sick of every eating place near campus. We wanted something different for dinner, so we went out and had dinner in Madtari. He ordered fried noodle with cheese and egg, while I ordered bread with milk, cheese, and chocolate. And if you already know how much cheese Madtari puts in every meal they offer, you wouldn't be surprised to see how our orders turned out to be like...

Left is mine, right is the boy's; before we started eating

And this one is the 'after' picture

Yeah. We both couldn't manage to finish our meal. The cheese was so... UGH! I know it's not good to spare your food (think about those people in Africa, come on!) but still... :(

And there goes Mr Boyfriend's attempt to go on a low fat diet.

Sincerely,
Putdar.

30 before 30 (part 1)

2011-12-04T09:50:00.002+07:00

I once had this wish of traveling Indonesia alone before I turned 20. Sadly, I failed. I only managed to visit very few cities in West Java, Yogyakarta, Lampung, and South Sumatera. It wasn't enough. Plus, I didn't visit those places alone. That's double fail, I guess.

So, here I am, in the beginning of my 20s, taking the pledge that I, Putdar, will do these 30 things before I turn 30. Here's part one of my 30 before 30 list:

{ 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 }

1) Board a train to Yogyakarta
2) Daydream at Belitung's finest beach
3) Drive a car past midnight in New York City
4) Go on a vacation to Seoul
5) Ride a bike around Den Haag
6) Live in Surrey and work in London at least for one year
7) Go to Koln (and perhaps set a meetup with Nadine?)
8) Take some pictures of myself doing weird faces in front of the Sphinx
9) Watch Hey Monday, Boys Like Girls, The All-American Rejects, Lifehouse, etc. perform LIVE in the USA
(all of which I'll do alone)

"I'll spread my wings and I'll learn how to fly. I'll do what it takes till I touch the sky."

-Kelly Clarkson

Sincerely,
Putdar.

bedroom pinspirations

2011-12-03T16:04:00.000+07:00

This morning I woke up kinda late and thought that it was Sunday. I rarely get the chance to wake up late on Saturdays, but this week is different because I don't have to go to campus this Saturday. Yaaay!

So I spend most of the afternoon browsing through Pinterest, and so far I've got some interesting bedroom decors. Check them out!

{source}

Someday, I may get my own room (or even my own house!) and I will arrange the furniture like my heart wants it to be. Hahaha! Anyway, if you have a Pinterest account, will you kindly follow me please? :)

Have a great weekend!

Sincerely,
Putdar.

PS. I have new supporters. Check them out! ;)

runaway train

2011-12-01T09:55:00.000+07:00

*WARNING*

This post is image heavy.

Sorry for the unplanned hiatus. I never intended to stay away for too long from this blog, but my mind couldn't come up with anything to put on here. Sorry, sorry, sorry. College had taken its toll on me (again). All these stuffs about ABS keep driving me mad over and over again. After one problem, comes another one.

Monday night, I came home to a very tidy room. My mum tidied it up because she knew that I didn't have time to do that lately. I realised I didn't have time for myself in the whole November. So, I decided to take a train to Jakarta, all by myself because this might be the ultimate 'me-time' I really needed.

Tuesday night, accompanied by Day, I bought a ticket to Gambir plus a return ticket. And yesterday, I boarded the train.

I should do this more often. Going somewhere alone helps me thinking. Sometimes it's good to go to where your heart wants to go; away from anybody who tells you what to do.

What's your favourite get away?

Sincerely,
Putdar.

inspired by pinterest

2011-11-24T19:46:00.000+07:00

Yesterday I found myself lost in Pinterest. It is so addictive! I repinned a lot of outfit and DIY pictures (check em out here and don't forget to follow!) One of the outfit I repinned was this one that I like very much. Lucky me, my mum has a grey blazer in her closet. This morning I stole it and wore it to Intercultural Communication class. What do you think? ;)

Anywhoo... This afternoon, Mr Boyfriend left for Semarang. He'll be staying there for one week. It's one of those Beswan Djarum thingy, so I'm quite sure he'll be very busy. Last time he went for a Beswan Djarum thingy, he didn't text me for 12 hours, which is a record. Let's hope this time he wouldn't forget about me :|

Gonna miss him so very bad...

Sad me is sad

Sincerely,
Putdar.

the liebster blog award!

2011-11-23T14:38:00.000+07:00

I am so glad to announce that I got the Liebster blog award from Glo of Glo Sews! It is an award to recognise new blogs and blogs with less than 200 followers. Glo actually had contacted me a long, long time ago, but I didn't have the chance to list my top 5 favourite blogs that meet the requirement for this award (I've been very, very busy lately).

Now, it's time for me to pass the award to 5 other blogs. They are:

+ Time To Shine

+ {flutterhappy}

+ Too Early. .

+ Memoirs of a Pilgrim

+ Lilac and Lace

Here's what the winners should do:
+ Copy and paste the award to your blog
+ Thank the person who gave you the award and put a linkback to their blog
+ Pass the award to 5 other blogs
+ Comment on their blog to let them know

Thank you, Glo!

Sincerely,
Putdar.

PS. I have another award to share later :D

something to brighten up your day (as it did to mine)

2011-11-22T14:20:00.000+07:00

Hello! So, apparently this week is a little bit less busy for me. Why, you may ask? Because I got the chance to watch two movies already. Isn't it great? Yesterday I watched Dorian Gray (which is very, very good) and today I watched Gnomeo & Juliet. I also got the chance to browse through YouTube and found some good music videos. I'll share one of them here. It is a song by The Weepies. I think it's cute. What do you think? ;)

Sincerely,
Putdar.

weekend to-do list

2011-11-19T19:43:00.000+07:00

My activity this Saturday

This Sunday is for:
+ waking up as late as possible
+ staying in bed as long as possible

Oh yeah...

Sincerely,
Putdar.

out of my bubble

2011-11-17T21:22:00.000+07:00

These past weeks I have wandered too far from my comfort zone. Honestly, I'm a socially awkward girl. I don't quite like to make new friends; I enjoy having just a small circle of friend. I prefer working alone to working in a group; if I really have to work in a group, I tend to work with those I already know. But in this ABS (Language and Arts Appreciation) project, where we have to create a show, I'm in the creative team with ten other people; eight of whom I didn't know very well. The creative team also have a very hard job to find/create the concept for the show, to conduct the practices, to decide what properties are going to be used, and such stuffs. For these past two weeks, I have to go home very, very late and I also have other assignments. I am so busy; I am so tired. But I keep trying to enjoy it. I have never been in a creative before and I didn't know that the job of the team would be this hard, but I try to enjoy it. The team is actually very solid and supportive. I love how I could easily fit in with them (who are majorly from the English Literature study programme).

I have pushed myself so hard to be away from my 'bubble', that comfort zone I have always been in. And it actually breaks my heart to see those people (outside of the creative team) who cannot be willing to get out of their comfort zone too for the sake of the show. I am very aware to the fact that our work is not perfect, but it really tore my heart to hear them say that our work was a 'bullshit'. I'm mad; I want to swing a wrecking ball. They have apologised and I have forgiven them. But I cannot lie; I forgive but never forget.

That day, I lost my respect for a lot of people.

I told myself that no matter how messed up the situation was, no matter how messed up my head was, I had to stay positive. No matter how hard that day was, I still tweeted positive things, cheering myself up, telling myself to never give up. But once again, someone threw stone at my head. Someone I called a friend sarcasticly tweeted something that made me upset. They didn't mention me but I know the tweet was for me (hey, haven't I told you that I have a very strong intuition?) I just didn't know that tweeting positive thoughts was bad. Perhaps I have to just rant and blurt it all on Twitter every time I'm upset. Is that how the society works? Do I miss something here?

They, of course, said that the tweet wasn't for me. Oh well...

Last Eid al Fitr, I told myself to stop hating. I had always been a hater of a lot of things, a lot of people, but now I realise that I cannot be friends with everybody. Haters and enemies are unavoidable. It's okay to hate, it's okay to dislike; as long as I don't forget to love those who deserve to be loved.

So, haters: There. I said it. This is your favourite part because, yes, I am really, really mad. And now you have something real to talk about, no?

Sincerely,
Putdar.

PS. We just finished the script. Yay! :D

a hard day's night

2011-11-15T22:48:00.000+07:00

Oh yeah, I stole that from The Beatles. I cannot say that I love them, but I do love some of their songs which are covered by other singers; like a cover of If I Fell by Maroon 5 and a cover of In My Life by Matt Scannell.

But, no, this post isn't going to talk about The Beatles, Maroon 5, or Matt Scannell. It's just that... it really is a hard day's night. I had a very hard day today. Gotta go to classes and finish the script for scene 7 and 8, plus there was a case of misundertanding (again. Gosh!) I had to leave the FPBS building at 8 PM. I had never stayed in that building that late. I don't have any problem with that, actually; my problem is the parking lot, which was covered by a complete darkness.

Anywhoo, I had so much fun today. I watched The Lake House with some (new!) friends from ELF; had so much laugh with them, even though the movie itself was really touching. And then I also had dinner with Mr Boyfriend and his friends at Javan Steak, Sulanjana.

I learnt a lot of lessons today. One of them was that even in the darkest night, dawn will finally come. I am blessed with so many friends (old and new) who are very supportive. I love them :)

Now, let's go to sleep while we can ;)

Sincerely,
Putdar.

no weekend for me

2011-11-13T21:02:00.000+07:00

No jokin', seriously. On Friday, I had an audition; yesterday (Saturday), I had another audition; and today I wrote the script in the morning, and finishing my Teaching Evaluation in the afternoon. Let's just hope that my body will NOT give up in this time of the semester. No, body, not now!

Kay. I'm going to bed. See you very soon! Remember, you have to make the most of the remaining of the weekend.

Sincerely,
Putdar.

audition: day 1

2011-11-11T22:40:00.000+07:00

It's been a long, long day, my friend. We had an audition for the play. It began at 2pm and ended at 7pm. Five long hours, whoa! But I'm still alive. And it's not gonna get easier, at least until January. I even have to go to campus tomorrow (which is a Saturday!) because we're going to have the second audition. Not to mention that I haven't done the assignment for Teaching Evaluation. Lord, help meeeeeeeeee!

Anyway, have a great weekend, friends! If you have tons of assignments, please, please, please, don't procrastinate...

Sincerely,
Putdar.

le brief update from le busy college girl

2011-11-09T14:15:00.000+07:00

I'm feeling cute today cause I wear that blue ribbon. See? Hehe...

It's a crazy week for this elephant girl. It's the midterm test week and I had a deadline for ABS play script last night (which I finished right on time). Woot, woot, woot! But worry no more, baby, cause I had had the last midterm test this morning. Well, I'm actually exaggerating the term "midterm test week" cause I, in fact, only had to take two midterm tests this semester. But still, there are tons of substitute assignments. So, off I go to do the assignment for Teaching Evaluation...

Sincerely,
Putdar.

"what do you fear, my lady?"

2011-11-07T18:38:00.001+07:00

"A cage. To stay behind bars until use and old age accept them and all chance of valor has gone beyond recall or desire."

—Lady Éowyn

You might not know that sometimes I'm jealous with people who leave their family and hometown to study in a good university in a big city. I feel that leaving all the people you love and the comfort of your home to live in a strange place, surrounded by strangers, is a step toward maturity. I was born and has been living in a big city all my life. I don't know how it feels to leave my family and my bed to live in another city semi-permanently. I feel that I miss one step toward maturity.

I fear that I have come to be spoiled by the comfort of big city. Everything I want is available here. I'm so used to living in an easy way that I fear I may not be able to survive if one day I have to leave it all.

I once had this resolution of going out of town all by myself before I turn 20; take train and go to Yogyakarta or somewhere farther. It's so sad that I'm 20 now and I haven't even gone to Cimahi alone. My biggest obstacle is, of course, my parents. They will not let me go without company.

Things may not change before I get married. My parents are the ones who are responsible for me until then. And after I get married, it will be my husband. My problem is if my husband doesn't let me go, I can't go. I will be forever inside the cage.

I want to know how it feels to live in another town all by myself. I want to have a small house with a big garden. I want to taste that kind of freedom. And by freedom, I don't mean partying and drinking like crazy. Freedom for me is being alone, doing what I love. It's a simple dream but it's so hard to pursue.

Can I leave the cage?

Sincerely,
Putdar.

eid al adha

2011-11-07T00:21:00.000+07:00

Eid mubarak, people! :)

This year, Eid al Adha was on Sunday, 6th of November. Praise the Lord, this Eid al Adha my family had the money to sacrifice 1/7 of a cow. It was kinda sad to watch the cow being sacrificed, but it was for the sake of religious service. The cow died for a greater good. I hope God accepts our sacrifices and put all the cows, goats, sheeps, camels, etc., in heaven. Amen :)

Sincerely,
Putdar.

this is how i wasted my saturday

2011-11-05T22:00:00.000+07:00

This morning I dressed up and wore a very special piece. It was that batik shirt Mr Boyfriend gave me for my 20th birthday a few days ago. I thought it was going to be a special day because I was going to a job interview. I applied for an English teacher position in a course institution for elementary school students. The office was not too far from my house. It was only 10 minutes by motorbike. I arrived there at 10 am.

I was greeted by a young man who looked like a receptionist. He stood behind a desk which was supposed to be the front desk, but it was empty. There was only a telephone. No computer, no sheets of paper, no sign. There wasn't even the institution's logo behind the 'front desk'. There were only the man and a telephone. I told him I was there for the interview. He gave me a form and told me to fill it, but he didn't give me a pen; I had to use mine.

While I was trying to fill the form, he kept asking me about nearby elementary schools. I patiently answered his questions, trying not to be rude because he might become my co-worker. When he finally left me alone, I finished filling the form and a girl came from inside the office and greeted me. She introduced herself as Intan. She was there for applying for the position too, but she had been interviewed. She took my form and brought it inside, and then came out again with an older man. The man then asked Intan to go to find nearby elementary schools with another man. After they went, the man greeted me and interviewed me.

At first, I was very nervous because job interviews aren't really my stuffs. I had only gone throught it once. But as he asked me questions, I found some odd things about the institution. It turned out that the institution, which had been there since one year ago, didn't have any students. I was like, Okay, that's weird... but I played along. He asked me when I had free times. I said I was free on Tue-Wed-Thur's afternoons. He asked me if I was free on weekends. I said Saturdays were fine, but Sundays weren't. He looked disappointed and assured me that they would need me on Sundays too, so I said yes.

And then, I was very surprised when he said "As I've told you before, our institution currently doesn't have any students. I know when you walked in to this building you were expecting to teach children, right? But we currently don't have any. We'd be very glad if you're willing to help us promote our institution. Of course without payment. Our staff members can only be paid by the money we get from students, but we don't have students right now. Therefore, we can't pay you unless we get students."

He was saying that I had to work without getting paid until they got students, which I didn't know when. Wait, what???

I don't want to be hypocrite here, but the reason why I applied for the job in the first place was to get money. He asked me if I could work there without getting paid. The answer, mister, was NO. I'm not going to waste my time for uncertain things like that, of course. Dear Lord...

It was such a waste of 30 minutes!

Sincerely,
Putdar.

new found camera app

2011-11-02T09:48:00.002+07:00

As you might have known, I love love LOVE taking pictures! Anywhere, anytime, I take pictures. Unfortunately, I don't have a good camera, let alone DSLR. I only use my phone's camera to take pictures you can find here in this little blog. My current phone is Sony Ericsson X8 and the camera is disappointing. It doesn't have flash, doesn't support zoom, and there's no auto focus so it's hard to take a picture of texts. But the good news is that my phone is an Android phone, so I can download some apps that can make the most of my camera. I have shared MyTubo and Retro Camera before. Now, let me introduce you to FxCamera!

Boyan looks chubby :p

There are actually more effects in this app, but I only got the time to use the Toycam and the Polandroid effects. I'm currently in ESP Material Development class (not listening to the teacher. Oops!) so I'll try other effects later.

Do you use Android phone? What are interesting apps that you think I should try?

Sincerely,
Putdar.

"never mind i'll find someone like you!"

2011-10-30T11:11:00.000+07:00

With all respect, I don't really like Adele's voice. I have some reasons, but I don't wanna to tell you right here. However, I'm so much in love with her song, Someone Like You. This morning, I tried to look up for the official music video for the song on YouTube but couldn't find any. (Is there an official music video for the song?) Instead, I found these covers for the song. They're all awesome! Hope you enjoy them as much as I do :)

Which one is your favourite?

Sincerely,
Putdar.

i'm officially 20 years young now

2011-10-28T06:38:00.001+07:00

On October 26, I woke up to this note lying on my door:

Yes. That day wasn't only my 2nd anniversary with Mr Boyfriend, but also my 20th birthday. I'm so thrilled that I'm already on my 20s right now. Man oh man, I'm no longer a teenager. Haha!

The day was quite normal. I had to go classes and BlowUP! weekly meeting. Little did I know, my friends from BlowUP! and Mr Boyfriend had planned a surprise for me. I was talking on the phone with Mr Boyfriend's mum, and when we finished talking, I turned around and they shouted "Happy birthday!" They had this little cake with a candle, and two presents: one from BlowUP! and the other from Mr Boyfriend. The gang gave me an elephant and Mr Boyfriend gave me a batik shirt, which matches his own shirt. Haha!

Thank you, guys! I love you!!!

Sincerely,
Putdar.

PS. I got another award. I'll post about them as soon as possible :D

a confession: i fall in love again

2011-10-26T00:10:00.000+07:00

For all the twenty years of my life, I have never felt this way before. I have told myself a million times not to put myself in big trouble, to just play safe and carefully. But right now I feel like I'm not me anymore. I'm not the one I used to be. And now I have a confession to make:

I fall in love again.

With the same boy.

I fall in love again and again.

For the past two years.

Happy anniversary, Ayek! Two years of laughters. Two years of adventures. Two years of love. Two years of togetherness.

Two years and going strong.

I love you.

Sincerely,
Putdar.

indonesia bermain and EFC

2011-10-23T15:33:00.001+07:00

Yesterday, Mr Boyfriend and I went to an event called Indonesia Bermain (literally means "Indonesia Plays" in English). The ticket price was IDR10.000, but we were lucky cause the lady in the ticket box was our friend, Aceuh. She gave us two official passes (I love freebies! :D) Ihsan and I both joined in a Plants vs Zombies tournament, but sadly we lost. It's okay, though, because I had fun there! :D

The free pass

A very creative game machine

We went back to his place at 5pm. We took a rest and then after doing the Magrib prayer, we went out for dinner and we headed to the gymnasium in my campus, where the ESA Futsal Competition was held.

I rarely went out on Saturday nights, but last night I went home at 10pm. My mum was mad at me, but I think it was worth it. Hehe... I'm a bad child. (Psssttt... Don't tell my mum about this.)

How has your weekend been so far?

Sincerely,
Putdar.

quoted saturday

2011-10-22T22:39:00.002+07:00

{source}

"I'm not calling for a second chance, I'm screaming at the top of my voice. Give me reason but don't give me choice. 'Cause I'll just make the same mistake again."

-James Blunt

Sincerely,
Putdar.

i'm back!

2011-10-21T06:51:00.000+07:00

Courtesy of Diana

I cannot say that I was 100% happy during my trip to Lampung for the Nationwide E-Fest 2011. The competition itself sucked a lot and I hate the committee of Scrabble Competition (I don't want to say a name). But the city tour was quite fun! We went to a beach in Southern Lampung and my skin got a bit darker (which is fine. Haha!)

So, how was the blogosphere while I was away?

Sincerely,
Putdar.

PS. I'm trying to take my time to reply to your emails and comments. Please be patient :)

so this is goodbye

2011-10-12T16:02:00.000+07:00

Whoa! 56 followers? Really? I haven't checked my dashboard for the last few days and now I find out that I have 56 followers now. Yay! Oh and hello, by the way... My name's Putdar. Thanks for following my blog :)

In this post, I'd like to tell y'all that I'm leaving for Lampung tonight. I'll stay there for 6 days. I'll be back next Tuesday. See you! ;)

Sincerely,
Putdar.

PS. I'm going to reply to your comments as soon as possible.
PPS. I got an award! :D

this saturday through retro camera

2011-10-08T19:36:00.000+07:00

If you have an Android phone, then you should have Retro Camera installed on it. Why you might ask? Because it's totally awesome! Oh and PS, it's freeeeee... *die*

Today, my family went to Lembur Awi to visit a relative of my dad. Usually, it only takes an hour or so to get there, but there was traffic jam everywhere, so Dad decided to take a longer route, via Soreang. We got to see beautiful scenery all the way to Lembur Awi and I couldn't stop myself from taking pictures. And boy is Retro Camera so amazing!

How is your weekend so far?

Sincerely,
Putdar.

quoted saturday

2011-10-08T10:05:00.000+07:00

{source}

"Love takes hostages, gives them pain. Gives someone the power to hurt you again and again."

-James Morrison

Sincerely,
Putdar.

tumblr, please...

2011-10-07T22:14:00.000+07:00

This morning, I got up at 4.30am and took a bath. At 5am, I already dressed up. But then I thought I might need another hour to sleep (as I only got 4 hours of sleep last night since I stayed up until 12.30). As stupid as I was, I forgot to set up my alarm. I woke up at 7.47. I had a class at 8.50 and I needed at least 30 minutes to dress up (again) and an hour to go to campus.

Long story short, I arrived at 9.53. I knew the teacher's assistant would let me in, but I decided not to even try. Everyone in the class would laugh at me for showing up that late. I couldn't take it. So there I was, sitting next to a big window, looking at the parking lot.

I really have to stop my bad habit of staying up late at night, Tumblr-ing. Please set me free from your spell, Tumblr!

Sincerely,
Putdar.

it's ok thursday

2011-10-06T22:14:00.000+07:00

After weeks of only being a reader of this link up feature in Neely's blog, I finally decided to give it a shot. So, yeah...

I think it's ok...

+ to try to join this link up

+ to still try even if you don't have any idea of what to write, actually...

+ to want to be a model even though you don't have a 'camera face'

+ to send your pictures to an online model hunt to pursue said dream above

+ to keep a secret to yourself

+ to keep clicking 'next page' on your Tumblr dashboard even though you know it's already past your bedtime

+ to stalk a friend's photos on Facebook just because you love her style

I think that is all for this week. Do you link up with Neely too? If so, please leave a link to your post in the comment box. I'd like to check yours out ;)

Sincerely,
Putdar.

guess what day it is!

2011-10-04T23:17:00.000+07:00

Yesss, baby... It's my blog's birhtday. Yaaay!!! :D

Exactly two years ago, I created my very first post. I started this blog to fulfill the requirement in Bahasa Indonesia class so at first I wrote it in Bahasa. I abandoned it as soon as I got my A on the subject (circa January 2010). But, I resurrected it from its death in September 2010, so the hiatus was approximately eight months. Its name has changed from "Putdar di Sini" to "Sincerely, Putdar." and finally to "The Nerdy Elephant".

Some of my headers during the two years (I love headers!)

Unfortunately, I can't throw a party for you, little blog. But of course this calls for a toast:

{source}

So, once again:

Happy birthday, love!

Thanks for being a place to share my silly everyday life. You are wonderful. I am working on making you even more wonderful. I love you! <3

{source}

Sincerely,
Putdar.

an update on a small part of my ambition

2011-10-03T13:55:00.000+07:00

(Please excuse the lame title. I didn't know what to write. Haha...)

Hi! It's Monday again, guys. Can't believe how fast the weekend ended. This morning I had to do a microteaching. I think I did very well. Let's just hope for the best. I want to get my degree as soon as possible, so it's very important for me to get good grades :)

Anyway, this morning I also received a text from the students' choir telling me that I failed on the audition. I'm a bit disappointed. Half of my heart says that it is unfair since I wasn't in my best condition when the audition was conducted. I had cough and influenza back then. But the other half tells me that my voice is really not that good. I might still not get it even if I were in my best condition. Perhaps singing isn't my stuff.

And because of that, I have to find another extracurricular activity to put on my CV. Any idea?

Sincerely,
Putdar.

money (+some other) issues

2011-10-02T15:49:00.001+07:00

I know it would sound like an old song if I told you that I need to be more strict about my spending spree, but God knows I do! I really do. I could spend more than IDR20,000 for food per day. You see, I don't live in a dorm, so that's a quite big amount of food money. It happens because I rarely eat at home. If I force myself to have breakfast before leaving for classes, I think I could save IDR5,000 per day more or less.

I also need to be more organised at stuffs. I have to create a weekly schedule for doing the laundry. I have to tidy up my burrow. I have to rearrange my college stuffs (I can't find my little notebook and that's depressing!). I have to tune my guitar. I have to clean my netbook's desktop from unnecessary icons.

Most of all, I need to reformat my mind.

Yeah. Let's try this.

Sincerely,
Putdar.

quoted saturday

2011-10-01T08:11:00.000+07:00

{source}

"He told me right to my face, that although he loved me very much, I wasn't the home he was looking for."

-Dee

Sincerely,
Putdar.

"sing a new song, chiquitita!"

2011-09-30T22:37:00.001+07:00

I used to be a singer back when I was in kindergarten and elementary school. I won some singing contests. Never the first place, but still I got the trophies.

Little Putdar singing in her kindergarten graduation day

10-year-old Putdar singing in a competition in which she won the third place

(If you notice, I wore the same dress in those pictures. That was my favourite dress. My mum bought it when I was in kindergarten and the last time I wore it was when I was in the fourth grade. The dress is now in my wardrobe, waiting for the day when I pass it to my daughter :) )

I stopped singing when I was in junior high school. My voice changed. Now nobody would believe that I was a singer.

But, this afternoon, I signed myself up for an audition to be a member of students' choir. I was so nervousssss...

Read from bottom to top

All the other candidates sang good songs. I was so nervous that I kept changing my mind. I was going to sing Ten 2 Five's I Will Fly, and then I changed my mind and I would sing Marcel's Firasat instead. But in the last seconds, I changed my mind again. I ended up singing Ebiet G. Ade's Nyanyian Rindu. After singing in front of the whole crowd of students' choir, I stormed out the room. I still don't know the result. I think I don't wanna know. Haha! *nervous laugh*

Sincerely,
Putdar.

all best wishes for mr boyfriend

2011-09-27T00:01:00.000+07:00

This afternoon, I accompanied him to the place where he took a psychotest for Beswan Djarum. He had passed the first step to get the scholarship, and the psychotest was the second step. Let's hope for the best for him!

Sincerely,
Putdar.

my, my...

2011-09-25T20:42:00.000+07:00

See? I'm gone again! I didn't even post Quoted Saturday this week. What have I done? Why do I keep neglecting my sweet little blog?

Kay. I think I need to take a deep breath now... *sigh*

I'll try to go back to write on daily basis about my boring life. Cheer me up, universe!!!

Anyway, a few weeks ago, I won this giveaway at Punk Projects. The prize is a set of postcards from Alla Fironova. On Thursday, the cards finally arrived at my door. Here they are:

They all are pretty. And yes, I think I can smell Europe on them! Thank you, Alla :)

Also, I want to tell you that sponsorship for October is opened! Do you want to do a button swap with me? Visit this page for more info.

And one more thing before I go... I finally become an author of blowupi.info! My first writing is up on the site. It's in Indonesian, but that's why they created Google Translate, right? ;D

Sincerely,
Putdar.

the a-z of putdar

2011-09-21T20:28:00.001+07:00

Yesterday, Michelle did this in her blog, so I guess I'll give it a shot. Here it is, my friends, the A-Z of Putdar :)

A. Age: 19 (20 next month)
B. Bed size: Double. I share it with my sis.
C. Chore that you hate: Hanging the laundry to dry. I hate looking up for too long.
D. Dogs: I kinda have a phobia of them, so... no. Never.
E. Essential start to your day: Extra hour for sleeping.
F. Favorite color: I'm not quite sure. I love blue, grey, brown, black, but lately I've been wearing purple and pink clothes too.
G. Gold or Silver: Silver.
H. Height: No more than 160 cm.
I. Instruments you play: I can play simple guitar chords. Haha!
J. Job title: Colege student.
K. Kids: Hopefully 3 in the next 10 years :)
L. Live: Bandung, Indonesia.
M. Mother’s name: Ratu Laila
N. Nicknames: Putdar, Puput, Dara, Putri (family only), Darae, but Mr Boyfriend likes to call me Idung (or nose)
O. Overnight hospital stays: When I was 1. I have no memory of this.
P. Pet peeves: Guys with long hair. Seriously, guys, that us ladies'!
Q. Quote from a movie: "That's my blender!" - Will Smith in Enemy of the State
R. Right or left handed: Right.
S. Siblings: A younger sister.
T. Time you wake up: Mostly 5 am.
U. Underwear: Absolutely yes.
V. Vegetable you hate: Most of them! I hate vegetable...
W. What makes you run late: Oversleeping.
X. X-Rays you’ve had: None.
Y. Yummy food that you make: Pizza, I guess?
Z. Zoo animal: Are you kidding? Elephant, of course!

Have you ever done this in your blog? Well, you should! Please comment with a link to your post ;)

Sincerely,
Putdar.

a brief update (do you miss me?)

2011-09-20T22:00:00.000+07:00

Yes, that is sarong I'm wearing

It's the third week of the fifth semester, and we already have to do a school observation, not to mention chapter reports and other group assignments. And my 'zombie week' just started yesterday. I've to do those assignments accompanied by stomachache, mood swing, and all the cravings. God, help me... (-_-")

By the way, I've created another mixtape for you to download. But I need a fast internet connection to upload it. I guess I need to go to KFC and connect to the WiFi there. Hehe... Just wait, guys :)

How was your Monday & Tuesday so far?

Sincerely,
Putdar.

quoted saturday

2011-09-17T19:57:00.000+07:00

{source}

"Everyday is like Sunday. Everyday is silent and grey."

-Morrissey

Sincerely,
Putdar.

dear agony

2011-09-16T23:45:00.000+07:00

I don't quite know what's really happening to me, but lately I've been feeling horribly hollow. If you asked me, I would say "I don't know." Because I really don't. I can't move my finger on it. Well actually, there's something clouding up my mind, but I'm not sure people would understand what I really mean if I told them. Have you ever had this kind of feeling?

I'll leave you with this playlist consist of songs I'm listening right now. They're all quite depressing. I tend to listen to sad songs whenever I'm sad, which make things even worse. Hahah... I just don't know.

Sincerely,
Putdar.

oh hi!

2011-09-13T12:54:00.000+07:00

Hello! I realised I haven't posted anything since Saturday. I know, I know. I'm having that blogger block moment again. I can't really say that I'm busy. The semester just started last week, so I don't have real homework yet. I'm just... still a little bit frustated because of something which happened last week. It's still bothering me, littering my thought. I really wish I could just write it here, pour my thoughts and feelings about it, but that's not my intention when I first created this blog. No, that's what my Tumblr is for. Haha!

Talkin' bout Tumblr... I wonder why it's so easy for me to get more followers in Tumblr than in Blogger. I have, like, 60-ish followers there (not a big number, but still...) but only 50 followers here. So, if you're reading this but not a follower yet, could you please click that little "Follow" button? It only takes several clicks. You won't be sorry, I promise. Haha... ;p

Anyway, right now I'm in KFC, downloading some things via the WiFi connection (KFC has the best WiFi connection in town. Woohoo!). And... I have Entin here with me. She's reading Madre.

Le chill in KFC

Kay. Nuff rambling. See you! :D

Sincerely,
Putdar.

quoted saturday

2011-09-10T20:37:00.000+07:00

{source}

"Love isn't about ridiculous little words. Love is about grand gestures. Love is about airplanes pulling banners over stadiums, proposals on jumbo-trons, giant words in sky writing. Love is about going that extra mile even if it hurts, letting it all hang out there. Love is about finding courage inside of you that you didn't even know was there."

-Gabe Burton

Sincerely,
Putdar.

friday night movies #6

2011-09-10T20:19:00.000+07:00

Look who didn't keep her promise. I fell asleep last night before writing a Friday Night Movies post, so I think it might be okay for me to write it right now? On a Saturday night? Here it goes...

{source}

A few days ago, I watched Little Manhattan. This film tells about 10-year-old Gabe who falls in love with 11-year-old Rosemary. The story goes from when Gabe first questions what he is feeling, to the event when he realises that he is experiencing his first love. Near the end of the film, Gabe finally confesses his feeling for Rosemary, but Rosemary tells him that since she's only eleven, she thinks she may not be ready to fall in love.

This film is really cute. I love Josh Hutcherson in Zathura, but I think he's cuter in this film. And the girl who played as Rosemary is just as cute. They look good together. The story itself is very sweet. Love is always an interesting topic to talk about, but unlike any other romantic comedy films out there, this film is about children's love, not adults'. It's a good film to watch with your family since there's no sexual content. This film is also good for a first date (or the 100th? Hehe...)

Sincerely,
Putdar.

an apology

2011-09-09T08:34:00.001+07:00

I am so sorry. I've been such a bad blogger. The last time I posted something here is Monday. It's been a very hectic week. I'll tell y'all about it later. I'll be back with a Friday Night Movies post tonight. See you! ;)

*UPDATE*
I just want to share this picture I found on Aleks' blog :)

Sincerely,
Putdar.

eid al fitr 1432: part 1

2011-09-04T23:06:00.000+07:00

Our journey to Lampung this year was one hell of a ride. It usually takes approximately eleven hours for us to go to Nyai's house by car (and a ferry boat), but it actually took us almost 23 hours to go to Auntie Laili's house (which is still one hour away from Nyai's). TWENTY-THREE HOURS! God, that was super exhausting and boring.

Our journey to Merak seaport was quite smooth. No traffic jam along the highway. But right after we came out of the Merak highway, tadaaaa! Traffic jam. We arrived there at 7am and we could release ourselves from the jam at 4pm. That was nine hours of sweating inside a small Honda Civic with five passengers under the sun. After being free from the traffic jam, we still had to wait an hour to get in to the ferry boat and sail away to Bakauheni. My, my...

We sailed for two hours and we arrived at Bakauheni at 7pm. We had dinner in a restaurant but I had completely lost my appetite. I was so tired that I fell asleep for the rest of the journey. I woke up right when the car got in the garage in Auntie Laili's house. It was almost 2am and so we had sahur together and I fell asleep again. We were off to Nyai's house in the morning and arrived at 8am, safe and sound.

The car was stuck there for hours. Dad even got the time to take pictures at the side of the road. Haha!

Putdar and Daw's tired faces

The crazy, crazy lines of cars waiting to get in to the ferry boat

Sunda strait and a glimpse of the sunset. Beautiful!

Mum looked extra exhausted

To be continued in the part 2 ;)

Sincerely,
Putdar.

heart ♥ kristel's ELF collection giveaway

2011-09-03T20:05:00.000+07:00

I first heard about ELF from Kaelah. She posted her opinion about ELF products on her blog. She said she loved them. All of them! I really want to try them but unfortunately they're not available here in my country. I can't order them via their website either because I don't own a credit card. (Yeah, it's hard to be a college student with limited money supply :| )

That is why, my friends, I was very surprised when I found that Kristel is giving away ELF products. Not one, not two, but lots of them. And there'll be two winners! *die*

To enter, simply click any images above or click here. Let's win this giveaway!

Sincerely,
Putdar.

quoted saturday

2011-09-03T08:36:00.002+07:00

{source}

Sincerely,
Putdar.

on changing

2011-08-31T22:22:00.000+07:00

Some people forget but not forgive. Some other forgive but never forget. I am the latter and I guess you are the first. I always envy people who can easily forget, but now I understand that to be able to do both, forgiving and forgetting, is such a miracle. And it might be impossible for me.

I am a girl with a lot of mistakes. Some are necessary and others are not, I guess. They're merely... stupid. Foolish. I have said things I shouldn't have said. I have done things I shouldn't have done. This Ramadan, I had stopped for a while and looked back. There are so many people I've hurt badly. There are so many things I regret.

I told you I wanted to be a better person. I mean it. I do. And when I said "I'm sorry" today, I meant it. It wasn't because it's Eid al Fitr and I should apologise to people for the sake of formality. No. I swear I'm sorry.

I know some people don't really get what I mean. Some people can't believe that I want to change. I might have lied a lot in the past, but please trust me on this one.

And Lord, I know You're watching me from up above. I know You know, You understand, what I've been going through and what's really inside my heart. I know You appreciate every step I've made today. Lord, I know You know I just want to get closer to You. Please open up their heart as You have opened up mine. Please help me change. Your help is the only thing that I really need right now...

Sincerely,
Putdar.

a sneak peek

2011-08-30T07:51:00.000+07:00

Blue sky, blue water, sand, trees, ships... Sunda strait!

Tell ya about it later ;)

Sincerely,
Putdar.

see you later!

2011-08-28T02:46:00.000+07:00

So, Sunday has finally come, my friends. And if you read my previous post, you should've known that today I will be gone to Lampung (yay! Finally!). I am writing this to say good bye to you. I'm not quite sure if I will have internet access in Nyai's house, but here's for the worst. I will be back at September 4th or 5th. Eid mubarak to all my muslim friends. Happy holiday! :D

Sincerely,
Putdar.

ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce you to...

2011-08-27T22:40:00.000+07:00

Blog | Shop | Twitter

Blog | Shop | Twitter | Facebook

Blog | Facebook | Tumblr | deviantArt | Formspring

Blog | Twitter | Tumblr | Pinterest

Blog | Shop | Twitter | Facebook

Blog | Shop | Twitter

Blog | Twitter | Facebook

Sincerely,
Putdar.

quoted saturday

2011-08-27T11:14:00.000+07:00

{source}

"The more I get to know you, the more I want you close to me."

-Between the Trees

Sincerely,
Putdar.

dear blogosphere, i'm frustated.

2011-08-26T19:50:00.000+07:00

I should've been on my way to Nyai's house right now, but here I am writing a new blog post in the livingroom. Yep, I'm still in Bandung. Dad said we'd go to Lampung on Sunday. SUNDAY! Lebaran is on Tuesday and we will go to Lampung on SUNDAY! I hate my dad sometimes. Why should he be so busy at this time of year? I mean, Lebaran is supposed to be a special moment to gather with family, right?

I'm sorry for ranting here, friends. I'm just so mad. Really, really mad.

Sincerely,
Putdar.

la la la... la photocabine!

2011-08-25T01:23:00.001+07:00

Months ago, I've posted something about La Photocabine, yes? The post had given La Photocabine a new fan. And yesterday, I succesfully made Mijra a fan too. We took, like, hundreds of pictures!

No. Just kidding. We only took 15 pictures. Among them, these two are my favourites:

"Let's pretend to be burglars who caught in the act. You steal the emergency lamp and I steal the printer. Quick! Grab it!"

"Now I'm a rock star. And you're my biggest fan."

She's CRAZY!

Sincerely,
Putdar.

some people are just ignorant enough to steal

2011-08-23T09:41:00.000+07:00

What's with these people on Facebook? Remember this post? I made that one because there was a girl putting my writing as her Facebook status without crediting me as the author. She never apologises. And last night, I found someone reposting my best friend, Mijra's note. This girl just copied and pasted Mijra's note and put a new title. That's it. No addition, no omission.

Click to view larger

Shame on her!

After getting comments from Mijra, she deleted the note. The good thing is she sent Mijra a message and apologised.

Seriously, people. Be creative! Don't steal anybody's works. If you like the works so much, you can actually ask the original author for permission to repost. Or at least put a backlink to the author, give them some credit. Do NOT steal! You wouldn't like it if someone stole YOUR works, right?

Sincerely,
Putdar.

iftar with my favourite girls

2011-08-21T22:39:00.000+07:00

Sincerely,
Putdar.

quoted saturday

2011-08-20T23:58:00.000+07:00

{source}

"Sometimes, I need someone to say 'You'll be alright. What's on your mind?'"

-Yellowcard

Sincerely,
Putdar.