Jac's Wedding

Wedding days are about great moments and memories; from the bittersweet moment you leave your parents house to your nervous walk down the aisle or sit on the altar, from your 'aku terima nikahnya..' or 'I do' to that first kiss as a married couple all the way to the speeches, cake cutting and gifts. 

I went to Jac and Leo's wedding over the weekend. Jac is a good, sweet friend and we were classmates in high school. The wedding was wonderful and Jac looked so beautiful in her lovely white gown and veil. The day was great because not only I got to witness Christian wedding in the church for the first time, which is really nice, I also got to meet my high school friends. It turned out to be a mini reunion. You see, I always have this strange feeling when a high school friend gets married..in a good way, of course. I don't know, it's just..oh I don't know how to put that into words.. Time goes by really fast, huh. It feels like just yesterday we were learning subjects and goofing around with other friends in the classroom. And now, one of us got married. Marriage is not just an auspicious bond. It's a journey that lasts till eternity. I wish Jac and Leo lots of love and happiness and may they have a remarkable and joyful ride. :)

Congrats, Jac. ^^

Phenomenal Woman

You may write me down in history

With your bitter, twisted lies,

You may tread me in the very dirt

But still, like dust, I'll rise.

Does my sassiness upset you? 

Why are you beset with gloom? 

Cause I walk like I've got oil wells

Pumping in my living room.

Just like moons and like suns,

With the certainty of tides,

Just like hopes springing high,

Still I'll rise.

Did you want to see me broken? 

Bowed head and lowered eyes? 

Shoulders falling down like teardrops.

Weakened by my soulful cries.

Does my haughtiness offend you? 

Don't you take it awful hard

Cause I laugh like I've got gold mines

Diggin' in my own back yard.

You may shoot me with your words,

You may cut me with your eyes,

You may kill me with your hatefulness,

But still, like air, I'll rise.

Does my sexiness upset you? 

Does it come as a surprise

That I dance like I've got diamonds

At the meeting of my thighs?

Out of the huts of history’s shame

I rise

Up from a past that's rooted in pain

I rise

I'm a black ocean, leaping and wide,

Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.

Leaving behind nights of terror and fear

I rise

Into a daybreak that's wondrously clear

I rise

Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,

I am the dream and the hope of the slave.

I rise

I rise

I rise.

- Maya Angelou (April 4, 1928 - May 28, 2014)

The Other Kind of Friend

There's something to be said for the every day sort of friend, the one you see so often they may as well be family; the one you do everything with, can't go a week without talking to. But I realize how much there is to love about the other kind of friend, the one you see only every so often; once a year, maybe, or once every few.

At first you can't help but notice how they've changed, how they're different. Yes, you realize, they're a bit more confident, more poised. They're quieter, too, and better about keeping eye contact. Or maybe the changes are more obvious; a different way of dressing, speaking, moving.

But then, once you've mentally ticked off all of what's new about them, you're struck, overwhelmed, really, by all that's the same. It's the way they half-smirk while they talk, or the tone of their voice, or the way they scrunch up their face when they're thinking. Their movements are the same, their nervous habits, and more than anything else, their laugh is just as you remember.

And right away, you love them all over again. Just for being who they are. Just for being so wonderfully recognizable. :)

What We Teach

There's a quote that says we teach others what we ourselves ought to be taught. I've been thinking about it for a while now, wondering what it is that I "teach" others. My conclusion? I'm always telling others to be kinder to themselves, to ease up, to practice patience, to be as compassionate toward themselves as they're toward the ones they love. Meanwhile, though, I berate myself for waking up late in the morning or leaving a pile of clothes in my bedroom or some other minor, trivial detail from the day. I'm curious.. What do you teach? Is it something you need to be taught?

Girl Power

I must say I'm totally digging this new female empowerment vibe Disney's putting off in its movies lately. With Frozen, and now Maleficent, we see women saving themselves, women helping other women, women in power and women at the center of the story. I went to watch Maleficent with my man last weekend. I really wanted to watch it because Sleeping Beauty's one of my favorite story books when I was little, the time when I hated Maleficent. This time, it's the best story of Sleeping Beauty, and guess what, it's not about a woman going nuts and cursing a girl because she's jealous. She goes nuts and curses a girl because she herself was screwed over royally by a selfish man. And this time, it's not about Sleeping Beauty. It's about Maleficent. And I don't hate her anymore. 

So here's how the story of Sleeping Beauty should sound like now:

Once upon a time, there were 2 kingdoms, the human kingdom and this magical kingdom next door with fairies and creatures and happiness. They didn't mess with each other and all's well. But then there's a boy, Stefan, who came into the magical kingdom and started stealing stuff. Maleficent, just a girl but still the a leader among the fairies, met Stefan. Instead of killing him (which they don't do in the joyous place), she walked him out of the kingdom and told him not to come back. Of course he didn't listen to her, and of course she's touched by the gesture he made by throwing his iron ring away when she told him it burned her. So he came back. And they became friends. Then more than friends. Then he kissed her with so-called true love's kiss. 

So of course it wasn't true love's kiss. It never is, now is it? The point is, this bastard left after that and Maleficent's sad, but still didn't let that stop her from becoming the most powerful fairy in the land. Stefan, who's a poor peasant boy, grew up to be some lackey man to the king. When the greedy king came to try to take over Maleficent's magical lands, she kicked his ass so hard he's sent home to die. The king vowed that anybody who kills Maleficent will take over the throne. So Stefan reconnected with her, drugged her and instead of killing her as she slept, he cut off her wings and took away a vital part of who she was. While she still had powers, the happiness was gone. She's in physical and emotional pain. This joyous kingdom turned dark. Maleficent's jubilant spirit turned vengeful.

Stefan became king and had a baby girl named Aurora. Maleficent cursed the baby girl as revenge, saying she'll fall into a deep sleep from which she can only be awoken by true love’s kiss. King Stefan hid the baby away in the woods to be raised by 3 fairies where she's constantly watched by Maleficent. Long story short, the sweet princess thought Maleficent was her fairy godmother and she started spending time with her. Maleficent grew to love Aurora and ended up saving her from the curse when she kissed the sleeping beauty on the cheek. Aurora ended up saving Maleficent by releasing her wings that her father held in captivity to be reunited with the fairy, leading Maleficent to her former greatness. The 2 kingdoms were peacefully united from then on and they lived happily ever after.

Oh I love Angelina Jolie. She's perfect to play such an amazing role as Maleficent. She's a wonderful role model to women. She's smart, beautiful, talented, she plays strong characters, she's a humanitarian, she seems like an amazing mother. 

And this is what I learned from this tale:

Being happy and in awe of the world around you will not only make everything better, it could help you overcome the evil forces in your life.

Forge unlikely alliances. Sometimes those are the most rewarding ones.

True love does exist, just not in the way you envisioned.

Taking down a powerful one isn't easy. Actually, it's pretty much impossible.

Support other women. Love other women. Don't be disrespectful to your sister, mother, girlfriend, female colleagues, fiancee, wife. Be genuine and pleasant with those women who do have ill will toward you (or who you think might have ill will toward you) because you never know, those are the ones who might end up being important to you.

 An act of true love doesn't always come from a man.

Life's gonna take things that make you who you are away from you, but don't get bitter and vengeful, open your heart and you'll be able to reclaim those things. 

So that's it. I think every girl should see this movie.