Jogjakarta, Indonesia.

Not so long ago, me and my little sister did a trip to Jogjakarta (Jogja). Jogja is one of favorite cities of mine in Indonesia. You can always bring back old memories when you visit Jogja. It is a city in the Yogyakarta Special Region on Java in Indonesia. It is renowned as a centre of classical Javanese fine art and culture such as batik, ballet, drama, music, poetry, and puppet shows. If someone asks me to go there, I feel like an alarm telling me to go there and just shop right away. I always love buying every kind of Batik in Malioboro Street.

I don't normally visit Kraton which is located at Yogyakarta's centre, or Sultan's palace. Surrounding the kraton is a densely populated residential neighbourhood that occupies land that was formerly the Sultan's sole domain.

I only visited it when I first went to Jogja in a family trip. Same thing goes on with Borobudur, I didn't go there twice. But I and my fiance, are looking forward to see the Waisak celebration that is held in Borobudur. I once saw it in Indonesian's popular movie : Arisan. It was really beautiful on screen having to see a thousand lantern being release on the celebration day.

So here are our pictures, we actually didn't stay for a long time there, it was only for a short getaway weekend.

That's all for today, hope to catch you up again tomorrow! XOXO, Arika Indra.

Video Teaser

So today, me and a friend of mine @nialesmana made a home video about an easy tutorial to make one Korean dish named Nakji Bokkeum. Will upload it later once it gets edited. Wait for it!

Hope you'll like our video later! XOXO, Arika Indra.

A Favorite Item in Months

Although I don't find the correlation of posing like a stripper in a public park, I just love the outfit I wore that day. A simple straight line black skirt is a must have item in your closet. You can almost wear it in every kind of occasion.

Catch you up later, XOXO, Arika Indra.

My Foursquare Mind

Without knowledge and education, what will we be? Let's go back to the year of 1800, during that period, in Indonesia women received little or no education at all. Only the heir from its circle of aristocratic royalty received such privilege, to actually have education at school. I just wondered whether I never get the chance to go to school, I wouldn't be able to write and read, and that's sad. In Indonesia, today we celebrate Kartini's day. Who is she? She's the one leading feminist heroine in Indonesia, she was the one who fought over the women's emancipation. Not only in the education sector, at that time she also saw the problem of our women who were struggling to obtain their freedom, autonomy and legal movement. She's not only a feminist who elevated the status of the women in Indonesia, but she also a nationalist figure, with new brilliant ideas who struggle on behalf of people, including her national struggle for independence. I can't imagine how it would be, if I had to suffer waiting in my room to be married with polygamous married man. I would have gone crazy living in that period by knowing the fact that I can't speak my mind up, just for myself. It is really a wonderful thing, what Kartini has done in the past, she depicted the sufferings of Javanese women that were fettered by the tradition, unable to study, (to speak up), secluded and suffered in the feudal aristocracy in the environment of Javanese culture. That's why I now understand why some people are now keeping up with their slogan saying Don't Waste Kartini's Struggle. I can't stand the fact that even I, myself haven't done anything big and meaningful for me, on behalf myself. I haven't yet make anyone proud of me of being who I am, in this new era of emancipation. Indeed, Kartini has done something even big where she had to struggle alone, fighting her so-called-rights to save the women's right, in that era. I truly feel ashamed of this fact that other than writing and designing clothes, I haven't been done anything big yet, although I already am having many ideas to make some movements related to this issue. Maybe starting to actually fight for women rights regarding gender issues? I still don't know. For starter, I want to actually believe that I will not leave my future profession in droves just because I'm going to systematically deny the opportunity to have the same rights as men, or just because I simply am not strong enough. Well, I am not avoiding the facts that women and men are biologically different, but I will find a way to make myself equal in front of men. Although I am not married yet, I can't hide the fact that whether the cause is biological or cultural, women are on average more willing to sacrifice their careers to family duties than men are. But, this fact is not a shameful thing to be hidden! We must precisely honor this fact that women are those who wholeheartedly know their duties as one kind of God's creature. See, I basically always think that there is no problem in giving up career just to be housewives. I personally think, the real Kartini are the ones who struggle for their families necessities (first) and their private needs later. Clearly, that woman's hierarchy of values has children and family at the top and career lower down. Lots of people may feel that way, but not everyone. What's the justification for imposing one person's value ranking on the whole profession? And that is one proudful opinion of mine. Women can't just cash all chips and forget their duties as mother and wives. And up on this article I post on my blog, I want to cheer every single fighter woman in my family, my Mom, my sister, and for those who wake in the middle of the night to fill the mom duty in while the hubbies sleep away their mind. Cheers! Happy Kartini's Day, Indonesia! XOXO, Arika Indra.

Kartinis in my family, left to right : My big sister, My Mom, My Gramma.

Lifetime Hairbun

I found this kind of hairstyle right when I watched Korean dramss, I love how those Korean girl put their hair up and shaping it like a bun.

Sooo... That's it for today. Hope you guys enjoy my posts. Have a great weekend! XOXO, Arika Indra.

Rescue to the Fashion

Some friends of mine told me that I can actually be a model (or maybe they suggested me to be a kid model? considering I don't grow anymore taller :p), to do it for a living. I honestly, like to be photographed, I liked it too, when I once had to model a shampoo brand on a teen magazine, it was one good memory of mine, also a memorable experience. Though I like being photographed, doing it seriously for a living is never a choice in mind. I don't like to be engaged on this kind of job. Many people mistaken it, that being a model doesn't require anything special other than pretty faces, or great body figure. Me, voluntarily (and happily) being Tosca Belle's model, experienced so many difficulties of being an amateur model. I need to be fit in order to get nice angle of many kind of poses, also I don't like to get my chubby tummy and cheeks to be in the pic, but I (honestly) never really diet. If the shoot is outdoor, I will have to prepare myself getting sun-tanned, which is I'm not very fond of (sun tanned skin). So, even though I never consider being a model as a job for me, I'd never underestimate anyone who do that for a living, instead, I feel envy of those people who get used to do that frequently. If I were being questioned, what I like, I'd probably try to be a fashion stylist instead, like, I have this thousand ideas inside of my brain that need to be done somehow. But yes, for now, I never consider myself to stop taking pictures. :) So, these are also one of the shoots I have recently been doing with my dear model friend, Noy. I wore a long black super mini dress with a grey batwing cardie, and the shoes I was wearing was from the last year Summer edition from Charles and Keith. That day was nice, because my fiance took these pictures.

XOXO, Arika Indra.

Bluish

This dress is from Tosca Belle. I just never stop fall to this kind of bluish color, I even have more than 5 kind of outfits in this color.

A little hint : find this dress on www.toscabelle.com XOXO, Arika Indra.

Friendship Photo Session

So this was a little friendship photo shoot project that has been done few months ago. The idea came from me and one of my best friend Noy. So we decided to go on friendship shoot rather than individual shoot. But, in the middle of the shoot we both asked the photographer, whether we can take a private shoot in order to get it posted on my blog. This is the beginning where I tend to do my make up on my own, and voila, I did it properly and prettily, didn't I?

and.. here are my dear pretty best friends... (and our photographer friend).

Behind the scene with Pita and Sandra.

A Not So Special Trip to Singapore

So last year I did a not so special trip to Malaysia and Singapore with my sister. We didn't really do anything in Singapore actually, but we did take some nice pictures. I know for us, Indonesians (who love to travel a lot), most of us have been visiting Singapore for many reasons, like shopping, or just hanging out in its cool places. So me and my sister were actually craving for Ya Kun Kaya Toast that is located in Lucky Plaza. We went there by MRT and got there on 8AM.

We were so hungry that we ordered the breakfast package that contains a plate of half-boiled egg, and (literally) a pile of Kaya toast, so much loving it, I even have one jar of kaya jam at home :9

Then, we didn't really do much in the afternoon caused of the heat of the sun that day, so we decided to go around Esplanade, Merlion, and chilled out at Marina Bay, then back to Orchard to buy headsets, charger, and cute casings at the Apple Store.

Then we sort of had bruises on our feet because we didn't wear our most comfortable shoewear that time. So we decided to have a rest for a while. Due to my sister's hunger, we also had our lunch at the Food Republic, so that we could choose our favorite menus from Singapore without hesitating towards each other.

Visionary

Hello, readers! It has been a pretty long time that I didn't update my blog due to my current activities that are keeping me really busy to even catch up. Lately, I feel that I must do something that requires a therapy. Since I have been busy preparing everything (Tosca Belle) , I didn't really have the will to listen to music, and for the past few days, I tried to open my music collection and listen to them one by one. It feels really good. But then I still have my dear idle blog to be posted on. I haven't really write real thing for these past few months because of my final thesis. I really want to get rid of it sooner and graduate, but (maybe) God says, it's now not the time (yet). Come up to think about it, the greatest will to graduate came from the bewildered feeling of me knowing the fact that I'm still in college, for 5 years now. Not to mention the nags that are coming out from my parents, and sisters, I already am feeling annoyed by the fact I can't graduate any sooner than what I (or anyone else) predicted. To cut the crap, I feel insanely disappointed for myself that I can't make it on time. I am totally looking forward for the next phase in my life. To be actually working in the field that I have been dreaming of. And, to keep me sane, I need something that can make me always being positive in every circumstances, to do that, I need to keep on track on doing my hobbies. I don't mean to seek any other distraction, because I don't want to run away from my responsibility, though I still need to do something fun and relaxing for me. Being a half fashion- and travelling blogger, I am one abandoner. To make it up, I have been doing so many photo shoots, including outfit shoots that I haven't had time to post them. So now, I am going to post more fashion articles, and maybe later, I'll write more about travelling. So keep on reading! Hope you will like my post, (and I hope I'm not being to narcisstic) LOL. Have a good read!

Here is the picture of me wearing one of Tosca Belle's signature dress, this dress was made by my older sister KIKI, who is living in Germany at the moment. Thank you for making (us) one of this cute little nice dress. XOXO, Arika Indra.

What is Tosca Belle?

What is Tosca Belle?



This is how the shop button looks like, you can get more details of the clothes with few clicks away from this :



Tosca Belle was officially launched on 28th of February 2012. It was designed by a friend of mine @faizutaqo and @ajengrdc. Both are very helpful and caring during the process. I am grateful to have them in the project. This was a little thing I achieved. And why do I care so much about it is because I might have never been so serious in doing something, and as I grew more mature, I finally found something that is related to my passion, something I love, something I am enjoy in doing it. Though making the www.toscabelle.com in reality is truthfully tiring, (and, too, it may still lacking in many aspects) I am proud having it as my first project. I hope this will continue, further, and hopefully, grow greater.

So, people who are reading my blog, your full support is very much appreciated by only this one simple step :

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Much Love and Kisses from Arika :*

HALLO!

Yes, it has been quite a while since I last posted anything on my blog. Been busy with my tiny little project : http://www.toscabelle.com/ and also my final thesis. I had no time to update anything, and of course write articles like I used to. I am currently at a well, very nice and artistic so called boutique hotel right now, and using wisely the complimentary internet service since I got nothing to do here.




Well, recently I had my hands full. Tosca Belle is a tiny project, but yet it's considered as one of my achievements so far. Though it's still growing and improving, having my own fashion line is indeed exciting. I get to apply my own concept of designing clothes, also I found it pretty interesting having no doubt (impulsively) in buying fashion magazines. But the most interesting part from all, aside from designing clothes is to do the fashion catalog photoshoot. Luckily I have my pretty girl friends that are happily willing to be the models. I get to do their make ups, their hairdos, also to do the styling. It has always been my passion.



If you have read my (old) previous post, I said there that I haven't know yet what my passion are, and thankfully as time goes by, I get to learn things and apply them passionly. Hereby I declare that I am 100% willing to work and to contribute myself in the fashion world.

Latest Make Up Try

No one wants to be defeated -Jacko

Sneak Peek for the latest photoshoot