Before I'm learning my way to love and appreciate Indonesian, Japanese and Chinese food, I had the pleasure of a big plate of Thai Garlic Steamed Fish. I don't know what exactly the name is, but it was wonderful. Salty, sweet, peppery sauce on soft white fish. It was at this fancy restaurant in Jakarta where my family and I always went to every time we were craving to eat Thai when I was kid.

Last year, I had a sudden business trip to Bangkok. It was my second time in Thailand, while my first time was a 6-hour transit before heading to Paris. But during this business trip, I discovered some restaurants serving authentic and fusion Thai cuisine where I'd like to try again when I have the chance to go back. Well, I'm dying to go back there again. And I have a Thai colleague who is avid in cooking. He even could spot my photo I showed him if my homemade Pad Thai wasn't using Tamarind sauce. Isn't it cool?

As I just recovered from paratyphoid fever, I needed something light and yummy. I still I can't eat much and lack of appetite. This recipe is a saviour. So, I'm sharing this Thai Ginger Steamed Fish recipe to you, using my small oven. My steamer is even smaller as this dory fillet couldn't fit in. 

Ingredients:

1-2 fish fillet(s) --- any white fish, mine is Dory

Sauce:

5 cloves of garlic, chopped

2 - 3 ginger, thinly slice

3 - 4 red chili slice

250 ml chicken stock

3 soy sauce

2 tbsp oyster sauce

1 tsp sugar

1 tbsp mirin

2 tsp sesame oil

white pepper

Bake or steam the fish with:

Green onion, chopped

Cilantro

Black Pepper

Chili slices

It was one fine revelation where I read in an article about someone's favorite authors. I was 15, and I just found my new love of reading. I didn't know where to start. But life throws curveballs at you and you go where it takes you. I need guidance on what to read first, reading that article is just a fun way life plays to give you a hint. That hint remarkably changed my life. It took me to Paulo Coelho.

Some of my Coelho's collections

Since the quarantine due to Covid19, I have many travel plans altered. One of them is to revisit Singapore some time this year. If you read my previous post on my visit to Books Actually (if you haven't, click here) you know I'd like to go there again to shop more. But for now, booksactually.com has the solution for all of us, Jakartans.

This is a family recipe. Some of my friends never heard of it, some others have (with a slight difference). But I've been growing up eating this dish, whenever we ran out of ideas of what to eat, whenever I'm feeling unwell, or when I'm too hungry to wait any longer. Let me introduce you to... Egg Soup! I'm sharing this recipe, as this is quick to do. It is also a warm comforting dish suitable when you're not feeling great, for example, if you're having a tummy ache, GERD comes back, etc. I made a video showing the original recipe, but actually, you could use a little creativity by adding other ingredients that go well with it. It could with corn kernels, sausages, spinach, milk, or chicken fillet.

I was craving something savory yet light, that I can store in the fridge for some time and just fry it quickly whenever I'm hungry. So croquettes then! This isn't an original recipe, of course. Croquette usually made from potato being mashed and formed into a ball-shaped dough, combined with beef mince, diced carrot, and chopped vermicelli---That's how I first tasted croquettes in my family culture.

I've been using FirstMedia service for foreign channel access and internet providers for years, which means a lot of encounters with sad disconnections along the way so far. With the strong bond I have for internet-powered entertainment and my dis-attachment from living room (and my bedroom that has no TV), HBO and I went apart. I had to find ways to catch up awesome HBO shows on the internet using VPN. Now HBO GO has arrived and it's time to reconnect our long-lost friendship.

Last year, my life was super unexpected. Plans twisted, impromptu travels, and looking for a way to keep myself up for going through everything. But one plan went right: my trip to Singapore. It has been 17 years I hadn't been back to SG (yeaa, I know it's absurd coz Indonesia and Singapore was just 2 hours away by flight). Anyway so I wanted to catch up on how SG had changed since I was a kid and I really wanted to visit one place the most: Books Actually bookshop!

I'm republishing this old article of mine in English. Originally, this article was a content ordered by a career website for fresh graduates, but the website has been turned down since the company stopped operating a few years ago. So today, since I'm almost having another burnout, I'm extending my old-hidden positive spirit for you, hoping that you might be remembered (if you have seen these moments of pop-culture history below) and found back the push to keep walking, or if you haven't known them then you could probably be curious and inspired to kill your time with these gems below.

... what happens in my bedroom, stays in my bedroom...

Since I've been dealing with depression due to burnt out, I tried to heal in 'organic' ways. I fixed myself, starting by KonMari, to keep fighting to have a balanced lifestyle, eating well, and workout. I even review which healthy/which toxic relationship I should keep/leave. But, along the way, you'll find a few bumps, like new people coming in and old friends leaving you out. What if you try your best being you, being a good friend, during your recovery, then a person whom you think is your good friend is the one who's actually attacking you?



No matter how soft and subtle, an attack is an attack. It felt worse when it's done by a person you knew for a long time.

Ok, for the most recent story! I'll try to make it brief.

Lately, there was an event where I was invited. The event was unique, held in public transportation, in rush hour. I took some videos, posted with their hashtags. That's it. I SAID NOTHING ELSE. It was my form---and everyone's---of support to my friend who was part of the event. And, a photo on my Instagram feed, written 'My TGiF'.

Later on, I heard there was a series of complaints on Twitter.

I didn't stay on the after-party that long as I had Ballet class in the morning. On the way there, I received a notification from my Twitter, that I was mentioned in a reply, under apology Twitter post from the organizer of the event, with so many trolling replies from the netizens. That Twitter mention demanded me to comment---done by someone I knew for a long time, whom I consider a really good friend---I can't tell you how much I really cared for this person when he's not well or anything. Maybe it doesn't matter for him or it wasn't much. Yes, it wasn't much, of course.

"@brigidalexandra any comment on this? [evil laugh emoticon]"---> among twitter riot. Giving the context that by asking my comment would mean a way to put me in that riot, too! Why would a friend do that?

On another side, as an experienced PR person, I knew my comment would like adding gasoline to the useless fire. Any kind of comments would only be considered wrong, whether you're being objective or taking the positive sides. Talking about negative side for the sake of following the stream? Hey, I am friends with the organizers, I could do that personally. That's what friends do, if you do really care. I won't do it on another channel where it could be for public consumption.

Additional note: Everybody is saying the negative thing with a raging fire. And me, trying to say something objective or else, would not do any good for everyone. Not just for me.

Now, look at a more personal angle. If you're my friend, what kind of comment would you expect from me from such situation? Moreover, by putting in on public channel, what do you hope for?

On the other side, why would you need a comment from me... who wasn't the organizer, who just posted some videos on her IGStories and didn't brag for being there (while there were people who were depressed due to the event) as I was there only to support my other friend? Who also didn't know how the event would be like?

This... isn't political attendance.

If you really want an insider's story of what's really happening---my comments on what's happening, this person could just text me. I'm a quick replier unless I was in class, in a meeting, in bathroom situation or sleeping too deep. Why would you do it in public?

But I chose not to stay quiet. Giving silence would never let you win, but you should know on what channel you're speaking. So I chose not to reply on twitter, even though on Whatsapp might still be dangerous. I told everything on a personal channel.

Giving silence could mean you're agreeing on things it wasn't supposed to be; you're agreeing for being ignorant; you're agreeing on the thing that is not the truth. Or, that you're showing you are scared to face the situation.

What crushed me, even though that person figured out that I wasn't that being ignorant as he first thought I was, this person has reasons not to think that way as he has known me for so long. I thought he should be better at understanding how I would react to these things.

I didn't complain on social media because I analyzed both sides of the stories and deliver my inputs to the organizer directly. Yes, I can do that, coz I really know the organizers. So I can do it directly, yes directly. So why would I scream on social media for that? That's why and now you know I didn't shut up. Of course, I'm not that ignorant.

That makes me wondered: why would a person who has been friends with me still thinks I'm ignorant or can be an ignorant person within a turn of an event?

Truly, it disappoints me.

It also gives another clue, this person was actually trying to set me up! By thinking that I would definitely siding with the organizers as I was invited, I would only say the good stuff and defending them among the Twitter riot...which that would lead me to a personal PR crisis.

Ok, but I've managed to dodge the trap! Luckily, even though I was so tired for the night before, not enough sleep, waking up early for class. (Basically yes, no need to make my morning rougher with silly insensitive Twitter mentions as my Saturday morning and the rest of the day would be tough enough already.

I know some of the negative comments are coming from people who are actually deranged by the event. Some others are being jealous--> yes, this can happen. He also stated to me it might the caused by netizens 'hating the fashion people just because they're 'more posh'' in that event. Well, they can be annoying, but hating these people for this, isn't the correct reason.

So, I cleared out what happened to that person, but still, I can't help being devastated as a person who knew me for so long, thinking of me that low. I am failing myself for trusting the wrong person, caring about the wrong person, and everything. Again, I'm wrong about a person.

But how do you handle it?

During the talk, I also said this wasn't a fair complaint. I myself have been experiencing almost the same bad stuff when there was an event in the metro station. Exactly, the same metro station! Nobody complained, as it was a free event and everybody could enjoy it. The event I was invited was a limited event. Get the picture?

As I was there, it made me a witness. I knew the mistakes, the flaws, and anything the event had, but I also knew what has gone out of proportion.

In conclusion, I cleared out but on the right channel. Coz this person wasn't there at all, he knew from the twitter brouhaha only and basically, nobody owed him a special explanation, even though he felt like people did owe him one for this incident.

The organizer already stated an apology, things have been a lesson. It was their first event in such a situation. What's done is done. Moving forward and improve. The event was also one-time-only, not a series of events that lasted for a week or so. No other action needed to be taken as there was nothing else, but taking the lessons and admitting by apologizing.

Replying on social media is a tricky thing. It is easy to do, but it's politically tricky even if it happened between friends. We should weigh on who we are, in what capacity, where our level is and how things can go wrong to its worst. Then, it should lead to whom we talk to, does he really need our reply and what kind of reply this person should be given, in what worth?

Of course, how we dirige the reply is also important.

Sadly, as this is personal to me, me being hurt, I need to let it out. People are always surprising. It could be anyone who's looking for trouble and wanting to drown you in more problems more than you already have.

Remember, there would be people who cannot see clearly after knowing you for so long. Maybe they just don't want to. So adding you with more problems or for thinking that you have too much beautiful life that needs to be damaged to be looked equally fair wrecked like others'.

I'm cutting people off. Let that kind of person go, coz no guilt they would have after that they have done.

Of course, they wouldn't think they had given me a bad mood the whole day and hard nerve for hours during a 6,5 hour class on Saturday. What an ex-friend!

Hopefully, my personal story could help us identifying real good people/friends and dodging unnecessary drama.

Yes, you read the title right!

I've been uploading on YouTube since last year or last two years. It all started with all of my gaming diaries. No commentary or such things from me. All gaming videos, uploaded, as it.

Since a few weeks ago, I'm trying to consistently produce and upload my cooking videos.
I have received great enthusiasm since my #CookingSunday series on Instagram Stories - some of them are still in my highlights.

Now I'm remaking those recipes I have made into IGTV and YouTube versions. Wish me luck!

I'm planning to create two streams. One is #CookingSunday and another one is CookingAtNight.

#CookingSunday - my homage to my own revelation to solace in solitude on Sunday while cooking. It's where I found peace and my true calling where I love most about myself and my life---cooking my Sunday off with new recipes each week.

CookingAtNight - the videos will have no song, like my original CookingSunday on IGStory. I found peace with the silence in the middle of the night, with only kitchen noise to be heard. I want to share that in the videos of me cooking something quick and easy to save me from the day. This series is dedicated to recipes with some shortcuts, like using spice sold in supermarkets or shops, not from scratch, to create the whole dish.

Enjoy my first---committed---video! I know I have so much to improve on video making. Especially I'm editing into two formats. But please do check my other videos and see my progress =)



Your comments and inputs are welcomed!

Thank you!

As someone who grew up as a noodle lover... and knows the real struggle in surviving only with a bowl of cup noodles and its magic, one needs to know about the history of cup noodles. Nissin's cup noodles to be exact! Located in Ikeda, Osaka... of course, in Japan. A small museum, yet full of noodles-related things to enjoy.

The Instant Ramen Time Tunnel

Definitely, it's fun for adults or children. Educational experience and playful journey.

They're located in a peaceful housing area in Ikeda. To get here, you can take Hankyu line and stop at Ikeda Station. 

You'll see this cut, a karaoke place, an ice-cream store and what it seems to be a long way to walk through.


But you're in the right way! Because.... 5 minutes later...


While getting to Cup Noodles Museum, you'll see lots of beautiful houses that I adore so much. The area also has a volunteer or area ambassador that acts as 'tour guide' that gives you a handout map on Ikeda. Super friendly vibe. From the map given, I also found that Ikeda has a zoo that has wombats and wallabies, interesting, right? And wombat is the mascot for this area.



For entering the Cup Noodles Museum, no entrance free. For the activities, they cost very little.
They have a souvenir shop near the entrance, a time-tunnel of cup noodles history, a cup noodle theater, an installation and two activities to try.




First one is the Chicken Ramen Factory. The fee is 300 yen for children - 500 yen for high schoolers to adult visitors. They only have 4 slots in a day and contain 48 participants per slot. You'd better make reservations first.

This is the activity for those who enjoy cooking or baking. They will teach you to make ramen from scratch and fry it to dry. Sadly, I didn't have the chance to try this.

Secondly, it's the Cup Noodle Factory for 300 yen and soon to be 400 yen as they're going to revise the fee in April 2020. If you like doodling, coloring or drawing, anything like that, this one for you! They will give you an empty cup noodle for you to play with, magic pens are provided at the table for you to use and you could only use those magic pens. The color options are primary colors mostly, which makes it more difficult for me as I don't like primary colors. and I can't draw well. LoL


After that, you'll need to queue for the rest of the steps to complete. Steps by steps, the staff will interactively guide you, starting from putting the dry noodle into the cup, choosing the flavor and toppings, putting the lid on, and cover it with plastic wrap. Your cup will look like the Nissin cup noodle you'd find in store, but limited-kind of-edition =D



The final step would be putting the cup into plastic bubble bag. I don't know how to call that. But it comes with a string you tie yourself so it could be a bag for you to bring the special cup noodle.


Overall, I found Cup Noodle Museum is an interesting place. Informative yet interactive, simple but perfect for all ages. They really think through to get various creative way to portray the history and progress on cup noodle which I found it quite nice.


Also, you'll spot my recently uber-cute characters I like to pet... Hiyoko-chan, the chick on every corner of the museum. You can have him in any merchandise available in souvenir shop. I want the apron... but I didn't get one =(

Hiyoko-chan!

Plan to spare your time around 2-3 hours to visit (1 activity, going around + taking pictures + quick shop)



Strolling Around Ikeda

Even though it's located in housing district, some shop and restaurants are easily found. I spotted Ippudo! But I didn't go in. I had my lunch in a restaurant called Hanamura, looks like Kimukatsu as they serve you with sesame seeds to mash and then to mix with the sauce. Please note that it will close at 2PM for their lunch session.

After that, I ran across the street for a dessert! An ice-cream shop available for 30 sec walk from Hanamura. The shop it's located next to Information Center. They have some souvenirs too if you miss buying something from the museum. Of course, it's still related to Hiyoko-chan and cup noodle.


The ice-cream is vanilla flavor with a nice cone, with sweet caramel sauce and salty raw noodle! Can't tell you how I was amazed about how it tasted... total awesomeness! I never thought about how those ingredients could make such yummy flavor.

The best closure... *curtains down*

All this time I've been trying to be a supergirl. Always workaholic and nothing can stop me. I didn't lie. There was a phase where I did enjoy being so and having such image embedded on my forehead for everyone to see.

But now I'm tired.

I thought it was because of my burnout a few years back and thinking I might get back to normal. Unstoppable and fast-moving human. I work like machine, I treat my body as something else, making it easy to be programmed.

I did everything to get myself back to normal. Back to my old self. Now I think I might have become another persona.

Me and my stuffed puppy - 2018

The lazy, braindead Bree.

Then it developed to another revelation. Along the way, while trying to get back to normal, I realized all this time I did everything yet not treating myself as human. Now I'm tired.

I've been living with people and working in the industry where you have to be always nice, always ready to pick up the phone, looking sleek every day, stay being healthy that you're allowed to sick, looking fresh all the time as if you sleep with makeup on and hair blownout, 24/7 energized like you have electric plug keep charging you every second.

Those pressures make me forget about being human. I yearn where I can enjoy being low, going out casual without dressing up, living my mood drop... where all of it is okay and normal.

It pushes me to 'celebrate' by saying it whenever I'm being weak, slow, bored, sick, annoyed, lazy, etc, as a form of admitting my humane sides and living alongside them.
Those words might sound negative, but again, they are humane. There are things we need to balance out coz not everything is made glittery and sparkly, especially us. We are not fairies. Let's just be what we are: humans...

... something we forgot too often.