Today

The thing about today is that it is present. It is not everlasting, because twenty four hours of it will repeat its cycle again by the time the clock strikes twelve. It is not omni-present, because there is one thing you call yesterday, the other tomorrow.

The thing about today is, you don’t get second chances. You don’t get repetitions, you don’t get a rewind, a fast forward, you just get to hit play and let it go on. It is both a beauty and a curse – the best things only happen once in a lifetime, and when repetitions occur you often fail to see the beauty of them, but you often wish for that moment again that you spend your life living in regret.

But today is of course a moment to live in. Someone once said, a person living in tomorrows is a fool. We always think there’s always tomorrow, so there’s no need to do it today. Push, delay, postpone. Another lives in yesterdays, looking back and what could have been.

I happen to live in yesterday and cower in fear for tomorrow.

Isn’t it beautiful to just choose to live in today? To overcome whatever worries about the next day and the day after that, to remember yesterdays as something that we have come across and have to accept. Because today is yesterday’s tomorrow, and today is tomorrow’s yesterday.

Never cower in fear of what will happen in the future.
As long as we live today to the fullest, tomorrows will always be something to look forward to.

Cooking

I'm a bit obsessed by cooking lately. I'm not a total newbie at the kitchen, but I'm not a pro either. I'm just someone who cooks for fun, and loves to experiment with exotic ingredients.

Lately I've been cooking more. I'm used to homemade cooking like my mother taught me, from very basic soups to vegetables stir-fry, and occasionally seafood. I love to mix and match ingredients, from corned beef with eggs, different variations to an egg dish or sandwich, and I'm especially fond of dessert though I know nothing about pastry and have never used an oven properly before. One of my favorite recipes are making a brownie using a slow cooker. It takes longer, but it's really simple and yummy to say the least.

I'm not familiar with European dish or Italian. To be honest, the names even get me confused sometimes. But I do like to experiment. I love herbs - the names, the scents, the tastes.. rosemary, cilantro, parsley, mint, and my favorite oregano. Even tried to grow it at home with pots and seeds from Ace Hardware, but they don't grow, I guess because of our weather doesn't suit them that well. I love garlic, and especially love a dash of cut chili or chili powder, and cinnamon and ginger. I don't like the smell and the taste of clove, and lemon basil, but I love to experiment with them nevertheless. I love clear broths in a soup, taking my time to make sure the vegetables are cooked just right. I've done many mistakes with overcooking or undercooking, have had my share with burnt food I fried for too long, I have always been afraid of fire, hot oil and hot water.. but I survive.

The best thing about cooking is when you don't need to do it because you feel it's an obligation. When you cook for fun, for pleasure, or for a reason, you don't see it as a burden. It's lovely to see someone you love dearly tastes your cooking and smile and say it's delicious. And the opposite, it sucks for people to turn away at the sight or the taste and say they'd rather eat something else, or order a takeaway (yes I've had that experience too). But then, no matter what cooking is also a trial and error, and a lifetime of learning. You cannot learn enough to say your glass is full; there is always a new creation for someone to discover. It's creativity, it's focus, it's attention to detail, it's excitement, and it's passion.

Everyone can enjoy and love cooking. Everyone takes and feels a little something differently when they create a dish, or when they cook. It doesn't mean everyone will feel the same way I do, and there's no way I can vouch that I will always be happy when I cook, because it's not true. I've done my grumpy cooking, my angry cooking, my sad cooking and my happy cooking. It's not always a straight line.

But for me, it is indeed therapeutic and always a whole new experience, no matter the end results or the process of cooking. From where I'm standing, I doubt that I'll ever be a great chef or even someone who knows ingredients like the back of her hand. My aim is to be a woman who knows her way around the kitchen, and pleases her loved ones with the food she prepares. Someday, my kids might enjoy bentos with cutely shaped food and have a surprise each day he or she opens the lunch box. One can only hope.

Fun Writing Workshop with Winna Efendi

Pengen nulis novel bestseller tapi masih bingung gimana caranya?
Ingin nerbitin novel tapi karya selalu ditolak penerbit?
Mau jadi penulis tapi nggak tahu dari mana harus memulai?
Kepingin mempelajari elemen-elemen novel dengan lebih detail?

Let’s do a fun Writing Workshop with Winna Efendi.

Kini, impian menyelesaikan novel bukan cuma angan-angan. Wujudkan mimpi kamu dan mulai menulis sekarang! Ikuti program workshop menulis bersama Winna Efendi, penulis novel-novel bestseller Ai, Refrain, Remember When, Glam Girls Unbelievable, dan Unforgettable.

Lewat kelas-kelas interaktif, kamu dapat mempelajari seluk-beluk penulisan novel mulai dari Karakter, Alur/Plot, Dialog, Narasi, Editing, mengirimkan naskah ke Penerbit, dan masih banyak lagi! Setiap kelas diadakan dalam bentuk diskusi, tanya/jawab dan penjelasan interaktif di mana kamu bisa mempelajari lebih dalam mengenai setiap elemen novel dan menulis novelmu sendiri.

Pilihan kelas (tentatif diadakan alternatif kelas Sabtu atau Minggu)
10 atau 11 Maret 2012 : kelas the Basics of Novel-Writing dan Ideas for Novel
17 atau 18 Maret 2012 : kelas Characters, Point of View and Narration
24 atau 25 Maret 2012 : kelas Plot and Pacing
31 Maret 2012 atau 1 April 2012 : kelas Setting and Dialogue
7 atau 8 April 2012 : kelas Self-Editing and Publishing your novel

Durasi kelas : 2 jam 30 menit, dari jam 10.00 pagi – 12.30 siang

Tempat : The U Library, Jl. Tanjung Duren Barat 1 no. 12, Jakarta Barat

Tempat terbatas. Kamu bisa memilih opsi kelas yang ingin diikuti, atau menghadiri full workshop sebanyak 5 kelas.

Fee
Rp. 1 350 000,- per orang (full writing workshop 5 kelas)
Rp. 350 000,- per orang (1 kelas)
Rp. 900 000,- per orang (3 kelas)

Untuk mendaftar, kirimkan email ke winna.efendi@gmail.com dengan subjek: Writing Workshop dan format:nama lengkap, nomor telepon, email, dan kelas-kelas yang ingin diikuti. Kami akan mengirimkan balasan berupa nomor rekening untuk pembayaran. Pendaftaran dan pembayaran dibuka dari tanggal 14 Februari 2012 – 3 Maret 2012.

Let’s Write, Write & Write :) see you there!