Spring Vacation

2011 Late Spring / Early Summer
Day 0 May 15 Sun work until 7:30pm, then go to airport around midnight
Day 1 May 16 flight Vancouver YVR by Cathay Pacific 2:45 AM to Hong Kong
Day 2 May 17 Tue Arrive in HK6:55 AM, go to Ricky's house then if weather is good:
hiking 10am to 3pm at Namfung Road Fung Sui Aboretum HK, or if raining:
then go walking 10am to noon in HK Zoological and Botanical gardens, Central, HK, then shopping at: noon to afternoon Joyce Beauty New World Tower, Central for perfume, Lane Crawford IFG Mall Mariage Freres for violet tea, late afternoon to evening buy books from Page One Time Square and General Bookstore 449 Hennessy Road, Causeway Bay, dinner
Day 3 May 18 Wed take 9:20 AM flight to Jakarta CGK arrive at 13:05, take taxi to Taman Mini Indonesia Indah, stay there in accomodation 1 night
Day 4 May 19 Thur Taman Mini Indonesia Indah, take taxi to Bogor via Widayanto Studio to see ceramic art and have lunch, then to Bogor stay inside Kebun Raya Bogor for 5 nights, photographying and painting
Day 5 May 20 Fri Kebun Raya Bogor, morning Zoological Museum
Day 6 May 21 Sat Pasar Bogor, Kebun Raya Bogor, Kebun Raya Bogor painting, hire tour guide to search for Phytocrene macrophylla male flower, lunch at Cafe de Daunen, Botani Square get Garuda ticket (Yogyakarta to Jakarta), Gumati dinner www.cafegumati.com
Day 7 May 22 Sun Kebun Raya Bogor
Day 8 May 23 Mon Hebarium Bogoriense
Day 9 May 24 Tue Puncak Pass, Rindu Alam Restaurant, hiking at Gunung Gede Pangrango National Park then to Bandung, go to railway station to buy Lodaya ticket, stay at Amaroossa Hotel for 2 nights
Day 10 May 25 Wed learn Batik at Batik Komar, Bandung
Day 11 May 26 Thur take Lodaya train at 8am to arrive at Solo's Balapan train station around 5pm, stay at Roemahkoe Hotel in Laweyan Village for 2 nights, dinner at restaurant and watch dance performance.
Day 12 May 27 Fri explore Laweyan Batik Kampung, then Solo, Kraton Surakarta, Kraton Mangkunegara, Pasar Klewer for Batik fabric for bedspreads and kimono, lunch at Cafe Solo, then visit Batik DanarHadi Museum, shop at Batik Danarhadi www.houseofdanarhadi and Dancer's Requisites at Toko Bedoyo Serimpi (Jl. Hayam Wuruk and Jl. Ronggo Warsito) for costumes, masks, golden headdresses, armbands, keris, buckles for belts, Batik Semar, and Batik Keris
Day 13 May 28 Sat Train from Solo to Yogyakarta, stay in the Pheonix Hotel for 3 nights, drive to Kaliurang to visit Ullen Sentalu Museum www.ullensentalu.com and have lunch there, then walk around the cool resort town, then shop at Tjokrosuharto for dance costume, Ramayana Ballet at Prambanan in the evening
Day 14 May 29 Sun go to Sono-Budoyo Museum to see Wayang Kulit Puppets, Keraton watch Wayang Orang performance at 10 AM, shop at Jl Tirtodipuran, then walk on the streets to the batik factories and antique stores such as Batik Plentong, Batik Indah, Batik Winotosastro, Mirota Moesson, lunch at Hanoman's Forest Restaurant with classical javanese dance, wayang golek or wayang kulit and dinner at Purawisata theatre 8-9:30 pm in the amusement park to enjoy Ramayana ballet dance performance
Day 15 May 30 Mon Drive to Parangtritis Beach and then to Jatijajar Cave along the south coast
Day 16 May 31 Tue Yogyakarta flight 9:35 AM to Jakarta 10:40 AM, then 15:05 flight to HKG arrive 20:50 then at 0:30 flight to Vancouver YVR arrive 21:25
Day 17 June 1 Wed rest

Indian clothes

Thank you my friend Betty who gave me this wonderful Indian clothes for my birthday. I will wear the set when I go to Indonesia to see the Royal Princess' House and Museum and also to the south coast of Java when I worship the Goddess of the South Sea.

Indonesian artist F. Widayanto

F. Widayanto is a ceramic artist practicing in Jakarta, Indonesia. He has his own studio that is open to the public for ceramic experience and gourmet lunch by appointment. Here are some of his latest work featured in the exhibition and the book called Narcissus Narcissus at Galeri Nasional Indonesia in 2007.
Here is the link to the studio site to read more about Mr. Widayanto. On my next trip to Java, I will visit his studio from Jakarta on the way to Bogor.
http://fwidayanto.com/

Brand new Perfume from Hawaii

I special ordered this perfume from Hawaii. It is inspired by the flowers Telosma cordata. I love this flower since I was a child. I would go with my Mom to the market to buy them, the seller will wrap them in banana leaf or newspaper. The flowers were then washed and we would cook the winter melon soup with small cubes of meat, shrimp, mushroom and corn and then the winter melon will be in cubes too. Then when ready to serve, we will put the Telosma flowers in the soup bowl and pour the soup on top. The flowers are crunchy and fragrant.
Now I still eat the dish like this with flowers came from Vietnam by air.
The long flight made the flowers lost the fragrant. There is no hope to cultivate the plant as our gray sky and cold weather in winter will kill the plant.
Saffron James' Ipo opens with a strong top note of lemon, more precise the smell if bruised lemongrass, so it is a combination of lemon and ginger with an air of lemon sorbet. Then it settled down with a hint of violet and sweeter smell helped by orange blossom. It is actually quite beautiful. I think it is a great summer fragrance.
The painting I have chosen to describe the scent is young man in a fantastic costume ready for dancing or battle.

Widespread from eastern India to southeast Asia, Pakalana (also known as Chinese Violet) was introduced to Hawaii by immigrants from southern China around 1823. An ancient Chinese tale contends that a troop of savage warriors once seized an enemy castle but that night the aromatic powers of this dusk-blooming flower over took them and by morning the enchanting fragrance had inspired such tranquility, they inexplicably abandoned their conquest.

Since then, like the full moon, the captivating scent of this local favorite has earned a reputation for rousing the most unexpected behaviors.

Got New Perfume

Caron's Aimez-Moi is a beautiful violet scent with light citrus opening and deep violet and rose heart with lots of spice and very warm base hugging the skin and a little bit last and last and the silage is fantastic. The scent is sensual and sexy, best put on a see thru black lace shirt or something in velvet. This is my image of it.

thinking about new fragrance

I think I am going to Penhaligon's Violetta next, just a 50ml to last for a while. This violet scent is more sharp and long lasting, a soliflore with strong sillage. But the citrus opening and strong violet heart and geranium accord is balanced by the musk drydown. I am already using the handcream which is powerful. I will think of a drawing to describe the scent.

new perfume purchased

I love violet scent and after smelling a few different brands, I decided to get another one to alternate with L'Artisan Parfumeur's Verte Violette. It is Borsari's Violetta di Parma. It is beautiful and subtle, a little more spicy and just a touch of powder. Compared to Penhaligon's Violetta which is crisp and old fashioned, Borsari's is more private and gentle.
Here is one of my painting to go with the scent.