Gaga's Monster Ball in Melbourne

I got this ticket since last year, around November maybe, and the date was not until 24th March, tonite.. what a long wait
We get there quite early since I lost my ticket, so I have to get a new replacement ticket at the counter, and get some drinks inside the building already. Its in Rod Laver Arena btw, the place where Australian Open was held before as well
The concert supposed to start at 7.30 with "special" guest which turns out to be Semi Precious Weapon from NY*motherfuckin*C, as they mentioned.. lol

The Lady get to start her performance from around 8.30 i guess till 10.30 (i dont give a f**king shit on the time at that time, is what Semi Precious Weapon would say)..
No words can describe it as good as picture..
so lets the picture do the talking =))
(*courtesy to Ivan Yang for his pics)

Hanacaraka - brief history

Have you guys ever heard about “Hanacaraka”?
I am being so random and suddenly this Hanacaraka is bothering me a lot.
So what is it?

Hanacaraka is a Java letter which was made known by the ancient Javanese society. Some people said that Hanacarake was originated from Northern India, which is why a lot of people think that it looking really similar to those Indian writing. Hanacaraka letter consists of 20 letters, and often referred as "script legana" or in Indonesian called naked letters (alphabet = letters, legana = naked).

HaNaCaRaKa Script
Interestingly this letter in its standard order if spoken actually means, this pronunciation

hana, caraka
data, sawala
padha jayanya maga bathanga.

which literally in Java means:
"There's followers (soldiers) whom are contradictory (different opinions), with equal power they die".

A more complete version of the legend said:
In ancient times there was a king who has devoted 2 people, they are both very powerful bodyguard. Due to turmoil in his kingdom, one day the king called one of his bodyguards and left a “Keris (ancient magically powerful weapon)” at him and told "Go take this, and do not give it to anyone other than me".
After few years, the king has summoned his other faithful bodyguard to take the Keris back to him. So the guards had departed and met with his friend, when he asked his friend, he was reminded of the king's message, that anyone other than the King should not be having that Keris ever. So both bodyguards fight defending their loyalty to the King. For their equal power the fight has ended with both guards died.
Knowing this, the King regretted his act and said "hana (ana) caraka, data sawala padha jayanya maga bathanga "

Back to Java script, there are also some legana characters other than letters called "sandangan". In Indonesian “sandangan” means clothing. The letter was to made “sandangan” basic letters more varied, which in Indonesian can be equated with a consonant.

Sandangan

Example (see above)
given “wulu” it will turn into: hi ni ci ri ki

In addition there are also many other kinds of characters (like numbers, punctuation, etc.) that make Hanacaraka letters can be used as a means of writing. In Indonesia, some cities like Jogjakarta and Surakarta used it in the street’s name writing.

I know this is not a very complete article but hopefully it can add some benefit to the knowledge of Indonesian’s culture.
happy lalalala~

Earth Hour 2010 - 27March

Ever heard of Earth Hour?
Earth Hour 2010 is set to be the best yet, but it all depends on you getting involved and spreading the message that you are committed to the future.

Earth Hour 2010 will takes place on 27th March, at 8:30 local time, all around the world. I blogged it up not only because I care for the world, our world, but also to help spreading out the message.

Together we can make a difference =) and Earth Hour works best when we all get involved.

3 Steps to get involved
*Join Earth Hour
Sign up now to become part of the Earth Hour movement, add yourself to the map and receive email updates with all the latest Earth Hour news.
*Show your support
Whether you are an individual a business a school or a city you can show your support by turning off your lights for Earth Hour, 8.30PM Saturday 27 March 2010. Check out the other ways that you can show your support.
*Spread the word
Get the word out about Earth Hour by working your social network for the planet. Add an Earth Hour banner to your blog, tag your tweets @earthhour or update your Facebook status to tell your friends that you’re supporting Earth Hour 2010
(*taken from http://www.earthhour.org/)

The French Brasserie - Fine Dining Review

So, we finally got there and YES the place is not that easy to find if u just go over the streets by car. Lucky us we end up finding a car park which is just couple of metres away from the restaurant.

My first impression of the place:
quite small place, but big enough to keep the staff busy at all time
enviroment was good, service was awesome and even though we didn't drink but the bar looks quite nice and they sure have great selections of wines (*you can tell from the menu where it says "ask our staff for matching wines for your meal)

It was silly since we supposed to get there by8 and there were 6 of us, but the time was 8.20 when there were only 3 of us. So we decided to order some appetizers while waiting. It took about 15mins for them before the entry was ready and my friends has all come by then.
So, here comes the food
start with my appetizers, St Jacques - scallop with orange dressing
the presentation of the food is so details, and the white salt rocks underneath makes it looks really pretty and appealing

Bebe Calamars - which i thought supposed to be some kind of onion rings at first
this one is really nice but surely makes you feel a little too full for such an appetizers (*at least for me)

The last appetizers we ordered was the French Platter, Charcuterie which also nice but i didn't got to take a pic of it

These are the main course we ordered,
i got myself a medium-rare yearling eye fillet
im liking it except that some of the outer part was slightly burned, but besides it is a really nice eye fillet

a victorian rabbit made special for my friend
(*i dont have a taste of it at all, i dont eat rabbit)

Poulet al Americane, chicken breast with leeks and seasonings
is very tender and the sauce taste good

wagyu beef, which turns out to be a very large meal
*this is Ivan's meal

and crispy lamb which turns out to be my favorite actually for that nite
*and Regina's


So, overall the sixth of us liking this restaurants and a comeback next time is a yes

The French Brasserie - Fine Dining

A friend of mine who apparently got addicted to "high-end life style" a lil bit too much (*I said this knowing none of us are working atm), have succesfully persuaded me and my friends to go and have again, an apparently what so called "fine"-dining at The French Brasserie.

Not that this is the first time he asked us to go to this kind of restaurants, but the way he invited us all always trigger something inside me. So I google it and try to find reviews of the restaurant.
So, this is what I got..

The French Brasserie
* 2 Malthouse La
* Melbourne 3000 VIC
* Phone: (03) 9662 1632

The French Brasserie has taken over the lease of the place where The Italian left off to move to a larger location. There is no doubt of the authenticity of the restaurant, where Hadj Sadki a French-born restaurateur teamed up with Frederic Naud, a French chef.

Based on the reviews, French Brasserie offers a relaxing sanctuary at the top-end of town. Soaring ceilings and vast glass expanses achieve a chic contemporary atmosphere. Internationally renowned chief, Frederic Naud previously of Le Cirque New York creates everything in house, producing innovative, modern French cuisine (*bestrestaurants.com.au).

An interesting fact:
There is a scene from Wall Street, where Michael Douglas is sitting at a famous restaurant near his office block.
Yes yes, the restaurant's chef on that scene is the very same that works here at the French Brasserie. His motto is simple: good food and good service at an affordable price and the venue delivers on all accounts.

Menu:
haha i wont ruin the fun for tomorrow night, so I decided not to go through their menu (*even though it is available from their website) until tomorrow..
So, will update again later~ ciao