Here are a few of my favourite snapshots of my sephia-tinged life in the past couple of months.

The decor and general ambiance of the restaurant immediately reminded us of Loewy (which we later found out whose owners are also behind this new eatery). The space is tight (not entirely their fault), so it feels a little cramped.

Service is adequate. We didn’t appreciate having to wait for the maitre d’ to finish taking reservations on the phone (a full 2 minutes, which felt like eternity) before we could be seated and told that the table is only available for one hour. C’est la vie. The waiter/waitresses made up for the first bad impression by being very attentive and friendly. My favourite part of the dining experience is the free bread rolls, served warm with an unpretentious pot of butter. The bread rolls were so yum, the best free bread I’ve had in Jakarta, I must say. Did I say free often enough? *hee*

I ordered the Union Burger and hubby ordered the roast baby chicken (meant for 2 people), both of which were served with generous servings of chips/wedges. For drinks we ordered fresh strawberry juice and fresh lime juice. My friend did warn me that the food here is mild; perhaps too mild for the Indonesia palate accustomed to strong flavourings. Unfortunately, she was spot on. Both dishes held much promise visually, but fell flat on the flavours. Both tasted blah and blah. Hubby could only finish half his chicken and had the other half bungkus so he could season it properly at home. As for the burger, Outback Steakhouse and Q Smokehouse make much better-tasting gourmet burgers, trust me.

I’ve also been told that the red velvet cake here is to die for. At IDR 50k, you get a huge triple-layered slice that can feed at least 3 people. I don’t know what a red velvet cake is supposed to taste like, but I guess it’s okay… The cream cheese frosting and nut crumble on top nicely balances the moist and slightly tangy cake.

Overall, it was an ok experience. Would I come here again? Meh… The crowd is clearly here more to show off their wealth rather than for the food (wearing Chanel to brunch?? *rolls eyes*). Hubby and I agree that we much prefer the breezier, laid back, and tastier Loewy.

Tip: reservations essential

So here’s what I have to say about his idea of adulthood: it’s boring. You’re boring.

My 2011 was a rollercoaster ride, full of highs, surprisingly very little lows, a year of major resetting and moving on with gusto. A new muse had inspired me with life celebrating movies, music, words, and being emo ’til it hurt. Perseverence was for the pursuit of being indulgently melancholic. ’Adulthood’ wasn’t even in the dictionary. Clouds over my head were Tetsuya Nakashima’s–Kamikaze Girls’ style,  Black Box Recorder muted Breaking Benjamin, and Crying Out Love From the Centre of the Universe replaced Moulin Rouge.

But the highlight of the year was the Oz trip. Places drenched in memories should not be avoided; it should be revisited with a vengeance.

I jumped in with full intention to pick on the scabs of my wounds and redid most of what I did in my 20s that made me melancholic of the era: chilling out at the Artisans, roaming around QUT D-Block, supper at Hungry Jack’s, fireworks at Southbank, pancakes at Pancake Manor, walking down Circular Quay with Lisa Ono’s La Vie en Rose in the background… Whatever place had sentimental value–real and imagined, I went. And the vengeance was taking my husband there.

It was saying to him: this is my foundation, these are elements of what made me the woman I am. I am inviting you in so these memories will be yours too. The gravels, they don’t matter anymore.

The space is small with a limited number of tables and the waiters/waitresses are such little snoots, but the food is fabulous. I ordered the sautéed beef dish (can’t remember the French name); beef sautéed with mushrooms and served with mashed potatoes, which was absolutely gorgeous (highly recommended!). My friends ordered the duck confit, which was served on a bed of salad with a citrus-y dressing. For dessert we had the chocolate semifredo to share. Yumminess, yumminess.

I must warn you that it’s a tad pricey and the portions are small, as French food are. But it is worth every rupiah. I’m definitely coming here again; my mum would love it.

Tip: reservations are advisable

Why do I love it? It is the perfect recipe for a chickflick: fairytale romance, gorgeous cast, beautiful setting, cool soundtrack, easy plot, happy ending! Theme contemplation is not required. Everything is laid out plain and simple for you to enjoy. Bitch loses, cheating is okay, soulmates overcome obstacles and live happily until credit rolls. It’s just one of those movies that make me cheer and feel all fuzzy and warm inside. If it happened in real life it would surely be a big mess, but that’s why I like chickflicks. They package disasters so nice and prettily that we’re led to believe that real life can be that easy.

I loved the movie so much I bought the book. It’s amazing really how Emily Giffin keeps coming up with these cheating themes. She writes like she knows how to cheat. Not amazing was the book. Usually with book-based movies, the book is the clear winner. I can’t say that I enjoyed the book as much as the movie.

In the movie, there is a clearer (and justifiable?) reason for Rachel and Dex to get together. There are all sorts of emotions that play out; regret, yearning, emotional struggles to choose between ‘right’ and ‘proper’. I want to cheer for Rachel (Ginnifer Goodwin) for asking for what she wants; and was heartbroken when Dex (Colin Egglesfield) broke her heart. Best scene in the whole movie, the one outside the Jetty on the rainy night, I can’t get over how spot on Colin’s expression is in portraying Dex’s inner conflict. Don’t forget Ethan (John Krasinski)! He’s adorable as the best guy friend with a secret crush.

In the book, however, the whole Rachel-Dex thing feels sleazy. Even though the characters are more developed in the book, I don’t think the infidelity was done elegantly. It’s simply a book about cheating, with characters I find hard to sympathize as they are all idiots. Seriously, with the crassness of their behaviour, I find them less endearing than the characters in the movie.

I think Something Borrowed the movie is more ‘inspired by’ rather than ‘based on’ the book. Although the main plot is the same, they evoke different feelings towards the characters and the storyline itself. Well, at least for me. I really should credit Luke Greenfield and Jennie Snyder Urman for the direction and screenplay, both of which created a beautiful movie.

But hey, don’t listen to me, though. I’m a tad partial to such themes. Heh. Someone a few years back wondered if there ever was a cheating movie with a happy ending, and yes sir, there is now!

What a shock did I find when I went there for a little dose of nostalgia and instead found a … I don’t know what I found. It’s like an 80s video game vomited on my account and wiped out my 20s. Does anyone remember testimonials? They’re gone. Or I can’t find it. Now I no longer have evidence that at one point in the distant, distant past, some people thought I was perfect. Crap.

Well, if you have trouble letting go of the past, the internet will eventually do it for you. : /

So, this is a new year. Which doesn’t mean anything to me, really, except that I survived the past decade. I have a new number. One decade. That’s how long it takes for kindred spirits to become strangers.

Hey, guess what, I don’t need to exert extra effort to celebrate your milestone if I dont’ want to. If I wanted to do something nice for you, I would do it on my terms, not yours.

Just saying.