When is Enough?

When the universe is playing tricks on you, when will you say “that’s it!” and try to do something with your life?

When your girlfriend or boyfriend keeps lying to you, when will you have the nerve to finally break up with her/him?

When your husband incessantly abuses you but you keep forgiving him, when will you realize that he’s not gonna change and leave him with no hesitation?

When your daily work is like a hell that turns you into this robotic living soul, when will you recognize your real capacity and quit the job?


When will you get the reality that your relationship is going nowhere?


When will you stop wondering “I should have done that…” or “It could have been me…” or “What if….” and start making it come true?


When you love someone so much but he/she doesn’t treat you well, until when the love should hold itself?


When is enough?


When will you stand up for your rights?


When is enough?

When will you decide that there’ll be no more lies, no more misery, no more sadness, no more grief, no more suffering, no more humiliation,… no more tears ?



When is enough?

When will you say 'That's enough!' ?




The answer lies between your head and your heart.




But sometimes in certain cases, staying where you are right now might be the best present to embrace life itself.

Lydiette .heart. Elliott Yamin

Elliott Yamin, who happens to be the only one male contestant in American Idol history who captured my heart wonderfully (after Mario Vasquez bailed out from the top 12 last year)..

…is eliminated.




Elliot Yamin!








He’s purely talented, and the most soulful person I’ve seen in this reality show. The way he sings every week simply moves my heart to higher dimension of music enjoyment. I hold my breath every time he sings… and he continually makes me fall in love with his abundant charm.


The Journey

I like him since the very beginning, when he sang ‘A Song for You’ in audition. Although physically he’s so not the hunk type, but his voice somewhat could win my heart in a snap of fingers.

Then on Hollywood week, he outshined the others in his group.

My heart fell for him deeper with his rendition of Stevie Wonder’s song “If You Really Love Me” in top 24 week. Also the week after that, "Moody’s Mood for Love".... I couldn’t stop being amazed by his magnificent voice.

He had his ups and downs, cause I admit it that sometimes Elliott is kinda hard to loosen up. But besides that, his voice is really amazing. Simon said that he’s one of the best male vocalists in American Idol history.

I don’t know why people gave him the underdog title. Because he’s not physically attractive?
The fact is.. he wins every heart of his fans solely because of his heart-stirring talent. Nothing else.
And he deserves every part of it.

Last Night

Actually there’s nothing wrong with the way Elliott sang last night. Like always, he performed a beautiful range of vocals with all three songs.

But..

The Song Choice.

Paula absolutely just picked a song for Elliott that was so-so. Maybe back in her younger days, she secretly fell in love with Bobby Caldwell, and wished that the song “What You Won’t Do For Love’ was made for her. Yeah… what she won’t do for love? Even it was sabotaging the destiny of a gifted man. Huhuhuhu

The third song, Elliott’s choice, might cause him the elimination. But.. the reality is.. Elliott stays true to himself. (About his personal selection, it will be discussed further in my next post)


And last night was also the proof that not all contestants can handle criticism. Where others snap at the judges and make rude faces, Elliott nods to their opinions and takes it like a man.



…..Elliott, even if you don’t win American Idol,you already win millions of hearts out there… Thank you for sharing your beautiful spirit and heart-wrenching voice.


I’m praying that this is just a beginning for you..


*Proud to be an Indonesian Yaminion.

Reliving 'THE BEACH'

Presenting you the experience of ‘Beached’ by Angelo Badalamenti
Starring: Lydiette Ledoyen =P

'Trust me, it’s paradise..'

[Searching for the beach]

‘…For mine is a generation that circles the globe

in search of something we haven’t tried before
So never refuse an invitation..
Never resist the unfamiliar..'

[Taking a deep breath]

‘Just keep your mind open and suck in the experience.
And if it hurts, you know what, it’s probably worth it’

[And completely immersed…]

‘You hope and you dream, but you never believe that something is going to happen to you….
And when it actually does, you expect it to feel different.
More visceral, more real.
I was waiting for it to hit me. Hit me’




'I still believe in Paradise
But now I know it’s not some place you can look for
Because it’s not where you go
It’s how you feel for one moment in your life..
And if you find that moment.. it will last forever.

It will last forever

It will last forever


Last forever


Last forever...'

The Beach

Let me have the privilege to share a dazzling experience in Maya Bay, Phi Phi Islands.


Let me introduce you to THE BEACH. Yup. The Beach. You know.. The beach as in THE BEACH the movie… Remember? The movie about the beach? The beautiful beach?

Do I make myself clear here? Hehehehe…

Before I went to Phuket, I did a research on it and browsed for what to do there to make the most of it. One of them was… going on a trip to Phi Phi Islands. But the price is quite expensive for a budget traveler like moi (hehehe). So, I didn’t put too much effort on it.

BUT

When I got to Phuket and saw this brochure (YEP! About Phi Phi Island Tour), it said that one of the program is visiting M A Y A Beach.. the location that was used in THE BEACH movie, starring Leonardo Di Caprio and Virginie Ledoyen.

OKAY! Count me in please!

I was so mesmerized by the beach in that movie. The beach that the characters are living on is surrounded by the high sea cliffs from the sea. It’s like a very private area, an exceptional swimming pool.
Passing the chance to visit the actual location? That would be extremely silly!!

Then I spent the first night at Phuket filled with great excitement, thinking about the tour



……



….


Maya Bay, 10 A.M Phuket Time

It was truly, undoubtedly & literally.. breathtaking.








See it for yourself

Click - [The Video]

and this is a little picture of it

Maya Bay is located on Phi Leh island, part of a national park about 350 miles south of Bangkok. And about 55 minutes from Phuket Island by speedboat.

In the movie, the beach is hidden from the sea by a cliff. Maya Bay is open to the sea, but special effects were used to close this gap to make it the true secret lagoon which the book called for.

Unfortunately, there were tourists everywhere so I didn’t have the privacy to suck in the full experience.. hehehehe

Interested for some more? Go check this site

Trust me, it’s paradise. :)

Berita Foto [sah kayak detik.com aje]

I took these pictures when I was in a flight to Phuket Island


Ini Phi Phi Don, salah satu pulau di Phi Phi Island... 40 menit dari Phuket Mainland.
Sehari sesudah ini, gue pergi ikut tour dan had such a lovely lunch at this island.

Back in Tsunami 2004:
Pulau ini diserbu dari dua arah (lihat bentuknya yang lumayan unik dengan adanya daratan ramping di tengahnya)
Gelombang dasyat menghantam semua yang ada, dan mengakibatkan penduduknya lari menyelamatkan diri ke bukit. Namun ada ratusan yang meninggal dan hilang.



Dan ini... well, just see it... it's just.... divine.






[sorry for the quality :P]

I’m 25. and This is Phuket

Birthday 2006.


Tahun ini, syukurnya gue bisa merayakan ulang tahun gue di salah satu pantai terindah Asia Tenggara…
(mungkin Asia, dan mungkin pula di dunia)



P h u k e t…
Such a lovely place with beautiful beaches waiting for you….

13 April 2006, 06:00 AM KL Time

“happy birthday Sweetie…”
Mummy membangunkan dan mengajak berdoa.
This year, just like 2 years ago, this cute birthday girl.. hehehehe woke up on the so-called Truly Asia country. But 2006 is so much different than 2004. Hmmmm… things had changed a lot [seriously a lot …] since then.

13 April. Same beginning, definitely different end.

13 April 2006, 12:00 PM KL Time

Sebel juga nih.. Air Asia sekarang [konon dengan bangga] harus dipindahkan ke LCC-Terminal di KLIA. Nama cantiknya sih LCC-T… ketika diuraikan singkatannya… Low Cost Carrier Terminal.. baru lah kita.. oooooohhh.. ya ya ya… alias terminal irit yang lokasinya persis di sebelah terminal kargo.. hehehehe..

Mereka bilang sih untuk efisiensi segala-galanya...
Although somehow they are true.. tapi teteuppp aja.. gue itu penikmat airpot bagus.. dan berharap suati hari nanti Indonesia memiliki airport yang indah. Makanya ketika tahu bahwa Air Asia (maklum, why in the first place I flew Air Asia? Tentunya karena mursidah :P a.k.a muraaaah) tidak lagi mendarat di KLIA. Yaaaahhhh… siyal.

But… I was soo so so excited. Hari ini, akyu pergi ke Phuket!!
Feeling excited mengunjungi suatu tempat baru adalah salah satu perasaan terindah di seantero dunia rasa.. aih.. dunia rasa...
Especially when you’re a frequent traveler.
Gue termasuk orang yang suka traveling.. tapi apa daya.. kantong duit belum mendukung hobi gue.. hahahaha… sedangkan kantong dora emon, gue ga punya.. :P

Siang itu, mungkin gue dan semua penumpang ke Phuket adalah orang-orang (agak) beruntung bisa menikmati pesawat baru dari Air Asia, sebuah Airbus nomor sekian-sekian dengan Manchester United sebagai tema utamanya… Even though I’m not a fan of MU, but it was pretty tempting to take a picture of the plane…

13 April 2006, 13:30 PM Phuket Time

Huaaaa… I’m in Phuket! YiPPiEeeE!
Ga percaya rasanya… [sorry kalo agak kampungan]
Cuma selama ini, gue selalu mendambakan ingin pergi ke Phuket setiap kali channel Discovery Travel membahas pantai-pantai indah. I’m still proud of our own Bali and other Indonesian splendid beaches.. Tapi.. Salah satu tujuan hidup gua di dunia ini adalah melihat pantai-pantai indah di seluruh dunia… So, on my 25th birthday, the mission is on people!


ONE fascinating fact:

13 April. My birthday. Is also Thai New Year!
Could there BE any more perfect date for me to visit Thailand?
And they’re having this very unique festival called Songkran.

From www.thailandlife.com and other sources:

Songkran is a Sanskrit word in Thai form which means the entry of the sun into
any sign of the Zodiac. But the Songkran in this particular instance is when the
sun enters the sign of Aries or the Ram. It is their traditional New Year when
they can enjoy their holidays to the full with no economic hindrance. Songkran
is a fixable feast on the solar calender. It begins on the 13th April and ends
on the 15th April, but occasionally in certain years on the 16th April. It is
also known as the "Water Festival" as people believe that water will wash away
bad luck. In the afternoon, after performing a bathing rite for Buddha images
and the monks, the celebrants both young and old, joyfully splash water on each
other.

Kebayang kan betapa serunya ketika gue nyampe sana? Perjalanan dari airport ke Patong Beach (tempat hotel gw berada) yang biasanya cuma memakan waktu 45 menit, hari itu 2 jam! That was because of the tremendous enthusiasm celebrating Songkran on the street.

[jalanan menuju Patong Beach]

Jalanan penuh dengan banyak orang saling semprot-semprotan air. Dari yang masih sopan dengan menggunakan pistol air atau kucuran selang yang masih kalem… sampai yang hard core menyiram dengan baskom besar disertai kekuatan maksimal!

Who’s in it? Practically everybody!


Kubu 1 adalah mereka yang menggunakan mobil.
Gue belum pernah melihat begitu banyak mobil pick-up di jalan. Sepertinya mobil pick-up ada di urutan teratas THAILAND’s MOST WANTED CAR (probably for this kind of event)
Dari yg butut sampai yg keren-keren, bak belakangnya mengangkut orang-orang dengan perlengkapan perang air mereka. Biasanya satu mobil pick up dilengkapi dengan satu baskom raksasa (hehehe berlebihan) berisi air untuk persediaan amunisi mereka.

Kubu 2 adalah mereka yang berdiri di pinggir jalan.
Perlengkapan: baskom berbagai ukuran, pistol air, dan selang air.
Jadi ada yang harus repot-repot ngambil supply air dari dalem rumah kalo di baskom abis. Ada yang punya unlimited ammunition dengan langsung menyemprotkan selang air langsung dari kerannya.

Kubu 3 adalah mereka yang tidak membawa perlengkapan apa-apa. Alias. those with ‘LOSER’ written on their foreheads. Hehehehehee..

Patong beach, that day, had transformed into a massive water battlefield. Dan turis-turis bule pun turut berpartisipasi…
Sungguh menyenangkan. Tapi di perjalanan, gue dan nyokap gue beserta turis lainnya tentu aman dari cipratan karena kita berada di dalam mobil van tertutup. Kalau gak mikirin nyokap, mungkin gue udah ngacir beli pistol air dan bergabung dalam keriaan. TRUST ME! You WILL get wet out there! Hehehehehe

Akhirnya sampai juga di hotel, Thara Patong Resort.







And you think I didn’t get wet?



You’re wrong people!
I did get wet.. karena malamnya ketika berjalan sedikit di sekitar hotel… ada bule iseng nyemprotin gue pake pistol air.. hahahha..
Okay, Happy 25th Birthday, Girl !



More on Phuket stories… to be continued.