Cloverdew Creative

147. Southeast Asia: The Trip of a Lifetime, Part 3: Adventures in Central Java

sara — Fri, 11 May 2012 20:31:03 +0000

Not only did we get to witness a beautiful wedding, but we also got to experience much of the culture in Central Java through our travels there. We were fortunate to have a wonderful trip all planned out for us and enjoyed every minute of every day (well, except when my parents and I got food poisoning – ick!). We took a bus trip through the countryside and up into the mountains to stay at Dieng Plateau. We arrived in the evening, after dark had settled, but could see the beauty of the gardens at the tea plantation where we were staying. When we woke up the next morning, we could not only see the loveliness that was the waterfall outside our door, but also the other mountains in the distance. It was a breathtaking view.

We got a tour of the facilities and lessons in how to process tea leaves to make both green and black tea. Did you know they both come from the same plant? Black tea is just fermented. That’s the only difference. This tea plantation has 800 tea-pickers who are all women. They grow tea for Lipton… next time I drink a Yellow Label, I’ll remember everything about how it’s processed and prepared. Mmm, tea. (I love tea. I have many favorite types and love experimenting with new blends. What about you?)

While staying in the area, we also visited a beautiful old Hindu temple that was built in the 8th century. The facades were cracked, but you could still make out the carvings. It had long since been robbed of the figures inside the shrines, but the structures themselves were still quite impressive.

On the way to Jogjakarta, we visited Borobudur Temple, the largest Buddhist temple in the world. Though this temple was built in the 9th century, it is still used for worship today. There are three levels to the structure, each representing a different realm in Buddhist cosmology: namely Kamadhatu (the world of desires), Rupadhatu (the world of forms), and finally Arupadhatu (the formless world). Humans live out their existence in the first level, the world of desires. Those who have pushed away and overcome all desires live in the world of forms, where they can see forms, but are not drawn to them. Only Buddhas, or those enlightened, can reach the realm of the formless world. In addition to this symbolism, there are also panels depicting the stories of Buddhist lore, the birth and life of Siddhartha. There are 72 statues of Buddhas, which through subtle differences, represent different directions and carry different meanings. Their different purposes include: calling the Earth to witness, benevolence and alms giving, concentration and meditation, courage and fearlessness, reasoning and virtue, and the turning of the wheel of dharma. The temple of Borobudur was not only impressive, but truly breathtaking.

My favorite temple, however, was not Borobudur, but the Prambanan Temple, a Hindu temple. Prambanan was also built in the 9th century and celebrates the Trimurti, the expression of God as the Creator (Brahma), the Sustainer (Vishnu) and the Destroyer (Shiva). (Can you guess which one I was drawn to most?) In a similar fashion to Borobudur, there are three levels: the Bhurloka, the lowest realm of common mortals (humans, animals also demons), the Bhuvarloka, the middle realm of holy people, rishis, ascetics, and lesser gods, and the Svarloka, the highest and holiest realm of gods. In the lowest realm of mortals, humans are binded by their lust, desire and unholy way of life. In the middle realm of holy people, they have begun to see the light of truth. It is in the highest and holiest realm of gods that heaven is represented. This is where the righteous go between lives on Earth. At Prambanan, there were also many reliefs. They represented the epic stories of the Ramayana.

146. Borrowed Words: On Creation

sara — Fri, 04 May 2012 13:20:11 +0000

You may not be a Picasso or Mozart but you don’t have to be. Just create to create. Create to remind yourself you’re still alive. Make stuff to inspire others to make something too. Create to learn a bit more about yourself. - Frederick Terral, Right Brain Terrain

145. Love A La Carte: Beautiful Beltane Edition

sara — Thu, 03 May 2012 16:50:27 +0000

Twig, the Fairy

Love A La Carte features all the little things that make my life just a little more delicious.

A Lesson in Creativity from Hitchcock ♥ What I Know About Beauty Now That I’m in My 30′s (I’m actually looking forward to my 30′s…) ♥ dreaming about travel every night ♥ co-independence, a blog post about relationships and knowing and loving yourself first ♥ sharing a blogging passion with my mom, who also chronicled our adventures in Singapore ♥ lynda.com ♥ Another great post from Eat the Damn Cake (this one’s about the power of positive thinking!) ♥ an exhibition of Leonardo DaVinci’s anatomical work reveals a genius centuries ahead of his rivals ♥ Gala Darling’s “Style Tips”, which include bathtub mimosas, talking on the phone, alternative flower vases, sparkly eye-wear, and the celebration of Beltane! ♥ going to the Spoutwood Fairie Festival to celebrate Beltane with some of the best people I know! ♥ this quote: “Don’t fight what excites you and what lights you up inside.” – Matt Cheuvront ♥

144. Southeast Asia: The Trip of a Lifetime, Part 2: Traditional Javanese Wedding

sara — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 13:03:09 +0000

We set for Indonesia and met up with my brother in Jogjakarta (Jogja) for lunch at Ayam Goreng Suharti, one of the best fried chicken places in Jogja. Indonesians love fried food, especially chicken and this place is pretty famous for it. We ended up waiting at the restaurant for a while since Mike’s plane was delayed. While we were there, my brother gave each of us a gift of a book that had something to do with Indonesia – mine was Confessions of an Economic Hit Man. Once we picked up Mike, who is a very old friend of my brother’s, we set off for Kebumen, Yulia’s hometown, in a very nice air-conditioned bus. By the time we were on the road, it was dark and most of us just spent the drive quietly looking out the window. There were even a few snores from the back of the bus. Later into the evening, we stopped at a buffet for our first real taste of Indonesian food, which is often spicy and includes small chilies. There were lots of options with egg, tofu, and tempe, and, of course, tons of rice. Indonesians, we learned, love sweet things and put sugar in almost everything including fruit juice and soy sauce. We were able to experience this first-hand at dinner and throughout our stay in Java. When we arrived late in the evening at our hotel, we were all relieved to find that it included air conditioning. Indonesia is hot and humid (but being near the equator has lots of lush flora to be relished – pictures to come in the next installment).

After a good night’s sleep, we all were excited to finally meet Yulia in person. She was a doll! Sweet, funny, and a perfect complement to my brother. After the ladies got fitted for the kebaya, we all got ready to head over to Yulia’s parents’ house to meet her family and take part in a couple of Javanese wedding rituals.

Introductions (Left to right: Pat, me, Ann, Jamie, Yulia)

The first ritual is that of the Sungkeman, where the couple asks permission each from their own parents by kneeling in front of them. The parents give their blessing to their children for marriage.

Sungkeman: Jamie with father, Ray, and mother, Ann.

After this ritual, Yulia and Jamie each took their turn for Siraman, the bathing ceremony, where the family members of each poured a rose-petal bath over their heads to purify and ready the couple for marriage.

Siraman: Yulia and her mother, Retno.

Siraman: Jamie and his father, Ray.

After the Sungkeman and Siraman, there was the ritual of gift-giving. Seserahan is when the bride and groom give each other gifts. There are certain expectations of the groom for the bride, mostly. He is to give the bride clothing, shoes, cosmetics, food and other things that show he can provide for her. My brother gave Yuli a lovely dress as her first gift and she thought it was very beautiful. Once she held it up for everyone to see, he pointed into the basket again. Yuli grinned and put on a pair of Groucho Marx glasses. “I’ve never been more beautiful!” she exclaimed. Everyone laughed. Then, Jamie pulled out another pair of glasses, with springy eyes, and put them on. The goofy pair of them made all her relatives laugh. And afterwards many of her relatives took turns trying on the glasses and taking pictures.

The happy couple: Jamie and Yulia.

On the day of the wedding, we all dressed in traditional Javanese clothing and made our way to the ceremony. In addition to traditional legal and Muslim pieces of the ceremony itself, there were also more Javanese traditions, including the Upacara Balangan Gantal, or throwing of betel leaves. At a distance of about 10 feet, the bride and groom stand in the middle of their parents and throw betel leaves to each other. The philosophy of the ritual tells that this is a special moment that will never happen again. The betel leaves are rolled tightly and this shows that the bride and groom are bounded and will face happiness and bitterness together. In Javanese culture, betel leaves are believed to have power to cast out bad spirits.

Then there was the Sindur Binayang ceremony. The mother of the bride covered the bride and groom with fabric. Then, the bride’s father led them to the bride and groom’s chairs. The bride’s mother walked behind the bride and groom. This ritual shows that the parents of the bride give their blessing to the bride and groom. In Javanese culture, a husband is expected to be a role model for his wife. This ceremony demonstrates how the father of the bride is a role model and how the groom should also be a role model. And the bride’s mother walks the bride and groom showing that she gives support to both the bride and groom.

Sindur Binayang

One of my favorite rituals was the Bobot timbang/Pangkon, or sitting on the bride’s father’s lap. The bride and groom sit on the lap of the father of the bride. The bride’s mother will ask to the bride’s father “who is heavier?” Then the father will say “they are just the same weight”. This ceremony shows that both of the daughter and son in law are equally accepted in the family. Then, the father will lead the bride and groom to sit in their arranged chairs.

Both are the same weight.

Before the reception line of about 300 people, there was also a repetition of the Sungkeman. There were many photos taken and a lot of music played. There were smiles on everyone’s faces. It was a beautiful and awe-inspiring day. And that was just the beginning…

Our truly international family: Mike, Anti (Yuli's sister), Hadi (Yuli's father), Retno (Yuli's mother), Ann (Jamie's mother), Jamie, Daffa (Yuli's nephew, Dewi's son), Yuli, Pat (Jamie's step-mother), Ray (Jamie's father), Joe (Jamie's step-father), Me. Dewi (Yuli's sister), Jason (Jamie's brother). Not pictured: Fais, otherwise known as Erman, Yuli's brother (he joined us for the wedding in Bali).

143. Southeast Asia: The Trip of a Lifetime, Part 1: Round the World & Singapore

sara — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 15:27:00 +0000

I just got back from the most amazing trip of my life – two weeks in Southeast Asia celebrating my brother Jamie’s wedding to a wonderful, amazing Javanese woman named Yulia. I set off on the first of April from Washington Dulles airport. I spent the next six hours mostly trying to avoid getting jabbed in the ribs by my neighbor’s elbow and thinking about how soon I would get to see my long-lost brother. When I got to San Francisco, I joined up with my parents (my brother’s father Ray and step-mother Pat) and we got our boarding passes for Singapore Airlines. Our flight wasn’t until after midnight, so we spent some time in the airport catching up.

On the plane, we were impressed with everything about Singapore Airlines – the seats, which are roomier than we’re used to on domestic flights in the US; the flight attendants uniforms and demeanor; the hot towels; the ridiculously good food; the in-flight entertainment. I highly recommend using Singapore Air if you get the chance. Although I wasn’t really able to sleep, I was at least somewhat comfortable and enjoyed watching Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows in my sleep-deprived state.

Singapore Skyline

Once in Singapore, we joined up with my brother’s mother Ann, step-father Joe, and brother Jason. The six of us spent a day and a half enjoying great food, drinks, modern architecture, Buddhist temples, Little India, Chinatown, many and varied species of orchids at the botanical gardens, and a sunset harbor cruise which gave us a great view of the Singapore skyline. (For more on our adventures in – and more pictures of – Singapore, be sure to read my parents’ blog entry here.)

Orchids in the Botanical Garden.

My mom (Pat), Ann, and I even had time to go to the spa and have a fish spa treatment and pedicures! The little fish felt like tiny little bubbles all over my feet. The larger ones tickled so much, we actually laughed out loud!

At the fish spa: Pat, me, Ann.

To be continued…

142. Love a la Carte: Stories, Fables, and Fairy Tales Galore!

sara — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 14:38:00 +0000

portrait by Francoise Nielly

Love A La Carte features all the little things that make my life just a little more delicious.

Caitlin’s new blog, This Side of Perfume, is perfect for any girl like me who loves scents and the stories they tell ♥ a thought-provoking article from Garance Doré about relationships with food ♥ Loving learning of long lost fairy tales: Cinderfellas were once as popular as Cinderellas, a story of Schönwerth’s princes from the New Yorker ♥ The Hunger Games movie (even though I haven’t yet read the books, I truly enjoyed the movie) ♥ Also, the soundtrack to the Hunger Games movie because it is made of win. ♥ Meredith wrote an interesting blog post on Business Tips from Mad Men – do you agree or disagree with her assessment? I love Mad Men and would be interested in knowing your thoughts on the subject. ♥ This lovely photoshoot (feat. Dianna Agron) that encompasses the magic of Springtime and the wonders of nature. ♥ This portrait series by Francoise Nielly (see above). ♥ More about Mad Men - The Mad Men Double-Standard: Why Do Fans Hate Betty But Love Don? ♥ long-distance phone calls ♥ Decoding the Influences in the Hunger Games (both literary and cinematic) ♥ splurging on Five Guys with a good friend ♥ An Imagined Girls Night with Katniss Everdeen, Hermione Granger, Bella Swan and Buffy Summers (*snicker*) ♥ getting ready to embark on a life-altering adventure ♥ Viridis, a steampunk romance, by Calista Taylor ♥ Braided, a reimagining of the classic Rapunzel fairy tale ♥ my amazing co-workers who are all excited for me because I’m going on the trip of a lifetime! ♥

141. Love A La Carte: Sunset Saturation

sara — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 14:00:54 +0000

Love A La Carte features all the little things that make my life just a little more delicious.

ska music ♥ this article: Why Are We So Afraid of Creativity? from Scientific American ♥ Stop Being a Tortured Creative and Have Fun (photo NSFW) ♥ the smell of spring (dirt and flowers and fresh air) ♥ Great Big Sea’s song Ordinary Day - it always starts my day the right way ♥ How cute are these Pantone colored tarlettes?! ♥ this poem by Danielle LaPorte (I dare you not to feel inspired and invigorated after reading it!) ♥ One Direction (video) (they’re a boy band pop group, but feminist boys who can actually sing? I love it!) ♥ The 11th Step to Fairy Tale Love is Key (a guide for how to make fairy tale endings happen in real life) ♥ a fantastically fun read on feminism from the lovely Gala Darling: The Intersection between Fashion, Personal Expression, and Loving Who You Are ♥ Eric Cahan’s Sky Series (see above and click through for more) – I would love to have a print or five of these in my home! ♥ hazelnut mochas (they taste like Nutella in a cup!) ♥ This list of songs for bad body image days from Feministing (especially Video from India.Arie) ♥ the anticipation leading up to my trip to Indonesia ♥ having a clean and organized living space and working space ♥ Bitches in Bookshops (video) ♥ ♥ crystal point rings (I will buy myself one one of these days) ♥ wearing skirts in the spring weather ♥

*image: Eric Cahan

140. 11 Things

sara — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 19:24:38 +0000

I recently started reading susannahbean’s blog, which I adore, and she tagged her readers to do the 11 Things Meme.

There are five rules:

Post these rules.
Post a photo of yourself and 11 random things.
Answer the questions set for you in the original post.
Create 11 new questions and tag people to answer them.
Go to their blog/twitter and tell them you’ve tagged them.

11 Things

I grew up in the Unitarian Universalist church. It has had a profound affect on my life. I view the world as a place to enjoy, my church as a safe place to discover and serve, and the community at large as my family. I don’t personally believe in G-d in a traditional sense, but I do believe in something that ties all living things to one another and to the world we share. I am compelled to share of myself and to learn from all experiences, both good and bad.
I am leaving for Indonesia in a couple of weeks to see my brother get married. I am ridiculously excited to be traveling to a part of the world I’ve never seen before. I love travel, especially when I get to do it with people I love.
I grew up in a small city in Maine and, though I’ve lived in the DC metro area for about 10 years, I still consider myself a small-town girl. I do love the city, though, and everything it offers. I’m not sure if, at this point in my life, I could be happy living in a small town. I think I would really miss the hustle and bustle of city life.
My favorite color is purple.
I love to write and am inspired by my many friends who also write. There is something so interesting about creative energy: the more creative people you surround yourself with, the more creative you find yourself. I love and appreciate my friends very much and I couldn’t ask for better, more inspiring people to be part of my life. I have taken part in National Novel Writer’s Month for the past seven years and, though I’ve never finished a novel, I am proud of what I’ve written thus far and am determined to one day finish some of these works I’ve started.
My first tattoo is still not finished. It’s a branch of cherry blossoms on my left shoulder. It feels extremely right and I can’t wait until it is finally colored in. I picked cherry blossoms for a few reasons. I wanted something feminine and beautiful, but something meaningful, too. It represents not only my time in DC, but also in Japanese culture, cherry blossoms represent the impermanence and mystery of life, and in Chinese culture, femininity, beauty, sexuality and power. When it is finished, it will be in full color (white, yellow, pink, and green).
In college, my roommate and I had a hip-hop radio show. She specialized in up-and-coming and mainstream pop hip-hop and I specialized in underground and international stuff. It was very fun. I don’t think we had very many listeners, but we had a blast doing it.
I’m a yuppie. I drive a Prius, listen to NPR, and shop at Whole Foods. I don’t see anything wrong with this.
I love spicy Thai and Indian food. I consider Italian my comfort food. I love to cook when I have time, but I hate doing dishes. Good thing I have a dishwasher!
I don’t have a regular coffee order. It all depends on the day and my mood and what the weather’s like.
I love ordering office supplies, color-coding my notes and my desk and making things easy to find and orderly. It gives me a deep sense of satisfaction when everything is in its place.

Who’s your celebrity crush? I don’t have a celebrity crush. That sounds boring, but I can’t think of anyone I’m really taken with at the moment.
When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up? For a long time, I thought I wanted to be a fashion designer. I kept sketchbooks upon sketchbooks of designs. I never got really into the sewing part of it, but I still love editorial spreads in fashion magazines.
What’s your favorite flower? Daffodils, irises, roses, lily of the valley, lady slippers, lilacs… I love all kinds of flowers.
If you could only drink one thing for the rest of your life besides water, what would it be? This is such a hard question. Wine? Coffee? Tea? Diet Coke? Lemonade? I think I’d have to pick tea. Tea heals just about everything. A cup of tea is a cup of life.
Do you believe in ghosts? Not exactly. I believe in energy. I believe that when we die, our energy disperses throughout the universe and we become part of whatever it is that ties all living things together. I believe that you can tap into that energy and feel the closeness of loved ones who have gone from this life, but I don’t believe in “ghosts”.
What’s your favorite meal at your favorite restaurant? Pad Thai at Siam Classic in Manassas, VA or practically anything from Slates in Hallowell, ME.
What was your favorite cartoon as a kid? Hands down, it was the CareBears. When I was really young (maybe 4?) I had a CareBears birthday party, complete with cake, balloons, and CareBear figures. They were loveable, cuddly, and colorful. Each had their own personality and their own symbol on their little tummies. What’s not to love?
What’s your favorite thing to wear from your closet? A long, flowy sleeveless v-neck dress in orange, brown, green, pink and other colors that both flatters my figure and is totally comfortable.
If you could wake up tomorrow with the knowledge and ability to do something that you can’t do now, what would it be? I always thought it would be great to be able to play an instrument, so I think I would really like to be fluent in reading music so that I could play guitar and sing. How cool would that be?!
What’s your favorite song of all time? I honestly can’t choose. Music is something that is such a huge part of my life. I listen to all types of music from hip-hop to ska to rock to classical. I could never choose just one style of music, let alone one song.
What’s an annoying habit or quirk of yours that people probably don’t know about? I love coffee and tea, but hardly ever finish a whole cup before it gets cold. Instead of reheating the coffee or tea in the cup, I usually make a fresh one.

If you are interested, I tag YOU!

Questions for YOU:

What’s the first thing you do when you wake up in the morning/what’s the last thing you do before you go to bed at night?
What’s one movie you never get tired of?
What’s your favorite beauty product, cosmetic, or cleanser?
What’s the last song you listened to?
What’s your favorite flavor of ice cream?
Do you have a large or small family, biological or urban? Describe it.
What has been your biggest challenge in life? How did you overcome it?
What are your favorite guilty pleasures?
What are your favorite blogs?
Approximately how many unread e-mails are in your inbox?
What or who inspires you?

139. Love A La Carte: A Look in the Mirror

sara — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 19:56:22 +0000

image from Pinterest (click)

Love A La Carte features all the little things that make my life just a little more delicious.

Trader Joe’s Sesame Honey Almonds ♥ Fool’s Gold remix of Local Natives’ Eyes Wide (I think I’m in love) ♥ really hot showers ♥ romancing myself in the month of February ♥ assessing what I need right now and giving it to myself ♥ being sweet to as many people as I meet in the month of Love ♥ this documentary: Stephen Fry: The Secret Life of the Manic Depressive - mental health is so important! ♥ having a permanent job ♥ the RENT soundtrack ♥ the way Oneighty Creative unveils their creative process to their clients ♥ treating myself to an iced caramel macchiato from Starbucks because it’s Friday ♥ THIS awesome post from the Sassy Minx re: Fat vs. Thin and the effect of either label on actual awesomeness (NONE!) ♥ Chairlift’s new album Something ♥ learning to love what’s in the mirror ♥

138. More in 2012

sara — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 20:20:26 +0000

image from weheartit (click)