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Last Saturday, after work, suddenly my boyfriend gave me a bucket of flower. It so surprised me, because this time he never gave me something like that. LOL. Of course I like surprise, who don't. And finally we have flower decoration at our table.

Just like another flower buckets, this also will die, even you always water it. Since the flower is not always given by him everyday, I want this flower at home all the time. So I had an idea to make a dried flower. So this flower will always at home.

There are some couple ways to make a dried flower. All you need just a moisturiser absorber, or you can also use silica gel. Some also said you can use the cat litter with clay bassed. After that all you need just microwave or oven. Or you can do it without it, but it need longer time.

Moisture Absorber

MICROWAVE

because this is my first time making a dried flower, so I tried the most easiest way, and quick. I used the microwave's method. All you need just moisture absorber, bucket, and also scissor.

First, cut the stem up to 10cm from the edge, then clean all the leaves at the flower's stem. Then put it inside the bucket that fill with the moisturiser absorber (don't close it), then heap it again with the moisturizer absorber. Make sure that all the flowers are not overlap each other.

Then put in to the microwave. Turn the microwave at defrost mode for 1 minute. This defrost mode is letting the heat but not too hot heat help the moisturizer absorber absorb faster, but not making it and the flower getting burn. After 1 minute check your flower, if it's not dry yet, put it again for another 1 minute. Do it again and again until it really dry.

For small flower, and flower with a few petals, 1 minute is enough time. But for flower with lots of petals, it's a little bit tricky. For this method I set the timer for 1.5 minutes. Why? So, after it dried at the microwave. The moisturizer absorber will stuck at the flower petals. The best thing to get rid of it is by the toothpick. Try to clean it really careful, because beside the absorber is hot, the petals also fragile. We don't want the petals gone right.
Another method to let the absorber out is by letting it melt at the air. But this method took loong time. It ned 1 until 2 days to let it melt.

OVEN

This method is success enough with the flower with lots of petals. Beside, this method also make a longer stem flower possible. This method also quick, because we can use lots of stems in one.

I used this oven method to dried a long stem, without cut it. I preheat the oven around 25-50 Celsius degree, by using hot air only. This mode only blow the hot air from the oven. So you will not getting worried about burning the flower down.

In this method try to check it every 3-5 minutes. Around 15-30 minutes the flowers will getting dry. Beside, you can change the flower position, usually the flower in the nearest position to the fan will dry faster, so it's better to change the position.

GREEN HOUSE 

This is the easiest method. You just need to cut your flower as long as the green house you have. Put the absorber, then flower, and don't forget to bury the flower with the absorber, then close the green house.  Don't let any air come inside your green house. After that just leave the green house at the place where it can get enough light.
Unfortunately, this method took me a long time. It is around 2-3 weeks (mine still inside the green house when I made this post). If you have enough time, you can do this method, or if you don't have, you can choose one of those two methods before.

After all the flowers are dried, just spray the hairspray at the petals. It will help the petals stronger and durable. At the end, you can have a dried flower for your decorations.

Feel free to try, and tell me the result. But if you have any method to do it, I would like to see it, just leave at the comment.

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For all bloggers and amateur photographers, the thing that always make us slow to post our new post, or pictures sometimes is we take a long time to edit our photo. Especially someone like me. Because I only have hand phone, and happy enough with natural lighting a.k.a sunlight, plus depend on editing tools at phone. So, please be advice if my pictures sometimes is really look likes a nob picture.

Until one day, at the cupboard, I found an empty box of Indomie. Yes Indomie. My boyfriend is a huge fan of Indomie. For me, Indomie is another replacement of rice (a main food for almost all Asian countries). Especially, after moving to Melbourne, and suddenly missing Indonesian food, Indomie is always the best. So, my boyfriend always provide us a box of Indomie. Like my mom, she always had a box of Indomie everyday at home.

Anyway, since this empty box is not thrown away, and we already have another box full of Indomie, so I think I can make something from this box. So, the mini photo studio idea is appear.

This are all the things I need for making a mini photo studio:

First step is taking all the fourth side of box that they used as the upper cover. After all are gone, make a hole in the right and left side, and also at the upper side.

Measure 5cm each from the edge of the box to the hole at the upper box. While at the sides, 3cm. When the holes are ready, cover it with the tissue paper. Make it tight, and please be careful, because it is easy to torn apart.

Then put the A3 paper inside, at portrait side without cutting it, make a curve but not fold it. In order you will not have a fold mark at your photo. It will be a little bit too long, but it will be no problem. It will help you to make all the background smoothly white.

If you finish all of those steps, you mini photo studio is finish. All you going to do next is, trying it. Put the lighting at the side and upper of the box to get the maximum light. Or you can put it in front of the sunlight. For night photo time, make sure that the light which come from the back of you not leaving any shadow trace at the studio. You can use a brighter lighting to you photo studio, or simple, just turn the light off, and put the lighting at your photo studio.

Happy trying.

Here is the result. What do you think?

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This was the first time my boyfriend's parents visit our house when I already there. I love them, but still when your boyfriend said I have to prepare lunch for four of us. I became confuse, what is the best food to be serve then??

So after a few ideas from my friends. Miss Labu (pumpkin) have an idea to make a gado-gado. Easy and fast. And luckily my boyfriend also agree with it. It doesn't mean any Indonesian recipe ideas that come from any other is not agreed. But knowing that my boyfriend is senior citizens, and they also not really enjoy too much spices, so I need something that save but still Indonesian.

Yup, gado gado will be the lunch menu when they come. Simple, easy to make, healthy, and delicious. These are ingredients that I used to make gado-gado.

The main ingredients of course the vegetables. I used some of the green vegetables and boil it for 30 seconds until 1 minute. Since westerner doesn't like faded and mushy vegetables, so the vegetables has to be fresh but cooked:

• Chinese Cabbage
• bean sprout
• sneak bean
• choi sum
• boiled potatoes
• boiled eggs
• fried tempe or fried tofu, or you can use both
•  The real gado gado actually not put chicken inside. But this is for protein variant, and it safe, because, who don't like chicken :) all you going to do just put it at the oven for 30 minutes.
• If you want, you can add shrimp crackers or any crackers.

Here are ingredients for making the peanut sauce (non-spicy)

• 150gr granulated nuts, oven it until dark brown then blend it
• 2 teaspoon of belachan
• 2 pieces of garlics or 1 teaspoon of minced garlic
• 2 pieces of shallots
• 270ml coconut milk
• 1 teasponn tamarine puree. Or 1/2 teaspoon of tamarind water
• 2 teaspoon palm sugar or any sugar, you can choose any that fit your taste.
• water from 1/2 piece of lime or 2 drops of lime juice
• peanut oil
• If you like spicy, you can add sambal bajak when stir the sauce, or add the fire chili when you blend the peanut.
• 250ml of water

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This is my organizer. This organizer is always to be my most important thing to bring in Australia. Because inside I have lots of things that I think would help my present around Australia. Especially when I am not a Permanent Resident yet in Australia. 

This Organizer always be around. I bring it at my pocket or keep it inside my bag. I bought it at Indonesia, that time the only reason for buying this is for being my passport cover. Apparently, this organizer is too big, and leave lots of pocket inside.

Inside I put lots of things like my rupiah money, until my flight ticket. I think it is easier to put all your journey documents in one place, so it is easier. Here are the things inside my organizer and my reason why I bring those things.

Since the first reason bought this is for my passport cover, so yes, there is a passport inside it. The passport is the only things that never taking out except when at immigration. Usually the immigration officer just want our passport, without the cover.

Beside that, the passport is the our ID at other countries. So it's a must right bringing your ID everywhere you go. Since I am not born in Australia, so this passport always come with me everywhere. Since it is difficult if the passport broken, having a cover for the passport is important. That also the reason why I have this as my passport cover.

One that special, if we have our country driving license, you can use it in Australia without changing it to be international driving license. As long as there is an English language at your driving license, it will be alright. But if you use different language other than English, you should have international driving license. Since I am Indonesian, I don't have to change my license, because in the driving license they are stated the English language.

But, you can't use the license forever. If you come to Australia with tourist visa or student visa, you still able to use your country driving license until you are out from Australia, or until your visa expired. So if your license will expired at 2020 and you are visiting Australia at 2018 for 3 months, so your license will be alright for 3 months staying at Australia. It also work for student visa. As long as you are at Australia with student visa, and your driving license still not expired, you can use it.

the different rule applied to people who have Permanent Resident status. If you already be an Australia PR, automatically, your driving license will not able to use in Australia forever or as long as your driving license not expired. If you have a time, you can start to have a new Australian driving license. But all  I know, having Australian driving license from beginning took a long time, my boyfriend's daughter took 5 years to get hers.

The other way is to change your old driving license to translate it. And we just given 3 months to do it. You just have to find the certified agent to translate it. But if you are Indonesian, you can come to Indonesian Consulate Office, in Melbourne, or any other state in Australia.

If you already have the translate driving license, you will able to drive around Australia. But please remember any mistake the fine is so expensive, or they will take your license and car too if they have to. Please don't drink and drive too.

The Indonesian ID is because I still stated as Indonesian citizen, and not become permanent resident yet.

The visa acceptance letter from Australian Embassy also one of the most important thing to bring everywhere in Australia. You will have this letter if you send your visa application through the travel agent. They will print the letter for you. In this letter it stated how long you get the visa, and until when. Actually, without it will be fine too, because all our data automatically stated in their immigration data base.

I bring this letter just for my secure for my self. You know, some people just feeling insecure if they are not bringing something. For me, this one is the statement that I am legal being in Australia. Beside, my boyfriend also told me, sometimes at immigration, they asked about this letter. So why not bringing it everywhere. who knows some people asked you about this. 

Shopping is always a must if you go to somewhere new, right. Since I am at Melbourne, it is way much more easier to bring cards rather than cash. But some places still need cash, like parking fee, or some of Asian restaurant, and gift shops at Queen Victoria Market.

I even don't know why I still have this Indonesian rupiah money, but have no Aussie dollar. LOL.

I started to keep my flight ticket in and out Australia since the first time I came to Australia. The memory feeling that sometimes I needs that how much I have passed in this several years. And also the journey I had been trough to be in Australia.

Used ticket too. Because the memories also. What memories? You can read my post about the time we visited these place HERE

These are the movie tickets that I keep from watching movies at Lunar Drive In. Because I like to watch movie here, so I like to keep the ticket. Why I like watching in this place, I made a post about it too HERE.

Unfortunately, since the body shop card I have is Indonesian card, I can't use it at Australia, and the Etude House card is useless, because no Etude House at Melbourne.

Given by my ex boss, this pen actually never been used until I moved here. I always brought it because you know one time you need a pen to write something.

There area things inside my organizer. But to be remember, always keep the most important thing near you, and always be safe.

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After moved to Melbourne, cooking become easier. Beside the more complete equipment, if I want to try new recipe (beside Indonesian recipe) it's easier to find the ingredients. Almost all the ingredients are finds at nearest supermarkets. They also sells some Indonesian ingredients, most of them at the Asian Alley, which it also mix with Japanese and Indian ingredients. If I want a little bit complete Indonesian ingredients, I depended on Asian store, which is they sells more ingredients from almost all Asian countries.

For my boyfriend, he like to shop at fruit and veggies market. According to him, the price is much more cheaper and we can get lots of things too. He even bought one box full of vegetables and only paid AUD 3. Or a box Indomie for AUD12. One day he even brought 3 kilos chicken wings for AUD 6.

One day, I want to cook something different for our chicken wing. In our kitchen we also have a bag of potatoes, we only used three potatoes at that time, and leave lots of potatoes behind. So after browsing here and there and comparing with the spices and ingredients that we have, I finally find two recipes, one for the chicken one for the potato.

I got this recipe from the pinterest. Beside it's easy to make (actually all the recipes I found were easy, all you gotta do just put inside the oven), we also have the spices at the cabinet. It actually better if you let the spices shimmering for a night inside the fridge. but if you have no time, just let it shimmer for an hour at fridge.

For this recipe, I used 7 chicken wings. But you can also used any other part of the chicken, as long as you wash it clean, and the spices is enough.

These are the spice that mix to be one in one bowl:

After all the spices are mixed, put the chicken wing at the spice and let it shimmer. Or you can rub the mix spices to the chicken. But the best way is let it shimmer in one place for an hour.

Preheat the oven around 150-100 Celsius degree for 10 minutes, while it preheat, put the aluminium foil at the tray. Put the chicken at the tray, then put tray at the oven. Flip the chicken after 15 minutes, and let it cook for another 15 minutes.

The recipe I found actually used sweet potatoes, but since we just only have potato, we are going to use it. This potato can be a good match with the chicken because you already have protein and carbohydrate in this two dishes. Beside the similar ways to cook it.

Cut the potato at the long form, then mix it with the mix spices that have been mixed before. And these are the spices that you have to mix before:

• 1 spoon of olive oil, or any oil, I used peanut oil (LOL) 
• 1 tea spoon of garlic powder or 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 tea spoon od salt or a pinch of sea salt
• 1 tea spoon of ground pepper

Preheat the oven at 150 Celsius degree for 10 minutes. Then put the potato in. Cooked until the potato become crispy, or around 20 minutes.

To me, baked the potato first, while waiting for the chicken shimmering, I prepared the potato. Cut the potato, preparing the mix spices until baked the potato need approximately 30 minutes. So after the potato is baked, you just put the chicken inside. Or you can do it in reverse.

How about you? Did you ever try a new recipe for the first time and it resulted good, despite of the result picture. And will you try it again? Tell me your thought at comment section.

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