3 WAYS: Vegan Rice Balls

Last week I tried Meatless Monday for the first time. I've been meaning to do it for a while, actually, but with everything else in life, it just fell to the wayside. So glad I finally took the plunge and stopped eating meat for a whole day. I didn't stop at meat, too—I decided to go vegan for a day. I know, it ain't a big deal, but it actually surprises me how much meat and animal-related products I eat in a day—cheese and I have this amazing love affair, so yeah. Needless to say, last Monday didn't go so well, because everything went quite unplanned and everything I cooked tasted rather bland—though I didn't find myself hungrier than usual, mind you. So for this month's recipe, I thought to come up with a simple yet tasty vegan dish for all the coming Mondays. Hopefully, this could help out other vegans out there who are looking for something new to pack for lunch—yes, I'm looking at you, Rezy.

Ingredients 

• 150 gr rice, cooked
• 1/4 cup water
• salt and sugar, to taste
• vinegar, to taste
• 1 tbsp. toasted sesame seeds (optional)
• 1-2 sheets toasted seaweed (optional)

Sautéed Mushroom filling

• 6 champignons
• 1/2 regular onion
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• salt and sugar, to taste
• flour (optional)

1. Slice the champignons and dice the onion
2. In a frying pan, heat the olive oil and pour the onion in
3. Once it starts to have a nice fragrance, add in the mushroom
4. Let the mushroom shrink and soften before adding the salt and sugar
5. If the mushroom oozes out water, add a bit of flour to thicken the mixture
6. Remove from heat once you get the texture and taste that you want

Tempe Penyet filling

• 100 gr tempeh
• 3 chilies
• 1/4 tomato
• 1 clove shallot
• cooking oil to fry the tempeh
• salt + sugar, to taste
• a bit of water

1. Chop the chilies and slice up the tomato
2. Together with the shallot (and salt + sugar), grind them until they are smooth and well-mixed
3. Heat up a pan and sauté the mixture a little bit in it then remove from heat
4. Slice up the tempeh into a few pieces and dip it in a mixture of water and salt
5. Get the oil ready in a pan/wok and, once it's hot, slide in the tempeh
6. Remove the tempeh from the oil once it's crispy and golden
7. Put the tempeh and chilli mixture on a plate and crush them with pestle or wooden spoon until they are well-mixed and smooth

Vegetable filling

• 1 cucumber / 1/2 zucchini
• 1 medium-sized carrot

1. Cut up the cucumber/zucchini julienne and remove the seeds
2. Peel the carrots and cut it up the same way
3. Put the carrots in a bowl and steam it until it's soft
4. Mix them all together (optional: you may add salt, pepper and other seasonings here)

To make the rice balls

1. Prepare the water and add in the salt, sugar and vinegar, to taste, then mix well
2. Pour the mixture into the rice and mix well
3. Cup your hand and put 2 table spoons of rice in it
4. Add with the filling of your choice and add more rice
5. Cup both of your hands to form the rice until it has a nice triangular shape
6. For the tempeh penyet, I would recommend adding the sesame seeds to the rice before forming the shape
7. For the vegetable, I would recommend wrapping it with nori to add more taste
8. Put them in a lunch box and ready to go!

Tips: If you're not using rice cooker to cook the rice, please remember to stir it every now and then to keep it from burning. This recipe works best with newly cooked rice. Keep in mind not to steam the carrot for too long, or it will lose its vitamins. I used a template to form the rice balls' shapes here, but if you find it difficult to use your bare hands, you can use plastic covers (or banana leaf, for a more eco-friendly variety) or rubber gloves (to protect your hands from the heat of the rice).   I would actually recommend using the gloves at all times. Alternatively, you can simply pack them in a lunch box without forming them. Perfect for an on-the-go meal! Lass es euch schmecken!

Atlas of the Heart

Red Line, Haris Purnomo, mixed media, 3 of 8 of the series 

Around this time last month—well, actually plus 6 days—I went to Surabaya to visit the grandparents since I didn't get to do that during the holidays. If you follow my instagram, you might have known that, though. During my stay there, I had one day free to myself to go roaming about town and exploring little nooks and crannies that I didn't know about before. This was a long process for reasons I choose not to disclose, but anyway. My first destination was Balai Pemuda, which is this old building from 1907 which used to be a clubhouse specifically for the Dutch and now is being used for cultural events. I went there with low expectations and found the place to be quite deserted, safe for the tourist information centre, a public library and several school children rehearsing for something. Just as I was leaving, the door of the previously closed gallery opened and it turns out there is a solo exhibition by Haris Purnomo at the moment, called Atlas Tubuh (Atlas of the Body).

The exhibition was filled with massive hyperrealistic paintings with surrealist touches and intricate meanings. There were also a few installations there, including the awesome trash-adorned dining room, which you can see in almost-full view down below. It is made out of actual garbage, though I don't know if the artist picked it out of other people's trash cans or they were produced by himself. The guard—an art student/disciple, I assume—told me that it was actually in parallel to another solo exhibition held at Visma Gallery, so off I went. The gallery had a more elegant and formal feel to it, though no one was there when I arrived. There were plenty more installations and paintings to behold, but none as great as the dining room. My second favourite, though, is the Red Line series above. You might still be able to download the catalogue here, by the way.

Interior of Taste, Haris Purnomo, mixed media installation

Hand-me-down top + sandals // thrifted skirt // old hat // Polette sunglasses (giveaway!)

So, uhh, due to the long process I briefly brushed on above, I couldn't take the outfit photos outside—though I think it would still be plausible. The outfit photos were taken prior to me going to the exhibitions at my grandparents' house. At the time, I really wanted to take photos at an old building, but—let's be honest—my grandparents' house is also very old. It's been around since around the 1960s, I think, though it's undergone tons of renovations since. I think I mentioned before that this is the house my parents' love bloomed and the majority of my childhood was basically spent. It's become quite different from what I remember as a child, but even more different from the way it was when both my parents lived here. It's become a sort of dream of mine to live here someday, but I guess I'll have to check up with my future family.

As far as grandparents go, there are no other two people in the world who could make you feel like an eternal child like them—which has its plus and minus side. The minus: they can be quite overprotective and that really suffocates me. Despite having an ID, driver's license and my own money now, they still think I need to be looked after 24/7. The plus: they still spoil you rotten. They always ask what I want to eat, they buy me almost anything I want at the grocery store and they give me little gifts I'll always cherish—like these sandals actually. They used to belong to my Grandma and now I'll love them forever—well, until they break at least. Also, apologies to people who have pet peeves for feet closeups, especially since you have to see my disgusting ones.

P.S: Mr. Haris Purnomo was also the one who recreated one of the paintings for the 1771 Exhibition at Galeri Nasional!

Illustrators Arise: Aftergani

'Ello 'ello 'ello 'ello, creative folks! How are you doing? Hope you're well 'cause I've got some great news: it's time for another edition of Illustrators Arise! Woohoo! In case you're unfamiliar with it, Illustrators Arise is where I introduce my favourite illustrators from all over the world every month through an interview so you guys can read along and get to know them too. This year has been all about showcasing Indonesia's best illustrators and the series continues with Ikhwan Waliyudin a.k.a. Aftergani, a young and melancholic illustrator with an Adidas addiction. It was first through his collaboration with Stephanie Priscilla did I find Aftergani's work. I instantly fell in love with his work and adore how raw and emotional it feels—without it being too sentimental/sappy. Aftergani now lives in Jakarta, where he's still continuing his studies and spends his free time with his pet or raiding art supply stores.

Hi, Ikhwan! Would you tell me how you started drawing and why you went on to become an illustrator?

I love drawing since I was a kid because I really liked anime and video games. I often turned anything interesting into illustrations, until I decided to go deep into illustration and start learning from some drawing instruction books so that I could create the artwork that I desire. And why I went on to become an illustrator is maybe I just stream down and work hard on the things I love.

You are currently studying Visual Communication Design at Sekolah Tinggi Desain InterStudi, aren’t you? What are you learning there, aside from design, and would you recommend this major/school to anyone else?

Yep! So many things I learn there. Aside the academic subjects from the lecturers, the street art environment there also influence my art taste.

What kind of materials do you usually use?

As for the tools, i use  Wacom Cintiq for digital artworks and gouache, acrylic, brush pen, pencil, drawing pen that i often use for manual artworks.

Your works tend to be surrealistic, mixing various elements into one illustration. Where do you usually draw inspiration from?

I just love exploring and analyze an object as basic elements for my illustration and it’s helped me to communicate the profound message in my artwork. Inspiration really comes from anywhere, like the environment, neighbourhood, friends, family, internet and some unforgettable moments from the past.

Architecture appears quite often in your illustrations as well. What intrigues you about this field? Did you ever think to become an architect before?

Well, at the beginning, the environment just inspired me. A bunch of buildings and skyscrapers—they just look amazing, so I started learning to draw perspectives from a book titled Perspective Drawing Handbook by Joseph D’Amelio. From that book, I started to make some sketches for my illustration objects. Architect? Haha not at all. I mean, they’re great, they create amazing buildings and I just love to draw it from my point of view.

The colour palette that you tend to use gives your illustrations a certain signature look. How did you come about these colours? Did you try things out?

The colour palette I use is a result from exploration from some SEGA Genesis video games as my references, like Street Fighter from Capcom, and also from one of a New Yorker artist named Sachin Teng. He was a great artist whose work takes effect on my works.

You are part of Tomodachi Studio with Kemasacil, right? Would you tell me the story behind how you ended up joining this studio?

I first joined Tomodachi Studio when Basith and Kemas invited me to meet up at one coffee shop in Jakarta. They were interested to make a project called Tomodachi Studio. It is a studio which engages in illustration, design and animation. Accidentally we have so many similar interests, background and  vision, so I joined them.

What is your one dream illustration job?

I really love Adidas Originals. It’d be a pleasure to have a chance to work with them. I want to be able to collaborate with Adidas Superstar, or maybe make a poster for Adidas Y3.

What does the future look like for Aftergani?

The future for me seems to consist of work.

If a novice illustrator comes to you for advice, what would you say?

“Go deep into the things you like, don’t be lazy to start and don’t expect what you get from what you are doing but wish that what you are doing could inspired people.”

A little note from me

When I first saw Aftergani's work, I almost couldn't believe that it was done by an Indonesian illustrator. It just looks so different from most Indonesian illustrators' works I know. There's a certain street and rock'n'roll feel to his illustrations that makes them look almost American—probably the influence from Adidas and Sachin Teng. His muted and faded colour palette really brings out the raw emotion of his pieces, which is perfectly paired with the metaphorical use of all the objects within his work. The use of outrageous perspectives also gives a whole other look to his art, making it feel a little surreal—especially with the various objects mixed together in unexpected ways. I absolutely love that he takes inspiration from music quite a lot, and it's very apparent in his works. The '90s rock atmosphere in his work also renders me nostalgic most of the time. His works often remind me of something like The Breakfast Club—oh wait, that's the '80s, though.

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Day to Night Look with Cynthia

Hello, all! If you've been reading this blog for a while, you must have seen my dear friend Cynthia around here a couple or so times. What you might not know is that Cynthia is a beauty nut/makeup addict. She has a whole instagram page dedicated to creating looks using cosmetics—and, well, the occasional movie review. A couple weeks ago, we decided to meet up and create a day-to-night look of sorts, where she will do the make up and I...uh, bring the camera :') so here are what we came up with. Please bear with the limited amount of photos, we took too long to do the makeup—what with all the goofing around and cry-laughing—so the photo sessions needed to be rushed before the sun goes down—which by the end of it, it was already too late.

DAY

For the day look, we both coincidentally wanted to rock denim simultaneously. Hey yo! I opt for a short dungaree which I wore over this casual, nautically striped dress. Since it's supposed to be for the day, a pair of clog-styled sandals would be optimal, I find, and a boater hat to top off the casual look—and protect your head from the UV light, I suppose. Maybe something you'd wear to a farmers market in the summer or the beach? I don't know.

Cynthia, on the other hand, sticks with the good ol', classic plain white T and jeans combo. The t-shirt is tucked on the front but let loose around the back, to give the look some twist, paired with some comfortable shoes for a day of hanging out. Absolutely love the touch of choker and hollow ring! Needless to say, this is an outfit for every occasion.

NIGHT

The sun is down, it's time to party! Hypothetically, anyway. This time we both went a more feminine route. Damn, I swear sometimes we straight up read each other's minds. Because I'm a no-fuss, low maintenance type of gal, I decided to just strip off the dungaree, stick on some tights and replace the shoes and headgear—the boater hat for a more girly '60s style hair bow and the sandals for some ankle boots.

Cynthia, on the other hand, opted for a classier look with a black-and-white skirt for a pop of pattern and some high heels. Still a classic and perfect for every occasion. She replaced the choker with a somewhat-regal type necklace—wish we did a close up on that. Unfortunately, we didn't really have time to change up the makeup too much, except for the shade of lipstick that we wore. I went for a bolder, redder variety, while Cynthia opted for a darker shade of mauve.

That's all from our mini collaboration today! Let us know what you think and if you have any inspirations of what we could do together next.
Thanks for stopping by!

August in Overview

Excited about...

If there's anything I will look forward to, it's Divina's wedding! Eep! Hers is probably the first chill wedding of a friend's that I'd ever have to attend—not have to, have the pleasure to. Anyway, last month I—and a couple friends of hers—helped her design the backdrop for her photo booth at her engagement ceremony. She said we're going to have to do it again for the wedding, so yeah. Also, we might have another clothing swap this year too—she lost the last one's video footage :'( Please look forward to that!

Currently reading...

A Nation In Waiting: Indonesia in the 1990s by Adam Schwartz. When I was staying with my grandparents last week, I got quite bored because I managed to finish the only book I brought before I even got to Surabaya. After a bit of rummaging, I found this book—which I almost bought secondhand out of curiosity. The reign of Soeharto is one of the most controversial times of Indonesian history, I believe. There is a huge mystery surrounding his presidency and I thought it's high time I find out more about it. This book really tries to be impartial, which I think is important in a non-fiction and makes it easier to believe the facts. The economic and political terminologies make me do a double take over and over again.

Currently watching...

The Michalaks. My sister introduced them to me and, at first, I was sceptical. I mean, how good can a vlogging channel be? Especially one about the daily life of a family—it's been done one too many times that it stops being interesting to me. But the other week I actually sat down to check them out and I'm quickly blown away by their editing, cinematography and camera-handling. It looks so professionally made, as if the vlogs were parts of an indie movie of some sorts. Absolutely brilliant! And Gracie is super adorable! I love how Stefan and Hannah tend to talk about real things and definitely don't do the over-the-top selling of sponsors.

Currently listening...

The Paper Kites. I actually discovered this Australian quintet back in 2012. Their mellow tune is so peaceful and it gives me the feeling of roaming through forests. Their songs are the kind of songs suitable for any season, though I mostly listen to them in the summer—not intentionally. I've even created an artwork inspired by Mortal Boy King years ago—you have to dig deep into my instagram to find it, though. Aside from that, Featherstone and Paint are my favourite pieces of theirs.

Thinking about...

Frankly, going back to class. I can't believe how unwilling I am to go back to that daily routine. Just thinking about it makes my will to live drop by at least 30%. Remember last year when I was so excited? Yeah, what was I thinking? Otherwise, I'm just thinking about hoarding/saving up as many outfit posts as possible so that when I'm too busy to care about what I wear, the blog will still be quite active. Sneaky, huh?

Other highlights:

This month was about visiting plenty of art exhibitions, creating art for other people and doing projects with friends. It was also the month that I went to see my grandparents and explore new nooks and crannies of Surabaya. I was reunited with my uncles, aunts and cousins and I have never felt so loved before—I feel really disconnected from most people at this age, somehow. My spirit for adventures and discovery is burning bright and hot once again. Hopefully, I'll get to see tons of other historical sites in not-so-good ol' Jakarta before class starts. Ooh! And there's also a guest post over on Mox and Socks by yours truly today! Please do come by and say hello!

Designed a dress for Cynthia's birthday // some of the books for sale on my shop // some of the clothes for sale on my shop // helping out Divina for her engagement ceremony // visiting an art exhibition with my sis // behind the scene of an upcoming blog post // Happy Independence Day! // vegan reunion with Rezy // sisters unleashed at a street art exhibition