Thursday, December 7, 2017

5 Guidelines for Newbie in Businesses

I wonder if there's anyone still interested in reading blogs/articles...
Well, I don't write as often as I do because I have nothing to talk about.
But today, I would like to share some of my experiences which I thought would be useful for some.

Disclaimer:
I am definitely not a successful person (yet. hehe) or even someone to look up to.
I'm just here to share and let you know what I've learned.
You may agree or disagree with me and you are very welcome to share your thoughts with me through the comment section.

Moving on to the topic.

Lesson #1: FIND YOUR PASSION

Everyone has their own passion. No matter what it is, you will find one.
You might like food, sports, cars, fashion, beauty or even gardening; there's always something you'll enjoy doing. Because if you enjoy doing what you do, you'll unknowingly put all your heart into it.
There's nothing one can't do if they love what they do.
As for me, I just have this love for food.
I love love love to eat and passionate about cakes.
I enjoy eating them as much as making them.
So that's my passion: Baking.
If I were to choose "Eating", I would have been a food blogger.
I had that in mind for sure but I just get too lazy sometimes. Hehehehe

Lesson #2: EXPLORE OPPORTUNITIES

Once you've found what you love, you need to know what you can do about it.
For example, if you like gardening, you could become a florist or maybe plant your own plants.
There are lots of stuff out there, so go and ask your family members, friends, or even try to do a research about it. When you've opened up your mind, ideas will just keep on popping in.

Lesson #3: THE EXECUTION

We'll stick with the gardening example.
After you decide what you wanted to do, becoming a florist, for example, you need to know how to become one. Search for classes or short courses near you. You'll need to spend a little, but remind yourself that you'll get much more in the end.
Once you've got the lessons and such, you need to find your supplier.
Well, your flowers gotta be from somewhere right.
Thus, find your supplier.

Another major key to remember is to always be aware of your consumer/customer.
You have to know what they like and dislike.
Always ask for opinions and accept them willingly.
One will never grow if you keep insisting on your likings.
It's not for yourself anyway, it's for the people.

Lesson #4: MAKE IT SPECIAL

You'll probably think, there's a lot of florists out there, "How am I gonna compete with them?"
The real question is, what are your specialities.
Every business has to has its own speciality.
There should be a thing that differentiates one from the others.
For example, for the florist, you could have a very special flower that only you can have or maybe a very unique looking packaging or box.
There's a lot of things you can do if you have done your research properly.

Lesson #5: BE UPDATED

If you have run your project or business, never be dull.
You need to be up-to-date and keep up with the new world out there.
The world is rotating and changing each day.
So always try to find new ideas and a way of implementing it to your work.
There's nothing worse than being outdated.


So there you go.
5 simple guidelines for a newbie in the business world.
Remember that nothing happens overnight.
Everything does take time and effort.
Each day is a new day to learn a new thing.
and business is a rollercoaster ride; it goes up and down.
But always do your best and pray for the rest.

Friday, August 25, 2017

Maldives for His 25th


It's my baby's 25th Birthday this year and I wanted to make it special.
Truthfully, I didn't give him anything last year so I need to make it big this time.
Anyways, as some of you know, we went to Boracay for his 23rd.
My boyfriend is an island guy. He prefers the beaches over the city, in which is a total opposite of me.
This year, I brought him to Maldives for his birthday present.
He didn't know at first (of course. it's a surprise). He didn't even know where or when we are going in the first place.
I only told him we are going to an island and we're transiting through KL and will be staying in KL for few nights.
My boyfriend finally found out when we were about to board from KL-Male.
He kept asking me and he googled it. He didn't even know what or where is Male. hahahaha
He googled and found "Male Paradise" at first and thought that it's actually a place.
But soon enough, he found out and the surprise was kinda ruined. (uhh thanks babe)

A short birthday message for my baby:

"Happy 25th Roni Chandra. I hope I'll be the one to celebrate your birthdays for the rest of your life. I love you so much and will always be. To always be with you is all I wanted. Happiest birthday, once again, Love."


If you're wondering, the flight from KL-Male is 4hours long and from Male, we still need to take a seaplane or domestic flight + speedboat.
Because we were arriving late night, there's only the domestic flight + speedboat option.
The domestic flight only took 20 minutes. The airplane is a small one, so yeap, it scares us a lot.
After the flight, we needed to ride a speedboat to the resort.
It should have taken around 30-40 minutes but shit does happen.
Our speedboat crashed onto corals when we were picking up a guy from another island.
The engine broke down and we were completely stuck in the middle of the sea.
It was intimidating, but me and my boyfriend just acted cool and tried to relax.
There were few staffs on board and some were trying to fix the engine and the others tried to contact the resort.
A few moments later, one of the staffs told us that the resort has sent a speedboat to pick us up but it will take a while because we were still quite far away.
Around 10 minutes later, a speedboat from other resort saw us and it was so nice of them to help us. They are from the Amilla resort.
They moved us to their speedboat and brought us to their resort.
It was a very warm welcome given by the people there.
They talked to us and gave us drinks.
We felt so much better afterward.
After quite some time, our speedboat finally came. We reached our resort around 2 A.M.
The time difference between Male and Indonesia is 2 hours. Male is 2 hours late.
One lesson learned is that it's quite dangerous to ride a speedboat at night because you can barely see anything., but the one thing that's very relaxing and mesmerizing is that the sky is soooo beautiful. The stars are so bright and there are so many of them. Literally, a sky full of stars.

Due to the incident, the manager gives us a complimentary of sunset cruise watching.
One of the staffs actually told us that it's the first time it happens and they are very sorry yet thankful that we are okay.

If you haven't known already, we were staying at Furaveri Island Resort and Spa.
The hospitality is amazing. The place is so clean that you'll barely see any ants (no joke).
The people are so friendly and they are always smiling.
Honestly, we were kinda worried at first because well, not to be racist or anything, but they're black (like Indians, to be exact).
But after a while, we notice that they're super friendly and humble.
Apart from the super nice people, the downside of this resort is that there's nothing much to do or explore.
The resort only has one restaurant and one bar and one small souvenir shop. That's it.

So for 4 nights, me and my boyfriend had breakfast every morning, chilled in the room most of the afternoons, took some pictures in the evening, and had in-room dining at night.
It was pretty boring for me after 2 nights.
However, if you're the kind of person who likes to chill in a place and just lounging around, then you'll be good. It's the perfect place for you to go.

The sea is so clear and beautiful, but I only went down once and it was on the last day morning before we left. Hehehehhe

Food-wise, their curry and any fish dishes are the bomb. The Maldivian Tuna Pizza is my favourite and surprisingly, the Indonesian Nasi Goreng is damn good, too. And later we found out that there is an Indonesian chef behind the goodness hahaha. We actually met him twice.

Anyways, there's not much to say about the island or resort other than it's beautiful, the people are very friendly, the hospitality is awesome, and the food is bombdotcom.

If you ever wanted to visit Maldives, be sure to do your research on what's there to explore on the island other than diving or snorkeling.

Sooooooo,
I think that is it.
Thank you for reading and I hope it's useful for some of you!
xx, Julia



Watch the Vlog here!

Monday, July 17, 2017

London's Quick (Food) Guide

I've never thought I'd like London as much.
What really caught me is the food.
No big surprise there right?
So, here's a quick (food) guide in London.

DUCK & WAFFLE
Rosemary and Sea Salt Focaccia Bread
I never liked fried chicken and waffle.
It tastes a bit weird.
I have a belief that waffles can only be eaten with sweet condiments.
Well, this place has definitely changed my mind.
Duck+Waffle+Egg+Maple Syrup = Perfection.
It is so good that you would want to lick your plate hahaha
It sounds intimidating at first but once I tried it, it's mind-blowing.
The duck has a crispy skin and it's very, very juicy on the inside.
It's a must-go place to dine in London.

SHAKE SHACK
Their burgers are to die for.
I personally prefer the chicken one, but their beef ones are very tasty as well.
Both are cooked perfectly, extremely tender and juicy.
However, their fries are a bit let down.
It was a bit soggy and the cheese didn't taste good.
I'll skip the fries next time I go.

FIVE GUYS
Now here's the winner for fries.
Their Cajun Fries are damn good.
Fresh, hot, crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside.
The Cajun seasoning is so on point that you'll keep eating it without even thinking.

PIZZA PILGRIMS
Their pizzas are good but I won't really recommend you to try it.
I believe there are better pizzas out there.
But the one with the truffle oil is pretty good if you like truffle.
I don't. So yeah...

GELUPO
I only tried one gelato place in London but I can say that this is one of the best.
The flavour tastes fresh and real.
I personally prefer the sorbets over the gelato tho.

CRUMBS & DOILIES
I'm such a huge fan of CupcakeJemma. I've subscribed to her Youtube channel since, umm, I don't really remember but it's been a few years now.
So, I was stoked to go to this place..
but it was such a huge disappointment and I swear, I would never visit this shop anymore.
The staffs are so unfriendly and seriously, I know you are working in a famous shop, but don't act like shit.
When I first walked into the store, I instantly took pictures of the cakes and it did take me some time.
So the staffs were waiting for my orders. 
When I ordered, they looked unhappy.
Especially when my friend wanted to change the orders from normal sized cupcakes to mini ones.
But honestly, you should be grateful if you have foreigners coming in.
It shows that your shop is well-known.
uhh...
After trying the cakes and stuff (I tried the velvet volcano cake and peanut butter brownies), they are not bad but not that great either.
It's something to be missed.

HUMMINGBIRD BAKERY
I own a book recipe from this bakery, that's why I know this place.
The worker is very friendly and informative.
I got myself the black-bottom cupcake and raspberry cream cheese brownies (i think), and both are amazingly good.
The cupcake is so moist and not too sweet. The cream cheese frosting is slightly too sweet for me though but it's so good!
My favourite has to be the brownies.
The tanginess of the raspberry and cream cheese cut out the sweetness of the brownies.
it's just the perfect balance.
So, if you're in London, be sure to check out this bakery because they sell really tasty stuff.

CROSSTOWN DOUGHNUT
I heard this place from CupcakeJemma's Youtube channel.
As a doughnut lover, I just have to try it.
 I got the Lamington doughnut and I believe no one could mess up a Lamington.
Plus, I loveee Lamington.
Anyway, the one I got is not the deep-fried kind, it's a cake doughnut.
First bite and I'm in love.
You have to try it if you're a fan of coconut+chocolate+jam.
Seriously, that combo is awesome.

BOROUGH MARKET
This is the place where foodies will die.
There are so many food options and everything looks damn good.
Especially the desserts, so tempting.
I had the Scotch eggs with sweet potato fries, beef pie, and duck wrap.
I'm not sure whether the Scotch Egg I had is the traditional one and supposed to taste like that or what, but I'm not a fan of the one I had.
The meat part tasted weird. It reminds me a lot to meatloaf.
But sweet potato fries are pretty good. I think all fries are good. hahaha

The Meat Pie is also tasted a bit off. 
The beef has a very strong aftertaste and it's very unpleasant.
The crust is good tho.

Duck wrap is pretty unique.
It has the Chinese taste but in a wrap which is Arabic?
It looks like kebab, but it tastes like pecking duck.
The wrap contains a generous amount of duck meat and lettuce.
The meat is very soft and tender and juicy. 
The lettuce brightens up the whole thing as duck meat is very fattening and it also gives a very good crunch to the eating experience.

***
Alright, that's all I got to say and I hope it's helpful to some of you.
I'll see you in my next post!
xx Julia


Here are random pictures from the trip.


Don't forget to watch the Vlog on my Youtube channel as well!

Sunday, March 5, 2017

Damn I'm 20!


WELCOME BACK TO MY BLOG! lol
It feels ages since the last time I posted anything. I still have one unpost content on my draft about the food I had at Jakarta back in September 2016 HAHAHAHA. I'm such a procrastinator. Forgive me please. I will have it up as soon as possible!

Anyway, as usual, this is my yearly (obviously) birthday post.
As always, I would like to thank every single person I know, my family, my boyfriend and best friends, and just some people who I stumbled upon, for everything you guys had done and for those that had been through the thick and thin with me. 
Life isn't going to be like what it is now without the presence of each of you in my life.

On Saturday, 4th of February, I had my birthday dinner. 
It's earlier because some of my friends were going back to their uni the next day. 
God damn, I'm 20 ... Feels really old to say that I'm now in the 20s club.

It was pretty a casual night at Bel Mondo. 
A nice chit chat with the girls (mostly) and guys (not so much). 
In the midst of taking photos, I didn't realize most of the table are empty. Where the people went?
When I did realize was when they all appeared and sang the Happy Birthday song with the cake I baked earlier that day. HAHAHA what a mind blown!
I was indeed surprised by the unexpected cake and well, everything came up to my mind that the cake was previously delivered to my own friend's house but using the mom's name.
Seriously, what was I thinking?
I must be too exhausted to even realize that. 
Don't I just have the cutest bunch of friends? :')
The night went well and yes, I love my group of people.

The next day, which was Sunday the 5th, 
I went to a female orphanage place called Evangeline Booth and for the first time in my life, I am able to give back.
I've been wanting to do that for years now and wasn't able to do it back then because I had no income. Yes I had sufficient money to buy all the stuff and I'm indeed giving sincerely, but I thought, what's the point if it isn't the money from my own hard work?
So this first time giving back isn't much but I really hope it's doing good for the people there. I really wish I could do more and I promise myself I will do it real' big later on. 
But it feels really good to be able to do it now and crossing the point out of my bucket list :)

Moving on to Valentine's day, 
My boyfriend and I decided to not have the fancy dinner as it costs, well, pretty darn expensive and it's not really worth the price. I would prefer to have a good fine dining with a wonderful view somewhere else. 
Anyway, we spent the night having sushi (which is my faveeeeee. yumsss) at Sushi Tei and went to Soho to chill for the rest of the night. 
Before we arrived at Sushi Tei, my boyfriend surprised me with a stalk of beautiful blue rose. It was pretty a funny moment because I was on my phone and looking outside the window and my boyfriend was driving while he tried to hold the rose to give it to me. 
Trying so hard, he said the flower kept falling down and he didn't want me to know that he was holding one. 
Anyhow, I was still surprised and the funny story is, he asked me whether I like roses or flowers in general, and I said no. I don't mind but I prefer not to received one because it'll be useless for me and the people who give for spending their money on those pricy flowers. 
But there he was, with that blue rose in his hand...
I probably never mentioned this, but I've said to myself or some people a couple of times that I would marry someone who gave me blue roses causes I freaking love blue and rose? Come on. Who taught that blue rose is a thing? Even there's the gold ones now... say whattttt?
Well, does that mean I will be marrying my boyfriend later? we'll see ;) I'll keep you all updated. hahahaha

It was 12.30 AM when we left Soho, so it was already my birthday.
I wanted to go home but my boyfriend kinda insisted me to go over his house to blow the candle first. But I was like, "I'm tired... can we just do it tomorrow?"
and he kept saying that it's best for me to blow it now and bring the cake home rather than tomorrow. 
So after few arguments, I agreed on going to his house.
Nothing really fancy, just my boyfriend singing happy birthday song with a cake that I requested (lol!)
It's simple but it is one of those little things you appreciate a lot in life (gosh I'm literally crying happy tears while I'm typing it. Soooo emotional...)
After I blew the candle, I saw my boyfriend taking out another stalk of rose from the fridge :')
It's the rainbow rose!
Yes I did say it is ugly at first when he asked me about roses/flowers in the car earlier... but damn, boy... you surprised me again!
I love surprises, big or small ;)
While I was busy taking photos or snapping for Instagram & Snapchat, my boyfriend went upstairs to his room. Wasn't expecting anything, he came down with a big present. 
I remember precisely that I was recording on Snapchat and was saying thank you to my boyfriend when he came with the present, so I was a bit surprised. You'll understand what I mean if you watch the snap.
 So it was the time to unbox the present.
As I said, I genuinely not expecting anything. Why? Simple because I told not to give me anything after last year's present. (read it here)
And....
Inside the big wrap is....
*drum rolls*
A Macbook Pro :')
I wanted to buy it initially, he knew it and he said that he had no idea what else to give and since I needed it, he thought, why not?
Again, thanks a bunch babe! (if you're reading this)
I love you to the core of my heart hahahaha

On the evening of 15th February,
my group of friends came by my house to surprised me.
But they failed HAHAHA
Because my mom called me and said my friends are here.
LOLOL
but it's alright, I'm still grateful for it.
Thanks girls! You know who you are <3

On the 16th of February,
I received a parcel all the way from Malaysia.
I know about it beforehand because yesterday (which was the 15th), this girl (I think she regrets asking me now hahaha) asked about whether or not I've received the parcel.
Nevertheless, I was very very excited when I found out about it and more than thrilled receiving the parcel the next day.
She, Vetriana, has sent a gift and a letter over to my place.
I swear I took a proper picture of it that day but the file is missing :(
I have no idea someone would ever be so thoughtful towards me.
Not saying it to pleased her but I did cried a little because I was simply too darn happy.
It was very very very very unexpected. 
I love you Vetriana S. Tonoto!  (If you're reading this as well :'D)
Will never ever forget you now ;p

Well, I guess that wraps up my 20th Birthday. Hope you enjoy it! 
Thanks for reading and I'll see you in my next post. xx, Julia
© Julia Joman. Powered by Blogger.

Translate