Exercise till Drop

"Selamat siang para penonton, kami ucapkan selamat datang"

"Good afternoon, Ladies Gentlemen, welcome to our dancing performance" (*ga bisa pake Ladies and Gentleman...rhyme-nya ga pas ;p)

"Wu3an1, da4jia1hao3, huan1ying2 guan1ling2, wo3men hen3 gao1xing1, wo3men performing" (*yang ini kesannya narji abis, sebelumnya yang bagian terakhir pengen ini : "wo3men hen3 gao1xing1 ni3men kan4 wo3men performing"...tapi kepanjangan dan rhyme-nya ga dapet. Xixixi...)

[source : http://fc01.deviantart.com/fs26/i/2008/119/7/b/Saman_Dance_by_indonesia.jpg]

How's that? Not bad, eh? That song is our creation for the upcoming Saman Dance that we will perform during International Festival opening in our campus. Lantan Gals definitely working damn hard during the exercise sessions^^. However, we're surely never forget to have a great time while exercising. Our dormitory's basement is always full of laughter every time we're there. I don't know why, but every movement mistakes we've made seems always tickling our laughter nerves. Xixixi..so much fun, really^^.

Anyhow, even though nobody says straightforwardly, but i realized two things. First, our heads are full of responsibility to promote Indonesian culture in front of others from another country. Second, we're betting our country's name in this what so called international event. So, i believe none of us able to take this "lightly" or fooling around.

Well, next week will be the D-Day^^. Wish us luck :)...

Beta-Glucan-Containing Bread, 1st Attempt

Yesterday was my first trial to make my bread. Well, it's not difficult at all, considering i always made some with my mother back then. Bread, cookies, cake...PIECE OF CAKE (*wink2)! But this one, of course the challenge is a little bit different. 1. it is my thesis research, although i HATE this ridiculous research*, i still feel a pressure in it. 2. sophisticated-whatsoever-breadmaking-instruments used here, so i have to operate it well and everything.

*How come it's not RIDICULOUS? I was doing mutation in Aspergillus and enzyme -metabolite-stuff for my undergraduate research. And now..I HAVE TO MAKE BREAD??? Oh..My..LORD! Ishbir..ishbir..Ishbir. I guess my academic life is upside-down. Well, i remembered my undergraduate advisor ever said that my research was usually done by the PhD student. It WAS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT. That's why it took almost two years to complete it. But this one, my master thesis, it is definitely an undergrads level. I feel so stupid doing it. But, yeah, i have to hang on just for some more months, finish it, and come back to my hometown. Maybe later in the future i'll have a chance to start over my master degree. Well, who knows^^. GANBAREEEE!!!

OK, back again. Here's the Basic Bread Recipe (per 600 g dough) from Ms. Sophia Ferng, my breadmaking instructor :

1. High Protein Flour (85 %)
2. Low Protein Flour (15 %)
3. Milk Powder (4 %)
4. Sugar (10 %)
5. Salt (20 %)
6. Water (49 %)
7. Egg (15 %)
8. Yeast (1.2 %)
9. Butter (15 %)
10. Ganoderma lucidum beta-glucan (1 %)

I'll type down the steps and procedures, so later i can peep on it whenever i need it.

• Weigh the ingredients.
• Blend the whole ingredients in-Ms.Ferng-consecutive-order, which are : (6 + 7) + (4 + 5) + (1 + 2 + 3 + 10 ---> SIEVED) + 8 + 9 (!!! butter can be added ca. 4 minutes after the former ingredients were blended). Each addition should be conducted with a blender in a slow speed, then after ca. 1 minute, rise to middle speed. Took ca. 20 minutes to blend the whole ingredients. Don't forget to put more high protein flours in the dough and knead it if the gluten hasn't formed yet, or if the dough feels too weak.
• Fermentation process (1 hr; 35 centigrade; incubator).
• Divide the dough into small-40-g-portions.
• Put some pressure to make well-round-shaped-free-air bubbles-40-g-portions.
• Final fermentation (30 minutes; 35 centigrade; incubator).
• Bake fermented-dough (15 minutes; 190/150 centigrade; oven).

I was simply burst into laughter when i took my baked breads from the oven. Look at this and you'll know why i laughed :

 

See? Almost all of my breads were SMILE-SHAPED a.k.a cracked in the middle ;p. Hmmm...i wonder why it happened. I think the whole procedures was just OK. The baking temperature was also fine. Ms. Ferng was also wondering why it can be happened. Or, maybe because of the beta-glucans addition? Dunno. Have to figure out about this MYSTERIOUS CASE ;p. Meanwhile, HWAITING!!! Monday, i'll try to start over again^^.

Btw, speaking about the taste, Wahid, Eti, De' Ajeng, De' Agatha, Hansen and some of my labmates were become my panelists back then. They said that my breads taste good. I don't know whether they said that for the sake of friendship or not (*xixixi), but all in all, i can conclude that an addition of beta-glucan into the bread didn't change the bread's taste.

Note : Errr, but actually Wahid said that my bread was salty. Xixixi. Sssshhhhttt...;p

Becoming President of ISA-NCYU [*whew]

On 28th July, i received a message from Clare, ISA's (Int'l Students Association) instructor's assistant, that i've chosen to become the Vice President of ISA. At that time, i thought..."Well, OK. I only become the Vice President, so it wouldn't cost me anything. The President will handle everything and i just need to back her up". But..hahhahaaa...that silly thought was merely a thought. Although i was chosen as a Vice President, i am actually The President itself. Confused enough? Same here =)). OK, let me break it down. In NCYU, there is no way in the world that a graduate student can be a President of ISA-NCYU. Period. That's the rule. Considering graduate students have rather shorter period of study, that's why the president must be an undergrads. For my case, because i'm a graduate student, OIA needs to "hide" the fact that i'm the real president, thus OIA put the vice president title on me. Hahahaaaaa...no matter what and how, it's just too ridiculous to me. But...what can i say....

Thinking back again about my former former former experiences, most often i always ended up become THE LEADER, ever since i was in elementary school. Well, i have no idea whether those leader-image has been embedded on me nor suit me well, but that's the facts. So, knowing about that upsetting thing happened to me, i was like "here it goes again...".

Started from a few weeks ago, because new students were coming, my hands are getting full. I wish i have some extra hands (plus heads...or bodies T-T). Conducting new students orientation, scheduling those and that meeting, planning this and that festivals, int'l events and everything. I am SUPER-PACKED. Moreover, Mrs. Yang, the instructor of ISA is definitely a PERFECTIONIST. Two words can describe her : STRICT and DISCIPLINE. No space for mistakes (*whew). She even mentioned this : "This year, we have to arrange MORE EVENTS, Bunga. We have to show everyone that ISA is well-maintained and really become int'l students center of activities". Hahahaaa..aa..a..i could only smiled weakly as a response.

Well, since it's already happened, there's no way back. OK, I'LL DO MY BEST!

...بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم