The Night Before Monday

It’s Sunday night and I’ve finished listing down my to-do list for next week. So, I thought I will write here before midnight greets. It’s been quite a while for the obvious Random Round-Up, so here it comes again.

Every single year, I always want to add more books to the rack but I’m completely aware of my limited budget to do so. Foreign books nowadays cost around IDR 150.000 – IDR 400.000, so I always prefer to get the Indonesian translated version because it’s way cheaper. I can’t read an e-book, because my work is related closely to my laptop and I want to limit my interaction to electronic screen. Besides, the only devices I can use to read an e-book are my laptop and phone. The screen size is either too big or too small, which make both uncomfortable to use. But last week, I found this promo from Gramedia website. Paket Merdeka gives the opportunity to buy a bundle of books according to a genre which features 1 best seller book and 4 mystery books. There’s also a Mystery Blind Bundle which include 5 mystery books from various genre.

The concept itself is not completely new, POST has been organized a couple of Blind Date with A Book events, where the customer buys a book without knowing what the title is. But I think it’s a fresh approach for Gramedia and a nice way to clean up their inventory :P I choose Paket Sastra 2 and though I just started reading them, I’m totally satisfied with all of my books :3

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Here Right Now

Growing up in this era, sometimes made me confused which values I should hold onto more. My circle of friends is getting older in terms of age. They should be in the late 20s or starting their 30s. Some of them gained a new circle and become a clique. Some stays, convince themselves that they stay in the loop by saying hello in the chat room every two weeks, or a month. It’s a surprise that a friend just hops from another company to another, some started their own YouTube channels, some just stop running and trying to settle with their routine.

The trend always comes and goes. There was a time when travelling becomes a thing (or always a thing), then coffee tasting (or cafe hopping), then marriage preparation and parenting method seminar (which make the singles become so sick of hearing it), and then financial awareness (suddenly everyone is about to invest, in something they don’t understand but trying so hard to understand). Is it really a trend or is it just a phase of growing up?

I sometimes wonder what they talk at home. When the TV is turned off and the light dimmed down. With their spouses or with themselves, within the walls between their beds. Family-related issue? Politics? The newest gossips in town? The new tips in finance? The meaning of life? Or simply, nothing? I know that life is already tiring as it is.

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The Other Skincare Routine

Beberapa waktu yang lalu, saya sempat berbagi tentang skincare routine yang saya gunakan. Di post tersebut, saya menganjurkan bahwa kalau punya teman/saudara yang berjenis kulit sama, kita bisa share skincare supaya lebih hemat. Nah, karena sejak bulan Maret kemarin saya pindah ke rumah baru dan tidak lagi tinggal bersama kakak, saya tidak bisa lagi share essence dan serum favorit. Akhirnya sayapun memutuskan untuk membeli 1 set skincare routine baru menggantikan beberapa produk yang memang sudah habis. Kali ini, saya mencoba merek Cosrx.

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Lenyap Ditelan Warna

Ketika masih duduk di bangku SMP, saya terobsesi dengan segala hal tentang Jepang. Mulai dari anime, manga, dan kebudayaan Jepang. Biaya penggunaan internet masih sangat mahal saat itu. Ada suatu ketika di mana saya melambungkan tagihan telepon rumah sehingga orang tua saya melarang saya menggunakan komputer. Tapi di antara puluhan manga scan dan fanfiction, di antara berita-berita absurd seputar Jepang, untuk pertama kalinya saya melihat sebuah ruangan putih yang lenyap ditelan warna.

The Obliteration Room yang merupakan karya Yayoi Kusama dipamerkan pertama kali di Queensland Art Gallery pada tahun 2002. Saya bahkan tidak ingat siapa seniman yang sedang dibicarakan, tapi saya merasakan sesuatu yang baru. Melihat bagaimana manusia bereaksi pada sesuatu merupakan hal yang menarik bagi saya sejak kecil. Sehingga melihat ruangan dimana barang-barang rumah tangga dicat serupa untuk kemudian ‘dilenyapkan’ dalam timbunan bulatan warna-warni adalah suatu hal yang merangsang rasa keingintahuan saya.

Pengetahuan saya tentang Kusama maupun karya-karyanya tumbuh seiring waktu. Labu raksasa, bintik-bintik kuning, bola-bola perak, ruangan gelap yang bersinar warna-warni. Dan suatu ketika, karya Kusama terus menerus muncul di halaman muka media sosial yang saya miliki. Saya melihat antrian panjang dan bagaimana orang-orang berfoto di depan karya Kusama. Mereka menempelkan bulatan warna-warni di wajahnya, di depan ruangan putih dan barang-barang rumah tangga yang dicat putih. Ruangan yang sama dengan ruangan yang pernah saya lihat di depan layar tabung di suatu kamar gelap di suatu sore. Ruangan putih yang lenyap ditelan warna.

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More Things Ahead

A lot of things happened in Ramadhan this year. I unconsciously wrote something on the Notes of my phone and only realized I wrote it recently. I thought it will be a waste not to record it here because I think I’m being honest with my words. I personally always love this kind of writing the most :3

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It’s always felt good to tick off some to-do lists before the holiday greets (though I don’t familiarize myself with the concept of the holiday anymore). Ramadhan flies so fast this year, a lot of things to do and a lot of stuff to accomplish. I don’t even know how I can get through, but when I’m looking back to the stuff I’ve done I’ve always reminded myself: human are made to accomplish something that seemed impossible. I’m grateful though that I kept busy for the month, scrapping anything left for the better tomorrow. Pile of works and busy days are always considered blessings.

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