I accidentally stumbled upon an Instagram post about TedxMlatiWomen some time ago (there is good in mindlessly scrolling my Instagram feed after all, although this is definitely not recommended on a daily basis!) with the theme “Rewrite the Rules”. The first ever Tedx event to be held in Yogyakarta. I wanted to be part of it.
I immediately signed up and after waiting for a few days, I finally got my ticket. I went alone, knowing that if I waited/asked for friends to come, I would end up not going. I was a little nervous going alone, but this opportunity doesn’t come twice so I just went with it.
Ever since I started working, weekends have been used solely for the purpose of lazing around and gathering up energy for the next week. It isn’t easy being back to work after years of being absence. Whenever I get too intense or tired at work, I just don’t have the energy to go out during the weekends which is why I prefer to stay at home, read books and watch my favourite series while sipping home brewed coffee.
While this is OK for some weekends, sometimes there is this urge to go out with a friend, simply sit at a cafe or at least do something (that doesn’t involve a lot of energy!). So last weekend, I found that there was going to a French Film Festival in my hometown.
You know those subscriptions e-mails that you hardly ever read? Well for some unknown reason I decided to open an e-mail from IFI, Institut Français d’Indonésie. And lo and behold! It was an information on this film festival. I immediately decided that I would go, whether someone would come with me or not.
I decided to ask Firsta, and she excitedly agreed to come with me. We decided to come an hour early just in case we had to “fight” to get a seat. It turned out when I arrived first at IFI and the gate was still closed, there seemed to be no one but a caretaker. I asked him about the film festival and he simply shrugged to say that the place is closed on a Saturday and there was nothing planned except for an organic market in an hour time. Here I was ready to socialize on a weekend only to find myself being turned down at the first try. Since I couldn’t get in and Firsta was still on her way, I managed to find a spot under a tree (Yogya was so hot that day!) and tried to calm my disappointment.
Not long after that, Firsta arrived, her calm and collected self made me feel a little better. She suggested we wait inside a nearby cafe and try again in 45 minutes. We had cakes and chatted a little, it was nice that we got some time to chat.
After 45 minutes and hoping, the gate was finally opened and the caretaker beamed at us saying “Ah you were right! There is a film festival after all!”. There were already some people arriving, we got our tickets and waited to be called inside.
There is a small theatre inside IFI, I have been there once to watch a piano concert. The place is also perfect for a little cinema set up. We watched a movie called Victoria, about a woman who has a thriving career, a complicated love life and an opportunist of an ex-husband. She accepted a case from a friend of hers and during the course of this case she had to deal with her mental health. It was such a great movie and we both enjoyed it. I would recommend it to you too!
There were two more movies lined up for the day but my energy was already spent for one. Firsta and I said our see you laters and we both head home.
What a lovely weekend! These days, it is really easy for me to shut myself off from people and just cave into my own private hole at home. Doing so has of course done good for me but sometimes it is good to go out and be with people who are positive and able to appreciate the same things as you.
In February I started working part-time at my university. It was a little frightening because I haven’t had much social interactions and “working” sounds like a daunting task especially since I was used to being at home. I was previously hired as a freelance staff so I already know the people I work with but coming to an actual working place is quite different than sitting at home. I was terrified of course, mostly because of my physical constraints (and I could not help but shudder at the thought of virus and bacteria running around the campus haha!). However, the people that I work with understand my condition and have been kind and helpful to me.
Up until now, I am still adjusting to working. I have flexible hours which is great but often I get extremely exhausted. While I know this is normal, sometimes it scares me and I start overthinking. However, the most important thing is that I enjoy it and being in a campus environment really helps me ignite my passion for learning again. So when I saw that CRCS (Centre for Religious and Cross-cultural Studies) of UGM opened two intercession courses for its students and the public in July, I was intrigued. I read that the programme was basically a “summer” programme so it only lasted 5 weeks with 10 meetings, twice a week.
This post was originally written for my old travel blog Dream Explore Wander.
Just incase you didn’t know. I am in love with Portugal. I don’t know why I didn’t come sooner to this stunning country where the food is just amazing, the people are as warm as the summer sun and the scenery makes me breathless.
And to add, Portugal is just full of treasures. By treasures here I mean art treasures, or better known as street arts. I love a decent street art that adds beauty in a place. I love it when they are painted in bright colours and contain bold statements.
This post was originally written for my old travel blog Dream Explore Wander. Champs-Elysées is one of the most crowded streets in Paris. Always bustling with people shopping, eating and strolling around. Frankly speaking, it is not my favourite street as I’m always squashed between people carrying huge Louis Vuitton bags – but it is […]
Long before cancer and all that, I had always been very self conscious about my body. I was never confident with my body and had always been the fat friend. Before I knew I had cancer, my weight dropped drastically. I didn’t know it was because I was sick, I was of course delighted and when I took some pictures of my “new” body, friends took their time to compliment me, saying how much prettier I look now that I’ve lost some weight. Finally, I was not the fat girl anymore.
When I found out it was because of cancer, well, my world came spiralling down. I lost so much weight that I was stick thin, that even a size S was too large for me.
This is an old post, originally written for my old travel blog Dream Explore Wander.
I am not a big fan of beaches. I grew up in Yogyakarta, only an hour away from some nice beaches, yes a contradiction. However, these beaches are barely swimmable as they are located in the south and the south sea is known for its vicious waves hence swimming isn’t recommended.
Also, I remember when I was a kid, I went to one of the “friendlier” beaches and during my stay there I heard a news of a young, married couple who were dragged by the waves into the sea. It was a pretty scary experience as you can imagine.
