Who Told You You're Allowed to Rain on My Picnic?

This is way overdue but I've just realised how August just flew right by. Three out of four weekends, I was on the move either back or from home. And some weekdays I also explored new grounds. It's been a total blast and I can't believe it's been over a month already. It's been so much fun hanging out with new friends, catching up with old friends, meeting up with a best friend and taking tons of pictures in the process. Real life is starting in a month's time for me and I am just not ready. If only life could be just about going on adventures like this past month. A lot has happened this month: Galuh, Firu's sister, came to Germany and lived with me, we checked out an English phone booth in Germany, we celebrated Eidul Fitr by going to the bowling alley, Firu and I went to the countryside, we (along with our good friends) visited a sunflower field, I met up with my high school best friend, got a visa for 2 years (the lady was really kind!) and, on the last weekend of August, Galuh and I went on a picnic. Oh, how I wish summer could last forever. But now it's time for the leaves to change, for the wheel to turn.

Hand-me-down denim coat (as top) // Pimkie mini tulle skirt // heart-print tights (eBay) // vintage brogues // photos of me by Galuh

On the last weekend of August, Galuh and I went out to the mountains to go on a picnic. We were so determined to do it the day before that we couldn't care less that we had to depart later - because my new roommate came to drop some of his stuff off - and that the sky was getting darker and darker with clouds. We packed our lunch - which wasn't in keeping with the picnic theme - put it in the picnic basket - which became a substitute for a bag to me - and made our way to the peak. We ate lunch and took loads of pictures. Despite our best interests, it rained. By the end of it, we were pretty much drenched - despite the umbrella. I know my outfit is probably not even picnic-friendly what with it being white, somewhat frilly and romantic. But it was actually pretty okay, except for the shoes, which are pretty slippery. It was kind of dangerous to climb up or down the wet slopes. Galuh's outfit didn't really fit the theme either. She got so cold by the end of it that we went to a building to warm up. The picnic was great while it lasted, though. And we both had fun taking pictures in the semi-forest.

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

Last Sunday I made my way to Firu's parents' house to have a bit of a girls' day-turn-evening out. His sister, Galuh, was still in town and his other sister, Mbak Ria, also came to town. Yaay! Galuh - and their youngest brother, Yosi - just came back from Japan the other night and brought some souvenirs. They went to Osaka, Kyoto and Tokyo - in that order. I ask but only for an お守り(Japanese talisman) from any temple she visited. Let's not even go through how obviously jealous I am of their trip. For my part, I brought souvenir - mostly food - from our trip to Surabaya last month. Some of them will make their way to Germany with Galuh to be given - or sent - to Firu. Hope he enjoys them all! That day the female members of Firu's family, including his cousin but excluding his sister-in-law - because she was ill - and niece - because she's a baby, took me out for a really late lunch and some shopping. Shopping as in both sartorial - for Mba Ria's business in Palangkaraya, Kalimantan - and grocery - for Galuh's instant seasonings stock in Germany. So, really, I was just tagging along.

Cotton Club top (old) // hand-me-down skirt + hairband // thrifted loafers // necklace from a convention

I finally got to meet Firu's nephew, which is Mba Ria's son. He is super adorable - more adorable now than a year ago, when Firu visited him - and really active. He's very friendly with people - even in danger of getting easily kidnapped - and incredibly close to Galuh. Also, I got to see Firu's niece again, who I've met twice before. But every time I go home and come back, she doesn't recognise me and the familiarity resets all over again. She is also absolutely adorable, which is almost strange because I usually don't like little girls. I think they're about several months apart in age and they're not very close, maybe due to geographical distance between them on a daily basis. Ah, how I love kids! It's been a while since I had the honour to play with other people's kids. I laugh their no-pretence gestures as well as mimics. Until, of course, I get to have kids of my own, and I will play with them non-stop.

P.S: Sorry for the lack of interesting background! I practically rolled out of bed...

Joe's Superbowling Lounge

Spending Eidul Fitr in Germany isn't as rad as all that. In fact, it kind of sucks. There's no holy feel to the whole day and all we do is get together with some friends, eat whatever we have at home. Two years ago was my only experience of spending such a holy event in Germany but there were free, delicious food. This time I had to wrestle two whole chickens to make a Gulai and Opor out of them. I cooked them while waiting for Firu and his housemate to come home from Eidul prayer, Galuh helped me cook the rice. Then they came home, bringing Dunkin' Donuts. Haha, that's definitely not keeping with the theme! We ate the meal together then, just the four of us. It was kind of sad. A little later that day, a few of our friends came over and we all hung out at home, eating this and that, laughing and playing. Later that evening, minus Firu's housemate, we all went bowling at Joe's Superbowling! It was my first experience bowling in Germany. We had such a blast! Galuh turned out to be very skilled at bowling...and I turned out to suck so bad, I should've just buried myself alive. Our friend, Bang Tian, won the whole match, though. He bowled two strikes in a row! The price was actually cheaper than back home and I would really love to have a go again. I'm seeing a rematch here since our friend, Dendi, seems to want to take it on with Bang Tian. Haha. Call me up if we're playing again, guys!

Batik dress from Solo (gifted by Firu) // Galuh's cardigan (borrowed) // vintage purse + penny loafers // photos of me by Firu + Galuh

Haha, yeah, I know. Who wears a batik dress to go bowling, and a semi-formal-looking one at that? First of all, the bowling thing was a spur-of-the-moment idea. Second of all, it was Eidul Fitr! So wearing something a bit formal isn't out of place. At least Dendi was also wearing batik so we looked like we were heading to a wedding instead of a bowling alley. Haha. But, really, I packed too light and didn't bring anything in keeping with the Eidul Fitri theme so this was the most 'appropriate' ensemble I could come up with. Why am I even making an outfit post out of this again? I think it was Bang Tian who said that I lost (miserably) because I wore the wrong outfit to the alley. Hmm. Let's see if that's true. Next time I'm bringing something more fit for bowling and let's rematch! By the way, the outfit isn't such a huge waste. The next day I put on the same outfit and went to Bochum with Firu and Galuh. We didn't really have any destination except the Indonesian store "Pasar Asia" right by the University. It was a very, very short trip (probably even shorter or less eventful than our trip to Aachen) so I won't be making a post out of it. But maybe next time when we have more of a footing of what we could check out there.

P.S: The last photo on the left is an almost everyday occurrence over at Firu and Visya's household

Please and Thank You!

Let me ask you a question: how many times in a day do you actually say 'please' or 'thank you' or both? Honestly, society these days seem to lack grace in a lot of ways. I've never even noticed how rare those two phrases are until I read Keys to the Kingdom by Garth Nix, where one of the characters said that the main character was so polite and gracious because he still said please and thank you a lot. What people don't realise is how big of a difference a simple "please and thank you" can make. Seriously. Firu and I make a habit of saying 'please' and 'thank you' when need be. We both say as much please whenever we make a request (in a polite tone, of course) and say thank you after it was granted. We both try as much not to say thank you before our request was granted, because it seems to pressurise the recipient of the request to grant it - which, to us, seems like the opposite of politeness. I suppose, please and thank you are two simple ways to acknowledge the equality of other people. I love seeing the smile on people's faces when I say thank you after their acts of kindness. I love the response people give me when I say please at the end of a request. It makes all the difference. On that note, I've just added a few more items to the shop - some of them autumn appropriate, some of them perfect for late summer - so please do come check it out!

Simplicity gingham dress // Atmosphere blazer // hand-me-down bag // unbranded sandals // drugstore bandana // photos by Galuh

Can we just talk about these photos for 5 minutes? Just five minutes. I've been loving having Galuh around. She is just a super friend, wonderful photographer and incredible sister. I'm so glad she ended up staying at my place and really not looking forward to her moving away. I've never been so comfortable in front of a camera before - except maybe when I use self-timer by myself. She never even tells me to relax and be myself. She snaps away and I don't even have to cue her, I can just move naturally. It's so great! I think she's got some of the traits that Firu lacks and vice versa. Firu doesn't like taking my pictures (almost at all, really!) or having his photos taken. Galuh likes both! Which is awesome. We always end up taking at least a picture together and put it on instagram (follow mine here, if you want). I don't have a younger sister so it's been really great hanging out with her. God, I wish she doesn't have to move out (though it would be better for her if she does). I just hope my sister won't be jealous. Haha. Here's a picture of Galuh killing me with probably an anime-like psychic move for the road - I look electrified! We took these pictures, jumping multiple times like some crazy girls. Thank God nobody called the police. Haha.

Throwback Thursday

Let's go back in time, shall we? Don't we all do that on Thursday on instagram anyway? This isn't me trying to get in on the trend, by the way. This was unplanned, if anything else. Okay, so let me explain. These pictures were taken almost 2 years ago in Kassel, I think, the next day after Galuh just arrived in Germany. We came back to my place where she would be staying for a month and unloaded her stuff. The next day, we went straight to exploring. Funny, I thought Galuh would be excited to check out every nook and cranny of this new country she would be staying in for the next few years. And yet, she didn't seem thrilled at all - she just wanted to stay home and do nothing. Well, I guess like brother, like sister, am I right? But it was such a lovely day outside and like hell if I was going to stay cooped up inside all day. So, obviously, I dragged them both out. And that's how we got to these pictures. Aside from the fact that I actually didn't have time to take new outfit photos and happen to have these lying around, I also miss Kassel and, most importantly, these two so much. Ironically, since my absence, they both have been to other countries and places I've never even been to. Huh, how 'bout that?

Cache Cache t-shirt // C&A pants // Typo satchel bag // photos by Firu and Galuh

One of the reasons I didn't post these pictures was that I thought the outfit isn't good enough for the blog. I mean, it's a simple t-shirt and jeans kind of outfit. I thought I would spice it up with wearing bright contrasting colours and lacey detail on the shirt but, afterwards, I still thought it wasn't good enough. Anyway, after 2 years, upon looking back, I realise that it might not be as bad as I thought. Sure, it's still pretty straight forward and run-of-the-mill. But with my own personal touches that not many could recreate. If you were wondering where my hair went, it was pulled back in a ponytail. And if you're wondering why, it was because I had a phase that summer where the majority of the time I thought my hair looked horrid. But, out of fear of having it even more horribly altered, I persevered. It eventually grew longer in a way that I liked but it took a while. Otherwise, I really like how my hair bounces when it's up in a ponytail.

P.S: Galuh took that last photo of Firu and me and I love it so much!

The 8th Wonder