Demi Tanah Air

This whole post is in Indonesian, so sorry to non-Indonesians!

Selamat HUT RI ke-73, semuanya! Kalian upacara kah hari ini? Pakai seragam sekolah terus berbaris sama temen-temen? Jujur aja, akhir-akhir ini sulit rasanya untuk bisa berbangga jadi warga negara Indonesia. Pemerintahan, politik dan, yah, hal-hal lainnya bikin sulit untuk bisa dengan busung dada menyatakan cinta terhadap negeri ini. Standar sensor media yang makin lama makin berlebihan—melebihi akal sehat, medan politik yang terasa seperti area bermain pejabat-pejabat dan orang-orang berkuasa saja dan rakyat yang kerap kali hanya memikirkan kepentingan sendiri, sambil menyalahkan pihak berwajib. Tapi di saat seperti ini, justru kita harus memulai dari diri sendiri. Apa yang sudah kita lakukan untuk Indonesia? Bagaimana kita mengubah negeri ini? Ngga perlu muluk-muluk yang ingin membawa nama Indonesia ke kancah internasional segala. Mulai aja dari hal kecil, hal yang bisa kita lakukan sekarang. Buat apa mikir jauh-jauh untuk berkontribusi atas nama negara, bikin bangga nusa dan bangsa, lewat olahraga/sains/karya seni, kalau hal-hal kecil yang bisa menginspirasi aja kita belum bisa?

Thrifted top + loafers // borrowed pants // Sejauh Mata Memandang scarf // watch c/o Riverdean // Carousell tote bag

Hal itu ngga harus susah kok, lihat aja dari kehidupan kita sehari-hari untuk tanah air yang lebih indah. Aku, contohnya, lagi berusaha diet plastik dan meminimalisir produksi sampah Indonesia. Apa kalian tahu bahwa Indonesia adalah negara ke-2 dengan penggunaan plastik terbanyak? Mungkin kita yang tinggal di kota ngga merasakannya, tapi hal ini bisa sangat berarti untuk rakyat kecil di pulau lain, maupun pinggir sungai. Kalian tahu bahwa sungai Citarum yang di Bandung itu sempat dinamakan sungai terkotor sedunia? Bahkan Bali yang katanya pulau dewata, salah satu pulau terindah di dunia, itu pantai-pantainya sarat dengan sampah plastik. Mungkin video klip ini bisa memberikan suatu gambaran akan hal itu. Lihat deh, musisi luar negeri aja bisa peduli dengan lingkungan kita. Masa kita yang warga Indonesia, yang tinggal di negeri ini sendiri, bisa peduli setan dengan alam sekitar kita? Haruskah kita menunggu sampai kita tenggelam di lautan sampah kita sendiri? Dengan pemikiran ini, aku memutuskan untuk diet plastik dan memaksimalkan penggunaan barang-barang di sekitar kita. Bagaimana dengan kamu?

P.S: You can get 20% off from Riverdean with the code BIVISYANI20

Zero Waste in Indonesia: What, Where and How

For a couple years now, I've been talking about starting a zero-waste lifestyle. In fact, I think it was part of my yearly resolution a while back. However, so far, I've been moving in such a goddamn slow pace and it has yet to become a reality. Until now. The whole #plasticfreejuly situation really piqued my interest, so I started actually researching on zero-waste stores and tools available in Indonesia. After refraining to eat out almost at all, I ended up still having so much money in my account towards the end of last month—okay, not enough to call myself even slightly loaded, but enough to invest on said tools. When I tell my friends this or show them the items, they seem to want to participate but don't really know where to start or how to buy them, so today I thought it would be a great idea to share some of the information I've gathered in the last month on how to live life with a little less negative impact on the environment and how you, too, can start now—even if you do live in Indonesia.

Portfolio + Pants

The other day my friends, Jess and Vivi, and I had the chance to hang out again—as we did last week, if you remember—while checking out the portfolio of our old university friends. We also got to reunite with them after a while and caught up on each other's lives. At the moment, all the way to the 9 August, you can check out my friends' portfolio exhibition at FX Sudirman—including Nadine, Dhira, Ghassa and Vije. Unfortunately, due to my camera's low battery and my forgetfulness—top-notch blogger right here, am I right?—I forgot to take photos of their work. But, if you're interested to see them—and/or looking for designers to hire—you can check out their behance, as linked above. They each offer unique styles and aesthetics, so I'm sure there's something for everyone. We had lunch together the other day—except for Dhira, unfortunately—and exchanged stories from our lives while we haven't seen each other. Afterwards, we went our separate ways and Vivi, Jess and I went to the next mall over to just browse through cute Japanese books, as you do. It was really fun! 

Hand-me-down shirt + purse // Book of Deer skirt // thrifted loafers // photos by Jess and Vivi

Okay, so last week when we hung out, we made plans to wear skirts the next time we saw each other. This was somewhat huge, since Vivi and Jess never wear skirts—at least that I've seen—so I was so excited for it. However, in the end, they both chickened out and ended up going in the same old jeans they always wear, while I rocked this Book of Deer skirt I've been loving for a couple years. Granted, skirts have become a no-big-deal for me today—I actually prefer them to pants nowadays, due to fit and freedom to move around. It would've been really fun to see Vivi and Jess rocking them too, I'm sure they will look really awesome. So, yeah, that's a little story that none of you needs to know, but I told you anyway. Also, I'd like to thank these girls for being such good sports about my photo-taking obsession. They didn't have to indulge me, but they obliged and I'm so, so grateful for that. Thanks, guys!

Mix It Up a Notch: Batik Bolero

If you've been following this blog a while, you might have noticed how much I love batik. Dress, pants, top, jacket, skirt—you name it, I love them all! The most unique and probably one of the oldest batik pieces I've been wearing to this day: it's a bolero. This bolero has been a much beloved item in my wardrobe since maybe 2009-2010. If I'm not mistaken, my Grandma got it for me and my sister once upon a time and I've just been loving it ever since. It's been around for so long, that it was one of the first items of clothing I wore within the first six months of my blogging. It helped that around that time I was obsessed with boleros too. I love its breezy cotton material, its rather neat and classic cut and its subtle mix of various colours. It can really make for a casual look as well as turn up the formality in an outfit. Funny thing is, I haven't actually rocked it all that much on the blog until a few years ago. But just know that they steal the spotlight more times offline ;)

Reka Rupa Rasa

Concept art for the film "Anak Kebo" (lit. translated: Buffalo Boy) by Caravan Studio

Paper art by Sandy Lee, one of Indonesia's illustrators for National Geographics

Last week my friends Jess and Vivi and I visited an illustration exhibition—and art market—at Dia.Lo.Gue. If you're Indonesian, follow design and popculture, you will most likely know about this place. It is both a restaurant and an art space, which often holds exhibitions and workshops. Last week they held the Reka Rupa Rasa exhibition and art market, showcasing works from 13 illustrators, including those from Japan, South Korea and Thailand. The front area showcased various works by a select number of illustrators, including a concept art for an Indonesian movie—which my sister has been dying to watch—and the history of illustration in Indonesia. As you move slowly to the backside, you will be met with interesting activities and interactive displays. There is a small makeshift house with TVs inside, in which you can watch short animated films—including one made by our senior Sherchle. There is also a wall of doodles, where people can contribute with their own drawings, with a supply of markers on the side. Outside in the courtyard, you will finally arrive at the art market, where a number of people sell their work, including merchandise, prints, clothes and food. There are some names I recognise, such as Sukkha Citta, Koola Stuffa, Bernadet Putri—she remembered me!—and Loredanzo.

Hand-me-down top + skirt + purse // thrifted loafers // outfit photos by Jess and Vivi

It was a really fun exhibition to visit, I must say, but there were a few drawbacks that we experienced too. First of all, it was crazy crowded in there. The place was relatively small for so many works to be displayed—plus, the dining area is smack dab in the middle of it all. I'm sure we were bothering the luncheners, but there was really not much we could do to see all the works being displayed. It would've been better to separate the art stuff with the dining area, in my opinion. The interactive displays were really interesting, to be honest, but we completely missed out. For instance, the Wall of Doodle was already entirely covered by doodles. There was also one postcard exchange post, but it's all out of blank postcards already too. (Edit: and, apparently, the event will still go on until August 19th!) The art market area was also rather small, so there were very few tenants. I guess the main focus is the exhibition. After going around for a while, we didn't have any places to hang—even though we initially wanted to chill and order drinks there—so we walked to the nearby poké bowl place, Honu. We spent hours catching up and exchanging laughs, it was so much fun!

P.S: I apologise for my unruly hair. I'm not built to fashion blog after all.