Red is For Safety

Thank God so much it's Friday! Lately I feel really drained thanks to everything. I mean, it's not like a lot has happened but it just seems like it is. With only a 4-day holiday this semester -- 2 of which are weekends, I feel like time moves ever so slowly before I have to do my final exam. I know for most that is probably a good thing. Normally, it'd be a good thing for me too. But I just can see everything at the end of the tunnel: seeing my boyfriend again, exploring more of Germany -- and probably also The Czech Republic, you know, Prague -- and visiting Indonesia for Iedul Fitri. I can already see it although the tunnel just seems so, so very long. But that's just me, randomly rambling.

I just found out today that my class will be going on a field trip to Halle's Museum of Pre- and  Early History next Wednesday to see the Pompeii Exhibition. Truth be told, I have been personally planning on going there myself but haven't really got the chance to actually go. Thank God my teachers decided to arrange this trip for the whole class. Ever since I've read about Pompeii in one of those encyclopedias my Dad loved to get for me and my brother and sister, I've been rather curious about it. I still want to go see the real Pompeii on the flesh but, for now, the exhibition will have to do. On a side note: remember, everyone! Tomorrow is Earth Hour at 08.30-09.30 PM local time! Turn off your lights to show your support for the earth. For an idea on what to do during the hour, check out this post of mine. If you can't do anything big, at least do this. Every little act counts.

Here's what I love most about my style: it's the mix of both my new personality and my old personality. Just like I wrote in my first post, I admit that I wasn't fashionable -- and probably not fashionable still -- but everyone has styles and mine was rather tomboy so it was pretty much shirts and pants. I used to wear cargos too which were men's size -- the only size that used to fit me -- but I don't wear them anymore. I was totally bad at fashion...probably am still. Well, anyway, remember the chiffon dress from this post? I'm wearing it now as a skirt. I've always wanted to try styling a dress this way. The shirt is a simple red long-sleeved from Giordano -- one of my favourite go-to clothing line in Indonesia but there's none in Germany. One of the reasons why I was so confused when I arrived in Germany, not knowing where to shop anymore.

Cheerio!

Fairweather Friend

Halle has been rather mean with the weather. Just when you thought you could finally sunbathe, go on picnics and have days in the sun, it calls up the clouds and the wind and drives you crazy. And it all happens in a snap of fingers too. I mean, yesterday I was suffering from the unbearable heat whilst at a small birthday celebration of my friend, Mimi, and today I was fighting the wind on the way to and from school. And I thought it was going to be warm too so I wore the thin jacket. Wrong outfit much.

Yes, as you can see, I am fat. Probably not as fat as some people but I know I've gained some weight. Ok, I'm not going to be one of those girls who says, "Oh, I'm so fat!" or "I need to lose weight!" or "I'm going on a diet starting now!" I know it's probably shallow to think something like this but, for me at least, being fat equals not healthy. And that frightens me. I'm sure a lot of you also don't want to be fat and every little more fat you have than you realize freaks you out but please don't overdo anything. Go on a diet, do sports, that's fine. It's actually recommended, you know. So long as it's healthy diet and reasonable amount of exercise. Don't be anorexic, please! That's the most important thing. Because a.) it's wasting food -- I hate to sound cliché but you seriously don't know how many people need what you don't want -- and b.) you won't know how much you'd suffer later on. Being thin isn't everything and it's not the only thing that matters. If anything, just try to be healthy.

Back home I once -- well, actually twice -- watched a TV movie on Hallmark called Hunger Point. The story is simple and, frighteningly, rather real. It's about an ordinary american family -- from the outside at least -- who apparently hid a rather huge secret. Their two daughters were pushed to stay thin by their own mother. Ironically enough, the thinner one pushed herself too hard and became anorexic. That drove the family to its breaking point. I recommend people to watch this movie since it's not as frightening as an anorexic movie probably should be but still very real to understand. The best part about Hallmark movies is they're always so touching one way or the other.

Let's talk a little bit about the outfit, shall we? Now the highlight of this outfit is this tee I bought off deviantART on Earth Day last year. Totally worth it! I love how the simplicity of the tee matches the stripes of the cardigan. My one and only deviantART tee, by the way. I know it seems like I'm slacking off with this outfit but that's not what I'm doing. And so what if I am? Well, anyway I have been waiting to show you guys this tee. It's one of my proudest possession.

Look at those cakes! They were the cakes from Mimi's birthday. It was an all-girl party and we spent the whole afternoon gossiping and eating fondue. Extra delish! I only ate salad and a beef ball since the rest is pork but it was really fun! Dan Bai brought too many muffins that were heavenly. She was always good at baking. Anyway here's a little pic of me to send you off on your merry ways. It'll probably cost me some readers -- or all of them -- but it's just me being myself. Because being ordinary is boring.

Cheerio!

Special Edition: Earth Hour 2012 (Don't Wait Up!)

Hey, guys! It's that time of year again apparently. What am I talking about? Easter? Christmas? New Year's Eve? Nope, nope, nope, all wrong. It's once again time for us  to turn off our light to show our support for the earth. Since the first time I saw its commercial on TV in 2009, I have participated in the Earth Hour event every year without fail. Last year I even managed to persuade my housemates to participate with me -- although rather reluctantly. This year is no exception. Had I not read it on their twitter feed, I would probably have missed it though. So that you guys won't miss, I'm writing about it here.

What Is Earth Hour?

First thing's first. Of course you have to know what Earth Hour is before joining. What it is is a global environmental movement rooting at first in Sydney. What was first a city-movement became then a national revolution which then quick as the rain became one of the biggest global environmental movement of the century. I am extremely proud to say that Indonesia -- my homeland -- is one of the participating country since 2009. At first, it was only the capital city, Jakarta, that participated. But this year, my, oh my, other towns and cities decide to join in on the fun.

How Can You Participate?

Prambanan Temple before Earth Hour

Prambanan Temple during Earth Hour

The best part about this movement is how easy it is to participate. Here's what you need to do: turn off all the lights in your home for an hour during the said time. That's it! You don't have to go to campaigns or only eat veggies and such. Although the actual reason of this event is to trigger eco-friendly fire within each of us. Last year, they added another movement called "Going Beyond The Hour" which invites everyone to save energy and turn off lights more often than just the one hour per year we've been doing for years. Such a simple movement, don't you think? If you don't want to do this, at the very least remember to turn off lights when you're not using it. In the meantime, here's an Earth Hour 2011 video that is still one of my most favourite videos on Youtube. I love the fact that they used Sweet Disposition by Temper Trap since a.) the band came from Australia, which is where this event began and b.) the tune and lyrics of this song are inspiring.

And here is the video that got me reeled into the whole event. I still believe such a campaign is very effective. My family and I decided that year to vote for earth. It was a new level of fun for us.

What Can You Do?

Over the years, I have been spending Earth Hour quite dully, truth be told. The first year, I spent it eating dinner with my family, just talking, no TV, no nothing. The second year -- I'm ashamed to admit -- I watched TV because I was alone with my housekeeper at home. The third year I spent surfing the internet with my housemates and cooking dinner. Well, anyway, here are some ideas I came up with:

1. Candle-lit Dinner. This is the perfect opportunity to start up a romantic atmosphere between you and your beloved. Since you turn off the light, candle is a way to go. The great part about this is, romantic dinner usually consume a lot of time which means more earth hours for you. Extra eco points! 
2. Stargazing. For some, this might sound lame. For me, it's a dream. I actually have a little bit of a promise with my lovely to stargaze in the summer once we arrived in Germany. Oh, well, it hasn't happened yet. It is also an opportunity to cherish the little beauties of nature. Besides, those twinkling stars are beautiful, wouldn't you think?
3. Camp-fire Moment. The dimly-lit atmosphere just reminds me of campfire moment. Sure, you probably don't have to make an actual campfire but you can roast marshmallows in a circle with some friends or tell ghost stories or pick up a guitar and sing in unison. Very old-fashioned and randy. You know what the Japanese would do? They'd lit 100 candles, tell ghost stories and blow a candle for every story. I can't guarantee nothing bad will happen though.
4. Be Children. You can return to being children with your loved ones. This is what my sister, my cousin and I used to do in the dark: we built a tent out of chairs and bed sheets and live under it. It was really fun until we got to big for the tent. You can pretend you're in a forest or in a castle or an Indian or something. You can also grab some UNO cards or a board game and play away. Trust me, you'd forget that the lights are out.
5. A Prayer Circle. Here is an option for the religious bunch. You can start a prayer circle. In my house, we usually cook some food, invite some people, sit in a huge circle, say prayers together and chat afterwards. This is what we call hitting two birds with one stone -- although such a horrible metaphor.
6. Join a Local Earth Hour Event. Earth Hour usually has a local official event in every participating country. Probably not all towns and cities have this event. However, if your town does, you can come by and join in. I've never done this and thinking of doing it this year. So if anyone wants to go to Berlin this weekend, let me know. Oh! You can find out where all the events are held by going to this link.

If you need more inspiration on what to do this Earth Hour, you could try checking out these ideas by squidoo. It will also give you the insights on what is eco-friendly and what is not. I hope all of you participate. Trust me, you won't even realize that an hour has passed and suddenly Earth Hour is over. Have fun this Earth Hour, everyone! Join in on the biggest global movement of the century. A little switch off doesn't hurt anybody. Cheerio!

Don't Press Repeat!

Truth be told, I actually wasn't going to post this outfit today but I thought, what the heck. Bad news first: I didn't make the cut for the art school. It was my first experience to an 'audition' to an art school. Painful as it was, I appreciate a little bit of the experience that I gathered. They only took a handful of people -- blown out of proportion -- and a lot got cut off. I'm pretty sure those who got accepted are highly exceptional. Congrats are in order for these talented fellows.

I spent my weekend slumping at home, working non-stop on my portfolio pieces. Even so, I must say, I know I didn't do my best. So I can understand this rejection. My beloved said, "The juries are stupid for not accepting you." Thanks, my love! ♥ Now I resolve to draw everyday since tomorrow on. I will start sketching and finish it all up on the weekends. I will probably post it online either on my deviantART gallery or my tumblr gallery. So stay tuned!

 The reason I wasn't going to post this outfit is...it's basically the same idea as this one, only I changed the top and added socks and belt to the equation. There's actually a little more to it than that. The way I wear the vest is different than I did before. I tied the ribbon at the back and added a belt instead. I think the blouse gave it a more formal touch while the vest and skirt make it more playful and friendly. I was going to introduce this as that outfit I wore to my first art interview but my, oh, my.

I took a little tour with my trusty Canon Powershot after picking up my huge portfolio. The area around campus was simply marvelous and very antique. I really, really loved it! Maybe I'll come for a visit around that region to take some photos. I think the biggest river in the city is also located nearby. Surely, one must check it out. In the mean time, enjoy this photograph of an antique hospital. It's still in use, just so you know. I love the how there's a person in front of it, gives it more life, don't you think? Hope you guys had a nice Monday. Cheerio!

Life Lessons

Hello, everyone! It has been three days since the last time I posted anything. God, it feels good to be freed from the blogging world for a while. Not that I hate it but I have other more oppressing priorities , you know. My portfolio is almost done and my heart beats real hard for the entrance exam on Monday. Oh, God, please do pray for me. In the mean time, I've decided to take a much deserved break from portfolio-making.

Truth be told, I have been searching for a matching outfit elements for this skirt. I tried to mix and match it with other outfits and it just came out with impressions that are just cliché. I wore this to school yesterday and my friends recognized it and praised me for it. Why, thank you. The tee in particular is my favourite because a.) I got it for free, b.) it is a symbol for my membership at the WWF Jugend -- although, truth be told, I haven't done much anything to show for it -- and c.) it's bio-cotton and fair-trade! Check out armed angels! Their business is not just great, it's also for a good cause.

I love this blazer coat by Marks & Spencer. First of all, I love the button design. It looks absolutely official and classy -- I feel like a vice president of some firm. The pattern lining the bottom of the blazer is why I fell in love with it. Oh! And the cuff! I was so in love with this type of cuffs when I bought it. Well, even now actually. I used to be too fat to button it up real nice and wear it the way it's supposed to be worn. Now it fits me nicely. I love it!

This week has been about life lessons. Death came by to say 'hi!' to a student in my college. He got hit by a tram and trampled over by it. It was plain tragic and heartbreaking. First thing's first, all the students in my college are foreigners, including this one too. Imagine how his parents might feel, sending their kid abroad to study, not war, and got a knock on the door, a man telling them their son is dead. Everything is simply chaotic since then. All the Moroccans -- since he was one -- cried and mourned deeply. It was all rather touching and very emotional. The campus became rather gloomy since then, especially since the incident happened in the nearest tram stop to the campus. Here's the life lesson: 1.) Don't think you're going to live forever, 2.) Use your time wisely, you don't know when it'd end and 3.) Always be careful! Do not take these instructions as a joke. You don't know what might happen to you. Well, anyway, don't let me scare you off and ruin your weekend. Have a nice one!

Just Before Class

Good morning, everybody! This morning I have a spare few minutes before I have to go to class. So I thought to post this outfit post, whose photos I took yesterday. It's starting to get warm around here. It's one of those annoying moments where winter is over and summer is starting. Will there never be spring this year?

My portfolio is going well. I just printed some works yesterday. Since last Friday, I've decided to go on more dates with my favourite camera. Dragging the huge portfolio folders around isn't making it easy, though so I didn't take that many photos. But it was really refreshing. Highly recommended to all people with cameras who are feeling rather down in the dump. You'll feel better, trust me.

I didn't take a photo of these shoes yesterday so I used the one I took weeks ago

Although it gets warm at times, sometimes it's still rather chilly -- with strong sun, dammit. That is why I'm wearing tights and jacket in this last photo. It's a rather nice opportunity to hide my earphone cables underneath the jacket. Oh, and there's a little peek of my portfolio folder. People totally stared at me while I dragged that thing around town. And I thought, "This is what being an art student will feel like."

All right then, I'm off to class. Have a nice Tuesday, everyone! Have a blast!

A Whirlwindy Week

Normally I don't do weekly wrap-ups but since last week has been a really eventful one, I thought I might write a little something to remind myself in the future or something. It was eventful, no doubt, although not really in a good way, and also rather exhausting. So here to all my efforts!

Monday

I was wearing this lacey black dress with warm white tights when I picked up my brand new and beloved Inkling. It was a real adventure! A walking trip of 1,5 km tore my soles off. But my faith in humanity was restored that day when the branch chief of UPS -- which I just assumed from his outfit -- offered to give me and my friend a ride to the nearest train station -- which was more than we could've asked for. This day was extra exhausting.

Tuesday

This was the day I first tried out my Inkling. And in celebration of this item, I featured 4 amazing illustrators this day -- one of which came from Indonesia and another one of them praised my artwork. I love their beautiful artwork and creative ideas! My teacher told me about a pop quiz for the next day and...I had to study that night...after an overtime at school.

Wednesday & Thursday

My beloved moved to another flat on Wednesday. There he doesn't have any internet and it gets really hard to contact him. To be quite honest, I hate it that he moved. But life goes on. I didn't post a blog at all that day. Too exhausting. On Thursday I wore this blue bohemian ensemble. Yet another overtime schedule at school...I could barely survive the last few hours of it. I went to renew my student ID with my friend and bought 20 chicken nuggets for dinner, tomorrow's breakfast, and lunch.

Friday

This was a rather relaxing day. I just couldn't wait for the weekend already, I could just relax all day. Anyway, I decided to take a tour of my own city with my beloved camera that day --  taking pics of old buildings and alleyways. I found a rather adorable craft store and a small boutique. I didn't have the guts to walk into either of them.

Saturday

Now we get to the day of the book fair and the Leipzig trip. This one was rather breathtaking -- literally. I wore a rose-patterned dress layered with batik bolero here. All I can say is, it was exhausting and is still fresh in my mind. Today is Sunday and nothing eventful happened, go figures. The art school entrance exam is in about a week. I am stressed out right now. So, uhh, hope you guys have enough energy to face next week!

Roses Are White, Batiks Are Tight

Just like I said the other day, I went to Leipzig Book Fair today! And, just as I thought, it was really EXHAUSTING. From the moment I departed from Halle, I could already see many cosplayers in the train. They all dressed up as many different characters. I love their outfits! How I missed cosplayers and anime thingamajig. It was extra crowded, by the way. I could barely breathe and became lightheaded. But I saw a lot of very adorable merchandise and I could just snatch all of them, had I had the money. Too bad, I didn't.

Funny, really, how it was still very chilly two days ago and yesterday...BAM! It turned into summer in a heartbeat. Today was no different. It was really, really blazing. That is why I put this ensemble of an outfit today. I love how the rose pattern goes perfectly well with the batik bolero! A little story about them. The batik bolero was some kind souvenir my sister brought back from her trip to Surabaya. She bought a matching one for herself. Thanks so much, sis! Let's wear it together sometime! The rose-patterned dress is actually a night gown by C&A, which my beloved picked out for me this one time when we went shopping together. I love the comfy fabric, suitable both for hot and cold weather.

Atika and I didn't last long in the book fair so, after around 2 hours, we went out to grab a bite to eat. We could've fainted inside with the lack of supply of air and the walking around. After that we just went round and round in circles in the city, looking through stores and the streets. The last time we were there, it was a winter wonderland so it was really refreshing to see Leipzig in the sun. We managed to visit Bach in the Thomas Church sometime this afternoon -- and just in time to hear the choir practice too! If it wasn't for Zahra, I wouldn't've heard about his grave being there. Now I got to take a pic of me and Bach hanging out. His is my most favourite musician's story.

And this is just A TENTH of how crowded this place was!

Oh, look! There's bubble tea in my hand, yum!

Things to look forward to right now: Easter! I'm planning on crashing Weimar with the lovely Zahra this easter holiday. I can't wait! Since a classmate of mine made a presentation about it in class last month, I've been craving for some Weimar-time! Anna Amalia Library, here I come! For now, Bach and I wish all of you an epic weekend! Cheerio!

Stuck In My Mind: To Be With You (The Honey Trees)

Finding out new talented artists is one of my favourite things. It's not until my best friend, Gina, pointed out to me did I notice that I'm an anti-mainstream kind of person. Well, anyway, here is a whimsical band I figured out a couple months ago. This is the first song of them that I knew and I bought it off iTunes right away. This video is very creative and beautiful. I love treasure-hunting! The idea of finding the treasure map in a book store/library is also a plus ♥ The shooting mode they used also makes it more vintage and warm. Too bad most non-mainstream singers out there can barely make a video for their songs -- budgetwise. Their songs are usually very enjoyable.

Bohemian Rhapsody in Blue

This week has been one hell of a whirlwind. Thank God it's almost over. Although this weekend I plan to go to Leipzig and attend the Book Fair there, again with Atika and maybe Aqbas. Such a shame, Saturday's my 20th monthversary with my beloved. Well, anyway I shot these photos as soon as I got home from school. Can you see my drowsy eyes? I was totally beat today.

Some good news: Remember my previous post? Two things happened after that that make me happy. One. I figured out that minitreehouse is, indeed, an Indonesian. Originally from Bandung. I cannot believe someone that talented comes from the same country as I am. Wow! Two. I emailed Laumiline a few weeks back about the portfolio I need to apply to art schools and she wrote me back yesterday, giving me all these helpful tips. So I wrote her back, telling her about her feature on my blog post and other questions. She wrote me back today and she told me how she loved my artwork! Oh my God, super excited and extra flattered! It got me through the last few hours of my class. Couldn't stop smiling.

Oh! By the way! This is the perfect opportunity to share with you about Earth Hour. Do not forget to take part this year on the biggest and least costing global movement of the century! It's as easy as turning off the lights in your house for an hour, just an hour, the earth's not asking for too much. Building up to the date, I'll probably be posting some tips on what you can do on the D-night. Meanwhile, here's a little pic to help you remember.

The Details

Detail #1: This pair of ballerina shoes from Tracce. I have shown you this many times before, right? I really love this pair. One, it makes me look like a real ballerina -- which I wanted to be when I was 8 but never came through. Two, it goes with everything and real flexible.

Detail #2: A beautiful gypsy-like quilt-skirt from Tanah Abang, a shopping district in Jakarta, Indonesia. You've seen this skirt before, I've shown it to you in this post. I love the floral and cloud pattern, making it perfectly perfect for spring. My sister has the same one, only in darker colour. I like hers quite a lot too. She doesn't seem to think so.

Detail #3: Introducing my very first Threadless tee! I am very proud and attached to this one. I love this design! "If On A Winter's Night Young Lovers." Having a tee that looks like the night sky makes me feel magical and rather mysterious.