Daughter of a Gun

Mix It Up a Notch: Backless Tan Midi

One of my current favourite items in my wardrobe! It was two years ago when I stumbled upon this dress almost serendipitously and it felt like destiny to be able to purchase it—it has gone under serious discount, I believe. It is the only fully backless dress I've ever owned. I used to think wearing backless items means seriously asking to be literally stabbed from the back—you're just so vulnerable back there!—but I can't help but to fall in love with this one. I love the silhouette very much—almost reminiscent of Victorian-era maids or The Sound of Music. When I first bought it, I knew straight away it would be nice to wear on a picnic somewhere—most likely in the woods, where no one would stare at your bare back the whole time. The skirt in particular is very much to my liking, what with being semi-pleated and flows really nicely. The ribbon detail on the front is also lovely, although with almost no purpose at all. The chest area is padded too, which makes it so much easier to wear. Maybe one day I'll wear it on its own and actually take it on that picnic.

25 Before 26

Oh wow, not gonna lie, I am quite terrified by how quickly time passes. It's so unreal that I'm almost over the mid-twenties threshold already. I swear sometimes it still feels like I'm 17, barely legal to lease an apartment—or anything else, for that matter. Since last year's list went down so well, I was determined to make this list something I could execute no matter my life situation. The kids these days would call this the "adulting" list—the very same people who would refer to themselves as "millennials." It consists of financial challenges, lifestyle challenges and practically nothing adventurous, to be honest. But, as I learnt in last year's list, adventure requires money, no matter how small. And I just can't be sure if I'd have some to spare in the coming year. So here's to a little boring list, but a lot of learning and investing in the future.

1. Read all the Harry Potter series

Yep, that's right: I've never read the Harry Potter series—despite having all seven volumes from the start. It just never appealed to me somehow. When I was little, it also seemed to be a rule that I hate what my sister loves, so Harry Potter was my sister's thing. I tried reading the seventh book when it just came out, but could only go so far as the forest part—which, at the time, I found so boring, so I ditched the book. I'd like to try it out now, because I just discovered that the books are so much more interesting than the film.

2. Start meal planning every week

I've kind of started doing this sometime last month, because I wanted to start paying attention to what I put in my body. But, since I'm actually still living with my parents—which is actually not that unusual in this country—and the kitchen is like a sacred place for my Stepmom, I can't always make my own meals. Also, let's be honest, I just ain't got no time for that. So, instead, I thought I'd just plan all my breakfast every week—and quite possibly lunch as well for all my Meatless Mondays. Umm...yup, I'm still doing that!

3. Design merchandise and start selling them online

Haha yeah, it's a mandatory for my birthday lists now, I suppose. I'm still interested in selling my Inktober from 2016, if anyone's particularly interested. But aside from that I might make other things that are, err, interesting. I'll probably start with fanart first, because they are easier to relate to for the greater public. I don't know, what do you think is a good merchandise idea? Help me!

4. Come up with a consistent workout regime

Still singing the same old song, aren't I? I've been watching some vloggers who are always happily going to the gym or working out, so it's got me quite pumped. Also, I'm so inspired by Tieka of Selective Potential to have a workout routine and lose some weight, to fit into all my clothes again. My goal is also to get my biceps back, because they've gone slack lately and I'm very sad. Maybe I'll join a gym like some of my friends, get a trainer to get me on track and see what happens. Well, we'll see (my financial situation).

5. Set a monthly budget

Speaking of finances, this is such an exciting one for me! I should probably have done this a long time ago, but now I feel like I'm at a place where my financial condition is good enough for me to do it, without having to sell an organ or something to accomplish this. Lately, I've also been watching some videos by The Financial Diet, to help me start this whole shebang. I'm so excited to see how much of a difference it makes and how long I could stick by it. 

6. Set aside time to work on personal projects

Ever since I set up my art instagram account, I've been really pumped with creating more illustrations—maybe it's the Inktober atmosphere too—so I really want to create more personal works to post there. I've also gotten quite a lot of support from various people there, so I'm very motivated to create some more. In the past, my personal pieces have been the biggest source of my pride. I really want to go back to that exciting feeling of creating something I love.

7. Create a weekly schedule (and stick to it!)

Time management is an ongoing issue in my life. It is not unusual for me to rush through work, to reach the deadline. In the end, I always say things like "I don't have time to (work out/tidy my room/help out around the house)," which really sucks, because I know I need to do those things—and most people would have time to do them. Hopefully, with a weekly schedule, my life will be better organised.

8. Take time to take care of my tools and space

Now, with the schedule, hopefully I'll be able to do this as well. Lately, I've noticed that my camera has been going haywire—sometimes the lens won't connect even though it's attached or the card can't be read even though it's inside—and I'm starting to get worried it will break for good. Aside from that, my laptop gives me a scare too, from time to time—and it's not still going on credit too! So I'll definitely need to better care for them in the future.

9. Only buy books from my to-read list

My biggest weakness is a giant book sale. When I know a bookstore gives out major discounts, whether or not I wanted to read them in the past, I'll most likely buy loads of books. Sure, I find various interesting and underrated books this way, but it's not doing my wallet any favours. Plus, the to-read list on my Goodreads remain untouched. Wouldn't it be more satisfying if, during those sales, I buy just the books I've been eyeing for a while? Talking about killing two birds with one stone.

10. Try growing edible plants

Something I've been meaning to do since I was still in Kassel. I thought it would be great to grow my own lemons—or at least some kind of seasonings. So far, the only edible plants we have is aloe vera—and we rarely ever harvest it—and we also used to have pandan trees, but we harvest from it so much, we need to buy a new one. Someone gave me some tips on gardening a few months back, so I might check that out again soon.

11. Do more volunteer work!

A repeat from 23 Before 24 list.

12. Make my own snacks

To go along with the meal-planning and zero-waste situation, I thought I should also try to make my own snacks. Maybe something like cookies, to start off. It would save a lot of money, cut back waste in terms of packaging and control my nutritional intake better. No more pre-packaged preservative-drenched junk food from the supermarket! At least, that's the idea.

13. DIY Household stuff as much as possible

I don't know how much I can do, but I hope I'll be able to do loads with used jars and/or boxes.

14. Practice going out of my illustration's comfort zone

Recently, I've been told that, although my style is eye-catching and certainly shows talent, it looks quite boring, because I use the "obvious" colour palette all the time. I rarely ever experiment, especially in terms of colour, and people can clearly see that. I've been too comfortable with the colours that I know, colours that are "safe." I need to get out of that comfort zone and experiment more with various colours that I wouldn't have thought would look good together. That is the start, anyway.

15. Invest on blogging materials

Although I've been blogging for almost 6 years now, I've almost never bought things for the blog. I think a DSLR camera and a cutting board are the only things I've ever purchased, with this blog in mind. I use backdrops that are available to me—which doesn't always look good—and do nothing to enhance my flatlays and photographs. I want to start paying attention to items that I might need to improve the look of my shots. Or, you know, a simple tripod.

16. Learn how to design a blog from scratch

In case you didn't know, whenever I say I "designed" my blog, the most I did was create a background image/header and rearrange the sidebars and widgets. Nothing groundbreaking, if even interesting. This year I am determined to find out how to really revolutionise my blog from scratch. I'm thinking of hitting up Skillshare and see what they've got to offer.

17. Participate in Fanart Friday at least once a month

A couple years ago, when I found out about Fanart Friday, I was so thrilled and determined to join as much as I can. But, after uploading three pieces, I stopped doing it. Now I'm pumped to try drawing some of my favourite characters again as an homage to the creators. I can already think of several artists I'd like to make a tribute to, but if you have any recommendations/requests, let me know!

18. Take one photo a day (and organise in a folder!)

Never tried this one before. I need to see the good in the small things, because I can slowly feel myself being a grumpy bitch again. Also, I'd like to remember what my life used to look like when I was 25, you know.

19. Discover new places/events to visit

Actually wrote this down because I was running out of ideas. It's a no-brainer for me; I would do it anyway, goals list or no goals list.

20. Watch all Wes Anderson/Satoshi Kon films

Two of my favourite directors of all time, but I haven't seen all of their creations, so I'd like to see more. But, watching all the movies from both of them might be a little too overwhelming, so I decided to do either. It's almost funny that they have very different styles in directing and the subject matter they tend to tackle are polar opposites. This should be fun!

21. Create an illustration for every "holiday" of my choosing

Paying a tribute to my favourite "holidays" have always been something I'd like to do. I say "holiday," because I'd like to do one for, like, "Ocean Day" or "Book Day" or something similar. They're not really holidays, but I don't know what to call them exactly (lol). They're quite underrated, so it'd be nice to give them some love. I'd probably start doing this in 2018, though.

22. Have the courage to criticise people's misconduct in public 

Often in public I see people littering or cutting queue lines, and I hate that! But I usually just let them slide, because I can't find the guts to scold them to their face. Usually, if someone cuts the line behind me, I would tell them not to, because person X was already behind me before he/she was. Or I would record what they did and post it on social media—not showing any face or calling names, though—just to vent. I think it's time I really try to tell them straight off, because they really shouldn't think it's okay to condone such behaviours.

23. Organise my working space

My working space is a hot mess. Nuff said.

24. Print my own pattern on fabric (and have them tailored!)

Recently, I found Zalmon Fabric, a local fabric-printing company that prints strictly on natural and organic cottons. When I looked up the prices, they weren't that expensive too, and the results look really amazing and envying. I'd love to have one—or a few—of my own and have my own version of ethical clothing. Wouldn't that be amazing?

25. Develop (and publish) at least one of my stories

Over the years—since before I even hit puberty—I've been making various stories, some of which have been turned into amateur comic books and some others can only be found in my head. I thought I should seriously develop one of these stories and share them with the greater public. Maybe in the form of a webcomic? Or a simple series on my instagram? Ah, who knows.

Officially Quarter Life

Last Friday was my birthday—and it's my 25th too! Birthdays have always been particularly hard for me, for some reason. For as long as I could remember, they have almost always succeeded in disappointing me one way or another. I always expect people to know and give me birthday wishes, despite the fact that I never flat out tell them when it is. I've tried various ways to handle it—sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't—but somehow I almost always end up crying in the bathroom anyway. The worst part is I've never been one of those people who could just forget their birthday—I would either be dreading or excited for the day. So, after last year's, err...tiny debacle, I guess, I decided to just do something by myself that has absolutely nothing to do with my birthday, which is a tea workshop on campus. I absolutely love tea and it's a great way to acquire credits for my studies, so I figured why not? Before the workshop, I decided to while away on one of the countless balconies on campus to snap these shots myself. Ahh, what better way to spend a birthday than some alone time like in the good ol' days, am I right? The workshop was really interesting and I tasted tea like never before too. I ended up having more fun than I was prepared for.

Vintage dress // swapped cardigan // hand-me-down purse // thrifted loafers

This birthday I felt so very loved. On the day, I woke up feeling shitty, but at dinner my sister surprised me with a loaf of my favourite Doré by LeTAO cheesecake and my Stepmom made my favourite mushroom fritters. Quite a number of my family and friends (and my sister's) wished me a happy birthday. Also, you guys, thank you for the lovely birthday wishes! The next day, my sister and I joined the Saturday Sketch Club event with Tomodachi Studio and Diela Maharanie. Everyone was so friendly and warm, the ambience was very peaceful and it was creatively stimulating. I'm so happy to be able to see Kak Kemas again and finally meet Ikhwan in the flesh—I wouldn't say we've been friends for a while, but I've interviewed them both before that somewhat started our online, err, acquaintanceship. My characters also got some love during the event, which melts my heart. Lastly, I just realised how much love I've received on my art instagram, especially from illustrators I admire. So chuffed! I know I can be quite ungrateful and spoiled, most of the time, but I'm super happy and honoured that you all stick by me. Thank you!

24 Before 25 List - RECAP

Hey, guys, guess what? It's my birthday! I know I say this every year, but—seriously—twenty-effin'-five?!? That can't be right! Unlike last year, I honestly didn't feel like this year flew by just like that. Various things happened—exciting things, good things, bad things—and they just make the year feel like it stretches on and on and on. But I still can't believe that I'm literally hitting my mid 20s now. There are various things that I thought I'd have accomplished or done by this point. I thought I would get my master's degree by now; I thought I would be getting married by now. But that hasn't happened—who knows if I would be married by next year, though—and, you know what, I'm completely fine with that actually. Life hasn't worked according to plan for me at all, but it's better than it ought to be, given the circumstances. Anyway, you can see last year's full list here. It's been really great and I'm so excited to share this with all of you.

1. Finish all the YA series I followed

First off and already a disclaimer: I didn't actually finish all the series that I used to follow—or even, necessarily, ones in this video. I didn't get to finish Blue Bloods and S.A.S.S., for example; I'm not even sure how many volumes are still left. But I did finish the two that I've been meaning to finish for a while now—namely Artemis Fowl and The Keys to the Kingdom. Aside from that, I also re-read these two, which you can read all about later on in this list. It kind of feels like I'm saying goodbye to that part of my life, of probably the YA genre altogether. It's not set in stone, definitely, but I do feel like I've been straying away from the genre for a while now—and possibly I'll never sway back into it later on. At least, for now, I feel like I wouldn't have the energy nor interest to start following a new YA series. I'm sorry, I just can't.

3. Create a series of illustrations

This is something I've been meaning to do for a while and I am so glad that I managed to tick it off. It was partially thanks to the Illustration class that I took last semester—which forced me to create a series of greeting card illustrations for its midterm project. Aside from that, I also did some personal projects/art challenges that enabled me to do so as well, Inktober and Mermay. Although some of it—read: the greeting cards—were quite frustrating to do, it was quite a lot of fun to create illustrations based on one theme. I'd love to do more of these, of course. I'm also doing inktober again this year—which you can see in my art instagram—for starters, if you want to see more series.

4. Send my work to a publication

At the beginning, I was so pumped to send to loads of different publications and maybe just maybe one of them will accept my work. Unfortunately, due to various things—mostly work and the blog—I didn't end up sending it to more than one publication, the Fashion Revolution Zine. It didn't get accepted, though—I don't really blame them, I mean look at it! I should really try to put more effort into this kind of things. Now I want to turn it into a sticker series of some sorts. What do you guys think?

5. Try the traditional cuisine to a new country

Honestly, I didn't know what country whose traditional cuisine I'd like to try with this challenge. But I did try a few dishes from various countries that I've never properly eaten before. The first country I tried was Mexico—I've had nachos here and there but never proper Mexican food—and had my first experience with a burrito. It was so delicious! I didn't expect it to be so good, but oh my God I need to eat it again. The second one was Mali with their juicy and scrumptious sheep satay. The meat is tougher than cow or goat, but the seasoning is so good! I hear it's actually supposed to be eaten with fried plantains but I was starving at the time and had it with rice instead. I still want to try Filipino, Brazilian and Peruvian—if only I can find authentic restaurants from there out here.

6. Meet up with a (new) blogger friend

This year has been filled with meet-ups with blogger/online friends—well, at least more so than ever before—although, sadly, no one new. I met up with Tasha twice this year—once in February, once in August—and Amel twice too—once in Jakarta, once in Semarang. It feels a little bit insane that it happened. I almost met up with Artha too, but unfortunately our lives got in the way and I missed my chance ;-; Hopefully, we'll actually see each other soon. It should only be appropriate that so many meet-ups have happened this year, because it resonates so well with the lesson I learnt this year: people are so much better in person. Often, I feel misunderstandings frequently occur online—on social media or in chats—but in person it is easily clarified. And I'm so glad to be able to meet up with these people and actually get to know them in real life—because we never know who they are from what we see on their feed. Hopefully, more of such friends to come soon!

7. Try taking analog photos

Early last month I was ready to strike this one off the list. It had been 11 months and I hadn't managed to secure an analog camera—or get the one we have fixed. But last month I visited Low Light Bazaar 11, which is an analog photography flea market. I got myself a simple pocket film camera that requires no focus or changing of lens—and any of those tedious need of care. I was determined to snap as many shots as possible every single day and immortalise my days in its rawest form. There are various things I learn from the experience. First of all, I realise how used to instant process I am—being so impatient to see what the photos I took look like. Thankfully, I put no pressure on these photos, not wanting to use them for any particular purpose. Second of all, there is a finite number of films you can use in a roll—and taking it out to get developed and buying a new one might not be as quick and simple as I would like. I ended up using up my roll before I get to all the—let's say—good stuff. But it's definitely something I want to keep doing from now on. Also, these photos are obviously not from said roll.

8. Read more German books

As you might have read in this post, I've also accomplished this one. Unfortunately, I read less than I'd like to. Reading in German is surprisingly very enjoyable for me—I don't really know why it didn't appeal to me earlier. Maybe because I had to struggle with the language everyday of my life back then, and it was just unthinkable for me to consume it for leisure. But, thanks to some kind-hearted friends, I managed to score some books in this language and have an entirely different reading experience. In fact, I'm currently reading another one as we speak—or type, actually. Maybe next I'll get a library card to the local Goethe Institut and borrow some books from there—Kafka, anyone?

10. Try doing something spontaneous

I think I wrote this down just to give myself one goal that is quite flexible and I can tick—done! But I don't know if the spontaneous things I've done are particularly interesting, to say the least. One of the most impromptu things I did was visiting this little patisserie, after I passed by it, and joining this watercolour competition—though I didn't win. Less interesting spontaneous occurrences also happened, like taking outfit photos in this museum, exhibition-hopping with some friends and second Book of Deer purchase. Less spontaneous but still out-of-the-blue events also happened, like visiting Madura with the family, my first ever ethical purchase and a last-minute sponsored post of the year. I almost did a seriously spontaneous tropical getaway with a couple girlfriends but it all fell through, due to some issues. Such a shame, would've been a wonderful story to tell.

11. #MeatlessMonday

Definitely one of those goals that got me pumped the first few months, but then...got abandoned somewhere along the way—but then picked up again. I've learnt a few things about this movement. As I've mentioned, I took it a step further and became a vegan once a week. It made me realise that we consume more animal by-products than we realise—I was so sad not to able to eat cheese on Monday—but also that without consuming animals, we can still have a healthy, fulfilling and delicious diet. I try to create more vegan-friendly recipes, focusing on the whole dairy-free situation. Throughout the time I was doing this, I stumble upon various threads and comments on it online and a lot of people seem to think it changes nothing—it is just one day of the week—so I think it would actually be better for me to cut down on meat and such altogether. I'm doing good so far with drinking soy milk, instead of cow milk, everyday and we as a family want to shift into sustainable and local seafood instead—as per the instruction of our Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries.

12. Work on my blog design (seriously!)

After having the last blog design for, what, two years? I thought it was time for a change—plus, the leaning-on-the-left orientation is getting me a bit dizzy. I want to go back to orange, which is what this blog is initially built on. It's my favourite colour, it's the colour of autumn which is my favourite season. And it feels so me, in a way—vibrant and unpredictable. I want a cleaner and neater look this time, with less ornaments. The drop-down menu on top has been a dream of mine for years and I can finally implement it on my blog—now you can find the countless various topics I write about easily. I also have a proper mini-profile section on the right bar, complete with my social media—including Youtube!—and a proper contact page for people to see. Also—partly because I don't know where they fit, partly because there are too many topics on top already—there are some more highlighted post topics on the right bar as well. My favourite part is the "currently reading" bit, which I often like to update straight away. Let me know what you guys think!

13. Explore more historical sites in Jakarta

Since I wrote this goal down on my birthday, I actually didn't act on it for months. Months! One day I realised that and decided to list all the historical sites in Jakarta that I had yet to visit and make plans each week to visit each one. Like all other plans, though, it got abandoned somewhere along the way, but I did visit various places that I would otherwise not even have thought about. I even took the bus all the way to Mangga Besar—which took me 6 hours, back and forth! Some sites I also visited with a friend—we tackled three places at once—and it was marvellous. But it's definitely still a tiny portion to all Jakarta has to offer. I should like to explore more still in the coming years. The places I visited include Museum Layang-Layang, Museum Basoeki Abdullah, Museum Keramik and Gedung Arsip Nasional.

14. Re-read my books

Clearly, this is the challenge that I've been the hardest at completing. Too hard, you can say. As you can see, I re-read quite a lot of book—and, for some reason, all of them series. Re-reading books have always felt rather redundant to me, but a lot of people actually do it and I'm intrigued to try it this time. A few things I learnt: First, when you've changed as a person, your perception of everything around you will undoubtedly change too. And, of course, it includes how you feel about certain books—especially one you haven't read in ages, like Tintin for me. Second of all, it's a way to self-reflect, because it shows what you used to like and how it compares to what you like now. Some of these books don't really appeal to me anymore, but some remain interesting in an entirely different light too. Also, some of these were read when I was much, much younger, being oblivious to various adult topics—although none of these is adult books—so it kind of adds up a sense of the stories.

15. Join a Goodreads Indonesia challenge

Only recently—I mean, prior to writing this goal—I found out that Goodreads is good not only to record what you have read or want to read. It has all sorts of book clubs, one of which being Goodreads Indonesia. And, it turns out, they have an instagram account (@bacaituseru), which is more up-to-date than their page on Goodreads, actually. I haven't been able to join in for the most part of the year, to be honest, but managed to join in twice—in July and September. I've never joined a monthly book challenge before, so this was rather interesting. It was like someone chose a theme for me to read and I choose my own title, limited to that theme. It gave me an excuse to read the books I bought in April, before reading books for the other challenges—or books that I bought prior to them. It's also a great way to widen my bookish horizon and realise how many themes I don't actually have a lot of on my bookshelf. You can read the reviews on the above books here and here, if you're interested.

16. Start buying organic/recyclable products

So proud of myself for being able to keep at this one. It all started when I discovered Organic Care shampoo and conditioner. This brand is really awesome for being cruelty-free, free of parabens, SLS and ALS and packaged in recycled plastic. I've tried their normal balance, dry nourish and—I think—colour shield shampoo and conditioner, and am happy to tell you that they've all agreed with my hair. No itchiness, no dandruff and excessive hair fall—more so than usual, at least. Afterwards, I'm so happy when I found Mineral Botanica. Okay, so they may not be organic, but pretty much toxic-free—especially the moisturising lipsticks, which I love!—and nature-oriented. The cushion foundation also comes in refills, which cuts down plastic usage by about half. Lastly, I've been on the hunt for organic/non-toxic bar soaps for my showers. Currently I'm using one from Bali Alus, which is quite okay. Their shampoo didn't sit well on my head, though, so I'm still rather cautious with their products. Recently, I've also just bought three more bars from Sedapur Salam. Both these brands are toxic-free and, I think, cruelty-free. Let's see how they fare!

17. Attend a talk/workshop

I actually forgot about this one when I was writing down this recap, but, apparently, I incidentally ticked it off earlier this year. It was kind of sweet that the opportunity was presented to me several months back, when I was asked to join a story-telling workshop. It was kind of a cute little workshop—that to some of the participants was crucial to their line of work, but to me and some others was really just a great way to let loose and get in touch to our inner child. I had the opportunity to watch professional storytellers from the USA—one of them from Hawaii—strut their stuff and show us their unique and different ways to practice the art. It was really interesting, eye-opening and absolutely spellbinding! We also got to practice our own way of storytelling using the various stories that they gave us—some are fairy tale-like, some are folktales or actual experiences from other people. Sorry the photo's terrible, but I actually didn't take any and tried to screenshot a video from my phone :')

19. Take the public transportation

Although for the majority of the year I really just stayed at home, whenever I go out I try to utilise the public transportation as much as I can. Taking the public transportation has opened my eyes to what Jakarta looks like—geographically and anthropologically. The commuter line in particular is my favourite—when it's not entirely laden with passengers—since it travels a great distance at such a short amount of time. But it's brutal when crowded, especially the ladies-only train car. Etiquette-wise, the Transjakarta bus is much better. I used to think not many people want to use the public transport in Jakarta/Indonesia, but that is not exactly true. A lot of people do use the public transport, but the rich tend not to—and usually each person takes their own car, leaving the road crowded and causing traffic jams—and the number of buses/trains being used isn't enough. Also, the condition of the transportation system in Jakarta isn't as bad as people think—quite good, actually—although it could definitely use some improvement.

20. Join and complete an artistic challenge (at least once!)

Totally tried to cheat when I wrote this goal down! At the time, I was already halfway through my Inktober contributions, with the theme date ideas. So that's quite a given. Aside from that, I also joined Mermay this year—although more on a weekly basis, as I just cannot be bothered to draw mermaids everyday, especially if they were going to be colourful. Along the way, I have found some other artistic challenges on instagram that I thought would be interesting to follow, although they never seem to come when I have some time to spare. Who knows? Maybe I'll do one of them in the future. You can still find my complete works for these challenges on my tumblr.

21. Talk more about being a conscious consumer on the blog (and social media)

Aside from adding the conscious consumer hashtag on instagram posts, the biggest thing I did for this goal is posting everyday on Fashion Revolution Week. Not only did it inform people on what ethical fashion is and how to become a conscious consumer, it also educated me on local ethical brands, 8 ways to wear 8 pieces from my closet and ethically conscious bloggers I didn't know about before. Still in the same month, I also shared about what I learnt (and possibly how) I stopped shopping for clothes for a little over a year. I also wrote a piece on feminism and ethical fashion on International Women's Day—which Rae loved, so chuffed! Aside from that, I also talk about it here and there from time to time. It was easier to talk about it after I made my first ever ethical purchase—and local too!—earlier this year. I hope you guys aren't sick of me talking about this yet—and may actually get inspired by the info I share!

22. Invest on zero-waste appliances/tools (NO PLASTIC!)

I haven't actually bought a lot of appliances/tools that are zero waste, but I did save some glass bottles from some organic beverages I bought several months ago. After hoarding them for months, I decided to give them a wash and use them as a container for my favourite homemade honey lemon recipe—2 lemons fit into three bottles. One of them turned out to have cracks on them though, so I couldn't use it anymore—the water would leak everywhere. Making my own drinks and putting them in containers for days to come has seriously helped me not to buy plastic-packaged drinks in the supermarket, when I fancy something other than water to drink. It's helped me reduce my personal waste and have a healthy drink too.

24. Manage money better (and save up for the future!)

As you might know, if you've read this post—mission accomplished! Well, sort of. I'm not an expert on money yet, and I do still live with quite low to standard wage, but I've become much better at not spending every last penny I've got. It's also opened my eyes to the financial situation in this country—how little we actually earn compared to how much things cost. Although, unfortunately, I haven't been able—or, more like, haven't made extra effort—to save up for the future, apart from the savings account I already have since 2014. But, hey, progress is progress and it's always an ongoing journey until the day money becomes obsolete—I may have been watching a little too many dystopian series.

Oh my, oh my! I can't believe how good I've been doing this past year. I've accomplished more goals this year than ever. It's actually 20! What? That is insane! Well, granted, I made these goals in keeping with my current life situation—or, more like, any life situation. It definitely supported a lot of self-growth in various aspects, artistically, financially, soft skills-wise—you name it! What I've noticed is that I have to potentially spend money for most of these goals, which, although my finances have improved, is a bit limiting. I think next year's list will be less money-oriented. Thank you so much, if you've been reading this far. You are my hero! And thank you for all your support every year, you guys make me want to become a better version of myself. Watch this space for the next list!