Zero-Waste Grocery: Saruga Packfree Store

Last week my sister and I were finally able to visit a packaging-free, bulk grocery store in our town. Ever since we started going low-impact/less-waste, we've been wanting to have a grocery run without packaging. A bulk store allows that, because they supply household objects free of packaging—you will need a reusable container to store your purchase, which will either be provided by the store or you can bring one from home. Unfortunately, it has been close to impossible, since bulk stores are not abundant in Indonesia—especially in our area. That is, however, until we find out about Saruga, a small packaging-free, bulk grocery store in Bintaro—and we suddenly have an urge to pay a visit.

What strikes me first as we arrived at the store is how homey and cozy the place is. It is relatively small, but with quite a wide selection of products. They provide numerous seasonings, several kinds of grains, tea, coffee, pasta and even cereal. There were also plenty of toiletries and cleaning supplies, including bar soaps, detergent balls, liquid shampoo and skincare products. The products are all arranged very neatly, easily accessible and visible from the moment you walk in. It looks really beautiful—not unlike family-owned grocery stores in small towns that you see in movies. The shopkeepers were also kind enough to let us me take so many photos around the store.

Here's what the process looks like: first, you need to weigh the container you will use to store your purchase. If you haven't got one with you, they provide some pouches and jars of various sizes. Second, you are free to explore the store, take a good look at all the products and put as much as you like into your container. Third, give them to the shopkeepers to weigh and pay the total amount at the cashier. They take cash and debits, I believe, although we used cash when we were there, so we can't really confirm the availability of their non-cash transaction options.

This time my sister and I didn't purchase a whole lot. She bought some Toraja coffee beans, while I bought some Red Moon tea leaves and a lemon citronella bar soap from Sanubari. The tea tastes as close to Rooibos as I've ever gotten in this country—it smells mildly spicy and tastes relatively sweet. The soap is still put on hold, though—but I'll update you on it. Also, I forgot to bring jars from home so, for the tea, I purchased a small one there for less than Rp 10.000,-. They have them in up to 4 sizes, as I remember. I'm not sure about the pouch, because we brought our own.

To sum up, I absolutely love this place. Just one visit and I already see myself coming back time and time again—there were so many things I'd like to have purchased, once my stock runs out. I really highly recommend coming here sometime. They don't sell fruit and vegetables, though, so it's probably not going to be a store you visit every week or so. Have you been to a bulk store before? Share your experience!

P.S: The next day I found out that the founder recognised me and has been following me on instagram for a while. Oh wow, what a small world! Thank you for that and for this store. 

I'll definitely return.

Pops of Red

Lately, there has been a lot of clear skies in the morning—and then it'll rain in the afternoon or evening—so I thought I would use this lovely time slot to shoot an outfit post, before I had to go to campus yesterday. You know, I've been blogging for over 7 years, but it was only recently that I've got a tripod to help me—eternal thanks to my best friends for gifting me this beaut! I can't tell you just how life-changing it is. Now, if I spot a gorgeous backdrop somewhere, I know I can just grab my tripod, hop on a vehicle (or take a walk) and snap some shots. This spot, for instance—which you may recognise from this post before—is just in my neighbourhood. I can always take a walk here, if I'd wanted to. Before, it would've been short of impossible for me to do without a partner, now I can be that-crazy-lady-with-the-tripod-taking-photos-of-herself—trust me, people always look. It's kind of nice to go out and do indulgent things for myself for once. Lately, I feel like I haven't had time for personal projects anymore—this blog is the only thing I've got going. But I'm excited to try planning some more personal projects this weekend. Can't wait to share them with you guys!

Insect of the moment: Neon Skimmer dragonfly (Libellula croceipennis)

Old hat + top // hand-me-down pants + purse + sandals

There seems to be constant pops of red in these photos, eh? The tiny (inedible?) fruits, the cute little dragonfly and—most obvious of all—my harem pants. These pants are given to me by my sister, since the burnt orange ones—that I absolutely loved—went missing several months ago. I've looked high and low for them, but have yet to find them. Can't say I wasn't heartbroken :'( I'll keep trying to find it, mind you, but in the meantime, there's this pair my sister refuses to wear. You've seen it before, but I've never talked about how this came about before, have I? The comfort level is about the same, but this one still has a rope/belt to tighten the waist, so a lot more figure-hugging. Now, about the dragonfly—if you would indulge me. It's been so long since the last time I took photos of insects, so I was determined to capture them in film somehow. There were a lot of butterflies too, at the time, but they disappeared in a flash. This dragonfly really caught my eye, though, since I've never seen one so bright red. I tried researching it a little and I think it's a Neon Skimmer—native to southwestern US, Central America and northern South America. Huh, how did they get all the way over here, I wonder.

An Oldie but Goodie

 Kedai Kopi Tenong

Yesterday I had a day off work—after staying up all night earlier this week for a corporate event—and decided to use the chance to catch up with one of my buddies. We decided to meet up at this coffee house in the midpoint between both our houses—just so you know, our houses are actually quite far apart. It was one of the first ones to come up when I searched a place to eat in the area, organising it in a ascending order of price range (lol). What I didn't expect was to find such an antique-laden, local-tasting coffee house and/or restaurant—with a pretty good price range too. Fun fact: It derives its name from tiffin boxes—tenong means tiffins in Javanese, apparently. It is adorned with tiffin boxes on pretty much every corner, it's immaculate. There were a lot of vintage motorbikes too—which are just bloody awesome! I absolutely love how they arrange the counter too, really cute and homey-like. I ordered their Nasi Goreng Shirataki Kampung—which consists of rice-substitute made out of tubers—and I think it was rather tasty. I'd like to return again someday.

Thrifted shirt + loafers // Book of Deer dress // outfit photos by Iqbal

Now, about my friend Iqbal. We haven't seen each other in months, so it was really nice to catch up. As is usually the case when I hang out one-on-one with someone, let me sing praises of them. He's starting a new project now and he thought I could probably help him out. In the end, however, he ended up teaching me more about things relating to it (lol). We always have a ton of laughter when we get together—his sense of humour is one of the few that I've always truly enjoyed. Often, however, with friends like this, you never get past the surface; with him, it's different—or maybe it's my age. It was very rejuvenating to be able to have a great balance between comedy and deep, stimulating topics. I feel like Iqbal is a really sincere guy—when he does something, he does it with meaning. It may not always last very long or work out very well, but he rarely half-asses anything. It always makes me want to root for him. So here's for you, buddy! I wish only good things for you.

Menstrual Cup: Six Months Later

Back in August 2018, I started to transition into the low-impact lifestyle. It's been quite a fast transition, what with substituting a lot of things with compostable or less-waste options. From straws and cutlery to toothbrushes and produce bags, my life has started to look so different from what it once was. However, it took me a month before I made the biggest change yet—switching to menstrual cups. You see, menstrual cups aren't a new concept for me. I've known about them for at least a whole year beforehand, but hadn't tried it for two reasons. One, I didn't know there were some ways of acquiring them cost-efficiently in Indonesia. Two, the concept of them frankly scared me a little bit. That being said, I was determined to reduce my waste production by at least 50%—and fuss-free, no less. So I got one—thanks to my sister—and six months later, here we are.

Business Casual

Starting last December, I became an intern to a startup company called Jojonomic in Jakarta. I'm not usually one to share personal information you could use against me—please don't!—but I really believe in what this company strives to do. In short—because this isn't the main point of this post—they are working towards promoting and supporting a work culture, in which everyone can work from everywhere and still be easily monitored by their employers. For more information, feel free to check out their website—or shoot me an email ;) Now, let's talk a little bit more about me—because isn't that what a blog is for? I've been quite enjoying the office life, which is a first for me. Everyone is pretty kind, friendly and a whole lot of fun. My favourite moment so far, to be honest, would have to be my turn in their weekly sharing session—in which I talk about plastic waste. The CEO himself commented positively and asked for my suggestions. I started seeing co-workers sporting stainless steel straws and the catering at work has changed dramatically to abandon single-use plastic. There's still a lot of room for improvement, of course, but I'm super, super thrilled to know that people still listen to me at times.

Old t-shirt + socks // hand-me-down blazer // borrowed skirt // thrifted loafers

Okay, so that's one thing off my 30 Before 30 List—a low bar, I know, but a surpassed one nonetheless. Office life was so different from what I imagined to be. I think it's great that I first experienced it at a startup—and a quite wholesome one, no less—because a gigantic corporation would probably give me culture shock from the easygoing freelance lifestyle I've been so used to. This experience, however—if nothing else—affirmed my initial decision and determination to go freelance for life, if I could be so blessed. One of the best perks of having an office for work, though, is the numerous outfits I could choose to rock everyday. And, for once, I can actually use the term "business casual" correctly—and not feeling like I'm just playing pretend the whole time. Ever since I found this blazer in my Stepmom's wardrobe—and deliberately moved it to my own—I've always wanted to wear it in a semi-casual way. Since I can't really wear it with shorts to work, I've opted for my sister's skirt instead. I've worn half of this outfit to as an event committee before and was determined to recreate it at some point. So here it is. What do you think?