It Smells Like Autumn

#NYE2019: A Tale of Two Palaces

It's mid January already, so I know it's high time we stop dwelling on the New Year. But, hey, I promise you the second part to our Cirebon trip and it is here! Unlike the usual way I serve a travel post—I know no one cares (lol)—where you'll get a chronological view of the trip, this time I thought I'd tweak it a little bit. These two destinations—one visited before the previous post and the other the next day—are so intricately connected, that I felt it would be best to tell you about them in one go. Aside from food, our main attractions from Cirebon are palaces. There are a total of 3 palaces in this town, as far as we know. Out of those three, we only managed to visit two, yet they have such rich history and are a complete contrast to one another. Are you intrigued?

#NYE2019: Tunnel Caves to Nowhere

Roots Growing into Warm Soil

At the beginning of 2019, I posted a recap of 2018 with the title The Wheel Starts Turning. There is a certain symbolism in that which reminds me of Narnia's The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. My life in the past few years felt eerily similar to the eternal winter of The White Witch, and only recently—in 2018—did spring seem to arrive. I've never imagined that I would once again feel a sense of belonging in the faces of strangers—like I used to feel back in 2012 and 2013. I thought finding one's place is a luxury and indulgence of youth—something I believe I no longer have—but, somehow, my roots start to grow into this warm soil. Change is just part of everyday life these days, that I've got no choice but to embrace it. Some changes are easier to swallow than others, and this year is chock full of them. But, hey, this is my life, not a lack thereof; there's not much else to do, but to live it.

January

2019: My Year in Books

There are only 3 days left before we have to transition to 2020. Can you believe 2019 is ending soon?! Personally, I find it really quite surreal—especially since this year has thrown me a complete curve ball. It is truly my most extroverted year yet—so much so that I barely had time to read at all. Thankfully, earlier this year I also made a commitment to myself to read more quality and less quantity—and I've been able to keep to it. In comparison to my goal of 50 books last year—which I smashed with 60 books read—I decided to cut down and only strive for 30 books this year. Even so, that goal was an uphill battle for me—but I did it. So here are some of those books, divided into top 5 and bottom 5—just so I won't keep you for too long. These are, of course, in the order of best ones and worst ones first.