aventuros - Tumblr blog

aventuros · 10 months

Text

Life is full of plot twists and works in funny and mysterious ways.

Some said that you might already meet your soulmate years ago without you knowing it, some said that your soulmate is a reflection of yourself, and some said that you will share a similar feature with your soulmate.

But mine is, I already linked with my soulmate long before I knew him, in a funny and unexpected way. God's plan is indeed mysterious.

The story started when I got my own first motorcycle back in 2015. I couldn't be any happier to know that now I could wander to the places I've always wanted to visit. I've got this bucket list in my blogspot to wander around my hometown in Garut Selatan, Pamengpeuk. If you have no idea about Garut Selatan, it's a coastline that stretches wide for 75 km and is directly adjacent to Tasikmalaya City and Cianjur City. There are a lot of beaches in between, but it is best known for Santolo Beach in the Pamengpeuk area, the only beach I visit my whole life till 2016.

Source: Google Maps.

It was 2016 when I visited my hometown alone driving my bike for the first time. I planned on visiting my parents on the weekend and having a sleepover for a night, then having a little adventure around my hometown on Sunday afternoon before going back to Bandung in the evening. It took me around 5 hours of driving. I remember I was so anxious and scared, but the excitement was much greater than those feelings.

On Sunday, I drove off my bike heading off west from my parents' house. I was told by my father that it takes up to 45 minutes to drive till you reach the borderline of Garut Selatan and Cianjur City. My destination was Ranca Buaya Beach, which was the most famous beach on the west side of Garut Selatan before you reach the borderline. It was fun, and the view was really breathtaking. You could see the sea from the road you're driving, but most of the part was trees and fields. It was the most beautiful road view I've seen in my life.

Source: Personal Documentation.

But in the middle of the road before reaching Cicalobak, about 15 minutes away from my destination, I saw this corner ahead of me full of coconut trees. I was hypnotized by the view and curious about what's inside it. So I decided to give it a short visit.

Source: Google Maps.

I turned left and drove deeper and deeper into that coconut field just to find the most beautiful view ever. It was a cliff with a coastal peninsula view. There were two coastal peninsulas, east and west. Each of them had a different kind of view. The east one had a black sand beach, while the west side didn't have a beach but a total coral cliff. It was coconut trees and two peninsulas and an ocean as far as your eyes could see. There was nobody around, but I knew that land must belong to someone. I could tell by the corn farm and coconut trees were taken care of well. I could also tell by a small track on the soil, there must be someone regularly visiting this land. The land was dried and barren when I was here because it was August. But I guess when it's the rainy season, the farmer would be here almost every day to do the farm.

East coastal peninsula view. Source: Personal Documentation.

West coastal peninsula view. Source: Personal Documentation.

I fell in love with this place, not only because of its beautiful view, but also by the peaceful feeling it gave me. I felt like I'd found my sanctuary and hidden gem that nobody would know. It's hard to find this place if you're not an owner or local or not an adventure person.

Since then, I visited this place every time I went to my hometown. It's like a mandatory feeling to come back here to seek some peace after living my life in the town. I called this place my hidden gem and I posted this place several times on my social media.

Long story short, I was friends with my husband on Instagram since 2018 and we met face-to-face for the first time on Dec 2019. In July 2020 after knowing my husband for some time, he asked me to visit his parent's house out of the blue when we were having a trip to Ciwidey. That was the first time I ever met his parents. He was my friend back then and I told him about my hidden gem because he saw my post about it and he wanted to visit sometime.

Once we arrived at his parent's house, his father came over to us and we talked a lot in the living room. Dewa (my husband's name) told his father that I came from Garut Selatan. His father's face was lightened, and replied, "Where from Garut Selatan do you come from? I know that place very well. I lived in Ranca Buaya for years in the 90's and own a villa on the hill. I'm so familiar with your hometown".

He also added, "I also own some lands in Garut Selatan. One of them is in Puncak Guha area, the other one at Cicula, while the other two nearby Cicalobak".

Of course, I was so familiar with all of that places because I have visited each of them unless Cicula.

I asked him "Where is at Cicalobak your two lands located?".

He then pulled out a piece of paper and a pen and started to draw the exact location.

And to my surprise, one of the locations he drew was the place I called my hidden gem for four years.

I laughed unbelievably. I told him that that was the place I regularly visited since 2016. Dewa of course got surprised as well because he knew his father owned some lands in Garut Selatan but didn't know the exact location, and I wondered how come. His father just laughed it off.

For some moments, it just didn't make sense. I felt like I was in a FTV film where all the possibilities could happen, even the nonsense ones. I felt like my life was a script, a perfectly written script for some chapter, and this was one of them.

After some minutes, his father jokingly told me, "If you ever went to Ranca Buaya again in the future, just tell the ticket man that you're the girlfriend of a son of mine, then you don't have to pay the ticket ever again".

I got blushed, and I knew my husband at that time pretended like he heard nothing. We were just a friend.

Long story short, after a month after I visited his parent's house, Dewa became my boyfriend, and in Dec 2021, I married to him.

Life is full of plot twists and works in funny and mysterious ways.

1 note · View note

aventuros · 10 months

Text

Memento (To Remember)

If you think that I would write a review of Memento movie by Nolan, you're wrong. I'm not going to write about that, or maybe I will someday. But today, I want to write about something that makes me feel like I want to remember some more old memories.

The title Memento goes for an old song by an Indonesian 90's pop band called Caffeine, Kau Yang Telah Pergi a.k.a The You That Gone Away. I've been listening to this song for almost four days straight since it accidentally played on my un-premium Spotify. I know, it might be too much, but mind this: I have this habit to put songs on repeat for days when I find the music caused me a nostalgic feeling, like somehow the song pulls out the memory out of my brain that you don't even remember it exists. And every time it does, I'm happy to know that I can remember another memory. For me, each memory from my past, especially my childhood, is a precious one.

Yesterday, when I was strolling around with my husband using a car, I asked him:

"Have you ever felt afraid that someday you might forget your past memory as time passes by and you're getting old? Because I have. I sometimes feel like I'm afraid that I might one day forget some of my past memories, no matter how random the memory is. That's why I want to try to read books again to help me strengthen my memory"

It's not without reason I asked such a question.

For this past four days, this song somehow unlocked some of my childhood memories that I've never remembered before. I found this article from Hindu Times that stated when music brings back memories of events, people and places from our past – is known as a music-evoked autobiographical memory. And it's a common experience. It often occurs as an involuntary memory. That is, we make no effort to try to recall such memories, they just come to mind spontaneously. So, this is the reason why I wrote Memento as the title of this story, because this song makes me want to remember.

As I'm writing this, some memories playing in my mind like a random cutting scene. I remember sitting in the back of the car with my cousins coming home from somewhere while Sephia by Sheila on Seven song plays in the background and it caused me so scared because I remember the rumor said Sephia was a ghost. I remember the day I witnessed my mom crying in her room while manually breast-pumping because that day my brother passed away and it caused me to wonder what actually happened because I was only four. I remember my father gave me "walls" ice cream secretly after work because he didn't want my mom to find out and it caused me so happy because dad brought me my fave ice cream. I remember falling down from my grandparent's bed when I had a sleepover that is only like one house away from my home and it caused me scared because when I fell, I woke up alone in the dark at three a.m whilst my grandparents were getting ready for the day in the living room. I remember gathering up with my family and my neighbors and praying in our yard together because we thought Manglayang mountain was going to erupt and it caused me to lack sleep for days because I thought the world's gonna end soon.

So many memories unlocked, so many emotions were revealed.

So, here is a post to appreciate those songs that bring back old memories. For me, each memory from my past, especially my childhood, is a precious one.

Do you have that one song?

1 note · View note

aventuros · 1 year

Text

God has the best sense of humor.

Or at least for me.

Back in 2019 when I used to be a solo traveler, I made an empty oath at the beginning of the year, which I know at that moment that won't going to happen in the near future. I said half serious half-jokingly at that time:

"I oath to stop solo traveling until I go to Mecca. If I ever go to Mecca, never again in my life will I go somewhere alone"

At the moment I felt like going to Mecca was impossible. I didn't have the money, nor did I have the intention to go. It was an excuse for me to keep doing my solo traveling. I played oath with the God.

And God wanted to show me His humorous side.

On March 2019, I got a bonus from the company I was currently working in. The amount of it could cover the trip abroad. As a young traveler, the first thing that came to mind was solo traveling to the country I've always dreaming of-Japan. But in the middle of the progress of going, out of the blue, out of nowhere, I found myself in front of my Manager's desk asking to take leave permission to go to Mecca. Keep in mind that at that time, I didn't remember my oath.

His eyes were teary, knowing that his staff is about to take a sacred trip. And I, at that time, couldn't believe what I just said to my manager. It's like there's something in my head that taking control of me.

Two days later I found myself sitting in front of my desk looking for an agent travel. I got some recommendations from a colleague that I considered. And on November, I flew to Mecca for my sacred trip.

It was in the middle of the sacred journey that I remember the oath I took. It was in Madinah, I was in a bookstore looking for souvenirs. I saw a stack of books on the long table that I happened to approach. On the top of the stack, I saw a book titled The Oath. I smirked, remembering how in January I said my oath.

I thought to myself, "God, you got me"

As if it wasn't enough, for your fact: I've never done solo traveling ever since that sacred trip. And today is 2023.

God indeed has the best sense of humor.

1 note · View note

aventuros · 1 year

Text

We're so satisfied and amazed with how the pictures turned out.

I was so stressed looking for a photography vendor for our prewedding and wedding moment. My references were no match with the portfolio of the vendors I came across on the internet. Until finally the instagram showed me this Hillo Story account as a suggestion. When I clicked their feed, I knew right at that moment that Hillo Story is the vendor I've been looking for.

0 notes

aventuros · 1 year

Text

The mosque, in the middle of rice fields.

Hometown, 2021.

0 notes

aventuros · 1 year

Text

One fine morning.

#nature #birds nature

0 notes

aventuros · 1 year

Text

The best plan you can make is the one that comes out spontaneously.

Going to Japan is one of me and my husband’s dream. We’ve been talking about visiting Japan someday, according to our plan, we wanted to go to Japan in the on middle of 2023.

It was one night on September 2022 after my birthday. I told my husband at our pillow talk moment that this year I wanted to go to Singapore to celebrate our first wedding anniversary. I wanted to have a fine dining in a fancy restaurant with him dressing up and all. He approved my wish. Hours letter, I came up with a better idea.

“Why do we bother to go to Singapore on Dec and go to Japan next year if we can just go to Japan this Dec to celebrate our first wedding anniversary? It costs us less money, don’t you agree?”

My husband paused a while, and then took my side. Right at that second, he asked me to check the plane ticket for two and asked me to make a budget plan and date plan.

Two weeks later, everything was set. And what we knew next was that late of November, we flew to Japan.

Spontaneous plan is indeed the best one so far.

#travel #photography #japan #temple #tokyo #kyoto

0 notes

aventuros · 1 year

Text

Even for a small request, you will do your best for your most loved ones.

My husband is not a singer, he doesn’t sing like a pro, but he can sing well. He got a deep manly voice that I really like.

It is our thing to sing in the car.

We loved to listen to Noah Band at the time. There was this old album that had just been re-recorded. He kept listening and singing to this new version. I found his voice was good singing to a song called Di Belakangku. So I came up with an idea:

“Would you record yourself singing this song for my bday present?”

Which I meant was of course using a phone recording, or his music set up on his computer.

He said okay, he would.

But my man is a man with totality, and I should’ve known better.

Next thing I know, he rented a music studio just to record himself singing Di Belakangku for my birthday present. He took my request seriously.

And when I told him that all I meant was a recording himself singing on a phone or as a vn, he said:

“I am a man with a totality. I want to give the best for my baby”

0 notes

aventuros · 1 year

Text

When I was a kid, my dad used to take a lot of pictures with his analog camera. Growing up, I often open the album of photos my dad took back then, and my interest in photography also growing out.

In 2017, I decided to buy my first DSLR camera from Nikon. I self-taught about photography by practicing a lot. It didn't take much time to realize that I am so into it. I also learned how to use applications that support my photography skill such as Lightroom, Photoshop, and any other apps, but those two are the most used.

In 2019, I got my first side job as a photographer for graduation events, pre-wedding events, and engagement events. It didn't last long due to a pandemic attack in 2020. Since then, my interest in photography got decreased but I still photograph sometime for fun and for my social media but with an advanced phone camera.

But last night, I went to this one of the biggest book fair event in my city. I found myself in front of the photography stack and saw Face Time by Patrick De Wilde. When I saw the first page of his book, I got breathtaking by how beautiful those faces perfectly captured are. I bought his book and read it page after page when I arrived home. My interest in photography suddenly just back again. So I inserted my hard disk into my laptop and scrolled around my old photographs. And when I saw them, it reminded me why I was into photography in the first place.

#photography #nature #art

0 notes

aventuros · 1 year

Text