#especially my ratu

[dreamgirl-rj]

[danganronpasurvivoraskblog]

Shuichi, My Halloween plan is only watch for creepy movie ooh especially Indonesian horror movie Pengabdi setan (satan slaves), Ratu Ilmu Hitam (queen of black magic) and jeritan malam (midnight scream).. Or Malay language horror films munafik 2, misteri dilaila is obvious my choice haha!

Haha...My Halloween plans will more than likely be making sure that Kaito remains fine. You know how he is with ghosts and stuff.

Maki’s not here to do it after all...and we are living under the same roof as Kokichi. It’s a recipe for disaster.

I appreciate it bro.

[nj-zero]

. ་   ˖ ࣪  ་ ១୨୧ ༘

guess who's just popped out from magazine? it's me, herbie newbury! you can address me with ebbie, ibbie, and bibie, or anything you want. i'm already on my legal age and i am a proud taurean girl, living in the world under ENFP umbrella as my MBTI.

speaking about interest,

i am keen on horror, thriller and fantasy movies. nevertheless, i am very intrigued to explore another genre as well. when it comes to music, i consider myself as a HYBE stand but now I laid my eyes on 4th gen groups, such as newjeans, le sserafim, enhypen, ive, treasure, aespa.

and here's my current favorite movies,

pengabdi setan (1980), pengabdi setan 1&2 (2017-2022), danur universe (2017-2022), rumah dara (2009), dreadout (2019), ratu ilmu hitam (2019), killers (2019), pintu terlarang (2009), perempuan tanah jahanam (2019) mama (2013), modus anomali (2012), do revenge (2022), senior year (2022), boo b*tch (2022), mean girls (2004), to all boys i've loved before (2018-2021), all the bright places (2020), clouds (2020), the fault in our stars (2014), malam satu suro (1988), beranak dalam kubur (1971), hantu ambulance (2008), 20th century girl (2022), carrie (2013), enola holmes 1&2 (2020-2022), on your wedding day (2018).

i'd like to inform you that i can be very loud sometimes, especially when i talk about my favorite ones. to prevent any unwanted event, feel free to press the BUB button on my page instead of unfollowing me. but, i'd be happy if you could accept me as who i am.

[yasmijn]

3. How are you working towards your goals?

Goals (plural katanya) ada beberapa sih. Pertama, mau dibayar untuk menulis karena aku suka banget menulis. Nulis pop/fiksi ataupun nulis akademik. Nulis akademik tuh ya, suka aja. Dari dulu, terutama waktu lagi super berusaha banget untuk apply beasiswa, entah udah berapa ratus jurnal juga report dari instansi macam World Bank, ADB, OECD, The Asian Foundation dll yang kubaca demi membuat narasi yang oke punya. Waktu baca selalu mikir, ini siapa sih yang nulis? Aku mau dong nulis report kayak gini, kayaknya bisa deh? Cita-cita nulis paper akademik belum kesampean sih (di-ghosting pembimbing bund), tapi insyaAllah sebentar lagi akan publish report yang aku ikut co-author-in nih. Hihi. Can’t wait to post it to my LinkedIn🤣

Kedua adalah tentang menjadi penulis fiksi populer. Asli kalo liat betapa populernya Ntsana aka Rintik Sedu suka heran banget. Waktu itu baca buku minta dibanting-nya di Gramed, pengen w banting beneran rasanya. Pas nyoba denger Spotify-nya, baru bentar udah w matiin lagi karena ini orang ngomong apasik. Tapi yasudahlah, mungkin aku memang bukan target pasarnya. Tapi terkenal banget gils udah mana engagement super tinggi. Sungguh halu kalau pengen bisa sepopuler dia tapi ya 1/10 nya aja bolelah. Mau donggg dikenal karena karya (yang berkualitas). [Jujurly Gitasav juga jadi point of reference sih ya walau dia banyak blundernya wk I guess I just want to be heard]. 

Ketiga, tentang per-karir-an, sejujurnya masih mikir sih aku pengennya dimana, aku bagusnya dimana. Tapi yang jelas aku udah tahu bidang-bidang apa aja yang masuk klasifikasi gk dulu mkasy. Masih ada keinginan untuk bekerja di bidang-bidang yang berkaitan dengan data, dengan interaksi manusia yang minimal, karena sebagai introvert my dream job would be getting things done from my own computer, finishing a task that is 100% my own. Ku gak suka depend on other people and I have problem with ownership especially when things are shared. Udah enroll Google Analytics di Coursera tapi belum dibuka HAHA ayolah menjadi istiqamah. 

Keempat, cita-cita masa depan pengen jadi kayak Diana Rikasari atau Geneva Vanderzeil atau Ditut yang berkreasi aja gitu. Tetep di spare time sih sepertinya karena kayanya aku merasa tetep akan butuh pekerjaan beneran for the sake of security dan menghindari fomo. Haha.... Terus kaya ya sayang aja gitu udah belajar susah-susah. Masih pengen PhD juga sihhh sekarang, tapi nanti deh dipikirkan lagi akan ambil topik apa dan dimana. Pengen di Eropa lagi.

Setelah dipublish baru sadar ini tulisan tidak menjawab pertanyaan yang emphasize on How? Supaya bisa jadi penulis berbayar, sekarang alhamdulillahnya berkesempatan join writing project, dan mudah-mudahan kalo ada kerjaan lain aku akan diajak lagi sih. Plus planning for a PhD. Hhe. Untuk jadi penulis populer, mungkin berharap tiba-tiba orang pada baca aja kali ya tulisanku di blog-blog gini terus tiba2 ada yang mau publish🤪. Pernah bikin Wattpad tapi gak istiqamah nih. Untuk perkariran, aku mencoba untuk mengambil keputusan berdasarkan bertanyaan ‘will this take me closer or further away from where I want to be?’ (already made one unsuitable decision but well let’s hope we can get back on track). Untuk otw jadi DR atau GV, yah sebenernya aku udah bisa jait sih. Tinggal mengumpulkan motivasi dan waktu luang dan juga rasa pede untuk upload hal-hal ke sosmed. 

[Liat rate postingan KOL yang bombastis tiap bulannya membuatku termotivasi untuk jadi selebgram aja tapi apa yg bisa kujual pun. Terus kenapa rate-nya begini amat sungguh bumi langit dengan para umbi]

[ashfaceiwa]

NURIIIINNNNN OML HELLO HIIII HAPPY NEW YEAR SYG IMYSM I REALLY DIDNT WANT TO DISTURB YOU DURING YOUR HOLIDAYS BCUZ IT LOOKED SO MUCH FUN AND AND I HAVE A STORY so like idk if i'm catching feelings or smth sbb i woke up at 3 this morning and couldn't sleep so i went and play genshin then after finishing some quests and commissions my friend joined my world then we just walked around killing bosses, collect chests and such thenn it was already 6am he said he wants to log off and sleep pstuuu he said "i had fun playing with you" BOOM I WAS A BLUSHING MESS LMAO 😭😭 THEN HE POST A SCREENSHOT OF US IN GAME ON HIS STORY AH SKSJHSDJDHDH goodbye world *crying sobbing throwing up* also i have to go back to school on the 8th 😃 anywaysss enough about me how bout youu!?? how are you??? hoping your day went well today and for everyday too! (つ≧▽≦)つ

RIEE U DONT KNOW THE RELIEF I FELT WHEN I SEE YOUR ASK NOTIF TODAY IM SO SORRY SEBAB REPLY LAMBAT OR TAK REPLY 😭😭 I HAVE FULL CLASSES THIS WEEK BUT IVE MISSED U I THOUGHT U DELETED TUMBLR OREDI pls dont leave me i have attachment issues

the relief i felt was bcs i thought ure not active on tumblr anymore :( so when u sent me an ask I WAS LIKE IS THAT RIEEE ?!? thank you for always forgiving me bila tak reply or reply lambat. i dont do that on purpose its just im not one to hang around with my phone, i usually abandon it in my room then go eat downstairs for the rest of the day so my reply game is so weak but i guess thats the consequences u have to deal with from having me in your life 🙄

my holiday has been over for a week now. but just so you know u can never "disturb" me especially when im overseas because 1. youre my bestie and 2.BECAUSE I GET HOMESICK REALLY EASILY so its really nice when people at home get in touch with me so i dont get too caught up in the homesick feeling 😔👍🏻

❓❓ ure DEFINITELY catching feelings cuz why else would u blush for a boy 😤 (thats on me i blush for boys too much) he either has no idea what hes doing OR HE KNOWS WHAT HES DOING AND HES DOING IT ON PURPOSE that sneaky bitch im glad that ure having fun playing with him but just a slight reminder to be careful always. we dont want anything to happen to you now do we? u go have fun okay jangan gaduh2 main elok2. he sounds cute btw is he like a golden retriever boy or a softboy in any way cuz he sounds wholesome. the way he posted the ss of yall ?!? THATS SO CUTE GOD WHEN IS MY TIME ?!? cong😭 ratu😭 lations😭 if i were u i would definitely fall for him then ask him to marry me before he eventually leave me cus he got scared. really hope he is so yall can close the deal 😌🤝 tak payah susah2 cari nanti HUAAHAGAGAH

saje nak cakap i cant sleep at night too sebab my jetlag is so bad at the moment. i cant adapt to local night time. in my head its still the other way round; the night time is siang 😭 (seriously its so bad im not even staying up my eyes are segar gila im so annoyed)

[breitzbachbea]

☕ your ocs

I love the dumbasses. That's it -

Send me a ☕ and I'll talk how I feel about it

Okay, so, I've been writing since I've been ten or so. Probably tried to tell stories even longer. I had a BUNCH of OCs over the years, but retired all of them other than the LFLS ones. I still sometimes think of my old fanfictions and attempts at original work, but have zero interest in reviving any of it. One day I'll however write an essay on how my Card Kingdom Stories/Universe was definitely the Predecessor to the Like Father Like Son Universe.

I've had the current fuckers since 2013. My earliest OCs that are still in use are probably either my Hetalia City OCs (who've made it into LFLS as secret agents & police officers) or my Ireland, Northern Ireland and Wales OC. I can't remember how big the list I made in Excel is, but I think it was around 240 OCs. (Not sure if that is before or after detracting Hetalia canon characters or my friends' OCs for the AU. Hugo is Jonah's OC and Jani is responsible for pretty much all of the Icelanders in LFLS).

I love the kids so much and how different they are. I love how Hetalia lays the groundwork for me to explore the world we live in. Team Turkey is a Turk, a Kurd and an Assyrian! Team Belgium consists of Agnés Reynard, Charlotte Biayenda, whose a trans woman from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Luus Ratu Kikkert, a Dutch trans woman whose family came to the Netherlands from Indonesia generations ago! (She's the youngest sister of the Dutch right hands! Tim and Agnés are still brother and sister in the LFLS Universe). Team Belgium likes to go to the Place du Luxembourg on the weekends to fuck shit up, rub shoulders with lobbyists and parlamentarians and have a good time! Cocktail baby gay, Shots Older Sister and Wine Aunt are on the loose!

I could talk about every OC at least for two minutes, even if they're underdeveloped or THAT much of a sidecharacter that I can only give you very basic infos, some anecdotes or their general character concept. If they're very developed, god help us all because we'll be here for hours. (Help girl, I have concepts for the Norwegians, Danish, Egyptians and one Persian & Iraqui already. We'll work on the other half of these two teams when I did the barest of research on the region and characters). I'm having so much fun using my story as a vehicle to learn about the world and using what I learn about the world, its history and cultures to flesh out my universe & turn it into interesting stepping stones to exploring personalities & relationships.

Also hey, you don't even have to know my OCs to ask me about them, you can ask "Who's Team [Nation]?" or "What about [Nationality] subordinates?" Now, there's a lot of Hetalia characters I don't have OCs to accompany (yet), but especially in Europe, you could get lucky.

I fundamentally just love people. I love us in every shape and size we come in, I love how much we love and how much we hate each other. I love the Hetalia characters, I love the transformative aspect of fanfiction where I try to adhere as close as canon as possible while tweaking it for the AU - So I also then love to give them found families that explore facets of their country they simply cannot be. (e.g. Team Turkey, but also Adriana as Black American and Amitola [Name probably changing some point] as Wiyot Person. Selim, as person born to Turkish parents in Germany, is another favourite example.) More importantly, I like the creative freedom that isn't bound by the laws of Hetalia or anyone else, for that matter. They get to be anything I want them to be, without any further qualifications. It's the freedom of original fiction, which I love just as much as the fanfiction aspect. My kids give me the best of both worlds.

Thanks for asking, Shai! Also, if anyone is more curious about the kids, my storie nostre tag is all about them! Includes reblogs of posts that I feel represent them & my own writing with them. Every character also has their own tag.

[afif-am]

How Podcast Can Improve Your Language Proficiency

Antara siri podcast kegemaran penulis. Merangkumi dari genre sejarah, sukan, humor dan budaya pop.

“Macam mana nak perbaiki bahasa Inggeris/Arab aku eh?” Satu soalan yang kerap kali anda tanya/ditanya dan jawapan yang biasanya kita dengaq adalah "baca buku, bercakap, tengok movie/tv series, dengar lagu lain2." Walaupun cara2 tu berkesan kepada ramai orang, jarang aku dengar orang cerita atau cadangkan "Podcast”. Dan aku nampak potensi yang besar pada podcast untuk pembelajaran luar kelas.

Sesetengah orang mungkin tak tahu pun podcast tu wujud dan natang apa podcast tu. Haa..jadi hari ni aku akan cerita macam mana podcast boleh bantu anda perbaiki bahasa anda terutamanya untuk calon SPM, pelajar yang akan masuk dan pelajar yang sedang berada di IPT.

Natang apa "podcast" tu?

Menurut DBP, podcast atau istilah bahasa Melayunya, "audio siar/siniar" bermaksud, "siri episod yang mengandungi fail audio digital ataupun video. Pengguna boleh memuat turun fail ini ke dalam komputer atau telefon pintar. Perkataan podcast berasal daripada gabungan kata ipod dan broadcast."1 There's the fun fact of the day for you right there. Steve Jobs and Apple actually invented podcasting.

Its like radio (some of it is actually from radio), but the series exist on its own. In a way its like youtube where the user can subscribe, but podcast emphasizes more on the audio (there are video format podcasts). Usually, the duration is between 30 minutes to 2 hours long.

Cam mana podcast boleh beri kesan kepada kemahiran bahasa (menulis)?

Seperti yang kita tau podcast ni lebih memberi tumpuan pada bahagian audio dan tidak bergantung kepada visual/gambaran untuk menyampaikan content. Jadi, ia memaksa hos podcast untuk menggunakan gaya bahasa yang deskriptif (detail) di mana aku rasa dapat membantu pelajar2 (khasnya SPM) dalam membuat karangan deskriptif (descriptive essay). Karangan deskriptif ni menuntut pelajar untuk menjadi "overly-meticulous/detail" dalam suasana yang diceritakan. Perkara yang sama boleh kita katakan untuk karangan naratif. Karangan naratif menuntut penulis untuk menceritakan kisah dari perspektif protagonis seolah-olah penulis/pembaca mampu merasa apa yang dirasa protagonis dari segi monolog, peristiwa dan pengalaman.

Banyak siri podcast bergenre "Seram","True Crime" & "Misteri" bertemakan "story-telling" yang menceritakan kisah mereka dengan gambaran yang sangat teliti seolah-olah kita berada di situasi tersebut. Dari situ kita boleh belajar kaedah2 dan perkataan2 efektif yang digunakan untuk menggambarkan sesebuah kisah. Manakala, podcast yang bergenre bukan fiksyen seperti "Sejarah", "Sains", "Teknologi" & "Sukan" dapat membantu pelajar dalam menulis karangan argumentatif. Podcast bergenre bukan fiksyen ni lebih kepada bersifat informatif jadi sedikit sebanyak dapat manambah pengetahuan am pelajar. Tapi podcast bukan sahaja memberi kesan kepada penulisan kita. Nanti aku sambung.

Bagaimana podcast bantu aku perbaiki bahasa Inggeris

Aku first dengar podcast waktu tu hujung tahun...2017. Form 4 lah waktu tu. It was an Arsenal discussion podcast. Waktu tu aku curiga la kejadahnya apa podcast ni. Waktu tu aku asrama, so aku dapat dengar setiap kali balik rumah je. Dalam sebulan 2 kali laa -cadang nak buat job bawak mp3 ke asrama tapi malas sangat nak break the rules kahkah-. Dan makin lama aku makin ketagih dengan podcast tu sebab aku nampak perubahan kepada cara aku bina ayat tu. Aku mula guna perkataan2 "bombastic" gitchew bak kata my english teacher. Masuk f5, perlahan-lahan aku dah pandai campurkan ayat2 simple, compound, & complex dalam penulisan aku. Waktu2 yang kebiasaannya aku dengar lagu (dalam kereta, house chores) aku gunakan untuk dengar podcast. Supaya masa tu terisi dengan lebih efisien.

Tapi, mendengar podcast tak jadikan grammar aku perfecto tau, sebab untuk tatabahasa perlu kelas dan penumpuan yang intensif. Apa yang podcast tu buat adalah dia membiasakan otak aku dengan bentuk2 ayat yang biasa dipakai oleh hos podcast dalam komunikasi. Secara tak langsung kita akan ikut pattern tatabahasa yang digunakan podcast kita untuk ayat2 dan situasi berbeza. (Don't worry, majority of the podcast host is the native speaker of the language, it is unlikely for them to be grammatically wrong). So, bila dah lama kau dengar secara berterusan (especially yang duduk di rumah) dalam otak kau dah ada beberapa struktur ayat yang berbeza untuk kau ikut. Kaedah ini juga boleh diaplikasikan kepada bahasa Arab atau apa2 bahasa sekalipun. Mungkin nampak kompleks sikit, tapi cuba je dengar dulu. 2-3 bulan kau akan perasan kesan dia.

Macam mana nak pilih siri podcast yang kita nak dengar?

Aku ada sedikit tips cara nak pilih podcast yang berkemungkinan menjadi kegemaran kita memandangkan ada beratus-ratus siri podcast di luar sana.

Genre.

1st skali, hang kena tanya diri hang "Kenapa sendu sangat hidup aku?" jk. ok, kena tau hang minat apa. Minat sukan ka, seram ka, misteri ka, sains ka oh ya, agama ka (iium yalls). Supaya hang betui2 passionate dan berminat dalam apa yang hang dengar. Katakanlah aku sokong Arsenal dan minat Premier League. Carilah podcast yang berkitar tentang Arsenal. Antara podcast Arsenal kegemaran aku adalah Arsecast (podcast pertama aku dengar). Aku juga minat kisah2 aneh legenda dan makhluk mitologi (cryptozoology)2, jadi antara podcast cryptozoology kegemaran aku adalah "Astonishing Legends". Buat yang mahu perbaiki bahasa Arab, ada saluran2 di youtube seperti "هاشتاق" yang menceritakan kisah2 teladan Islam dan "الشيخ الدكتور وسيم يوسف" banyak memberikan motivasi dan nasihat. Kedua2 saluran ini menggunakan bahasa Arab fushah yang jelas dan sesuai untuk biasakan diri dengan bahasa Arab.

Humor.

Kenapa humor? Bagi aku humor sangat penting terutamanya bagi podcast yang bergenre bukan fiksyen seperti sejarah, falsafah, sains dan teknologi. Sebab bila hos menceritakan fakta dengan nada yang statik....BOSAN WEII! Lecturer yang ada dalam kelas pun kau tido, ni dalam bentuk audio je. Contohnya, aku minat dengar falsafah jadi aku cari podcast falsafah yang ada campur humor sikit. Jumpalah "The Panpsycast Philosophy Podcast." Kalau kau minat sains ada "SciShow Tangents." Supaya pembelajaran nanti lebih santai dan tak terasa dipaksa. Sebaiknya cari podcast yang seimbanglah, tidak terlalu humor sampai overpower maklumat yang nak disampaikan.

Kualiti audio

Kualiti audio sangat memainkan peranan yang penting dalam "listening experience" pendengar. Sebaiknya pastikan podcast tersebut mempunyai audio yang cukup jelas supaya kita sendiri selesa untuk mendengar dan mudah fokus dalam masa yang panjang. Tapi kebiasaannya, audio kualiti podcast sejak kebelakangan ni berada dalam tahap yang memuaskan.

Cadangan aplikasi untuk mendengar podcast

Spotify

Apple Podcast

Google Podcast

Castbox

Acast

Kenapa penting untuk perbaiki kecekapan bahasa?

Selain membantu pelajar dalam penulisan, kecekapan bahasa ni sangat penting terutamanya untuk kehidupan pelajar di IPT sama ada di dalam atau luar negara. Yalah, kebiasaanya pelajar dituntut berkomunikasi dalam bahasa kedua/ketiga mereka (kecuali di UKM). Kebanyakan pelajar yang aku jumpa semuanya cerdik belaka, cumanya kadang2 bahasa yang mereka gunakan tak memberikan gambaran yang adil kepada makna sebenar yang mereka ingin sampaikan -termasuklah penulis ;(-. Belum cerita bab tugasan (assignment) lagi. Tugasan yang biasanya memerlukan seminggu untuk disiapkan, dengan kecekapan bahasa yang baik 3-4 hari kau dah boleh siapkan. Dari segi pertuturan pula, pembinaan struktur ayat yang baik sangat penting supaya kau boleh bina platform yang baik untuk mula berlatih bertutur dengan petah -penulis pun gagap juga kahkah-.

Untuk peringkat awal, berlatih dulu untuk bina struktur ayat yang baik. Tak petah pun takpa. Asalkan sampai makna tu dulu. Cubalah dengar podcast. Mana tahu jadi minat ke nanti? Bear in mind kaedah ini boleh diaplikasikan untuk semua bahasa. Sewaktu dengar podcast tu tak perlu fikir pun pasal struktur ayat dia ke apa. Kesannya akan berlaku secara tak langsung. Just listen and have fun.

Rujukan DBP untuk istilah "podcast" dalam bahasa Melayu. http://prpm.dbp.gov.my/Cari1?keyword=podcast&d=28648LIHATSINI ↩︎

"Kriptozoologi ialah pseudosains dan subbudaya yang bertujuan untuk membuktikan kewujudan entiti dari rekod cerita rakyat, seperti Bigfoot dan chupacabra. Ahli kriptozoologi merujuk entiti ini sebagai cryptids, istilah yang dicipta oleh subkultur." Ini lah bidang yang sering berbalah sama ada makhluk macam bigfoot wujud atau tidak. For all that we know bigfoot is just a poorly-groomed hairy homeless man. Lol ↩︎

[ireeennna]

day 11 - my siblings

i know i might have mention them before but, this post was dedicated to my beloved siblings, aldya-23 and ratu-20.

so.. i was like 2 years apart from my brother and 5 years older from my sister. we were so different from one another but that didn’t mean anything because we always got each other. they’re my motivation. i might be not as caring as others elder sister did, but i really worked my ass off for them. even i knew, that i still couldn’t help to provide them a better future, but i did my best to always be there for them.

we all grew up and spent our time together, mostly in our grandparents house. my brother basically was my favorite man on earth. he might be so stubborn and troublesome, most of the time the most annoying person on earth, and i was the one who always need to help him get his things done. but i knew he loves me. he might be did not really show it off, but.. i found that he did so many sweet things for me. like this one time, i asked him to pick me up because i just got back from jakarta and he said okay. then it was suddenly raining and i was worried because he picked me with his motorcycle. but when i got to the pick up point, he was already there, soaked because of the rain waving at me. then he over me a raincoat and i asked him why didn’t u wear it? then he said, “i only got one and you seems more need it than me”. stupid, but sweet. and i was really sad when he decided to work abroad to dubai for 2 years. because even i didn’t see him much this last couple years, but 2 years, that far, its hard.

then ratu, my younger sister. she’s a little bit sensitive, like most of the time. she was the opposite version of me. she was pretty, kind but the different type of kind from me, not that smart, sensitive, a slob, so fucking messy, the drama queen in the family, but she was so sweet sometimes. i got a lot of people comparing her appearance, which i didn’t care because yeah she was so pretty especially if you all compare her with me. and she was so much open than my brother, every time she got home from school or work she always have something to tell that sometimes making me hate whoever she talked about. overall, she’s the best kind of sister i could get.

yeah some times, my brother and my sister was some kind of the pain in the ass but they were all my siblings, nothing in this world that i would trade for them. some times, i wished i was the only child. i wouldn’t ever have to share my room with them. i was probably get the all of the attention from my parents. i didn’t need to have those stupid argument about how many slices of cake i could get every time my mom baked. but overall having siblings had made me laugh, learn, love and most of all was making me have this forever lasting friendship. i wish i could give them everything they need.

[rumpikerzzzworld]

Being Queens on Watsons One Fine Day

This year is one of the luckiest year ever for me! haha! I got picked as one of the winner of a lucky draw event called watsons one fine day. How could it be? 

Watsons has been my favourite drug store to buy skin care and make up. Compare to its competitor, the store looks a quite elegant and formal in my opinion. Their goods are more completed, so that customers have a lot of choices to pick. They also provide a lot of discounts for the members. I like it! 

One day, when i was at cashier, the staff offered me to fill several coupons for a lucky draw event. I usually never won any kind of things like this before, so i wasn’t really serious about it but just filled the coupon. A few weeks later, i was called by watsons’ staff and she told me that i won the lucky draw event. I didn’t believe at first, i thought it was a scam such as someone offered me to buy their products. So, i asked her if i have to pay something and she said no. They sent a text message to my number from watsons’ official number that i got chosen to attend the lucky draw event. They also sent an invitation email.  So, I finally assured that was true. So here it is, i am being one of the lucky winners.

A few days before the event, we were invited to a groupchat and was told about the dresscode, the rundown, and etc. And here we go!

18 August 2019

Spa, Beauty Class, and Workshop

The first starting point was at Taman Sari Heritage Spa, Wahid Hasyim, Jakarta. We were seated based on the name that they set up. While waiting for the other participants to come, we were served some snacks and drinks for refreshment. The things i liked was the watsons’ staffs were so kind, they welcomed us and had a quite long convos with us regarding the event and watsons itself. 

As all of participants (coincidentally all women) had arrived, we were escorted to spa rooms to get spa relax massage treatment. I was someone who didn’t like being massaged all of my body because i felt it was ticklish. But, this massage was an exception. It was so good that i fell asleep during the treatment around 1 hour. Loving the service, the ambience, the smell, the ginger tea, the massage oil. Everything was perfect for me. I felt treated like a queen 👸

We went back to the ballroom after getting treatment to join a beauty class by a make up artist (i'm sorry i forgot the name of the MUA). The product we used was from Mustika Ratu. They were releasing new products called Beauty Queen. Overall, I like the products though. It blended well with my skin, or Indonesian women’ skin as general.

The next rundown was sharing about beauty tip by one of Putri Indonesia Finalists, Jolene Marie. She was pretty and tall. She shared how she managed to take care of her skin by using mustika ratu products. Before that, the general manager of watsons which is a woman giving a speech about the event and watsons. I love how the majority people who held this event were women! I felt motivated and comfortable at the same time.

We finally got to have lunch after the workshop. It was javanese food with gudeg and krecek on the menu. The taste was a quite good. I ate a quite a lot since we would be at the event until evening. We were handed some mustika ratu products and taman sari heritage spa voucher from the first venue.

Beauty Salon

Since the rundown was superpacked, we had to move to the next venue which was Anna Wijaya Salon at Grand Indonesia to get hair treatment. The staff provided a minibus for us to move to the next venues. The organizer told us through the groupchat beforehand about the choices of the treatment we wanted to get. The options were hairspa, menicure pedicure, and hair-coloring. I chose hairspa.

This time, the sponsor was L'oreal. So, the products they used were from this brand. Not only the participants who got the treatment, but also the watsons staffs themselves were treated on this event as well.

About the hairspa treatment i got, overall it was just mediocre to me. The massage was not as good as i usually got from my regular salon. The highlight of the treatment was when the hairstylist hair-drying and blowing my hair. The result was so good. Too bad i had to tie my hair again since i wore hijab, lol .

From this event, we were handed a bunch of L'oreal products that it could be my hair product stock for a year. Thanks L'oreal!!

Product Launching

Finally, we got to move to the last venue which was at Cafe Ottoman, Kuningan. We came late because of the traffic, so the event had started before we arrived. The first product to be launched was skin care called Pink. It was owned by watsons, yet it was made in Korea. As the name "Pink", so the products were all in pink color.

Oh, other than us, the-watsons-lucky-draw-winners, there were a quite alot beauty influencers that were invited to the event which they had come earlier than us. Their dresscode was pink, while ours was white. I didn't know any of them though, lol.

Anyway, the cafe itself was so cute. The left side of the cafe was in pink while the other side of the cafe was darker. Their food and snacks were so good, istg.

The products we got from this event, of course, the pink products. It was so many that i was so happy. It could be my skincare stock for more than 6 months! As i wrote this blog, i have been using the products and i love it, especially the pudding cream! I think i will consider to purchase it in the future. Go try it!

We moved to the next side of cafe in the evening to join the last event which was also a product launching event and a dinner event with Cathy Sharon. She launched her own lipstick brand called Sada. She took the name after her own child’s name. She said the Sada name had different meanings in several languages, which had positive meaning in all of languages.

We were handed the lipcream product, each person got a different color. I got the number 04 Color called Gili. The name was taken after Indonesian region name. Overall, i fell in love with the lipcream. It was so hard for me to find a lipcream that sticks perfectly on my lips. Most of products got my lips dried. I hate it. But, surprisingly, the Sada lipcream was really good on my lips. It didn’t make my lips dried. It’s available in several watsons stores. I wish it’s available at all of watsons stores though, so that i can easily find the product.

I took a selfie with Cathy Sharon, She was so lovely. We took photos together for the last shoot then dinnerrr!! We were handed another watsons products. It was so many, i felt like the pennies i threw to watsons all this time was truly worth it! haha!

I just want to say thank you watsons for treating me like a queen and gave me tons of gift! wishing i will get my luck again the next time you hold such event, haha. Amen.

-mels

[dicakravala]

things that work on me (skincare)

First cleanser:

1. The Face Shop Herb Day Cleansing Cream (Green Tea Variant)

2. Nivea MicellAir Skin Breathe Xpert Make Up Remover Face - Eyes (Black Bottle)

3. Mustika Ratu Olive Oil (for waterproof make up like mascara/ matte lipcream)

Second cleanser:

1. L'oréal Paris White Perfect Extraordinary Whip (already on my 4th/ 5th (?) bottle, really fresh, doesn't dry my skin, and makes me glowing)

2. Heimish All Clean Green Foam (just tried this for couple days and it's actually good, low pH, very subtle, smells a bit weird but still okay)

3. The Body Shop Tea Tree Skin Clearing Facial Wash (already on my 3rd bottle. although it has a lot of pros-cons, it still works when I have pimples)

Toner:

1. Muji Light Toning Water (as my hydrating toner)

2. L'oréal Paris White Perfect Whitening & Moisturising Toner (for exfoliating toner)

Moisturizer:

1. Muji Moisturising Milk (Moisture Variant)

2. Illuminare Smooth & Fresh Moisturizer Acne Defyer

(use it only when I have pimple)

Sunscreen:

1. Skin Aqua UV Moisture Gel for Normal to Oily skin

Others:

1. Wardah Seaweed Primary Skin Hydrating Booster

2. Pure Paw Paw Ointment (Watermelon Variant)

3. Sensatia Botanicals Pouty Lips Sugar Lip Scrub

4. Verile Acne Blemish Cream

I rarely use mask (especially sheet mask) because it's really itchy.

[limforbiddendesiresolstice]

一,

woke up by 5am Mys time NOW. "Bayangkan berapa ratus juta - malah mungkin bilion ringgit - dapat diselamatkan setiap tahun sekiranya lantikan politik kepada jawatan-jawatan bukan eksekutif ini dilupuskan?

"Begitu juga lantikan politik dalam GLC lain seperti Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB), Felcra, Felda, Risda, Lembaga Tabung Haji, Syarikat Perumahan Negara, Permodalan Nasional Bhd (PNB), Majlis Amanah Rakyat (Mara), Perbadanan Tabung Pendidikan Tinggi Nasional (PTPTN) dan banyak lagi.

"Biarkan orang profesional yang layak, bermerit dan berintegriti menjalankan operasi GLC tersebut," kata Ahli Parlimen Pasir Gudang Hassan Abdul Karim.

https://m.malaysiakini.com/news/576481

一,

always, i woke up by 5am Malaysia time to protect kidney, then meditate. 一,

have warm plain water is 👍.

2

cure diabetes, cancer: Jogging continuously 30 minutes in daytime only after digested breakfast, light lunch & then walked 10000 steps for sweating & bone health is 👍.

To prevent illness: Be vegetarian. Avoid cold sugar drink & dessert after meal (60 mins. Better stop). AVOID chili for recuperating all illness including cough, flu, diabetes, etc.

Sugar, sweetie and cold water will incur to the brain a false signal of hungry which is 👎.

Start from warm-watered legs, not the head during shower.

Do not shower or wash head before 10am & finished shower by 6pm & use hot water but not late than 6.30pm.

Reduced desire less than two times/month especially May, June, Dec, Jan, Mar, Sept...2protect life.

Have 12pm noon eyes' rest about 15 minutes (after light lunch & then walked minimum 100 steps).

Sleep before 10pm to discharge toxic every day & wake up by 5am

is

👍

.

[lordfusitua]

All Glory to the Good Lord & a blessed birthday to HRH Princess Siuilikutapu. Such a touching address by HRH particularly her thanks to HSH Prince KF & Marcella, Maasi Kalaniuvalu and all the royal children of Their Royal Highnesses Princes & Princesses HRH Taone, HRH Fusipala, HRH (Tu’ipelehake Mailefihi), HRH Ofeina, Hon. Halatuituia et al. Particularly glad to see Their Majesties & HRH Princess Pilolevu in such good spirits & enjoying the occasion. Glad also to touch base with brethren Lord Vaea, Lord Fehi Veikune Fielakepa Lord Mulikiono Folaumotuita my cousin Leafa Taumoepeau & a particular pleasure to see my baptismal Godfather Ratu Epeli Nailatikau. And especially my nieces such as Sela Tukia & many friends & family. May HRH have many more of these blessed days. Ofa atu ki he to’ukupu kelekele ‘ae feitu’una mei ho’o motu’a tu’a mei Tokelau. (at Queen Salote Memorial Hall)

[ncoonk]

the first and the last gathering with HRDC team. One of million memories of them that I will miss. thank you so much for almost two years accompanying one phase of my life, especially for my "receh team" Performance Organization Development, I will never meet again with people like you, my bodyguards 😂 (at Pantai Citepus Palabuhan Ratu)

[yulianisri-blog]

ALL ABOUT KIMI

Bismillah..

19 Juli 2017

1.40 PM WIB

Baiklah… demi menyelesaikan misi challenge Juli ini, dengan paksaan sekuat tenaga akhirnya saya mau juga nulis. Hahaha.. padahal eh padahal,menulis buat  saya adalah hobi. Terlebih dari kecil punya kebiasaan menulis diary. Tapi kenapa pas dikasih challenge ini jadi pusing yak mikirin kata pembukanya. Haha.. mungkin bisikan setan buat males ngerjainnya.. (eaaaa nyalahin setan.. kata setan teh “jadi semuanya salah gue? Salah temen2 gue?”)

Awal tau tentang KIMI itu dari FB nya bu baking ponder tercinta… Asri Fitriasari yang suka posting2 kegiatan KIMI. Dan saya ga pernah kenal sama bu ponder inih.  Lah trusss tau Bu baking ponder ini darimana? Sodara? Engga.. temen? Bukan… temennya temen? Bukan juga.. trus? iya,kami ini hanya saudari seiman aja ko (eaaa.. tabokin rame2 si sri). Apal Asri Fitriasari itu dari blognya waktu saya lagi berselancar di internet cari referensi vendor pernikahan, yang muncul blog nya doi.  Iseng baca2, dan merasa ini cewe kayanya keren nih hebat nih nulis blognya..( teh aci tolong ya siapin receh abis ini,kan udah dipuji. Hahaha) .  jadilah kepo sampe ke akun FBnya, IGnya. Terus dia suka posting2 kegiatan KIMI.    Saya yang awalnya Cuma liat doang lama2 jadi penasaran, ko kayanya seru ya (ya kali emang kek maen di DUFAN pake seru sgala..)

Well.. well.. tentang KIMI yah… Ngomongin tentang komunitas yang (kece tiada tara) ini tuh gakan bosen pembahasannya. Kalo boleh saya ngaco dikit, KIMI bisa juga diartikan Komunitas Ibu2 Menggemaskan Indonesia (eaaaaaaa….) kenapa menggemaskan…

1.       Menggemaskan kalo udah baper maksimal..

2.       Menggemaskan kalo tulalitnya keluar

3.       Menggemaskan kalo udah jadi ratu drama sejagat.

4.       Menggemaskan kalo ‘males’ nya keluar, minta ditabok emang.

The point is, komunitas ini semacam penggemblengan biar wanita2 Indonesia menjadi lebih waras dan lebih berkelas. Lebih waras menghadapi berbagai kerumitan hidup yang udah dari sononya hidup itu yaaa #%^%$%&*%&%$&%$&$%&$ ( mangga diartikan sendiri aja kode rumitnya.. lieur bukan?).. yaa gitu dehh…

Ditambah challenge2nya yang suka bikin penasaran, males ngerjainnya (ini gue jujur dari hati bilang kaya gini), tapi.. tetep tertantang buat ngelakuinnya. Dan akhirnya yeaayyyy.. I do this challenge. Menulis.

Oke oke… direview aja yukss perbulannya challenge apa aja yang udah ibu2 kece dan terpilih sampai bulan Juli ini,…

# FEBRUARI.. BEBERES

Cungggg siapa yang suka (males) beberes?? *kemudian gue ngacung paling tinggi*.. suka sih beberes, seadanya, sebatas cuci piring nyapu ngepel.. nah, beresin barang sama kenangannya udah kelar belom woy??? Tentu saja belum! Karena inilah challengenya,tiap ibu2 kece dipaksa beberes sampe seberes mungkin.. usahakan semua barang yang berkaitan dengan mantan dan kenangan jangan pernah tertinggal di sudut tembok sana. J

 #MARET.. DECOUPAGE

Bingung bin heran pas dapet challenge ini.. ini apaan sih? Decoupage.. semacam tantangan disuruh ngabisin tahu bulat kah atau apa? (ngarep..!) ditambah saya yang waktu itu telmi buat buru2 googling malah nunda2.. nah ini dia penyakit sejuta umat.. NUNDA.  Tapi yang kalo dapet duit diburu2in siapa hayooo?? ..*lagi2 gue yang ngacung paling tinggi*

Berbekal rasa penasaran yang tinggi tentang decoupage, datenglah saya ke TKP.. ke tempatnya Dr. Ardini.. eh ya ampun sampe disana dibuat takjub sama hasil karyanya… ko bisaaaaa kreatif dan lucu2 hasilnyaaa.. (eaaa, envy seketika). Ternyata sangat menyenangkaaannnn bergelut di dunia per-decoupage an.. apa aja medianya bisa… tembok.. kayu.. aluminium… asal jangan muka suami aja yaaa pada di decoupage in motif spongebob pas lagi sensi2nya sama dia. Hahahah

#APRIL.. MY HAPPINESS

Kebahagiaan ya.. kebahagiaan buat saya pas lagi travelling.. terutama mantai. Selalu suasana pantai yang menyejukkan, bikin bahagia. Selalu suasana pantai yang ‘memperbaiki’ mood yang rusak..  jangan2 sebenernya saya ini asistennya Nyi Roro Kidul yang tersesat di darat. Hahahaha.  Deburan ombaknya menenangkan.. semilir anginnya menyejukkan.. maka nikmat Tuhanmu yang manakah yang kamu dustakan?

#MEI .. BERNAS

Challenge di mei ini berbagi nasi.. untuk mereka yang membutuhkan. That’s it.

 #JUNI.. BACA

Yihaaaaa.. dapet challenge ini senengnya luar biasa. Why? Karena emang hobi saya adalah membaca. Baca apa aja kcuali baca pikiran dan  hati orang .. hihi … setoran bacaan saya itu buku Ayah Edy Punya Cerita..

 And this is it….  CHALLENGE JULI .. menulissss,,,,, tentang KIMI.. KIMI itu walaupun bisa jadi wadah para wanita buat muntah, bukan berarti bisa bocor juga ya gengs.. for me especially, KIMI itu tempatnya para wanita hebat yang saling menguatkan, mengingatkan, saling memberi dukungan dan  dibalik semua keerroran,kemalasan, ke dramaan sebagai wanita, sebenernya kami adalah wanita yang masih mau menuju WARAS total.  Mau sembuh dari penyaki hati dan mentalnya….  GO GO GO we are SMART WOMAN.. YEAHHHH….

Dah ah segitu aja nulisnya. Laper. Ada tukang tahu bulat lewat…

“MANG.. BELI.. LIMA REBUEUN”…

See you in the next chapter bebo tercinta..

  Salam Sayang,

 Dari aku yang ngos-ngosan kerjain challengenya.

[king2min]

Ullen Sentalu: A Good Showcase of Javanese Kingdom History

One of the privileges becoming creative writing student is that we are being sent away from our campus to have a field trip and able to enjoy the beauty of nature.  I was a little bit upset when my teacher announced that Jogjakarta would be the chosen destination. I was expecting some places far away from Salatiga like Bandung, Bogor or Belitung because Jogja is quite near and I have been to Jogja quite often. Turned out, the field trip which was conducted in the beginning of Ramadhan is one of the memorable trips I have ever experienced. Cliché though, but it was the very first experience going away as well as I felt the sense of belonging with my fellow literature students.

The day was coming. The alarm that I set 4 am wasn’t ringing. I woke up when the clock struck at 6 a.m, I knew I was going to be late because all the students supposed to be at campus by 6 a.m. Not wanting to waste any second I directly took a quick shower and dressed up. I took my bag that I have prepared a night before. I directly went to the garage and started the engine. I drove my car to campus with a high speed as I could. I was really ashamed of myself because I was the only student who was coming late, my friends were mocking at me and there was nothing that I could do besides telling apologize. I was very grateful because they were still waiting for me.

As I stepped in the bus, I took the only left seat next to Chika, my friend.  The whole 3 hours bus ride was quiet. I observed my surrounding and everyone was closing their eyes. Not really sure if they were sleeping but I decided to lie down my head and close my eyes. However, I could barely sleep because of three reasons. First, because the seats behind me were occupied by the boys with their never ending chit-chats. Sometimes I found their jokes funny but at the same I found their joke offensive. Second, because of the music that was being played in the bus. Third, because it was road tripping. The atmosphere reminds me every time I did road tripping alone, the unfamiliar roads and the music accompanied me to always stay awake.

Around 10 we arrived at the first destination, Museum Ullen Sentalu. One day before the trip, I have read several reviews from people and I was expecting that the museum would have some elegant Javanese artistic and mostly be colored in brown. Turns out, it really is and more beautiful that what is shown on the internet. The building is designed with postmodernism characteristic. It combines several elements of rocks and woods, looks contemporary but still has strong java elements in it.

Before we went in to explore the museum, we were sitting in the waiting (or administration) room while waiting the guide to be prepared. Around 20 minutes later, the guide that would bring us around came. She introduced herself but I couldn’t remember her name, all I could remember was that she was wearing hijab talked very fluently.  The first impression was she must be very informative and experienced ones.

At the forefront, the guide led us to Goa Selo Giri. Goa is the equal meaning of a cave. We were down along to underground cave which composed from batuan Merapi (stones) since Ullen Sentalu is located in Mt. Merapi slope. Unlike the cave that is usually dark, rugged and weary. This one is established with thick stone walls surrounding us. As we walked inside, it felt like we were being dragged to travel back in the golden era of Javanese Kingdom years ago. The dim light of the cave gives its warm touching but contradict with its visual, the cold air filled as soon as walked further into Goa Selo Giri.

There are many rooms inside Goa Selo Giri. The first room was gamelan room from Kasultanan Jogjakarta. The whole gamelan set is dedicated for Javanese puppetry (wayang). On the both sides of wall, there are grand paintings of Javanese princesses dancing their own tarian jawa, such as Gusti Nurul, a beautiful princess from Kasultanan Surakarta, with her tari serimpi.

As we walked further, the Goa has a long range of photo and painting exhibits from both royal kingdoms on the both side of the dim walls. The guide started to narrate the history of Javanese Kingdom which were initially united but then separated. For a few moments I lost in contemplation, imagining if I were the royal princess of Kasulatanan Jogjakarta or Surakarta. I would have been living in royalty and everything would have been much easier for me. I know that is mere thought, even the royal princess in reality wouldn’t always been living in prosperity.

As the guide continued narrating the story, there was a painting of earthen jug, or javanese called it kecohan, caught my eyes. Kecohan is a place for the Kings to spit and it is placed next to the throne of the king. At first it sounded gross to my ears, but when the guide explained Kecohan is a symbol of Sabdo Pandito Ratu which means that a king should not lick his own spit. It gives me a strong message that as someone who hold a huge responsibilty we should always keep our promises. To my opinion, not only the kings who shouldn’t lick his own spit. But I believe every living inhabitants should not do the same for the betterment of mankind.

Out of the cave, we were dragged to area Balai Kambang, or usually called as Labyrinth area. Because the second spot is designed like labyrinth/maze. I was unconsciously smiling by the philosophical explanation about the reason why the area is designed like labyrinth. That life is not always goes straight and always be twisted. Sometimes it’s a dead end and we need to change our path. Sometimes we move and get lost in middle of the labyrinth, which is a reminder that we need to stop and reflect.

Like the life of Putri Tinneke, one of the royal princesses from Kasultanan Surakarta, who had been stuck at an intersection in the labrynth of life; forced to choose a decision between love or glory from being a royal princess. But when she managed to find the way out, it was all too late. The accumulated sufferings from being broken hearted have caused her so much pain. That was the story of the first room of the Balai Kambang which called  as Bilik Syair Putri Tinneke, the royal sister of Pangeran Bobby from Kasultanan Surakarta. All the poems that she received from the worlds telling her to stop being sad is being displayed in this room.

Being inside the labyrinth is being challenged to find the way out. Knowing sad ending about the life of Putri Tinneke encourages me to leave everything behind, because I don’t want to have the same ending with her. We continued our way to find way out, exploring Ratu Mas room, Batik Kasultanan Surakarta room, Batik Kasultanan Jogjakarta room and stopped by Putri Dambaan.

As we finished exploring the labyrinth, we were awarded to drink special jamu (herbs) from Ullen Sentalu. I couldn’t recognize what are the ingredients of the jamu. It tasted sweet but not really sweet. I’m not good at describing it. But one thing for sure, the guide told us by drinking the jamu helps us to stay young.

Having done exploring the museum, we finally came to the area with a large sloping background. The spot is especially designed to allow visitors taking pictures.  Everyone was ready with their pose and the kind-hearted tour guide took several snaps of our team.

Visiting Museum is always alluring experience. All of the collections, arts, cultural artifacts and paintings in the Museum Ullen Sentalu are beautiful and precious. Needless to say, I have been struck in awe the whole time to its own unique and artistic charm of the treasures. Then I came to realize that my knowledge about Javanese Kingdom is really lacking. I was coming to the museum with an empty glass. Once I came to the exit gate, I could see my glass was already full. I might be ignorant in the past. However, every time I found myself visiting the museum, I’ve always feel myself empowered than before. They provide the best effective way of learning. The guide is one of the best supporting systems to learn. Although during our time in Ullen Sentalu the guide spoke fast, she is kind of a guide who would ensure that everyone understands with her explanation by asking us whether we have question or not.

My teacher ever told me that literature is a reflection of life. And now I believe, Museum is also part of its literature which has reflection to our past life. It always teaches me new insights and values about the historical things and the inherent values of cultural artifacts that we have. Museum Ullen Sentalu is a good showcase of the history of Javanese Kingdoms.

 -fin-

 #MuseumUllenSentalu 

[afif-am]

How I Fell Back in Love With Reading in the Golden Age of Entertainment

Laa mudah je. Bahan:

Buku

Langkah-langkah:

Baca

Thiap. Kk gurau. Hai semua. Lama tak jumpa. Aku harap tulisan aku menemui semua dalam keadaan sihat dan waras (memandangkan banyak tiktok yang menunjukkan sukar untuk kekal waras waktu kuarantin). Tengah cari hobi baru waktu kuarantin ke? Tadi baru habis melawat Twitter ke tengok video di Youtube?

Ya aku tahu kitaran tu. Lagi-lagi terperap di rumah. Whatsapp, Twitter, Ig, Youtube, (add Facebook if you're a boomer), Ulang. That endless, meaningless and exhausting click and scroll. Yet, we continue to scroll towards an eternity of hollow and emptiness. (it’s great if you're able to use social media for good cause). But sometimes, it just felt repetitive. Pointless, I could say. Why don't you give reading a shot?

Kenapa baca buku?

Kebanyakan orang bila ditanya tentang faedah baca buku (especially in exams bcs that’s the go-to soalan bm kertas 2), majoriti akan kata untuk luaskan pengetahuan, dapat ilmu baru supaya ilmu-ilmu tu boleh dikongsi sikit-sikit waktu sembang ngan member ataupun kaitkan dengan apa yang kita belajar dalam kelas. Benda tu tak salah pun, ada benarnya. Dan waktu awal-awal aku pun fikir begitu juga. Aku fikir aku akan jadi satu ensiklopedia bergerak WOWW. One verified MatTau.

Tapi realitinya kita semua tahu kita takkan dapat ingat pon semua benda yang kita baca. Tentulah, sebab otak kita ni tak berfungsi macam tu. Otak kita tak ada sistem penyimpanan fail macam komputer. Tapi ada perkara yang lebih penting yang kita boleh dapat bila membaca. Meminjam kata-kata John Fish (vlogger) dalam videonya, dia berkata,

“Say that you’re reading a psychology book. Sure, you’re going to remember some of the concepts. But not all of it. However, what your brain is learning is how the author is thinking and how the author is communicating."1

Betui, kita akan dapat pelbagai maklumat waktu membaca tetapi apa yang lebih memberi kesan adalah kita melatih otak kita untuk mengenal pasti corak analisis yang dilakukan oleh penulis buku. Tak kisahlah analisis tersebut dilakukan oleh ahli astronomi, maharaja Rom, seorang angkasawan ataupun pelarian Holocaust. Latar-latar belakang yang berbeza ni memberi kita beratus-ratus sudut pandang tentang masalah dunia dan manusia (spti ttg kesedihan, kesusahan dan kasih sayang).

Kebanyakan dari kita tak dapat pun berjumpa dengan tokoh bersejarah dan cendekiawan geliga dunia seperti Plato, Imam Al-Ghazali, Saidina Umar Al-Khattab, Marcus Aurelius, Bill Gates mahupun Buya Hamka. Jadi, buku adalah medium yang menyediakan satu peluang untuk mengenali dan menganalisis corak pemikiran mereka.

Namun, bukanlah maksud aku kau fikir, “Wow! Kata-kata Steve Jobs dan Aristotle ni mantap sia simpulkan tindakan untuk masalah yang aku tengah hadap ni! Settle masalah aku hah!”. Tapi lebih kepada, “Oh! Begini cara Salahuddin Ayyubi menghadapi kesusahan”. “Hmm, begini cara Immanuel Kant melihat masalah moral manusia.” “Jadi, bagaimana aku menggunakan cara sendiri untuk cuba selesaikan masalah ini”.

Of course, sebagai orang Islam kita ada Nabi SAW untuk panduan dalam menghadapi segala kepayahan, tetapi lebih bagus jika kita mempelbagaikan bahan bacaan kita kemudian kita analisis dan bandingkan kaedah-kaedah tersebut dan kenal pasti mana satu kaedah terbaik dalam menyelesaikan masalah kita. Hasilnya, kita akan lebih analitikal dan kritikal dengan pegangan yang kita pilih.

John Fish menyambung lagi,

“For this reason, I don’t think reading as building facts and information in my brain, I think about it as rewiring my brain. Teaching my brain to think about things differently. To analyse problems and opportunities differently."1

How I Fell Back in Love with Reading

Kali terakhir aku jadi ulat buku ni tingkatan 4 dan 5. Waktu tu duduk asrama kan. Mana ada apa-apa hiburan ni. Buku jelah ada. Buku novel cinta cringe melayu pun budak-budak asrama layan juga. Paling dekat dengan hiburan pun bila Biro-biro asrama pasang lagu petang-petang hujung minggu di bilik info ataupun radio seludup. kahkah Jadi aku ceritalah tips macam mana aku integrate semula membaca dalam hidup harian aku tanpa mengganggu podcast, siri anime dan pelajaran aku.

a. Pilih jenis buku

Sudah tentulah kena pilih buku. Kalau tak kau nak baca apa. Mula dengan satu buku dulu terlebih dahulu, kalau kau baru nak mula membaca. Pilihlah genre buku kegemaran ataupun topik apa yang kau minat untuk tahu. Tiada yang betul atau salah pun. Pilih topik yang kita minat supaya informasi, jalan cerita yang kita baca mudah dihadam dan kita tak rasa dipaksa dan kita seronok membaca. Untuk pembaca baru (sebelum ni jarang membaca) boleh cuba baca buku fiksyen spti novel sains fiksyen/young adult ataupun seram ke, supaya nak bina tabiat membaca tu Harry Potter ke, siri The Maze Runner atau apa-apa tajuk yang ringan. Takut2 kala mula dengan tajuk-tajuk bukan fiksyen yang berat, kau bosan dan dah tak nak membaca. Boleh saja kalau kau betul minat dan mahu.

b. Cari masa kosong

Cuba tengok dalam 24 jam untuk sehari tu, waktu bila yang paling berpeluang besar kau akan membaca dan waktu yang paling selesa untuk membaca. Cuba cari waktu tetap. Sekejap ja, dalam 20-30 minit. Tak perlu ganggu waktu tengok kdrama atau anime pun. Sesetengah orang, dia selesaikan pembacaan dia di awal pagi. Sekiranya pukul 6 petang free bacalah pukul 6 petang. Kalau lepas isya' baru free bacalah lepas isya'.

Waktu membaca kita tu fleksibel pun tak apa, cumanya kalau baru mahu mulakan tabiat membaca elok ada waktu tetap supaya dapat didik otak kita patuhi jadual dan masukkan aktiviti membaca dalam jadual harian. Lepas dah jadi habit, membaca bila-bila pun tak kisah sebab diri kita dah patuh dengan aktiviti tersebut dan tak boleh tak buat aktiviti tu. Bila dah pilih waktu, boleh masukkan dalam aplikasi calendar/reminder e.g. Google Calendar dalam phone supaya dia sentiasa ingatkan kita bila waktu membaca tiba.

c. Sewaktu membaca

Bagi pembaca baru, boleh mula skit2 pun takpa. Sehari cuba 5 muka surat. Bila dah jadi kebiasaan dan seronok, naikkan sehari 10-25 muka surat. Membaca mudah saja. Yang payah syaitan penggangu yang bernama fon ni. Ini yang paling payah skali nak buat aih. Tangan dok ligan nak cek twitter, ig noh. Aku bagi tips skit la camna nak putuihkan habit ngadap fon saja ni, sebab aku pun payah jugak haritu.

i. Install aplikasi2 pomodoro/fokus

Aplikasi fokus ni berfungsi sebagai penghalang untuk kau bukak apps lain waktu kau bukak apps dia. Maknanya tak boleh exit app. Antara aplikasi fokus cadangan aku adalah aplikasi Forest (percuma). Kau tetapkan masa, lepastu dia bagi kau satu pokok kecil. Sepanjang masa yang kau tetapkan tu, kau tak boleh keluar apps. Kalau kau nak keluar kau kena bunuh pokok kau tu. Dia latih diri kau disiplin dan sabar. Bestla, bila kau kumpul banyak-banyak dia jadi hutan maya peribadi la. Style gak. Tapi kalau kau bayar feature lain kau dapat tanam pokok betul. Jadi, sekaligus kau dapat sumbangkan sesuatu kepada bumi.

Waktu awal-awal je kau perlukan aplikasi2 fokus ni, bila dah jadi kebiasaan kau tak perlukan pun aplikasi tu. Macam aku sekarang dah automatik baca bila waktu sampai dan tak perlu pertolongan apps. Kalau tak dulu ketegaq woi nak cek noti fon padahal bukan ada sapa2 mesej pun.

ii. Install aplikasi habit tracker

Aplikasi-aplikasi ni berfungsi untuk merekod aktiviti kita mengikut tetapan kita. Jadi, boleh masukkan dalam aplikasi tersebut aktiviti membaca, dan tetapkan kekerapan dalam sehari/seminggu/sebulan. Jadi, setiap kali selesai membaca, boleh tandakan/ rekod. Aplikasi cadangan adalah 'Repeat Habit Tracker' di Google Playstore. Meminjam kata-kata Thomas Frank (vlogger) dalam videonya dia berkata,

"When our brains have done something for a long period of time, we don't wanna break the chain/pattern. By using habit tracker apps, over time, you get a visual indication of your progress and that keeps you motivated to keep progressing in the right direction."2

iii. Tip tambahan: Buat akaun Goodreads

Aplikasi Goodreads adalah medium di mana kau boleh jumpa dengan pembaca-pembaca lain dan kau boleh rekod buku yang akan, sedang dan telah kau baca. Waktu kau baca sesebuah buku, kau boleh rekod perkembangan pembacaan kau muka surat demi muka surat. Kau boleh juga join cabaran membaca 2020 di Goodreads dan tetapkan berapa buku nak baca untuk tahun ni. Bila kau join Goodreads kau akan dapat rasa kebersamaan dan komuniti bila berjumpa dengan pembaca-pembaca lain.

Rumusan

Aku harap aku sudah sedikit sebanyak mengubah persepsi anda tentang membaca. Membaca bukannya aktiviti untuk orang-orang yang boring (lol) dan bukan juga satu kerja yang berat. Membaca membantu anda melihat dunia dari sudut pandang yang berbeza dari sudut pandang anda sekarang.

As John Green, a renowned and world famous author once said,

"I read to be moved, in every sense of the word. To go to places I haven't been and to glimpse worlds I otherwise couldn't see, including the worlds deep within myself."3

Video John Fish menceritakan pengalamannya membaca 100 buku dalam 100 minggu. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYOZpDg6Oj0&t=234s ↩︎ ↩︎

Video Thomas Frank berkongsi aplikasi-aplikasi habit tracker kegemarannya. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=491oCCVMa04&t=36s ↩︎

Video John Green berkongsi bagaimana dia membaca buku dan mengapa dia membaca. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VymR174m_4 ↩︎