With Love from Korea

Hola peeps! This post will be slightly different because I won't be the one writing it! *gasps* haha... I wonder if you guys are still curious about my adventure in Korea? You should be, and in coherence to the korea theme, My bloggy friend, Maddie from Head High Heart Strong is here to show you even more about Korea! Haha~

This post, quite honestly, makes me miss Korea again even if I just went there like a month ago? lol... anyway, I'm sure you'll enjoy the read! So go ahead!

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Hello! My name's Maddie and I write about my life and the cute things I find, over on my blog Head High Heart Strong. I'm currently lucky enough to live and work in one of Tiara's favourite places, South Korea. Sadly though, she wasn't able to squeeze me into her busy schedule when she was here, so we didn't get a chance to meet up. One of my favourite things about Korea is the fact that everything is so cute. Tiara hasn't yet shared with us what treats she bought from Korea, but today I'm going to share the cutest gifts to send and receive from the ROK.

 

♥ 1.Snacks 

How can just a normal treat be so cute and tasty? I love these Lotte pig ice creams in the Summer time. They're chocolatey and sweet on the inside and cool you down in the hot weather. But the number one Korean snack has to be Pepero. These are long, thin sticks of biscuit coated in chocolate and other tasty things. These snacks are so popular, they have their own dedicated day, the 11th of November. On Pepero Day it's custom to buy your loved ones a box of these. 

 

♥ 2. Socks

Until I came to Korea, I never wore socks, in fact I hated wearing socks. In England they're usually ugly and don't suit the shoes I wear, but in Korea I look for excuses to show off my socks! They have socks in every colour you can imagine, with every character you can imagine. Last year I sent my little sister some PSY socks for Christmas and she said that they were her favourite gift! And what's even better is that you can buy these cute socks from ₩1,000 a pair. 

 

 

♥ 3. Stationary 

What is it about girls and stationary? I remember when I was at school, my favourite time of year was the new term. It was an excuse to go out and buy new stationary. Cute pencil cases, novelty pencils and coloured pens were my favourite. Now, in Korea, I'm in my teenage paradise. There's no such thing as a dull pencil case. My favourite things are the yearly planners, at the moment I have a Sonny Angel Doll one. I also like the Jetoy cat brand, and ARTBOX! I am slightly obsessed with ARTBOX. So much so that the staff know me by name. I know that Tiara loves it too! It's a great place to satisfy your cute cravings.

 

♥ 4. Poop 

Koreans are a little obsessed with all things toilet related, and who wouldn't be when they make it seem so cute?! I've seen pink chocolate poop lollipops, poop shaped bread, poop pencils and my favourite was the DIY poop shaped phone dongle kit I came across in a stationary shop. Poop brings out the child in all of us, so why not buy your friend one of these gifts to put a smile on their faces?

 

♥ 5. Make Up 

If you have ever been on my blog, you will notice that I'm smitten with Etude House. In an ideal world, I would decorate my room at home based on an Etude House store. Princess pink and white mirrors makes it feel like I'm in Cinderella's dressing room rather than a shop. I love the packaging for their products too. Some of my favourite products are their ice-cream shaped nail polishes and their lip glosses. 

Not to mention all of the other shops available, like Skin Food, The Face Shop and Tony Moly. My make up bag has never been so full of amazing products. The novelty and low prices of the products make them irresistible. 

I now love buying gifts for people, because it's so easy! I wonder if Tiara bought herself anything cute while she was in Korea? 

If you like what you see, and would love some of these gifts to be landing on your doorstep, keep your eyes peeled for a give away that will be happening very soon! 

Maddie

xxx

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Aren't you guys excited? GIVEAWAY guyyyys~!!! Sent directly from the South Korea! I wonder if I can also join the giveaway hahahahaha XP and to answer her question, like ooof course I did buy HEAPS of cute stuff while I was there (especially make up), and I promise to share the story with you guys soon in the continuation of my Seoul Adventure series ^^

Seoul Adventure pt.2

I am back with the continuation of my first day in Seoul (OMG and it's gonna be a looooong series since I spent 10 days there, but really everyday I found something interesting I just have to share them with you, or at least write the stories here so I won't forget it later ;))

So after being a freak in the hostel (hopefully I scare nobody), I decided to ventured a little trying to find YG building (K-pop fans will know this, basically an agency building, a home to K-pop stars 2NE1 and Bigbang -and PSY too!), but me being myself just had to be lost even though later I figured out that the building is soooo close to my hostel. 

Since YG building is nowhere in sight, I just shrugged it of and go to Myeongdong to shop, and secretly, I wish to miraculously Frank from Thailand because that'd be so cool to find him in the crowded Myeongdong. Honestly, I think I saw him somewhere in the subway station but I wasn't sure if it was him (since he looked like a Korean) meh, I should've just tapped him on the shoulder or something, right? I'm always regretting things I didn't do *sigh*

anyway, I had no exact plan so I just wandered around and went back with some shopping bags in hand (I just can't resist the temptation to shop eeeeeeeehh...) I did a little more browsing about how to go to YG once I was back at the hotel and figured that I made a wrong turn earlier, so I tried once again in the afternoon.

And ta-daaaaaaaaah! I found it! Hahahahahahaha... I didn't meet any of the K-pop stars, though (like, of course... why would they be on the street?) but the building itself oozes a very strong aura (hahahahahaha... this is the fangirl in me talking). The shape of the building is so coooooool~ (and weird, but cool), and of course I just had to pose in front of it to make my friends cry because I'm mean like that~.

One of the best thing about my hostel is that it's so close to the Han River, that much I know, but again, the question of how to get there isn't in my dictionary. So after taking numerous shots in front of YG building I walked a random path and of course, went nowhere *sighs*. Well, I went back to the hotel, asked Patrick, a fellow artist from Germany who's been living for about a week before I came, and he gave me the right direction. Turns out I went to the opposite way before, no wonder it led me nowhere. :|

Anyways, finally! I present you! The Han river! It was so serene around here, I would love to go down to the riverbanks but it looks a little scary so eh, I just sat on the bench and had a nice time thinking about random stuff while enjoying the sunset. It was a really pretty sight, but cold, haha so I decided to go back.

On my way back, I met this old man and a little boy, the old man surprisingly spoke english so well! Turns out he lived in the US for 5 years, eeh~ no wonder! We had a really nice chat, he just came back from the Han river too, drank some wine and read a book (that seriously sounds really nice, right?) while the little boy (he told me he wasn't his grandson but didn't explain further) played around and drank milk. He asked me why I was alone, and asked me if I wasn't afraid since I was a girl and it would be dangerous for such a little girl like me to wander around alone, and I think I gave him a surprise when I told him I was 24.

His name is Mr. Yang, and he lived in a huge apartement building near my hostel. He was so kind to offer me a dinner (I declined, because eh, I didn't know him that much and he was the one who told me it would be dangerous for a girl like me to go out with a stranger) and even gave me his number just in case of emergency, too bad I couldn't contact his number (I'm not sure why, we checked so many times and it didn't work). He even thought of hooking me up with his cousin but then he realized that I was too young (his cousin was 40 something, lol). 

I think I've posted this picture before, that tall building is where Mr. Yang lives.

It was so random, but so fun and meaningful to me. It was my first day there and I felt kind of lonely, and suddenly I made a new friend randomly just by walking to a river. We never met again after that, and I couldn't contact his number even after I came back here in Indonesia, but I really would like to thank him to make me feel welcomed.

the little boy, he was so shy I had a hard time taking pics of him

The journey continued to dinner time, I was having a hard time honestly. I don't eat pork, and I was alone, and I couldn't speak korean while most of the things are either made of pork or served in a huge plate to eat together with friends, and most definitely written in Hangul. While I can actually read hangul (korean alphabet), I still couldn't understand them so it was pretty useless, lol. Anyway, I ended up in a small sushi restaurant.

The owner was so kind, he knew I wasn't korean, and that I was clueless, and I think I looked a little bit too lost, lol. So he took care of me really well, he showed me how to eat my meal properly, gave me bonuses on side dishes and even gave me an extra bowl of soup. I am not really an eater, I can't even eat that much, but the look in his eyes while serving me and trying his best to talk to me and kept me accompanied, I willingly forced myself to finish the meal.

I remember almost choked on my tears feeling the great care from him. It was my first day, I hadn't made any friends yet and I wander alone, I was lonely and he made me feel at home and welcomed and all the warmth took me by surprise I cried. I really did, a little and secretly, though. 

Ah! He also told me I was beautiful, and I remember I was surprised since well, I know I wasn't. I mean, I just came back from a long walk, I was sweaty and my hair was a mess, I didn't wear any make up, I was on my most vulnerable state and he said I was beautiful, I seriously felt like hugging him. I knew he could've just said it because it was one of the things he knows how to say in english, but whatever the reason was, I was so thankful.

A friend posted this on Path and I just couldn't hel to think of how true this is. Life is weird like that, blogging makes it weirder, it allows me to share my deepest secret with strangers I've never met before (and probably will never meet other than virtually), travelling makes it even weirder, I got to be lost with people I have no idea about and have fun with them, what if they were criminals? What if they were a bad man? And when we just got closer, we had to separate going to our own ways, most probably will never meet again but at the same time had created their share of stories in my book.

I remember I've written about how life feels like riding on a train that runs in a constant speed. Doesn't matter how beautiful or scary the scenery outside, it will all pass. And the most I can do is just taking pictures of everything so I won't forget what I've passed through and will be able to learn something from everything. So later on, this little bloglette will be an album filled with pictures and stories, hopefully interesting enough for me to share to my friends and families and kids and grandkids.

Seoul Adventure pt.1

Before anything, let's cross our fingers that I can finish writing this series, I really want to share everything I encountered during my 10 days stay in the capital of South Korea.

This was not the first time I stepped my feet on the gorgeous tiles of the grand Incheon Airport, so although I was alone, I was not afraid (I was still a little bit confused, tho) things felt familiar and I was kind of smug when I didn't have to go to claim my baggage because really, I didn't have one. 

So people, I really only went there with a single backpack on my back and nothing else. I seriously went all out this time, hahahahaha~ (I think I kinda look like a lost little girl tho).

Talk about being lost, I was indeed lost the first few minutes I stepped out the door with the EXIT sign. It wasn't even outside the airport yet people! Now here's the problem, when I first came to Korea for summer school last year, there was a bus fetching us, but now I had nobody, I gotta take the subway and I had no idea where the heck the Airport subway station was. 

Thankfully, Incheon was a very user-friendly airport with signs everywhere, but even so, Incheon is a big huge airport. I followed the direction but I still couldn't see any sign of subway or something that looks like one. So I looked around, and I found a guy who looked as lost as I was (if not even more so hahaha), so in that first few minutes after I stepped on the land of K-pop, not even stepping out of the airport yet, I have found myself a travel (lost) buddy. I can remember clearly the look on our faces when we stared at each other and figured out how we both were lost and that we might be each other's saviors. We managed to find the subway station, I helped him with the subway tickets, and we traveled together at least during the subway trip.

His name was Frank (if I'm not wrong) from Thailand, a 26 year old guy who ran a family business back at home and just did a random getaway to Korea (he really just decided it 3 days before), he hadn't even booked a place to stay (and I was so tempted to tell him to just stay with me in the hostel I've booked but I thought that would be too scary for him. So it was his first time in Korea, and he had no idea at all how things works in Korea, also, he was quite handsome (I thought he was a korean celeb or something but he looked too lost to be a korean hahhaaha). 

Too bad my phone battery was sooo low I couldn't take picture of us together, it would be nice to do so really, collecting pictures of people I met there (but most of the time my phone bitched out on me and decided to just die). Anyway, I'm glad I helped him out and gave him some pointers on how to survive in Korea (subway maps, T-money cards, etc). But that was it, my short-lived friendship with Frank from Thailand, I was not sure if I should ask for his number (wouldn't that make me look a little bit too creepy? I only knew him for a few minutes anyway), so I didn't (I honestly think I should, though). So yeah, we parted ways and wished each other good lucks.

I continued my journey finding the place to stay during this trip, I've booked it before; Seoul Basecamp Hostel, located very strategically in Hapjeong, only a few seconds away from the subway exit, very convenient!

I love how friendly Jake, the owner, is. I was a little bit too flustered when I came, it was around nine in the morning, I had a hard time finding my money inside my backpack and he was patient enough to wait for me (I even gave him wrong cash few times), kkkk~. As confused as I was that day (I will say it was jetlag) I didn't really catch what Jake said about the bathroom, think I shampooed my hair with body wash and use the shampoo to wash my body, hahahahaha... it's okay, I survived.

I really love that this little hostel has a rooftop, so I can breathe Seoul fresh (?) autumn air every day and see the hustling bustling city moving on the road below before I started my adventure for the day.

this is not the hostel I lived in, it's the scenery I see everyday from the rooftop, hehe~

The thing about this adventure is I fully realized I only have ten days so I had no time to waste. So after I washed up (with body wash and shampoo not doing their proper work) I went upstair to the rooftop and met some other guests who were having their breakfast. AAAANDDD I did another weird thing (really, my brain wasn't working properly) since I still had no idea how things work around the hostel, they kindly showed me around (the kitchen); that there were toasts and jams and everything you need for breakfast. 

I never really use toaster at home, heck, I don't even really eat bread as breakfast, so I was too lazy to use the toaster (no worries, I know how to) and just ate the bread without anything on it (no sugar, no jam), and as if it wasn't a weird enough sight for them, I couldn't find any water dispenser, when I asked them they said they usually bought bottled mineral water at 7-11 down the street, but since I was too lazy and very thirsty, I just drank the tap water, not sure if I could do that hahahahaha... but I'm still alive to this day sooo~ oh well, I hope I didn't freak them out. (turns out we can buy a bottled mineral water in the hostel, in front of the receptionist!)

it was still pretty early so the road was not that crowded yet, but you can see all the buses and taxis

This is my weakness, it took me several times hanging out before I can finally remember your name, but I remember the details. So the new friend I made that morning was a guy from UK who had visited Indonesia before and if I'm not wrong he said something about being a teacher in India. So fun and adventurous! And another guy from the US, who is teaching english in Beijing, who had his flight back to Beijing delayed for 4 hours, who occupied the capsul next to mine. Ah, whatever your names are (I really should contacted Jake only to ask who their names are), thank you for guiding me on my first few days, please don't be creeped out by my weird self! (>3<) this applied to Jake as well, hahaha...

man, isn't this a little bit too long already? And we're not even half way the first day yet! Oh well, I guess this Seoul Adventure Series gonna be a little longer than I thought it would be, not that I mind it. Can't wait to share more!

Oh, a few hours before I took the flight to Jakarta (before then go to Kuala Lumpur and continued the flight to Seoul), I applied for a job in UNIQLO -a pretty huge casual wear designer, manufacturer, and retailer brand from Japan (my friend thought it was a United Nation something, lol), and I was called for an interview (thank goodness!) tomorrow! I'm so excited about it! I really hope I can get this job! I'm already in love with their company rules and everything (and their jeans! But that's another story for another day). So, yeah, wish me the greatest luck! 

Welcoming Life

Hello! Such a nice day to see a picture of me getting lost in the woods to start a blog post, aye?

Here I am, back from the much needed break and get away! So I finally managed to flee to Korea, although did not manage to go to Busan as planned *sobs*. Anyway, I truly believe that this vacation was really needed, I don't think I will survive and have a stable mind like I am now if I didn't go. 

I felt pretty hollow and empty and I wanted to see something new and do things that are not on my routines and I am thankful I did.

The adventure I had for about ten days I spent there was something I wouldn't want to trade with anything, ever. This blog post will be an intro of what I will call Seoul adventure series posts, which will be at least 8 parts (so expect me to blog a lot after this! Yay!)

I made new friends, ate new random foods, went to new places, experienced things I didn't think I would, I am pretty sure I am recharged!

The journey made me realize how lucky I am, how blessed I am to be in a country without anyone and managed to make new friends everyday, even the first few minutes I landed my feet in the land of K-pop I've already made friends thanks to my bad sense of direction, haha~

I was lost countless times, I think I was lost every day, I think being lost is my new hobby. I am the type of person who does plan but does not really plan (do I even make sense?). I love spontaneity, so that was what I did during my stay.  I am one who does not google up what a movie is about and just go to the cinema and watch it. The excitement of not knowing what awaits, having no expectations, is my kind of lifestyle, where I can then surprise myself and be more thankful of what's given to me.

Seoul, I visited beautiful places, traveled with subways countless times, helped by strangers more often than I thought I would ever be, made random friends and had adventures with them even if we just met, bought heaps of make up (and still want to buy more), spent almost all the money I brought there (I only had 8000 won left-about 10 bucks, or less). Well I did have my saving for emergency but decided not to exchange my dollar just to prove I can manage without it.

So, are you in for my adventure? Later alligators, I gotta put on my nail polish and beauty mask sheet first ;).

Up Close and Personal

I love writing, always. 

I love blogging even more, because I get to share my thoughts with everyone all over the world. How magical is that?

I am always amazed at the idea of blogging, sharing your life and stories and thoughts with someone you barely know, whom you may will never meet, whose life you know nothing about, yet you share your stories with them without a doubt.

It's like having a diary wide open for everyone to read, and for them to give their two cents, and for them to help you when you're troubled, to let them pats you on the back (virtually) when you've accomplished something, letting them lend their shoulders for you to cry on when you're utterly sad (again, virtually).

I'm always attracted to personal blogs the most. I love reading people's stories and thoughts, I love how they let me hear their stories, after a little while, I will get to know them better and it feels like we're friends although we never really meet in real life, eventually we'll become friends.

That's why I always love leaving a lengthy comment when I'm really interested with the posts, I want to let them know that I care, that I read their post and want to share my thoughts about it too, although I can't deny that some of the days I'm just too lazy to read, but usually when I don't read, I don't comment.

Something has been bugging me since yesterday, that some people just came and left a comment but turns out it was a "template comment" (as I usually call it). They leave a same comment in every blogs they visited saying something like "it's so cute!" or "I love it so much!" and leave their links, they don't even read what I wrote~! ;A;

I appreciate their effort to do some blog-walking and leave a comment (more like copy-pasted the comment everywhere), but really, I don't think it's a nice thing to do to promote your blog *sighs*.

But then again, maybe that's just me being someone who loves personal relationship better.

By the way, it's our dearest fellow blogger Krissy's Birthday today! Go ahead and congratulate her! She's one of the nicest bloggers out there who always reads your posts and leave a nice comment~ I love love love her! Hahaha..

In other news, I've been hearing how google is going to stop Google Readers and Google Friend Connect ((゜д゜;)) which freaks me out a little when I found out about it. But revived as I found the solution, follow me via bloglovin~! ^O^ just click on that pretty bloglovin banner on the side~. 

I honestly think it's a great loss from Google though. I love reading blogs through Google readers and I was kind of hoping it was an April fool's joke but apparently it isn't *sobs*.

AND! Me and my friend Nanette has decided to write  (and draw) a zine. Yeeeey~ *throws confetti* (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧ we're writing on it right now. It'll be a simple one since it's our first time doing it, and I have to say, all thanks to Toizelle and her blog post about zines that remind me about this little project me and Nanette had talked about last year, lol. (We talked about it and forgot, typical).

Walking Down the Memory Lane

I am three one and a half hours away from being 24, and I am a nervous wreck. 

I feel old and haven't accomplished much, I know I've been talking about this since forever (more like, since I turned 23) but really. I am almost 24, haven't finished my graduate study yet, haven't married yet, heck, I don't even have a boyfriend to marry with! And I don't know why but I keep feeling like turning 25 instead of 24. Not that it makes any huge difference, but to be very honest, turning 25 is like the scariest thing I can ever be right now, thank goodness it's still next year (LOL). I'm not even sure if I made sense.

I guess that's what people call quarter life crisis?
(。・_・。)

Maybe I am just a greedy little lady, I want to do more, I need to do more, I have to do more, accomplish more, achieve more, discover more, learn more, play more. I guess you can say I am one very curious little lady. I always think that there are so many things in this world, and this curious little self wants to try each and every one of it! But just like Arkarna said, so little time so much to do.

I visited my old primary school when I went to Bandung yesterday, and I surprised myself looking at how small everything look. I remember feeling everything was so huge, the stairs were so high and the rooms were wide, and the aisles were like the longest road I had to go through everyday, but yesterday suddenly everything seemed to shrink; the stairs weren't that high, and the rooms were quite small, and I got to walk through every aisle in less than 15 minutes. I guess I've grown up a lot.

During my school days, I was a TV addict (just like any other 90s kids, I guess). I watch MTV like it was the only show in the world, Friends and Sabrina the Teenage Witch every weekend, Sailormoon and Doraemon and Dragon Ball every Sunday, and of course I still remember the time when I watch drama everyday. 

I was still in primary school at that time, and I was addicted to this Pearl Princess (Huan Zhu ge ge) drama, and this character was (is, and always will be) my favorite.

Vicky as Xiao Yan Zhi, isn't she so very pretty? (｡♥‿♥｡) I love her eyes!

I'm not sure if you know or have ever heard about the drama, but I think most Asian know about it, since it was such a huge hit. Vicky Zhao Wei turned insanely popular along with her fellow artist, her next huge hit was the movie So Close where she worked with two other very famous Chinese Actresses, Shu Qi and Karen Mok.

The three Heroines (well actually two of them acted as a thief and another one is a police)

I still remember the time when I rushed home from school just to watch Pearl Princess, it is a novel-based TV series, so the dedicated fan in me of course decided to buy the book, and I never regret it, it was seriously worth every penny I saved from my pocket money (and let's not forget the excessive whining and pleading I did to my parents) (~￣▽￣)~.

This is going to sound so cheesy, but I believe it is true that Vicky's character, along with other things I love when I was young, created me the way I am now. Her character, Xiao Yan Zhi, is a very bubbly, a little bit clumsy, a little bit stupid, a little too brave, but very adorable young girl. I believe because I love her character, I had unconsciously turned myself to be someone like her. 

I guess that's a good thing.

Now, here I am, a little too bubbly, a little bit too brave, a little bit stupid and clumsy at times, and (hopefully) adorable, almost 24 year old little lady with the whole world in front of her. I have so many things I want to achieve, and so many things I want to try doing, and so many things I've been doing and still want to explore more about.

If I have to list what I want to do to fill this year, I hope I can really fulfill these:

Draw more, create more artwork and have an exhibition (or two, or three, or more)

And while we're on this, how do you like my new layout?

Create more friends from all over the world

Now this is important, enough is never enough, right?

Fill my passport with stamps from all over the world.

I need to visit each one of you, remember? And I still have to go to Korea again (to buy a whole lot of Korean cosmetics, no kidding :p), and find a way to work and live there.

Finally finding Mr. Right 

and take a step closer to settle down. Like, pretty pretty please with cherry on top? Being single is getting boring.

Find (or create) a fun job for myself 

So I will stop feeling sad looking at my empty wallet (LOL).

Graduate, oh my God, there is no excuse, I simply have to.

I won't even bother to look for a picture about it.

Enjoy life

Go to more concerts, go on vacation, smile more, and just simply being nice to myself and everyone around me.

I will stop at 7 on this list because that's my favorite number, but there are like thousands more on the list actually (like buying more shoes, and make up, and learn how to use eye shadow, and find the perfect lipstick color for me, and be more fashionable, blog more often just like what I used to do, write more about my life so I won't forget it later, meeting my favorite artists and performers, and yeah, you get the point). 

Let's just march on and... well, gotta catch 'em all~!

Cheesy February

I’m using a silly font, and I’m adding emoticons on my post. Am I littletiara? Definitely! lol… this is kinda fun~

oh dear.. my blog has become so cute! Too cute! OMG, how do you like it? hahahah… I think I’m having too much fun here…

I really really, like seriously want to revamp this blog, and make myself active in the blogsphere again. Not only posting but also visiting random blogs and make new friends.

Quite frankly, shouldn’t I make something more mature instead of this kind of silly, though? LOL… is this my new image? hahahah… I wonder what will 5 years older me say when she opens this blog post~

anyways, moving on to the post; it’s February already! Holy flying unicorns! How fast seriously does time fly? so here, this post will talk about what I’ve done in January 2013. I found it useful to remind myself what I’ve accomplished, it makes me want to do more and accomplish more…

1. I’ve finished my thesis! Hurray~

finally… after long sleepless nights (more because I can work better at night) I finished my thesis! Well, I’m still waiting for it to be revised by my professor, though… but at least it is done done done~!

Remember my final paper for college was talking about fairy tales? Now, this thesis is talking about music~ man, I love how I can choose what I want to write about… it’s mainly about how someone’s intention to download music illegally reduces their intention to buy the original album. Isn’t it a sad fact?

Guess what? After finishing my thesis, I haven’t downloaded anything illegally any more, haha~!

2. I am an illustrator!

I guess you all know about my passion in art, and how I’ve made some artworks during my free time (or class time). Now I can proudly say that I’ve officially become an illustrator!

My cousin is a writer, and he wrote a book, and he asked me to illustrate the book~! Although he only gave me a week (which later be 2 weeks) to finish ten pictures for his book, and at some point during that week I felt so frustrated about drawing, and although at the deadline day I slept only for two hours… everything is worth it!

I actually really want to do this book giveaway, but it is written in Bahasa, I’m not sure if you want it hahaha… I really hope it was written in English, because honestly (pssst… don’t tell my cousin about it~) I found the story interesting, and I love how everyone in the book is connected to each other, plus… it’s a book about chocolate… who doesn’t love chocolate? Oh come on, even my allergic cousin loves it! (yes, I have another cousin who’s allergic to chocolate… I can’t imagine being her…)

3. My first lomo-shoot ever!

 

ever heard of Lomography? Or Lomo camera? such fun analog camera with the moto “don’t think just shoot”. Just… how fun is that rule? So my friend dikasapi is a pro (since he won a lot in the competition) and he let me learn and use one camera from his collection (believe me, he has like heaps of them!)

playing with Lomo is so much fun, I used LC-A Russia Day camera to take the pictures, as you can see… combo~! Each Lomo camera has their own specialty… I don’t think I can explain that yet, hahaha… I’m still a nooooob~

I also joined Lomography web page which is filled with friendly talented people from all around the world~! Such a fun place to be in! x) I received warm greetings and I soooo love it there

I love the thrill of  using an analog camera, how long has it been since the last time you used one? The excitement of not knowing how the result will come out like, the thrill of waiting for it being developed, the feeling of wanting to just shoot everything and develop the film but also want to only shoot the right picture… those are soooo exciting~!

4. Trying out various natural DIY face mask

Since I’ve done with my thesis (for a while) and finished illustrating, so I was kinda free. It is inevitable for me to spend a lot of my time in front of the computer, until one day I stumbled upon a website that showed me a recipe to make face mask using things I can find in my kitchen.

This is so fun! I’ve tried tomato, lemon, papaya, oatmeal, and banana… all can be mixed with honey, olive oil, and milk… while I had fun experimenting, I do notice that my skin is getting better… hahaha… I love this…

they’re messier than the instant face mask on the tube, though… tomatoes are so wet, so it dripped down my face… oatmeal is messy… and banana doesn’t look good when mashed (so it’s best to do it in the bathroom)… but they’re so useful… sugar and honey are my favorite, because it’s simple and gives instant result… but of course I can’t use sugar everyday to exfoliate my skin… mom will question how did her sugar runs out too quickly hahahaha~

so it’s indeed a long post, don’t you think? I hope I can write more often from now on, just like the good old days… I noticed my bloggy friends are getting busier too… so yeah, it's inevitable… we’re growing up~