Again, the December comes.
Again, the year meets the end.
Again, here I am, writing about how my year went!
As always since 2008, I am going to sum up what I have gone through during this year.
More like me walking back through time to celebrate my life actually.
2019 has been such an adventure for me.
Here we go with some details to share!
For previous references:
2008 | 2009 |
2010 |
2011 |
2012 |
2013 |
2014 |
2015 |
2016 |
2017 |
2018
Movie of the month: It: Chapter Two
01 | January
Nothing special for me to do on the New Year Day as I remember. I spent most of my January days in Bandung for work and I decided to do something that I also did in 2016: hair dye.
So there is this famous hair salon in Bandung, Anata Salon, which has a lot of branches in the city. Apparently they had this promotion during January to April 2019 so I went for it. I'm not a big fan of hair coloring but a small change at times would be nice, no?
Again, it's ombre, meaning I only had my hair colored from middle to end. In case anything happened (eg: me, getting bored), I could cut my hair short anyway... which I hope will not happen because it takes years for my hair to grow. Literally, years. I went with red for the color but... Yes, that's a 'but', surprisingly the color disappeared after one wash. Yes, not faded, but disappeared.
Thankfully as I returned to the salon, they re-colored my hair for free but the color slightly shifted from red to... reddish purple? This is how my hair looked like 1-2 weeks (pretty sure you can't see the color though, lol, my bad because I have no picture of me in the red ombre) after the coloring. Do note that this kind of fashion color doesn't last long. Oh, it's L'oreal, I think, the brand they use.
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| Wefie at The Colmar Tropicale |
Okay, so about the picture above, it's taken on my first trip this year to Kuala Lumpur with these four persons who are also my ex-colleagues at office -- I mentioned about this already earlier months ago here. Actually it's around July 2018, I think, when I was randomly browsing AirAsiaGo (Flight+Hotel) for a Friday-to-Monday trip so I would not need to take office leaves. I found one to Kuala Lumpur -- which I have visited in 2013, the details can be found here.
IDR 1,1 million for flight and hotel if I selected a room for three for 4 days 3 nights. After doing a quick calculation and got them to agree, the plan was set! Kuala Lumpur is indeed a great place to visit but we know we haven't visited a lot of place! I would love to take another trip with this bunch again in the future!
Even more, it will be very good for me if I can write down the details of the trip. Well, one day I will.
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| Thean Hou Temple, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia |
Back from Kuala Lumpur, I took another flight to a new city for work: Magelang. The only time I visited the city is to Candi Borobudur last year -- which I mentioned in this post. I went there for work with my colleagues so I skipped celebrating my Grandma's 80th birthday on 24 January. I didn't do much for the project as I happened to be there to assist a junior.
Movie of the month: Master Z: The Ip Man Legacy
Song of the month: Love Scenario by iKON
Read of the month: Yukoku no Moriarty by Takeuchi Ryousuke
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| Yukoku no Moriarty cover. I wonder if the manga actually continues because it's really good! |
02 | February
Back to Bandung on the second month of 2019, I moved out from the rented room (one called 'kost') and chose to stay at VK Pods. I'd recommend this for anyone who is looking for a comfortable, clean place for a short stay in Bandung. It's a boutique capsule accommodation, located in the area of Paskal 23. Couldn't ask more for the facilities!
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| Credit goes to the owner for the room's picture |
This month I experienced something unpleasant of which my Starbucks card was used by irresponsible persons. Nowadays, you don't actually need to bring the physical card to do the transaction and you can use the barcode in your mobile app instead. Due to my activities, I had not been able to visit Starbucks so, one day, I was going to buy a cup when I realized that my rewards were gone and my balance was almost zero.
I quickly checked my history and noticed all of the rewards (free beverage) and balance was used on the same day. I made a call to Starbucks and did a quick research. Apparently this is not something rare to happen. Starbucks sent me an email of the people who used my card (at the store KM 2+200 Semarang Solo on 8 February 2019!) including the CCTV footage.
Well, long story short, they returned my balance and rewards after I created a new account (new card, new e-mail). Hopefully the same incident will never occur again!
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| The sanctuary walk to OHD Museum |
On the third week, I returned to Magelang and, luckily, managed to visit some spots during the weekend with Jennie, my partner in the project there. One of the places we visited is OHD museum, a private museum of modern and contemporary Indonesian art.
I think it's around this month that I started to listen to Day6, a Korean band, and I actually like Jae, the guitarist a lot! I even watched his channel on YouTube (JaeSix) as he is fluent in English.
Movie of the month: Green Book
Song of the month: hurt road by Day6
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| Green Book poster. It won "Best Picture" for Oscar. |
03 | March
Remember that I wrote that I visited Singapore pretty often compared to other countries? I didn't really plan to go there this year as I had another plan already but, well, I got my chance due to a project. On 3 March, I took a flight to Singapore after a very quick meetup with my friends (one of them was going to have a birth that month!).
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| Before my departure to Singapore... Like 4 hours before? |
During the evening in Singapore, I took my chances to visit some places I never actually managed to go before at night time -- this is my 6th time to the country! I also managed to meet my friends there. They are good friends I knew from other social media platforms (one of them is my writer-soulmate actually). So happy to be able to meet them!
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| Singapore - See you girls again! |
On 6 March, Liani gave a birth to baby Quenelle! Congratulations to you and Alvin!
I was planning to give them a visit on 8 March after the plane landed but due to a sudden change of situation I rushed back to home after knowing that my Grandma was sick. I've dedicated a post for this here.
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| When I miss you, I'll just look at this picture |
My heart still hurt just to remember that moment. I missed you a lot, Pho. :)
Movie of the month: Us
Song of the month: Everglow by Coldplay
Read of the month: Worldend: Debugger by Ritsuhiro Mikami
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| Worldend: Debugger manga cover. The ending could be better though but I love the art and twists! |
04 | April
April came and I returned to Bandung for work. As someone who loves to do new things alone (is it actually weird? But I also like to explore new places with friends!), I visited Bandung Nu Art on 3 April. Located pretty far from where I stayed though.
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| Taken carefully with a timer, lol |
On 13 April, Shandy had a quick vacation to Bandung so I accompanied him, even recommending him to stay at VK Pods. He made a vlog on his YouTube channel as well! Let me share the video here for you to enjoy.
We visited the Lodge Maribaya and Bird Pavilion although it was raining after noon. Well, plan went well so we had a delicious dinner at a Korean restaurant before hitting the cinema for a movie. He returned on the next morning while I stayed because I should return to Jakarta on 17 April for the Indonesia Election 2019's voting day.
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| Pretty good greeny view, right? |
And... on 18 April I visited Anata Salon again! This time I brought Pravana Vivids Violet with me (I bought it online @pravanaindonesia at Instagram). While the promotion was still active, I changed my red to violet. Pretty much like this, and I still have the same color now -- I do need to re-color it every 1-2 month though to keep it good (or else I would have silver-ish hair color).
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| I actually like the color a lot and it's not even my favorite color. I like black, you know. |
This month (almost) everyone was getting hyped with "Avengers: Endgame" which became the highest-grossing film of all time. Some of the cinemas here even opened for 24-hour for this movie! And people chose those odd slots as well so I was extremely amazed. Of course I also watched it on 24 April.
On 28 April I had another trip to Bandung but, this time, I went with my Mom who kept giving me the code that she really wanted to go there. With all the online booking technology, I booked an apartment unit via AirBnB, train tickets via Tokopedia, and all the attraction tickets via Traveloka. Also rented a motorcycle for us to get around from Naya Rental.
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| Farmhouse Lembang -- not the Hobbit House, I think |
The last time we traveled together is January 2014 to Singapore. Would be nice if I can go travel somewhere together again with my family!
Movie of the month: Avengers: Endgame
Song of the month: Boy with Luv by BTS
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| Avengers: Endgame poster. Definitely a great movie to be remembered for decades. |
05 | May
My birthday month with several trips going on.
First one is I returned to Surabaya for a short time to help for a project there, back to the apartment I stayed in during 2018. At the same time, I was planning carefully for everything I needed for my first solo trip!
Yes, solo trip!
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| At one of the temples in Angkor Wat temple area, Siem Reap, Cambodia |
So last year I had this random plan where I would like to visit some places. I was thinking to look for a companion but my destinations were pretty complex and random so... I could just go alone, couldn't I?
Then I booked the flight via AirAsia, accomodations via Agoda, some attractions via Klook, and planning the details by checking TripAdvisor. Seriously, TripAdvisor saved me for this trip!
I was accompanied by the free walking tour in Ho Chi Minh - Vietnam, booked a TukTuk personal driver in Cambodia (Phnom Penh, Siem Reap), and checked some spots to visit in Bangkok - Thailand. I need to write a complete post for this trip, don't I?
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| Angkor Wat in the morning. I love this picture a lot even though I failed to see the sunrise due to cloudy weather. |
My longest trip and I really hope there will be longer, more adventurous trip in the store for me! I actually shared some details on my Instagram @erlia91 so, if you have time (or just curious), feel free to check it.
My family surprised me with a cake once I returned home from Thailand. Thank you, people! My hair looks pretty purple here, no?
My family surprised me with a cake once I returned home from Thailand. Thank you, people! My hair looks pretty purple here, no?
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| I had not unpacked yet here! |
Movie of the month: Aladdin
Song of the month: Butter-fly by Wada Koji
Read of the month: Kosan 95! by Didiwalker
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| Kosan 95! One of the best Indonesian webtoons I ever read! |
06 | June
There's nothing much happened in June except that my father was in process of healing after a motorcycle accident -- it happened when I was in Vietnam. He's alright now but he has a problem with blinking his left eye. Asked him to physiotherapy but, well, it's just impossible to persuade him. Hope it will get better soon.
I also went to Dufan one time this year before my annual pass expired. Also visited Pekan Raya Jakarta on 2 June with Fenni, Delbert, and Wien. Also met ex-colleagues from BUMA and their families, exchanging stories and random talk as always.
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| Baby Queen joined the picture! |
During this month I took train a lot due to work at BSD area, Tangerang. It's so late for me to finally realize that getting around with train is pretty convenient, lol. Unless it's needed, I still prefer train rather than TransJakarta until now.
Oh, I spent most of my hours watching Kuroko no Basket. Yes, that 2012 anime that I just tried to watch after 7 years airing, lol. Pretty fun although not as epic (HA!) as Prince of Tennis. Even my brothers joined me to watch the episodes!
In the end of the month, Choco, one of our pets at home, passed away due to her age. Been 9 years since she became a part of our family and it's really heartbreaking when my Mom cried, telling me that she had gone hours after we brought her to a vet.
Rest in peace, Choco. Be a good companion for Grandma there. :)
In the end of the month, Choco, one of our pets at home, passed away due to her age. Been 9 years since she became a part of our family and it's really heartbreaking when my Mom cried, telling me that she had gone hours after we brought her to a vet.
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| Hi, Choco! We miss you a lot! |
Movie of the month: Parasite
Song of the month: Can Do by Granrodeo
Read of the month: The Grim Reaper and and Argent Cavalier by Irono
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| Parasite poster. One of the best movies in 2019 for me. |
07 | July
July. The days where I spent watching and watching and watching.
From anime (Kuroko no Basket and Bungou Stray Dogs; seriously recommend these two!) to YouTube channel (TwoSetViolin for fun, The Crosbys for admiration). Oh, I rarely subscribe to YouTube Channels though. I am not a fan of vlogs and anything non-musical videos but I do like watching videos from Korea Reomit and The Crosbys.
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| If you haven't watched this, you should try! |
I'm trying to recall what happened in July that I could share but... Nope. Nothing. I was busy with work and all but, yet, not doing anything productive enough. Let me just go the corner and think of the reason that I would not find... Pfft.
Oh, I started to listen to Granrodeo and Luck Life! Do listen to them if you're a fan of anime soundtrack (or any music in general). And I took a part-time job as a translator to Bahasa for a short project. It's pretty challenging! Thanks for the opportunity!
Movie of the month: Spider-man: Far from Home
Song of the month: Lily by Luck Life
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| Lily album cover. 3rd Ending of Bungou Stray Dogs anime. Beautifully sung by Luck Life. |
08 | August
4 August 2019, Jakarta and the other nearby areas experienced almost 1-day blackout. Seriously. Everyone rushed to the malls (including me). Pretty crowded that day.
Then on 7 August I attended a concert for a group which has been idolized and admired by lots of people since I was young: Westlife! On their 20th anniversary, they celebrated with having The Twenty Tour and Jakarta is on the list. The performance is spectacular but the event organizer needs a lot of improvement. Like... A lot. I wasn't affected much as I sat at one of the last rows but my friends told me a lot of issues happened during Day 1 -- I watched the Day 2 concert.
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| Code Geass merchandises! |
17 August, I had a staycation with Monica at The Sultan Hotel (thanks to Traveloka epic sale! IDR 200,000++ for a night) after managed to watch the special screening of "Code Geass: Lelouch of the Re;surrection" at Grand Indonesia. In case I never shared it here, Code Geass is one of my most favorite animes ever. And Lelouch is my favorite characters even after 12 years.
I went to Taman Ismail Marzuki for the last day of Jakarta International Literary Festival with Christopher on 24 August, watched Gundala (first of the Bumi Langit Cinematic Universe!), and went to Universitas Indonesia for Brenda's Master Degree graduation on 31 August! She has two bachelor degrees, a master degree, and a coffee shop (Tekofio!). Amazing, right?
I also have a heart-to-heart talk (kinda) with an old friend of mine at midnight. Sometimes discussing about the past might be painful and honesty might not always give you what you expect but, maybe, somehow life has a better plan afterwards.
At least I think so. And I'm glad we're still friends. :)
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| Happy (3rd) graduation, Brenda! |
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| A group of four which rarely could be found together actually; lunch time after Brenda's (official) graduation ceremony |
I also have a heart-to-heart talk (kinda) with an old friend of mine at midnight. Sometimes discussing about the past might be painful and honesty might not always give you what you expect but, maybe, somehow life has a better plan afterwards.
At least I think so. And I'm glad we're still friends. :)
Movie of the month: Ready or Not
Song of the month: Westlife
Read of the month: Tokidoki by Komi Naoshi
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| Westlife: The Twenty Tour in Jakarta. I wish they will come again in the future (with better EO!) |
09 | September
A month of wedding!
On 7, my elementary school friend, Jolanda got married. Sorry for not being able to attend the party!
On 14, Raymond, my senior at high school and university, got married. I spent the whole day with Dewi as we went there together.
On 22, I attended Edwin's wedding -- my colleague. After the wedding mass at noon, I went to Kuup Boardgame Cafe. It's been a while so I really enjoyed the time.
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| TOAST! Haha. It's a fun game for us to play |
However on 11 Sept, Indonesia's former president, BJ Habibie, passed away. He's one of the most inspiring figures I know but, as people said, now he is together with his beloved wife, Ainun.
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| Credit goes to @KomikFaktap |
Movie of the month: It: Chapter Two
Song of the month: Deja Vu by Dreamcatcher
Read of the month: My Deepest Secret by Hanza
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| My Deepest Secret. Season 1 just finished and I'm waiting patiently for the second season! Do read this if you're into thriller/comedy webtoon! |
10 | October
October is the month where I started to subscribe to Netflix again. Also the moment I realized why everyone likes Netflix because, gosh, endless selections to watch! The first one I watched is "Sword Art Online", from season 1 to season 3, which is actually not a new anime but people recommend it so I gave it a try.
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| Kirito and Asuna are apparently a popular couple. Also heard there will be a live action for this... Don't know how to react about it though. |
Not my most favorite one but, yeah, the battle scenes are great and it is the beginning of me getting back to anime, lol. I have a feeling I will watch a lot of anime in the next few months somehow.
On 5 October, I spent a good day with Christopher, to M Bloc Space (preserving the original vintage looks!). We also watched a musical by Jaksical, "Journey Through Time: A Magical Expedition". Then we went for a Go-Food Festival. Such a busy day.
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| M Bloc Space has a lot of good spots to take pictures |
A heartbreaking news came from South Korea on 14 October when Sulli passed away. She had been in some controversies in the past years, I am also not her fan, but... Rest in peace, Sulli. I hope people learn to choose their words wisely.
I also made a decision in this month to change my job, moving to a new company as I submitted my resignation letter.
Movie of the month: Joker
Song of the month: Wish You Were Gay by Billie Eilish
Read of the month: Gensomaden Saiyuki by Minekura Kazuya
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| Gensomaden Saiyuki, a manga started in 1997. watched the anime in 2000-ish and still one of my favorite mangas until now! |
11 | November
There are two big events I had this month.
The first is my last day at STEM on 8 November, the company I had worked with since April 2014. I met a lot of people, went to various places, and learned a lot -- both professionally and personally. I wish all the best for us and, when time comes, we might meet again on another occasion!
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| Last day at office with the (incomplete) colleagues |
I received the Luck Life album which I ordered via my high school friend who works in Japan. I seriously love all songs by Luck Life so I'd recommend their songs for you who are reading this post! If they ever come to Jakarta, I'd definitely come for their concert!
On 18 November, it's my first day at a new office. The location is in Sudirman area -- I take train to office nowadays. I'd share more of experience after I finish my probation in February, I guess. I needed to buy new shirts for starting new here though, lol.
A sad news was announced on 24 November: Goo Hara, Sulli's best friend, passed away. It's a really heartbreaking news, month after Sulli left the world. I'm not a fan of them but I did listen to their songs when they're still active in their groups, f(x) and KARA. Rest in peace, Hara.
The second biggest event for me is on 30 November, the second concert I enjoyed this year: Day6 Gravity Tour in Jakarta!
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| After the concert finished |
Although I must admit that I really regret coming late to the concert. Okay, so here's the short summary. The concert started at 7PM, I took the tickets from the KieL (it's a 'jastip' service or, in English, shopping entrusted goods service), before grabbing something to eat at Pacific Place. I left the mall at 6PM to go directly to the concert venue at Tennis Indoor Senayan.
The thing is... it's raining that evening and some accesses were closed so... Yeah, I was late. I walked in when they're singing the fourth song. I promised myself that I would never ever be late again for any kind of event!
Anyway, the concert is wonderful! I'm glad I decided to attend their concert and definitely will go again if I have the chance!
Movie of the month: Kim Ji-young, Born 1982
Song of the month: Day6
Read of the month: Hunter x Hunter by Togashi Yoshihiro
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| Day6 Gravity Tour poster. Very well organized and very entertaining! |
12 | December
Last month of the year and I don't really have much to share actually. I spent most of my weekends playing games at home -- which I should use to write, I know. I seriously need to fix my habit and try to be more productive. Probably my resolution in 2020, no? lol.
Mal Taman Anggrek has this great Harry Potter theme for this year's Christmas & New Year. Starting from 18 December 2019 until 12 January 2020, you'll find stores, games, and great spots to take pictures -- especially if you're a Potterhead! I would recommend you to come in the morning during weekends to avoid crowds though.
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| Hogwarts Express! |
For a quick getaway this month, I went to Bogor for a staycation with Monica and Dewi. Originally it was for culinary purpose, but Dewi and I had a little more plan to give a very plain and simple bridal shower surprise for Monica. Three of us have been friends since 2009 (yeah, 10 years) and we're celebrating things in our own way.
Well, mostly food and random talk. lol.
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| One of three is going to be a Mrs! |
I made myself busy with new environment at work during December and... I managed to plan for a new trip next year! This time I will have a companion though.
Fun fact: My first movie of 2019 at cinema is "Master Z: Ip Man Legacy".
Tonight, on last day of 2019, I will watch "Ip Man 4: The Finale"!
Movie of the month: Knives Out
Song of the month: Every day, Every Moment by Paul Kim
Read of the month: Gakuen Babysitters by Tokeino Hari
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| Knives Out poster. Very smart with good twists and great characters! |
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In 2019, I had a trip with a new travel group,
I had my first solo trip to 3 new countries,
I had my hair re-colored twice -- different colors,
I resigned from my 5-year-job and got a new job,
yet I also had my heart broken twice this year: losing my Grandma and Choco.
I'm sending my condolences again to everyone who lost their dearest people, including some good friends of mine who lost their families this year.
I'm sending my condolences again to everyone who lost their dearest people, including some good friends of mine who lost their families this year.
In 2020, I will be facing new challenge at work for sure,
have trip(s) to take on for new adventure,
and, hopefully, new people to meet to celebrate the life to the fullest.
There are 2 weddings to celebrate already in January 2020!
Well, I hope you all have a good year in 2019.
Have a wonderful New Year's eve, everyone.
See you in 2020!
