Looking back on 2018, and welcoming 2019

Happy New Year 2019 Everyone!
May we have a blast and wonderful days ahead.

I want to begin this post with some reflection on my goals I wrote in my 2018 post. If I look back, I found that some of it is just a mere imagination with no actual realization, while some of it I could lined them off proudly. Here are my 2018 goals.

2018 goals

Yoga and other physical exercise twice a week at least

Read 52 books a year

Savings for future travel adventure

Write 5 blog entries at least each month

Bring Flying Balloons Puppet to be one of performance group in Indonesia

Bullet journaling

Pray

Take a deep breath before starting anything

Learn Spanish and Japanese again

Finding and seizing opportunity to study again

Last year, I thought that my most difficult goal to be accomplished is staying with my exercise regime. There were days when I could done 30 days exercise challenge while also there were months where I totally forgot to exercise. It was awful.

Other things that I cannot achieve last year was read as many book as I could. I only completed read 5 book. I know for sure that I want to read more book in this 2019. Goals that I could not realize this year also blogging every single month at least writing 5 posts each month. I am so sad that there were months were I have not written anything at all for example February, August, and September. I do not want to make an excuse, but, there are events that I was preparing, such as Flying Balloons performance in Galeri Indonesia Kaya on March 2018.

For me 2018 is the blogging revival for me, since I have not written much on 2017. The year 2011 will be the highest number of posts that I posted on this blog. Nonetheless, the number of posts this year is double up compare to 2017 and I am looking forward to do more on blogging on 2019. 2018 is the time when I signed up on blogger perempuan. I never thought, that I could brave enough to join it. Since I know that I might not be as active as other member, buut taking this step shows that I care about this blog. On early December 2018, I bought domain for this blog. I said to myself that, I need to do this seriously, not only as a way to practice my English but also as a platform for me to share what I like as well as sharing story about the group I am managing, Flying Balloons Puppet.

Looking back to this blog and how I made this during high school, I never imagined that I blogging till this day, it was already 8 years! I thought at first, that the blog only for doing my high school assignment, but it turns out to be a platform where I share my story, any random story I have in my mind, really.

2019, new year, new spread

Blogging is not the only goals I cannot accomplish, of course, there are lots of thing that I could not accomplish within 2018 but at the same time there were opportunities along the way. I am blessed with 2018 and how it turns out. I have a steady job, now I resigned. I get married with an amazing partner and plan to move out together. I helped and involved more in Flying Balloons Puppet in 2018, thank God, we had a wonderful year.

This 2019, I will not share my goal here, but I put it on my bullet journal. There are constant goals that I want to do this year just like any other year before. What makes it different is that, I want to create monthly goals to help me create baby steps towards my yearly goal. I think, that kind of goal will help me a lot. Bullet journal is one of my savior last year. I keep up with many things which I knew that will be overwhelming. Anyway, like beginning of this blog post last year, I want to share my bullet journal setup! I am excited to share it with you.

As I mentioned before on my blog post, I already prepare new refill and some tombow pens.

Future log

Little calendar for Flying Balloons Puppet

See you 2019!
Cheers

A year with bullet journal

Merry Christmas for everyone who celebrate this joyful day!

I hope you can spend your time with your loved ones.

Today, I want to share with you my year with a bullet journal.

I never realize that I already keeping up with bullet journal for a year. It is such an accomplishment for me. Checking my bullet journal on and off to see if there are tasks that I missed is become a common thing for me. Even though some people go for a digital reminder, but I feel that writing it down makes me remember it more.

So, how is it?

I think, personally, that I enjoy the experience and obligatory I might say. It is fun to write down your tasks and to-do lists as well as decorating your bullet journal. The benefits of bullet journalling in 2018 for me is I could actually make something into a habit. I doubt myself when it comes to try something new and consistent in doing so. But, bullet journal this year is become an eye opening journey. Of course, there is a day when I will not look at it at all, even I missed June, I guess. After that moment, I try to prepare the next month ahead, so that I could prepare and actually do it.

For the design and template, I choose black and white with really simple line and decoration. I rarely use color in my bullet journal. Sometimes, I put a bit of color in it but I prefer a black pen and some minimalists line. Why? During 2018, I have a lot of schedule and tasks that I need to get done so that I do want to spend more time in decorating the journal. I prefer something easy and simple. But, I do not know maybe I will experiment more in my journal next year. I still not sure about it, but let’s see.

There are things also that I wish I did before jumping into bullet journaling. First, I probably need a bigger journal, my A6 midori notebook is a bit to small. If only I bought another one, it will be easier for me to decorate it. But, I am glad that the journal can be refill as I want. Second is, I need to use more thicker paper for the refill, so that I could actually draw something in it. For this one, I will just glue another thick paper for a spreads which I want to draw on. I think that besides all the mini size and limitation of my bullet journal, there are always some way to work around it. Overall, my bullet journal experience is a blast.

I cannot wait to start a journey with bullet journaling in 2019. I already bought some supplies. I have watch many bullet journal setup on youtube and instagram, many of them mentioned about tombow dual brush pen. I am intrigued by the color. It has a quite range of grey and black. So, I bought 6 tombows and some refills of my midori notebook with dots pattern.

I am so excited to share it with you how my 2019 bullet journal spreads are.

See you in the next post!

DIY: Produce Bag

Hi!

I am back with another do-it-yourself entry~ It’s been a while since I posted about making my own stamp. You can check it here.

So, my sister wants to start less waste lifestyle. I am so glad that I have someone in the family that want to start making an effort. I have been trying to do the same here since couple of months ago, and still learning how to do it. I will talk about it later. Maybe in the future post.

She asks me to sew her some produce bag and large tote bag. Then, I decided to make a little tutorial on how I made the produce bag and the tote bag. If you interested with this project or want me to make one package of produce bag and grocery tote bag, contact me through instagram. 

Let’s start making!

Materials that I need:

1. Cotton Fabric: It is a scrap fabric from when I made a lounge pants. I still have some of it and decided to use it instead of buying a new one.
2. Threads: white
3. Threads left over from my little business while ago. (I might return and do it again, let see)

Tools:

1. Fabric Scissors
2. Thread Cutter
3. Pins
4. Sewing Machine
5. Measuring tape
6. Marker or pencil
7. Seam ripper

How I do it:

• I randomly measure three sizes of the produce bag. It is probably around (Large: 36 x 25 cm, Medium: 30 x 20 cm, Small: 15 x 25 cm) I plan to make two for each sizes. I use the cotton fabric and cut it into 4 pieces for each produce bag.
• Line all the fabric and start sewing. I show how I do it in the picture and scribble below. I wish I could make a video on how to do it. But anyway, this is how I explain to you guys.

I sewn the each top of the produce bag to make a crisp top part

Then, right side facing together, I sewn each side and also the bottom part

Here is how it looks like

• After that, I make some space for the loop for the drawstring of this produce bag. I use some threads I found in my house.

Finished one.

• Ta da! Your own produce bag is done

For the totebag I will post it on the next entry. I hope you enjoy reading this. Comment or mention me on Instagram how you make your produce bag.

See yaaaa!

O tsuku roi: Repair

Personal photo

I spent one of my sunday noon repairing my old pair of jeans. I have it since I was in Junior high school, it is about 10 years ago. I love this jeans, but I cannot wear it now. There is a hole in the knee! I am dying~ It is my favorite pair. Actually, TBH, I already planning to mend the hole with an old scrap of jeans and some embroidery threads. But, I procrastinate a lot. It is almost 3 months since I start this project. 3 MONTHS! It is the longest time I ever procrastinate a project.

I have no pants left, not in my wardrobe nor in my laundry. I need to do something. I made it and finished the project with proud and pride. You know how it feels when you finish something you think you will never finish? That is how I feel. I randomly stitched some embroidery thread, yellow (my least favorite colors), burgundy, and blues. I have no black thread left, so I need to work this color out.

I posted on my Instagram stories, and my friend told me it is called o tsuku roi in Japanese which means repair. Repairing is not that common today, especially when it comes to clothing. Fast fashion to blame? Or the way we live? When it comes to clothing, I do not own many clothings right now (even the word not many cannot guarantee I only have ten pieces of wardrobe). It is one of way to live conscious life. I know it is far from less waste or zero waste lifestyle. But it is my effort to be more conscious about what I left behind.

Clothes, who does not tricked by the fast fashion and how cheap you can get to style yourself, right? You can follow the latest trend and own a fashionable clothes only for hundred thousand rupiahs even less in some store.

According to Merriam Webster,

“Fast fashion is an approach to the design, creation, and marketing of clothing fashions that emphasizes making fashion trends quickly and cheaply available to consumers”

The term quickly and cheaply will be the highlight to this meaning. I have watch a documentary about how fast a fashion industry today. Even, in one of famous fast fashion brand, they could change the whole wardrobe in their etalage every three weeks if I am not mistaken. When we buy something/ clothes, have we ever think how many times we use it? How long it will last in our wardrobe? I have seen many clothing items have been thrown out, and the sad thing is we cannot easily recycle it. I am not trying to judge you or everyone who into the fast fashion, I guilty as well, I bought stuff from those brands. I just wondering, how can we change the way we consume something. How it will be impacting our lives?

Personal Photo

I want to learn and be more grateful for what I have. Repairing a pair of jeans that I wear almost half of my age now is a kind of respect on how it is ended up in my closet. A labour that spend his lifetime making those jeans, from cutting the fabric, dye the jeans, and pack it up. Also, a journey way before that material came into the fabric. I guess, repairing one pair of jeans will not harm me at all. It is helping healing myself at the same time.

A pair of jeans that come to live and stay with me for another years.