Indonesia, 1 Juni 2017

Sebagai seseorang yang lahir dari latar belakang etnis yang beragam, saya seringkali dibingungkan oleh orang-orang dengan tingkat toleransi rendah. Apalagi para chauvinis. "Etnis saya yang lebih baik" "Saya hanya mau menikah dengan orang bersuku X karena itu suku saya" "Jangan berteman dengan orang beragama Y, mereka tidak percaya konsep Ketuhanan Yang Maha Esa." Kalimat-kalimat semacam ini tidak pernah masuk logika saya.

 

Ibu saya keturunan Palembang-Manado-Jawa, ayah saya Lampung-Cina. Sejak SMP, saya bersahabat dengan orang-orang yang beragama Islam, Katolik, Buddha dan Kristen dari etnis Pribumi dan Tionghoa. Selama hamper 26 tahun saya hidup, tidak pernah sekalipun keluarga serta sahabat saya mempermasalahkan ataupun berkonflik karena latar belakang etnis maupun agama yang berbeda. Ketika Anda tumbuh besar dikelilingi dengan 'perbedaan', 'perbedaan' tersebut tidak akan terasa sebagai 'perbedaan', karena Anda menganggap bahwa itu adalah sesuatu yang wajar dan bukan suatu 'keanehan.' Dan saya yakin karena inilah Pancasila dibentuk dan dijadikan sebagai dasar negara.

Pancasila itu saling meghargai.

#SayaIndonesia. #SayaPancasila.

So, Life, What Happened?

 

(Picture courtesy of Google)

When people said something about 'quarter-life crisis', they are no shit. I am 25--the age of the said quarter-life crisis--and I am in a crisis. I used to think that it's just an excuse for people whose life is miserable cause they haven't figured anything out in their life yet. Tell you what--it's not an excuse. It's there and it's real. Boom. Now go cry in the corner of your room.

 

Here I am, in a city I never knew I'd be assigned in, 423 miles away from home. No relatives, no close friends whatsoever. For people who know what I do, they would think I got everything figured out: A job with a good pay and a steady and emotionally stable relationship. Pretty much 'everything right' a twenty-something could ask for. Yes, I can afford a plane tickets home even for once a week if I want to. Yes, I can afford the latest iPhone if I want to. But is it enough? Is it what I'm looking for? And once again, I'm embarking on a soul-searching journey..

 

When half of your close friends are married or about to get married in the next 12 months, you'll start questioning when will you be able to get everything in order and arranged like they do. It's not that I'm starting to feel peer pressure of getting hitched--I know it's a sacred stage you do once in a lifetime that you can't take back so you gotta be easy and not rush into that--it's more of when will I find out of what truly makes me happy. For them, probably marriage is what makes them happy and content, cause they believe everything will follow after. For some, marriage can wait, cause their first priority is to build a career ladder high enough for everybody to see. As for me, I don't know what truly makes me happy. Of course, someday I'll get married, have kids, settle down just like a perfect domestic life you see in the movies. But on the other hand, I feel like I haven't achieved what I'm really looking for at work. I don't like what I do. Or more like I no longer like what I do, meanwhile I need to feel content in what I do. How am I supposed to like something that no longer fills me in?

 

"You're too much of overthinker, you need to loosen up a little."

 

I do loosen up a little. Yes, I get refreshed then that's it. I still feel insecure at times. Not of who I am as an individual, but more of what I should do.

 

I always admire people who can just forget everything to do what they love to do. Or just focus on their dreams and make it happen--simply by doing what they really love to do. My boyfriend is one of those people. Of course the struggle is much more real than those whose career path is basically already paved by the company--like me. But the struggle of doing what you love is where the happiness lays, isn't it?

 

Well, I just wish I could just do anything I love, focus on it, and not have a worry or doubt in the world..

7-Step Skincare Routine

Few months ago, I've decided to pay extra attention to my skincare routine.

So, what happened?

On mid last year, I decided to ditch my usual dermatologist's skincare and opted for the generic ones. That was not an easy decision though as I had been the worshipper of my dermatologist since 2009. But then I read an article about how you should change your skincare regimen every now and then to adjust with your skin condition. And yes, I realized that my dermatologist's skincare routine no longer gave me the glow and the magic it once did to me in 2011-2012.

So I was thinking, "Maybe it's time."

It was not a walk-in-the-park journey too to find a product that really suits my skin condition. Or to be able to give the magic I hoped. Or just to simply maintain my problem-free skin. (Thankfully, I very rarely catch pimples unless it's that time of the month.)

All my life, my skin was always oily. Never had I ever catch a dry skin, let alone have dry patches. The blotting paper had always been my daily rescue—I never even had a day without one in bag! But in September—2 months after I ditched my old skincare—my skin started to dry out. Dry patches were everywhere, redness on some spots, itchings everytime I was exposed to sunlight no matter for how long, even when I felt hot (not necessarily exposed to sunlight), my skin started to itch. It got so bad that I once badly scratched my skin.

Month after month, I was always on the soul-searching journey of skincare. Some only worked for a few weeks or months, and some just failed miserably. Then finally, in March 2017, I found the right line of skincare. Finally..

So here's my current skincare routine. And the ones I've tried and worked for some time but then failed.

(Clockwise: Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser, Clinique Liquid Facial Soap, Vaseline Petroleum Jelly, Laneige Moisture Balancing Emulsion, Skin Aqua UV Moisture Gel, Lush Enchanted Eye Cream, L'Occitane Shea Butter Light Comforting Cream, Thayers Witch Hazel Toner, Bioderma Sensibio Micellar Water, L'Oréal Gentle Lip and Eye Makeup Remover)

 

On daily basis, here are the skin-pampering steps I do.

 

1. Remove mascara using L'Oréal Gentle Lip and Eye Makeup Remover as I only apply mascara as eye makeup on daily basis. This one has been my holy grail since I was in college. To me, this works better than Maybelline's.

 

 

 

2. As for my face, I cleanse it using Bioderma Sensibio Micellar Water. Been using this for 6 months now and still works perfectly fine for me as I never apply heavy makeup on daily basis. Only a few pats of The Body Shop Pressed Powder and I'm all set.

 

 

 

3. Straight to wash my face using Clinique Liquid Facial Soap Mild for Dry Combination Skin, or...

 

 

 

Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser. Both work well for my dry skin.

 

 

 

4. Before applying moisturizer to my skin, I apply Thayers Witch Hazel Toner which smells really good I think I'm obsessed. Also, it's alcohol and paraben-free so it's a savior to my skin as well.

 

 

 

5. While waiting the toner to set on my skin, I apply Vaseline Petroleum Jelly to my lips. Been doing this since I was 17 that I feel so sinful everytime I skip it. (Which very rarely happens.)

 

 

 

6. Then apply this jar of skin savior. My current favorite. My holy grail. L'Occitane Shea Butter Light Comforting Cream. Currently on my 3rd week of using this and my skin is just getting better and better. ~swoon~

 

 

 

7. The last step in my night skincare routine is to apply Lush Enchanted Eye Cream on the outer corner, upper eyelids and under my eyes. This is my very first eye cream since, not gonna lie, I am turning 26 this year so I think it's time to start paying attention to my eyes.

 

 

 

Meanwhile on my day skincare routine, I top it off with Skin Aqua UV Moisture Gel SPF 30 PA++ that has become my go-to sunscreen since last year.

 

 

That's it. My 7-step skincare routine. Not as elaborate and detailed as the 10-step Korean skincare one but as long as this is what works for me then I wouldn't change it anytime soon.

 

But, as I previously mentioned, some products worked only for a moment and some just failed miserably. And here are the lists.

 

1. Laneige Moisture Balancing Emulsion. You played with my heart. You only worked for a brief moment. I put my faith so much in you that I decided to purchase the full-sized one. Turns out I was wrong.. 

 

 

 

2. Muji Sensitive Skin All-In-One Essence. I bought this at a Family Mart when I was on vacation in Japan, in which I forgot to bring any of my skincare products beside facial wash. This worked fine back then in Japan as I didn't catch a dry skin despite the chilly weather. But then it all became just another hit-and-miss product once I used it back home.

 

 

 

3. Sukin Certified Organic Rosehip Oil. You are such a HUGE disappointment, or did I set my expectation way too high of you? You only worked well on my skin for 3 days. Three days. I expected much more than that but you did nothing more than being some grease on my face that makes me look dull. I'm still brokenhearted.

 

 

 

So, that was it. One thing to remember is that one product may work for me while not for the others and vice versa, but well, isn't it nice to share your thoughts with people? Because I'm a firm believer of any reviews, especially skincare, before I ever give it a go.

 

Hope this helps to anyone who ever reads this!

 

Sanity II

Where can I apply for job that is located nearby this kind of place

that everytime I feel bored I can just take a 5-mins walk to breathe in the fresh air, stare blankly at the distant view and become sane again?

 

(source: here)

Sanity

So, 2016 has been a wreck to many.

Well, it has been the same too to me cause I kinda lost the encouragement and interest in writing. Which is a mini doom to me. Screw you, 2016. You were a disaster and a disappointment.

Anyway, these tunes are what's been keeping me sane for the past week. Quite a good way to start my 2017. #thanksSpotify

 

Cheers to another year of engagement and wedding ceremony of good friends and acquaintances that we don't know very well but might as well attend for the sake of nice gesture!