Blast of 2016

I like to keep track of the things I did in a year, as today is the first day of the new year I would like to break down a few moments and achievements that I have gained in the past year. To be honest, I was kind of upset when it got to the end of the year. My year was tough, a lot of unpredictable shits happened, and I didn't got as much as achievements as I planned before. I feel like I haven't done enough that year, but before it's getting to midnight I tried to scrolling down my photo gallery and tried to remember stuff that I have done in 2016. It also helps me to feel grateful for what I have done, and feel enough.

And yes, here goes the timeline of things that I have done in the past year.

I kind of losing track of what I have been doing in the first three months of the year, as far as I remember I was busy preparing contents for the 13th issue of my magazine. On the middle of March, I went to a local music festival that happened to be one of my favorite –– Music Gallery. I was really cherishing that moment as my first time watching MALIQ & D'Essentials live music gig. It may be cheesy, but it was my bucket list since 2010 and I finally accomplished it that night. Thank you, Music Gallery! One of the best music festival, indeed.

April was fun! I took a national exam on the first dates of April, followed by a little celebration that I did with my classmates. We went to karaoke and bought lots of chicken wings, fries, and churros – gossiping about nonsense and laughing at things. The next day, I paid a visit to Singapore and attending Singapore Art Book Fair. This time I went to Singapore and only visited lots of book and record store and it all was good. I managed  to bought some records as I also planned to buy a turntable player later in Jakarta's Records Store Day in the middle of April. To end the month, I went to Tame Impala concert with a few friends.

A note from this month, as one of the moment that I want to keep is the moment when I went to dinner with a group of good friends. It was right the night before my national exam. They never fails to be one of my support system and I could never thank them enough for what we have done together.

May. My favorite month of the year, which also my birthday. I was planning to spent my birthday differently this year. I managed to wandering around the city by myself one full day. To start the morning, I went to but first coffee in Dharmawangsa followed by lunch in Umabo (which already closed now, I'm sad). After that I went RUCI's Gallery to attend Anton Ismael's exhibition. On the evening, I went to a closed succulant plant garden in Fairgrounds. Before I end the day, I got a message from my friends to meet them in a coffee shop at Kemang, so I drove off there. And yes, they have prepared a surprise for me! And also a bunch of amazing gift that they made – call it a collaborative mixtape, a poster with my face drawn there, and postcards. One of the best birthday with the very first surprise I have ever got from a friend.

In the middle of May, me and my Knacker friends went to Malang for a short trip and attending Folk Music Festival which held by our friend. We were wandering around Batu and around the city, and stayed in a capsule hotel for the first time. I wrote down the experience here. It was a very good experience to plan off a holiday with your good friends.

Before May ends, I was attending a press conference of M83, a french electronic band in Fairmont Jakarta. I met Anthony Gonzalez himself as he was attending the press conference. One of the priceless experience I had this year.

I finally left high school marked by a school graduation on early June. The night after graduation, me with a few friends left for Bandung for a short trip. We went to Kineruku, one of my favorite indie bookstore and cafe, and ate seafood. In the middle of June, I started to join Indoestri Long + Haul program for the next 6 weeks and started doing yoga. Me and my classmates were also planning to hike Mount Mahameru.

On July, right before we went off to Malang for Mahameru, I found out about my backbone ache. The doctor said that I have a serious scoliosis. The fact made me kind of shock and worries, and for more further reasons, I cancelled my trip to hike Mount Mahameru. I do regretting the decision I made back then, but my condition made it impossible for me to go.

Some time before I graduated my 6 week course in Indoestri Long + Haul, I was helping out a friend as an event public relation, holding social media and copywriting jobs. The event was called Social Design for Social Living, a design exhibition created by communities in Indonesia (including Jatiwangi Art Factory) and Poland in National Gallery of Indonesia. I was also working with curators from Poland for the event. It was one of my turning point and big achievement that year.

August was also a month that I have been waiting for, because – summer music festival! Like the year before, I went to We The Fest for the second time this year. This time I went there with my best friends. Even though the rain won't stop pouring on the two days of We The Fest, we do still have fun and feel so happy for the event! I also checked off my bucket list to watch Breakbot and The Temper Trap live set.

On this month I also bought my first pocket analog camera and tried out my first ever 35mm roll. Turns out, my photos on the first roll were unexpectedly good! You can see a few of my analog shoots here or on my Instagram.

I started off to college on September. I was very nervous, of course. It was my first time again adapting with a new surrounding after almost four years. As the time goes, it all went pretty well. My group of friends on the class was good and I enjoy talking with them. And I finally experienced it myself how tough it is to be a graphic design student. It's not as easy as only drawing what you want, dear friends. I have warned you.

Another music festival I experienced this year was on October – Synchronize Fest! Another good local music festival presented by Demajors. The line-up were set up very well and it seems like this will be one of my favorite music festival. I attended the festival with my boyfriend and I really love the ambience there. Most of the line-up were indie musicians and you can see them everywhere like it was so normal, wandering around the venue while chit-chatting, also watching the other band performances. There was no gap between the audience and the performers, which I really like.

On the last two months of the year, two of my favorite films were releasing their new movie serials. On November, Warner Bros Studios was realising a new series from Harry Potter film which is Fantastic Beast and Where To Find Them. Finally after years, I got to see Harry Potter movie on the cinema again. My boyfriend made me watch it on the first release day in 4Dx3D cinema. I am a happy kid, indeed.

Last month of the year! On December, Disney was realising Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and yes I watched it on the first day again. Surely it was one of the best Star Wars movie and one of my favorite. In my honest opinion, this Rogue One is better than any Star Wars series. Best, unexpecting, and mind-blowing film. This month I also preparing up a lot of stuff with my team for my magazine. We will be releasing a lot of plans on 2017. Please do wish us luck. Fingers crossed!

I do hope all of the dreams and plans that I haven't accomplish in 2016 could be come true this year. I am going to make 2017 as my year! I hope you guys are also having a great new year. Cheers.



(read more of my tracklogs: 2014 and 2015)

Priorities x Procrastinate

They say, there's no one ever be too busy. It's just about priorities.

And yes it's true.

On the last few months, I never spent a day without getting my works done. It's all about setting up schedule and to-do list, doing this and that and if I can't complete a task on that day, I continue it on the next day. It goes around just like that. Getting shit done. But like, literally. I felt bored of course, sometimes in the middle of the task I was wondering to procrastinate by watching movies but it's just doesn't feel right and wasting too much time. Yes it was so sad.

And so on. Every night when I just got home, not so long after that I'm back in front of my laptop and getting things done, again. It's really exhausting, I know. Okay let's say I still got much time to meet my friends, hanging out and stuff. But behind this, there's a bunch of things that I have to complete before I go.

Well maybe you are bored enough reading the 'getting shit done' words all over again. Okay, hang on there because I'm going to spill out the good things. And the good thing is, I feel so much free now. I feel like a real freelancer. Much happier, much free time, much time spent with my family and friends.

YAY!

Actually I didn't know/realize exactly how things thing start and how this happened. After I think about it all over again, this is how; these days I wasn't getting less of work, I still got a bunch of it, what I do now is only I being productive, not busy. One day I went out for work, one day I stayed home just eating stuff and watching movies. One day I went out to spent my day with family or friends, one day I stayed home just getting my works done. It feels so much efficient and productive. And happy, of course. I'm not pretty sure what I did until this happened, maybe it's just my schedule not as tight as the past months, probably, but here's the thing I did that makes me feel much efficient these days and because sharing is fun, here we go:

Pint up your daily schedule

Whether you want to pint it on your desk calendar, laptop calendar or using post it and stick it to your working table, just pint it up. Just make sure the place you pint it is the place you always looking at so you wont forget and it helps your mindset to keep things on priorities. And don't forget to write down the little things. Day one, lunch at cafe with a friend / day two, buy this book at the book store / day three, shooting day / and so on.

Write down the little things

Okay there's two different things that I want to take on this point. The first one, write down the things that you are going to do that day in a to-do list even the simplest thing like 'Ask X about the cooking recipe'. For a forgetful person like me, this idea does help. Try it yourself!

The second thing is to write the little things about your day or about your passing thoughts. It helps you to relieve the things that runs on your mind. You can share it through your social media and I'm pretty sure people would love to read it. You know that beautiful mind inspire the others. Just, never forget to appreciate the little things!

And if your schedule is really tight at the moment, just never forget this point ;

Ask some friends to hanging out!

Come on, don't be too hard on yourself. Spend your time just working on the task won't do any good to you, it makes you get bored with your job more quickly and moreover, stressing you out. No, no, no! To make it more simple, just ask a friend you feel comfortable the most to go out for a lunch / vinyl hunting / window shopping / and the other unnecessary things that could help you forget about task for a little while.

Hope it helps! Stay close with your family and friends because they are the ones that matters the most.

Love,

N

My definition of a new year

Happy new year!

I have a bit different meanings for new year. Besides that I'm not a person who likes to celebrate new years eve on 31st of December with fireworks and BBQs, it's just never feels right for me to get a new resolution every 1st of January or such as thing. Okay, I can say that every 1st of January I always whispering to myself that I have to be better this year, well that's all..

But in this case, what I really like to say as a new year is the day when the number on my age changed. Here I can really meant it that I've became someone older and I've left the past year behind. I'm going to start a new chapter of life, new adventures and more positive mind. The day before I get older, I always looking back at things that I've went through that year. The good and the bad things. The joyful memories and the hurtful ones. The new friends and life lessons.

It's still the second month of the year, about three months to go until the day when the number on my age changed. Maybe I'll be going to add another new stories below, but right now when I have much time to write it down here, let's start over.

The new chapter starts at the third day of national exam. That morning, the second I opened my eyes, there's a wrapped gifts standing on my desk. A really sweet presents - terrariums themed birthday greetings written by the whole family and three books of Haruki Murakami's. Back then there's this one person who always coloring my days and before the d-day, he asked me what I'd love to get for a birthday present. DIY things was my answer and so he did, at the d-day he secretly put a birthday card (that he made by himself) inside my backpack. Another one sweet thing happened that day also a friend of mine surprisingly brought me a bag full of snacks and a letter. I ended the day with taking a commuter-line and bought a flower for myself on the way home.

Not so long after that day, I got accepted to be one of Indonesian Youth's comittee, which is also one of the big start for me that brings lots of luck until today. And so I spent the past year mostly with them and myself as the youngest comittee. I met a lot of new people with marvelous backgrounds also tons of memories. Also with my creative team in Knacker Magazine I launched some magazine issues last year. One of my favorite issue, Knacker #11 got the highest reads than ever before. Also in this issue, I met new creative friends that still being a good friend until today.

They say, when life gives you lemon - make lemonade. And what is life without lemons, right? As the time went, there's some drama things happened to me in one and another place. It's too hurt too spill it out again the details in here, besides I'm trying to forgive & forget the memories. But not so long after the drama, until now, I have found new joyful things with my new surroundings. Well at the end, it was okay.

Towards the end of 2015, Indonesian Youth Conference, the event that I've mentioned before has successfully held at November. I also got accepted to be one of the Liasion Officer (LO) at Indoestri Makerspace - a really nice place for creative people, maker of things and independent business owner. Yes, I feel so thankful for all of this. I can say that this year was my year!

It was a crazy and so-called life changing year so far. I must be really grateful the most for Knacker Magazine & my team as the starter for all of the adventurous things I've been through this far. I can say this year was the year I feel free yet to be responsible for my own self. The year when I went to gig the most, hanging out with friends, setting up schedule and more. This year, I tried a lot of stuff that I've never tried before and it was pretty nice to figure out new things. Well there's still 3 months to come and I will definitely updating this post for more unpredictable joyful things to come!

Last but not least, I want to say thank you to everyone who has become part of my adventurous year. Everyone, the ones who brings joy nor sadness (guys you make me strong!), and of course, you!

Yours truly,

N

A Minute Thoughts: Get to Know Yourself

left; rookie teenage bedroom / right; tavi for nylon

all pics from pinterest.com

Lately I've been reading a lot of life tips, quotes, life thoughts, et cetera. This morning I watched some videos about girls talking their minds out (which is very cool) and put them into one playlist. There's Alexa Chung, Tavi Gevinson, and Sofia Coppola in it. Then I found this very interesting video on YouTube and I found myself stuck in there, didn't want to do anything except just keep on watching the video. So the video is about Tavi Gevinson of rookiemag.com talking about her life, books, art, Rookie itself, Taylor Swift, and stuff. The way she talk--even her awkwardness--makes me realised that she, since a very young age, has found and known herself very well and she knows that there's no need to try to be like anyone else because she already has her own self.

Okay so I've been thinking about this thing for times--well sometimes I'm just the same as the any other kids--thinking about like, 'I want to be cool like her' or 'How to love myself' or 'I want to have my very own style so people gonna like it' and others. But then I think about it, and I told myself, do not ever trying to be cool by thrown away yourself just to look like the others. Just, don't. It WON'T makes you cool. I remember this sentence I found on tumblr yesterday -- If you are trying to be something you're not, you will end up being nothing. It's true. I realised when remembering back then I was trying to be someone else just to look cool, and ended up being nothing.

You know, people nowadays were just like, following trends and keep following it even though it doesn't fit with themselves. Well to be honest, I am one of those people. But sometimes by trying to be cool like that even makes me uncomfortable. For explanation, one day I went to a one of the hippest mall in town wearing maxi skirt and shirt and stuff that can "helps me to look cool", yeah you name it. Then I met these girls who wearing the same "cool stuff" like mine but they can wore it better than me, and I feel so ugly--like I'm the most ugly person in this world. So then, I don't want to see my reflection in the mirror, I always shrug off when someone took a photo of me, I don't want to look at my own self. And the worst part, I can't accept myself the way it is.

It's different when the next day I went to the same mall wearing only t-shirt and jeans and sneakers. I feel more comfortable and even more cooler, sorry not sorry. But seriously, I realised that we don't have to try just to look cool. If we like it, we feel comfortable with it, we feel that we are good looking enough with it. Same thing if you choose to keep following the trends. If you feel comfortable with it, then just go on. But however, I am not. I prefer to make my own trends. Hehe!

I really did, let's talk about school. My school is kinda--no, very--different with the any other schools in my country. We are allowed to wear anything we want as long as it's a proper thing. Me, unlike the others, likes to wear different (and sometimes, kinda weird--they say so) kind of clothes. The others were simply wearing tunics, flannels, shirts etc and I was like wearing tees and denim shirt and nike sneakers. Or even sometimes I'm wearing maxi dress with crop top and they say I didn't fit in it. I always getting comments from the teachers about stuff that I wore. But I think, it's just the way I dress and it's proper enough. Really, why?

I tried to not care even though sometimes it annoys me like wha--?? if you want to dress like me, then do it. Sometimes things that we said could meant a real lot to the others. But days by days, there was a day when I look at my friends I was kinda surprised because they are wearing the same denim shirt like mine. I'm about to getting annoyed but then I know, I inspire them. Becoming a trend-setter. Whoa. Since then I know, it's completely okay to be your own self and express it out. Even though it means that you have to be different than the others. Absolutely okay. I'm on your side if you do so.

The same thing happened between me, Tavi, and her Rookie. As you can see, Tavi expressing her style through Rookie and it does inspire the others. Like, me. The first time I saw this website my brain were just like turned upside down and since that, I never see and sue things to be so perfect anymore. Tavi could make Rookie looks like the any other girls magazine, but she's not. She enjoys how Rookie dare enough to look different, out of the box, and make their own trends. And I like it.

Over all, the point is that you have to know yourself well. Love yourself. Accept it the way it is. You are cool enough with your own. Be dare enough to express your own style, even if it means you have to be different than the others.


Cheers!
Nafhan

Monthly Journal: October Again

Vinyls at Jalan Surabaya

Memasuki tanggal dua puluhan akhir, bulan akan berganti kurang dari seminggu lagi. Sepanjang ini pula banyak hal yang cukup menyenangkan--hal-hal sederhana sekalipun. Beberapa hari yang lalu saya memutuskan untuk pergi ke Jalan Surabaya karena iseng internet dirumah lagi mati. Hehe. Iya, saya hanya tipikal anak biasa kok.

Pergi ke Jalan Surabaya berarti saya harus turun di Stasiun Cikini. Stasiun yang saya ingat betul waktu kali pertama kesini saya masih belum mengerti apa-apa, masih sangat kecil dan saat itu sedang jalan-jalan berdua dengan Om. Tiap kali saya sampai di Cikini, memori itu selalu terekam ulang dipikiran saya. Entah mungkin terdengar klise, tapi memang saat itu saya bahagia sekali bisa pergi jalan-jalan sampai ke Cikini.

I was wearing Giordano x Resatio Adi Putra T-Shirt that day which I love so muuucchh!

Lalu akhirnya kemarin saya menjarah daerah selatan untuk mencapai Dia.Lo.Gue, sebuah artspace di daerah Kemang yang memang sudah lama saya rencanakan untuk pergi kesana.

Dia.Lo.Gue was very, very nice. Specially the small art shop infront of the cafe. Siang itu di hari Senin art space ini sangat tenang dan nyaman, lagu-lagu yang dilantunkan speaker pojok ruangan pun menyenangkan. Saya sempat menangkap beberapa lagu yang diputar terutama saat Vampire Weekend dan The Smiths dimainkan. Menyenangkan sekali, art space ini terasa sangat homey dan sejuk. Totally feels like home.

Monthly Journal: October

Hi, I'm back!

It's been a quite long time since my last post.

Buat saya, sejauh ini Oktober menjadi bulan terbaik di 2014. Ya, disamping bulan Mei, tentu saja. Banyak sekali hal yang terjadi bulan ini, sehingga saya hampir kelupaan bahwa sekarang sudah hampir mencapai penghujung bulan. Mungkin rasa-rasanya beberapa hal penting yang terjadi di bulan ini akan saya ringkas dalam satu postingan. Jadi, kira-kira ini sajalah yang terjadi pada Oktober saya.

Pertama, setelah keterlambatan memulai magang di pertengahan September lalu akhirnya saya menyelesaikan magang singkat saya di sebuah production house di daerah pinggiran Jakarta. It was pretty great. Saya bisa mengatakan ini adalah magang paling baik diantara magang-magang pilihan lainnya. Tempatnya sangat homey, begitu pula orang-orang di dalamnya. Cukup banyak pelajaran yang bisa saya ambil disana. 

Keliling Jakarta! 

Beberapa minggu sebelumnya kami sepakat untuk jalan-jalan, entah kemana, yang jelas keliling ibu kota. Pada akhirnya kami memulai dari Stasiun Sudirman, mengarah ke Cikini dan berjalan-jalan sebentar di Jalan Surabaya. Setelah itu melanjutkan perjalanan ke Jakarta Kota, berkeliling sekitaran Kota Tua dan menyambung ke Monas menggunakan Trans Jakarta. Terakhir kami pergi ke Sarinah, melihat-lihat CD album dan vinyl di toko musik sampai akhirnya kami menyelesaikan perjalanan hari itu. Cukup singkat tapi juga cukup melelahkan. Menyenangkan, tentu saja.

Keesokan harinya setelah pergi keliling Jakarta, tim Knacker bertemu di Galeri Nasional untuk jalan-jalan artsy dan ngobrol-ngobrol. I met this very creative and good partner Ghina. Ide-idenya banyak sekali dan ia terlihat sangat passionate hampir dalam segala hal, terutama art. Ceritanya tentang teman-teman juga kehidupannya di kampus tidak pernah terdengar membosankan, malah terkadang mengundang tawa saya. Kegairahannya untuk berani menunjukkan bahwa ia berbeda selalu berhasil membuat saya berpikir bahwa dia adalah tipikal yang one of a kind. 

Pameran keramik hari itu karyanya bagus-bagus sekali. Awalnya saya pikir ini akan sedikit membosankan tapi ternyata saya salah. Tidak sama sekali! Sepulang dari pameran keramik, saya sempat membaca beberapa keluh kesah teman-teman art di media sosial tentang betapa kecewanya mereka pada pengunjung pameran kali ini. Sadar tidak sadar, saya merasa sedikit bersalah juga.

Hal yang mereka kecewakan adalah tentang para pengunjung yang memanfaatkan pameran ini untuk foto-foto ala ala bahkan sama sekali tidak melihat 'art' yang disuguhkan. Saya sadar, mungkin saya sendiri kemarin juga begitu. Tapi setidaknya itu bukan menjadi tujuan utama saya untuk pergi ke pameran hari itu. 

Wajar saja ketika itu beberapa panitia pameran terlihat kurang senang melihat tingkah laku pengunjung. No one is looking at the art. Saya berjanji pada diri saya sendiri bahwa selanjutnya hal ini tidak boleh terulangi lagi. Kalau bisa, saya meminimalisir penggunaan kamera dan melihat karya-karya pameran lebih cermat lagi. 

Pada hari terakhir magang, saya sempat ikut shooting di pusat ibu kota dan bertemu tiga orang jepang dari sebuah perusahaan asing di Indonesia. Cukup capek juga, mengingat akhir pekan sebelumnya lumayan menguras tenaga dan begitu juga hari ini. Tapi capeknya sangat terbayar dengan pelajaran yang jauh lebih priceless. Senang sekali sih yang jelas hari itu, bertemu dengan orang-orang baru, belajar langsung tentang sinematografi dan kehidupan perusahaan besar di pusat kota.

That's all, have a great October everyone!

Xx