I can not believe I haven't write anything in this blog for more than two months. What have I done in this past two months? Have I been… lost? Uninspired? I can not say that I have been feeling stressed, because I am not. I just got overwhelmed with a lot of goals, ambitions, my perfectionism towards my work; to keep it on track, and when I need more energy I went on holiday. I have been traveling to about five different places in three different countries just in these past two months, to get more energy to keep my work on track. But one thing is missing I guess, I haven't done any reflections, haven't think about any new resolutions, and I miss writing. So, here I am.
I am that kind of person who will runaway when things got tough, not to run from my problem, but to clear my mind, get some fresh passion, and think of the best solution, then I will come back and try to finish whatever I have started, perfectly. And this "runaway & come back" habit of mine, is getting intense lately. I think I have to change this habit a little bit, I have to change my initial intention on traveling so it will not be this unhealthy habit anymore. But, let's talk about my last most magical and mindgasm runaway in Bali first.
A couple months ago, I got this problem about my work, let the details be unexplained, but this problem put a huge weight on me because it may affects other's life in a slightly negative way, and I hate it. I do not accept it, if my work affects others that way. So on one Friday morning, I impulsively book a ticket to Denpasar, that Friday night, off I go to Bali. Not without a reason I choose Bali, I know that Ubud Writers and Readers Festival (UWRF) 2015 was being held at that time and I think I can get some mind refreshment from the sharing session at UWRF. The beginning of my journey is surprisingly already being magical. A middle aged Balinese man suddenly approached me on my way to board the plane, he asked me random things at first, but his talking gets more interesting as we land in Denpasar. Out of nowhere he said, in Bahasa: "Hidup ini seperti wayang, ceritanya tergantung dalangnya. Maka dari itu, kamu hidup jangan dibuat susah. Kamu harus terima apa adanya, sepertinya kamu terlalu memikirkan detail-detail kecil, tenang aja, dinikmati. Oh iya, temen kamu yang diluar orangnya sepertinya low-profile dan agak cuek ya." ("This life is like Wayang (traditional story of Indonesia usually portrayed with human puppets), the story line is up to the Dalang (Wayang's main story teller). So, do not complicate your life. You have to accept things as it is, it looks like you overthink small details, just be calm, enjoy your life. By the way, your friends out there, it looks like they are low profile and a little bit careless, huh?")
Okay, it sounds a bit surreal, but yes, it turns out that the man can "read" a person. I can not believe that the beginning of my journey in Bali, is already that magical. I feel like now I can be a little calm, I have to, because everything is actually will be okay if we work our best on it, right? Why do I forgot that I can not control every little detail, why do I forgot that there is something bigger than me controlling my main story line? Long story short, I bought one day pass to UWRF which I attend with my cousin, who was already in Ubud since she had planned her trip long before my impulsive journey.
Ubud Writers and Readers Festival 2015 with theme "17.000 Islands of Imagination"
Speaking about UWRF, it is an event that is held annually since 2003. I once heard about this UWRF from my friend who attended the 2013 event and I just instantly fall in love with its idea. I always planned to go to UWRF, but it is never happened, but once I do not plan it, I just happened to be able to attend it, impulsive is sometimes really is a good idea. Please check UWRF web HERE, and I bet you too, will fall in love with it. UWRF gather world thinkers and artists in a smart theme that change every year, take place in serene and divine Ubud, and packed in a casual with a twist way along a sharing session. Once I looked into its main program schedule, I feel excited already and I can not choose which program should I attend because all of them is just so tempting, but sadly some program held at the same time, but in few different places, so I have to choose.
Words are The Way
Featuring: Ee'da Sahida Ibrahim, Zohab Khan, James Shea, Nathalie Handal, Emilie Zoey Baker
That above is my second favorite session of the day. The speaker are talents who use poetry to educate, promote social change, and inspire and celebrate diversity. These are some quotes that I remember and instantly fall in love with from the session:
- Moderator: "What crushes your grapes into an exquisite wine?" / Nathalie: "It is how I always need permission to enter a place, except permission to enter my homeland."
- "A poem should resist the intelligence almost successfully."
- "When you allowed yourself to be vulnerable, that is the first step you allowed yourself to be seen and to be witnessed." (Ee'da Sahida Ibrahim)
Telling Tales
Featuring: Made Taro, Phillip Gwynne, Afonso Cruz
And say hello to my number one favorite session. In this session, we were talking about children's writers messages for the next generation and how they communicate them. It is unimaginable, I do not expect that writing a children book is that hard, and need a lot of thinking and consideration: of what messages the writer wants to put and of how to put the messages in an interesting story line or funny yet educating cartoon series. This is a quote from the session that giving me mindgasm:
"We laugh when we mock someone, yet we cry when we truly happy. We put everything we love in cages; partners, that's why we married them. We put our children at home. Money on banks. It is a contradiction."
My cousin and her gelato on Food Bazaar
Seniman Coffee on Food Bazaar
Bebek Bengil
And, a nice mindgasm doesn't complete without good food and good coffee! I guess UWRF know it so well, so there was also available a food bazaar in front of the main venue of UWRF, and the tenant is amazing! All of the food available at the bazaar is the best in Bali. My preference, of course, coffee! And for lunch we had Bebek Bengil (was not available in Bazaar) so we drove our car to Bebek Bengil Ubud at Jalan Hanoman. Gosh, how I miss its sambal matah!
Dress (Zalora), Shoes (The Little Things She Needs), Bag (Charles & Keith), Watch (Fossil)
A little #ootd doesn't hurt, does it? I just want to give a little time to tell you how much I love my dress I bought from Zalora. It is chic yet smart, a little bit casual yet also a little bit formal, just the perfect outfit to be worn to a discussion session in Ubud. And good news is you can use my code to get additional 15% discount if you happen to be fall in love with that kind of dress too, yay. Just go to Zalora web, choose your desired one, and upon check out fill this code in the available coupon space: ZBAPZAD5 and tadaaa! 15% off of your total payment, yay!
Borneo's Story at Blanco Renaissance Museum
Dinner at Casa Luna
Back to UWRF, I have to tell you that UWRF is that perfect, because they do not only provide us a divine sharing session, but they also held a lot of arts and cultural programs, and those Borneo's Story is one of them. As the sun set, I enjoy a storytelling featuring Dayak Kenyah and Benuaq Tribe elders. They told stories about their people's struggle to protect the natural and cultural heritage that is vital to their identity and survival. A beautiful performance as the sun set, and in a museum! I could not ask for more. At the end of the day, we had our dinner at Casa Luna. Its founder who is also the founder of UWRF, loves spices, and so that bread in the picture is one delicious bread that tastes like nothing I have ever taste before; the bread is spicy, but exceptionally delicious!
In one day, my mind has stretched its muscle to the limit. For a day in Ubud is filled with intriguing thoughts, cultures, arts, books, good long walks, and absolutely divine dining. From that one short yet meaningful and magical journey, I come back to work with not a whole new perspective, but with a lot more grateful feeling towards my life. I know that I have to be more grateful, have to do as much effort as I could but at the same time have to be less controlling.
And from this writing, I have to promise my self that I should stop my "runaway & come back" habit. I have to stop thinking of traveling as my only space to think. I have to change my main intention on traveling, not as a media to cure my problem, but as a way to learn, to be more grateful, and to simply enjoy the life that I have been given.
