Summer of My Discontentment

Hello hello, as usual, taking a break on this end of month fiasco to write about some of the great music of February that I discovered! Actually I discovered a lot of music in this month, thanks to Spotify as usual, from their weekly release radar playlist! Like I discovered 3 new artists this month wow!

Okay lets begin

Great Music of February:

- Drastic Measures by Bayonne (Album)

- Summer of My Discontentment by Geographer

- San Francisco Street by Sun Rai

- Juice by Lizzo

- Till We're In The Sea by RKCB

- Balada Insan Muda by Diskoria

- Permanent Way by Charlie Cunningham

Song of The Month: Summer of My Discontentment by Geographer

Right beginning with the album I enjoyed this month, it's Drastic Measures by Bayonne! I discovered Bayonne early last year from this song "I Know" and I love his music! This is another great album by him and I really love how everything seems to flow in the album. Drastic Measures is my favourite from the album, and also thanks for including I Know in the album! It's a great song :D

Okay I think I should do another segment called Spotify Discoveries where I list out the songs/artists I discovered via Spotify. And for this month, it's a long list but here goes!

Summer of My Discontentment by Geographer

A great song, I just fall in love with every element from this song. The piano riff, the melodies, the lyrics and the whole feel and buildup for the song. I can't wait to read the whole lyrics though!

Permanent Way by Charlie Cunningham

I love this song as well because it is something I haven't really listened to...? Like how the guitar and synths seems to go along very well with the song! It's a pretty interesting but awesome combination!

And this is another segment of YouTube discoveries!

San Francisco Street by Sun Rai

Another of those "video appears on my recommended tab" song that I'm thankful to discover! Man I wish I discovered Sun Rai way earlier. His music is such a great music to drive by to!

Till We're In The Sea by RKCB

Another great song discovered from Sheepy. It's an amazing "driven" song, from the piano rhythms and beats, and the whole song is such a complete package. Hope to hear more from them.

Balada Insan Muda by Diskoria

I've heard of Diskoria before but never had the chance to go to one of their disko session mwahaha. They released this debut single and man it's an beautiful gem of Indonesian music really. Brings me back to the 80s, and I think they did a brilliant job. So excited for more music from them!

As for Juice by Lizzo, I discovered her from Coldplay's twitter where they were telling songs that they are currently in love with. And hot damn, this song is fire! To me, songs that make you feel good is getting rarer these days. But Juice is an exception, this song is amazing and it makes you dance!

Alright that's all for this music of February. I will write here soon! Man, it's been busy again but I'm making some changes for next month! I hope it works. I hope February has been treating you well. May we March on to March and the rest of 2019 with zest and gusto! Go forward my beautiful humans.

Veganuary

Okay I know this is like end of February already but so so sorry, I forgot to blog about this! Hahaha. Well I was quite busy towards the end of January, followed by CNY in early Feb and I just seriously forgot about this haha. But yes, I did Veganuary this year! I've been wanting to do this but not sure why I didn't do it the past 2 years. Even though I've been a vegetarian since three hah.

Anyway I thought it was just a fun thing to do, and also something that hopefully drives my transition to become a vegan. But errr I ended up going back to becoming a vegetarian, more on that later! So yes basically Veganuary is a worldwide event where you go vegan for the whole month of January! They have an official website and if you sign up for newsletter they will send you an email everyday about nutritions and other information. I learned quite a few things from them!

Well I think Veganuary is a great platform to introduce veganism to people. Since many people are wary about going vegan, having a worldwide event where people do it together can make it less daunting! There's even a survey that shows a lot of people (I forgot the percentage, I think it's like 20% or higher) actually stayed vegan after Veganuary! I was one of them, for 4 days haha.

As a 3-year vegetarian, doing Veganuary is relatively easy for me. I'm actually mostly vegan, because I have ditched dairy for a few months last year. And actually being vegan is quite simple too! Just make sure you do some research to make sure you're not nutrient deficient. Though to be honest it's hard to go nutrient deficient in a vegan diet. Most vegetables are able to give us what we need to function healthily as a human being! Maybe not Vitamin B12, but supplements are available.

So how did I feel after veganuary? Nothing HAHAHA. But like I said that's the whole point of veganism for me. That we can all be normal, healthy human beings without meat consumption! But one of the major effects that I get is that my face cleared up. No acne, no pimples! Dairy is definitely the culprit for me so taking no dairy will have a huge benefit for my face and my skin.

And actually I also did a blood test at the beginning of February and the result is superb! Everything is normal. In fact my LDL cholesterol is like almost below normal haha. Triglyceride and total cholesterol level are low too so I'm good. I was also curious about my iron level and they're normal! Also did a B12 level test and same, it's normal. But this is probably because I take supplements everyday. But hey B12 is an important vitamin and all of us should make sure we get enough.

Fun fact: there's a study done that predicts that 39% of the general population (regardless of diet) are actually B12 deficient. And B12 is formed by bacteria in soil/untreated water. Not in meat heh.

And now as for why I'm back to vegetarian. So as you know CNY was on the 6th of February and there's so many food. Some food were given by other people for me. Like cakes, biscuits etc. And personally I don't like to waste food, so I just ate them haha. But yes I'm sticking with my vow of not eating meat. I'm probably going back to a vegan diet again soon. And I'm thinking of doing WFPB diet! AKA Whole Food Plant Based diet. Read a lot of people saying how beneficial it is to them.

Alright that's all from me on this forgotten post haha. I will see you soon. Damn, 5 more days to the end of Feb. Alright, not gonna complain how fast time is flying again haha. See ya.

It's Just A Joke

Recently, there was an incidence where a joke was placed at the wrong (and unnecessary) time. And alas some misunderstanding followed up and... Yeah. Things got awkward haha. 

Anyway this incidence reminds me of a similar case where I was the one who said something wrong. And from then onwards, I became a person who doesn't like to joke around. Not only because I'm afraid that I will put it in a wrong way, but also I'm a horrible joker hah. I feel like telling you about it!

Anyway the incidence happened back in secondary school. In sec 4 to be exact. I remember it was Chemistry class with Mdm Ng. She caught me talking in class and well she reprimanded me by saying something like "Adhi you still want to talk? I thought you want to give me an A1?"

To which I replied, as a joke, "Mdm Ng you watch out I'm going to give you an A1!"

I remember seeing the whole class gasp haha. And Mdm Ng's shocked face. I seriously thought it was a joke and a light situation until the whole class just went into this really awkward silence. Which was broken with Mdm Ng's words: "Adhi you better watch you words ar". And I went confused.

I felt even more horrible when Jeslyn came to me after class and asked me to apologise to Mdm Ng. I told her like wait, I was only joking, like you know I want to give her an A1 so she better "watch out" kind of thing. But yeah it was quite bad that a few other people actually asked me to apologise!

So after class I stayed behind and apologised and told her what I truly mean by that. And Mdm Ng understood, she just asked me to be more careful with my words. I swear after that day I felt so guilty about this whole incidence. Even up till today, whenever I thought about it. What was meant as a joke, suddenly became something so serious heh. So yep. Lesson learned from that day.

Anyway I ended up scoring an A2 for Os and when I came to Mdm Ng to thank her for everything she sarcastically said "Adhi I though you want to give me an A1? Where is it?" HAHAHA. But anyway she was happy cause I scored a B3 for prelims. I was happy too, even though a bit disappointed with myself because I thought I tackled the Chemistry paper well heh :P Gosh this was 10 years ago.

So yup, since then I stopped "joking" around because that incidence made me afraid to do so. Like what if my simple joke ended up as something offensive, even though I have zero intention to offend anyone. Okay unless someone was joking around (in terms of comedy) and I add on to it, I think that is the limit of my jokes. Also I'm a horrible joker, I'm not that ice-breaker in a group heh.

Also ever since I learn more about Buddhism, I am trying to apply what the Buddha taught about speech. How we should only say things that are necessary, beneficial and mindful to others. I forgot the criteria but yeah if the things that are going to leave our mouths don't fulfill any of the criteria, then it's better not to say it at all. Which is very helpful and pretty straightforward.

Just like the saying goes, say things like you mean it. If you don't mean it at all, then don't say it. Which is also why I'm relatively a quiet person. If I have nothing to say, I won't say anything.

Alrighty that's all for this random post! Today was my great grandma's 64th death anniversary, so my whole family gathered to do some prayers. But in the evening I was having a really bad headache (probably because I only slept for 3 hours last night) and another round of gastric. Probably because of the erratic sleep and eating time too. Feeling much better now. Okay, see you soon!

Rehat

It's Saturday night and I'm just chilling out with some records playing in the background. Anyway I wanna talk about something. I'm inside the music video of one of my favourite songs, from one of my favourite Indonesian artist! I'm just really happy to be able to contribute to this music video, because this song means a lot to me. It is a song that came at the right timing, that I'm glad to have crossed paths with. It's none other than Rehat by Kunto Aji, from his second album - Mantra Mantra.

Anyway the title Rehat means rest. Or like taking a break. More about the song later!

Right so in December, Kunto Aji (I call him by Mas Kun haha) posted on Instagram that he's collaborating with nkcthi for the music video of Rehat. There are 4 themes where we can follow, and we have to submit a video of 20 seconds in duration according to the themes. The themes are: morning ritual, chasing your dreams, failures and rehat itself. As mentioned above, this song means a lot to me. So of course I want to be part of the video together with many people!

I submitted two videos, one for morning ritual and one for rehat. My video is very simply, just a video of me meditating hah. Morning meditation has become a ritual for me in 2018. I decided to split my meditation into two, one in the morning and one in the evening. And it's been enjoyable so far! One of the new habits that I'm glad to have formed in 2018. As for the rehat video, I sent a video of me lighting up my aromatherapy candle. Also a new "obsession" I have thanks to my insomnia.

I wasn't really intending to have my videos chosen. I just want to take part and hopefully contribute to the video. And... My meditation video got chosen! To be honest I really really salute Mas Kun's team and the editor because the music video is so so beautiful. I heard that they have 1200+ video submissions. And I'm pretty sure lots of them are beautiful! Like the ones in the video. I really salute them for choosing all the videos because for me, that would be a very difficult process haha.

Anyway yes I'm just happy that I'm able to contribute to the music video. This song means a lot to me.

Why? Here goes.

2018 was rather a challenging for me, mentally and psychologically. I still remember in September ish, I was just feeling really crappy and stressed out. Until that night, when Mantra Mantra was released, I gave the album a listen from top to bottom. When I reached Rehat, I just stopped whatever I was doing and gave this song so many repeats heh. The lyrics are so so beautiful. Suddenly all of my worries disappear, and I become so much calmer. And Rehat has been in my monthly playlist since then.

Particularly the words "biarkanlah semesta bekerja untuk mu". Which co-incidentally is one of my favourite mottos in life - "let the universe work for you". Or also "may the universe conspire with you".

And the lyrics that go before the line above: "yang di cari, hilang. Yang di kejar, lari. Yang di tunggu, yang di harap".  It means something along this line: "Things that you're searching, go missing. Things that you're chasing, running away from you. Things that you're waiting for, hoping for..."

These lyrics hit a chord in my heart because well like I mentioned in my year-end post, 2018 felt like a year where I was hungry for permanence. For assurance, and for certainty. And life being life, you can never get all of these, because nothing in life is certain, except for death and uncertainty hah. So when I heard these lyrics, it really brought a whole level of calmness and assurance that the universe is working with you. Just don't worry and trust the process.

And also the beginning of the song that goes: "serat-serat harapan masih terjalin, suaramu terdengar, masih lah nyaring dan bergema, di ruang-ruang hatimu". It roughly translates to: "fibres of hope, still intact. Their voices heard, echoing loudly in the rooms of your heart." This is also something meaningful for me. Because as much as me trying to be a realist, part of me still holds on to the hopes that I have in my heart. It's a reminder that I still have hopes.

So yup. I love this song so much, and it means a lot to me. I am happy to be able to contribute to this music video, together with the rest of #teamrehat. I want to thank Mas Kun for writing such a beautiful and meaningful song that many people will find comfort in. Mantra Mantra is definitely an album that this world needs. Because it never stops worrying. Also to the editor of the video who has done such a fantastic job compiling and creating such a beautiful beautiful video!

Terima kasih Mas Kun, tim editor, dan #teamrehat.

Salam rehat

Oh wait I forgot. Those last few lines that go

"Untuk kalian yang lelah dengan keadaan, pencarian, kenangan, tuntutan, apa yand ada di pikiran, teirma kasih sudanh berjuang sampai sekarang". Which means: "To those of you who are tired with your situation, what you're chasing, memories, objectives, and whatever there is in your mind, thank you for fighting up till now." I cried during this part when I watched the video for the first time.

Under The Weather

Today was a sick day for me. Spent the day at home nursing some weird gastric that I'm having. It was more like a stomach cramp? It's weird cause I was feeling okay after breakfast etc. Went to the office, wanted to poop so I went back home and after that the cramp started happening. My mum has this condition too, and we feel better if we bend our body forward, like a baby's cradle position.

Usually I'll just have to wait until I burped/farted to let the gas out of my gastrointestinal track but not sure why I couldn't do either heh. And the cramp goes on and off. So I decided to just lay on my bed waiting for the cramp to stop. And then... It didn't! Argghh. So I just laid on my bed till the evening.

Also I might be having anaemia :O The past 3 days I've been feeling really dizzy and just light headed. I thought I was having the usual masuk angin cause I didn't have enough sleep during CNY, and that I was out and about (even walked in the rain) on Wednesday. In fact on Wednesday night I felt like I was about to faint! So I was doing work with my dad when he asked me a question. Suddenly his voice felt very distant and it felt like the table was shaking in my vision. Kinda terrifying!

Well I experienced fainting twice actually and it felt exactly the same. The surrounding sound getting distant and the ground feels like moving. I quickly put my head down and closed my eyes and everything felt very empty. Quite a terrifying experience but thankfully nothing serious happened.

I'm going to get my blood checked on Monday. Not sure why because my died didn't change except for me taking part in veganuary. But it's not a drastic change either. It might be because of green tea... I've been drinking green tea the past month now (trying to finish my tea stock, cause it was bought by my mum). And I did read that green tea actually makes it more difficult for iron, especially non-heme iron (aka iron from plants) to be absorbed by the body. So currently adding lemon to my tea! It helps.

Alright I hope I'll feel better soon. I hate this recurring dizziness that can occur in random times of the day. If not I'll just take iron supplements I guess haha. I've got a couple of blog posts to write so I will see you soon tomorrow! Finally feeling more free now that CNY is over heh. See ya.

Happy Chinese New Year of The Pig!

Happy CNY from the uncles and aunties of Baros United!

Hello! I'm a day late but anyway, wishing you a happy Chinese New Year! May you have a happy, prosperous and smooth-sailing year of the pig! And may this year be a better year for all of us. I had a great time gathering with my family on Monday-Tuesday and it is definitely something that I always look forward to each year! Had great food and great time reuniting with my family again.

As usual we had the CNY Eve prayers on Monday. We don't have a reunion dinner but more of like a reunion lunch haha since we're done with the prayers in the afternoon. Also because my aunt passed away last year, and it hasn't been a year, according to tradition, we have to do a separate prayers for her first. After that we do the usual prayers for my grandparents and ancestors.

Home is where the good food is

It was a bright and sunny CNY eve! Thankfully we had nice weather. I then went to the temple with my aunts in the evening. And we went for dinner. I then knocked out for 2 great hours because on the previous night, I only slept for 3 hours! I woke up early to cook some food for the prayers. And also I made some vegan meatball soup from Dharma Kitchen. And everyone loved it! They even asked me if this is vegetarian because... They smell really meaty. Dharma Kitchen you win!

After sleeping for a while, I went back to my grandma house and just chatted with my cousins. Also Mel just got back from her honeymoon and thankfully she's able to join us with her husband! So we were sharing about her honeymoon experience mwahaha. Then followed by the midnight prayers and the usual angpao-exchange mwahaha. It was a great CNY eve indeed. Glad to see everyone :)

CNY day one was alright too. Thankfully we don't have a lot of guests (#antisocial), but glad to see some people who always come to visit us during CNY :) Although I'm also quite sad because I lost a few people who were close to our family so... It felt a bit weird knowing that they didn't visit us this year. But well I guess that's what life is. All of us have to go through this I guess. Like how we didn't go to my grandma house. Cause she's no longer here with us :(

And yup that's all for CNY I guess. It was a great time with my family again. But as usual it also made me feel really old. Cause one by one my cousins are getting married. The next cousin to me is getting married this year which means I'm next in line. Oh dear! Hahaha. But nahh I will gladly let my younger cousins jump over me lol. Life isn't a race anyway so yep. 

Alright that's all for now! I will talk to you again soon :) Happy CNY once again!