A Day to Remember

Last month, my parents celebrated their 26th wedding anniversary. 26 years of togetherness, 26 years of ups and downs and in between, 26 years of endless problems with the kids. Haha.

They asked us, the 3 problematic kids, out for dinner. I was hesitating at first. 26 should be a milestone for them and going for a typical Surabaya dining out was just, ordinary. So I proposed we went out of town instead, maybe to Malang or somewhere that could be reached within 3 hours drive. I immediately remembered that mom had never been to Bromo, never witness the magical night sky and beautiful sunrise with active volcano as a backdrop. I told them my plan and with a lil help from my bro and sis, we decided to go to Bromo for their wedding anniversary. I only had less than 24 hours to prepare the trip and also a little surprise for them buttt we made it to Bromo save and sound!

Bromo was packed with tourist that morning. We arrived a little late cause Penanjakan was already jammed with foreigner and local tourist. The sky was so so beautiful that morning. It's crystal clear, displaying the milky way and million of stars glowing just like a diamond *cue Rihanna's song*. Later my brother told me that he saw a shooting stars right before dawn came. Luckyyyyy bratttttt I missed that one :(

I've been to Bromo several times and usually in summer so I only wore my thin sweater and jeans because that would be enough. Little did I know Bromo in September is super cold and windy, like straight to the bone cold. I was obviously undressed thus I clinged to my brother and sister, but it didn't help much. I should have worn my thicker socks and sweater, I kept thinking that way since I felt like frozen up there. Even after the sun was up, the wind was still soooo cold.

Beside the chilly wind, the trip was fantastic. We had a good time playing in the sea of sand and taking gazillion pics together. I'm so happy that my parents enjoyed the trip as much as my sister, my brother and I did. We had breakfast at the jeep, the one that my sister prepared from home, sweet fried noodle with scrambled egg and beef sausages. I brought a thermos of Balinese coffee too so it was perffff breakfast at a beautiful place. Super happy!

My Bromo Itinerary:

11 p.m : departing from Surabaya

2 a.m : arriving at one of the check point, renting a jeep and a tour guide

3 a.m : driving up to Penanjakan, a terrace to watch the sunset and the crater of Bromo. There are several of Penanjakan and I've been to 3 of them. I will highly recommend Penanjakan 2 cause it has the best view of the crater and you can see the milky way clearer there.

3.30 a.m - 6.30 a.m : the sun usually rises from 5 a.m to 5.30 a.m, but as I mentioned before, Penanjakan is already packed around 4 a.m so the earlier you arrive, a better spot you get to watch the sun. I notice some people is already in Penanjakan since 2 a.m to watch the starry sky and the milky way and if you're lucky like my brother, you can spot the shooting star. I personally love to arrive at 3 a.m, brave the cold, and stay at Penanjakan up till 7 a.m because it will be less crowded and you can freely enjoy the view.

7 a.m - 10.30 a.m : we continued the journey around Pasir Berbisik area, checking out the sand dunes and the temple by the crater. You can try horse ride or climb up to the edge of the crater there. I wonder if we can rent ATV there cause it will be so much fun hehe. Most people drive around and stop at some points to take pics. There are also several small stalls there serving hot coffee, tea and snacks so if you don't prepare a meal, you can surely try the stalls.

10.30 a.m - 11 a.m : going back to the first check point, where we parked the car then driving back to Surabaya

That is that. I hope my experience help you if you have a plan to go to Bromo. One thing for sure is, even thou I've been there several times, the place is still so magical. The next time I plan to go there again, I think I will go when the little purple flower blooms at Pasir Berbisik. I see some of the pics and it looks so beautiful!

La La Land

Ohh, what should I say for this beautifully arranged music? I love every bit of it. The rasphy voice of Jake Bugg and Noah Cyrus, omg her voice is just pure joy to listen to. I've been playing this over and over and over again I loose track of number.

Hotter Than Ever

It's been exceptionally hot and humid here in Surabaya. The sky is turning greyer and greyer everyday and finally, yesterday, it rained a little. But other than that 60 minutes bliss when the air was slightly cooler, it's been super hot and humid. I feel like I can't properly breath.

Other than the less interesting weather forecast here in Surabaya, it's 7 days before UWRF 2017! Super duper excited. I check my calendar every morning to count down till the departure day. Only 7 hot and humid day left in Surabaya and I'll be off to a much friendlier weather, finger crossed.

The hot weather really annoys me to the point where I don't feel like going anywhere but lying by the pond on weekend, eating watermelon(s) and sipping ice coffee. And I'm also so sick of my phone and instagram and email so I purposely let my phone died during the day. I read instead.

This book I read is a New York Times best seller, like years ago, and I have to say that it's bloody good. Like 9/10 good. And I just read it now. Where have I been? Geez. It's Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan and I think I'll get the 2nd book later this weekend. The story is about a young billionaire who falls in love with an Economic professor. His family doesn't approve of the girl because of some cultural obstacles, something like legacy, blood lines and Ming Dynasty, oh and also, money. What makes it interesting, in my opinion, is the multi perspectives Kevin serve in every chapter. Here we have an Asian boy who basically spend most of his adulthood in America, living in American way and eating American cheese bagel. On the other hands, we have a bunch of Asian billionaire who has 3 things in their minds: investment, designer pieces and beneficial marriage. And trapped in between all of that is a Guangdong immigrant who is raised by a single mom, independently making a living in New york and madly fall in love with the Asian boy, mad enough to go to a summer vacay half the world away to meet the boy's family which the boy rarely talk about and she never even have a phone conversation before. That's wild. If there's anything I learn from the book, it will be to run a background check on my potential life partner, just in case. A girl needs to be prepared for the worst.

Changing of Season

So I told my self I needed a break.

My mind is practically a tangled threat for a couple of months. It's obvious, since I've been complaining since July. Haha.

I'm having an endless train of thought and I feel like I've been thinking hard to find an answer, a solution, a scarp of hope in this dark tunnel. I also start to write a journal every time I feel like I may 'explode' with emotions. Yes, I'm trying my hardest to keep writing even thou it's not here since I know it's something soothing for my mind. A girl needs to find a grip to keep functioning everyday, after all.

Some thoughts can be really intense some night, that I feel an extreme sadness and confusion. So I end up staying late, watching my favorite comedy romance or reading some books or writing, anything to loosen up and take off my mind of the problem just for a while. I know and I completely understand that I have to be strong and holding on as long as I can. This shall pass, I tell myself. This is another phase that I have to go through to be a better version of me. This is hard and tiring, but I know I'm strong enough to handle this, even thou I have to crawl to get out of this mess. 

A side from all the un-fun story, I'm looking forward for UWRF 2017 this year. I booked my ticket and pretty much ready to jet off tehehe. I'm planning to take a meditation class too, but haven't decided where. Ugh, so excited!