Ubud Archive: Prelude

Oct 26th 2017

I forget the joy of not doing anything. Here I am, sitting at Starbucks alone, phone dead and machiato half drank, not knowing what to do as I wait for my boarding time. I'm the type of people who arrive super early to the airport because a constant paranoia of missing the flight. So yes, I have 4 hours to kill before boarding time. Please don't laugh.

I stop trying to do anything. I day dream, on how the weather will be at Ubud and the excitement of meeting some of familiar faces again. Man, I miss this. Sitting at the coffee shop, choosing the deepest corner so I can freely ponder and do nothing to my heart's content. It's nice to not multitask (haha) once in a while and just waste a little time.

Then I fly.

I love flying. It feels as if I'm in the other world, the closest ever to the sky, the most freeing moment I've ever feel. I love looking out the window, tracing the endless city lights that look like our veins, delivering life to every part of it. It's also the closest I ever be with God, physically speaking. I always have the idea that he can hear me better whenever I'm up in the sky. Ridiculous, but the feeling stays with me even after all this time. So I whisper a prayer, no, a lot of prayers actually.

I ask for a safety till I reach my destination

I ask for a good weather during the trip

I ask for wisdom when meeting new people

I ask for modesty when having fun

I ask for an unforgettable adventure with my friends

I ask for inspirations

I ask for good health and this one goes for every one in my family

I ask for forgiveness

and

I ask for love and compassion

Because I'm Happy

- circa February 2016. I look so young back then haha.

I'm keeping a lot of story in my draft that's why I haven't post anything for the past week. I haven't edited my pics from the prev trips too, omg, why time flies so fast?

I'm 110% is focusing on my work right now. There are some exciting project coming and I want them to work smooth and perfect, that is why I give all of my time perfecting and polishing them. Especially this one project is like a dream project for me, the kind of creative process you've been waiting for, the kind of creativity that I need to unleash before it goes rusty haha.

I will write again. Probably tonight, probably later this weekend. So many poets, the hopeless romantic ones, so many inspiring stories, I feel like I'm feeling so good lately and obviously it will be shown in my post haha. But I'm gonna stop it right here, I don't want to spoil much, even thou I probably spoil everything already.

Oh, so happy, so grateful for this moment :)

I Keep Coming Back

It's my forth year attending UWRF this year. It maybe a small number compares to other regulars of the festival, not to mention the volunteers, but this is the only festival that I've been so committed to attend every year. At least I always try to make time to go, no matter how short.

Why I keep coming back? A lot of people has been asking me this question, specially my parents and my cousins. What's so interesting there? What can you see there? Is celebrity attending the event?

UWRF is about sitting next to strangers on the first day and having lunch as a new friends the next day. It's about seeing familiar faces from last year, or the previous years before and catching up over a heated discussion about good books, good indie movies and new hip coffee shop in town. It's about unleashing your imagination with your favorite writer, film maker and many other inspiring people in the panel, guiding you through their creative process. It's about getting passionate, inspired and excited just like flipping a story book with colorful images

It's about being reminded that what you think is out of your reach, is actually not that far away.

I think I'll come back a thousand times more.

Feeling Myself, Again

I just got back from Ubud last Tuesday. Dang, it feels reallyyyyy good to be away for a while, especially  if you're going to one of your favorite place on earth. Good news good news, I made some friends during UWRF. Super happy! I told myself that this year I had to be more courageous in starting a convo with the person I sit next to. And I did it! Yay! Proud of myself :D

I also managed to write journals every single day. It felt so easy since I got so inspired by all the sessions I attended. In fact, I never not taking notes out of everything. I have to say journaling is indeed a good way to record ideas in your mind. It really helped me to organised all of the ideas then proceeded them into a writing or video or a content materials for work. I'm truly glad I'm making progress here, considering how I struggled in so many aspects for couple of months.

Now I understand that taking a break is important. And I also understand that "a break" that works for me is a space to rediscover, to explore and to meet new friends. Shopping spree or coffee break don't make a cut anymore. I'm hungry for inspiration and experience, so that's probably why I love being away, on my own. Away from the routine, the people. The idea of discovering my own perspective of the world is one of my main life purpose right now.

It doesn't mean that I hate everything I have back home. It's just, I spend 25 years of my life staying in, circling in my comfort zone, obeying my parents if they tell me not to do something without considering if it can be a good thing for me as a young adult to try. I just need to get out. As I mentioned before, I need to discover my own perspective of the world. It's about time, right?