Live Love Life Leisure

Relax and journal Photo by Katya Wolf: https://www.pexels.com I started December 2024 with reflection and self-evaluation. I picked up my journal to review all the moments from this year. Honestly, I felt a mix of nervousness and anticipation—I was about to take a trip down memory lane, revisiting not just the good times but also the stress, pressure, and challenges I faced. Unlike previous years, this time, I used a different journaling system. I kept a primary journal specifically for recording the lessons I learned along the way. This approach makes it so much easier to revisit and relearn those lessons. It also serves as a comforting reminder whenever I feel low. In a way, it feels like I’m creating a personalized guidebook for my life. As I was reading through my journal, I was struck by how familiar everything felt—almost as if the entries were written in the present moment. Even the lessons I jotted down back in January, nearly a year ago, resonate deeply with what I’m experienc...

Journaling -  Photo by MART PRODUCTION: https://www.pexels.com Folks, are you the type of people who like to reflect and evaluate the journey you’ve taken in a year? Well, I’m much of a reflective person, so I do enjoy reviewing my journal and seeing the kaleidoscope of my life throughout the entire year. I view end-of-year as an ideal time for me to take a pause and evaluate everything that has happened this year by using my journal as reference. I don’t go much into detailed questions, but rather observing the highlighted events. Here I’m sharing with you a guide to an effective end-of-year journaling session.  1. Highs and Lows Open and review your journal, if any, and list down your highs and lows. What are the moments that made you feel proud of yourself? Whether it was achieving a long-term goal, forging stronger relationships with friends and family, or successfully navigating new opportunities at work, these moments brought immense satisfaction. These highs acted as r...

Photo by Gustavo Fring: https://www.pexels.com That night, my four-year-old niece, who's always curious and full of innocent observation, found a picture of mine in my phone and asked who that person was. When I told her it was me, she didn't believe me. She said that the person in the picture looked like her mom, but why did she look different, she looked fat (I assume what she meant was chubbier coz only my face appeared there). Everyone in the room burst out laughing, including me. It was so innocent, so pure, but in that moment, I felt a slight twinge of discomfort. I mean, who wouldn't? I couldn't help but laugh along, but I also couldn't deny the sudden sting of insecurity. As the laughter faded and I sat with myself for a moment, I couldn't shake the nagging feeling. I wondered,' Is that what I really look like?' As I continued to dwell on that innocent remark, I stumbled upon an IG post that completely shifted my perspective. It said, "I don...

  Let us eat cake -  Photo by Micheile Henderson: https://www.pexels.com This morning, I received a text from my dear friend, and it was such a pleasant surprise. When I left Jakarta two years ago, I didn't get a chance to say goodbye to her. I was completely caught up in work, packing, house hunting, finding movers, fixing the damage from a fire in the house, notifying the house agent about the incident, and handling everything related to the fire insurance claim that ended up being denied. On top of all that, I had a packed schedule of farewell staycations with my best friends and lunch dates with various people. I didn’t want to feel like I was leaving for good—I thought it was just a short getaway to clear my head, and that I might return to Jakarta sooner than I expected. That's why I only told a few people. Her message read, “Happy belated birthday… Better late than never… Sorry yaaa.” I couldn’t help but smile when I saw it.  ‘She remembered,’ I thought. That was s...

  Photo by Ivan Samkov: https://www.pexels.com I’ve always believed that God works in mysterious ways, but sometimes, I think He can be playfully romantic in the way He guides us. It’s as if He’s always with us, offering subtle hints and messages when we need them most, often in ways we wouldn’t expect.   We tend to imagine divine intervention as something serious, a grand gesture or a dramatic moment, but sometimes it’s just a small, gentle reminder that He's there, nudging us toward something better. That day, I learned just how true this was. I was mindlessly scrolling through IG Reels that day while waiting for my coffee at my favorite local café. Almost every Sunday, after my power walk, I like to sit and enjoy my morning with a hot cappuccino. But that day felt different. I wasn’t in the mood for coffee or anything else. I just wanted to go home and call it a day. I didn’t feel energized or tired, even after walking more than 8,000 steps. Actually, to be honest, I didn’t...

Photo by Taryn Elliott: https://www.pexels.com Kata ‘ resting ’ dan ‘recharging ’ sering kali gue jumpai interchangeable dalam beberapa posting-an para content creator , dan gue tidak pernah benar-benar memikirkan makna kedua kata tersebut. Pikiran gue sederhana saja, kedua kata itu saling mendukung satu sama lain. Hingga akhirnya sebuah klip menemukan gue di mana sang creator menjelaskan perbedaan antara resting and recharging yang ternyata sangat bermanfaat untuk kebugaran tubuh dan pikiran. *** Mengenali cara tubuh gue merespon kafein yang bisa bikin gue terjaga semalaman, membuat gue aware kapan waktu yang lebih baik untuk ngopi. Maka setiap kali keinginan minum kopi datang, gue selalu memilih melakukannya pada pagi hari. Dengan begitu gue tetap bisa menikmati minum kopi dan bisa menjaga waktu istirahat di malam hari.  Alih-alih boosting energi, gue minum kopi justru untuk mengendurkan pikiran. Rasanya sangat relaxing menikmati secangkir kopi panas, terutama cappuccino . ...