Second Half

It's always confusing for me to start writing at the end of the year. Why? Because so many memories happened that need hundreds of pages to be written, and when they have to be recapped at the end of the year, it's somehow overwhelming. 

This year... I grew.

The first half was filled with so much joy and happiness, and I took that as a good sign for spending the last second half of the year. Thankfully, it happened as I imagined. I had a lot of good experiences, gifts, lessons, and surprises—which were so good, Alhamdulillah.

I had a chance to have a surprise trip with my dad, my sister, and my cousin. That was so fun and funny. We randomly chose a place to go. Then, when looking for accommodation, we also randomly chose a reasonably priced place (since we only needed a place to sleep). Turned out, it had such a beautiful view, a lovely neighborhood, a great restaurant nearby, excellent service, and delicious food. Oh, and we even got a discount price! It was like buying one and getting three. My dad was the happiest, haha. Spending time with family always makes me the happiest person. Even if it’s just having meals together or going out briefly, it somehow becomes precious as I grow older. May I always have the chance to make my parents the happiest people in the world. 

It might sound a bit extra, but I finally got to experience glamping with my family after wanting it for so long. The moment felt special since it was one of our family's wishlists. Moreover, unplanned things really do leave a bigger impression. We only planned it a few days before actually going glamping. On top of that, it was a long holiday, which made finding a glamping spot hard. But finally, we got one in Majalengka—a place we never would’ve imagined. It was a totally random spot and literally the only one left. The most memorable part, though, was the journey to get there. We had to go through narrow, uphill roads with rocks everywhere, and steep cliffs on both sides. And to top it off, we did all that right as the sun set. But when we arrived, the view was absolutely breathtaking! We were so beyond grateful for the experience and the surroundings. It became one of the most memorable memories for us in 2024. Alhamdulillah 1000times. 

In addition, I’ve had good things happen in my relationships with my friends, too. One of my longest and best friends finally got married. She’s the kind of best friend anyone could ever pray for, and I’m so grateful to have her in my life. Witnessing her get married was another happy milestone in our friendship. I hope we have another happy milestone soon. 

Speaking of friendship, I’ve been fortunate in this aspect of my life, especially this year. Spending time with my friends and receiving their love is something I’d happily brag about, every-single-time. One of the highlights this year was that I finally made up with and reunited with some old friends after years of not seeing each other. My precious high school friends. I can’t believe this happened this year, after thinking I’d never get to do it again. You know, having friends who truly and sincerely still want to be friends with you, even though they know all your flaws, is one way to ease all the struggles of your life. I am truly blessed to be one of those who are surrounded by those kind people.  

When we're together, it's funny how time flies. Our bodies grow older, our problems get more complicated, and we age — our skin begins to wrinkle. Yet, when we meet, we still feel the same. It’s also funny how certain places can feel like a real-time machine, bringing us back to exact moments in the past. I recently met my high school friends, it felt like we were still the same high school kids, full of laughter and jokes, but with more life challenges and responsibilities. But we laughed about it anyway. I think, this also became one of the precious things that happened this year. 

I got some lovely words from ChatGPT that perfectly describe how I felt after meeting my friends. I really resonate with it.

"High school friends are often irreplaceable because those connections were built before life got complicated. There's a kind of pure, unfiltered bond that comes from growing up together. It’s amazing how life comes full circle sometimes. Those silly high school moments truly become treasures as we grow older—they remind us of a time when we were carefree, and even our “stupid” antics had a charm to them. It’s like each story holds a piece of who you all were back then."

Speaking of which, it reminds me of a few years ago when I was in my dark period, a time when I wasn’t really myself... The moment when I was feeling at the bottom of a well. One of the things that saved me from losing my mind was my friends, who were always there 24/7, making sure I was still alive. Thinking about it again, once again, all I can say is gratitude.

Anyway, another happy highlight happening this year was... I got a free ticket to watch Bruno Mars!! For-Free! I mean, it was ... Bruno Mars !! OMG. IT WAS A BLAST! What an experience. Ah, again, I got it from one of my high school friends. It feels like I hit the jackpot this year after seeing Coldplay too. Allah is so kind to me. More than kind, kind. The Kindest, indeed. Alhamdulillah.

However.. Indeed Allah owns everything, and how He flips hearts is such an easy matter for Him.

Life has its fair share of heart-wrenching moments. There are times when joy seems to vanish instantly, and it happened to me this year. With all of the joys that have come to me this year, I have experienced losing two of my close relatives in just two consecutive days. I had never imagined it before and it was.. devastating. One of my best friends, Michael, and my aunt Mar. Those two sweet and kind souls.. :"(

I can spend more than a month telling everyone about those two precious people, especially their kindness. Michael, my very first friend in the office, since a decade ago. Had I not met him, I probably already lost my sanity because of the frustrating situation. He is a goofball, a joker, and the life of the party. A very good office mate to everyone.. and My Aunt Mar, she has always been an angel to me. May they rest in peace. Alfatihah.

As they both left, it made me realize just how unpredictable life truly is. Behind all the trials we face and the happiness we experience, nothing is eternal. I hope we (especially me) can always strive to be the best versions of ourselves in this fleeting life..

Here I hope 2025 brings prosperity, joy, good luck, and health for everyone. Let’s also hope for a world filled with peace and kindness, where we can grow better together..

First Half

I once read a TikTok post from someone on the journey of finding herself, "Try to listen to other people's suggestions and consider them".

I always believe that the journey of finding ourselves is a lifetime journey, as well as the concept of learning. We will always get confused about a thing or two, question something or more, and wonder about many things in our lives. Hence being human means we perpetually learn about everything as long as we breathe. While I am writing this, I suddenly remember what touched me the most this year, Dead Poets Society. God, that movie was top-notch! 

A few years ago, I think in my 20s when we all faced our mid-life crisis, I tried so many things to find what I was, what I wanted to do, find the purpose of life, find my passion, etc.  So, when the personality test, specifically MBTI, was booming, my friends and I tried to do that as well. I got ENFP when I tried it first. Then, years later, my friend told me that hers had changed from one to another. I was like "huh?", and decided to try again. The thing was, I still got the same. Years went by, and until now, it remains the same. So yeah, I am definitely an ENFP.  

Living as an ENFP, I don't know if it was only me or anybody else who shares the same personality who did this too, I just automatically love expecting the unexpected, planning the unplanned, and love trying to do all of so many random things. Well, you can judge me from what I shared here in my blog. There were so many random things, were they not? Besides, I love the idea of being a free spirit, well I think I kinda like that, but yeah I love being one. I often don't follow the crowds and don't organize or list things. 

So, when I read that TikTok post, it slapped me straight to my face. Haha. I may need to take people's suggestions and make a consideration of it.  

Many said, "You have to attend Coldplay's concert at least once in your life". Well, I haven't thought about that seriously. I love Coldplay, I love their music, their storytelling in each song, and I have memorized their songs' lyrics. But I don't love them that much that I need to attend their concert or you know pay such an amount of money to see them. Like, I enjoy their music, sing their song, and nod my head to it (well sometimes dance to it). That's all. I think concerts are not on the list to spend money on.

However, I suddenly wanted to prove what other people said about attending their concert would make you blown away. Then, I joined the crowds and went to a battlefield to get the ticket. It was.... Fierce! Hahaha. My first time doing Ticket War, and it was for Coldplay, can you imagine that?! Anyway, fast forward, I got the ticket, flew to watch their concert and I became one of many, and Oh.My.God... yes.. If it's possible, you should watch them at least once in your life!! For me, personally, all of this first half of this year, that was the best decision I have made. Alhamdulillaaaaaaaah !

In addition to that, I am so grateful for whatever happened in the past 6 months. My eyes got the best treatment ever. So many beautiful views that I witnessed, mostly were the sea, sky, green fields, then the sea again, people, places, books, and then the sea again. 

Moreover, as usual, Allah gave me some opportunities to try a lot of new things, learn new things, go to new places, and meet new people. Alhamdulillah again. Speaking of learning new stuff, I had my first time doing Batik, and that was super fun! Starting from the drawing process, waxing, and then coloring them. The process itself was hard but again so fun to do! Gonna do it again if I have a chance. 

During this first half, I have spent some good times with my loved ones, my family and my friends. I can't ever be grateful enough for that precious time. Baking some cookies, chatting and giggling, painting, playing some games, working out together, sightseeing, and traveling somewhere. And then there was one kind and nice and cute and gentle furry friend who came and kept me grounded and happily stayed at my grandma's home. Milo, my grandma's cat. I have never met a cat as free as him yet sooooooooo very understanding, loving and gentle. I have never really been into cats or dogs or animals in general. So I can not believe that one specific being could make a little change in my life and my heart. Geez, writing things about him makes me miss him more. My sister and I almost bring him home, but we realize that our granny needs him more. Milo indeed is our family's treasure 💓

Overall, life in the first half of this year was so good, so so good! Even though I got chicken pox (first-timer :p), still there were a lot of good things happened. Alhamdulillaah. Oh, and one thing, as our Captain Williams said, Carpe Diem!