Cherry Blossom From The Green

This time, I’m pretty sure that I’m officially a fan of Asia’s Next Top Model. For the previous two cycles, I started watching weeks after the season’s premiere, got held back and kept watching only to know who the winner was. No plan at all, it was spontaneous and impulsive.

However for this year’s cycle, got to be honest, I literally waited for it. The premiere date was on my calendar, and the girls were exposed to me from the very first second of their appearance. And as always, the one that I noticed first when the lineup was revealed was, yes, the girl from Japan.

Her name is Barbara Katsuki

Marie and Sofia's successor. With surprisingly the exact same rank: third runner up –this starts to be very suspicious.

Like the first two girls, Barbara with her green Brazilian and pink Japanese descent ‘outfit’ outshined everyone. Well there was this American-Hong Kong girl and this French-Thai girl, but hey, it’s Japan what sipped within Barbara and nothing can beat that. And like the first two girls, again, she’s super polite. Super down to earth, speaking with this super cute minimalist English-Japanese accent… Argh!

Unique as always, polite as always, okay that’s typical. Only this time, what stood out more about the Japan representation in AsNTM, was actually the physical appearance. Out of three Japanese contestants, Barbara’s face won my heart. And her moderate height, taller than Marie yet shorter than Sofia, it’s just perfect. Plus that body of hers—oh don’t get me start with that.

Do I sound like I’m making a big deal out of her too much? Well, it’s because I actually adore her. And maybe subconsciously because I also adore Japan. In which I have plan for it, but later on, not now.

What I can tell now is,
Following the theme that I set for myself lately,
I’ll try to explore Indonesia more than anything else at the moment.

Therefore on top of Barbara, there are these two I know everybody will got my back for adoring them. Because yes, they’re from Indonesia.

Gani and Tahlia

Gani. She’s been so consistent from the very first episode and oh I’m pretty sure she’ll win the competition. Too much adoration shown by the panel, too much praises thrown from the guest judges, she’ll definitely kick those Singaporean and –especially– Filipina asses.

And Tahlia. Our Scarlett Johansson. She’s so special I don’t even know how to describe it. It was such a nerve-wrecking moment watching her on the show, seeing her up and down, until finally she was on the bottom two with Gani. Worst episode ever, seriously. And that was the point where I realized that the show is Filipino-centered, with two Filipinas holding crucial roles on the panel, and that Amanda girl always being saved.

But I don’t care.

Despite the unfair tendency within the competition, Gani and Tahlia showed that Indonesians can climb up the wall without any nationality bailout. That the fairest flower from the green land called Indonesia, can also blossom internationally.

Oh, Indonesia.

Never been this much in love with you

Images: not mine at all, I forgot where I earned it ;(

There Will Always be a Way

Nothing felt much better than setting a new goal,
And slowly fulfilling it in such short time.

After my trip to Harapan, I knew I’d go for more underwater exploration. And so I started to arrange something else, for another long weekend that my office calendar said it’d be on Monday June 1st. Oh yes! Another 3-days off. I could go somewhere further this time. So one thing lead to another, and I was this close to actually ride a train to Semarang where my cousin lives, then together with him and my two brothers, off we go to

Karimun Jawa.

But it wasn't as easy as how I stated it just now. Fvck thing was, my stupid lingerie calendar tricked me –yeah maybe because it contains half naked women that’s why I’m distracted but I’m telling the truth here, it’s the calendar’s fault. The day off was not on June 1st. It’s June 2nd, on Tuesday. I couldn’t do the trip—I couldn’t take any day off, remember?

All the plans crumbled before me.
But God exists and His way will always be there.

There’s this WhatsApp group I joined –just joined, but totally not being active at all– and one day, there’s this guy inside the group –in which through my observation, he’s also a passive member– out of the blue inviting everybody to join a shared-cost trip.

Bound for Pahawang, Lampung.

Shit, I said to myself.

Pahawang’s like, a new entry to my local-bucket list that I just added on April 23rd 2015 –yes, I remember that date because it was the day I added tons of local destinations to my bucket list. Oh, and guess what, his plan was just to go from Friday, to Sunday.

Shit, that’s what filled my pants after I read his plan.

Everything just fits me. The fact that I didn’t want to waste the excitement that already grew because of Karimun Jawa, the fact that I needed a ‘revenge’ of my canceled plan, the fact that this trip wouldn’t cost me any day off and the fact that Pahawang’s one of the places I was initially planning to visit, THERE’S NOTHING IN THIS WORLD CAN STOP ME FROM GOING WITH HIM.

So last Friday, right after work, I went straight to Slipi with my Reebok slingbag, met these new inspiring people and went to Merak by bus. Oh yea, we’re crossing the strait using Ferry. And it was like in the middle of the night, I left to Sumatra and slept on the car parking lot with dirty wheels near my head. But that’s not even close to the finish line. Arriving in Lampung, we still needed to ride for 3 hours to Ketapang Harbour where the boat to Pahawang was waiting for us.

It was a crazy 12 hours. I hadn’t slept well yet, and the thick sweater –who the hell used thick sweater to the beach!? – I wore to the office was still sticking to my body. But I didn’t care, really. Because I knew what was waiting for me across the sea, was something that’d take my breath away.

And it did.
Pahawang was… Shit.

I don’t think I need to describe how I felt. Honestly, I’m tired of speaking all flowery about each snorkeling trip I did—it felt like I always write the same thing over and over again, because all those water I dipped in were, INCREDIBLE! Well my point is, the picture I browsed from Google successfully made me to add Pahawang inside my bucket list. Now I’m partly sure that those pics of mine will do the same to you.

But one thing I’d want to say is, that I knew there would always be a way to get me down lower than just sea surface. The beauty of Pahawang underwater made me brave enough to do freediving. Yes, I’m taking this snorkeling interest of mine to a whole new level: below water level. Okay not here, I’m going to tell it further on the next post.

Now if you notice, somehow it’s my nature to promise my reader that I’d write further about certain thing on the next post but—see, even my promise to tell more about the boo-hoo participants of Harapan never showed up.

Ugh, this euphoria…

I don't even know what I'm exactly pointing out in this post.
About Pahawang? My complicated travel plans?
Half-naked women on my calendar?

Well whatever it is, now I know that
Literally nothing can stop me from trying to
Get to know my own country