Merci, Deux Mille Dis-Sept

Oh it's that time of year again, n'est-ce-pas?

At the verge of entering a new year.

Reflecting what I've done right last year.

Well I've done alright, I think. Even better.

Because not only I succeeded—I enjoyed it.

Of course, because this was

"The Year of Doing It All Again"

The year of restarting what I've been liking.

You remembered what I assigned myself for 2016? Yes, settling down. I was so focused in finding the best job, discovering what I wanted, searching myself. I only went to Bali and Singapore -though each of which were visited three times, but that was only because I just finished a big draining year in 2015 -Hong Kong for two weeks, and Japan for six weeks, remember?

So me not having a big trip in 2016, is somewhat a drive for myself to DO BIG in 2017. To do again what I did in 2015, in 2014, 2013 even all the way back to 2010 and beyond. And I really meant it. I did it. So many things I thought I wouldn't be doing again, I did.

Even better.

Excelling in career, done. Even better. As I helped winning two new businesses for my company. Going on another long haul vacay with family, done. Even better. As it was Manado, our long-desired destination we were dying to visit. Showing that I'm a valuable adman, done. Even better. As I was shortlisted in one of Indonesia's best advertising festivals. And finally, fulfilling my never-ending hunger as a traveler, done. Done, done, done, DONE and of course, EVEN BETTER.

As this year, 2017, for the very first time in my life I did two big trips. Went on two grand journeys. Visited two big countries and best part of that is, I unlocked two new continents.

In just one year.

Damn I can't believe myself.

It's always been at least one big trip each year. Or maybe two, one big, the other one was still, yea, tolerable. Like in 2013 I did Malaysia-Thailand and The US, or in 2015 I did HK-Macau and Japan. This year, it wasn't South Korea and Australia. Or Taiwan and France. It's Australia and France, for God's sake, and EVEN BETTER. I'm doing the latter for Christmas and New Year -literally DOING as I'm now in France! which I never done before in my life!

So yeah.

Thank you, 2017,
Merci beaucoup!

Restarting what I've restarted this year. How cool is that???

I purely enjoyed every single day of the year. And I truly appreciate the way it motivated me. Because this big achievement I've done this year, makes me want to do something even bigger. Even better than ever. And I have this strong feeling that next year will be the start of it. The preparation.

So yeah, 2018.

I don't think it's going to be you,

Who would come to me and say,

"Brace yourself, Vick"

No—even better.

It's going to be me,

Who will say to you,

"Be prepared"

Restart Ends Here

If you’re aware of what I've been doing this past 12 months,

Yea, everything, well no—most of them, are something to do with

“Restarting”

From revisiting places I’ve been to, doing a big solo trip again, vacationing with family, having a Lebaran getaway with them, to trinkets like short Bali trip, F1 escape, and hosting a friend from abroad and doing that local exploration, yes, it was all, clearly, restarting things I haven’t done in a quiet long time.

That, all happened throughout the year. Literally. From that wild night New Year office party all the way to Citra Pariwara celebration some weeks ago -I was a finalist of Daun Muda Award, for God’s sake!- yea, things kept restarting—until now, when I think that this is the peak of it.

"The peak", I said, because it’s not only restarting what I’ve done years ago. But also restarting what I just did six months ago, on this exact same year.

Yep. Another big trip.

My ultimate “Restart Moment”.

F R A N C E

I know, I know, France is not all about Eiffel but dude can I have my own moment here???
Oh, the photo's from here by the way.

No. I haven’t been to France. I haven’t even been to Europe.

But I’ve been in my position I am now. Sitting restlessly, waiting for the date to come. Feeling anxious yet excited because this’d be my very first time ever going to a certain place. Yes, I’m restarting what I’ve once felt for my previous big trips.

And I’ve been in this situation before. A trip so big that it requires so many things from so many layers of myself. A trip with lots of preparations, plannings, and considerations. A trip where I could celebrate Christmas and New Year outside my own country so yes—this kind of journey, is restarting in my life.

Wow.

Never thought that it’d end this way. Really unbelievable. When I first bragged about all these “restart” shits on January, I was only foreseeing it for the next 6-7 months. Never had I imagined that it'd last until the very end of 2017, wrapped up with such amazing trip.

And this trip, will mark the final restart of this year.

The timing is right, the size of the moment is right,

So with this, I’d like to proudly say that,

Restarting succeeded