Category: EN

  • Lately

    Dara (@darlaoct) on Instagram
    The wet season has finally ended abruptly, and just like that, the dry season starts. We haven’t had rain for almost a week now. It’s very common every year that the rain suddenly stops when Ramadan arrives. We’ll start the fasting month about a week from now. The beginning of the month is also a four day weekend so the traffic in Bandung is going to be waaayy more crowded. But hey, at least it’s going to be fun. It’s Ramadan!
    Dara (@darlaoct) on Instagram
    Speaking of which, I’ve been doing this campaign for Bearbrand on my Instagram account. Check it out!

    Aside of that, life has been pretty much the same as usual: reading, tutoring, binge watching Brooklyn Nine-Nine (more of that coming soon on a blog post), some more reading, rinse and repeat. My orders from Book Depository came yesterday and I’m going to read even more. This craziness hasn’t stopped. I’m done with my 2017 Reading Challenge earlier this month. I’ve become a monster hahahaha!
    Dara (@darlaoct) on Instagram
    Dara (@darlaoct) on Instagram
    Also, I’ve been avoiding the news, especially on Twitter. The world is crazy. My country is crazy. It seems like everything triggers my anxiety. I’ve been spending more time on Tumblr instead, reblogging cat videos and memes (are we friends there?). Someday I’m going to toughen up and face the world, but today is not that day.
    Dara (@darlaoct) on Instagram
    Anyone feeling the same?

    Dara | Bloglovin’ | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook

  • Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 Review


    Due to me and my husband living in different cities now, it has become quite hard for us to go to movie premieres. I had planned to go visit him on the premiere day of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 so we could watch together, but life happened and we ended up watching it on the weekend. It was fine, though, because our country got to see the movie earlier than most of other countries (including the US), so I still think that’s a win(?)

    So anyway… In this second installment of the Guardians of the Galaxy, the team is already fully established as ‘the guardians’. At the beginning of the movie, they are on a mission of protecting the Sovereign’s batteries from a monster who is trying to stole them. They succeed and in turn of their service, the Sovereign hand Nebula over to them. She had become a prisoner after trying to steal the batteries. The Guardians then flee, but unbeknownst to the rest of them, Rocket stole some of the batteries. On their way home, they are attacked by the Sovereign’s fleet but they are saved by a stranger. Turns out, the stranger is Peter Quill’s estranged father, Ego the Living Planet. He asks Peter to come home with him to his planet. Peter is skeptic at first, but Gamora convinces him, so Peter, Gamora, and Drax go with Ego while Rocket, Baby Groot, and Nebula are left to fix their broken ship. The Sovereign is still looking for them and they recruit Yondu and his crew to find the Guardians. But then Yondu’s crew betray him and a mutiny breaks out. Yondu, Rocket, Baby Groot, and Kraglin (one of Yondu’s loyal men) team up to escape, while the rest of the Guardians find out who Ego really is and what he really wants.

    While Volume 2 is not a huge disappointment, I honestly still like Volume 1 much better. This movie suffers from the ‘personal story’ syndrome, something that has become quite a trend lately (I read about it somewhere but can’t find the link to the article). The visual effects, the jokes, and the characters are perfect, but the story is a little bit off. Also, I haven’t read any Guardians of the Galaxy comic books, but I’ve read in a forum discussion that Peter Quill’s father in the comic books is not Ego the Living Planet, so maybe I should find out why the writer decided so. And I’m very curious how the Guardians will fit in the upcoming Avengers movie! Anybody else feels the same way?

    All in all, I’m giving this movie 4 out of 5 stars.

    Image via.



    Dara | Bloglovin’ | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook

  • Recent Reads: April

    Recent Reads: April | Hola Darla
    I’m changing the title of the monthly Books I Finished In… post into the shorter and catchier Recent Reads. So, here it is… Recent Reads: April.

    My books purchase is under control, at least for now hahah! I only impulsively bought one book, the others were planned purchases. I’m limiting myself to read one book per week, so in April I finished these five books:

    Jolly Foul Play by Robin Stevens | Hola Darla
    It’s a good thing that there are quite a lot of books in this series because I like it very much. I hope Robin Stevens is planning to keep writing and producing more and more books in this series, like Agatha Christie did with all her detectives and sleuths. In this book, the girls are back again in the Deepdean School. Someone is murdered and secrets of older students are out. The Detective Society has grown quite bigger than in the previous books, so Daisy and Hazel are not alone in solving these two cases. I must say that this book is kinda scary compared to the previous ones in the series. The victim is a student and two students also go missing, so the girls are actually involved instead of being the outsiders looking in. I like this book very much, maybe even more than the previous ones I’ve read.


    A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro | Hola Darla
    In A Study in Charlotte, we are introduced to Charlotte Holmes and Jamie Watson, the direct descendants of Sherlock Holmes and John Watson who happen to be the same age and go to the same boarding school (though it’s a setup done by Jamie’s father). A student is murdered and the clues point to the two of them, so they have to solve the mystery while avoiding being arrested for the murder they didn’t do. Every book blogger I follow praises this book. Unfortunately, the bookshops in Bandung and Jakarta don’t have it so I had to order it online and wait patiently for it to arrive for almost a month (international shipping is so ugh!). It’s so worth the wait! Although it’s weird to read that Holmes and Watson are romantically involved (I’m not a JohnLock shipper, sorry…), I like the characters. I like Charlotte’s personality and Jamie’s rage (is that bad? Lol). I also like Jamie’s relationship with his estranged father and his new family. I’m currently waiting for the paperback version of the second book to be available in Book Depository.

    Closed Casket by Sophie Hannah | Hola Darla
    Why would a rich children books author change her will to leave everything to her dying secretary instead of her two children? The reason might surprise you for a second and make you roll your eyes immediately after. It’s very silly. While I like the majority of the characters in A Study in Charlotte, I hate everyone in Closed Casket. Nobody is likable. The case itself is good and very Agatha Christie-ish, but the characters are awful. Yes, that’s including the Hercule Poirot.

    Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty | Hola Darla
    Big Little Lies shows us how our action can change other people’s lives forever. It’s heartbreaking but also quite funny. With the HBO series finale getting praises everywhere on the internet, I became very curious about this book. I decided to read the book first before watching the show. I’ve been looking for adult books to read because every book I’ve read is YA and Big Little Lies won my heart right after I finished reading the very first page. I really like it! I’m definitely going to read more books by Liane Moriarty.

    Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher | Hola Darla
    When someone kills themselves, we may never know and understand what drives them to do that. But before she committed suicide, Hannah recorded cassette tapes and set them to be sent around the thirteen people responsible for her actions after her death. This book was also bought by me because of the words about the Netflix show going around on the internet. Some people like it, others say it’s sending the wrong message. But I must say the book is very good and well written. It’s a quick read, I finished it in less than a day, but it left a huge hole in my heart. I cried halfway into reading it. It’s very heartbreaking. But I read somewhere that the show has several differences from the book. I haven’t seen it but I will when I get the time. It’s Netflix, so I’m probably going to finish the whole show in one seating.

    ***

    Whoa, that’s still quite a lot of books, isn’t it? Haha… But I’m taking it veeeeeeryyyyy slow this month. I’m currently reading two books, Red Queen and the next installment in the Murder Most Unladylike Mystery series, Mistletoe and Murder. I started Red Queen in March but I’m still halfway through it. I started Mistletoe and Murder last week but I haven’t finished either.
    Currently Reading: Early May | Hola Darla
    What about you? What have you read lately? Give me book recommendations! 😉

    Dara | Bloglovin’ | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook

  • Messy Home Tour

    A home tour blog post is like one of the most popular posts that every single blogger from every single niche seems to do. Pinterest is most likely to be blamed. I mean, who doesn’t go swoooooonnnn whenever they browse Pinterest and seeing all the pretty home decors, am I right? So, writing a home tour post has always been in my mind since I started blogging in 2009. Eight years later, I still haven’t done it. My house has abundant natural light and it will certainly look good if only I have the creativity (and also the money and the patience) to decor it like those rooms on Pinterest. Also, my house never seems to be tidy enough to be photographed and shared to the whole blogoland. So, while I was trying (so hard!) to tidy up, I got this silly idea to just take pictures of these messy rooms and created this post!
    Messy Home Tour: Living Room | Hola Darla

    Messy Home Tour: Bookcase | Hola Darla
    Above are the pictures of my messy living room. Like its name, this is where the ‘living’ is mostly done. I have a fairly small TV (not pictured), a set of jati (teak) chairs and table, a small bookshelf, and two pillows in this room. The wall is empty. I’ve been meaning to get some of our pictures printed, but somehow I never do.
    Messy Home Tour: Bedroom | Hola Darla
    And this is my bedroom. This one is probably the tidiest part of my house because there are fewer things here than in any other rooms, so it’s easier to keep everything in its place.
    Messy Home Tour: Office | Hola Darla
    I’m in the middle of tidying this room and sorting things, so it’s super messy in this picture. This one is supposed to be my home office, where I do my freelance work and also keep up with this blog, but it has become some sort of storage room and a sun room for my cats. The window in this room is very big and facing the east so it’s very warm and full of sunlight in the morning. The cats like to lie around with their bellies exposed to the sunlight in this room.
    Messy Home Tour: Cleaning Supervisor | Hola Darla
    Bonus picture of my tidying up supervisor. Ungil was spayed ten days ago, so she still has that funny bald patch.
    Messy Home Tour: Kitchen | Hola Darla
    This is the kitchen. I haven’t done a lot of cooking since my husband moved out, so it’s been a little bit abandoned, except for all those dirty dishes that I used to eat instant food and takeouts. I’m doing them all in a minute, don’t worry ;p
    Messy Home Tour: Laundry Spot | Hola Darla
    Messy Home Tour: Bathroom | Hola Darla
    These are the laundry spot and the bathroom. The laundry spot is messy because it’s actually being used right now. And my bathroom is seriously in need of a major makeover, don’t you think?

    I guess that is all for right now. I’m going to do another home tour when the rooms are already pretty, LOL!

    Dara | Bloglovin’ | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook

  • Books I Finished in March

    Books I Finished in March - Hola Darla
    My husband reminded me to start controlling my spending on books because I spent almost 1m for books alone last month! Isn’t that crazy? He keeps sending mixed signals, though, because he’s actually the devil behind it all. Whenever we are in the bookstore he’s all like “Just buy it!” every time I touch a book. I hate him! (Also I love him for that LOL)

    So, anyway… Here are five books I read in March:

    Agatha Christie's Witness of Prosecution - Hola Darla
    I normally loathe it when a good book gets its movie/TV cover, but this one literally caught my eyes right when I walked into the bookstore (they’re so damned smart at displaying!) I regret buying this book because as I read on I realised half way that I actually had read all the stories. Compulsive book shopping is not good, kids!


    2. 20 Cerita Detektif Diambil dari Majalah Bobo: Lukisan yang Dapat Mencuri

    20 Cerita Detektif dari Majalah Bobo - Hola Darla
    For Indonesian 90’s kids, Majalah Bobo is a part of our childhood. It’s a kids magazine with short stories, comics, science articles, etc. This book is a compilation of 20 detective stories taken from Majalah Bobo. I’ve been thinking about writing stories for children, so I read this book for inspirations. All of them are actually quite simple but I can see that children will get absorbed to the stories. I love all the stories!

    3. Murder Most Unladylike Mysteries Series by Robin Stevens

    Robin Steven's Murder Most Unladylike Series - Hola Darla
    Oh my god this series! I’m so so SO in love with these books. I was looking for A Study in Charlotte at the bookstore when I saw these colourful books on display (again, they’re so smart!) They didn’t have A Study in Charlotte so I picked one of these colourful books to read the synopsis on the back cover. Turns out, it’s a detective series too. It’s about two school girls who form a detective society and solve murders together. I bought the first one of the series (the blue one), took it home, and finished it in 6 days. Then I bought the second one (the green one) and finished it in 2 days! I also finished the third one (orange) in 2 days. I was obsessed, okay?

    ***

    That is all for March. As for this month, I’ve already finished two books so far. I’m currently reading two books and yesterday two more books I ordered online had arrived on my doorstep. It’s gonna be a busy month!

    Dara | Bloglovin’ | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook