Category: life lately

  • Back from Mudik, to the Ordinary Life

    Back from Mudik, to the Ordinary Life

    Bronjong Way Lima Pesawaran Lampung | Hola Darla
    Hey, there. Did y’all miss me? Well I doubt that, but here I am! Back again to the blogging world!

    So, this year’s mudik journey wasn’t as bad as the previous years’. We didn’t get stuck in traffic jam. It was very smooth & we got to Lampung in less than 12 hours (this time we traveled from Bogor, not Bandung). Eid wasn’t bad either. I got less question of “Have you got any child yet?” than last year hahah! It was a win because who doesn’t dread those kinds of question, am I right?

    Now I’m back to the normal life: morning reading, afternoon & night tutoring, cuddling with the cats, and all the likes. Last week we went to see Homecoming & although it wasn’t The Amazing Spider-Man, it was an amazing Spider-Man movie (ha! :p) One review post coming up in a few days. Also, this month I won’t do a Recent Reads post because I only finished one book! I can’t say if it’s good or bad, but at least it proved that I’m still able to give myself a break from that madness of my reading craze haha. I’ll include that one book in next month’s Recent Reads, along with the books I finish this month.

    Alright, guys. I guess I’ll see you around, then?

    A post shared by Dara Oct (@darlaoct) on

    Dara | Bloglovin’ | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook

  • 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

  • 2017 So Far

    Dengue Fever's a bitch | Hola Darla
    I started 2017 very late because earlier this year I contracted Dengue Fever and had to stay in bed for almost two weeks. We were in Pesawaran at my in-laws’ place for the long holiday and I got ill just 2 days before our schedule to go back to Bandung. We had bought the bus tickets & there was no way we could reschedule it, so I had to bear the 24 hours bus ride home while also being super sick & having no appetite at all. It was a torture 🙁

    But I’m all well now & I’ve started working again this week. The hoouse is no longer a mess & the cats are all happy because their litter boxes are cleaned regularly again (husband kept forgetting to clean it hahah)
    Ungil the little kitten | Hola Darla
    Speaking of cats… My dad adopted a little kitten two months ago. We call her Ungil (literally means Smol). She is the kitten of either Ojon or Omin (Jessi’s stray brothers) & a female cat that lives in my parents’ neighbourhood. She was abandoned by her mother since she was very little, so she still lacks basic cat skills like using the litterbox & grooming. Because of that, she has been staying with us so that she can interact with Jessi & Chop-Chop. Jessi hates her, obviously, but Chop-Chop took her like his own kitten. They play chase all night & Ungil has learnt how to groom herself from Chop-Chop.
    Read more books in 2017 | Hola Darla
    I don’t make a formal list of resolutions for 2017, but I will try to read more books this year. I didn’t read many books in 2016 & I honestly didn’t feel like myself because of that. I used to finish at least one book a month, so for this year I promise myself that I’m gonna finish at least 12 books.
    Wisata Hutan Kota Talang Indah Pajaresuk Pringsewu | Hola Darla
    Happy 2017!

    Dara | Bloglovin’ | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook

  • Life Lately – Mid August

    I’m trying not to be one of those people who say “It’s August already! Time flies!” when clearly this year feels like the worst year for everybody in the world. There was a point a few weeks ago where I decided to stop watching the news on TV entirely because everything looked bad. We need more positive news, please.
    Harry Potter and the Cursed Child hard cover | Hola Darla
    That being said, at least we got a new Harry Potter book this year, though it’s not a novel but a drama script. I’m not 100% satisfied with it, but that’s a story for another time. As for now, let’s just appreciate this excerpt:
    Sassy Professor McGonagall on Cursed Child | Hola Darla
    Boy do I miss Sassy Minerva so much (and also Sassy Dowager Countess).

    Also, I finally went to the gym and tried a belly dance lesson (I know, right???). Halfway through it I realised that belly dancing was NOT for me. I was SO BAD at moving my hips and I looked totally awkward and stupid that I won’t be going to that class ever again.
    Going to the gym | Hola Darla
    Nope. Not for me. I’ll just switch back to running on the treadmill (and maybe a Zumba or aerobic class?)

    There was one morning a few days ago when I couldn’t get up from bed because Jessi was lying on my chest. She has become so heavy after being spayed and I was too lazy to make an effort to get her off my chest, so I took a few more minutes in bed taking pictures of her and editing them on Prisma.
    Jessi plus the Prisma app | Hola Darla
    This has been my newest favourite app of all time because it makes Jessi look even more fabulous and majestic than she already is! My favourite one is the top right. I’m now using it as both my phone and laptop wallpaper.

    Talking about cat… Looks like Jessi and Chop-Chop will have to share the house with another kitty for the next few years as I took this little baby in on Thursday. I found him crying beside a road near my mum’s house. There were no other kittens and the mother was also nowhere to be found. He sounded hungry and was covered by ants. I took him home and bottle fed him. The plan is to foster him until he can eat canned food and poop + pee on the litter box, then after that my mum will adopt him.
    Asoy the Little Tiger Kitten | Hola Darla
    He looks a lot like Ed Sheeran, doesn’t he? It’s been 72 hours and both he and I have been doing just fine. I’ve never taken care of orphaned kittens before. I kinda feel proud of myself right now.

    Last but not least, I want to emphasise that global warming is real, you guys. It’s August yet somehow it’s still wet season here in Bandung. The dry season should’ve started as early as April, but nope. Still raining. I miss the sun and I want to go swimming, but as for now I’d just cuddle with my little Ed Sheeran. (No, that’s not his name. His actual name is Asoy.)

    So how’s your August been so far?

    Dara | Bloglovin’ | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook