Messy Home Tour

    Posted in EN, home, Life, married life by

    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

    3 May 2017

    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

    13 April 2017

    Saat Jual Kaos Kaki Bayi Perempuan Online, Dapatkan Perhatian Para Ibu Terlebih Dulu!*

    Posted in ID by


    Sebagai insan yang gemar membelanjakan uang, wanita memang sepertinya mempunyai daya tarik tersendiri untuk pelaku bisnis, apalagi ibu-ibu. Termasuk di dalamnya adalah pebisnis e-commerce. Wanita memiliki sikap belanja yang berbeda dengan kaum adam, contohnya untuk aksesoris buah hati mereka seperti kaos kaki bayi perempuan. Cara belanja wanita sudah pasti menimbulkan tanda tanya bagaimana cara agar bisa memuaskan dahaga belanja mereka. Ketika kepuasan belanja sudah mereka raih, pasti mereka akan terus menjadikan Anda sebagai tempat belanjanya.

    Wanita memang lebih unik serta menarik dalam hal berbelanja. Bila dinyatakan dalam perbandingan, bisa muncul kalimat jika pria akan membeli apa saja yang mereka inginkan, namun untuk wanita, mereka akan mencari tahu apa yang sebenarnya mereka inginkan. Wanita mempunyai peranan yang begitu penting untuk pertumbuhan dunia belanja online. Sekitar 65% keputusan untuk berbelanja akan datang dari para wanita. Karena besarnya potensi yang bisa Anda dapatkan dari para wanita, Anda harus bisa memahami seperti apa karakteristik dari konsumen wanita yang mereka inginkan.

    Pertama, Anda bisa membuat web yang sederhana. Walaupun dikenal sebagai kalangan yang rumit dan ribet, untuk urusan belanja online, wanita lebih menyukai proses yang praktis dan sederhana. Oleh sebab itu sebagai seorang pebisnis online, web Anda harus mempunyai user interface yang lebih mudah, sederhana, bagus dan menarik. Selain itu Anda juga harus membuat platform mobile pada toko online kaos kaki bayi perempuan yang sedang Anda bangun. Hal ini disebabkan banyak wanita yang melakukan belanja online menggunakan smartphone.

    Kedua, longgar kan kebijakan. Wanita memang selalu ingin dimengerti. Hal ini harusnya dapat menjadi masukan penting untuk Anda sebagai seorang pelaku usaha. Oleh sebab itu coba terapkan ungkapan tersebut di toko online Anda. caranya sebenarnya cukup mudah, Anda hanya perlu memberi waktu yang sedikit lebih lama bagi wanita agar ia dapat mengambil keputusan dengan baik. contohnya saat pengembalian barang. Jangan lupa, untuk memudahkan mereka belanja, sediakan costumer service yang benar-benar tanggap dan memberi pengingat agar wanita dapat dimengerti serta memahami keinginan dan kebutuhannya.

    Ketiga, tampilkan rekomendasi dan testimoni. Agar Anda bisa memenangkan hati para ibu, Anda bisa menyediakan fitur review atau ruang testimoni yang ada di web toko online Anda. mengapa hal ini harus dilakukan? Karena 64% wanita yang berbelanja online mengaku, bahwa mereka terpengaruh dengan review yang dilakukan oleh pembeli lain, dan ada pula yang terpengaruh karena adanya rekomendasi melakukan pembelian di tempat tersebut. Dari survei ini membuktikan jika pengaruh testimoni yang diberikan oleh pembeli akan begitu penting untuk menarik kaum wanita berbelanja di toko Anda.

    Terakhir, pahami karakteristik demography dari konsumen. Cara ini bisa Anda lakukan agar Anda dapat memenuhi apa yang para ibu inginkan. Mungkin sekarang Anda menawarkan kaos kaki bayi perempuan yang unik dan cantik, namun apakah ini berlaku untuk semua ibu? Anda harus mengingat jika tidak semua wanita mempunyai karakteristik belanja yang benar-benar sama. Ada beberapa dari mereka yang memiliki karakteristik berbeda. kepuasan belanja yang mereka miliki juga berbeda. perilaku belanja kaum wanita bisa berubah sesuai dengan tahapan hidup yang mereka miliki. Contohnya ialah wanita remaja yang kemungkinan besar memiliki keputusan pembelian yang lebih berbeda dengan mereka yang sudah lama berumah tangga. Inilah yang harus Anda pertimbangkan kembali.

    Image via.

    Dara | Bloglovin’ | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook

    24 March 2017

    This isn’t me (or at least who I used to be)

    Posted in Life, Thoughts by


    I used to be full of fire—or anger, to put it better. People used to leave me alone because they were afraid of igniting me. And air used to be fuel; ignite me and I’d explode. I’d explode and leave a train of victims everywhere.

    I used to be full of words—written, never spoken. I used to write long, rambling paragraphs about how I felt and what should have been done, et cetera, et cetera. I used to blame the whole world and love myself.

    Now I feel like I’m floating on the ocean. Not stormy, but a calm one. The only storm is inside my head; with all the anger bottled up, the tears welled up, the worries shut up.

    Ask me what is wrong and I’ll say I’m fine. Because I am. I don’t even know why. I can’t even explain.

    I want to go out and have friends; I also want to stay home and not see anybody at all. I want to be social; I want to be left alone. I want to talk; I want to just shut up.

    I want to be around people who care but don’t ask questions.

    23 March 2017

    This is what life looks/feels like lately

    Dara at Kedai Seni Djakarta | Hola Darla
    It’s been almost 2 months that Afief and I live separately. He landed a new job in Jakarta and had to move there immediately, while I still have to stay here in Bandung because I still need to teach my students at least until SBMPTN (uni entrance test, which is around May/June).

    Everything happened so fast. Afief left his previous job on October and had been freelancing for a project with a community from Australia. All the while, he had been interviewed by this company several times since December. By the end of January, he had had about five interviews with them but still no news about whether he was going to be hired or not. And then, on Friday, 3 February, he got an email from them, saying that he was accepted and he would start on Monday, 6 February. So we went to Jakarta on Saturday to find him a place to stay and he moved there on Sunday. Just like that and I’ve lived alone since.
    Empty bed | Hola Darla
    Little Ungil | Hola Darla
    I must admit that I’ve always wanted to live alone since junior high. But since I went to a uni in town, I didn’t move out of my parents’ house. And then just a few months after graduation, I got married and moved in with Afief, so I had never really lived alone. I adjusted to this solo living quite well, though. But it gets lonely sometimes, especially when I come home late after night tutoring and there are just cats greeting me at the door. There are nights I want to cuddle, but there’s only Chop-Chop (the other two are not cuddlers) and then Ungil comes and bugs Chop-Chop to the point that he goes out of the house for the rest of the night 🙁
    Argo Parahyangan Kelas Ekonomi AC | Hola Darla
    Old carriages in Purwakarta Railway Station | Hola Darla
    We visit each other every weekend. We take turns; last week was my turn to visit him in Jakarta, so this week is his turn to visit me here in Bandung. So, there have been a lot of solo train rides. Long distance relationship is expensive haha! But we will survive. It’s only temporary and I’m joining him in Jakarta later this year. We only need to figure things out about where we are going to live in, because surely we can’t live in a small room with three cats (I’m not going to give them up!) so we need to find a house. And finding a house in Jakarta won’t be easy. All fingers are crossed and all prayers are sent.

    Dara | Bloglovin’ | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook

    20 March 2017