Mind BoX

There is one big question I have that I can’t stop looking for the answer until now. “What is more to life?” I think I’m not the only one who keeps asking this because I saw some videos on youtube and listened to some podcasts talking about the same question. I thought by consuming them I would at least get some ideas what the answer is. It turned out I can’t really relate myself to their answers or opinions. I think the answer to this question is very personal and subjective. I kind of know the general idea what the answer is but I just haven’t found what really clicks to me. So here I am in search for it. Other than life cycle most people on earth follow, what is there in life? Some people said, “You should travel to find the answer!” I did. But travelling for me here is not associated with vacation or travelling to touristy places. When you travel to some famous crowded attractions and all you see is people having fun, I don’t think you learn something meaningful. I like to sp...

We’ve come to February 2020! Can I say “time flies” ? So how is life everyone? Please don’t say 2020 isn’t being nice to you. There must be something that let you grow to be a better version of you. 2020 is still on going too so why don’t we just enjoy the ride? It’s easier said than done, am I right? But nothing wrong comes from being positive. Let’s just do our best. Ok? How should I describe my 2020? I can say that January 2020 was an empty month for Mind BoX. I didn’t post anything about my January here because back then I was pretty much occupied with #30haribercerita challenge on Instagram. So yeah, eventhough I posted nothing here I posted 30 posts on my IG account for the whole month. It was a nice experience. I enjoyed it for real. But I won’t upload a post each day ever again. It’s just too overwhelming. I want to go back to my sanctuary, Mind BoX. Hopefully, I can post 1 new writing each week. Please be consistent za! January 2020 was also a turning point for me. I...

The beginning of 2020 is approaching. Are you ready for it? Have you been prepared?   Well, when we talk about new year, almost everyone on earth will be focusing on resolutions. Me? I honestly haven’t set anything at all. I actually made one this year but I guess not many of them really came true. This year has been a very challenging and demanding year for me. A lot of things happened and they are mostly things I never expected before. If I may describe my 2019 in 1 word, I will say ‘roller coaster’. I think it’s a mainstream word to portray life. But that’s exactly what I have in my mind when I think of 2019. Why roller coaster? Let’s get deeper into that... “2019 is like a roller coaster which slides down unexpectedly and quickly to the earth. It indeed scares me to death and leaves me so much pain and tears.” I still remember how heartbroken I was when my education goals I set for 2019 failed. I tried my best and I worked so hard yet the results weren’t what I’ve alw...

How many times have you heard someone said something like this to you when you felt so down? “Just get over it! What he said is true. You shouldn’t have done that!” “Why are you crying? It’s not a big deal!” “Don’t take it personally!” There might be a lot right? Let me rephrase that. How many of us have said them to our friends or family who need help? Can we remember? I bet none of us can remember it clearly since we lost count of it. Victim blaming, ever heard of it? According to an article on Harvard Law School Halt website, “ Victim-blaming is the attitude which suggests that the victim rather than the perpetrator bears responsibility for the assault. Victim-blaming occurs when it is assumed that an individual did something to provoke the violence by actions, words, or dress .” In other words, we blame the victims for their unfortunate grief just because we assume they say or do something that trigger it. Some research revealed that victim blaming ...

you may get hurt. you may feel down. you may cry a lot. you may be in so much pain. you may not even understand why you feel that way. you may have no idea why the pain still lingers after all this time. your dreams may be shattered. your world may be turning upside down. your love may break your heart into pieces. everything may go somewhere you don’t wish for. everyone may go against you. you may be lost somewhere somehow and you may not know how to get back. you may think it’s over. you may feel life is unfair. you may want to run away. you may be willing to leave everything behind. you may not believe in higher power anymore. you may not love yourself any longer. you may lose your faith in human. you may hate life itself. But... you must know , it’s okay to feel the pain. being hurt is a very human thing that happens to us all. being vulnerable is normal. don't hate yourself for that, please. you must believe , you are stronger than you think and...

I believe everyone has ever been longing to a place they’ve always wanted to see and visit either it is for vacation purposes or spiritual ones. For me that place is Ubud, a tourism region in Bali. I’m so thankful that recently I got a chance to visit and stay in Ubud for a while. After moving to Bali early in October I planned to have a retreat for myself. I guess I wanted to have a new start for my new life. I wanted to refresh myself and leave everything behind . I have some reasons why I chose Ubud instead of Kuta or other popular places in Bali. One of them is I wanted to join Ubud Writers and Readers Festival 2019 that I’ll tell you in a different blog post. Also, I wanted to stay in a quiet and peaceful place and Ubud sounded like to be a perfect place for that. After staying in Ubud for 5 days I think I expected this place too much. I expected to find myself or something that might make me feel spiritually charged. So far I did learn something but unfortunately I ...

Jembrana, 07 Okt. 19 On Thursday October 3rd, 2019, I had my farewell event in a place I worked before. Long before the event was held, I convinced myself not to cry. I know that I’m a very sensitive person. I can’t see someone cries before me because I’ll definitely cry. I hate it when people see me crying because it feels like they see me naked. In order not to cry I prepared some happy scenarios on my mind. I designed what I was going to say in front of the others. When I thought everything was going to go well, it didn’t happen as I expected. I bursted into tears and yeah they saw me naked. I showed them how vulnerable I was. When it happened, I was like ‘Oh snap! I didn’t plan for this! How will they react?’ I was so afraid ruining the mood. I was ashamed. It felt like I showed them my weakness. I wanted to stop crying but I couldn’t help it. I was overwhelmed because all of my emotions were overflowing. Thank God, my friends cheered me up again so yeah I didn’t cry ...

Malang, 02 Okt. 19 I find you in every corner. I really want to say that. But you know the sun shines so brightly and it’s really hot here. I don’t think it resembles you. I think Global Warming has shown its effect on you. Don’t give me that eye. I know you quite well. When I was a kid I was always looking forward to see you on every school holiday. But yeah I still hate the motion sickness I get in almost every journey to come to you. I’m totally annoyed with the traffic. Is crossing the streets always this life-threatening? Can I walk on the sidewalk safely? Please don’t get mad buddy. You know very well how much I love you. Your mild air always comforts me. No matter how cold it is, surprisingly it’s something I like from you. I can’t get over your bakso. Everyone knows it’s heavenly tasty. Why would I do without your bookstores and city library? I’m forever grateful for new ideas, knowledge, wisdom, and information you’ve provided. Flowers and trees seem to love you as we...

Malang, 01 Okt. 19 Ada satu hal yang aku sukai ketika membaca buku. Hal itu adalah tutup buku. Mungkin bagi sebagian orang menutup buku bisa jadi menyebalkan atau menyedihkan karena itu artinya petualangan sudah usai. Tamat. The End. Namun bagiku menutup buku adalah hal yang menyenangkan. Kenapa? Karena itu berarti petualangan baru menunggu dan aku tidak sabar untuk membuka lembar baru. Bulan Oktober ini, aku menutup bukuku tentang Kota Malang. Yup, aku sudah memutuskan untuk meninggalkan kota yang telah aku tinggali selama 9 tahun ini. Rasanya masih segar diingatan pertama kali memutuskan untuk pindah ke Malang di tahun 2010 demi mengejar ilmu di Universitas Brawijaya sampai akhirnya lulus di tahun 2014 lalu lanjut mengejar karir sebagai guru di LB LIA Malang hingga bulan September 2019. Wow, kalau dihitung 9 tahun itu lama juga ya tapi jujur aja aku yang menjalaninya sebenarnya tidak merasa kalau selama itu. Dalam bukunya yang berjudul Happiness Inside Gobind Vas...

Malang, 08 August 2019 Am I the only one who think being an adult means you get bored easily? It feels like there are not many things that interest me like they used to be. I still remember how excited I was to explore new places, buy new clothes, eat food I’ve never tried before, having new tech, hang out with my friends to fancy cafes or restaurants, taking a bunch of pictures with instagrammable background, scrolling down my social media, and so on. Now that I’m about to reach my 27, those things no longer excite me. Not only about that but also material possessions and achieving life goals don’t energize me. Throwing back to previous years, I was so obsessed trying new things about my job and a couple of times applying for scholarships. Now, I don’t feel the same. I’m still productive for sure. I love my job. But unlike my friends out there, I’ve never been into reaching a higher ground, let’s say higher positions. I enjoy my salary so much but I don’t really think I sh...