Sunrise at Banyuwangi

So, 2022 is now officially over. Normally, I would have written this reflection on December 31st, but yesterday I felt so drowsy. I end up sleeping much during the NYE.

I'm not sure why, but starting two years ago, I've made it a habit to write this reflection on my blog. Why not write another post for this year as well?

Let's see what has happened so far in 2022 and what lessons I have learned from each of those recollections.

January

Let's start from this.

Seems like, only travel--and peace, maybe, that has been achieved in 2022. Well, I also didn't expect that the marriage one would be happened last year, tho. So, just let it be.

Then, I think in 2022, we started to get addicted by Wordle, Katla, and other. At first, it seemed so exciting, but, at the end... yeah, you know that it won't spark the joy that much.

Ah, one of the highlights for this month was I took the Medical Check Up test. I relieved that overall; my body was healthy. But I knew that I have to take care of my body more. I should literally pay attention for foods that I should avoid--still I haven't done that until now. Hope in 2023 I can do that. 

February

The first time I got introduced to a BL series and I really love it. My Faded First Love still being my favorite j-drama ever. Ida-Aoki are so cute, and I cannot resist their charm. After that, I tried to search the manga and I end up really love it. 

Anyway, I found this quote that month.

I know it’s okay to miss you because whatever we had was strong and beautiful. To pretend like I don’t miss you would be a disservice to everything we went through. Yet I’m finally in a place where I know that missing you isn’t a sign to try again. It’s a sign that we had a great thing. That’s it, that’s all. So please know I miss you, but I do understand we aren’t meant for each other. But I’ll still remember us for the rest of my life- and I will learn to be okay with that. — Lacey Ramburger. https://thoughtcatalog.com/lacey-ramburger/2020/04/i-miss-you-but-i-understand-we-arent-meant-for-each-other/

On this month, I was being so sarcastic to him. I didn't really remember why I was so pissed. Maybe, it was happened because I thought that he never really cares of me and knew what I want in life. He had his assumptions about me but actually, it was so wrong on another level.

March

He told me that he (once again) got tested positive for COVID-19. Ck. I really wanna scold him when I knew, but then, I still kind enough to suppress my temper and TRY my best to understand him. But yeah. He won't ever care if I did that. He even didn't realize about it.  

On this month, I really like reading a lot of BL manhwa. Ah, I was glad I can find a happiness through this small matters. Why would try search for a grand happiness if the small can make you smile all the time, right?

April

It's my birthday's month! I spend my birthday with my lovely and supportive friend--which are Kak Rand, Sup, and Nurul. I was really happy that day. I hope we can meet up again this year. I really hope so.

Then, starting this month, I just know about him who can also watched k-drama like Business Proposal. It felt weird to discuss about BP with him. I did wonder, why he watched BP after all? I mean... maybe he got closer with someone, and that person recommends him to watch that. I believe he won't find this blog, so, whatever. I want to write what I want.

May

Yeay, my first official online course certificate. I am so proud of myself for this. From this, I believe I know I have managed my time well and I want to take another course after. 

This month, I finally decided to go to dentist and got a lot of treatments. A lot of things should be fixed but luckily the doctor is very patients. I glad I decided to take care of my teeth. 

I don't know where I got the courage, but I send him a video message. Smh. What was I thinking?

June

When we talked about June, we couldn't skip it without talk about BTS Second chapter. Hmm. I know all along it would be happened. So, I just can pray my best for them and supporting them the best I could.

Then, finally I also managed to finish another online course this month. What an achievement for myself during the pandemics.

And I think, starting this month I also found that Notion will be very helpful for me to organize everything. Therefore, I tried my best to try utilizing it.

July

I just remember that I have that annual foundation meeting at Mandarin Hotel. What a very bizarre experience. I don't know. Sometimes, I felt so weird to stay at that 5-star hotel by myself even though it's for work related.

August

I send my favorite lyrics for a month to him. This was indeed a crazy thing that I did.

I don't think many things happened on this month. Hmm, I didn't find many notes for this month. 

Ahh, I just remembered. It's full of drama for this month. The OSF Visit at Jakarta really drained my energy :/

September

Well, I got a chance to travel to Aceh. Smh. So many things that I could experience from this trip. Even though it's a little bit awkward because I only go there with Mas Donny. But overall, it's one of the memorable trips.

Before the trip, I managed to send a long wish for him. I didn't know if he ever read it, but let it be. That's just so me. 

Sadly, after the trip, the reality hits me. Long story short, my supposed to be co-worker, decided to resign and that's the beginning of the attack from the fire country. Geez. I end up crying a lot in this month.

October

Que sera sera
Whatever will be will be~~

I think, that was my motto for this month. I really don't care about anything that will happened on my work. I just do what I can do without thinking about the consequence.

Thankfully, I got a little bit happiness when my sister came to Jakarta. I was happy to be her guide for a moment even though we couldn't go anywhere that much.

This month, I also managed to finish another online course. I am so happy about it. Since I struggled a lot to finish this course, I felt so proud of myself.

Another happy moment on this month, I decided to watch the Coldplay Liveplay. Oh my, I never regret that I spent a lot to watch it. Hope someday, I can watch it in real life concert.

Well, about him, I got the confirmation that I am the only person he chatted at Telegram. Sigh. Yet, he still doesn't want to contact me through another way,

November

Finally, I gained my confidence to retake the Sejong test. At the very least, I have made some progress and managed to get 2A. 

My highlights for this month? I went to Banyuwangi for travel and got the chance to go home. Then, what I didn't expect to be happened to me, I got tested positive for COVID-19. My goodness. After three years I managed to avoid it, at the end I finally got positive.

December

Still have to do the isolation because of COVID-19. But I am happy cause I can spend my time at home. I really grateful for Astro, Halodoc, and also Healthy Go for helping me through my isolation day. 

On the last month last year, so many things have also happened.

Me, Nurul, and Supri finally got a chance to visit Museum Tanah dan Pertanian at Bogor. The museum is so cool, and we are very happy to go there. So many funny experiences we got that day. 

Then, Me, Supri, and Kakrand spent the last holiday in 2022 with visiting Ragunan Zoo, eating all you can eat at Sogogi, and also karaoke.

Things that we didn't expect at all is about Nurul who have to move from Depok to Surabaya. We were kinda sad about it. I hope she can manage to live there, and we can also meet very soon.

So, what's 2022 means for me?

I felt calmer than 2021. If I go through my notes, I know sometimes I felt so frustrated of something, but nowadays, I can more embrace it. 

I don't know if I can reach it on 2023 or not, but I do really wanna continue my study. I should start my preparation very soon. 

About my love life, at this point, I know there's only a tiny chance we could be together. All of the rejection and heartbreak sometimes felt so real. But I just know, he just didn't care at all about me. So, I just want 2023 made me become a better version. 

So, thank you for the memories, 2022! And, hello, 2023!

Sincerely,
Ra
23.01.01

Image: Twitter/TvNDrama

Title: Blind

Director: Shin Yonghwi

Writer: Kwon Kikyung

Number of episodes: 16

Stars: TaecYeon, Ha Seokjin, Jung Eunji

Ryu Sung-Joon (TaecYeon), Ryu Sung-Hoon (Ha Seok-Jin) and Jo Eun-Ki (Jung Eun-Ji) become involved in a serial murder case involving jury members as the victims. These three individuals try to uncover the truth behind the deaths.

*** 

To be honest, I watched a lot of things lately. Start from k-drama, movies, anime, and others. Since I am too lazy to make an update on my blog, it feels like the spider web has come around again.

Blind is the latest mystery drama that showed on TvN. Once again, I watched this k-drama because of Mbakdew. Well, not gonna lie, her recommendations are always good and exciting. 

The Story

Just like the synopsis said, Ryu Sungjoon works as an enthusiastic detective. He is always determined to catch the bad guys. His determination led him to be the top detective since his arrest rate is high. Then, his older brother, Ryu Sunghoon works as a judge. Sunghoon is portrayed as someone who is really perfectionist, smart, and calm. Everyone respects him the most because of that.

One day, a murder of a young woman happened. This murder is called a Joker Murder Case since the killer makes a smile wound on their victim's case. To be honest, I was surprised because there is no censor at all at the beginning of the episodes. I almost wanna throw my laptop away when seeing the victim's condition. It's too much scary. 

After a long investigation, Sungjoon's team succeed to bring the main suspect for the murder. His name is Jung Manchun--a Chinese immigrant who works at the victim's father's factory. During the investigation, Manchun denies all of the charges. He even asked for a jury trial for his case. Sunghoon who become the judge for Manchun's case, in the name of rights for all, granted Manchun's request.

Even though Manchun tried to plead so hard for his innocence. the juror still finds him guilty. When the decision is final. Manchun became so upset and promised to take revenge, especially on the juror. At first, no one pays attention to Manchun's threat, but after he succeeds to escape from the police and take Eunki hostage, everyone knows that that guy is serious.

When the police once again can catch Manchun, everyone was so surprised that the other murder happened. Now, the victim is Yeom Hyejin, one of the jurors and also the daughter of Chief Police Yeom Kinam. Since it's getting more serious, and the fact that Manchun has an alibi, now the main suspect, in this case, is Sungjoon. Yeah, at the Manchun'c court, he is being accused as the real killer for the Joker Murder Case.

Complicated yet engaging

Actually, this drama is not only about the Joker Murder Case. All of this happened because of what happened at Hope Welfare Center. This center is an institution like an orphanage, but the authorities there treat all of the children in a very bad and cruel manner. They use violence, starve them, and won't give them a chance to escape.

Everyone that is a victim in the murder case is somewhat related to that center. So, to unravel the mystery around the murder case, everyone should face the horrible reality that happened at that center.

To be honest, I thought Blind will only be a single murder case mystery. Without any other elements. But, from the first time, they showed what horrible things happened at the Hope Welfare Center. The way all of the dots are connected is very unpredictable. 

Then, the truth behind the joker Murder Case is really not what I expected. Of course, that truth is very heartbreaking for me. Aww, poor Sung Joon on this occasion. I still couldn't believe that Sung Joon's mind has been manipulated since from the very start. Gosh... 

Conclusion

If I have to make a comparison between Blind and Big Mouth, I will prefer Blind more, The story is satisfying and I could sympathize more with the character. TaecYeon's acting is amazing here. In Vincenzo, I also love how his character is developed. 

So, one of the best mystery k-dramas that I ever watched so far.

8 out of 10 stars

Sincerely,

Ra

Image:Tanakhir Films

Judul: Semesta
Sutradara: Chairun Nissa
Penuliss: Cory Michael Rogers
Produksi: Tanakhir Films
Durasi: 90 menit
Nonton di Kineforum

Melalui lensa keyakinan dan budaya di tujuh provinsi di Indonesia, film dokumenter ini mengikuti individu-individu yang berjuang untuk mengatasi perubahan iklim.

***

Semesta (Islands of Faith) merupakan film dokumenter yang membicarakan perubahan iklim melalui lensa para warga yang telah dari lama berdamai dengan alam. Dalam film ini, terdapat tujuh cerita yang berasal dari tujuh provinsi di Indonesia. Masing-masing cerita menggambarkan bagaimana para masyarakat asli Indonesia, mempunyai caranya masing-masing untuk berdamai dengan alam. 

Karya dari Talamedia

Kalau aku tidak salah ingat, film ini merupakan film pertama yang diproduksi oleh Tanakhir Film (sekarang Talamedia). Nama Mandy Marahimin dan Nicholas Saputra tersebut sebagai produser film satu ini. Seperti yang telah aku singgung sebelumnya, film ini mengangkat kisah 7 pejuang lingkungan hidup dengan 7 latar belakang dan berasal dari 7 daerah yang berbeda.

Pertama, kita akan diajak untuk menuju Bali. Tjokorda Raka Kerthyasa akan membawa kita memahami bagaimana perayaan Nyepi dilakukan di Bali. Seperti yang kita tahu, banyak sekali tempat suci nan sakral di seluruh Bali. Ketika Nyepi, terdapat tradisi-tradisi khusus yang pada akhirnya ternyata memberikan dampak positif terhadap pengurangan emisi karbon. 

Setelah dari Bali, kita pun akan menyelami kehidupan Agustinus Pius Unam, seorang Kepala Dusun di Sungai Utaik, Kalimantan Barat. Dalam kepercayaan orang Sungai Utik, mereka hanya diperbolehkan untuk menebang tiga pohon saja dalam setahun. Kemudian, mereka juga memiliki aturan-aturan tertentu dalam berburu dan memanfaatkan hutan yang ada di sekitar mereka.

Perjalanan dilanjutkan ke Bea Muring di Nusa Tenggara Timur. Romo Marselus Hasan bersama warga berupaya mendirikan PLTA dengan memanfaatkan sumber air alami. Entah mengapa, aku merasa sedikit familiar dengan kisah ini. Yang pasti, Romo Marselus dan warga berupaya saling membantu untuk membangun kembali PLTA di desa tersebut--yang sempat rusak karena diterjang banjir.

Keempat, kita akan bertemu dengan Mama Almina Kacili, Kepala Kelompok Wanita Gereja Lokal di Kapatcol, Papua Barat. Nah, kisah yang satu ini bagiku menarik karena mereka menjelaskan praktik Sasi yang ada di Indonesia Timur. Secara singkat, Sasi ini merupakan aturan yang diterapkan untuk mengatur wilayah laut supaya tak boleh dijaman selama 8 bulan. Hal ini dilakukan supaya biota laut punya kesempatan untuk beregenerasi.

Kelima, kisah datang dari M. Yusuf di Desa Pameu, Aceh. Ketika hutan mulai rusak karena ulah manusia, sejumlah gajah turun ke desa dan mulai mengusik warga. Akan tetapi, M. Yusuf meyakini bahwa hal tersebut bukanlah salah si Gajah. Apa yang terjadi merupakan ulah dari manusia sendiri. Maka dari itu, Yusuf sebagai imam di desa tersebut memberikan pemahaman kepada warga bahwa menjaga hubungan baik dengan alam sangatlah diperlukan. 

Keenam, perjalanan kawan-kawan Semesta bergeser ke Imogiri, Yogyakarta. Iskandar Waworuntu mendirikan Bumi Langit--sebuah ruang hidup yang menjadi tempat bagi kita untuk dapat menyaksikan dan belajar tentang pentingnya saling menjaga hidup antara manusia dengan alam. 

Terakhir, kita diajak ke Jakarta menuju Kebun Kumara. Soraya Cassandra dan suaminya mendirikan Kebun Kumara untuk memenuhi misi mereka untuk tetap bisa dekat dengan alam meski hidup di perkotaan. Selain mengolah sendiri kebun mereka, Soraya juga nemberikan pelatihan bagi orang-orang yang tertarik dengan isu tersebut.

Menarik untuk ditonton

Kalau boleh jujur, pesan yang disampaikan oleh film ini sederhana. Setiap orang memiliki perannya masing-masing ketika berhubungan dengan alam. Akan tetapi, melalui film ini, kita juga diingatkan bahwa alam memang sedang tidak baik-baik saja. Banyak tradisi yang dilakukan yang terus tergerus karena mereka yang terlalu serakah, bisa jadi oleh perusahaan maupun pemerintah.

Dari ketujuh cerita, cerita yang menarik buatku adalah cerita Nyepi di Bali dan juga tradisi Sasi di Papua. Entah mengapa itu menjadi suatu hal yang baru untuk kupelajari. Secara sinematografi pun, cerita pertama terlihat begitu sinematik dan enak untuk ditonton.

Akan tetapi, sebagai film dokumenter, Semesta tidak bisa dikatakan utuh meskipun memiliki benang merah yang sama. Aku tak tahu apakah memang seperti ini film-film yang dapat dikatakan omnibus. Yang pasti, ini seperti ada 7 film berbeda yang dijahit menjadi satu. Bukan berarti tidak bagus, sih. Hanya saja film menjadi terasa sangat panjang dan patah di setiap transisi.

Kesimpulan

Well, tak bisa bohong kalau Semesta menjadi salah satu film yang menarik untuk ditonton. Film dokumenter memang bisa menjadi salah satu media yang menarik untuk menyalurkan gagasan tertentu. Termasuk konsep perubahan iklim dan bagaimana cara untuk hidup damai dengan alam.

6.5 dari 10 bintang.

Sincerely,

Ra

Image: Cultura

Title: When The Camellia Blooms

Director: Cha Young-hoon, Kang Ming-kyung

Writer: Im Sang-choon

Number of Episodes: 20

Stars: Kong Hyo-jin, Kang Ha-neul, Kim Ji-suk, Ji E-suu, Oh Jung-se, Yum Hye-ran, Son Dam-bi

Watched on Netflix

Dong-Baek is a single mother living in the small town of Ongsan. She runs the bar-restaurant Camellia, while also taking care of her son Pil-Gu. The people of Ongsan frequently gossip about Dong-Baek. She grew up as an orphan, is a single mother and runs a bar where many of the men in Ongsan frequent. Regardless of what the locals may whisper about Dong-Baek, local police officer Hwang Yong-Sik is deeply in love with her. Meanwhile, Dong-Baek's ex-boyfriend Kang Jong-Ryeol suddenly reappears in her life. He is a famous baseball player, that hid their relationship when they dated. While Dong-Baek tries to find happiness, something truly sinister lurks in the background. A serial killer roams Ongsan and Dong-Baek may be a target.

To be honest, When the Camellia Blooms is part of the KCKC Class at Bangtan Academy. Since the story is a little bit slow-paced for me, I have difficulties finishing it off.

Dongbaek and The Ongsan Town

When The Camellia Blooms tells the story about Dongbaek (Kong Hyo-jin), an orphan who is also a single mother. She decided to move to Ongsan--a fictional town here. Boldly, Dongbaek also decided to open a bar called Camellia. 

Well, life is always hard for Dongbaek. When she was a kid, her mother abandoned her. Then, she has to raise her son on her own since she broke up with his boyfriend. Living by herself and also getting a lot of mistreatment--because of the stereotype regarding a single mother, has affected Dongbaek's life very much. She tends to be a shy and quiet person. She is also, what should I say, not confident at all.

Thankfully, Yongsik (Kang Ha-neul) succeeds to make Dongabek's life more lively. His bright character has made Dongbaek could see her life differently. She is no longer a timid person with a dull personality, but she became a great and cool woman in the end.

My Thought

As I said before, this k-drama is a little bit hard for me to watch. One thing that I despise from the very start is Dongbaek's timid personality. As the main lead character, I just feel she should stand out more and be tough. I am aware of her trauma and all of her conditions, but her attitude in the first episodes has made me irritated. To some extent, she reminds me of Nabi from Nevertheless. 

Aside from this k-drama being one of the materials at KCKC Class, I bear to watch it because I want to know the real identity of Joker. As you know, a detective or crime series is my cup of tea. If there's no Joker case, I don't think I will continue to watch this.

Anyway, if I could spill a spoiler, I managed to know Joker's identity from the very state. Well, to be fair, I have a strong gut that the sink-man (I don't know his name as Heung-sik before), is suspicious. Then, I am glad that I was right.

The family story

Not gonna lie, most of the side stories in this drama are related to the family relationship among Ongsan People. Start from Dongbaek with his son Pilgu (Kim Kang-hoon) and also her mother who suddenly appeared, Dongabek with her ex-boyfriend, Kang Jong-ryul (Kim Ji-seok), Yong-sik with his mother, Hyang-mi with his brother, Gyu-tae with his wife, Ja-young, and also Jong-ryul with his wife, Jessica.

It will sound complicated since each of them has its problems. But, what I like the most about this drama, the writer succeeds to give a solution for each character.

Conclusion

At first, I thought I will only give 5-6 stars for When the Camellia Blooms. But, the more I watched the entire episode, I happened to love the story.

Therefore, I would like to give 7 out of 10 stars for them.

Sincerely,

Ra

Image: Google

Title: To My Star

Director: Hwang Da Seul

Scriptwriter: Park Young

Genre: Comedy, Romance, Youth

Stars: Son Woo Hyun, Kim Sang Min, Ko Jae Hyun, Jeon Jae Yeong, Kim Jin Kwon, Han Ji Won

Watched on WeTV

Actor Kang Seo Joon was once one of South Korea’s biggest and most popular stars, but his career is now in decline. Despite his fall in popularity, he believes he has had a change of fortune when he meets and falls for a dashing young chef named Han Ji Woo.

Despite having wildly different personalities, the two enter a relationship. However, their love comes under threat when the more conservative Han Ji Woo and the free-spirited Kang Seo Joon realize that their outlooks on life, love, and everything else appears irrevocably different.

***

Honestly, I don't remember how I found this series. But, since I still want to watch a BL drama, I decided to find a good recommendation for it. Then, it turned out To My Star is one of the best.

The story

To My Stars tells the story of Kang Seo Jun, an actor with a declining career because of some misunderstanding rumours. In order to avoid the press' attention, Seo Jun's agency asked him to stay low and move to Han Ji Woo's place. Well, to be exact. Ji Woo, a young and talented chef, rented a room from Seo Jun's boss. Therefore, it's effortless for Seo Jun to stay at Ji Woo's place.

Both of them have very different personalities. Ji Woo is a quiet type, meanwhile, Seo Jun has the very opposite personality. At first, I don't know how their story would be developed, but, how Seojun is being honest toward Ji Woo and how Ji Woo gives special attention to Seojun, is enough to make me melt.

What I really like

One thing I remember for sure is how this series didn't make me cringe. I still remember how I really struggled when watching Cherry Winter After Blossoms. Yes, I am aware that the setting is different. But, To My Star is way better than CBAW. Seo Jun and Ji Woo's chemistry is built little by little. It just makes my heart warm watching it. 

Then, I loved how Ji Woo started to care for Seo Jun. He knows how Seo Jun still got trauma from his past. The way Ji Woo knows how to make Ji Woo calm. I love their intimate relations on this.

In my opinion. this mini-series definitely need a continuation story--and I am glad they have released the second season. I would do a separate review for it.

Conclusion

To My Star is a very good BL story. Even though it looked so simple, this mini-series definitely deserved more and more love. 

7.5 out of 10 stars

Sincerely,

Ra