Blue mood

To some of my friends, it is no secret that I love poems! I try to spare time for this post, and seriously time is not on my side, and the first thing that come to mine was ... my love for Pablo Neruda.

Here goes one of my fave...

Inspo

It is the beginning of the week; at least it is when I wrote this post. And after such a nice weekend, I always feels fresh and inspired. Now, my question is, what has been your source of inspirations guys? Mine is just simply my surroundings or some pages from Architectural Digest! I used to subscribe to the hard copy magazine; and now I just simply browse online. 

Going Coastal

I am Superman. 

Okay that is not true! Why would I say that? Because maybe both Superman and I are actually from the same home planet Krypton? I simply cannot live without Sun! Its like my source of power! And rain is like Kryptonite! A gloomy and wet day is like the biggest ore of the radioactive element as such as Kryptonite will just killed me and my mood! On heading to the coast, I opted to spend a day at the beach. Vitamin sea is all I need! How was your days guys? Hopefully it was as pleasant as mine!

Mad like I do

There are some things we can never assign to oblivion, our memories can never rub away things that are so meaningful in our life.

As time passes, the earth is growing old and that’s us. There are things that I grew to like from dislikes, realizing dreams and achieving goals; and most that weren’t realized were the things that I am driven away from.

When I was thirteen, I got sick for a couple of months, I have to have a bed rest, lay completely flat on my back – shots every single day and misses the outdoor. Then I recovered from my illness, and I feel like I discovered the world for the first time. I am in awe with the outdoors. So I start my own journey of discovering, trees, sky, where roads will leads... and all of that changed me in a way... I have traveled! My curiosity grows like never! I was awestruck by human, by life.

The rest, as you know... I travel, like madness ;)

Fire Monkey

So here we are in the Fire Monkey year. Good wishes are flowing in with hopes of prosperity, happiness, success, luck, health, etc.

The greatest wish and blessing I must say is the hope of brand new day, because only then is when we have dream to realize.

When you have thing(s) to realize, it’s like the whole universe conspire towards your attraction, call it a law of attraction? Yes, it exist!

I do believe, because with all what we might, we tend to strive to become it, strive to get it, and if it’s positivity, we will become better than we are and everything around us becomes better too.

So seize the opportunity that life offers you because opportunity goes and it takes a long time to come back –or might not come back!

We do not live in the past, we are moving forward towards the future, and if you are interested in the present –you will concentrate, compose and live a happy life! Because life is the moment that we are living right now.

I hope you have a great Monkey year, any Chinese zodiac might intimidate you because you are not aligned to it, but always put your trust in the future, for tomorrow is a brand new day with brand new hopes and dreams. Dreams are the language of God and it is the language of the soul, it’s only you who can understand…

"Listen to your heart. It knows all things, because it came from the Soul of the World, and it will one day return there." ~Paulo Coelho

Yogyakarta trip diary

This was last weekend getaway when I fly to Yogyakarta. The main reason is to hang out with my bestie, the second was a jazz concert of Trio Lestari (Indonesian Jazz group).

At the end of the trip (we both flying out of Yogya separately); she asked "how would you rate this trip scale 1-10"

I said "10!"

It was a perfect one! Great hang out, great music, great front row -can literally touch the musicians- , great hotel to get at last minute purchase, etc. the whole experience!

And so, this is my thoughts about the travel that sum up our friendship, 

"One of the most beautiful qualities of true friendship is to understand and to be understood." Lucius Seneca

As I casually update you with my life events on the breakfast table, you slowed your eating, sit back and listen carefully on each details. I start to have tears rushing my eyes but barely touches my cheek, and the next second you wiped yours off of your cheek. You always have an impeccable timing, we're always in-sync.

There are times when we were sitting together, in silence, not speaking –yet the conversation flows and we come to understanding. You advises me justly, I assists readily and we both adventured boldly and defend each other courageously.  And all the jokes, or comments... I cried and laughed at the same time my stomach hurts, again –perfect timing!

Against all principals that you believe and hold onto; somehow you allowed me hurl myself into my own destiny without any judgement!

The pursuit of happiness

I think  I am still in the middle of mushy feelings or just in the mood of outpouring what I feel; which is -trust me- rarely done on this blog! Still in celebration of the Chinese new year, Gong Xi Fa Cai!!! I suddenly remembered of a Chinese fortune stick that I get some years back and revealing, it says
"happiness lies inside your heart"

Instagram lately

What is up on my instagram? @grace_njio

want all for my house #italianflair

marigold field on the run trail... #love

Still in the midst of feeling inspired to write, and the fact that I haven't been using my writing skills on published articles these past couple of years, I am itching to just type it all up here. Here goes... no edits, no nothing, please be kind...

To be truthful is to be vulnerable, and to be vulnerable is showing that you are a human being with all honesty.

Most of the times, the truth is not beautiful... and I, for one, have no filter! Sometimes it puts me in a very difficult situation –at least I'm honest accordance to myself justification.

"To come to terms with our beginning requires a truthful story, to acquire the skills to love in gratitude rather than resentment for the gift of life." Stanley H.

Nothing is static, thanked God! For I love dynamicity. You probably can’t tell from my Instagram posts here, but trust me ‘a day in the life of Grace’ is colorful.

Malang photo diary

On this special occasion of visiting Malang in East Java, I took the bus! It took approximately 10 hours drive (in land and including crossing the sea with ferry). Lately I crave thrill, even-more than my usual self cravings. For a couple of years now, I love the process of preparing a trip (myself), book the accommodations and flights, instead of having my travel agent arranging it for me. 

The whole process was such an emotional "travel" for me, it prepared me into a mature human being (to myself improved-o-meter), enjoying the process (which normally in midst / being in the destination(s) itself) and --while I am towards the end of a trip, I reminisce. Sometimes I look back at the pictures (and pet myself in the back); then I contemplate... just contemplating on life,

You probably would read this and says "whattaa ... is she's blabbing about?"  but this is truly how my travelling evolved. I dont brainstorm with anyone, I just did my own survey, processed it and go with it, and afterwards, reminisce and contemplate... its exhilarating....

So this is an old scribble that I wrote on a diary a couple years back about being on a bus, travelling within Indonesia: