a long-overdue, yet well-deserved mid-term break
i have a hunch that this post will end up longer than i intend it to be ... but let's see.
update: almost 1350 words in total (lmao) i wish it's always this easy with written assignments. yes, this is me yapping.
while i wasn't here last term because this page hadn't yet been born at that time, the whole world should know that i deserve a very fulfilling and stress-relieving break this term. we only got the break after week 9—compared to a literally mid-term break after week 6 last term—which is super stressful knowing we only have 12 weeks teaching period.
nevertheless, this mid-term break feels more gratifying ... and personal, to me as a person. this post will tell you why because i'm gonna do a full recap.
Friday
the break was supposed to unfold last friday. yet, knowing we were already in week 9 and assignments had already been piling up during that period, that wasn't such a peaceful kick-off of the break. i had to finish my assignment and that alone took up almost 4 days out of 10 days that i've got. friday was busy. i tried to relax in the morning knowing that i had some time to take a breather, then tried to conclude my assignment. i also had dinner with friends that day (i may say that was such a feast!). had some night stroll afterwards, wrapping up the day feeling so full (literally, and figuratively).
Saturday
got up early in the morning to explore collingwood, the inner-city suburb located in the north-eastern side of the city. living here, morning walk on the weekend always feels peaceful. streets are quiet and people live slowly. visited a cafe-slash-bakehouse, had a nice chat with a friend, and got some kind of (much-needed) epiphany that i need to express myself better and capture every moment in my life the way i was so used to do: by writing. things happened so quickly, i bought a diary and decided to establish my own personal website (hello!) with the help of a friend (thanks so much, kakneng!). while the website is still under construction at some parts, it is a great relief that i can use it now and re-build the habit that once was so loved, before i let it buried up and die somewhere. i've been constantly filling up my diary and writing down some ideas to write here, and i couldn't be any happier.
Sunday
quoting what i wrote on my diary, spent the entire day working on my biostats assignment a.k.a, not gonna lie, for me that didn't feel like sunday at all. i had a meeting with my friends to talk about our then-upcoming trip to phillip island. had a nice chat and k-food meals for dinner until quite late. wide awake after a cup of matcha and slept in the morning. one of the most stressful night ever, i would say.
Monday
went for a breather to st. kilda beach after finishing and submitting an assignment. my friends and i took a tram to get there, we had a nice chat while seeking sunset, albeit failed due to cloudy and rainy weather that day. however! my body was completely relaxed knowing i could finally start enjoying the break. concluded the day grabbing a cup of milk tea as a form of self-treat.
Tuesday
my pens were running out and i decided to buy some more colourful pens for my daily entries in the diary, then went for some groceries shopping before going back home. i also had a nice cup of coffee that day, celebrating a slow routine i'd been craving for these past 3-4 weeks.
Wednesday
spent the entire morning contemplating about something that, although quite random, is actually necessary to reflect from time to time. this is what i wrote down in my diary that day:
'friendship can be nurtured into both something strong and fragile at the same time. and it's never easy to decide whether you should try again if you fail, or just let it passes by, and then move on.'
the thought popped up when i was feeling so restless, so i might have just overthought things. however, i cherish all my friends so much and i do treat all of them with care, be it visibly obvious or not, so i can say that i take that very thought as seriously as how it sounds. the deeper you get to know someone, the higher the possibility of either loving them or hating them. as with friends, things can be more complicated because the love you share with each other is platonic; so when you start to care less, it's over. when you give up friendship, you also give up the platonic feeling you share with them, leaving nothing. not even hatred, not even pity. and it's just so sad.
anyway, coming back to the recap: i went to see Tulus!
this is actually funny because i haven't seen him performing live in indonesia—except for that one time during pensi in high school, back in 2012. it's always hard to get tickets for his concert, and i completely understand why. he performed my favorite song, sewindu, and got me captivated with tujuh belas. there's one specific part of that song that hit me so hard: muda, jiwa selamanya muda; kisah kita abadi selamanya, that roughly translates into, young, the soul is forever young; our story lasts eternally, and all i wanna say is ... indeed. young, our soul can always be young. certainly.
Thursday
had a cute hangout and k-bbq lunch with my girlies in chadstone! it was my first k-bbq here and i loved it. we enjoyed our meal, store-hopping and window shopping until it was dark. such a lovely day! it's not easy to catch up with schedule differences, and we very much needed that hangout. we girls just wanna have fun!
Friday
day 1 of phillip island trip! while we took off with an itinerary, i absolutely loved all the spontaneity that came along the way! we arrived just in the right time to see pelican feeding in san remo, visited the chocolate factory, had a grounding time & picnic at cowes beach before checking in to the place where we'd stay overnight. sought sunset at woolamai beach before dark and had home-made steak for dinner! as someone who values private time and conversations with friends, i had a nice time recharging my energy by being away from the crowded places and conversing with the people i feel comfortable with. definitely would do it again in a heartbeat.
Saturday
excluding the fact that we couldn't get the tickets for penguin parade, i loved, loved loved our visits that day; from the nobbies, churchill island, and foots beach! on top of that, i enjoyed the time spent in the car, singing our hearts out to the songs we all collectively added into the shared playlist. for a second, i felt so free.
p.s. i finally saw highland cows with my own eyes ... NATURE THERAPY
Sunday
a.k.a today, a.k.a the last day of mid-term break and the start of week 10 of uni. haven't touched anything today because i'm still out of energy, but i feel like i will manage. looking back to all the things i've done throughout the week, i would say that this break is everything i need: fresh, salty air; catching up with friends; cute hangout; a trip far away from the crowd where i can live a harvest moon life (green hills and meadows, close to the sea, surrounded by animal friends!); and most definitely, a very much needed break from assignment frenzy.
although i need to get back to the routines because everything will most definitely be insane until week 12.
but that's okay. i just need to enjoy every moment and give it my all like i always do, and everything will be alright. hopefully.
until then!
warmly,
tari
♪nowplaying: utha likumahuwa - sesaat kau hadir