Finally returning after a big writing slump. Hopefully, this slump won’t last forever.
Quitting social media is a trendy topic on Substack. I decided to follow the other Substack writers and deactivated my Instagram and Twitter accounts. It's been almost a month, and I feel somewhat liberated.
I was less overwhelmed and faced less negativity. In Indonesia, there's been a lot of bad news, which can make you a little crazy. For instance, our National Data Center was hacked, and without a backup, it caused chaos. People couldn’t make or renew their passports. But enough about national news.
It's not that I won’t use Instagram and Twitter forever. I still need to log in occasionally to post birthday or wedding pictures for my closest friends.
I'm not sure if this step has had a positive impact, but I noticed that my ideas were overflowing. I spent more time on Substack, reading posts on my phone. Reading Substack's content made me nostalgic, like reading magazines with various topics such as sports, fashion, beauty, literature, current culture, and travel. Scrolling through fashion on Instagram and TikTok felt different from reading about fashion on Substack. Substack made me more creative in mixing and matching my wardrobe, unlike Instagram and TikTok, where links are everywhere, tempting you to shop constantly.
Since the beginning of June, I haven’t felt like my usual self. I felt really lazy to run. Besides laziness, friends commented that I needed to reduce my running because I was too skinny. It's exhausting being a woman, always receiving comments about your body. I was trying my best to stay healthy. I decided to get back on track with my workouts by walking for 30-50 minutes. By the end of June, I was able to do it consistently almost every day. Hopefully, I can make this daily walk a habit. My goal for July is to get back to running slowly but surely.
By the way, thank God for Strava. When I felt like a couch potato, I scrolled through my feed and challenges. I realized that I hadn’t completed my monthly challenges, which motivated me to be consistent with my daily walks. Sports gamification is surprisingly effective in keeping us motivated to work out regularly.
At the beginning of June, I had a staycation with friends for a wedding. The wedding was super fun! It was wonderful to see two of my best friends get married. The staycation was hilarious. My phone got stuck in the sofa, and I couldn’t get it out. Thank God my friend managed to pull it out.
Read
I was in a reading slump because too many wishlists made me dizzy. I didn’t read at all in June, which was surprising even to me.
Listen
At the end of June, I listened to the newest album by Red Velvet, a Korean girl group. I love the main track, "Cosmic." It has an airy, happy, but slightly creepy vibe. The music video, inspired by the movie Midsommar.
Watch
I discovered a new obsession: updating my Letterboxd. Since high school, I've loved rating movies on IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes. I used Flixster back then, which eventually merged with Rotten Tomatoes. Letterboxd has been quite trendy for several years, so I decided to give it a shot. The process was quite tiresome, I had to look up my ratings on Rotten Tomatoes and IMDb and transfer them to Letterboxd. I haven’t "moved" all my ratings yet, so I'll continue rating the rest of the movies as I see them on the list or suddenly remember them.
Lost in Translation
This movie follows Bob Harris (Bill Murray), who travels to Tokyo to shoot a commercial. He feels quite lonely in the hotel. In the same hotel, Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson) is accompanying her husband on a work trip and feels lonely too. They meet and form a friendship.
I had high expectations for this movie because I love Sofia Coppola’s movies. Forgive me for only watching it in 2024. I loved the cinematography, especially the opening scene (the metropolitan and unique Tokyo made me want to visit). However, I didn't love the movie as much as I hoped. I thought it was just okay and gave it 3 out of 5 stars.
Everything Everywhere All at Once
In 2022, the concept of the multiverse became quite the trend. The Marvel Cinematic Universe started the multiverse era with "Spider-Man" and "Doctor Strange." While not a superhero movie, "Everything Everywhere All at Once" explored the multiverse idea in a unique way. The story begins with Evelyn Wang (Michelle Yeoh), who is preparing for her father's arrival from China. She and her husband, Waymond (Ke Huy Quan), run a laundromat business. Evelyn is extremely busy as she prepares for an audit by the IRS (the agency responsible for taxes in the USA). At the IRS office, another version of Waymond from a different universe takes over the body of this universe's Waymond.
It wasn't surprising that this movie won seven Oscars in 2023. I was captivated by the story of an ordinary woman, not a superhero, suddenly experiencing the multiverse. I also loved how the film explored the relationship dynamics between Waymond and Evelyn, including the twists in other universes. What surprised me the most was how the movie examined the complicated mother-daughter relationship. The editing of this film is extraordinary, and it rightfully won the Oscar for Best Editing. I regret not watching it in the cinema due to a heavy workload at the time. As the Oscar winner for Best Picture in 2023, it is a must-watch! I give the movie 4 out of 5 stars. I liked it, but it wasn't quite enough for me to love it.
Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris
Mrs. Harris, a cleaning lady in the UK, finds a beautiful Dior dress in one of her employer's wardrobes while working. Suddenly, she wants to own a couture Dior dress herself. Determined to make her dream a reality, she saves every bit of her money.
I love this movie so much! I gave it 5 out of 5 stars. I love movie that set in 1950s, fashion movie, and of course Lucas Bravo from Emily in Paris was in the movie as Dior’s accountant! Big fan of him! What makes this movie has nuances to it because it references to Sartre and while you watched it, you realized that it has relevancy to the Sartre’s writing. I won’t spoiled which Sartre writing or the relevancy. If you want to watch fashion movie with heartwarming plot, this is for you. I feel like I need to read Sartre books start from now. This movie showed us a lot of beautiful Dior Dress and as expected got nominated for Oscars in 2023 for Best Achievement in Costume Design. Please give us more fashion movie!
Asteroid City
This story follows Steenbeck (Jason Schwartzman) on his visit to desert town, where his son, Woodrow (Jake Ryan), receives an award at the annual Junior Stargazers convention. There, he meets actress Midge Campbell (Scarlett Johansson) and her daughter, along with other parents and children who received awards. The film features a theatrical act within the movie, giving us a "behind the scenes" look.
Wes Anderson is one of my favorite directors! As expected, this movie has outstanding cinematography with vibrant colors, like a bright blue sky. The story is quite unique. I really enjoyed the cinematography, the wardrobe, and the setting. The story is enjoyable but not particularly memorable. Many of the cast members from Wes Anderson’s previous movies appear in this film. I gave it 3.5 out of 5 stars. Margot Robbie has a brief appearance of only 2-3 minutes, but I loved her dialogue. I’m always looking forward to another Wes Anderson movie!
Visit
Before my best friends’ wedding, I visited the Bogor Botanical Garden and Bogor Zoology Museum to kill some time. The visit was fun and refreshing. I will probably make a separate blog post about my trip there (if I don’t fall into a writing slump again). Here are several photos from my quick visit.