Lazy and Quick Costumes for You and The Gang

I'm not going to go spiritual here and talk about why or why don't we celebrate Halloween but just like Christmas for the western world and Chinese New Year for asians, it's another reason to throw a party. And it's becoming more cultural and less ceremonial over time. The bottom line is that the 31st of October is believed to be the time when the line between the living and the dead is blurred and wearing a mask would protect us from the evil spirits roaming around town. 

Traditions are usually good for business so living in Bali, I get used to see banners and ads inviting people to Halloween parties displayed on public places closer to the date. If you happen to work in a company that supports the tradition, or be invited by some good friend over for his own little 'H' party, you won't be able to avoid the outfit dilemma. You don't want to look evil but you do want to show a certain respect for the host so you can't be uncaring. Well, then how about matching your fashion with a bunch of others? Turning up with your gang at a party is so much fun. I'm sure you won't find it too difficult to convince them to follow your idea. And if they think your chosen theme is a bit dodgy, here are some alternatives..

1. Shaggy, Velma, Daphne, Fred and... 

your brown buddy

Get the clown of the group turn up topless with a collar and spot-painted body. And please say no if he asks if he can come naked. 

2. Go Go Power Rangers!!!!

If you have longer preparation time (and money!), you can order these jackets or custom-made them. 

Oh and don't forget the helmets!

3. Social Media Nerds

Let's be thankful for these social networks that have allowed you and your best buddies get in touch everyday in just one click away. Wear a white tee underneath a coloured cardboard with any of the social media icon and match the colour with a pair of leggings.

4. Emoji Squad

And just as important as the social media, these emojis are the icing on the cake. They make words easier to describe when you don't have a word. And I like how you can be stylish underneath the mask with just a simple LBD or something black and tight.

5. Hash Tag #Yourself

Show them where you stand with this simple diy statement

6. And show them The Awesomeness of 

A group of Seven!

7. Although Sometimes Being Monotonous can be a good 

Anti-Boredom Formula Too

8. The Mean Girls Era is done, 

Time for The Minion Girls!! 

Ba-ba-ba-ba-bananaaaa

Just as simple as a yellow tank top, suspender, denims and your hi-tech fake giant eyeballs.

9. Who Needs Shower???

Feeling brave and want to take it to a K-Pop level? Why don't get creative with these loofah dresses. Oh please be prepared with a proper second layer outfit in case people pull the string off your covering.

10. Indonesia Only

Only those whose teenage years were between the 1990's to 2000 and live in Indonesia will relate to this. Skin tight uniform skirt and a long pair of white socks with a t-shirt because you couldn't care less about changing your clothes after school. Ada Apa dengan Cinta was the Indonesian Grease back at the time. You can make it more impressive by practicing one short dance move and dancing to the movie's soundtracks.


xx

Girls' #1 Problem - The Right MakeUp (Guy)!

One phone call in the middle of the night made me feel excited because it had been a while since my best friend and I talked like we were still in uni. Chatted till one of us fell asleep. But that night was different. She bursted into tears and I just wished I could hug her at that moment. Same tragedy. Same struggle. She dated another Mr. Wrong and had been figthing to move one after the break up. Classic. 

I have been in the same situation and I know how much pain can get involved in the process. So here are some advice I want to share based on my own experience. It's not a formula to a happy ending love story but hopefully can help you make some good long-term decisions. It's as simple as choosing your make up! (no kidding)

Bad Products - Better Standard

Think of any make up kits or beauty tools you purchased. You try one and the other, to get the best fit for your skin. When you've found the right product, you stick to it. But in the process, you might find some of them irritate your skin or don't have the perfect tone for your lips - for example. You evaluate your pick and test it against what you really need. When you know the formula, you then change your standard: OH I ACTUALLY NEED A BEIGE FOUNDATION, NOT A PORCELAIN! OH THAT BRAND IS NOT FOR ME BECAUSE IT IS TOO OILY, I NEED A LIQUID-BASED ONE.

Changing your standard is a smart way to a more satisfying result, but the thing is, do you really know what you need? Of course every girl wants a good guy. But do you know what type of good guy you actually need to look for?

Consultation - Educating the Inner You

One way to find out what cosmetics fit you best is through consultation. First you choose a brand. As God's daughters, our choice is set: they must be His sons. Same faith. Same doctrine. Then after deciding on the brand, you come to another decision: type. What type of God's son do you need? This will involve knowing yourself first. And the kind of output you seek. If you want to look natural, try pastel colours but if you go for a glamorous look, you can pick the glittery ones. The most important thing is: know what type of skin you have. Is it normal/dry/oily or combination? Remember, just because it works for one girl, doesn't necessarily work for you too. Just because he goes to church and his name is on the roster every Sunday and he looks like Shia LaBeouf, doesn't mean he is your 'equally yoked'. Consult, and educate your self, get to know him more.

Provision - How Much Are You Willing to Pay?

So you have filled your shopping basket with your wish list. Now before checking out there is this last boundary you need to pass: cashier. Make sure you are not spending more than you can afford. I am talking about sacrifice. We all have heard that all the best things in life are free but how long will a free purchased stuff last unless you maintain and groom it? Knowing what you want isn't enough. You must ask yourself, "How hard am I willing to fight for it? How much time am I willing to spend in prayer to find out if God is happy with my choice? How long am I willing to wait being single until I meet the right one? How often am I willing to read my Bible to become a better person for that special guy? If you can't afford things in your shopping basket yet, maybe God is telling you to wait a little longer. But be careful. There is no need to pray and fast for 40 days and 40 night for the wrong product either, so keep your heart open. Be sensitive to know the difference between WAIT and NO.

And finally, let God accompany you do the shopping! ;)

Deaf

Gili Trawangan - Lombok

This quietness is deafening.

That kind that none of the animals in the jungle could break with their chirps or roars.

That kind of which the wind can't put to sleep

nor the ocean can mould in the ticking of clocks.

That kind, that the heat only burns to make it wildly blazing

and the rain sweeps to leave traces on wet muddy ground

That kind.......... only flesh and bones can redeem

A kiss

and lots of hugs

A smile

Perhaps, the night is not young 

Let us slip away in the sweetness of dreams and smother this silence to shatter early in the morning, 

on our side of the bed.

Love,

Sudi

xx

Proof

Anomali Coffee - Ubud

"You are not a Balinese, are you?" the shop attendant asked me the question I have been asked a million times in my life.

"I am a Balinese" I replied.

"But how come your skin is so different!"

I looked at my arm feeling amused. "Why am I so dark, you mean?"

"Yes!"

I rolled my eyes and then laughed reluctantly because he himself was a Balinese boy with a dark skin and I don't think him and I were quite that different lol.

Most people judge firstly from my accent. And then they move on to my appearance. Not sure I comprehend what they think. Plus, it doesn't matter that much. 

Ethnicity is how people separate other people (this reminds me of my best friend Dewi who once said that Chinese is not actually an ethnic group but a lifestyle!) But what they believe in is how God separate people from people. And to make it more amusing, they start questioning my identity (Balinese, Javanese, Timorese, Filipino, etc) when I have started changing my belief....... No one doubted my true Balinese blood back in the old days.... BC. I walked, I breathed, I looked, and I spoke in ways my spirit was plugged into.

Do you think your faith is your accent? Do you think it is interpreted into some physical characteristic? Well I believe whatever happens in the spirit can affect the flesh.

So the curious boy kept interrogating me to find out a reasonable excuse I didn't look like his idea of a native Balinese and I was tempted to pull out my ID card from my wallet but I thanked myself for not doing it. Proofing to others that I am something I already am is the silliest thing I could do to my own person.

On the way home from the shop I thought if the world would just...... stop. 
If you and I just pause and think. 

For a moment.

Whatever we are trying to prove. Stop it right there. Right now. Because you and I already are. Yes you are. Yes I am. Just........ stop. 

Put the fruit down (if you happened to pick it already!) 

and leave the snake. 

The image that Eve was trying to be was the exact image imprinted on her being, right when Jesus fashioned her, out of Adam's rib. The exact image she tried to prove by listening to too many questions. And then all of a sudden she realised, she was naked.

Sudi

xx

Rear View Mirror

Old Man's Beach Club - Canggu

Took me a while to realize this uber cool backdrop's got a flaw when I noticed a little rear view mirror sticking up on the bottom left. Well I almost chucked it but thought, "That's still quite a good photo.. if only focused on the beautiful colours and ummm.. model of course *ahem*

Everyone has some kind of little rear view mirror in their photography of life. Those that allow them to glance at whatever is behind. A part of the past. It'll only make a photo look ugly if you let it become a big part of it. Two things you can do: (1) crop the photo and filter it and (2) strike a good pose so it won't steal so much attention.

My old boss Pak Paulus calls it "reframing".

I made mistakes and was in an unhealthy relationship for years but if I hadn't gone through that I wouldn't be able to tell the right guy from the wrong one, or have a better standard in choosing a partner. Plus, by knowing that person, I was helped to come to the right place that eventually brought me to the love of my life.

And there are lots of other rear view mirrors in my life I could tell you with some ugliness when you look into them but so far, my photographs have been great enough to display as a beautiful collection from the merciful hand that has 'edited' them that..... when I look at each of them, I go "HOW GREAT IS MY GOD!"

with love,

Sudi

xx

Filter

Batu Bolong Beach - Bali

One event. One picture. But told, seen, written in various storylines under the sun. It's because there is this thing in life called filter.

A photograph. 

No matter how bad it is, when seen through the fittest filter, it becomes noble. And no matter how pretty a photograph is, seen from an unmatched filter, it becomes rather....... disturbing. It is not a matter of which filter is used, it is a matter of understanding the fact that it may not be the real thing you are looking at right now. 

Some pictures come out of the filter of hurt, some come out self pity. Some from love. Some from joy.

As Mark Twain once wrote: "the common eye sees only the outside of things, and judges by that, but the seeing eye pierces through and reads the heart and the soul, finding there capacities which the outside didn't indicate or promise, and which the other kind couldn't detect." 

with love,

Sudi

xx