[Book Review] How to Give Up Plastic by Will McCallum (and my thoughts about how to do it here)

How to Give Up Plastic: A Guide to Changing the World, One Plastic Bottle at a Time by Will McCallum
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a really practical and handy book for those who want to start to reduce or entirely give up using plastic. Even for someone who started reading it out of curiosity, I want to give myself a try now!

Here you can find how to smart small, or even how to smart ambitiously fighting over using plastic in our community. It’s a good to try. This book provide literally everything you need to know or prepare to start the movement. From your own bedroom to something bigger like your community, or even how to organize a protest.

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Reading this, i can even imagine it’s double the effort from what the writer write, as in my country, saving environment from plastic is still not being a main and favorite issue. I just realized how hard it would be to be a zero-plastic here in Indonesia. We just started the movement which now plastics are banned from any convenience store, mini-markets, supermarkets and even some of big restaurants chain. It’s a good start, indeed.

But then, I look around. My dressing table are full with plastic bottles. My makeups, lotions, shampoos, soaps are stored in a plastic-made storage. We don’t have many choice such as Lush in here, it’s even considered a luxurious thing. We don’t have drinking water. Our water tap is undrinkable and we need to rely so much on mineral waters. I don’t know if our government organizes or manages our trash in the landfill, whether there’s any movement for recycling the trash or not. Thus, I’m still concerned when it comes to sorting my household waste, coz’ I’m always being a skeptic that it’ll be still treated the same in the end.

God, It’ll be indeed a long journey. Anyone here in Indonesia could recommend me some of plastic free, organic stuff that I can use for my household? Local brand are much appreciated so we can support local business as well!

[Book Review] Cerita-Cerita Jakarta

Cerita-Cerita Jakarta by Maesy Ang
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

B217AN. (2.o/5.0)
A predictable and common story which happens in a big city. Everything in it; a conciliation before a wedding, underground life, sex, alcohol, etc are just what we could expect from what Jakarta’s life would offer.

Aroma Terasi (5.0/5.0)
This is a bitter yet funny short story. Love it! It’s about how complicated a bureaucracy in Indonesia could be. The writer tell us a fresh story from a Chinese-Indonesian perspective. I don’t know if the writer actually wanted to point out about the racism or not, it’s not really reflected. But, is it only me or actually the writer wanted to associate the bad odor from “terasi” to the bureaucracy? 😀

Masalah. (2.5/5.0)
At the beginning I was too confuse reading the story that I didn’t even try to understand the background story. The writer keeps changing the point of view, from 3rd person, to Yuli’s inner thought and to another thoughts that tops it. Unfortunately, it buries the main message that the writer wants to talk about; Jakarta and its protests.

Buyan. (5.0/5.0)
OMG, this is so far my favorite! The writer create a dystopian Jakarta where half of it already drawn by the flood (well, it could be real thing, if we don’t to anything now). I laughed so hard to the references they put in it; Kejar, Avi Rahmat. LOL!

Rahasia dari Kramat Tunggak. (3.5/5.0)
Nothing special here. Just like an ordinary story from Jakarta Underground.

Anak-Anak Dewasa. (3.5/5.0)
Wait, is it only me who thought they’d do the suicide in Istana Boneka in the first place, instead of Hysteria? Did i skip something? Btw, I personally never like a suicide story. It cringes me a lot.

Haji Syiah. (5.0/5.0)
Funny at the beginning yet so bitter at the end. 😦

Matahari Tenggelam di Utara. (5.0/5.0)
The lost of relationship between bestfriend due to 1998 racism crisis in Jakarta. It’s sad, but I think it’s the truest story amongst the other.

Pengakuan Teater Palsu. (1.5/5.0)
I don’t like philosophy-based story. Sorry, It’s just not my type.

Suatu Hari Dalam Kehidupan Warga Depok yang Pergi ke Jakarta. (5.0/5.0)
I like this kind of “A Day in A Life” story. Also, it mentioned my fav Greek restaurant in Setiabudi building that has closed permanently now 😦

Some stories are funny, some are too weird, but most can be relate to me as a Jakartan myself. It also works as a reminder that the life in Jakarta are so wide, complicated and deep which sometimes we forgot as we’re too focus on our daily routine in the middle of our own version of Jakarta.

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[Book Review] Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela

It always seems impossible until it’s done.
Nelson Mandela

Reading the whole 600+ pages of his journey, it does indeed feels like an impossible long walk to freedom. All the struggle facing those trials, prison time, separations with family, underestimations, deceptions, and so on.

I loved how detail Mr. Mandela writes about his story. Every little detail. From his childhood to his life during 27.5 years of prison. I can clearly see the shifting mind of your Mandela when he opened his eyes for the first time about the racism that happening around him. I also love how he always put small stories about his personal life. It’s usually just a short one. But, it’s deep, sweet and heartwarming somehow. Reading this book feels like reading someone’s diary. It’s filled with deep personal thoughts and feels. It takes us to a journey in the eye of a child, a teenager, a young lawyer, an inmate, an activist and an nationalist. Both a son and a father of his nation.

From his story, we could see that he wasn’t really aware about the racism and apartheid that’s happening even until when he was in higher education. With his nature of observing and his friends insights, we were brought into Mandela’s opening eyes journey. We were told how he learned from books, friends and even foes.

I always have a thing with a prison story. Mandela told us the whole 2 chapters about his prison tenure for over 27.5 years. The struggle and the never ending fight for both justice and freedom are perfectly pictured in Robben Island : The Dark Years. I really loved how he told the story about his way to trick the warders to get some contrabands (mostly a newspaper) or his fight to get a decent and fair life in prison (Black inmates received worse treatment compared to Indian and Coloured inmates, even in the term of the diets). The way the inmates planned their approached to get sympathy by the warders just to get more times to discuss about their next political moves. But then, the hope started to arise in Robben Island : Beginning to Hope. In this chapter he told us mostly when he was in a house arrest. Not in his own home, though. But a house that is provided by the state, complete with his own chef and swimming pool. He could be visited not only by his family, but mostly by his comrades where they discussed about their fight against the apartheid. It’s really blown my mind away how he never rest, not even a single night, to fight for the freedom of his nation. He’s unbroken and unbendable.

I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.
Nelson Mandela

Freedom is indivisible; the chains on an one of my people were the chains on all of them, the chains on all of my people were the chains on me.
Nelson Mandela

To be honest, politics are never my thing. I sometimes drifted away when reading this part (which basically most part of this book, for sure). But, the way he writes, it’s so simple yet filled with emotions that makes it so easy to understand. It’s in very much detailed that sometimes I wonder, did he kept a journal? how come he can still remember such detail after all this time? I personally think it’s the right book if you want to know the history of how South African fight over freedom and justice. Especially directly from the hands of their main figure.

[Book Review] Lethal White by Robert Galbraith

Okay, this review will be totally subjective. It’s my personal thinking, feeling and experiences during reading this book.

To be honest, all I can say is : I keep being distracted by the development of feelings between Strike and Robin. The book started exactly where it left us in The Career of Evil, Robin’s wedding. This chapter ended very sweet for both of them somehow (OMG, I almost reveal it here and it will be a sweet spoiler! Haha!). The next following chapters, Galbraith (aka JK Rowling) slipped this kind of sweetness from both Robin and Strike. For example when they showed a bit of jealousy when they saw other’s lovers, or when they’re in the middle of something but their mind wondering thinking about each other. Mostly, I giggled suddenly right after I read their analysis or deduction because they did it with full effort to put their focus not to each other.

Sometimes, I didn’t catch up with the case that I need to re-read some passages back. Or, I just drifted away with the hope I’d soon read about those two. And I felt more excited about them than the case itself. Oops. Not complaining tho. It’s just my way to enjoy this book.

Maybe because of this I didn’t really take a note about the other characters. The development felt too shallow. Even when the truth is finally revealed, I didn’t feel the excitement. Or maybe is it because too many characters ? We have Chiswell’s family and friends, the trio Geraint Winn-Della Winn-Aamir Malik and their acquaintance, Jimmy-Billy-Flick and their comrades and not to mention Strikes and Robin’s families and friends who are come and go in this book. I also felt like there are some chapters or stories that actually don’t relate to the case and make the story dragged too far. For example when Strike needs to take care of his nephew (although this part leads to my fav moment of Strike & Robin 😀 ) and I still don’t get the point why Robert needs to mention Charlotte too much in this book. I know maybe it’s meant to show the conflict of what strike has inside his heart. But, still, it’s too much.

So yeah, I will only recommend this book series to you who want to get a fresh feel of a detective stories. Or to you whom I know are the fans of JK Rowling (tho, after her “incident” in Twitter, it won’t be that many).

My Verdict : 
Story Plot : 3.0/5.0
Characters Development : 3.5/5.0
Overall : 3.25/5.0

[Book Review] Too Much is Not Enough by Andrew Rannells

During this pandemic, so many random things happened, especially after spending total 10 months stay at home (and counting). I always like musicals. It always has a special spot in my heart. But, as I’m living in Indonesia and the access to Broadway is very very limited, I only got to watch musicals from Movies or TV series. But, as Disney+ streams Hamilton and HBO Go had Newsies, my love to musicals grow and grow. I spent hours in a da watching clips from any other musicals. I found many bootlegs (ups, sorry) and watched it over and over. I even learned how to do belting! Terribly, of course. Not for anyone’s consumption. Dedicated only to my (poor) husband.

So, I watched (and re-watched and re-watched again and again and again) the Falsettos Broadway revival Live from the Lincoln Center. Somehow, this guy who’s playing Whizzer really hooked me up. I knew him from many clips I watched before. Like I knew he was one of the King George III, replacing Jonathan Groff for 5 weeks while Groff had to do filming for Looking. I saw him in The Intern. Somehow his interviews appeared in my Youtube suggestions. I watched him sing and liked his every performance. So, at the time I saw him in Falsettos, I was already half a fans. After falsettos, half a fans becoming an obsessed fans. Book of Mormon, The Boys in the Band, The Prom, The New Normal, Girls, Black Monday, even his Lincoln Center concert. I watched it all. Not only once, but many many times. Again, my poor husband has to bare with me with all my obsession. Haha!

So, yeah, I Bumped into this book simply because I’m Andrew Rannells fans. I knew some of the stories already from many interviews, but most of the story he wrote here are new to me. So in the eye of a fans, we still can get to know Andrew more. But how about if you’re not a fans? What’s in it for your from this book?

This book is about his stories before those shows we know him from. It really stopped before he got Hairspray’s Link. So if anyone of you want to know his story behind Book of Mormon, Girls, Falsettos, you won’t get it. You’ll get the story behind how he becomes who he is now.

Typically a memoir book, we’ll find out about his childhood and many of his firsts. Some of his stories had been told through many interviews though (like that story about when he auditioned for Rent), but still Andrew got a real talent in writing. It’s fresh, witty, hilarious and touching at the same time. I could hear his voice reading his sentences. I laughed hard so many times. I got teary eyes when I read “Josephine”. I felt terrible somehow during “My Second Date with Brad”. And I could feel the desperation, especially during “Everything Is Rosie”. The way of his writing makes the readers can exactly feel and be there within his stories.

But the point of this book is not only from his fresh ways of storytelling. It’s the stories itself. It’s about the courage to face your biggest fear. The hurts feeling after so many rejections. The strength to keep your dream alive. It’s about how you accept yourself, let yourself feel the sadness or frustration just to strengthen back your will. He reminded us that it’s normal to forget your dream over something more secure. But he never gave up. His boldness to come out of his comfort zone just to get back on track to reach his dream is really inspiring. If he stayed in that secure jobs he had, he wouldn’t got those 2 Tony Nominations!

If you need a light and hilarious book that also boost your motivation, I highly recommend this book. Thank you, Andrew!

My verdict 
1. Storyline : 4.9/5.0
2. Writing way : 4.75/5.0
Total : 4.8/5.0