30 Facts of Mine in 30 Numbers

Not chronically, and for sure not Alphabetically. But honestly, this is 30 facts about me in 30 numbers.

Was born on 1988. (Bonus fact, I never mind people knowing my age. So what?).
0 Sibling.
17 years living in small town, called Bontang.
Joined in total 8 clubs within 9 years during K12 as an extracurricular activities. (Hey, there’s 3 numbers! Take it as another bonus!)
2 years in a row as President of English Conversation Club in high school.
I was 8 years old when I finally could ride a bike.
I was 25 years old when I finally could swim.
Spent 4.5 years in Bandung during university time.
1 out of the chosen 14 assistants of Ergonomics and Work System Design Laboratory from Industrial Engineering’06 ITB.
Actively played 4 kinds of sports during university.
Won gold medal for Women’s Doubles in Tennis number in 2011 ITB Olympic.
Been working in 3 (multinational) companies (a lil bit brag here, sorry).
Total working experiences is more than 9 years (hello, any recruiter here?)
6 out of 9 years of working experiences spent in 1 company.
This is number 15, 0.5 of the way to today’s topic, and in fact, I’m starting to lose any idea what to write. (it’s fact! accept it!)
Having 2 Instagram accounts. (Please follow @coretoan for my current painting project! haha!)
Getting married when I was 25 years old (last 2 weeks before turning 26. haha!)
Having a 6 years and counting of happy and dreamy marriage.
Currently learning 2 languages at a time, Japanese and Spanish.
In Total can speak 3 foreign language in daily conversation (survival mode) and 1 foreign language fluently.
Currently read 22 books in 4 months. 2 more books for this year reading challenge.
Been a fans of Onitsuka Tiger/Asics/Asics Tiger shoes and currently having 10 pairs of it (and I want moooore)
Have 96 apps in my mobile phone. (Tbh, I just found out about it when I write this)
Ever been in 2 surgeries in my life.
Collecting 17 Disney tsum tsum (and I want moooore)
Often set additional 2 hours of sleep in the morning before working around 9.30 am during pandemic.
Have a plan to publish a book before 40.
Have visited 22 countries so far (and I want moooore).
Have 7 lifetime best friends. Read about them here !
Been living in 3 cities entire life.

My style be lyke~

I always be a tomboy since I was a kid. I rarely wear skirt and dress. My mom said when she made me wear dress or skirt, I kept feeling uncomfortable. When she changed my skirt into a short, I ran, jumped and played around happily. My only skirt I had was my high school uniform. Even when I was in middle school, I wore culottes instead.

It went on until college time. I always cut my hair short. A Pixie or boyish. I never wore skirt to class. I played futsal. I chose an electronic factory (LG Factory) as my internship place and milling industry (Bogasari) as my final assignment place. Reasons behind? Simply because I can still wearing my pants and sneakers while working there. People always mistaken me as a boy. Once, I picked up my friend from her language course. Her friends teased her as they thought her boyfriend (me) picking her up. And my friend didn’t even correcting them and giggly left them.

Actually, sorry to sound it too cliché, I changed my look since I got into relationship with Abang. He likes me when I put a bit of make up. And he likes my hair long. So I learned. Not to have a full make up every day, but just a little touch of face powder and an eyebrow. I rarely wear lipstick. I usually wear it in the morning, but then never re-applied it through the day. I still wear pants often. Sneakers is my life, couldn’t and wouldn’t have a day without it. I wear flats or heels only when I have an event to attend. I try to elongate my hair. But I keep whining when my hair get too long and cut it anyway at least up until my neck.

But, being a tomboy doesn’t mean I don’t play with colors. I looovee colors! I don’t care if the colors are too bright or sometimes looks mismatched. I just love to express my mood with colors. I choose bright colors when I feel excited, happy and on fire. I choose dark colors when I want to look a bit reserved or my mood is quite bad. I never doubt to put green and orange together or to mix blue and yellow. Or just a hint of bright red among the black. I think it’s just one of things that makes me feel alive and whole somewhat.

Kuping Gajah

Have you ever thought about having a lifetime bestfriends? Some bestfriends you have since you were born until today. Or do you have ones? Well, I’m blessed to have, not only 1, but also 7 bestfriends! We were born on 1987-1988, and our friendship practically started since then.

So, Imagine you were born in a small town. Quite remote. Your parents worked at an oil & gas company that has its own housing, complete with our own K-12 schools, sports (any kind of it, you name it) facilities, house of worships and airports (yes, you read it right. our very own airport). Every day, we the kids went to or off school by bus, bikes, walk or dropped by our parents. Mostly by the school bus, though. At school (it was literally and figuratively an old school), in 4th – 12th grade, we were classified based on ranked. So, let’s say, there were 7 class for 4th grader. Class A is for the children who’s in rank 1-30, B is for 31-60, and so on. Now, as I mentioned to you that the school is basically our own school, our classmates won’t change that much. Our close friends won’t change that much.

Now, can you imagine? Everyday we meet the same people. At school, after school activities, or at the school bus. We had local phone lines that allowed us to call each of the house for free. So, yeah, we continued what we talked about at school by phone (sometimes it’s an easy way to work on your homeworks together with your friends). Don’t get me wrong. It’s not that we felt like we’re forced with it. It’s just that….we’re so bonded.

So what it’s Kuping Gajah (Kuping = ear, Gajah = elephant. Elephant ears. We love catching gossip that our ears felt like as big as elephant’s one) on the title above? You know it’s so typical for girls on high school to form a gang, don’t you? Well, it’s basically that. But, instead from hoghschool, each of us actually has bonded our friendship right after we’re born. Or when we were in kindergartens. Or when we were in the 4th grade, at least, since the classification started. Up…until…now. Exactly this second.

One of them only has 1 birthday apart from me. 3 of them shared the same desk with me at class for years. Some of us listened to the same boyband, watched the same anime, had a (silly) crush over the same boy. All of us spent a lot lot lot of nights of stayover at each other house. Now that we’re separated into 5 different cities, there’s no single day spends without us sharing gossips, stories and commentaries in our WhatsApp Group. We allocated some times for video call. We still laughed about the same stupid things we did when we were kids, or talked in the same level of randomness. When any of us visiting each other town, we always spending time together. Our husbands even close to us (they simply have to understand/accept that we’ll arrange some meets up couple of time in a year. Priority. HAHA!).

I’m blessed, indeed, to have them in my life. Our support and love are always there for each other. They’re kind of the first people you’re bump into when you have something to share, when happy, sad, or confused. You know there’s an old saying, “Family isn’t always blood. It’s the people in our life who want you in theirs; the ones who accept you for who you are”. Nothing could describe them better than that ❤

The beat that tells.

Music has been part of my life for as long as I can remember. Grew up with MTV when the TV channel still the real Music Television, I knew most of the latest songs albeit living in a small remote town. Almost all of my girls back in my hometown started their love of music from some boybands. My 4th-6th grade was filled with me fangirling those boybands such as Backstreet Boys, The Moffatts and Nsync (no, I’m not a Westlife and Boyzone fans, sorry!). At 7th grade, I started listening to those pop/alternative/rock band such as The Cranberries, Linkin Park, Coldplay, and Maroon 5. Not to mention my Dad’s love of music influenced me as well. I love Jazz music because of him, I listened to Genesis and one of my fav rock band of all time is Deep Purple as he kept listening to their songs (until now. He even still remember how every guitar sounds or every drum beats in each of the song). I listened to music anytime, anywhere since I was a kid. While studying, working, driving car or in the MRT, reading books, painting, writing or even taking bath (Yes, I even have a Bluetooth speaker in my bathroom now). But, is music just a back sound for me? Or is it something more?

Because of the music, I cried in Coldplay and Backstreet Boys concert. Listening to the music I grew up with, live right in front of me, just gave me chills. Coldplay concert felt like a state of the art, a spiritual event. It’s too much that I didn’t realize there were tears in my eyes. I actually expected that I would cry during BSB concert. I mean, I like them since their first album until now! But I thought I’d cry when they sang “I want it that way”, no idea why I cried on “As long as you love me” instead. I guess I just couldn’t believe I saw them standing there, singing that legendary song, only meters apart from me.

Jazz music always has a special place in my heart. The first time I listened to it, because of my dad, I couldn’t understand any good thing in it. Thanks to my Dad consistency, Jazz music is always here every time I need to relax or get inspired. In fact, we kinda have this family tradition : Java Jazz. Almost every year my parents attend that biggest Jazz festival in Indonesia. I joined them some times. We made a list on which jazz artist we’d like to watch. Some times my mom and I just sit on the floor at the back row while enjoying the music, while my dad busy on taking pictures and listening to the music from the front row. I was kinda hoping I made my Dad proud when I got into the volunteer team of Java Jazz 2010. Just because.

Music is more like a soundtrack in my life. Every track in my life has its own music. When I was winning, when I was so stressed with all of those deadlines and traffic jams, and just like everyone else, when I was brokenhearted. It gives me more power, encouragement, bravery, or just simply a smile over all of those memories. Music is always there when I have to face my sadness, or helps me to be inspired and gets me more concentrating on something. It always accompanies me through thick and thin.