lamentations of the unemployed

While my friends are working and making money and stuff, I'm trapped in this really awkward period of time where I have absolutely nothing of importance to do but not enough free days to get a job. I'm leaving for Semarang in less than two weeks. It's my dad's hometown in Indonesia. It's not the most exciting place to be in but that's the beauty of it I guess. We haven't visited my dad's side of the family for far too long and I miss them like crazy. Semarang is a place where time stands still, not in a bad way of course. We're gonna stay at my grandma's, rent some DVDs with my uncle like we used to (only this time, we'll say NO to Wild Hogs and Ghost Rider), play with our little cousins that are probably not so little anymore, visit some haunted houses, and hang out with some alligator turtles and snakes... if they're still around. I heard from my dad that the sweet old snake owner got bitten by his own crocodile, so he had to get rid of all his reptiles. I'm not even joking.

After Semarang we're going to Yogyakarta and stay near the Borobudur with my grandma and cousins. I'm really excited to explore Java like we used to. Back when we were living in Indonesia, we never traveled overseas. Every holiday was spent covering every part of Java that was left for us to visit, and I enjoyed every minute of it. We're probably going to my late great grandmother's house in Klaten which, to me, was the coolest place in the world because everything in there was so supernatural. She had this old bed which supposedly repelled every non-family member that slept in it. I was told that one time, this stupid guy slept in that sacred bed and woke up in the paddy field right across the street. Again, I'm not even joking.

Then we're gonna head to Turkey with my mom's side of the family. Kind of a sharp turn from the whole low-key vacation thing we were going for, but I've always wanted to go to Turkey. It's also the first time in a really long time that we're traveling with the whole family(minus my cousin Icha) so I really have high hopes for it. Apart from that; it's Turkey oh god the ruins the snow the arts the culture and everything about it just the sole idea of simply being there is making me implode. O Turkey please be good to me. I am ready to be inspired.

BUT all of that is not gonna happen until 9 days from now. Meanwhile, I'm still this unemployed O  level graduate with nothing to do with her life. So these days I've been...

1. Exercising. 

This . is , impossible . I . know. Nabila Larasati Pranoto is exercising VOLUNTARILY. Somehow I have found the torturous process of running actually enjoyable and rewarding, and I've been doing it regularly now. Oh god I'm not turning into that person no let's move on.

2. Watching movies/reading.

LIFE OF PI IS A GEM, YOU GUYS*. I read the book when I was like 9 and didn't get any of it, but the movie has shown me what I was missing. So now I'm reading it again. I love the way Yann Martel addresses religions. There's this one line in the book that says "Hindus, in their capacity for love, are indeed hairless Christians, just as Muslims, in the way they see God in everything, are bearded Hindus, and Christians, in their devotion to God, are hat-wearing Muslims." You may not agree with that, but if you were in my position, you probably would. I'd like to write about this a little bit more, but I don't think this is the place for it.

Other stuff that I've been watching: 

Skyfall(not my cup of tea), 

Frankenweenie(crappy ending, really disappointing), 

Breaking Dawn Part 2(random story, random conflict, random ending, random tribespeople), 

Ruby Sparks(really love the concept)

and some old ones:

The Hangover 2(it's no wonder it didn't do that well, needless to say it's not nearly as good as the first one),

The Darjeeling Limited(hey i've always loved a good old road movie),

Qué tan lejos(how do you comment on a film like this without sounding pretentious? i'm just gonna say... it's hilarious),

Chasing Liberty (I don't care how cheesy it is, Matthew Goode is HOT)

My holiday readings:

some I have finished, some I am currently reading, others I am saving for the trip

*I definitely need to watch Life of Pi again because some people actually think it's a good idea to bring their little poltergeists to the movies(or anywhere, really) when it's NOT. It's NOT funny when your little devils scream and run around during the beautiful and QUIET sequences that Ang Lee has meticulously crafted. Someone needs to euthanize them. (okay this time I am kidding, mind you)

3. Watching/Reading An Idiot Abroad

Do I even have to start?

4. Hangin' out with ma palz.

lol yeah you don't care about that 

5. Eating

three words: double . freaking . dip

6. Making gifts

Here's a scrapbook that I made for my aunt, accompanied by a mix tape (BECAUSE I'M SO HIP). Each song/page represents a different side of her (WHOA SO DEEP)

about the whole revealing-her-real-age-on-the-front-cover thing... yeah she's not gonna be pleased

Dreams by The Cranberries

I'm Like a Bird by Nelly Furtado

Just A Girl by No Doubt

People Have the Power by Patti Smith

AND

When You Were Young (Cover) by The Noisettes

Old Lady by Sinead O'Connor

After The Gold Rush by Neil Young

And this is a painting that I made for my grandma:

I'm working on another painting for my other grandma but it's not done yet

So that's that from The Fabulous Life of Nabila. I'll end off with an equally fabulous photo...