ROBILLIAM

  It's the most wonderful time of the year, indeed. A day full of joy and happiness. Presents, cookies, Christmas tree, decorations, foods, all is well, all is perfect. But sometimes we just focus about the festive celebrations, and forget about the true meaning of Christmas. We often forget about Him who had came from heaven becoming a human being to save all of our lives. Christ is the true meaning of Christmas (that's why it's called Christmas, because without Christ, it's just a mas). So have you thanked Him today? We don't need to do a lot of things or take a lot of time to thank Him, we can take just less than five minutes to pray, as our gratitude for what He has done. You know, He has gave His entire life at the cross so we can live, but why can't we give a little time to thank Him? However i hope you guys have a wonderful Christmas. Cheers!

  I love Sundays. It's the one day of the week where you can stay in bed all day without any guilt (unless you live with really strict parents). There are two options you can choose: A) Wake up super late because you were wide awake all Saturday night, or B) Wake up super early on Sunday morning. I usually do A, but wake up early on Sunday is a pleasure too. Beside you can see sun rises, your Sunday will be felt a little longer. In fact, rising early brings some benefits to you (*note to self). However, I always make sure to use this day to recharge, surround myself with my favorite things, and of course enjoy some me time, before going back to the hectic campus life on Monday.

  I wanna keep up the simplicity of the look by just using simple accessories, like a watch and aviator sunglasses. I also rolled up the shirtsleeves, let two buttons open, and create a cool, deliberately undone look with the half-tuck to  make it looks more edgy. And to spice up the look, i paired them with black leather loafers as a final touch.

  Once upon a Monday, i had a day free so did my mom, my brother, and my sister. We were so bored, then we decided to have an unplanned road trip. We had no clue where we were going, we just drove around exploring Jakarta. Along the way we stopped in drive-thru to eat. Thank God the traffic was quite light for a normal Monday in Jakarta.

  As i said on the previous posts before, the mainly reason why i went to Makassar was to attend my cousin's wedding, and helped them, of course. It was the first time i've been involved and be a part of a wedding ceremony, which was quite exhausted but so interesting though.

  My cousin's wedding was unlike the usual wedding ceremonials, they were using Bugis tradition. FYI traditional Bugis wedding is pretty complex, groom and bride must pass through several processions before legally become husband and wife. That's why it took a lot of time of preparation to make the wedding "perfect". That's also the reason why i didn't have so many time to stroll around the town.  But it's okay, at least i could learn more about Bugis culture. 

  I won't explain you guys further about the processions here, because it would be really long to explain. And honestly it's difficult for me to explain in English. I'm just gonna put up the photos based on the wedding procession's name as my mom said to me. So if you really curious about it just go google it by yourself. Ha! Sorry.

  Still about my last Makassar trip series, on this post i would like to share about my visit to the second destination in Makassar. But first, have you read the previous post? If you haven't, go read it now, so you can read the series in sequence.

  As i said on the last post, i only could visit some iconic places in Makassar, and by some, i mean just two iconic places. That second place was Fort Rotterdam. Fort Rotterdam or known among locals as Benteng Ujung Pandang is a fort that was built in the Dutch colonial. It remained the regional Dutch military and governmental headquarters in Makassar and surrounded by 7 meter wall that was used as defense.

  The place is really beautiful yet so historical. When i entered the place, colonial atmosphere is very visible from the building. I felt like i was in the middle of 17th century same as in my history book. I took a time to stroll around the place. The more i walked, the more mesmerized i was.

  There you can catch a glimpse of the Dutch colonial heritage in Indonesia. You can also visit La Galigo museum within the fort and learn a lot of Makassar's history there. If you're a history buff, i really recommend this place as your must-visit in Makassar. You know what even makes it more beautiful is the vast green lawn, there people can lay on it while reading a book or maybe just relaxing with friends.

  Last New Year's holiday, i got invited to my cousin's wedding in Makassar. Makassar is one of metropolitan cities in Idonesia, it's a capital city of South Sulawesi. And honestly it was the first time i could go back  to my hometown after 16 years living in Jakarta. I was there just for a few days, maybe about a week, i didn't have time to explore all Makassar because we were so busy of the wedding. I just visited some places near the wedding arena that really iconic in Makassar. But i surely had a great time there!

  The first place i could visit was Pantai Losari. It is an esplanade, a peninsula, and a beach indeed (pantai means beach in Indonesia). There, you can see a famous floating mosque too, Masjid Amirul Mukminin. Also you can try so many variations of fresh seafood and other authentic Makassar dishes that sold by food stalls around, but sadly i didn't have enough time to eat. However if you come visit Makassar, you can't miss this place.  

  I strolled around Pantai Losari, breathed some sea air, enjoyed the waving palm trees, and the best moment was enjoying the sunset in the beach pavilion. It is the best place to watch the sun goes down in Makassar. I definitely should go back there again next time.