ROSY RENES

Welcome to post-grad life, one year later! I had planned to write about my graduation day ever since it happened, but I decided that I want to do it a year later, so I can reminisce about that day. I'm going to divide the story into several parts and end it with some of my thoughts about life, exactly one year later. The Prep About two or three months prior to my graduation event, I had created an expense plan for all the things I would need such as makeup, clothes, accommodation, etc. I actually researched and planned carefully on how I want to look during the event, and what things I would need to achieve that with a tight budget (yes, I was only a part-timer and my salary was only enough to buy myself meals not even for a whole month). I thought long and hard about should I just do my own makeup or should I get it done professionally. After some consultation with my mom, she suggested that I asked Adyuta (my cousin) to do my makeup. She had never done makeup for graduatio

I went to Cirebon last September, to visit my Aunt (who was recovering from her diabetes attack) and my Grandfather. I stayed there for a week. There are a lot of things I noticed during that time. Let's start with the huge mango tree my late Grandmother had planted in front of my Grandfather's bedroom window, which had been cut down. I understand Grandfather's reasons for cutting down the tree, despite my Aunt's objections. It was dangerous to keep the tree since on its way of collapsing, but I also think it's unnecessary to get rid of it completely. Somehow it felt like erasing Grandmother's memories. Or maybe Grandfather was just trying to deal with his grief, maybe the tree reminded him of Grandmother every time he looked at it. [ With the absence of the tree, the light came in ] Another revelation I had during the trip was about basic traits, from my father's side of the family. My father and his siblings are all equally obstinate, messy, indiffe