Cara Memanfaatkan Kemasan Bekas 1: Papan Penampung Alat Tulis

Saya tidak tega membuang kemasan yang cukup kokoh, jadi banyak kemasan tertimbun di kamar saya. Kadang-kadang kemasan itu akhirnya terpakai untuk mengirim barang, tapi belakangan ini saya tidak mengirim banyak barang. Kemarin saya terpikir cara memanfaatkannya untuk membuat papan penampung alat tulis.

Bahan-bahan:
- 4 kotak kemasan kopi instan
- 2 kaleng kemasan Pringles
- 1 papan gabus
- 2 kertas warna (kertas kado, kertas timah, atau kertas lainnya)

Alat-alat:
- pensil
- cutter
- gunting
- penggaris
- sellotape
- double-tape
- lem tembak
- lem kertas (glue stick)

Catatan:
- Berapa banyak bahan yang diperlukan dapat disesuaikan dengan apa yang kita punya dan selera kita.
- Belum tentu semua alat di atas diperlukan. Pada dasarnya, ada 3 jenis alat yang diperlukan: alat mengukur, alat memotong, dan alat menempelkan.



Cara Membuat:
1. Gunting bagian atas kemasan kopi instan.
2. Gunting kertas warna sesuai ukuran kemasan.
3. Tempel kertas warna kepada kemasan.
4. Tempel kemasan kepada papan gabus sesuai desain yang diinginkan.
5. Tempel papan ke dinding atau tempat lain yang diinginkan.

Kegiatan ini cukup mudah untuk dilakukan bersama anak SD. Hanya saja, awasi anak saat menggunting atau menggunakan lem tembak apabila usianya di bawah 10 tahun.

Hasilnya dapat digunakan untuk menyimpan alat tulis seperti pulpen, pensil, penggaris, kertas pengingat, buku tulis saku, dan gunting.

My Ms. Marvel Cosplay

My Grateful List and Strength List

A few hours ago I wrote about making the grateful list and my strength list. The grateful list shouldn't be difficult, but I shall not write too much here to avoid showing off. However, I find it hard to make my strength list, especially after I suffered a loss of confidence for the last two years. Well, I should just try.

My Grateful List

• I am healthy.
• I have achieved some of my dreams.
• I am on my way to achieve some of my dreams.
• My family is healthy and getting better at some things.
• I am a PhD student with some experience in not one, but two industries.

My Strength List

• I am bright. 
• Indeed I am poor at some skills, but I am sure I can learn new things and be good at it.
• I know how to learn new things.
• I have learnt to cope with many challenges in life.
• I have a better understanding of how myself and people work (a.k.a. a wisdom, to some extent).
• I know how to network; I just need to cultivate my interpersonal skills.
• I am awesome.

Alhamdulillah.

New Effort, Last Effort

Years ago, in early 2007, I had a freelance work on a book about a girl fought her way out of depression. That was my first time confronting this issue. I learned about depression from her stories, and I remember thinking I can relate to her struggle to some extent. But back then I didn’t consider the possibility seriously, perhaps because I wasn’t losing myself, perhaps because I still can handle it.

Between 2008 to 2010, I had moments when I just wanted to disappear. Accepting the fact that I failed to study abroad costed me three days zombie-ing in my room. And my family’s undergoing turbulent challenges put me—all of us, indeed—in constant stress. All I wanted was to go to school again.

I started graduate school in 2010 and things declined steadily. Some of my friends were young women dreaming of a happy marriage—one of the reasons why I wanted to study abroad, avoiding this kind of talk. I started PhD classes in 2011, a nervous little girl among experienced lecturers and researchers. Soon I realized that a PhD thesis was beyond my league. And I had to work. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Cosplay Recommendations for Muslim Girls

I'm not sure if cosplaying is my new hobby, but I keep thinking of next costumes. I have just done two costumes: Katara (Legend of Aang) and random-Jedi (Star Wars). I can say that people hardly notice a hijabi cosplayer, since modifications on the costume makes its typical features less visible. However, I will not prioritize cosplay than hijab, so I observe the following principles in creating my costumes.

• clothes are loose enough
• headscarf covers me properly
• at least half of my thighs are covered by skirt (or some kind of)
• costume is practical enough to be worn on daily activities

Well, the last point is not relevant to hijab; it's more because I don't want to waste my money on something I'll only wear a couple of times a year. And I'm happy to have something unique without attracting attention of commoners. To make me stop thinking of possible costumes, I decide to list it here.

1. Disney Princesses

I think they are obvious options. Most Princesses have official long dresses that need minor modifications (just cover the shoulders and add a headscarf). My favorite is Merida, and her hunting dress is on my next-cosplay list. If only dark teal fabric is not difficult to find...

The blue dress is pretty, but not practical, and I'm not skilled enough to make patterns.