Small Things, Colorful Impact

Last month while I was in Jakarta, I got the chance to join the Blogger Gathering together with other fellow bloggers to get to know more about the new CASIO My Style Colorful Calculator. It was such a fun session, sharing about how small things can bring a great impact to our mood and productivity. When we are studying or working or simply relaxing, having small objects placed around us in our favorite color can unconsciously make us more happy and energized, and when we are in such state of mind, whatever we do will result better.

In the event, we also got to see how the new CASIO My Style Colorful Calculator is now no longer just a functional computing product, but also a lifestyle item that is suitable for our fashion, business and travel needs. It’s such a fun item to carry inside our bag, it even makes a great prop for our #flatlay photos thanks to its series of yummy colors.

My own working desk is filled with little trinkets that I love so much; My Little Pony dolls, cactus plants, heart-shaped and flamingo-shaped lamps, tiny Care Bears figurines, cute pens, and now, colorful calculators thanks to CASIO. Creating an ambience that connects to my soul makes working more joyful and definitely less boring.

Now tell me, tell us, how do YOU think small things boost your mood and productivity? Join this Blogging Competition and if your writing gets selected, you will win a free trip to JAPAN!

What’s your favourite color, by the way? If you want to get yourself a CASIO My Style Colorful Calculator in your favourite color(s), you can purchase it directly here. Make sure to use my code DIANA20 to get 20% OFF during checkout, offer valid until March 31st, 2018. Yay! :)

Convertible Laptop I Likeee

Long holiday is heeeeere! How are you spending these precious days? I think I’ve been so busy and working so much this 2017, I kinda just want to relax and enjoy whatever we have at home. I also have a new toy to play around with, that is the new ASUS VivoBook Flip TP410 Laptop Convertible 14”. Yay! :)

This laptop is such a fun gadget to have because we can use it in 4 different positions. It can be used in the usual ‘laptop’ position, you can completely fold it and turn it into a tablet, you can also make the screen stand in two different positions if we want to use it for presentations or watch videos.

Given these 4 positions, I think it’s safe to say that this laptop is comfortable to be used for both work and play. My son can even enjoy playing games and watching videos using this laptop. And hey, isn’t that standing mode so useful when we need to read recipes (or watch tutorials) while cooking? :D

Apart from the fun part, this laptop is also powerful since it is equipped with the latest Intel i7-7500U processor, which also comes with a pre-installed Windows 10 Home. Overall, the system runs smoothly. In terms of display, the screen displays very vivid colors with Full HD (1920x1080 pixels) with great brightness and a very good contrast ratio. It also offers a good selection of ports, including a card reader, micro HDMI, and three USB 3.0 ports.

A favorite feature of mine would be the touch screen which I find pretty amazing. The touching points are very accurate and reacts promptly, making it very easy to navigate. For audio and music, the stereo speakers produce a very powerful, pleasant sound, so it’s really suitable for listening to music or watching videos from.

All in all, I think this convertible laptop makes a great company for my work and play needs. New Year’s Eve is gonna be pretty awesome at home! :)

PS: I'm giving away 2 of these laptops for freeeeee. Join my giveaway here!

Colorful Calculators We Love!

I love pretty little things and have them on my desk. The more colorful the better, because believe it or not, little happy trinkets give me so much positive energy. I feel the happiest when I am surrounded by them, it also makes me able to generate more creative ideas.

You know what else I'm into? Besides unicorns? I'm into r-a-i-n-b-o-w-s. I love pink, I love yellow, but I really love having all colors together. And I love this kind of colorful sight as far and wide my eyes can see. My clothes are colorful, my working desk is colorful, my house is colorful, even my businesses sell colorful products hehehhe. Colors really make me happy!

So guess what made me excited recently? Is when I found out that CASIO just launched a range of calculators in literally all sorts of colors. Don't believe me? Check this out:

OMG that hot pink! That baby pink! That mint green! CASIO definitely hit all notes of best colors of the year..D Seeing them makes me smile, you know? Just the perfect companion when crunching some numbers at work, and also looks supa good on my desk. (PS: I think they would be fun to decorate further using stickers and washi tapes). The different sizes they actually have also makes it handy when you need to carry it inside your bag be it your school bag, working bag or simply a day bag, that is if you're simply a geeky girl who loves counting things anytime anywhere heheheh.

So which color do you love the most? Try out this personality test to know which color really represents you as an individual, hence the one you should get. It’s known that wearing and using products that represent our true color can give us more positive energy and mood.

And btw, if you take the personality test, I’ll be choosing some lucky ones to come to my exclusive meet & greet this month in Jakarta! Yayyy! So make sure you take the test and have your name and email registered so I can contact you right away if you win.

PS: If you end up wanting to buy a CASIO My Style Colorful Calculator in your true color, get 20% discount by using the Promo Code given at the end of the personality test.

About Entrepreneurship

When I was a kid, I never dreamed of becoming an entrepreneur. Perhaps I didn’t even know what an entrepreneur is because no one in the big family was one. I once wanted to become a gymnast, a ballerina, then an economist, a doctor, and eventually wanted to become a graphic designer. But none of that happened. I ended up becoming a Quantitative Market Researcher, analyzing statistics. Whaaaat? :D

Long story short, in between my studies and work at that time, I would spend a whole lot of time blogging. Blog was my medium of expression where I share about life, art, fashion, things I love. Blogging made me have new friends outside my study and work environment, and that’s when I started becoming friends with entrepreneurs. I would hang out with them after office, follow them to their home office on the weekends, listen to their stories, and boy was I really inspired by them. That’s when I realized when I wanted to become one as well. I too, wanted to be an entrepreneur just like them. I fell in love with the idea of being your own boss and creating something from nothing. I wanted to create my own brand. And today, I run two fashion brands, Up and Schmiley Mo. Alhamdulillah! :)

Ever since I became an entrepreneur, I never looked back. I think it was one of the best decisions in my life. Just to make it fair though, I did love my previous jobs, I enjoyed the corporate world, but I guess, running my own business is just more of my thing. I feel more liberated, I feel more creative, I feel some sort of crazy energy whenever I launch something awesome, and I feel proud because everything is from my own hands. I love being an entrepreneur because I get to decide what I want to do, how I want to do, and how I can bring an impact to the society.

But of course it’s not all smooth sailing. The journey is extremely tough full of ups and downs and new competition coming in your way every single day. From a production side, I had to deal with having all my workers quit leaving me with no one but myself scouting for new workers from city to city. I was betrayed by a supplier that suddenly just decided to stop producing for me because of some unclear reasons making the supply chain disrupted. I’ve had competitors tweeting fake testimonials about how bad my products were. Today, everyone owns a brand, making the market so saturated that it’s really hard to keep yourself on top of others, hence the need to keep innovating. And the list goes on. Sigh. Being an entrepreneur requires us to be extremely strong, focused, and willing to get back up again and again because we will fall so many times.

Entrepreneurship is not for everyone, but if you think it’s your thing, go for it! Don’t be scared of even trying because as long as you plan things right and work hard enough, your business will work out just fine. My simple tips for starting a business:

1. Run a business that connects to you personally. Don’t start something merely because it’s trending. When you sincerely love what you’re working on, you will have more energy and not quit so easily when things get tough. 
2. Start small, grow steadily, don’t be overly ambitious. Those who rise faster (usually) fall faster. Be patient in taking little steps that will make you last in the longer run.
3. Always be hungry for new knowledge. Never think you’ve known everything. Equip yourself with new information, new tools, new methods and new ways of thinking every day.
4. Be current. If today’s world requires businesses to be extremely active on social media, then please do! If technology is no longer separable, then integrate your business with new technology that is relevant to you and your customers.

I may be talking so much now, but I am definitely no pro. I’ve only been in the industry for 6 years and I still got A LOT to learn. If you’re keen on learning more about entrepreneurship, you might wanna attend the Indonesia Knowledge Forum (IKF) 2017 event because there will be a lot of sharing sessions that is definitely gonna be very useful and valuable for you and your business. Some inspiring figures that will be speaking in the event are Faisal Basri, Ashraf Sinclair (Ventura Partner), Hans Prawira (CEO PT SumberAlfariaTrijaya), Adrian Gunadi (Co-Founder & Chairman (CEO) Investree) and many others. You can get an early bird ticket to this event starting from 1 – 31 August 2017 from the website www.bcalearningservice.com for Rp.3.500.000 only.

Fellow entrepreneurs, I wish you the best always! Stay hungy, stay foolish! :)

The Epic Fan

This video is soooooooo cute it got me smitten..:)

A #GirlBoss Reminder

Shocked, sad, surprised to read Sophia Amoruso's journey, but definitely glad she found herself back in something even more profound. This is definitely a must-read article, girls! :)

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up

Before I left for Switzerland, I managed to get myself this book called The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo. I’ve heard about this book before from a friend who recommended me to read it, and honestly, the words ‘tidying up’ did interest me because I myself am a tidy freak heheh.

So today, after 2 weeks of settling down here in Swiss, I finally had the time to just sit down and read. And I finished this book within the day because it was such a light read that made me not want to stop.

It is truly interesting on how about 90% of what Marie Kondo is teaching inside the book is what I have been applying in my own life myself. I was amazed on how our thinking are so much alike, I just did not realize that what I was doing for all this time was actually something that can be laid out like this. I really believe that ‘tidying up’ is healing, that having your house clean and well-organized is good for you body and mind, and that throwing things that you do not essentially need in life is a way to live light and healthy. I thought I was simply being a tidy freak, but no, being tidy is extremely essential to be happy in life.

Marie Kondo also teaches us about many techniques on how to store our items at home, including how to fold our clothes and socks. For example, she suggests to fold and keep our t-shirts vertically so that we can see our clothes better, therefore allows us to be fully aware on all the clothes we own – and ‘throw away’ the ones we no longer need or hardly wear. Keeping clothes this way is also more space-efficient, and reduces the amount of wrinkles on the fabric.

As for socks, Marie suggests to fold or roll them instead of balling them up. In her words; “if they are folded over, balled up or tied, they are always in a state of tension, their fabric stretched and their elastic pulled”. She believes that even fabric needs a ‘rest’, as funny as that sounds. But it’s true. So here is a better way to keep our socks:

Of course, there are so much more taught inside this book, and trust me, they are life-changing, just as the title suggests. I really recommend you guys to read this book because this book is really useful and happiness does start from a tidy home.

Because I love this book so much, I am giving away 5 (five) books for free. Simply share this blogpost link on your blog or Instagram before May 7th, 2017, and when you do, please use the hashtag #TheLifeChangingMagicOfTidyingUp and mention @bentangpustaka so I can track it. You can include any picture relevant to tidying-up, just make sure you include my blogpost link so that people can read about my book recommendation and hopefully start implementing the magic of tidying-up in their lives too...:)

If you're interested to buy this book instead, you can purchase it here. Muah!:)

Man Vs. Machine

Just wanted to share how different McDonald's is over here in Switzerland hehehe. Instead of their usual bright red, McDonald's brand color here is green. And everything is self-service where you make your orders through a touch-screen. After finalizing your order and making payment via the machine, they will give you a number and a waiter will deliver your food to your table. Interesting, yes? :)

Join My Fashion Branding Online Class!

UP Is Collaborating With Magnum Ice Cream!

Soooo honored and excited to be among the 7 fashion designers to collaborate with one of my favorite ice cream brand ever; Magnum! :)

Starting February 2017, redeem 3 sticks of the new Magnum White Almond ice cream to get a pair of Up limited edition sandals. Yayyyyyyy!

For more info, read here, ladies! :)

Wanna Study Fashion?

I looooove fashion! Aku ngerasa beruntung banget bisa bekerja di sebuah industri yang sangat aku sukai, karena tiap hari aku bawaannya jadi semangat terus untuk bangun and langsung kerja hehehe. Walaupun aku sekarang berkecimpung di dunia fashion sebagai fashion blogger, fashion stylist, dan juga menjadi Creative Director untuk bisnis sepatu, clothing line dan juga brand tas-ku sendiri, aku sebenarnya gak punya background fashion sama sekali. Aku lulusan teknik yang lanjut S2 di bidang Manajemen Bisnis. Tapi semisalnya kalau boleh milih dan masih dikasih kesempatan, aku mauuuu bangeetttt sekolah fashion. Perhaps kalau dulu aku sekolah fashion, aku bisa lebih maju lagi daripada sekarang.

Banyak yang ngira kalau sekolah fashion itu tujuannya hanya satu, yaitu untuk melatih dan mengembangkan para fashion designer. Jadi, dipikirnya yang dipelajari di sekolah fashion itu terbatas pada belajar sketsa, menjahit, membuat pola. Padahal, the fashion industry is so much more than that. Di industri fashion, masih banyak profesi yang bisa kita pilih selain sebagai fashion designer, misalnya, sebagai fashion stylist, fotografer fashion, jurnalis / penulis di bidang fashion, para profesional Public Relations (PR) yang spesialisasinya mengerjakan fashion brands, atau sebagai pengusaha fashion retail alias membuka bisnis fashion yang memerlukan pengetahuan yang baik dalam pengembangan brand dan juga marketing.

Supaya kita lebih bisa punya pemahaman yang lebih baik terhadap dunia fashion, kita perlu memilih sekolah fashion yang sesuai dengan kebutuhan kita dan bisa mengakomodir semua kebutuhan ini.

Salah satu sekolah fashion yang bisa kalian pilih adalah The MDIS School of Fashion and Design (SFD) yang berlokasi di Singapore. Tidak hanya memiliki kurikulum yang baik dengan pengajar internasional yang berkualitas, institusi ini juga memiliki koneksi yang luas di industri fashion sehingga mereka bisa membantu para lulusannya untuk mendapatkan pekerjaan yang sesuai nantinya (psssst, in fashion, networking is so important!). Di sekolah ini, siswa akan mendapatkan pembelajaran antara teori dan praktek sehingga siswa dapat melatih diri untuk memahami cara balancing. Toh pasti kamu mau kan desain atau hasil karya kamu terjual! :)

Agar lulusan MDIS juga bisa bersaing di era global saat ini, mereka telah ber-partner secara resmi dengan Nottingham Trent University (UK) yang berada di peringkat ke-5 di “The Guardian University Guide 2017: League Table for Fashion and Textiles”, dan peringkat ke-9 di “The Business of Fashion’s Global Fashion School Ranking for Undergraduate courses in 2016”.

Salah satu karya rancangan Delia Kartika, student of MDIS

Program-program yang tersedia di MDIS School of Fashion and Design meliputi:

• Bachelor of Arts (Hons) Fashion Design
• Bachelor of Arts (Hons) Fashion Marketing and Branding
• Diploma in Fashion Design and Marketing
• Diploma in Fashion Marketing and Communication

Program-program ini adalah 100% course work dimana siswa akan bekerja dengan para profesional di industri fashion dalam sebuah project secara nyata. Diploma course dapat diselesaikan dalam jangka waktu 9 bulan. Institusi ini punya dua fashion design studio untuk siswa merasakan pengalaman secara nyata. Siswa mendapatkan praktikum, project nyata dan melakukan presentasi. Selain itu siswa juga berkesempatan untuk bekerja dengan mitra di industri fashion, pergi ke luar negeri untuk kunjungan lapangan dan mempelajari pasar internasional.

Program Bachelor of Arts (Hons) Fashion Marketing & Branding juga menyediakan magang selama 10 minggu, melalui jaringan perusahaan internasional dan lokal. Selain itu, MDIS juga terdaftar dalam Singapore’s Ministry of Manpower sebagai institusi yang diterima untuk izin pelatihan pekerjaan.

Siswa-siswa di MDIS dapat menikmati fasilitas di areal MDIS meliputi library, gym, bookshop, foodcourt, student hostel and café.

Institut ini juga menyediakan workshops untuk siswa penuh-waktu yang ingin mengembangkan diri lebih lanjut secara personal dan profesional, sehingga para siswa dapat meningkatkan self-confidence, self-motivation, creativity and communication skills yang baik.

Kayak apa sih serunya menjadi siswa MDIS School of Fashion and Design? Yuk intip MDIS Graduation Show 2016 yang diadakan di Singapore Fashion Week bulan Oktober!

For more info, bisa baca-baca lebih lanjut disini yaa! :)              

NYE Look: Go Brown or Blue?

Creating two different looks for New Year's Eve using my Revlon makeup. Which one do you like better, ladies? :)

The Brown Girl..

Products used:

 Revlon ColorStay Skinny Liquid Liner
Revlon Matte Balm
Revlon ColorStay Foundation

Revlon Ultimate All-In-One™ mascara

The Blue Rebel..

Products used:

Revlon ColorStay Foundation

Revlon Ultimate All-In-One™ mascara

Revlon ColorStay (Pencil) Eye Liner

Revlon ColorStay Skinny Liquid Liner
Revlon Ultra HD™ Matte Lipcolor

Happy Under The Sun

Did you know that the sunlight has a lot of healing benefits? :)

Medically, a good amount of exposure under the sun can kill bad bacterias, lower cholesterol levels and blood pressure, increases oxygen content in our blood, and boosts our supply of Vitamin D that is good for our bones.

Emotionally, sunlight enhances our mood and can actually be a cure for depression. Regular sunlight exposure can naturally increase the serotonin levels in our body, making us more active and alert.

Given all these natural benefits, us girls should stop hiding so much under the sun and be "Berani Matahari". I know it can get ultra hot sometimes, but try to embrace its warmth and let the sunlight soak into your skin and feel healthy. After all, nature is the best remedy for our body and mind.

I am not one who runs away from the sun. I just make sure that I use a sun protection so that it filters out the bad effects of extreme sunlight (sinar UV). Otherwise, play under the sun and have fun! And speaking of sun, I just came back from Sumba and boy was it soooo hot. But that did not stop me from enjoying the beauty of Sumba and in fact, our friends and I very much enjoyed lying down on the beach and just chill. I did get darker a  bit after coming back, but a bit of tan can do no harm and will fade over time anyway. You can try L’Oréal Paris UV Perfect Aqua City UV Mist as a way to protect your skin from the danger of the sun. It comes in a spray format that is easy to carry around everyday.

Do you have any stories about the sunlight too? If you do, you can share your story at www.beranimatahari.com and visit the website to know more about how the sun is good for your life.

The Matte & Warm We Love

Look at my new toyssss! Always happy when it comes to lipsticks hehehe. 

Honestly, these are not my usual lipstick colors but I am so up for it! ☺️ These new shades of Revlon Matte Balm called Passionate, Enchanting, Fierce and Fiery are perfect for a subtle daily look. When applied, it feels so warm to the lips, it even tastes and smells like peppermint too.

Its Triple Butter Complex of Shea, Mango, and Coconut Butter Great provides a great moisturizing feel to the lips. The crayon-like format of this product also makes it so fun, very practical to bring inside our bag.

With one time application, the color is already very pigmented. Which one do you think looks best on me? I honestly love them all! :)