A long-overdue hello

 Blogging from Starbucks at an Ibis Hotel in Menteng...

On a Friday at 06:25 PM GMT+7.

It's been almost five years since Instituto Italiano di Cultura stopped their weekly Italian movie screenings. From 2009 to 2019 I never once skipped the screenings. It was every Wednesday first, then probably starting 2012 screenings were held on Friday at 7 PM. So every Friday, even at 5 PM I would already be at either this Starbucks or any of restaurants in Menteng, just near Instituto, sometimes with a laptop in hand. 

I remember these two occasions, in 2012 and 2016 respectively. In the former, I brought my laptop to Starbucks Menteng to work on my postgrad thesis (can't recall whether it was a chapter or a post defence revision), then after that I blogged about Lena Meyer-Landrut. In the latter, I brought my laptop to the same venue to work on my first China publication. After each occasion, I headed to Instituto to watch an Italian movie.

Good times.

It's September 29, 2023. 

After revising my part in an Indonesia-ROK policy recommendation, here I am blogging. Reminiscing. I'm heading home after this. 

Oblivion to befall a Eurovision winner?

Hey guys! I'm really supposed to be working on my defense slides, but I feel like taking a break at the moment. Some of my friends have already got their defense schedule, some have even survived their defense and are officially Masters of Science in Terrorism Studies, but I haven't got my schedule...Here's hoping it's gonna be the last defense day (July 2)!

Anyway, I feel sorry for Lena-Meyer Landrut, winner of the 2010 Eurovision. The gorgeous German hasn't got one single catchy song since "Satelite", which earned her Eurovision win. Two years on and her singles have been boring ones, as follows...



This one is actually not bad, love the old-school Bond feel.



Not bad either, just far less memorable than "Satelite"...



Just can't stand listening until the end!


Lena just needs songs that will do justice to her outstanding vocal. Ones that will catapult her to international fame. Many Eurovision winners, with the exception of those who had already been famous pre-Eurovision, just fell into oblivion after winning. Does that sound familiar?