Author Archives: Tara

HOW I DEAL WITH HOMESICKNESS

Moving to Vancouver nearly 2 years ago was the first time being away from the nest. It honestly still feels like a dream to be living here. Nearly every kids dream is to live alone and feel as independent as possible, or at least mine was. Don’t get me wrong I do get rushes of intense homesickness. Some days I just crave to be home with the comfort of my family, especially when times get tough. The saying is true, “absence makes the heart grow fonder”. Being away from home has made myself so grateful to have grown up there and appreciate all the beautiful moments with family and friends. The feeling of missing someone, something or a memory can feel so overwhelming and even heartbreaking. It can spiral into the trap of overthinking about other things like “will I ever go home, or is this my new home?”.

The confusion of where you truly belong kicks in, but just take a deep breath and realize where you are now and how much you appreciate your home that will forever be there to visit. Home really isn’t only the place you grew up but where you feel most comfortable! For me, it isn’t so much homesickness for Bali but homesickness for my family. It is possible to feel homesick for people rather than the actual place. It definitely gets hard without any family to fall to here, but I’ve managed to create my own sense of family and warmth living here!


Things I do and things you can do:

  • Call, send a message, or video-call! Honestly, I’ve never been closer to my mom since I’ve moved. We talk as if we’re best friends now. Scheduled calls help especially with time difference. Sometimes we all get too busy but in the end calling always cheers me up when I’m feeling low.
  • Keep in contact with your old friends! My childhood best friend who is still my other half to this day, is someone that will be in my life forever. I stay in contact with her as much as I can and even during our busy times of not talking for a month, we catch up and it’s as if we never stopped talking.
  • Keep an active family chat. This keeps everyone in the loop and up to date with the tea.
  • Send pics! Ask for pics! This makes me feel more present as I can actually visualize home. I always ask for pictures of my pets and my family. I even send pictures of my dinner. I can’t even count how many times I’ve sent food pictures to the chat.
  • Plan a future visit to look forward to. When I planned my Bali trip I was at my happiest state as I knew I’d be seeing my mom and sister. Lately it has been hard with the Pandemic but we are all on the same boat and we all need to support each other.
  • Remember your roots! Cooking Indonesian food, my dad’s recipes, and my favourite childhood meals always reminds me of home. I play the music my dad would blast at home to create a familiar atmosphere. 
  • Make your space as cozy as possible. To me, a home must be a space where I can feel myself, safe and fully comfortable. So decorate, rearrange, clean, do whatever it takes to make your home as cozy as possible!
  • Build a new home. Like myself, you may be planning to start new or to be away from home for a while. Start to build your own life and space of happiness. Accept that this is your new adventure and surround yourself with positive people and energy.

10 MINUTE ROUTINE TO GET YOUR HEART PUMPING

It is so important to stay active and keep your heart healthy especially during such tough times living in a pandemic. Exercise boosts your mood and overall health! Here is a quick workout routine to get your body moving and feeling strong!

You’ll need:

  • Water (very important)
  • A towel (optional, I usually let the sweat just drip!)
  • Energy (make sure you are well fuelled)
  • Very little space (easy to do anywhere!)

The Routine:

  • 30 Seconds Jump Squats
  • 30 Seconds High Knees
  • 30 Seconds Jumping Jacks
  • 30 Seconds Touch Drop Squats
  • 30 Seconds Squat Twists
  • 30 Seconds Squat pulse
  • 30 Second REST

Repeat 3 Times

WHY COMMUNICATION STUDIES?

To be honest, I feel like I never had this one, crazy, amazing skill that would shine light towards my academic path. I was never exactly into science or math, but I feel like I grew up to have just enough skills for each subject and if I didn’t I would teach myself. I’d say I am well rounded, which is why I ended up in the school of Communication as the program reflected me so well.

Before my gap year

I was set on taking some Business course but completely changed my mind after the gap year. I wasn’t ready to jump in right after high school. I picked up a part time job as a content writer for a travel agency and I fell in love. During the gap year my best friend and I also started Defects Official, our very own startup t-shirt brand. This opened my eyes to writing and digital marketing. So, I thought Communication studies would be perfect as I was looking for a mix of writing, culture, the new world of media and art.

As of now

I am loving my major and am honestly still figuring out which direction it will take me. I have taken courses that I didn’t fully enjoy, which only made myself learn and explore other options. This provided a clearer image of where I could see myself going with this degree. Some days I think about how easy it would be to have my mind set on one thing, but this makes life a little more exciting. This goes for every course and major, as you may hate or love it, and from that you can take action and do something about it! Also, I am currently applying to internships with an open mind to different opportunities.

My advice

For anyone confused with picking a major, I simply just trusted my gut. I knew deep down business was not what I wanted and I wasn’t ready to start a new chapter right after high school. I was nervous to take a year off and to get into communications, but I listened to myself and I couldn’t be happier. Everyone is different when it comes to this but don’t be scared to challenge yourself, because in the end you’d much rather be doing what you love. However, for someone open to learning new things and experiencing the dynamic world, communications is the way to go. There is so much opportunity and growth with this degree. There’s a touch of politics, sociology, research, media, technology, democracy, art, pop-culture, philosophy, the list goes on and on!

FROM SEAS TO HILLS

Short Backstory:

During my gap year I had no clue what my next steps were, especially after my father passed away, I expected to completely take a pause on everything. University was the last thing on my mind. I knew for myself and my father, I had to “get out there” as he always said. So, I stepped out of my comfort zone, finally made a move, and it was the best thing for me. Change usually doesn’t happen when you’re comfortable, so I made it happen with some motivation and support from loved ones. I moved here not knowing anything, no family, not even knowing when classes would start, how to get around, or where the University was. It was trial and error, exploring and learning, and this made it so much more of a lifetime experience.

Why Seas to Hills?

The name Seas to Hills represents my story of moving from the small island life in Bali to the big life in Vancouver. It was probably one of the scariest and boldest steps I’ve taken so far, yet the best step for me. From living a life by the seas in Indonesia to the hills in Canada, I thought I would share some of my creativity, thoughts, opinions, ideas, stories and love with you.

VIRTUAL PHOTOSHOOT

It is so important to keep yourself creative while social distancing. Tash Serena(my sister) and I have been doing photoshoots and being our own creative directors since we were kids. At such difficult times we managed to find some inspiration and had our first virtual shoot.

We gave this trend a go as it is definitely a solution for many photographers, models and others in the creative industry for the time being.

What you’ll need:

  • A device: Any smartphone, tablet, laptop, desktop computer that works with video calls should work just fine. I used my laptop as I personally felt it was much more stable than leaning a smartphone against a pile of books. I found it a lot easier to adjust the screen as well.
  • Videotelephony software: Skype, Facetime, Zoom, Whatsapp, etc. whatever works best for the model and the photographer. We used zoom. Think of a normal video call on the laptop, I just posed while the photographer (my sister) captured the images directly off the screen using her camera.
  • Set time and date: Plan this out as time difference may interfere. There is a crazy time difference between Bali and Vancouver, so we agreed to shoot at my sisters 9AM Bali time and my 6PM Vancouver time.
  • A photoshoot concept: Inspiration pictures are a good reference during the photoshoot. My sister sent me a whole collection of inspo pictures from Pinterest which made it a whole lot easier to understand angles and the vibe we were trying to achieve. This allowed myself to somewhat take part in being a creative director.
  • Props and any accessories/clothing: I recommend having an organized pile of all the useful props and outfits to save time and avoid messiness. We used my standing mirror, a table lamp for lighting and a few outfit changes.
  • Setting and location: We decided on a bedroom setting, using the bed and simple backgrounds to focus on shadow play and natural lighting.

PREVIEW

My take on it: 

It was different and surprisingly super lively. It is convenient in a way as I was able to see myself pose and fix my angles. It was simple and I felt much more involved with inputting ideas as I was in charge of creating the setting, the placement of the laptop and styling myself. However, the only issue would be that the outcome may show the glare from the screen, but with proper editing and lighting this shouldn’t be an issue.

The outcome:

Captured by: Tash Serena
Model: Tara Serena (Myself)

MY INK

The memory of getting a tattoo, the meaning behind one, the placement of it, the design, it represents a person in such a unique way.

THE ARROW

I got my first tattoo when I was 15 years old for my birthday. A little arrow on my left side rib. The arrow is a simple reminder to always aim forward towards my goals in life.

THE LOTUS

This tattoo holds such a memorable moment of my friends and I getting tattoos spontaneously. The lotus and moon on my upper back symbolizes rising from the dark to radiate into the world.

THE WAVE. THE 9.

I got the wave to symbolize where I grew up, the island of Bali. The number 9 is my dads lucky number and my favourite number so I decided to always have it with me.

THE COORDINATES.

This was my first matching sister tattoo. The coordinates of Indonesia and Canada represents where my parents come from, which represents a part of us.

Love and Light.

My dads handwriting, love and light. This is the most meaningful tattoo I have as it is a reminder of him and his words to always do things from love and that light and happiness will always be found.

TEST SHOOT

I was 15 when I captured these images and I thought I would share them with you. I used an Olympus Pen EPL1, a small yet very powerful camera. After this test shoot I really enjoyed being a little creative director and picked up some fun projects after.

I went along with the energy of the model and picked up a simple yet edgy touch, so I figured a grainy black and white approach would be perfect. I captured the images with dim lighting and let the intense flash work its magic. I was happy with the outcome, as it turned out organic with a late night ambience.

I styled my model with a plain black dress under an oversized men’s formal blazer, with a pair of grungy black boots topped with an old pilot’s hat. Her classy-rebel look shares a hint of the models personality. This is something I enjoyed from this experience, as not only did I take the pictures, but I was in charge of the styling and directing the atmosphere and energy. This was so exciting to me as I only wanted to play around and bring all my ideas to life.

 Model: Tash Serena
Photographer/ Creative Director: Myself