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In the Middle of Everything
What if time only repeats itself yesterday, tomorrow, and forever?
I hope she finally decides it is enough to restrain herself and start to write the novella about an overly realistic woman
Every time she is in contact with her natural range, she screams
After that, she will be ashamed of her action, shuts her mouth, jumps rope
She is definitely the cooler version rather than the people-pleaser version of me
My parents never speak of love, fun, passion, and always ask for a payback
She does not have parents, one day she popped under a banyan tree and picked herself up
In “Ice Lemon Tea” a woman spends hours questioning herself about how she ended up doing multiple roles, and realizes that she won’t have the energy to be committed to any of them anymore. She ends her rumination by taking a cute selfie on her phone. The narrator in “So Tired Of Being Easily Sick” thinks she has already implemented a generally accepted healthy lifestyle and deserves a certain level of fitness, but still, time and gravitation are more robust in terms of execution. “Mood Tracker” takes a peek at the excessive daily journal of someone who is going through high and low, and how trivial things such as an overpriced linen spray and an exaggerated to-do list push her to get through day by day.
This book is a collection of stories, narrative poetry, untitled pieces, and drawings that collectively depart from an attempt to portray how the opposite is also true. The characters (mostly female) exist and cope in the middle of past, present, future / surviving, existing, living / attachment, detachment, non-attachment / logic, emotion, ethics / abstract, negative, concrete and so on, but it’s all very casual. Even sandwiched between the possibility of becoming a perfected version of themselves or completely losing their identities, some of the characters still manage to maintain the ability to laugh at themselves, to prepare a weekly meal plan, to get obsessed with spreadsheets, and to grow a social media presence.
I hope she finally decides it is enough to restrain herself and start to write the novella about an overly realistic woman
Every time she is in contact with her natural range, she screams
After that, she will be ashamed of her action, shuts her mouth, jumps rope
She is definitely the cooler version rather than the people-pleaser version of me
My parents never speak of love, fun, passion, and always ask for a payback
She does not have parents, one day she popped under a banyan tree and picked herself up
In “Ice Lemon Tea” a woman spends hours questioning herself about how she ended up doing multiple roles, and realizes that she won’t have the energy to be committed to any of them anymore. She ends her rumination by taking a cute selfie on her phone. The narrator in “So Tired Of Being Easily Sick” thinks she has already implemented a generally accepted healthy lifestyle and deserves a certain level of fitness, but still, time and gravitation are more robust in terms of execution. “Mood Tracker” takes a peek at the excessive daily journal of someone who is going through high and low, and how trivial things such as an overpriced linen spray and an exaggerated to-do list push her to get through day by day.
This book is a collection of stories, narrative poetry, untitled pieces, and drawings that collectively depart from an attempt to portray how the opposite is also true. The characters (mostly female) exist and cope in the middle of past, present, future / surviving, existing, living / attachment, detachment, non-attachment / logic, emotion, ethics / abstract, negative, concrete and so on, but it’s all very casual. Even sandwiched between the possibility of becoming a perfected version of themselves or completely losing their identities, some of the characters still manage to maintain the ability to laugh at themselves, to prepare a weekly meal plan, to get obsessed with spreadsheets, and to grow a social media presence.
184 pages, Paperback
Published February 1, 2023
14 people are currently reading
75 people want to read
About the author
Lala Bohang
13 books188 followersLala Bohang lahir di Makassar dan merupakan lulusan jurusan Arsitektur Universitas Parahyangan yang bekerja sebagai perupa, penulis, dan kurator untuk label buku Pear Press. Sejak tahun 2009 ia telah berpartisipasi pada beberapa pameran kelompok di dalam dan luar negeri. Tahun 2016 Lala mulai mempublikasikan buku trilogi berjudul The Book of Forbidden Feelings (2016), The Book of Invisible Questions (2017), dan The Book of Imaginary Beliefs (2019).
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
March 25, 2023
Ketika isi kepalamu ruwet dan keadaan sekelilingmu juga ruwet, apa yang kamu lakukan?
Stay in the middle 🎶
(ini bukan lirik lagu NewJeans)
Ada sosok perempuan yang mempertanyakan eksistensi dirinya. Bagaimana kehadirannya bisa berdampak untuk sekelilingnya meski isi kepalanya sendiri sedang tidak keruan. Akankah dia harus mempertahankan status quo? Atau lebih baik bersuara dan menjadi beda sendiri?
In The Middle of Everything disajikan Lala dalam bentuk prosa pendek yang lebih mudah aku pahami. Beberapa hal di dalamnya disampaikan tanpa perlu berpikir rumit: bahwa kita seringkali dibuat merasa bersalah akan "being mediocre" oleh kapitalisma.
Kita diperdaya oleh slogan-slogan yang mengatakan kalau leyeh-leyeh itu dosa, nggak peduli bagaimana keras/lemburnya kita bekerja. Nggak salah juga Lala memberi judul salah satu prosanya dengan Escape Generation--karena kita kerap berusaha melarikan diri dari kenyataan yang lebih mengerikan dari mimpi buruk di malam hari.
In The Middle of Everything bisa dijadikan bahan refleksi, sudahkah kita mengamati diri secara perlahan & membiarkannya "berantakan"?
Bagiku, apa yang ditulis Lala jadi semacam pengingat. Okelah aku memang sedang berjeda dari kerja penuh-waktu. Namun, bukan berarti aku tengah leha-leha kelimpahan waktu. Ada kalanya aku kelelahan yang nggak jauh berbeda dengan ngelaju Jakarta Selatan - Barat - Selatan.
Dilengkapi dengan ilustrasi gemas dominasi biru khas Lala, mari selami "menjadi biasa" dan "stay in the middle" guna memelihara kewarasan & tuntutan kepada pasar akan hidup yang lebih sehat mental.
Stay in the middle 🎶
(ini bukan lirik lagu NewJeans)
Ada sosok perempuan yang mempertanyakan eksistensi dirinya. Bagaimana kehadirannya bisa berdampak untuk sekelilingnya meski isi kepalanya sendiri sedang tidak keruan. Akankah dia harus mempertahankan status quo? Atau lebih baik bersuara dan menjadi beda sendiri?
In The Middle of Everything disajikan Lala dalam bentuk prosa pendek yang lebih mudah aku pahami. Beberapa hal di dalamnya disampaikan tanpa perlu berpikir rumit: bahwa kita seringkali dibuat merasa bersalah akan "being mediocre" oleh kapitalisma.
Kita diperdaya oleh slogan-slogan yang mengatakan kalau leyeh-leyeh itu dosa, nggak peduli bagaimana keras/lemburnya kita bekerja. Nggak salah juga Lala memberi judul salah satu prosanya dengan Escape Generation--karena kita kerap berusaha melarikan diri dari kenyataan yang lebih mengerikan dari mimpi buruk di malam hari.
In The Middle of Everything bisa dijadikan bahan refleksi, sudahkah kita mengamati diri secara perlahan & membiarkannya "berantakan"?
Bagiku, apa yang ditulis Lala jadi semacam pengingat. Okelah aku memang sedang berjeda dari kerja penuh-waktu. Namun, bukan berarti aku tengah leha-leha kelimpahan waktu. Ada kalanya aku kelelahan yang nggak jauh berbeda dengan ngelaju Jakarta Selatan - Barat - Selatan.
Dilengkapi dengan ilustrasi gemas dominasi biru khas Lala, mari selami "menjadi biasa" dan "stay in the middle" guna memelihara kewarasan & tuntutan kepada pasar akan hidup yang lebih sehat mental.
July 5, 2023
To: all the first-born daughter out there, this book will tell about your journey, mostly. Worth the pain.
June 3, 2023
"I might crown myself the greatest villain in my own story because I am too lazy to become a villain in someone else's story."
Pinjam buku ini di Perpus Jakarta hehe senangnya!!!
Isinya semacam keresahan demi keresahan yang penulis alami, yang sedikit banyak kita pun pernah merasakannya, jadi saat baca ini merasa relate~
Pinjam buku ini di Perpus Jakarta hehe senangnya!!!
Isinya semacam keresahan demi keresahan yang penulis alami, yang sedikit banyak kita pun pernah merasakannya, jadi saat baca ini merasa relate~
April 24, 2023
This book is a collection of proses, short stories, essays and poems. Told from the first or third person perspective, it explores the many struggles and life crises that young women (their 20s and 30s) experience in their daily lives. As a young woman in my late twenties, I can highly relate with the problems and mental issues depicted here: dealing with toxic relationships, the absurdity of the ideals advertised in social media and modern, capitalistic/consumerism society, navigating the high pressure at work and personal life, social anxiety and insecurity, etc.
While I appreciate Bohang's inventiveness in her page design and visual language (I love the explorative typography and illustrations!), but narrative-wise, I feel most of her stories are quite repetitive since they're told in a very similar format, delve into the same themes, and all share the same tone and voice. It made the whole reading experience feel like I'm re-reading the same story all over again.
While I appreciate Bohang's inventiveness in her page design and visual language (I love the explorative typography and illustrations!), but narrative-wise, I feel most of her stories are quite repetitive since they're told in a very similar format, delve into the same themes, and all share the same tone and voice. It made the whole reading experience feel like I'm re-reading the same story all over again.
June 5, 2025
"As long as it does not have long-term consequences."
Buku ini bercerita tentang pengalaman romantis, hubungan dengan orang tua, dan lainnya. Cerita tersebut disuguhkan melalui prosa sampai ilustrasi yang menarik dengan warna biru–khas Lala Bohang–
Aku menyukai bagaimana ia bercerita, meski kalau boleh jujur ada beberapa part yang sulit kupahami. Tapi ketika aku paham maknanya, hatiku berdenyut nyeri. Bahkan ada beberapa cerita yang terasa begitu dekat denganku, sehingga alih-alih membuatku terhibur, aku malah ditarik oleh trauma yang sepertinya sudah lama aku (ingin) lupakan.
Lala Bohang seolah mau mengingatkan bahwa hidup yang biasa saja itu tidak apa (ini yang aku tangkap, ya). Tidak semua harus "What's next?"
Ada beberapa cerita yang masih membekas di kepalaku; Brief Moment to Remember, Iced Lemon Tea, Once Upon in Performative House, The Four Phases of Everything. Mungkin karena dekat? Atau karena menarik ceritanya, hehe
Buku ini bercerita tentang pengalaman romantis, hubungan dengan orang tua, dan lainnya. Cerita tersebut disuguhkan melalui prosa sampai ilustrasi yang menarik dengan warna biru–khas Lala Bohang–
Aku menyukai bagaimana ia bercerita, meski kalau boleh jujur ada beberapa part yang sulit kupahami. Tapi ketika aku paham maknanya, hatiku berdenyut nyeri. Bahkan ada beberapa cerita yang terasa begitu dekat denganku, sehingga alih-alih membuatku terhibur, aku malah ditarik oleh trauma yang sepertinya sudah lama aku (ingin) lupakan.
Lala Bohang seolah mau mengingatkan bahwa hidup yang biasa saja itu tidak apa (ini yang aku tangkap, ya). Tidak semua harus "What's next?"
Ada beberapa cerita yang masih membekas di kepalaku; Brief Moment to Remember, Iced Lemon Tea, Once Upon in Performative House, The Four Phases of Everything. Mungkin karena dekat? Atau karena menarik ceritanya, hehe
July 22, 2023
Meresapi setiap kalimatnya dengah hati-hati.
Terus banyak part yg "aaah!" ketawa-ketawa miris.
Ada beberapa hal yang juga disimpan sendiri, ternyata bisa terwakilkan.
Kalau intepretasiku bener ya😂
Terus banyak part yg "aaah!" ketawa-ketawa miris.
Ada beberapa hal yang juga disimpan sendiri, ternyata bisa terwakilkan.
Kalau intepretasiku bener ya😂
January 26, 2024
almost every piece of this book is gutwrenching but this book is like voicing out my repressed thoughts. this book also reminds me to be more mindful about what i do, taking everything in while not taking it all in at the same time. what a masterpiece
June 16, 2023
Isi buku ini sangat berhubungan dengan pengalaman personalku. Cara-cara memandang keseharian yang unik membuat aku berdecak "yajugaya", setiap kali. Aku suka! Apalagi kaya dengan ilustrasi yang apik.
July 24, 2023
Reading these essays feels like reading my own self but with the better explanation. The questions, the anger, the unmotivated feeling, almost everything.
November 3, 2023
3.5 out of 5 stars
February 15, 2025
Love this book so much. This book has accompanied my healing journey, teaching me to "aggressively love myself," discover who I truly am, and become a new version of myself.
January 19, 2024
Lebih complex dari tulisan-tulisan Lala sebelumnya, tapi tetap menyenangkan, sangat khas Lala Bihang. Cara dia menggambarkan hidup sebagai perempuan, hidup sebagai anak pertama, hiruk-pikuk kehidupa manusia yang selalu ingin mencoba menyeimbangkan semuanya "in the middle of everything", sangat menggambarkan kehidupan generasi saat ini. Chaotic and relatable.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews