The Risky Journal

The Skyline Two years have passed since I decided to live in Jakarta. I still remember an overly dramatic scene when my family and my closest friends bid me good bye on December 29, 2011 at the Solo Balapan train station. Recalling the scene, I should win an award for that.  I remember that when I was still a sophomore student, I told myself not to go to Jakarta after graduating. But then, after graduation, I realized that my hometown, as much as I love it, had nothing much for me to offer. “What can you do with that degree?” the question I quoted from “500 Days of Summer” really suited me back then. I was, and am, an idealist; I want to have a job that suits my education. After graduating, I  applied for several jobs in Jakarta. I got calls for interviews several times (which made me happy to know that my resume could actually sell me *blaaaah*). Then, I was called for an interview at The Jakarta Post, the most famous English newspaper in the country. ...

First of all … I am a Muslim (not a very devout one, but still I am a Muslim). I don’t believe that Jesus is God’s son because according to Al Ikhlas verse 3 “God neither begets nor is born.” I, however, believe that Jesus ( frequently mentioned in Al Quran as Isa al Masih ) is a messenger of God, just like Abraham and Muhammad (pbuh). I know my Christian friends will not be angry by reading these lines. This is the part where we are different right? If not, then there will be no Christian and Muslim, right? (More diverse more festive; what’s so good about black and white?) Therefore, there lies my ideological foundation of my religion. Up to now, despite various temptations, nothing has succeeded in making me discard that. As Christmas is approaching, the Muslim world is brewing with annual , ongoing , never ending and relentless (I think I am running out of adjectives here [each adjective leads to different stories]) debates about whether Muslims are allowed to extend...

infojkt.com Tak terasa, hampir satu tahun saya mengendarai motor di Jakarta. Pada awalnya, saya bersikukuh tidak mau mengendarai motor di kota ini. Bagaimana tidak? Pada beberapa bulan pertama di kota ini, saya menyaksikan bahwa pengendara motor di kota ini gila. Rambu-rambu dan peraturan lalu lintas yang ada seakan tidak bisa mengatur mereka. Namun pada akhirnya saya menyerah karena saya ternyata membutuhkan sebuah sepeda motor. Pekerjaan saya yang lama menuntut mobilitas yang tinggi dan saya tidak bisa bergantung pada transportasi umum yang ada. Bus Transjakarta yang telah mengantar saya selama 6 bulan pertama di Jakarta semakin tidak bisa diandalakan. Waktu tunggu yang lama, penumpang yang melebihi batas dan jumlah armada, yang menurut hemat saya, masih terbatas membuat saya menyerah untuk bergantung pada Transjakarta. Mulai di pertengahan tahun lalu, saya menjadi seorang pengendara motor. Naik motor di Jakarta itu membuat stress. Begitulah kesan pertama saya ketika pe...

The information about SBY to receive the award as stated in the ACF's web:  http://www.appealofconscience.org/ In other countries, citizens would be pleased and honored if their leaders or president s received an international award to recognize their efforts in promoting peace and tolerance among people of different religions and faiths. But, that is likely to happen in Indonesia. For the last couple of weeks, rights activists throughout the archipelago have been expressing their frustrations of news about President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who will receive the World Statesman Award from the Appeal of Conscience Foundation in the end of May. The foundation, established by Rabbi Arthur Schneier  in 1965, is the place where leaders of all faiths gather to promote peace, tolerance and ethnic conflict resolution. It annually recognizes world leaders who, according to the foundation, have promoted peace, tolerance and conflict resolution.  Past awardees ...

Just want to post this music video :) Feeling like missing my home, family, peaceful little town and friends. I hope I can come home for a while sometimes :)

What are you going to do if you are asked to live in the biggest landfill in Indonesia ? Probably you will reject that request soon enough. But I am glad that I have been “forced” to do that. My colleagues and I were asked by our office to abandon our ordinary live for three days to live inside Bantar Gebang Landfill.   A 30-meter trash mountain really is distinct scenery for me to enjoy on the last Monday. The odor from the stinky trash also made me hard to breathe. Then, I would also have mistaken waters running down the trash mountain as coca cola , if I did not realize that I was in Bantar Gebang Landfill. Later I know that the dark water is called lindi  water - water from piles of waste. Soon enough, I knew that I had no clue at what I was going to face in the next three days. Try to guess what's the grey mountain on the furthest back??  After a couple minutes from trash mountains, my friends and I finally entered a village. It is not an ord...

What a year! That is probably the best opening to start reviewing this year. This year is really like a roller coaster. There are ups and downs here and there throughout 2011. Well, I will not list all of the ups and downs in my life in this post, rather I will only point some events that I will never forget in my whole lifetime. Well below is a reversed list of the events. 5. Finishing Thesis MY HOLY SKRIPSI After one year of struggle, I finally finished my thesis by July 18, 2011. It never occurred in my mind that I would actually finished it this year. I saw my self surrounded by doubts that I could make it. These thoughts lingered in my head in the beginning of this year. What in my head was that I kept on writing this thesis, submitting to my supervisor every week, and doing my best. And somehow, it was just over! Well, to remember that I even wrote posting entitled " Skripsi .. Thesis or Whatsoever You May Call This !!" on May. Well, it is funny now reading th...

You probably wonder why my blog is decorated with snow flakes all over places... It's not that I celebrate Christmas (well Christmas is massively related to snow), but I admit that it has little thing to do with it. I watched latest Glee episode about Christmas and there is the scene that shows snows falling down from the sky. It was so beautiful that made me miss wandering around snow as I did earlier this year. Well I got the chance to enjoy my very first snow in my lifetime in United States. Thanks to US Department of State for granting me SUSI Scholarship. It was really cool when I watched, touched and felt snow for the very first time. It was cold, lol surely it is. A friend of mine even dared to eat it!! Lucky enough he did not get sick for eating it. Now, watching latest Glee episode entitled Extraordinary Merry Christmas brought me back to memorizing those joyful days of walking around the street when snows were falling down from sky, or even walking in the midst o...

I am sorry for neglecting this blog for ages. Some business in the past two months really kept me from updating this blog. Therefore, let me start by posting some lighter posting hahaha ... Well, the past two months were very hectic as I was involved in a recruitment process of becoming a journalist (a journalist to be precisely) in a very well known English newspaper in Indonesia. Thanks God, I was able to make it through. I am leaving Solo by the end of this month, sad, happy, excited, worried, oh well this feeling is indescribable ... Hahaha ... But surely I am going to walk through it. :) During the past two months, I traveled a lot, back and forth Jakarta and Solo (it will be fourteen time by the end of this month). Lucky me, I was still able to have vacation to Dieng Plateau, located in Central Java in October 2011. It was a great trip spent with my great friends. Well, below are some of great pictures taken by a very great photographer " Al Muwafiqi ". Lo...

I don't know why somehow this morning I want to listen to an old song by a now fully grown Indonesian singer - Sherina Munaf. It was a song when I was a child. I loved it back then since I love the melody. But this morning, I just realized how deep this song is.  I am in love with its lyric. I love sherina's sincere voice when she sang this song. And below is my favorite part of the lyiric Mengapa bintang bersinar Mengapa air mengalir Mengapa dunia berputar Lihat segalanya lebih dekat Dan 'kuakan mengerti May be it is related to a writing that is in progress :) Well then, good morning pals ... Don't forget to take a look closer to anything in your life ... and you will understand everything better :)

Yesterday, September 8, 2011 finally i had my graduation ceremony. I am now officially hold the title "Bachelor in English Language and Literature" (although I prefer Bachelor in American Studies hahahahaaa). Shaking hands with pak Rektor UNS (saat maju menerima ijasah sempat ngeblank tiba-tiba teringat mama hhha somehow I just knew that she was also watching  this from above dan juga teringat wulan hiks) I thank all of my friends in English Department 2006 for their supports and companions during my time in ED. I was so relieved to have friends like them. I specially thank my American Studies 2006 class for everything they gave me in the last semesters of my study.

I just spent lebaran's holiday in Bali with my extended family. Yeah, we departed from Solo in September 1, 2011 spending four days there. Well, although I once went to Bali, this time the nuance was so different as I went there with my extended family, not friends. Below are some pictures of my trip :) Please enjoy my narcissism hahahahaaaa.....  Departure Ratna Transport's Bus

Last night, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II was finally released. Knowing nothing whether this movie will be released on time in Indonesia makes me worried. Well... today I will also release my unexposed story during my trip in US!! Hahaha ... You know what, I was lost in Hogwarts !! Yes that's true.  Here the story goes... It was a full fun day... My group and I visited the Islands of Adventure at Universal Studio, Orlando, Florida. Well... the only reason why I chose to visit this place instead of Disney Land was because there is this so called "the Wizarding World of Harry Potter" area hahahaha ...

Well, finally I decide to make a more personal post in my blog (who disagree? you? oh hell yeah... it's my blog). I am about to share my experience working as an LO (Liaison Officer). For three weeks, I experienced new working experience. I worked as an LO for two different international events. I am not trying to act as pro in this field, but I just want to share my experience in case you are interested in the same area. To start, let me explain what an LO is. Liaison Officer is person(s) in charge of international delegations. For example, when there is an international conference which invite many international delegations, there will be LO in charge of each delegates. LO's main duty is to connect delegates to the committee. LO serves as the portal of information to delegates. LO must know the details of the event, including any changes (sudden changes). That is why, LO should always track any recent news regarding the event s/he works in. LO should also know much informa...