Just a Few Steps from Makassar, The Biggest Karsts in The World, The Ocean on The Mainland, and The Butterfly Kingdom

When I got a chance to Makassar, my friend told me to visit Rammang-rammang, located not too far from the Sultan Hassanudin Airport in Maros.
I started my trip by a rented car (the price was Rp 350k for full day), the trip took about 1 hour to the dock near Bosawa Cement Factory. From the dock, I continued my trip by a small boat (Rp 100k for round trip).

Rammang-rammang actually is one of the largest karsts in the world (some sources said it's the second largest, some said it's the third). Rammang-rammang itself means clouds/fogs, named because the clouds and fogs that come every morning. The river, the caves, the karsts, the paddy field, all in one place makes rammang-rammang a beautiful destination you must visit.

The dock to rammang-rammang

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A traditional house at the river bank of Rammang-rammang

From Rammang-rammang, I continued my trip to Leang-leang. Leang-leang is a South Sulawesi native language  for holes, maybe because this area has lot of caves (holes). This place is beautiful, the guide (who was using a policeman suit) said that this area was once an ocean, as proven by the ancient corals and lot of shells (which mostly we can found on the ground). We can also found ancient painting inside the cave, there were hand print of primordial man aged 8000 years ago. If you have enough time, you may also want to visit the other caves located farther from the main area. One of the caves has a painting from 45000 years ago. The guide told me that it could be one of the oldest cave painting in the world.

These rock-like things were actualy  ancient corals

Hand stamp and wild boar painting from about 8000 years ago

My last destination was Bantimurung, The Butterfly Park. This place is famous for its various kind of butterflies living in the park, especially when you visit it on dry season. The guide said it will be great if you wear red colored clothes, which attracts butterflies more. There is also a cave which once used by one of the King of Celebes in the ancient times. I didn't get to take lot of pictures here, since my battery was drained out and I don't have much time.

The story about two friends

The girl has a friend
Their friendship is so strong like it will never end

Her friend is a boy
Who always gave her lot of joy
Whom she first shared her favorite toy

They grew up together
and filled their live full of laughter

But one day the boy's heart fall
to a student he met at the student hall

Suddenly there came a strong wall
divided the girl and her closest pal
no more call
or text at all

The girl want to ask why

but the only thing she could do is cry

After all

he is still her best pal

the one who make her hearts fall

the first she want to call

though now he does not care at all

#notatruestory #sorryforbadgrammar

Jangan Dibaca, Tulisan Ini Hoax!

Berkembangnya teknologi komunikasi membuat mengirim pesan menjadi lebih cepat, murah, dan mudah. Sayangnya hal ini membuat banyak oknum-oknum yang memanfaatkannya untuk menyebarkan berita hoax, palsu, kontroversial, yang menimbulkan keresahan pembacanya.

Tidak jarang berita atau pesan tersebut bersifat menjatuhkan nama baik orang lain, atau menjelekkan produk-produk tertentu. Si Oknum dengan lihainya mencatut nama orang terkenal atau lembaga besar supaya lebih meyakinkan. Dan benar saja, dalam waktu sebentar pesan tersebut dibaca dan dibagikan lagi oleh orang-orang yang menelan bulat-bulat isi pesan tersebut.

Tak jarang yang ikut menyebarkan dan percaya itu orang-orang berpendidikan dan dari kalangan akademisi. Nah, kalau orang-orang yang harusnya bisa lebih kritis saja meyakini begitu isi pesan meresahkan yang belum tentu kebenerannya, bagaimana dengan orang lain?

Apa sulitnya sih mencari info terkait kebenaran sebuah pesan? di zaman canggih seperti sekarang ini dengan mudahnya kita dapat membaca jurnal atau berita. Kalau ada pesan meragukan terkait kehalalan suatu produk, sekarang kita bisa cek loh via aplikasi Halal MUI. Kalau meragukan keamanan produk, cek di website Badan POM. Semua bisa asal ada kemauan, jangan sampai kita dengan mudahnya percaya, dan bahkan menyebarkan informasi hoax yang menyesatkan. Mungkin maksudnya baik, supaya orang lain juga mendapat informasi terkait produk-produk 'berbahaya,' tapi jangan sampai niatan baik tersebut malah membuat kita merugikan orang lain. Kuncinya mudah, perbanyak membaca dan berpikir kritis!

Mengurus SIM Hilang di Daan Mogot: Ketika SIM dan KTP Beda Kota

Akhir bulan lalu saya kehilangan dompet yang berisi kartu-kartu penting termasuk E-KTP dan SIM. Padahal E-KTP sudah berlaku seumur hidup dan SIM juga baru saja saya perpanjang di bulan April lalu. Mau tidak mau saya harus mengurus ulang kartu-kartu itu. Nah berikut langkah-langkah yang saya lakukan:

Mengurus surat kehilangan ke Polisi setempat
Saya mendapatkan 3 surat asli yang dapat saya gunakan untuk mengurus KTP, SIM, juga mengaktifkan kartu-kartu lain yang hilang. Surat ini hanya berlaku selama 21 hari, jadi kalau mengurus kartu-kartu penting yang hilang melewati 21 hari, kita harus mengajukan surat kehilangan baru.

Mengurus E-KTP di kecamatan, (bawa KK, surat kehilangan, surat pengantar RT, RW dan Kelurahan).
Mengurus E-KTP di Kecamatan tempat saya tinggal harus datang dari pagi2 sekali untuk ambil nomor antrian. Dalam 1 hari hanya ada 150 antrian, saya yang datang di jam 7 dapat nomor ke 134.
Saat sampai di depan meja petugas, saya hanya diminta konfirmasi data, tanpa foto lagi, dan diberi formulir untuk pengambilan E-KTP di bulan Januari 2017 karena blanko nya habis.

Mengurus SIM di Daan Mogot, kebetulan KTP saya Bogor, tapi bulan April lalu saya memperpanjang SIM di Gandaria City, dan mendapatkan SIM Jakarta. Saya lantas diminta mengurus SIM yang hilang di Daan Mogot, Jakarta Barat oleh petugas polisi di Gandaria City.
Sampai di Daan Mogot, saya mendatangi loket kesehatan, namun petugas di loket mengatakan untuk menanyakan pada polisi piket dulu, karena KTP dan SIM saya yang beda lokasinya. Saat saya tanyakan polisi piket, katanya saya harus urus di Bogor dan cabut berkas dulu di gedung utama.
Waduh!
Datanglah saya ke gedung utama dan bertemu polisi yg bertugas membagikan name tag. Saya ceritakan pada Pak Polisi permasalahan saya, dan beliau menyarankan saya untuk bertanya ke loket 21. Saya curcol lagi ke Pak Polisi 21, Alhamdulillah beliau berkata bahwa dalam kasus saya pengurusan SIM dapat diselesaikan di Daan Mogot.

Nah, berikut langkah-langkah mengurus SIM hilang di Daan Mogot:
1. Bayar biaya tes kesehatan Rp. 25rb. Letak loket tak jauh dari gerbang utama, di kiri jalan,
2. Tes kesehatan (ukur tensi dan tes mata), letak tepat di sebelah loket pembayaran kesehatan.
Saya agak kurang paham faedah dari tes kesehatan ini. Karena seingat saya waktu perpanjang SIM di bulan April lalu tidak ada tes kesehatan, tapi pas SIM hilang kok ada tes kesehatan ya? apakah karena menghilangkan sim diragukan ketajaman mata dan tensi darahnya? SIM hilang = mata sliwer?
3. Lanjut ke gedung utama, ambil name tag dan menuju loket BRI untuk bayar formulir Rp. 80 ribu. Letak loket BRI ada di paling ujung, dengan ATM BRI di depannya
4. Ke Loket 30 yang letaknya persis di sebelah loket BRI, tukarkan kwitansi dengan formulir.
5. Isi formulir, untuk yang bingung ada contoh pengisian formulir dicetak besar di tengah ruangan
6. Naik ke lantai 2, ke ruang arsip untuk legalisir formulir yang sudah kita isi
7. Menyerahkan formulir yang sudah dilegalisir ke loket 21 di lantai 1
8. Ambil foto, sidik jari, dan tanda tangan,
9. Ambil SIM yg sudah jadi di gedung seberang

Tips:
- Datang pagi2. Kemungkinan antrian belum terlalu banyak. Saya sampai di tempat pukul 8.30 dan SIM saya dapat diambil pada pukul 9.30. Sudah termasuk dilempar sana-sini terkait dimanakah saya harus mengurus SIM, Bogor atau Jakarta.
- Siapkan semua fotokopi yang dibutuhkan, jadi sampai di tempat tidak perlu lagi antri fotokopi:
a. Surat keterangan hilang dari polisi
b. KTP. Jika KTP hilang dan belum jadi seperti saya, bawa juga fotokopi tanda terima KTP, dan Kartu Keluarga
c. SIM lama yang hilang
- Bawa Pulpen
- Pakai baju yang rapih, dan untuk yang wanita make-up juga, supaya foto di sim nya gak malu2in hehe. Plus karena background foto berwarna biru kalau bisa jangan pakai baju warna biru juga nanti kesannya baju kita menyatu sama background :P

Kesan:
- Pelayanan cepat dan tidak ada pungli, ditambah dengan muter2 menanyakan dimana saya harus mengurus SIM, waktu yang saya habiskan hanya 1 jam saja. Kalau SIM dan KTP saya sama-sama Jakarta, mungkin setengah jam sudah selesai
- Polisinya ramah-ramah.
- Informasi agak simpang siur, dan saya agak bingung mencari loket2nya karena memang ada banyak sekali loket di sana.

And The Mountains Echoed: Another Heartwarming Stories from Khaled Hosseini

Khaled Hosseini was famous for his heartwarming novel The Kite Runner which was adapted to a movie. I had never read Hosseini's novel before, but I remember watching Kite Runner movie when I was in the Junior High and I love it. So when I find his novel was on big sale (the hardcover price was cheaper than the mass-market edition), I bought it without lots of thinking.

So And The Mountains Echoed is a heartwarming and beautiful story about the bond between siblings. What I don't really like is the time in the story which is a bit confusing, and there are lot of characters that make me think, why these persons need to be included in the story? Where are Abdullah and Pari? But the end of the story answered all of my questions.

The story is about Abdullah and his little sister, Pari, who spent their childhood in Kabul, Afganishtan. Abdullah loves Pari so much, she often collected various feathers of birds for her beloved sister, because Pari loved it. Until one day, the destiny separated these two siblings. Pari grew up in Paris did not know that she had a brother, but deep inside her heart she always felt something missing, someone she love, her family, other than her mother. Abdullah then moved to USA and still always thinking about her little sister.

The destiny finally sent Pari back to her brother. While Pari finally acknowledged that she has a brother, her brother remembers nothing. Abdullah's daughter whose name is also Pari, gave Pari a box of feathers from various birds, intended for his beloved missing sister. Pari did not understand what the meaning of the box, but Pari knew that deep inside Abdullah's heart, he always loves her, as her beloved big brother.

Exploring Jakarta with Jakarta Good Guide

I always love exploring cities. Because I think it is very fun to visit city landmarks and interesting spots, see different culture in every places I visited, tasting local food, and discovering "hidden treasures"

I have been living in Jakarta since 2014, tough I went to my parents home in Bogor at the weekend. One of my wishlists while living in Jakarta is exploring this Capital City of Indonesia. And thanks to my friend who introduced me to Jakarta Good Guide, a tour guide organization that will guide you exploring Jakarta by walking!

And it's time for walk. I was asked by H, the Jakarta Good Guide member to meet up at Museum Polri, our walking tour this time was Blok M area. At Museum Polri (or Police Museum) we were guided by the policewoman who looked grumpy but actually funny (wajah galak tapi hati lawak :p).
She was very informative and made the tour around the museum very fun. Since the policewoman cannot speak English (but she can speak Chinese), the foreigner was guided by a member of Jakarta Good Guide

The Statue of Sutarman, the first Head Police of Indonesia, he was so tall almost 200 cm

Quotes from Hoegeng, one of the most honest police in Jakarta:
"It is good to be an important person, but it is more important to be a good person"

Fingerprints, Photo, some information of the first criminal defendants in Indonesia

After Museum Polri, we continued our walk through Mabes Polri (Indonesian Police Headquarter) in front of the Headquarter there is Gajah Mada statue, which has a unique history behind, The face of Gajah Mada actually was taken from Kombes Pol M. Yasin. The statue maker almost meet the deadline to make the statue, but he could not finish becaus he was not sure how Gajah Mada's face should be, then he asked M. Yasin to lend his photo, then voila the statue of Gajah Mada was finished on time with M. Yasin face on it.

The Giant Gajah Mada Statue

We then continued our walk to Al Azhar mosque, then to ASEAN headquarter, our guide also told us the history of the ASEAN making and the current situation of ASEAN agreement, we then went to Martha Tahahu park, who died when she was 17 years old, Martha's father was executed by the dutch, the dutch actually was planned to executed her too, but since she was so young, the dutch let her alive. Martha then lead the army to fight the dutch, but her army was lose, and she was exiled. On the way, on the boat, Martha refused to eat, and died on the way to the island. The dutch then entomb her in the sea with tribute.

Next to Martha Tahahu park there is Blok M area. Blok M is one of the most famous area in Jakarta. In the early 1990s Blok M was the first area where with shopping mall in South Jakarta. Blok M was on of the housing area planned by the dutch. At first there are 19 blocks from A to S for housing area, but now only three left, including Blok M. At Blok M, there are several parks, shopping area, and lot of Japanese restaurants. The Japanese restaurants around Blok M has the original taste from Japan, which makes lot of Japanese visiting this place, and maybe that's why this area was called Little Tokyo. The walking tour actually should finished at Taman Ayodya, the first park with WiFi in Jakarta, but since it was raining. The tour stopped in front of the first 7-eleven in Indonesia which located near SMAN 6 & SMAN 70. The guide also told the stories of those two high school and the interesting places around there.

The tour was interesting and the guide was quite informative. This tour is a good choice if you want to refresh your mind, and refresh your memory (of history, of course). Jakarta Good Guide is a Good Alternative of Exploring Jakarta. Cannot wait for my next trip!

If you wanna join you may check their schedule on their website: https://jakartagoodguide.wordpress.com/ 

At Ayodya Park, went to this place with my new friend from the trip, D. 

Akhir dari Supernova

Akhirnya setelah petualangan panjang masing-masing tokoh utama di seri-seri sebelumnya, sampailah mereka pada suatu titik yang dapat menjelaskan apa peran Kesatria, Puteri, dan Bintang Jatuh? apa pula hubungannya dengan Akar, Petir, Partikel, juga Gelombang?

Mereka akhirnya menyadari bahwa mereka adalah Peretas yang lupa akan perannya, lupa akan tujuannya di dunia ini, dan mereka tidak sendiri, di sekitar mereka juga ada kaum Inflitran dan Savara. Infiltran yang disebut pembebas adalah kaum yang membantu mereka mengingat dan mencapai peran dan tujuannya, sedangkan Savara adalah kaum yang senantiasa berusaha mencegah para Peretas untuk mencapai misinya.

Bodhi alias Akar yang berkalungkan abu jenazah Guru Liong dan Kell bertemu kembali dengan mereka berdua di Elektra Pop. Pertemuan yang membuatnya tidak percaya namun juga membantunya mengetahui perannya sebenarnya sebagai Peretas Kisi.

Elektra alias Petir merasakan hal yang aneh sejak bertemu dengan Bodhi. Ia pun menemui gurunya Bu Sati, yang kemudian mempertemukannya dengan Simon Hardiman. Terapi yang dilakukan Pak Simon pada Elektra ternyata malah membuat Alfa kehilangan sesuatu yang penting.

Zarah alias Partikel bertemu dengan Gio si Peretas Kunci. Berkat bantuan Gio pula Zarah akhirnya mengakhiri pencarian panjang terhadap Firas, ayahnya yang menghilang sejak 12 tahun lalu. Zarah pun memahami mengapa ayahnya meminta ia menjaga Bukit Jambul.

Alfa alias Gelombang akhirnya bertemu Ishtar. Ketika akhirnya Ishtar menyatakan cinta padanya, Alfa pun harus mengambil keputusan yang tidak mudah. Dengan bantuan Mpret dan kekuatan petir Etra, ia pun mengambil keputusan yang ia percaya adalah tujuan hidupnya.

Perjalanan belasan tahun dari buku pertama hingga enam tidak bisa dibilang merupakan perjalanan yang pendek. Pendalaman karakter di buku dua hingga lima membuat buku enam terasa utuh. Cerita yang penuh makna mengingatkan bahwa kita sebagai manusia meskipun diberi kemampuan yang berbeda-beda pada dasarnya memiliki tujuan mulia di dunia, namun terkadang kita lupa akan peran kita. Tujuan hidup yang dicapai dengan keinginan, pengorbanan, dan bantuan orang di sekitar kita.

Matahari: Bintang di Perut Bumi

Di buku ketiga dari tetralogi Bumi dari Tere Liye ini menceritakan petualangan Raib, Seli dan Ali ke Klan Bintang. Karena telah berjanji untuk tidak membuka portal ke dimensi lain melalui Buku Kehidupan, petualangan mereka kali ini menggunakan kapsul canggih buatan si genius Ali menempuh lorong-lorong kuno yang ditemukan Ali berdasarkan informasi di buku-buku digital yang ia dapatkan dari Klan Bulan.

Setelah mengarungi perjalanan yang tidak mudah, tiga sekawan ini akhirnya berhasil sampai ke Klan Bintang. Tidak seperti Klan Bumi, Bulan, dan Matahari yang tinggal di permukaan, meskipun di dimensi yang berbeda, Klan Bintang tinggal di perut bumi.

Di Klan Bintang, mereka bertemu dengan Faar si pewaris kekuatan bulan, Kaar si koki  yang memiliki kekuatan petir, dan juga Meer sang penemu. Di sana mereka dibuat takjub akan hal-hal unik seperti misalnya segala sesuatu yang simetris termasuk nama-nama orang dan kota. Klan Bintang juga memiliki teknologi tingkat tinggi, misalnya saja bubur ilusi yang ketika dimakan rasanya sesuai dengan makanan yang dibayangkan. "Kita yang biasa makan beraneka macam makanan tentunya bisa menikmati bubur ini dengan berbagai rasa, tapi bagaimana dengan mereka yang sejak kecil hanya makan bubur ini? apa rasanya ya?" celetukan Ali yang menimbulkan pertanyaan: kemajuan teknologi memang membuat hidup manusia lebih mudah tapi apakah kita menjadi lebih bahagia? Bahkan Meer sang penemu pun akhirnya mengasingkan diri ke tempat di mana ia bisa bebas berburu dan menikmati alam, karena 'lelah' dengan segala teknologi yang ada.

Namun, tujuan mereka yang awalnya untuk mempelajari pengetahuan dari Klan Bintang harus berbalik setelah sekretaris dewan kota mencuri Buku Kehidupan. Raib, Seli, dan Ali pun dengan dibantu oleh Faar dan Kaar berusaha mengambil kembali Buku Kehidupan tersebut. Naas, mereka tertangkap dan disekap di dalam kubus-kubus penjara di atas magma dengan keamanan tingkat tinggi. Ketika mereka berhasil meloloskan diri dan berniat pulang, Sekretaris Dewan Kota memberitahukan kenyataan yang membuat petualangan mereka tidak berakhir sampai di sini.

Petualangan yang tidak kalah seru dengan buku pertama, Bumi, dan buku kedua, Bulan. Di buku ini Raib dan Seli terus melatih kekuatannya, sedangkan Ali tidak berhenti meneliti dan belajar bahkan menggunakan tubuhnya sendiri sebagai objek penelitian.

Meskipun saya kurang suka dengan gaya tulisan Tere Liye ditambah  salah satu cara mereka berpindah yang menggunakan bubuk pasir dari satu perapian ke perapian lain, yang terasa sangat "Harry Potter." Namun, cerita ini tetap menarik untuk dibaca apalagi tidak banyak novel remaja Indonesia yang mengangkat genre fantasi dengan dunia imajinasi.

My Favorite Online Shopping Websites

Nowadays who never online shop? Tough there are still some people who prefer shopping at store, but we should agree that online shopping is very popular and interesting choice.

And these are my favorite online shopping website:

Book Depository

What?

• This is an online shop based in UK that sells various kind of books, from fiction, comics, health, business, also audio books.

Why?

• Free shipping worldwide including Indonesia without minimum order.
• There is notification option when the price of books in your whist-list are drop.
• Cheaper than other bookstore in Indonesia. I got Harry Potter and The Cursed Child for less than IDR250k, while other bookstores in Indonesia sell it for more than IDR350k

Other info?

• About a month delivery time.
• They send your books separately tough you order it in the same day, no worry they did not use plastic for wrapping :)
• Website Address: www.bookdepository.com

Asos

What?

• Asos is a deprivation of as seen on screen. 
• It is a British online shop website that sells fashion and beauty products. The products are available for women and men.

Why?

• Not only fashion items, they also sell unique items for interior decoration and cute stationery. 
• Free Shipping worldwide with minimum order £20.
• Great packaging even for the cheapest item.

asos packaging

Other info?

• The shipping time is quite fast around 2 weeks to Jakarta
• Website address: www.asos.com

Sociolla

What?

• Indonesian online shop that sells make-up, skin care, body & bath.

Why?

• The price is mostly cheaper than the price in the counter.
• They often offer monthly deals.
• Free shipping for minimum order IDR200k
• There is also beauty box that consist of some beauty items from skin care to make up in small size. You can choose between 3 months, 6 months and 12 months subscriptions. This is ideal for beauty enthusiast who loves to try new products.

Other info?

• Since it is local based, delivery time only take about 1-3 days.
• They also have Beauty Journal section that give you beauty tips and information
• Website address: www.sociolla.com

Tokopedia

What?

• Tokopedia is an e-commerce where everybody can be a seller and open their own online store. So the same product can be sold by not only one seller in various price range. 

Why?

• The design is simple and I think it is easier to choose the product we want to purchase than other e-commerce website
• There is 0% installment option if you pay with credit card
• There is information on how many transaction was successful for each seller along with the seller reputation

Other info?

• Delivery time depends on the seller, I have experienced when I purchased the product at night and received it the next morning, or less than 24 hours!
• Website address: www.tokopedia.com

"I love ordering things online shopping, because when it's arrived, it's like a present from me to me"

Harry Potter and The Cursed Child, a Complementary to The Harry Potter Series

I first read Harry Potter when I was still in the elementary school in the late 1990s. And I think Rowling has bewitched me since then. I had read all the books and watched all the movies. I even bought Harry Potter related things from stationery, stickers, etc. with my savings. You can say I grew up with Harry and his friends. I even decorated my bedroom with Harry Potter pin-up and posters. When the 7th series came out, I beg my mom to buy one for me, that day she was in India, and lucky me the price was way cheaper there, because Indian government did not taxed books! Not too much for a potterhead isn't it?

Then years after the 7th novel and movie, here come the good news, there is an 8th book of Harry Potter! It is actually a script of Harry Potter play: Harry Potter and The Cursed  Child. Since it is a script, I did not expect much from it, besides there are lot of bad reviews on this. But it turns out to be a beautiful story.

I order this from bookdepository.com the price is cheaper then other book store in Jakarta

The story  is about Albus Severus Potter who is a Slytherin and become a best friend with Scorpius Malfoy. The story takes 19 years after the battle of Hogwarts, when Harry, Hermione, and Ron are all grown up. In this story, Albus and Scorpius traveled to the past to save Cedric Diggory. Albus insistly wanted to save Cedric to show  that he is great enough to be Harry Potter's son. After turned back time, he did save Cedric but it turns out that the present changes and that just not what he want. He turned back time again, but things became more complicated.

I love the friendship bond between Scorpius and Albus, it is just as beautiful as Harry's with Ron and Hermione. This story also tells us that we cannot achieve everything we want, everything needs a sacrifice, and if we did not have a courage to sacrifice, things could be different and may not as beautiful as the present.

In this story we also saw how Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Draco are all become adults, but they still make mistakes, and they are still themselves and they are still loved by their families and friends.

A true potterhead surely need to read this.

Menikmati Sejarah melalui Tetralogi Pulau Buru

Tetralogi Pulau Buru merupakan salah satu novel Indonesia paling terkenal. Penulisnya, Pramoedya Ananta Toer bahkan hampir mendapatkan nobel dari karyanya yang kaya isi ini. Tetralogi ini terdiri dari Bumi Manusia, Anak Semua Bangsa, Jejak Langkah, dan Rumah Kaca. Tiga buku pertama ditulis dari sudut pandang Raden Mas Minke, seorang anak dari Bupati Bojonegoro, sedangkan buku keempat ditulis dari sudut Pangemanann dengan dua huruf n.

Raden Mas Minke memiliki nama asli T.A.S (alias Tirto Adi Suryo yang didaulat sebagai bapak pers nasional). Minke sendiri merupakan pelesetan dari kata Monkey. Roman ini menceritakan bagaimana Minke bertemu dan belajar dari banyak orang, ia belajar dari Nyai Ontosoroh, yang merupakan gundiknya Tuan Millema. Nyai Ontosoroh yang dipicu oleh amarah karena 'dijual' oleh ayahnya di masa sangat belia berhasil menunjukkan bahwa wanita jawa bukan hanya sekedar hiasan dan pemuas nafsu pria belaka. Minke pun jatuh cinta dengan anak Nyai Ontosoroh, Annalies Millema, si bunga akhir zaman. Kisah romansa yang berakhir dengan kepedihan, karena Annalies 'dipaksa' pergi ke Belanda dan akhirnya menutup ajalnya di sana.

Berpisah dengan Annalies Minke pindah ke Betawi untuk sekolah kedokteran, saat mulai bersekolah ia diminta untuk melepas sepatu yang katanya adalah pakaian Eropa! Dokter Jawa tidak diperkenankan memakai sepatu. Saat bersekolah itu pula Minke bertemu dengan seorang keturunan tionghoa bernama Ang San Mei, yang kurus kering dan merupakan seorang imigran gelap. Minke sendiri tidak yakin bahwa Ang San Mei adalah nama aslinya, tapi ia tetap menikahinya. Lagi-lagi Minke harus berpisah dengan wanita kekasihnya. Ang San Mei meninggal dalam sakit dan berpesan agar Minke menjadi dokter. Namun, pada akhirnya Minke berhenti dari sekolah kedokteran dan mulai menerbitkan koran Medan.

Medan menjadi terkenal karena Medan merupakan koran pertama yang ditulis dalam bahasa Melayu. Keputusan Minke memilih melayu banyak dipertanyakan. Tapi Minke tetap yakin, karena Hindia bukan hanya Jawa katanya. Medan yang semakin berkembang diiringi pula dengan perkembangan organisasi, Minke pun turut mendirikan Syarikat, dan menikah lagi dengan Prinses Kasiruta. Seorang wanita yang ternyata berani menarik pelatuk ke arah musuh-musuh Minke.

Gerakan Minke yang kelewat berani membuat Gubermen memerintahkan Pangemanan (yang setelah belajar di Prancis menambahkan satu huruf n di belakang namanya, agar dapat diucapkan dengan mudah oleh orang-orang Prancis) untuk menangkap Minke. Pangemanann terkejut dengan perintah itu, ia sendiri adalah penganggum Minke, tapi ia lebih takut kehilangan kedudukan. Jadi lah ia si pengkhianat hati nuraninya sendiri.

Namun, setelah ditangkapnya Minke, Pangemanann terus dihadapi orang-orang yang menimbulkan gejolak pada gubermen, seperti Siti Soendari. Seorang wanita yang dibesarkan oleh ayahandanya seorang, berjuang dengan caranya sendiri, dan hampir-hampir berakhir nasibnya seperti si gadis Jepara.

Setelah Minke kembali dari tempat pembuangannya di Ambon, Pangemanann tetap bertugas mengawasinya bahkan sampai akhir hayatnya. Pangemanann menjadi saksi bagaimana sang guru tetap terpenjara dalam kemerdekaannya. Tapi Minke juga lah yang menyadarkannya kalau batinnya sendiri yang terpenjara karena ia lebih memilih menyelamatkan jabatannya daripada tanah airnya.

Tetralogi ini merupakan salah satu roman sejarah yang paling menggugah. Roman ini juga mengajarkan banyak hal, dari sini kita belajar bahwa pada akhir-akhir zaman penjajahan kompeni, bukan tombak beracun dan peluru yang banyak berperan melawan kompeni, tapi pena dan kertas lah yang membuat kompeni kehilangan nyali.

"Ia pernah mengatakan pada salah seorang temannya: orang boleh pandai setinggi langit, tapi selama ia tidak menulis, ia akan hilang di dalam masyarakat dan sejarah"

"menulis adalah bekerja untuk keabadian" kata si gadis Jepara seperti dikutip oleh Tuan Pangemanann

Celebrating My May Birthday at Malaysia

During  May long holiday I went to Kuala Lumpur, to handle some sort of businesses while also celebrating my birthday!

The last time I went to Kuala Lumpur I did not get to visit lot of places since I went there with high school kid from UK and she only want to watch movie and sip a coffee in a coffee shop. And she always asked me to go with her. But it's okay, because at that time the movie theater in Indonesia blocked all foreign movies.

Then, because I did not get to visit a lot places, on my May trip this year, I tried to visit as much as possible, (tough there are lot places that I could not visit because my main purpose to visit Malaysia was not travelling). Here are some of my favorites:

Kuala Lumpur Bird Park

The Kuala Lumpur Bird Park is located in Kuala Lumpur, I went there with uber to save time and money. Uber is a cheap alternative if you travel in a group of two or three. The price was a bit cheaper compared to travel with monorail.

There are various types of birds in this park, some were caged, and there were also some birds we can interact with. We can also give food to the ostrich and take picture with parrots. 

After saw this picture my friend said, "look even the bird has lover, how about you?"

Bird Park ticket with my date of birth :p

These birds ready to take a pose with you

                                                                          Art Exhibition of Young Malaysian Artists 

I always a big fan of art, and I love to visit art exhibition whenever I have a chance. I like to learn how artists turn their ideas into great art and sometimes unusual form of art. So when I was passing by and saw that there is Young Malaysian Artists Art Exhibition right in front of my eyes, I just cannot left it out. And here are some of my most favorite:

The Human Zoo. With this art, the artist, Khairul Ehsani Sapari, want to questioned his audience whether they realized that they are living in a caged life, a human zoo, where we exchange freedom  for food and welfare.

The Crowded City, the artist tried portrayed the crowded city of Kuala Lumpur. 

Emotion by Muhammad Hafiz Abdul Gapor, the artist used color as a representation of human emotion. I really love the idea that he used both thread and acrylic on canvas.

Shadow by Hafawati Abadin, if you take a closer look it will look amazing.

Indian Wedding Ceremony 

One of my bestie live in KL, so when I got a chance to visit KL, I immediately contacted her so we can hang out together. We decided to meet up at Dataran Merdeka, to watch International Jazz Concert held in that place. Dataran Merdeka or Merdeka Square is located in front of Sultan Abdul Samad building. This is the place where Malaysia first declared their independence from UK. Nowadays, Dataran Merdeka often used to held various kind of events. 

On our way to Dataran Merdeka we found  lot of parade with full of lighting, and people dancing. Yes, I think it was an Indian wedding ceremony held in the street. That was my second time seeing wedding ceremony on the street (the first one was in Edinburgh).

International Jazz Festival

The International Jazz Festival at Dataran Merdeka was fun, and it was free of charge! 

Happy Engagement Day!

You know someone is your best friend when she/he not only know your stories but she/he is a part of your stories. So I have a bestie since junior high who have an a to z love stories. And I witnessed lot of her love stories, while all of my other friends (and me :( ) still swing on uncertainty, she already move on to another lover :P.

And finally she found the one, and she got engaged. I am beyond happy, congratulation dear N! 

Jump for Joy at Jambore

Last July I went to Sahabat Anak Annual Event, Jambore Sahabat Anak, a 2 days event where street kids and volunteer spend 2 days and 1 night in a camp. The event was held in Bumi Perkemahan Ragunan, Jakarta. The 1st day events were workshop, cooking competition, and group performance. Day 2 events were games and story telling.

In this event, I met volunteer from various background, from artist, entrepreneur, even taxi driver. I also met several foreign people who joined this event.

I always happy to meet new people and gain new experience, but JSA was different, not only I feel happy, but it also such a fulfilling experience.

On the first day, when I was helping the instructor in giving her material in health and nutrition, one of the kid (whom I met on the HSA event) called me and said "Hi, we meet again!" I could not believe that they could remember me, when the last time we met was months ago.

I also witnessed how happy these kids were, and how contagious their happiness was. Not only the kids, I also witnessed how sincere their companion was. I was lucky to met those kids and all of the volunteers who joined this event.

This little girl happily lead her team member performed their group cheers. Their happiness was contagious, I just could not stand still and end up jumped around along with the kids. (Could you spot me just behind the leader?). -Photo taken from @samanggarai instagram-

The kids also enjoyed decorating their tents so much. Some of them are talented, they drew well and had creative ideas. At first the committee and the volunteer felt worried because the sky looked cloudy like the rain would come. But the sky seemed understand  and the rain did not come at all. While decorating tents the kids learn teamwork not only with their friends but also with the volunteer, they also learned to share and work on their ideas.

Kids and volunteer helped each other while decorating Sup Konro Tent

While supervising tent decorating, there was a kid who loss her tooth, she panicked and one of the volunteer from Canada told her that she should put her tooth under her pillow, then the tooth fairy will replaced it with a candy. I told the Canadian that she will get nothing for putting her tooth under her pillow, because there is no tooth fairy here in Indonesia, I then tell him that we usually throw away our loss teeth to the roof if we lose the bottom teeth, and throw it to the ground if we lose the upper teeth. The Canadian seemed worried and said "Well, I did not know there is no tooth fairy here."
The kid then asked me "Should I put my tooth under my pillow? or should I throw it to the roof? Will my tooth gone forever?" I replied "Don't worry, your tooth will grow again, just at the same place where you lose your tooth today." The kid then relieved and kept her tooth to be put under her pillow when she went home. I said "You may not get candy", she said "But I just wanna try". I cannot said anything beside "Okay"

On the second day, the kids enjoyed the games so much, they even asked me "Could I just play again? I enjoy it so much" (Thanks to S, who created this fun game!).

The story telling was as much fun, the story teller could imitate lot of voices from kids to animals, I can tell it from the kids face that they enjoy the story telling so much.

The story telling session reminds me when I joined a community development program years ago. I went to all of the ECD (PAUD) facilities around the village to story tell about health and nutrition, I told story with handmade puppet made from paper and I was told that the kids kept asking their teacher everyday when will I ever come back. I wish I had more time kids!

The kids enjoyed the story telling so much

The event was closed with winner announcement, And congratulation to Papeda team for winning the Best Tent!

Two days of JSA has ended, time to say goodbye. Thanks to all the great people (all kakak-kakak and adik-adik) and to M who trapped me in joining HSA and JSA. See you (again)!

Being a Part of Sahabat Anak

I always love kids. So when my friend M, asked me to join him in volunteering with Sahabat Anak (or Child's Best Friend in English) without thinking for too long I said Yes.

Sahabat Anak is non governmental organization with a vision to make the street children to feel that they are all a valuable human being just like everyone else.

My task at first was helping M to create material in one of Sahabat Anak 2016 project: Hari Sahabat Anak (HSA) with major theme Nutrition for Achievement (Gizi untuk Prestasi). This will be a roadshow in some places in Jabodetabek, and other cities in Indonesia, the main target of this project is marginal children and their parents or guardians.Then, I also joined M, and other team from Sahabat Anak, also volunteer from various background to HSA 2016 roadshow. We (together with M, and other friends from nutritional background) teach the children and/or their parents about how nutrition in the food you/your kids eat will help you/them to reach achievement you/they are willing for. The roadshow was starting on April and Ends in June 2016 for Jabodetabek area. It was such a fun and fulfilling experiences. I got to teach people about nutrition which I have studied for several years during my bachelor years. I got lot of thanks form parents after the sharing session. I also met lot of people who just love to share with other people. And  I met lot of kids.

Joined Sahabat Anak roadshow reminds me that sharing is fulfilling, and fun. When you make other people happy, you will also feel their happiness. 

HSA team with kids from Terminal Hujan, Bogor, it was fasting month but they are so full off energy

The parents were discussing about nutritious food before "Sharing Session" at Gambir, Jakarta

Taking a wefie with the volunteer, chef, and speakerat Cijantung, Jakarta

No more space left at Grogol, Jakarta

The super energetic kids from Manggarai took some pics before going home

Teaching kids under the toll bridge

My 1st experience with the parents, kids, and HSA team

Wandering London via Underground

Who doesn't know London and its underground (or tube)?

Underground is one of the famous icons of London. What makes London underground special is every station has its own design related to famous places/stories around the station. Visiting London is incomplete without riding its undergrounds and snap some photos of its underground stations.

And here are some of my favorite underground station:

King's Cross St. Pancras Station

This station is famous, not only because it is the biggest station which also connect to the airport, but for Harry Potter big fans, this is the place where you can find the Platform 9 3/4!

I spend some of my time during my vacation in London to visit King's cross just to visit this 'platform to Hogwarts.' Since the station is quite big, I need to ask the officer to find the place.
"Sir, could you tell me the way to platform 9 3/4?" I asked the officer.
Even asking this question already made me excited.



The officer then showed the way to me and some tourist from eastern Europe (I forgot the country). One of them asked me "Are you also going to the Platform 9 3/4?"
I answered "Yes"
"Let's go together" she said.
I felt like I am a 'New Hogwarts student' already.

When we look a long queue, we knew that we have arrived at the Platform 9 3/4. I took a picture while wearing Gryffindor scarf (even tough I was wearing green clothes)





                                             

Baker Street

As a big fan of Sherlock Holmes, Baker Street No 221b is a must visit. To reach the Sherlock's house, we need to ride the tube to the Baker Street underground. And I did not expect before, that Baker Street underground will be like this. Super excited!

Look at that Sherlock Holmes silhouette!

Mr. Sherlock, The Great Detective

Charing Cross

Charing Cross is also one of my most favorite station. Because why not?

Pretty mural in the wall of Charing Cross Underground Station

Trafalgar Square

Trafalgar Square station is one of the station with the longest aisle. And along the aisle the wall is fully illustrated with histories about Trafalgar.

London Bridge

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The Station Entry

Took a 'wefie' at the entry to the underground station at Piccadily Circus

The Ground Station

Besides of the underground, there are also ground stations which also have pretty designs.

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The train is coming!

Sadly I forgot to took pictures on the way to Greenwich, the Greenwich train is automatic, there is no train drivers who drive the train. I took a seat at the head of the train, to proof that the Londoner said the truth to me. And yes, she was right, nobody drove the train. (#sayanorak)

What I did not expect is, the underground is full of people in the morning and afternoon (at the time people go to and back from work). But not as crowded as Commuter Line in Jakarta.

I will write my other stories while visiting London in my next posts, soon (hopefully). :D