Iik's Blogspot: A note of my life

Belanja Sehat

2009-03-13T20:37:00.000-07:00

Ada tips sedikit nih yang aku dapatkan dari situs kesehatan http://www.mayoclinic.com/. Tips-nya cukup sederhana dan mudah untuk diikuti.

Untuk membiasakan diri hidup sehat, kita perlu membiasakan diri juga belanja sehat di supermarket. Kadang kan kalo kita lagi belanja tuh..., kecenderungannya kita tergoda tuh untuk beli-beli makanan dan cemilan-cemilan yg menggiurkan seperti coklat, snack, ice cream, roti, kue-kue, dll. Bahkan juga minuman-minuman yang berkadar gula dan sodium tinggi. Nah..., untuk menghindari kebiasaan buruk beli-beli makanan yg gak sehat dan kurang berguna buat tubuh itu, kita perlu tuh mengubah kebiasaan kita dalam berbelanja, dan kita bisa memulainya dengan memperbaiki daftar belanjaan kita. Begini tipsnya:

* Pertama-tama, biasakan untuk selalu menulis buah-buahan dan sayur-sayuran di urutan teratas dari daftar belanjaan kita. Selalu masukkan buah-buahan dan sayur-sayuran ke dalam daftar belanjaan kita sehingga setiap menu masakan yang kita sajikan selalu mengandung keduanya.

* Kedua, selalu simpan makanan sehat dalam kulkas dan lemari makan di rumah. Makanan seperti roti gandum, sereal, daging khas, ikan, sayur-sayuran yang banyak mengandung protein, seperti kacang-kacangan, yogurt, susu rendah lemak, dll bisa menjadi menu santapan pagi atau cemilan kita.

* Terakhir, tentukan dan rancang menu masakan kita untuk seminggu. Cari menu-menu baru di situs-situs kesehatan, seperti di situs Mayo Clinic ini atau lainnya untuk mendapatkan resep-resep masakan sehat. Jangan lupa untuk memasukkan bahan-bahan masakan tersebut ke dalam daftar belanjaan kita.

Dari semuanya yang gak kalah pentingnya lagi nih..., seimbangkan menu masakan kita dengan kegiatan olah raga secara teratur! Jadi begitu kita sedikit tergoda untuk menyantap makanan yang menggiurkan lidah (seperti coklat, ice cream, bakso, mie, dll), kita gak terlalu merasa berdosa dan bisa tetap menikmati makanan ’dosa’ tsb...

Gitu deh kira-kira tipsnya. Mudah kan...? Selamat mencoba ya...!

Loose Four Kilos...?

2009-03-02T00:00:00.000-08:00

Mulai besok, 3 Maret 2009, aku mau mulai lagi program diet aku aaaah… Secara gitu bobotku udah mulai merangkak naik lagi niiih... Kelebihan 3 kilo, sekarang bobotku 54 kilo. Udah kelihatan gemuk juga badanku, terutama di bagian perut, pinggang dan paha, dan pipi... Hi..hi..hi..

Memang sih udah lama banget aku gak giat olah raga lagi. Entah itu jalan kaki pulang kantor, aerobic pagi hari, ataupun latihan beban. Sejak pindah gedung, berhubung lokasinya bertambah deket ke rumah, jarak jalan kaki dari kantor ke tempat angkot jadi lebih deket juga. Kalo aku jalan kaki paling cuma 15 menit ajah... Sedangkan kalo di gedung lama, aku bisa jalan kaki kira-kira 30 menit-an gitu. Lumayan kan perbedaannya?! Selain itu, sejak menghuni gedung baru, aku jadi punya hobi baru yaitu ngemiiiil! Secara AC di kantor dingiiiin banget, trus cateringnya udah paket dengan cemilan, seperti kue lupis, piscok, kwe tiaw, lumpia, martabak, etc. etc. Naaah, kebayang kan tiap hari tiada hari tanpa ngemil!

Tapi, aku dah niatin deh... pokoknya mulai besok, 3 Maret 2009, aku akan menjalankan program dietku lagi. Programnya kira-kira seperti ini:

1) Daily Meals
* Healthy breakfast: oatmeal + milk + buah2an (pisang/apel)
* Snacking pagi: apel/banana + yogurth
* Lunch: menu catering (nasi + lauk + sayur) + buah (pisang/jeruk/papaya)/salad
* Snacking sore: teh hijau + low fat crackers (2 pcs)
* Dinner: home-made salad (veggie or fruit salad) + fruit juice

2) Daily Exercise
* Mon/Wed/Fri morning: 30-minute aerobic exercise at home
* Most of the day (Mon to Fri): walk from home to/from office for 15 minutes
* Tue morning: dumble exercise for 30 minutes
* Tue evening: Yoga at office at 5.30pm for about 30 minutes
* Thurs morning: dumble exercise for 30 minutes
* Sat/Sun: take a rest (walking in the morning)

3) Healthy Menu
* Browsing for healthy menu combinations at Mayo Clinic, Pyramid, All Recipes & FoodFit
* Coba-coba resep sehat baru
* Coba-coba kombinasi juice buah

4) Other program
* Puasa ganti starting March 16th to 20th and March 23rd.

5) Donts
* Kurangi konsumsi coklat
* Kurangi konsumsi kopi & teh tarik
* Kurangi cemilan (menu katering saja, tanpa cemilan)
* Konsumsi bakso & other fatty meals on weekends only!

I plan to loose 4 kgs in 2 months. So by May 1st, my weight will be 50 kg! Wish me luck, guys…!

9000 or 8900...?

2009-02-16T07:26:00.000-08:00

I’m Craving for BB, but confused which one is better, 9000 or 8900?

For the last 3 weeks, I’ve been craving to buy BB. It started when I saw a promo flyer. Now I’m a bit confused which one I choose between Bold and Javelin. Bold, the price is much more expensive than Javeline. It provides more advanced technology than Javelin. The speed is also 10 times faster than Javelin. But in terms of function, it’s pretty much the same for me ‘cause I just need a device that is mobile and stylist… :D

I went and called in some shops to check the price and available promo too. But still haven’t been able to decide which one I should choose. Bold is bigger than Javelin which is more fashionable and fits better for woman. Javelin has softer keyboards too and I like the shape. It’s smaller than Bold. Hayooo, which one guys…? Does anyone have any ideas?

Hello there...!!!

2009-02-07T18:48:00.000-08:00

Dah lama banget nih gak nge'blog'an... Secara lagi norak-noraknya dengan fesbuk... he..he.. Tapi mulai sekarang mau diaktifin lagi ah nge'blog'nya... Mau mulai cari-cari foto bagus dan cerita-cerita menarik untuk dimuat di blog ini.

Sekedar update ajah... Sekarang gedung kantor aku sudah pindah ke Sudirman... lebih deket dari rumah dan transportnya lebih gampang. Kalo naik taxi meternya cuma Rp8,000 sampe kantor. Kalo pulangnya around Rp15.000-an gitu deh. Trus kalo naek angkot Rp2.000 sampe karet, dari situ naek bus Rp2.000 lagi. Total Rp4.000 sekali jalan. Tapi rencananya sih, kalo udah gak musim ujan, aku mau coba jalan kaki aja ke kantornya. Jadi dari rumah naek angkot ke karet, nah dari karet menyusuri Sudirman jalan kaki sampe kantor. It takes about 15 minutes one way. PP 30 menit. Lumayan kan... Selain sehat, irit juga jadinya... Pulang pergi ongkos cuma Rp4.000! he..he.. Asik kan...?!

Nah, di gedung baru ini secara fasilitas dan interior bagus banget. Pokoke keren abis deh! Bener-bener high quality tuh barang-barangnya. Bahkan, denger-denger seluruh karpetnya import dari Inggris dan Amerika semua bow...!!! Wow..., keren or... sedih ya...? He..he.. Trus, ruang trainingnya lebih-lebih lagi, all audio equipment is brought from Singapore, kursi dari Malaysia, carpet dari Inggris, wallpaper dari Amerika, dll. dll. Wah.. wah.. wah.. pokoke hebat deh!

Tapi di lokasi baru ini rada susah ya cari makanan. Ada sih di pinggir-pinggir jalan gitu, ada gado-gado, soto, bakmi, nasi padang, warteg, dll. Tapi kurang nyaman ya tempatnya... rada-rada kotor dan berdebu karena di depannya masih ada gedung yang lagi dibangun, jadi debu2 dan pasir2nya bertebaran ke mana-mana, termasuk ke tempat-tempat makan itu... Nah lho...!!!

Oleh karena itu, akhirnya aku langganan katering ajah deh ama temen kantor yg ibunya memang buka catering. So, setiap hari makanan sudah tersedia di dapur, selain masakannya enak, bersih, murah pula... he..he.. Selain makan siang, ada makanan ringannya juga tuh seperti biji salak, pacar cina, pisang goreng, risoles, lumpia, dll. dll. Enaaak banget...!!!

That's it for now. Nanti nyambung lagi... Ciao...!

After 2 Months Vacuum

2008-12-15T04:21:00.000-08:00

Setelah kurang lebih 2 bulan mangkir dari dunia per-blog-an, akhirnya, diriku kembali lagi. Gak begitu banyak kegiatan sih selama 2 bulan terakhir ini selain daripada kegiatan rutin… yaitu kerja… kerja… dan kerja… He..he.. Bosen gak seeech… Anyway, begitulah adanya. Aku agak-agak kurang gaul sih… Udah males aja ngapa-ngapain pas weekend gitu… Palingan jalan-jalan ke mall, belanja, dan makan-makan ajah, yang gak begitu penting juga sih untuk di-share di blog as they were sooo ordinary.

Anyway, ada beberapa hal sih yang pengen di-update ajah di blog ini. Awal November lalu, aku sempet balik lagi Yogya untuk acara National Leaders Conference… Acaranya berjalan dengan sangat lancar, sesuai rencana. Input yang dikasih oleh para peserta juga memuaskan… Syukur alhamdulillah…

Oh ya, ada satu resto yang menurutku unik banget… Makanannya enak, menunya banyak, interiornya khas desa, tapi memang agak mahal sih, namanya ‘Waroeng Tempo Doeloe’. Selain itu, ada juga resto di pinggir jalan yang makanannya gak kalah okenya, apalagi bebek gorengnya. Nama restonya ‘Cak Koting’.

"Waroeng Tempo Doeloe"

"Cak Koting" Bistro

Trus, awal Desember aku balik lagi ke Yogya untuk acara yang berbeda. Kali ini Dept meeting di Melia Purosani, Yogya. Di sela-sela meeting kita nyempetin berkunjung ke Candi Borobudur. Seru juga sih, udah lama banget since I’ve visited Borobudur long long time ago…

Acara terakhir adalah Prudential Rocks! Itu acara konser untuk tenaga pemasaran yang diadakan di Sentul City Convension Centre tgl. 12 Desember lalu. Ada artis BCL, Ari Laso (the best performance), Di3va, dan Idol Divo. But since we are all narcisistic, all the photos are focused on us... not so-called the celebs... ha..ha..ha..!

"Narcississme"

Trip to Yogyakarta

2008-10-22T00:39:00.000-07:00

Jumat kemaren, tugas ke Yogyakarta untuk survey lokasi buat acara National Leaders Conference bulan depan. Agenda survey:

* lihat dan cek hotel dari mulai ballroom, tipe-tipe kamar, lokasi group photo, lokasi welcoming reception,
sampe lokasi breakfast, lunch & dinner.
* cek alternatif lokasi untuk hosting dinner dari mulai ke Kraton Yogyakarta, Gadri Resto, Sekar Kedaton
Resto, sampe Prambanan.
* cek lokasi pemasangan umbul-umbul dan banner di airport, 2 jalan utama, jalan menuju hotel dan di
lingkungan sekitar hotel.
* cek other facilities such as mosque for praying, malioboro street for shopping, and batik & suvenirs shop

Tim dari Jakarta myself and satu staf dari Panorama Tours. Panorama ini yang ditunjuk untuk mengurus kelancaran ground arrangement para peserta selama conference ini berlangsung nantinya. Dari Yogya ada 1 staf dan 1 staf lagi dari Solo yang ikut survey.

Seru juga sih acara surveynya... secara gitu udah lama banget gak ke Yogyakarta. Terakhir aku ke Yogya mungkin sekitar 3 sampe 5 tahun yang lalu. Tapi Yogya sih tetep aja tuh gak berubah kotanya, tetap alon-alon asal kelakon… Semua serba lambat di Yogyakarta.

Lokasi Conference – Hyatt Regency Yogyakarta. Asli hotelnya keren abis... bagus banget! It’s like a resort rather than a hotel. Ini ada beberapa foto-fotonya.

Welcoming reception – untuk registrasi, pengambilan kunci kamar dan pembagian goodie bags (nice location for relaxing and day dreaming... :D)

Lokasi breakfast, lunch dan dinner – Kemangi Bistro (makanannya biasa aja)

Kamar tipe Garden View (yang paling murah, Cuma US$200 saja bow per malam...)

Pemandangan dari kamar tipe Garden View (emang bagus sih...!)

Kamar tipe Regency Club (gak jauh beda sama Garden View cuma drapes dan fasilitas Regency Clubnya ajah)

Kamar tipe Junior Suite (tempatnya my President Director will be staying... Luas banget bow... Ada living room, bedroom & balcony juga. Cihuy deh...!)

Nah, ini pendopo welcoming reception itu kalo dilihat dari halaman hotel. Bagus banget kan? Di samping kiri dan kanan itu ada semacam candi, nah di situ bisa dibuatkan paket Romantic Dinner untuk pasangan. Keren abis bow...! Kata staf hotelnya, this is where a man proposes his girlfriend. Aduuuuh, jadi pengen... :D

Lokasi group photo dengan latar belakang bangunan hotel yang mirip candi itu. Cantik kan...?

Bogey’s Cafe. Salah satu alternatif tempat untuk hosting the dinner. Lebih cantik kalo malam hari. Latar belakang lapangan golf. Indah banget.

Beberapa contoh dekorasi for the dinner. I think Batik is the perfect decoration.

Pintu masuk ke Ballroom, where the conference will take place most of the time.

Gradi Resto. Ex tempat tinggal Sultan Hamengku Buwono IX yang sekarang dibuka umum sebagai restoran dan museum. It’s really homy dan makanannya enak banget. Khas Yogyakarta. Di Paviliun Gradi Resto ini biasanya ada pertunjukan wayang dan sendra tari juga dan tamu-tamu resto bisa langsung menikmati sambil makan. Di pojok kiri dari pintu masuk juga ada display pembuatan batik tulis.

Menu favorite Sultan Hamengku Buwono IX. Menu ini selalu disajikan di hari ke-40 setiap bulannya. Rasanya enak banget! Apalagi sambel dan ayamnya, nikmate rek...!

Salah satu kamar yang dapat dikunjungi tamu resto tersebut. Kamar ini adalah kamar tidur Sultan Hamengku Buwono IX. All stuffs are antiques.

Sempet ke pendopo Kraton, Sekar Kedaton Resto, dan Prambanan untuk alternatif lokasi dinner. Tapi berhubung I left my camera at the hotel, no pictures were take in those locations.

Selain suvey ke tempat-tempat tersebut, sempat juga mampir ke toko batik Mirota di Malioboro. Beli beberapa bahan batik untuk oleh-oleh dan beberapa baju batik untuk dipake sendiri.

Well, it was a really nice trip to Yogyakarta. Nice hotel, nice service from Panorama, and nice lunch & dinner too. I couldn’t ask for more... Yogya, I’ll be back again next month!

Somethink to think about...

2008-10-15T04:44:00.000-07:00

Just to share what I've got this afternoon from a friend. I hope this story inspires us... Enjoy your reading...

Sometimes you read something and it makes you stop and think... and then you want to share it with everyone you care about. Please read this and share it with the people you love...

"There was a blind girl who hated herself just because she was blind. She hated everyone, except her loving boyfriend. He was always there for her. She said that if she could only see the world, she would marry her boyfriend.

One day, someone donated a pair of eyes to her and then she could see everything, including her boyfriend. Her boyfriend asked her: "Now that you can see the world, will you marry me?" The girl was shocked when she saw that her boyfriend was blind too, and refused to marry him.

Her boyfriend walked away in tears, and later wrote a letter to her saying:

"JUST TAKE CARE OF MY EYES PLEASE."

This is how humans change when their status changes. Only few remember what life was before, and who has always been there in the most painful situations."

I'm Back...!

2008-10-14T03:53:00.000-07:00

I'm back now! After about a month not active writing in my blog. Here I am. Tapi gak tahu juga mau nulis apa. Paling cerita lebaran kemaren kali ya... Nothing special sih about my lebaran day karena dari dulu begitu-begitu aja. Pagi-pagi sholat Ied sekeluarga, dari situ langsung ke rumah kakek, trus langsung balik ke rumah lagi. Nerima para tetamu biasanya para tetangga dekat sekitar rumah sama anak-anak kecil yang pada 'nyawer' ke rumah-rumah. Trus agak siangan dikit, baru deh sodara-sodara pada berdatangan. Sodara dari nyokap dan bokap. Semua tumplek, plek, plek di rumah. Walhasil, rumah terasa penuh sesak deh! Maklum lah rumah kecil begitu. Tapi seru sih karena memang tradisi lebaran di rumah tuh emang kayak begitu, semua sodara pada ngumpulnya di rumah, secar gitu both of my parents are the first child in their family, so all their sisters and brothers are coming in to our house.

Biasanya mereka semua menantikan acara makan ketupat dan semur daging kambing buatan nyokap. Nah, kalo menu yang satu ini emang udah terkenal banget deh! Ketupat dan semur daging kambing buatan nyokap is the best ketupat dan semur daging kambing ever! Semua sodara dan temen-temen dekat yang dateng pasti gak akan afdol kalo gak pake makan ketupat + semur buatan nyokap ini...! Dan selalu aja tiap tahun, ketupat dan semur tsb ludes dalam satu hari itu ajah! Walhasil, kita-kita hanya bisa makan 2 kali aja, pagi dan siang. Malemnya udah kehabisan aja gitu. Tp biasanya sih nyokap suka bikin lagi buat kita-kita... he..he.. kasihan banget deh...!

Lebaran hari ke-2 kita pada kumpul di rumah adik bokap di Tomang. Acaranya silaturrahmi dan makan-makan lagi. Adik bokap yang ini, (kita panggilnya Mama Ida) paling pinter masak. Jenis masakan dan kue apapun dia bisa dan dibuat dengan cara yang berbeda dari orang kebanyakan, baik dari cara masaknya ataupun dari bahan-bahannya. Makanya adikku, Mila, suka belajar masak dari Mama Ida ini. Dari mulai kue nastar, kue keju, macaroni schotel, kue-kue tradisional Betawi, sampe 'bir pletok' (minuman khas masyarakat Betawi) sangat mahir dikuasai Mama Ida ini. Seneng banget bisa belajar dan nyontek resep dari dia, walopun kalo aku sendiri sih gak pernah nyoba... he..he... secara gitu gak punya banyak waktu untuk belajar dan nyoba-nyoba resep dari dia. Mila aja tuh yang rajin 'ngilmu' ke dia. Well, at least ada successor lah di rumah yang bisa mewarisi resep-resep masakannya. ;o)

Basically sih acara lebaranku ya seperti itu deh... For me lebaran is time to gather with family. Literally. Karena hanya pada saat lebaran aja kita pada ketemuan sama semua sodara. Kalo hari-hari lain atau acara-acara lain belum tentu kita bisa ketemu semua sodara karena pasti aja ada yang absen dateng. Well, that's my lebaran day! Everything is as it is. Nothing so special. Nothing so big. Just a regular and simple day with family which means a lot to each of us.

Setetes Embun

2008-09-10T20:28:00.000-07:00

Andrew Moore mengatakan: “Segala sesuatu yang sesuai dengan keinginan kita tampak menjadi sebuah kebenaran, dan yang tidak sesuai akan memicu kemarahan kita.”

Demikian halnya dengan nasihat-nasihat dan kritikan. Umumnya, kita senang dengan pujian dan kita merasa tersanjung mesti pujian itu palsu. Sebaliknya, kita enggan terhadap kritikan dan celaan meski kritik dan celaan itu benar adanya. Ini sebenarnya sebuah aib yang sangat besar dan kesalahan yang fatal.

Dan, apabila mereka dipanggil kepada Allah, dan Rasul-Nya, agar Rasul menghukum (mengadili) di antara mereka, tiba-tiba mereka menolak untuk datang. Tetapi jika keputusan itu untuk (kemaslahatan) mereka, mereka datang kepada Rasul dengan patuh. (QS An-Nur:48-49)

William James mengatakan: ”Saat sampai pada sebuah keputusan untuk dilakukan pada hari itu juga, maka Anda akan terbebas sepenuhnya dari pikiran-pikiran yang akan menguasai diri Anda berkaitan dengan kemungkinan-kemungkinan hasil yang akan Anda capai. Artinya, jika Anda sudah mengambil keputusan yang didasarkan kepada kenyataan, maka lakukanlah dan jangan maju mundur atau punya pikiran yang tidak-tidak. Jangan campakkan diri ke dalam keraguan yang hanya akan melahirkan keraguan yang lebih besar, dan jangan terus mengutak-atik hal-hal yang sudah berlalu.”

Seorang penyair berkata: ”Jika engkau punya ide maka segera satukan tekad untuk melakukannya. Sebab jika rusaknya ide itu karena keraguan semata.”

Keberanian mengambil keputusan akan banyak mendorong untuk melepaskan diri dari depresi, stres dan kesedihan.

Apabila telah tetap perintah perang (mereka tidak menyukainya). Tetapi jikalau mereka benar (imannya) terhadap Allah, niscaya yang demikian itu alan lebih baik bagi mereka. (QS Muhammad:21)

Jangan gusar dengan kritik yang membangun.

(Dikutip dari buku ”La Tahzan” – Al Qarni)

So Immature

2008-08-25T00:23:00.000-07:00

Ternyata gw belum bener-bener mature alias dewasa walaupun low dilihat dari umur, udah dewasa banget kaleee… 37 bow…! Selama ini low gw terbentur masalah, cara yang gw ambil adalah gw langsung aja gitu ‘mutung’ alias give up or brenti di tengah jalan, atau lebih tepatnya ambil jalan pintas. Bukan berusaha untuk menghadapi masalah tersebut dan memperbaikinya sekuat tenaga, eeeh… malah gw cari jalan keluar yang cepet ajah atau malah lari dari masalah tersebut dan gak berupaya untuk mengubah sikap gw yang jelas-jelas salah (tapi waktu itu gw gak sadar low sikap gw salah).

Sekarang gw baru sadar low sikap gw itu bener-bener gak dewasa banget. Gw lebih memilih untuk lari dari masalah daripada berupaya untuk mencari solusi yang paling baik guna memuaskan semua pihak, dan berupaya untuk memperbaikinya. Tapi, mudah-mudahan sih dengan kejadian yang gw alami kemaren ini, gw bisa jadi lebih dewasa ke depannya, dan berani mengambil keputusan yang baik dan memuaskan buat semua pihak.

Sekarang ini gw harus menunjukkan kedewasaan dan keseriusan gw untuk berubah. Gw harus bisa menyakinkan semua pihak low gw dah berubah dan mau menjadi dewasa. Walaupun ada hal-hal yang harus gw tekan serendah-rendahnya, misalnya saja gengsi dan sikap keras kepala gw itu.

Sabar

2008-08-19T08:33:00.001-07:00

Kata orang sabar itu ada batasnya, tapi low menurut gw sih sabar itu tidak ada batasnya ya… Jadi ya harus selamanya tetep sabar, sampe akhir hayat. Maksudnya once gw udah memutuskan sesuatu hal, gw kudu tetap konsisten dan bersabar dalam menjalaninya sampe tujuan itu tercapai or until I take it to the grave.

But then again, it’s better said than done. Gw sadar banget sih emang susah banget low pengen jadi orang yang bener-bener sabar secara ikhlas, apalagi terhadap hal yang menjadi tujuan gw. Pasti banyak deh kendala, cobaan, tangisan, sakit hati, pertentangan, terlebih dari orang-orang terdekat gw yang paling gw sayangi, dan hal-hal lainnya, yang gw temui di sepanjang jalan menuju tujuan gw itu. Tapi low gw bisa (atau tepatnya harus bisa) sabar, tentunya gw yakin gw akan dapat lebih menikmati hasilnya kali yee... Jadi lebih gimanaaaa gitu… Puaaaas banget deh… Apalagi low gw bisa nunjukin low apa yang gw yakini dan keputusan yang gw ambil adalah benar dan orang-orang yang gw sayangi dan cintai melihatnya dan akhirnya mengakuinya… Aduuuh, rasanya itulah kepuasan yang paling gw inginkan…

But I know that there’s a very long long way that I must pass before I can get to the final destination… to prove that I have made the right decision, and that I am strong enough to show everybody that what I believe is right. And I really believe that Allah will help me… and He will always be with me if I keep looking for His merciful and guidance.

Ya Allah, jadikanlah aku termasuk orang-orang yang sabar. Amin.

A Decision to Make

2008-08-13T20:51:00.000-07:00

What do I do to make a good & right decision? Do I have to only listen to my heart alone? Or do I have to use all the facts I have in front of me? Or I just have to combine between those two?

Hmmm…, to tell myself the truth, it’s rather difficult either way. I still can’t make any decision yet until now. There are many things that come to my consideration.

If I want to follow my heart, I would say that I‘m 90% sure. But if I look at the facts, I’m becoming 50% unsure.

All I can do is let Allah Decide for me... I know He would give the best for me...

Ya Allah, please help me…
Take me back to You…
Embrace me…

I need You so much…
I’m hopeless without You…

Show me the answer…
As You are my Guidance…
As You Are The One who Can Save Me…

Ya Allah, please help me…

As You are The Greatest,

You are Excalted in Power,

And You are Wise...

*****

Mengalah itu ternyata susah ya...?

2008-08-11T21:49:00.000-07:00

Aduh… kenapa mengalah itu susah banget ya…? Gw gak rela banget deh rasanya kalo harus mengalah… Pengennya ngotot terus… apalagi kalo gw tahu bahwa sikap gw bener… But, now I realize that sometimes even when I am right, I just have to have a big heart to let someone thinks that they’re the one who is right. And all I can do is accept it with a very big heart.

Tapi tetep… gw masih gak rela untuk mengalah untuk sesuatu yang menurut gw bener…! Aduuuuh, susah banget seeech menghilangkan perasaan kesel dan sedih yang masih tinggal di hati gw ini? Is it just me or it happens to everybody too?

Gak tahu aaah… Gelap...! Pokoknya sekarang ini gw tetep masih gak rela untuk mengalah! ;o(

Le 22 juillet

2008-07-21T19:17:00.000-07:00

Le 22 juillet

C’est mon anniversaire
N y a pas beaucoup d’evenement qui se passe
Y a q’une petite fete avec mon cher ami...

Il faut que je me reflechit…
Ce-que j’avait fait et ce-que je vais faire dans ma vie

Je croit que c’est pas beaucoup
Ca me suffit pas encore…
Il faut que je doive faire beaucoup plus…
Pour que ma vie ne reste toujours de meme

(Mardi, le 22 juillet 2008)

2008-07-19T08:32:00.000-07:00

As the Day Ends
By Ellen Bailey (2000-2003)

As the day ends and the sun goes down
And the sun sheds its last rays of light
I think to myself as I look around
“Have I spent my day living right?”

As the day ends and the sun goes down
I thank the Lord for this day I have owned
And as the night steals in without a sound
I feel His presence and I am not alone

As the day ends and the sun goes down
I count my many shares and blessings
And recall what’s right can be found
In His wonderful teachings and lessons

****

What's on my plate...

2008-07-03T21:50:00.000-07:00

Aduuuh, ampuuuuun DJ…! There are many things to do on my plate, yet so little time I have. Anyway, tetap harus bersyukur karena masih diberi berkah pekerjaan dan kegiatan yang banyak dari Allah SWT. Here what I have to do for the next three weeks in July alone:

Full schedule this weekend: accompany my friend from Saturday to Sunday
Buy some books for gift (a Gramedia, mais ou?)
Buy love pillow for gift (di Ambassador aja kali yah…?)
Pay credit card (di rumah aja Sabtu pagi pake internet banking)
Pay June hand phone bill (Telkomsel)
Packing
City check-in Garuda pagi-pagi aja masih sepi antrinya gak lama (July 6th) --> Iis & Mas Agus nitip juga
Go to Batam from July 7th to 12th --> leaving Jakarta at 11:05am, mo coba naik Damri aahh...
Translate for my PD’s opening speech in Batam (Day 1)
Translate speaker’s session in Batam (Day 2) --> Thank God it’s only one session!
Go to Berastagi, Medan from July 13th to 17th --> leaving Batam at 1220pm (first time fly by Sriwijaya air)
Translate again for my PD’s opening speech in Medan (Day 1)
Translate again speaker’s session in Medan (Day 2)
Go back home July 17th --> arrive in Jakarta at 1245pm
Take one-day off July 18th --> lumayan bisa istirahat 2 hari (Jumat & Sabtu)
Choose bed design sent by Irwan (deadline: 18-July)
Renegotiate kitchen set project with Irwan (deadline: 18-July) --> need to reschedule the project after Lebaran
Check my crib. It must have been a month by then since my last visit (visit schedule: Sunday, July 20th)
Back to office (July 21st)
Mon anniversaire: le 22 juillet (y’a pas qqch speciale, j’ai besoin seulement le temps specials pour une reflexion de soi)
(Again) go to Puncak for mid-year review meeting from July 22nd to 25th
Get prepared for next event in Jakarta (July 31st) and Surabaya (Aug 1st)
Event in Jakarta (July 31st) --> please don't ask me to be a translator anymore... I had enough after Batam & Medan... please... please... ;o(
Event in Surabaya (August 1st) --> please don't assign me to go again... I had enough...!

Yah..., walopun banyak banget yang harus dikerjakan, tetapi aku harus tetep semangat, bersyukur, dan jaga kesehatan dengan istirahat yang cukup, gak stres, makan yang sehat serta olah raga walopun cuma 30 menit per hari. Hi..hi.. itu dia tuh yang sulit...! ;o(

Kata-kata bagus...

2008-06-30T07:00:00.000-07:00

"Saya adalah salah satu di antara begitu banyak orang yang mendapatkan dan menerima hidayah Allah SWT sebagai Tuhannya, Islam sebagai agamanya, dan Muhammad SAW sebagai pembimbing dan rasulnya"

(Muhammad Al Ghazali, 1917 - 1996, teolog dan pendakwah dari Mesir)

Kangen itu masih betah ada di sini...

2008-06-27T17:45:00.000-07:00

Kangen…
Aduh…, kenapa sih kamu masih saja ada di sini?
Kenapa sih kamu betah sekali hinggap di relung hatiku?
Aku sudah gak kuat lagi
Ayo donk, pergi dari sini!
Pergilah ke tempat yang jauh!
Jauhi aku…
Tinggalkan aku…
Hinggaplah di relung hati yang lain
yang menyambutmu dengan gembira
dan sebelum aku tergoda untuk memeluk dan merengkuhmu kembali

Kangen…
Kadang kamu membuatku sedih dan tak berdaya
Tapi sering pula kamu membuatku senang dan tertawa
Bahkan kamu juga pernah membuat aku marah dan kecewa
Tapi aku menikmatinya walau kadang kamu membuat aku lelah
Jujur, aku masih mau… dan mau lagi…

Aah, tapi sudahlah…
Kangen ini mungkin hanya sesaat
Tapi bisa juga kamu di sini untuk waktu lama

Aah, aku bingung denganmu…
Aku nikmati saja keberadaanmu kini
Hingga kamu tidak lagi betah di sini
Hingga kamu menjauh dariku
Hingga kamu pergi meninggalkanku
untuk pindah ke tempat lain
dan hinggap ke hati lain yang mau memelukmu dengan erat…

Kangen…
Jika kamu memang masih betah ada di sini…
Aku biarkan kamu tetap di sini
Hingga suatu saat kamu menghilang
atau bahkan kamu tetap betah ada di sini…

Sore menjelang maghrib
@28 Juni 2008

A Song for Someone...

2008-06-25T19:18:00.000-07:00

Aduuuuh..., kalo denger lagi ini... hatiku langsung rontok dan bertebaran... he..he.. Wuih..., asli begitu denger lagu ini perasaanku bener-bener gak keruan, sedih banget..., patah hati... dan hopeless... Lagu ini bener-bener menggambarkan situasi yang aku alami saat ini ketika seseorang pernah bilang begini: "Ini lagu... bener-bener saya banget..." Maka jadilah, lagu ini sekarang menjadi 'Nata Tunggu' di HP aku... hadiah dari seseorang buat aku... :o(

Cinta Ini Membunuhku (D'Massive)

Kau membuatku berantakan
Kau membuatku tak karuan
Kau membuatku tak berdaya
Kau menolakku... acuhkan diriku...

Bagaimana caranya untuk
Meruntuhkan kerasnya hatimu
Kusadari ku tak sempurna
Ku tak seperti yang kau inginkan...

Reff:
Kau hancurkan aku dengan sikapmu
Tak sadarkah kau telah menyakitiku
Lelah hati ini meyakinkanmu
Cinta ini membunuhku...

For that someone...: One thing for sure that never ever across in my mind, not in once, that I wanted to hurt you in anyway... It's just that I must let you go... If only you know how I'm feeling now... I'm hurt as much as you are... I hope you understand that I just have to let it all go now...

Barack Obama presente ses excuses a deux femmes voilees interdites de s'assoir derriere lui lors d'un meeting

2008-06-20T02:43:00.000-07:00

La nouvelle d'Obama que je veux partager avec vous qui s'interesez de savoir... L'article a ete prise de http://www.yahoo.fr/ publiee par AP au Vendredi le 20 juin 2008.

DETROIT - Barack Obama a présenté ses excuses personnelles à deux musulmanes de la région de Detroit à qui on a interdit de s'asseoir voilées sur l'estrade derrière le candidat démocrate à la présidentielle américaine lors d'un meeting au début de la semaine.

Obama a publié un communiqué dans lequel il déclare "avoir contacté" les deux femmes, Shimaa Abdelfadeel et Hebba Aref.

"J'ai parlé avec Melle Abdelfadeel et présenté mes excuses les plus sincères pour cet incident à l'initiative de volontaires lors de ce meeting à Detroit". "Les actions de ces volontaires sont inacceptables et ne reflètent en rien les actions de ma campagne. Je suis profondément blessé et je continuerai à me battre contre toute discrimination visant un groupe religieux ou d'origine en particulier. Notre campagne vise à rassembler les gens et je sais gré à Mme Abdelfadeel d'avoir accepté nos excuses et j'espère que Melle Aref et quiconque s'est senti offensé accepteront également ces excuses".

Des collaborateurs du sénateur de l'Illinois ont précisé qu'Obama avait laissé un message à Melle Aref.
Mercredi, Hebba Aref avait expliqué que les deux jeunes femmes avaient été invitées par des volontaires à s'asseoir derrière l'estrade lors d'un meeting de Barack Obama au stade Joe-Louis de Detroit. Mais, a ajouté Melle Aref, ces mêmes volontaires ont dit aux deux femmes que les femmes portant un hidjab, le foulard musulman traditionnel, ne pouvaient pas s'asseoir derrière l'estrade et devant les caméras de télévision. AP

The Best Picture

2008-06-09T08:30:00.000-07:00

This is the best picture of my lovely Nadia... She looks sooo beautiful and innocent... With the sunlight that strikes her face make her look even more radiant. The picture was taken a month ago at Pangkor Island on her weekend holiday. Nadia, you know that I love you sooo much, don't you?

Finally... It's Finished... What's Next...?

2008-06-08T23:47:00.000-07:00

My house renovation phase one is finished now. Kitchen, living room, dining room, bathroom, and an inner-court are ready to use now. Some of the pictures taken from my house:

Next step would be kitchen renovation. I have the 3-D design ready now. I contacted Irwan, old friend of mine, to do the kitchen. And this is a picture of my kitchen-would-be:

Nadia is Back Home to KL... :o(

2008-06-04T18:44:00.000-07:00

After spending 10 days here in Jakarta, today Nadia left to airport to go back to KL. Ooooh, I miss you already, my lovely Nadia. She and her mom took a 2pm flight. We dropped them at the airport. Since we heard that there had been some big tidal that had been going on since yesterday, we decided to take Damri there. We were worried that there would be bad traffic and that we had to be asked to take another route which none of us was aware of. Then, Damri it was. But it was fun, and Nadia was enjoying her Damri ride too.

Ten days seem like seconds only for me. I spend one full day with Nadia at Kidzania on Monday. She seemed to enjoy her time at Kidzania. At first, she felt uncomfortable playing all alone without me or Mila accompanying her, but it was the rule. We can only wait outside the playing area and check on her once in awhile. Finally, she started to enjoying her time and activities. She visited bank, learned how to queue at the bank and withdrew some money. She also went to the department store, learned how to make perfume and bracelet.

Then she went shopping for groceries at the supermarket. Had her hair done and put some make up at the saloon. Then she worked as a model at Vita’s Locker and did the fashion show. Since her cash was running out, we asked her to work as a tour leader at Panorama Travel and a cashier at the pharmacy. She was very excited when she got paid 8 Kidzos (that’s the currency at Kidzania world). Having enough money again, she then paid a visit to chocolate, ice cream and noodle factories. And she ended up her day at Kidzania by riding a bus for a city tour. She was really having fun there. And it was a very valuable experience too for her, playing and having knowledge at the same time. She said that she would tell it all to her daddy when she got back.

Oh ya, one funny story to tell too. Nadia always wanted to meet Pak Polisi just to proof that Pak Polisi is nice and friendly, and that she is not afraid of them. Shierly, her cousin is afraid of Pak Polisi actually, that’s why she was obsessed to show and tell her that Pak Polisi is nice and friendly. Finally, after coming with me to my office, at 12pm we went to JaCC to meet my mum that would take her back home from there while I went back to office again. At the entrance, she saw a man that she thought was a police. Well, he was not real police, he was a security guard at JaCC actually who wore a police-like uniform. Then, she waived and smiled while saying "Hello, Pak Polisi!" Then I had an idea. I asked her if she wanted to take picture with him, and she said yes. Then she did. She was very excited… and would tell her story and show the picture to her cousin and everybody else.

Oooooh, Nadia, you are so cute. I miss you already now…

There is Something about Nadia & Bajaj...

2008-05-27T09:54:00.000-07:00

Finally, Nadia is in Jakarta! I’m sooo happy she’s here. She’s my lovely niece. I love her. I miss her sooo very much. Now, she’s here already. They arrived yesterday. I picked them up from the airport. I waited for about 1 hour as my sister misinformed me about their arrival time. They arrived at 4pm and we went straight home.

As usual, if they’re in Jakarta, I will take leave from office as long as they’re here. But now, since my leave balance remains only for 2.5 days so I took half day leave for a week. I go to the office in the morning and go back home in the afternoon.

Today, we went to JaCC buying some groceries at Hypermart. I met Mila, my mum, Nadia & Shierly there at lunch time. We went shopping for a while and went back home after that. We looked for Batik dress for Nadia, but didn’t find the right one. Then we decided to look for it another day.

Going back home, Nadia insisted to take a bajaj. I don’t know why but every time she’s in Jakarta, she always asks us to take her riding a bajaj. She loves bajaj very much and she was very happy when she jumped into the bajaj, waiving, singing, yelling, jumping around, etc. etc. She likes to sit next to the door so that she can feel the wind and enjoy her bajaj riding, she said. And when she gets off, she doesn’t want to let her hands of the bajaj door until she closes it, and she waits until the bajaj is gone out of her sight. Ooooh, she’s so funny… There must be something about Nadia & the Bajaj... ;p

I love you soooo much, Nadia…!

Taxi dengan TV Kabel.... :D

2008-05-20T19:22:00.001-07:00

Pagi-pagi pas lagi buka email di kantor... nemu email dari Amel... judulnya: "transcab... taxi di Jakarta... it's cool...". Tertarik akhirnya dibuka... pas dibuka ternyata isinya informasi tentang sebuah taxi baru yang beroperasi di Jakarta, namanya Transcab. Kelihatannya sih taxi ini satu-satunya taxi dengan TV Kabel. Boljug nih...!

TransCab: Taksi dengan TV Kabel (tel: 583 55 500). Fasilitas yang ada TV Kabel dan tarifnya tarif lama bow...! Dan ada struknya pula. Konon kabarnya, taxi ini baru ada sekitar 50 unit yang beroperasi di Jakarta. So... masih agak jarang memang. Anyway, kelihatannya taxi ini patut dicoba ya... Ini foto-fotonya...

My crib... my house... Renovation...

2008-05-11T19:17:00.000-07:00

The renovation of my house begun last week, on May 5th, 2008. I hired some ‘tukangs’ to do the renovation. I’ve made some comparison before on which is cheaper: hire a contractor and I won’t be worried about providing the materials, or hire ‘tukang’ and I must provide and buy all the materials myself. I chose to hire ‘tukang’ instead ‘cause it’s cheaper. My father helped me finding the ‘tukang’. And it’s pretty exciting too actually to go somewhere, pick the materials, compare them, and finally bought them. It’s new thing for me, and it excites me too.

So here I am, going back and forth to Cibubur every weekend, check out the progress of the renovation, looking and purchasing some materials needed. The most unexciting moments are when I have to transfer the payment to some building material stores… ha… ha… ha… My budget is running out like water…

The changes I made for my house are pretty simple actually. I just need to close the remaining ample space at the back of the house, building up the wall for about 1.5 meters, building a concrete at the top so that in the future if I want to build my house up it will be much easier. Then I move the kitchen to the back of the house, add another bathroom, make a gazebo or ‘pendopo’ for musholla, and add a small garden as the inner court. The design is more or less as in the picture here.

Hopefully, the renovation will take about 1 month. I estimate it will be ready at the soonest early June. Wow…, I just can’t wait to see it finished. Next steps will be building a kitchen set and filling the house with furniture. But I’ll do it slowly next time as I’m running out of budget. Please… donators out there, is there anyone who would lend me some money…? Ha…ha…ha… ;p

At the end, it’s fun and good for me to have something going on right now considering what I’ve been through for the last couple of weeks back… Well, at least I can distract my attention from the challenges, which is still going on until this very day, to things related to my house renovation. Anyway, I’m really enjoying this… And I’m trying not to think about my challenges every now and then.

Do you know...? (Facts about fitness)

2008-05-07T19:08:00.000-07:00

Do you know...?

Do you know that if you include and factor in aerobic fitness, muscular fitness, stretching, and core ability into your overall exercise plan, it will help you promote your fitness for life?

Do you know that aerobic exercise causes you to breathe faster and more deeply? Which means it maximizes the amount of oxygen in your blood?

Do you know that the better your aerobic fitness is, the more efficiently your heart, lungs, and blood vessels transport oxygen throughout your body?

Do you know that walking, jogging, biking, swimming, dancing, water aerobics, or even gardening and housework are considered as physical activity that use large muscle groups and can increase your heart rate?

Do you know that you only need to have minimum of 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity, 5 days a week to maintain your weight?

Do you know that you don’t have to do the whole 30-minute in one go? Your half-hour could be made up to three ten-minute burst of activity spread through the day, if you prefer.

Do you know that exercise of moderate intensity will only make you a little warm or sweaty, and slightly out of breath, but no more than that?

Do you know that regular muscular fitness or regular strength training can help you reduce your body fat, increase your lean muscle mass, and burn calories more efficiently? Building muscle also protects your joints from injury and boosts your stamina. It might even help you get a better night’s sleep.

Do you know that you don’t need to invest in a gym membership or expensive equipment to reap the benefits of strength training? Hand-held weights or homemade weights – such as plastic soft drink bottles filled with water or sand – may work just as well. Your own body weight counts too. Try push-ups, abdominal crunches and leg squats.

Do you know that stretching increases your flexibility, improves the range of motion of your joints, and promotes better posture and circulation? Regular stretching can even relieve stress and help prevent injury, especially if your muscles or joints are tight.

Do you know that you need to stretch after each workout when your muscles are still warm and receptive to stretching?

Do you know that if you don’t exercise regularly, you might need to stretch at least three times a week to maintain flexibility.

Do you know that the muscles in your abdomen, lower back and pelvis – known as your core muscles – support balance and stability?

Day Out at Ice World

2008-05-05T19:51:00.000-07:00

Pagi ini, 1 Mei, rencana mau pergi ke Ice World bareng temen-temen kantor satu departemen. Jam 9:00 ngumpul di lobby kantor, sambil nunggu temen-temen lain yang berdatangan, comot-comot roti. Wah, kebetulan nih, eik belum sarapan euy… laper… Jam 9:30 dah pada ngumpul semua, dan kita langsung cabut menuju Ancol.

Di jalan kena macet sedikit karena ada demo para buruh, berhubung hari ini adalah hari buruh (mayday). Tiba di Ancol sekitar jam 11an langsung menuju Ice World. Beli ticket dan langsung deh meluncur ke dalam Ice World. Tempatnya sederhana seperti bedeng gitu… Di dalamnya banyak patung-patung es, ada patung beruang, kijang, naga, dll. Suhu di dalam katanya sih -10 derajat… Tapi memang berasa banget bow dinginnya…. Brrrrrr….. Kita dikasih pinjem jas tebal dan panjang gitu untuk nahan dingin. Tapi perlengkapan seperti sarung tangan, sepatu dan topi tidak disediakan. Jadi kudu bawa sendiri kelihatannya next time kalo ever want to go there again… which I don’t think so… ;p

Di dalam kita cuma foto-foto aja… begaya-begaya mejeng gaya seperti di gunung salju gitu deh… He..he.. abis secara gitu di Indonesia gak ada salju… jadi kita pada norak-norak gitu deh…

Pernah sih ke Ice World juga, tapi yang di Genting Highland, dan di sana agak lebih bagus dan bersih dibandingkan dengan yang di Ancol. Dari segi design juga lebih OK yang di Genting Highland, bukan apa-apa…, kalo di sana bener-bener atas bawah salju… bahkan ada salju-salju yang jatuh gitu seperti hujan… dan ada boneka saljunya pula… Trus, di Genting juga setiap pengunjung bisa makan ice cream gratis selama di dalam Ice World tersebut… tapi siapa yang mau makan ya… la wong dah dingin, jadi tambah dingin aja kaleee… ;p Trus di Genting juga setiap pengunjungnya dikasih pinjem coat, sarung tangan, topi, dan sepatu. Jadi bener-bener dipersiapkan karena memang dingin sanget deh.

Anyway, we were having fun here… Take pictures and sliding on ice… Puas main di es, kita langsung pada pesen bakso di Planet Baso… Basonya enuak sanget…! Sambil nunggu teman-teman yang masih pada belom puas foto-foto, sekitar jam 1:30 kita ke Bandar Jakarta untuk makan siang. Menunya seafood…! Aduh…, yahud tenan deh…! Kita makan sampe puas…!

Hari yang melelahkan memang, tapi we were having fun… We plan for another hang out… Next destination will be Puncak…!

Penne Krim Udang Labu

2008-04-24T17:37:00.001-07:00

Ini menu pasta favoritku. Selain rasanya yang yummy…. hmm…, cara buatnya juga sangat mudah dan cepat. Jenis pasta bisa diganti dengan penne, spaghetti, fettuccini, parfalle, macaroni, dan lain-lain sesuai selera atau stok yang tersedia di rumah. Campuran isinya juga bisa bervariasi dari udang, smoke beef, chicken, kerang, ataupun hanya berisi campuran sayur-mayur seperti broccoli, labu, jamur, dan lain-lain. Berikut resep pasta penne dengan campuran isi udang dan labu kuning.

Bahan:

150 g penne kering (jenis pasta bisa disesuaikan dengan selera)

Saus:

1 sdm mentega
20 g bawang Bombay, cincang
1 siung bawang putih, cincang
1 sdm tepung terigu
250 ml susu cair
100 g udang kupas, rebus
100 g labu kuning Jepang/kobucha, kukus, potong-potong (dapat diganti dengan sayuran sesuai selera)
1/2 sdt oregano kering
1/2 sdt basil kering
1/2 sdt merica hitam kering
1 sdt garam
1 sdm krim segar

Cara membuat:
- Rebus penne hingga lunak. Tiriskan.
- Saus: Tumis bawang Bombay dan bawang putih hingga layu dan harum.
- Taburi tepung terigu, aduk hingga rata.
- Tuangi susu sambil aduk-aduk hingga licin dan mendidih.
- Masukkan udang, labu dan bumbu lainnya, aduk rata.
- Masukkan penne, aduk rata. Angkat.
- Sajikan hangat dengan taburan keju Parmesan parut, jika suka.

Untuk 2 orang. Selamat Mencoba...!

Resep Dim Sum Halal

2008-04-20T06:54:00.000-07:00

Hakau Udang Istimewa

Bahan A:
300 gram Udang Kupas
1 sdm Tepung Sagu
1 sdm Minyak Wijen
½ sdt Vetsin/Chicken Powder
1 sdt Garam
¼ sdt Lada
½ sdt Gula

Bahan B:
150 gr Tepung Tang Mien (bisa didapatkan di Toko Titan, Jl. Fatmawati)
50 gr Tepung Sagu
2 sdm Minyak Sayur
250 ml Air Mendidih

Cara Membuat:
- Aduk semua Bahan A hingga rata.
- Aduk semua Bahan B hingga rata, lalu diseduh dengan air mendidih, dinginkan, uleni hingga kalis.
- Tipiskan adonan tepung, cetak bentuk lingkaran.
- Masukkan 1 sdm bahan isi, kemudian bentuk wiron.
- Kukus +/- 10 menit.
- Sajikan hangat dengan saus sambal atau kuah kacang.

Siomay Udang

Bahan:
Kulit Siomay/Pangsit Siap Pakai

250 gr Daging Ayam Cincang
250 gr Udang Cincang
100 gr Rebung, rebus, cincang
5 bh Jamur Kuping, rendam, cincang

Hiasan: wortel parut

Bumbu:

1 sdt Chicken Powder/Vetsin
1 sdt Garam
1 sdt Gula
1 sdt Minyak Wijen
½ sdt Lada
1 butir Putih Telur
2 sdt Maizena

Cara Membuat:
- Campur semua bahan menjadi satu dan beri bumbu lengkap, aduk rata, lalu tambahkan maizena, aduk rata.
- Bungkus dengan kulit siomay/pangsit dan atasnya dihias dengan wortel parut
- Kukus +/- 25 menit (sebelum dikukus, percikan siomay dengan air agar kulit tidak kuning)
- Sajikan hangat dengan saus sambal atau kuah kacang.

Selamat Mencoba!

Green Festival 2008

2008-04-20T06:11:00.001-07:00

Jam 6:00 pagi berangkat dari rumah ke Parkir Timur Senayan untuk lihat Fun Bike Green Festival 2008. Sampe senayan jam 6:15, sudah banyak peserta Fun Bike yang berkeliaran di seputar Senayan. Kelihatan dari kaos yang mereka pakai, putih dengan aksen di bagian lengan warna hijau. Sampe di Parkir Timur, nonton persiapan para peserta Fun Bike. Cari Nining, tapi gak ketemu. Mungkin dia udah bersiap-siap ‘ngegoes sepeda bareng para habitatnya. Hi..hi..

Pelepasan Fun Bike dimulai jam 7:30 lebih dikit. Ada mentri POR, Erna Witoelar, dan pejabat dari Kompas dan para sponsor. Acara cukup seru, peserta lumayan banyak. Yang seru ada segerombol peserta dari Perkumpulan Sepeda Ontel Jakarta. Sepeda dan kostumnya lucu-lucu dan menarik. Ada yang pakai baju khas Betawi, kebaya, seragam tentara tempo doeloe, tukang susu, ibu guru, pahlawan revolusi, dan bahkan ada yang pakai pakaian tradisional Irian pula lengkap dengan kotekanya… Ha..ha..ha.. Banyak penggemarnya pula yang pada foto bareng. Hi..hi..hi.. Seru juga.

Yang unik lagi ada seorang peserta yang naik sepeda Ontel, udah cukup tua, namanya Bapak H. Abdullah, kostumnya gaya keraton Solo dan sepedanya keren abis, dari kayu asli. Keren banget dan antik! Karena keunikannya, banyak peserta dan penonton yang mengerubungi Pak H. Abdullah untuk foto-foto dan diwawancarai pula oleh MC acara. Ternyata Pak H. Abdullah ini adalah pendiri Perkumpulan Sepeda Ontel di Jakarta yang didirikan sejak tahun 1999. Walaupun sudah tua, Pak Abdullah ini semangatnya tinggi banget. Salut deh…!

Tadinya pengen lihat Bazaar Green Festival juga, tapi sayang bazaar baru dimulai jam 10. Batal deh…! Akhirnya ke Stadion dan jalan dua puteran aja trus sarapan siomay… Halah… Lho kok sarapan siomay seech…? Gimana dooonk… laper sangat bo’…! ;p

Sunday Morning Walk

2008-04-14T08:02:00.000-07:00

Sudah 3 minggu ini, aku punya kegiatan baru di hari Minggu pagi, jalan kaki! Berawal dari iklan acara Fun Bike di Radio Bahana akhir Maret lalu. Aku dan adik, Mila, sepakat dan mufakat untuk melihat keriaan yang terjadi di acara Fun Bike itu. Walhasil, berjalanlah kita di Minggu pagi yang cerah ceria di akhir Maret lalu.

Dari rumah jalan kaki menuju Bunderan HI, menyusuri Kebon Kacang, JaCC, Grand Indonesia, dan Plaza Indonesia. Nongkrong ‘bentar di bunderan HI, 'ngeliat acara pelepasan peserta Fun Bike Bahana, trus lanjut lagi menyusuri Thamrin sampe’ Sudirman ke arah WTC. Dari situ perjalanan ‘jalan kaki’ berakhir, disambung dengan naik angkot bayar dua rebu perak ke rumah. Lumayan juga, dari HI ke Sudirman kita jalan hampir 1 jam-an gitu. Target olah raga untuk hari ini terpenuhi sudah.

Sejak itu, jalan pagi menjadi kegiatan rutin. Plus nyokap akhirnya pengen ikutan juga. Maka kita bertiga sekarang punya rutinitas baru: ‘Sunday morning walk’.

Minggu kedua kita jalan dengan rute yang sama. Pas minggu ketiga, biar gak bosen kita ubah start. Dari rumah naek angkot ke Karet, brenti di samping Hotel Le Meridien. Dari situ kita menyusuri Sudirman, trus ke Thamrin sampe HI, Grand Indonesia, JaCC terus sampe ke rumah dengan berjalan kaki. Di jalan deket rumah, ada tukang bubur kacang ijo…, beli 3 kantong buat sarapan…

Rencana minggu depan, kita mau ke Senayan sekalian mau nonton Green Festival 2008 di Parkir Timur Senayan. Sebenarnya Nining ngajak ikutan Fun Bike juga di festival tsb dan mo' minjemin sepedanya 'velobleu' ke aku (secara gitu aku blom punya speda). Tapi masih waiting list di urutan ketiga. Dan kemaren Minggu, Nining info kalo ternyata adiknya mo ikutan. So… pupus lah sudah harapan nyepeda-ria di acara Fun Bike Green Festival 2008… Emang kudu modal beli ‘speda dulu kali ya… ;(

Arisan dan Praktek Buat Dim Sum

2008-04-14T02:54:00.000-07:00

Kemaren Minggu ada arisan KPSS Al-Azhar di rumahnya Mbak Yati di Duren Sawit. Jam 10:30 dijemput Lisa di rumah dan kita langsung meluncur ke rumahnya Mbak Yati. Sampe di sana pas jam 12:00 teng! Ternyata teman-teman yang lain sudah pada komplit. Trus, langsung aja deh tanpa basa-basi comot-comit kue-kue yang udah disediakan sang tuan rumah. Kuenya enak-enak banget…, terutama pastel (my favorite), samosa, dan tentunya The Japanese Cheese Cake buatan Mbak Yati… Hmmmm, bener-bener enuaaaak deh… Apalagi dengan taburan stroberinya yang gendut-gendut itu lho…! Wah, bener-bener menggugah selera. Yummy…!

Setelah sholat, acara dilanjutkan dengan makan siang. Nasi bakarnya TOP banget! Pokoke hari ini makanannya benar-benar serba nikmat deh… Terima kasih banget buat Mbak Yati…

Gak puas sampe di situ saja, setelah makan siang mulailah Mbak Yati berbagi ilmu cara membuat Dim Sum Halal. Ilmu yang didapatkan dari kursus memasak di Natural Cooking Club.

Pertama-tama kita buat Siomay yang ternyata mudah ya cara buatnya, dan dilanjutkan dengan praktek bikin Hakau Udang. Yang ini juga gak terlalu rumit buatnya. Walhasil, setelah Siomay dan Hakau Udangnya matang, maka langsung deh diserbu…! Siomaynya langsung ludes seketika! Doyan apa doyan seeech…? Hi…hi…hi… Siomaynya memang enak banget, rasanya pas, apalagi makannya diguyur dengan kuah kacang atau dicocol saus sambal… Hmmm, tambah nikmat…! Maknyus…, kalo kata Pak Bondan. Hakau Udangnya juga gak kalah enak sih, cuma ladanya saja agak terlalu banyak, jadi pedasnya tambah terasa. But overall, praktek memasak kali ini cukup berhasil, tinggal masing-masing praktek aja.

Me, I definitely want to try the recipes… Thanks Mbak Yati for your kindness in sharing and teaching us how to make Dim Sum… Next time kita belajar apa lagi Mbak…? Ha…ha…

R.E.S.P.E.C.T

2008-04-10T03:21:00.000-07:00

It’s amazing sometime to see how people react to a bad situation. For those who are defensive, they tend to shout and yell at other people just for the sake of showing that they have better power or they are the most right one (well, at least they think they are).

I’m working in a so-called multinational company, which has aggressive slogan and motto to become the number one company in its industry. They even claim that they are (and are really proud of it). They try to brainwash their employees to apply what they call as operating principles. We call it RESPECT (it stands for some valuable meanings, we call it RESPECT in short).

What happen inside the company is totally different with what people see from outside and different of what’s even reflected in the RESPECT itself. In the end, RESPECT only ends up just as slogan and motto, nothing more than that, it has no deeper meaning than just that. What they call RESPECT does not reflect the behavior of most of the people inside.

Here, people are trying to show that they have more power than another person. With the power that they think they have, they act as they have the right to yell at and raise their voice to other people. They say things that they should not be saying. Some of them try to smoothen their own agenda to the top by kissing their bosses a**. And other behaviors that are far from what they call as RESPECT.

If that what happen, why do we bother to make RESPECT as our operating principles where most of people in the company do not bother to even apply it?

If we fail to respect each other, then why do we bother to hang posters of RESPECT and give away CDs to employees to install and use it as screen saver in each PC?

If what it takes is to generate conflicts among employees, why do we even bother to call ourselves the number one company? Or is it what it takes to become one?

And finally, if we'll end up or gradually becoming one of them, then why do we bother to be here any longer…? ;o(

13eme Festival du Cinema Francais

2008-04-09T02:09:00.000-07:00

Allez tout le monde...! Venez au 13eme Festival du Cinema Francais. Y a beacoup de films francais extraordinaires. Venez a PI Mall ou Blitz Megaplex Mall Grand Indonesia. Le festival sera etre du 10 avril jusqu'au 20 avril.

Pour savoir plus, visitez cette site... Billet: Rp15.000,-

http://www.sinemaperancis.com/sinema2008/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogsection&id=2&Itemid=3&lang=fr

On vous y verra...!

What a cup of coffee can do to you...

2008-03-31T12:35:00.000-07:00

"D'accord, il exixtait d'autres facons de se quitter
Quelques eclats de verre auraient peut-etre pu nous aider
Dans ce silence amer, j'ai decide de pardonner
Les erreurs qu'on peut faire a trop s'aimer

D'accord la petite fille en moi souvent te reclamait
Presque comme une mere, tu me bordais, me protegeais
Je t'ai vuole ce sang qu'on aurait pas du partager
A bout de mots, de reves Je vais crier

Je t'aime, Je t'aime
Comme un fou comme un soldat
Comme une star de cinema

Je t'aime, Je t'aime
Comme un loup comme un roi
Comme un homme que je ne suis pas
Tu vois, je t'aime comme ca

D'accord, je t'ai confie tous mes souriers, tous mes secrets
Meme ceux, dont seul un frere est le gardien inavoue
Dans cette maison de pierre, satan nous regardait danser
J'ai tant voulu la guerre de corps qui se faisaient la paix

Je t'aime, Je t'aime
Comme un fou comme un soldat
Comme une star de cinema

Je t'aime, Je t'aime
Comme un loup comme un roi
Comme un homme que je ne suis pas
Tu vois, je t'aime comme ca"

("Je t'aime" chanson par Lara Fabian) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-roGMGyFu0

Browsing and listening to Lara Fabian. Checking out some interesting blogs at http://blogs.indonesiamatters.com/.

My goodness, it’s 2.25 am already! I haven’t had any sleep yet. Tried to… No luck. So not me at all… Try to figure out why I can’t sleep…

There you go..., it’s the coffee I drank this afternoon at the meeting… Lesson to learn: never drink coffee again... ;p

Places where I splurge myself with shopping

2008-03-23T06:11:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite pastimes is shopping. I don’t know why, but I really like shopping. I enjoy buying things, from clothes, shoes, bags, books, towels, bed linens, kitchen wares, interior accessories, etc. etc. There is no month passing without me indulging myself with shopping, even for a small thing such as hair clip… ;p I too put aside certain amount of money for my shopping every month in an expectation that I would not exceed the budget that I set at the first place. But in the end, I usually end up spending more than I budgeted… Well, what can I say? I still can’t resist it. However, I think I still can manage my spending though… (does it sound like another excuse, huh?!)

To give you some ideas of where I usually splurge myself with shopping, here are some of my favorite shopping places, which are varied from the stylish mall to ‘pasar kaget’. I hope you too can enjoy your shopping as much as I do mine… Happy shopping!

Plaza Indonesia or Plasindo
It’s near my house. I just take ‘bajaj’ or cab to go there from home. But I usually go there on my way back from office. If I walk from office to home, I sometimes stop there and pamper myself to buy something that I need, such as shoes and clothes. Or, I just grab some foods and snacks.

My favorite places to shop clothes there are Zara (1st floor), shoes at Charles & Keith (2nd floor), books at Periplus (ground floor) and Kinokuniya (3rd floor at Debenhams), and foods & snacks at Food Hall (ground floor). I don’t spend much time when I shop, especially when I shop alone, I just grab what I need and go back home straight away. I don’t do window shopping. I just come there and get things I need.

Plaza Senayan or PS
It’s similar like Plaza Indonesia. And I usually go there when I’m in the neighborhood or when I want to buy something that I can’t find at Plasindo, and when there is sale at Sogo or Metro. It used to be my favorite place back then, but now I don’t go there as often as I did before since I can find the same items at Plaza Indonesia. But still, PS is my favorite place to shop and splurge once in awhile.

Senayan City or SenCi
I go here for the same reason I do for Plasindo and PS. Shops that I stop by are Zara, Charles & Keith, Vincci, Body Shop, Debenhams, and Food Hall. Places to eat: Shabu2House, Starbucks, Sushi Tei, and Burger King. It’s a posh mall and I enjoy being there just to see what’s happening and what’s trendy at the moment.

JaCC
This is my favorite place to shop clothes. It’s at Kebon Kacang area, about 500 meters from Plaza Indonesia. Here, you’ll find from trendy lady’s clothes to Moslem clothes, jilbab, mukena, batik, sarung, bags, t-shirts, shoes, sport wear, sport shoes, etc. You can find those at 'Pasar Tasik' which opens on Mondays and Thursday, it's located at Ground Floor JaCC. The price is varied and quite cheap. You can buy trendy lady’s clothes from Rp40,000.- up to Rp150,000.- If you compare the price from JaCC to ITC for instance, for the same clothes, it’s half price cheaper at JaCC than ITC. Off course, you have to bargain to get good price, but do not bargain for half of the offered price because they usually reduce the price from around Rp5,000.- to Rp10,000.- at most. And if they can’t reduce anymore, it means that it is the price. Tips to get cheaper price, buy at least 3 pieces at one store as they will give you price for ‘grosiran’. Go there with friends, so you can share to buy things and get good price.

Java
It’s near my office, across Sarinah. I usually go there when I need to buy towels. They have reduced price all year long for towels, bed linens, bolster, pillow, converter, quilt cover, etc. I once got a Terry Palmer towel for only Rp6,000.-! Cheap, isn’t it? They also have cute kitchenware there, like tea cup, dinner plates, food container, garlic grinder, and clothes hanger. They also have reduced price all year long for sport wear, such as running shoes. The prices are around Rp100,000.- to Rp250,000.- for shoes, and around Rp50,000.- to Rp100,000.- for sport wears.

Gang Senggol
The place is like ‘pasar kaget’ or ‘Sogo Jongkok’. You can get there from Thamrin (left side of SarPac Hotel and right side of Bank Syariah Mandiri building) or from Jalan Sabang (right side of Duta Suara). It can be very crowded at lunch time. Basically you can find almost everything here, from baby clothes, foods, books, fake-branded watches, sunglasses, VCD and DVD (bajakan), electronic stuffs, man and lady’s clothes, shoes, bags, swimsuits, sport wears, etc. You name it, and it’s there with lower price if you know how to bargain. I once bought a training pants for only Rp35,000.- and long sleeve t-shirt for Rp25,000.- It starts from 10am to 3pm everyday except Saturdays and Sundays.

Kedaung Group
It’s in Jalan Raden Saleh (about 500 meters from Cikini hospital). Here, you can buy kitchenware, dinnerware, crystal glasses, glass container, cutleries, etc. with lower price. If you apply for membership, you will even get a 10% discount too. If Lebaran or Christmas seasons, they offer more discounts and reduced prices for special items.

Unagi (Denpasar)
It’s in Jalan Tengku Umar Raya, Denpasar. But people are more familiar if you mention Jalan Marlboro. From Jalan Imam Bonjol, at the intersection, go left and go straight about 1 kilo meter from there. The store is at the right side of the road. I love to go here when I’m in Bali. I used to go to Pasar Kumbasari before I knew this place, but at Unagi you can find more and various items with lower price and it’s nearer from Kuta than Pasar Kumbasari which is in Denpasar. If you take a cab from Kuta area (for instance from Hard Rock or Mercure or Alam Kul Kul Hotel), the taxi fare is around Rp35,000.- for one way. You can also ask the driver to wait up for you while you shop at Unagi to take you back to hotel, and also ask them to turn off the meter. They’ll happy to do it. But don’t forget to give the driver a tip (about Rp10,000.-).

At Unagi, you can find all types of Baliness handy craft, from paper lamps, wood lamps, resin lamps, rattan lamps, stainless steel tray, wood tray, glass candle holder, resin candle holder, table mate, rattan boxes, rattan container, rattan trash bin, bags, purse, coaster, etc. etc. If you love interior accessories, you’d love to splurge yourself here.

The price is supposed to be cheap. But since all items are not tagged and priced, you really depend on the waitress to tell you how much the price is. Make sure you know exactly price of each item you bought, otherwise you’ll end up paying more expensive than it’s supposed to be. You can also bargain and insist the waitress to give you a discount or reduce the price. Or, you can be friends with the waitress, so next time you go there she will help and give you good price. And also, please make sure that you check all items that you bought when the waitress packs and prepares the bill. Just to make sure that she won’t give you different price and different items.

Ikea (Petaling Jaya, KL)
It’s in Petaling Jaya or PJ, at Ikano Power Building exactly. If you travel from KL (let’s say KLCC), it takes about 20 minutes drive and costs you around RM25 to RM30 for taxi fare (if there’s no traffic). It’s quite far from KL actually. But since my sister’s house is in PJ, it’s near. It takes 5 minutes by taxi and costs me about RM7. So I always enjoy shopping at Ikea when I’m in KL.

Here, like most Ikea stores worldwide, you can find almost everything that you need for your house, kitchen, room, office and garden. You can find furniture and accessories from lamps, file boxes, toiletries containers and purse, coasters, mouse pads, CD containers, cutleries, bed linens, rugs, etc. Prices of items are varied from RM1 to RM1.000. I like to buy items that I can’t find with cheap price in Jakarta, such as lamps, kitchen wares, rugs, office accessories, CD container, etc. If I don’t think of how I will carry those things back to Jakarta, I’d like to buy more stuff from Ikea. But at the end of the day, I need to think about avoiding excess baggage and how I can carry all the stuff I bought back to Jakarta. I don’t like having too many baggage to carry when I’m traveling. But it’s always nice shopping at Ikea. It’s a new kind of shopping experience for me.

Aussino (Ikano Power Building, PJ)
After I shop at Ikea, I usually stop by at Aussino store. It’s still at the same building, you just go straight from Ikea, and take an elevator to the 1st floor. And there you go, Aussino is at the right side of the elevator. Here you can buy lower price bed linens with good quality, especially when there is 50% to 70% discount. You can get queen size bed linen for only Rp95,000.- And it’s pure cotton! Even at Aussino store in Jakarta (Plaza Semanggi), you can’t get it as cheap as that. You can also find bed linen with cute motifs, from flowers, stripes, squares, polka dots, leaves, cartoon characters, embroideries, etc. Really, if you like good quality bed linen, you should come here and buy some for you. So, next time you’re in PJ, drop by at Aussino and buy some bed linens for yourself!

Vincci Stores (in KL)
What I like doing when I’m in KL visiting my niece other than playing with my lovely Nadia, is shopping shoes at Vincci stores. I can do this everyday! Every time I’m in KL, I have to go to Vincci stores, either in One Utama, KLCC, Ikano Building, Mid Valley, The Curve, Bukit Bintang, or Bangsar. I just have to go there… It’s like ‘my trip to KL is not complete yet if I don’t go to Vincci store yet!’ What I like about Vincci shoes is that the price is reasonable, the style is trendy, and it suites my needs and taste of shoes. I’m just a Vincci-shoe-adict. In fact, I still have 5 pairs of Vincci shoes that I haven’t even put on from my last trip to KL last year… Now, can you see…?

My Favorite Cheese Cake...

2008-03-09T20:30:00.000-07:00

This is my favorite cheese cake recipe. I made one today, and I’m typing while having my slice… Hmmm… Yummy…

Ingredients
1 cup sweet biscuit crumbs (I use one pack of McVitties contains of 20 biscuits and crush it)
½ cup butter, melted (or unmelted)
2 x 250g Philadephia brand cream cheese, softened at room temperature
2 teaspoons gelatine dissolved in ¼ cup boiling water (make sure you use halal gelatine which was made by non-animal ingredients)
1 x 400 grams can sweetened condensed milk (I use Indomilk)
½ cup lemon juice (I squeeze 1 fresh lemon instead of juice)
2 tablespoon grated lemon rind (I use lemon zest)

Directions
Mix biscuit crumbs with melted butter (I prefer unmelted butter), and press into base of a 20cm springform pan. Chill.
Beat the cream cheese with an electric beater until smooth, mix in gelatine mixture, condensed milk, lemon juice and rind.
Pour onto crumb base and chill in refrigerator (2-3 hours or overnight). Top with a selection of fresh fruits and serve (I never put any toppings, just like it plain and original).

Tips: 1 cup biscuit crumbs equals approximately 10 sweet biscuits, crushed.

There you go… A plain and simple cheese cake with original and luscious taste… Hmmm… Really yummy…, I scoop my last bite of cheese cake on my plate…

Friday Morning Walk...

2008-03-07T19:51:00.000-08:00

Today, I’m off for Nyepi holiday. I’d made a plan to walk in the morning with Nuke in Tebet, near Nuke’s house. Nuke told me that there was a green lane at Tebet area that was used by Tebet residents for sport activities, like walking, jogging, aerobic, etc. So, Nuke picked me up at 6.30 am. There I was, with Nuke and her son, Nugra, took a walk along the green lane.

We had about 30 minutes walk there before taking another 30 minutes walk again to traditional market, still in Tebet area, to buy some veggies and stuff. Nuke told me that it was cheaper to buy some groceries in traditional market than supermarket. It actually was. It cost me only Rp30,000,- for a week veggie stock!!! I bought some veggies for my weekly meal plan. I planned to cook for my lunch box the following week.

The reason why we both did this was, not only as part of our plans to start living a healthy life, but also for our weight management program. We both wanted to loose some weight and maintain it. So, we started by walking and cooking healthy meals. It was really enjoyable and fun… We should do this again sometimes, Ke…

Thrill...

2008-03-05T20:58:00.000-08:00

I’m reading this book now “Confessions of an Economic Hit Man”. Real thrill… Asli seru banget…! It’s a true story but it’s like a novel. Really… I can’t wait to finish it soon. This is a true story about how global empires and corporatocracies (corporations & bureaucratise), which are similar to the Mafia, have created the world of today, economically and socially.

Economic Hit Men (EHM in short), as described in the book by John Perkins, the writer, are highly paid professionals who cheat countries around the globe out of trillions of dollars. Their tools include fraudulent financial reports, rigged elections, payoff, extortion, sex and murder. They play a game as old as Empire but one that has taken on terrifying dimensions during this time of globalization.

John Perkins himself was once an economic hit man for an international consulting firm and he was sent to Indonesia in 1971 to run the electrification project as part of a comprehensive plan to ensure American dominance in Southeast Asia. The primary goal of American that day was that Indonesian leader would serve Washington and that Indonesia would serve as a model for other countries in the region as well as to gain positive effect throughout the Islamic world, particularly in the explosive Middle East.

What’s happened next…? Since I haven’t finished my reading… so this writing will continue…

My Favorite Preacher

2008-03-02T21:09:00.000-08:00

I would consider this experience as the precious one in my life. It happened last January this year when the company that I work for invited a religious preacher to give preach about syariah law and product at the annual agency convention in Jakarta. And I was appointed to arrange all the preparation. Then, we invited Ustadz Ikhsan Tanjung to give preach about syariah fundamental and syariah product to match with the company’s objective which is to boost syariah product selling in the market.

I was so happy that my company chose to invite Ustadz Ikhsan Tanjung to the event because for me he was one of my favorite ustadz. And I really honor him. When I had a chance becoming the moderator on his preach, I was feeling so nervous and blessed at the same time. I was so nervous because for me he was such a great man so that I was so afraid of making mistakes when I was moderating his preach. And I was feeling blessed because I had a chance to meet him personally and learn many things from him, which I did from his preach that day.

Ustadz Ikhsan Tanjung was not a stranger for me. I’ve known him long time ago from his TV preaches. For me he was one of few ustadz that had strong commitment in telling only the truth according to Al Quran and Hadist. He has the quality that I find rare amongst the other popular and famous ustadz that are nowadays.

I remembered that I used to watch his preaches at TV stations. I was so impressed by his intelligence and sharpness. And one of my favorite of his TV preaches was when he discussed about Tafsir Sayyid al-Qutbh. He was so intelligent and sharp. When he conveyed a message, he delivered it so clearly and organized that the viewers, like myself would clearly and easily understand it. He is also one of the few ustadz that has strong commitment to say the truth according to Al Quran and Sunnah. When he delivered a message from Al Quran or Hadist, he delivered and explained it as it is, nothing less, nothing more. He never worried what his audiences would react or whether they would agree with it or not. What mattered for him was that what he explained and delivered was the truth according to what it says in Al Quran and Sunnah. He would never have a doubt of delivering the truth. And he would never bend his commitment just for the sake of his audiences’ satisfaction. He has that strong commitment and quality which are hardly found in other ustadz that are well-known. Some people might say that he is too strong. But in my opinion, you must be strong and convinced when you deliver something that you believe in, right?

For Pak Ustadz Ikhsan Tanjung, I really honor you and I pray to Allah that may you always have that strong commitment and quality to only tell the truth according to Al Quran and Sunnah. May you always have Allah SWT blessings and merciful. Amin ya Robbal alamin…

Part 1: My Version of "The Secret"

2008-02-12T18:35:00.000-08:00

Couple of months ago, I read a book called The Secret. I am sure you and everybody else have heard or even read it. It’s a good book. The way it was written, it’s simple and easy to understand. However, what’s written in the book is nothing new for me, and I guess it is not either for many of us who have learned about the Quran and Islam. The concepts that were written in the book are something that we, as Moslem, have or even should have known.

Being a person who always try to understand everything that happen in this world and try to connect or relate them back to the Quran, for me the concepts in the book are nothing new. It is because I know for sure that the answer of everything are there written and stated clearly in the Quran. It’s just the matter of whether or not do we comprehend and accept the truth of the Quran.

So, everytime I read a book, see things that are happening in life or in nature, or when I experience something in my life and learn experience from others, I always refer and relate them back to the Quran to find the answers and what really is behind those. For me, and for everybody too, Quran is the only truth that we must believe in.

Same thing happens when I read The Secret. I found that many of the concepts written in the book were actually written and stated through the verses of the Quran. Here, I try to summarize those points on The Secret vs the verses in the Quran. My summary will come in several parts and this is part one.

Keberadaan tidak datang dari luar, dan bahwa segala sesuatu pertama-tama datang dari dalam pikiran dan perasaan.

o QS 22:74 “Mereka tidak mengenal Allah dengan sebenar-benarnya. Sesungguhnya Allah benar-benar Maha Kuat lagi Maha Perkasa.”

Akal Anda adalah daya kreatif dari segala sesuatu. Jadi, bagaimana mungkin akan ada kekurangan? Ini tidak mungkin. Kemampuan Anda untuk berpikir tidaklah terbatas, begitu pula hal-hal yang dapat Anda wujudkan melalui pikiran. Begitu pula dengan setiap orang.

o QS 95:4 “Sesungguhnya Kami telah menciptakan manusia dalam bentuk yang sebaik-baiknya.”

o QS 16:78 “Dan Allah mengeluarkan kamu dari perut ibumu dalam keadaan tidak mengetahui sesuatupun, dan Dia memberi kamu pendengaran, penglihatan, dan hati agar kamu bersyukur.”

o QS 7:179“… mereka mempunyai hati, tetapi tidak dipergunakannya untuk memahami (ayat-ayat Allah) dan mereka mempunyai mata (tetapi) tidak dipergunakannya untuk melihat (tanda-tanda) kekuasaan Allah, dan mereka mempunyai telinga (tetapi) tidak dipergunakannya untuk mendengar (ayat-ayat) Allah. Mereka itu seperti binatang ternak, bahkan mereka lebih sesat lagi. Mereka itulah orang-orang yang lalai.” – QS 7:179

Anda tidak dapat menciptakan hidup bagi orang lain. Anda tidak dapat berpikir untuk mereka, dan jika Anda mencoba memaksakan pendapat Anda pada orang lain, Anda hanya akan menarik kekuatan serupa kepada Anda. Jadi, biarkan orang lain menciptakan hidup yang mereka inginkan.

o QS 6:52 “…Kamu tidak memiliki tanggung jawab sedikitpun terhadap perbuatan mereka dan mereka pun tidak memikul tanggung jawab sedikitpun terhadap perbuatanmu,…”

o QS 10:41 “…Bagiku pekerjaanku dan bagimu pekerjaanmu. Kamu berlepas diri terhadap apa yang aku kerjakan dan aku pun berlepas diri terhadap apa yang kamu kerjakan.”

o QS 17:7 “Jika kamu berbuat baik (berarti) kamu berbuat baik bagi dirimu sendiri dan jika kamu berbuat jahat, maka (kejahatan) itu bagi dirimu sendiri…”

o QS 17:14 “…Dan seorang yang berdosa tidak dapat memikul dosa orang lain, dan Kami tidak akan mengazab sebelum Kami mengutus seorang rasul.”

o QS 2:139 “…Bagi kami amalan kami, bagi kamu amalan kamu, dan hanya kepada-Nya kami mengikhlaskan hati.”

o QS 50:45 “Kami lebih mengetahui tentang apa yang mereka katakan, dan kamu sekali-kali bukanlah seorang pemaksa terhadap mereka. Maka beri peringatanlah dengan Al Quran orang yang takut kepada ancaman-Ku.”

What Can We Do About It...?

2008-02-08T15:25:00.000-08:00

Surabaya, Feb. 2nd, 2008

The mistakes that we keep on doing...
Today is Saturday, Feb 2nd, 2008. I am in Surabaya for business assignment. I’m supposed to go back to Jakarta today afternoon at 5pm. Unfortunately, I had to change my plan. Jakarta is flooding again! How terrible it is… All flights were delayed or even cancelled due to the weather and flooding in Jakarta, especially at the airport area. Even one of our guest speaker for Surabaya event had to cancel his trip due to the situation.

So, I and my colleagues decided to stay over in Surabaya for another night. As much as I wanted to go home the soonest, there was nothing I could do other that postpone my flight. I just didn’t want to force myself for something that is out of my control.

Finally, I and my colleagues managed to fly on Sunday morning. Although our flight was delayed and we were separated, I was so blessed actually because my flight wasn’t delayed for more than just 1 hour. The other flight was delayed until 2pm. I arrived in Cengkareng at 1200. I took Damri to get home as I heard that taxi fare was ridiculous. It could cost us at least Rp400.000,-!!! It’s amazing how people can actually use the moment to take advantage for themselves. But then again, they have to feed gasoline to their cars, don’t they…?

It was so sad to see that we have to face the same old situation again every year. As far as I can recall, Jakarta has been experiencing flooding every year since the last 10 years. It seems that we just keep doing the same mistake all over again. I think the nation never learns the mistake… we never learn from the mistakes. But whose mistakes are these anyway? Are we fair if we point our finger and say that this is all the government’s mistake…? I don’t think so… For me, it is everybody’s mistake, including myself. It is the mistake of the nation. Everybody is responsible of what is happening in our country these days… Everybody…, including myself…

The questions left for each of us are: what can we do to save our nation? Do we have strong will to really help our nation? Do we have strong desire and passion to make a different for our nation? Where do we start, if we do…? Have we done enough for our country? Have we even done something? Have we really thought about Allah's verses below...? It's time for each of us to think and take our portion to make a different, for ourselves, others and the country.

Sesungguhnya Allah tidak mengubah keadaan suatu kaum sehingga mereka mengubah keadaan yang ada pada diri mereka sendiri…” – QS 13:11

“…Sesungguhnya Allah sekali-kali tidak akan mengubah sesuatu ni’mat yang telah dianugerahkan-Nya kepada suatu kaum, hingga kaum itu mengubah apa yang ada pada diri mereka sendiri…” – QS 8:53

“Sesungguhnya Allah tidak berbuat zalim kepada manusia sedikitpun, akan tetapi manusia itulah yang berbuat zalim kepada diri mereka sendiri.” – QS 10:44

Have we thought about it...?

2008-01-04T00:37:00.000-08:00

Have we ever thought what we will become and how will our life be in the next 10 or 15 years? That’s when we are retired. My conversation with my friend, Lisa, this morning strikes my attention and got me really thinking about my future. This morning I went to Bank Syariah Mandiri (BSM) to withdraw some money, and met Lisa after that (Lisa works at BSM-red). We chatted for a while about usual things, like how she’s been doing lately, our work, family, etc. etc. But there is one subject that really got me thinking. It’s a story about Lisa’s office colleague who was retired last week. He is a 56 years old man with 12 children. 6 of the children were married which means that he still has obligation to raise and take care of them, and now he is jobless. He was so confused and wondering how he would live without a job. How will he raise his children and finance their family then?

This story really made me thinking about myself when I’m retired later. What would happen with me if I retired 10 or 15 years later? How am I gonna live then? How am I gonna finance myself? What job will I take or have to support and pay all my living expenses? How am I gonna support my parents and family? How am I gonna pay my mortgage? Is my saving enough? Do I have enough money to pay all those bills and installments? What if I don’t have enough money for that? Who’s gonna support and help me?

Those questions disturb me a lot and make me so terrified that it got me thinking that I must do something major now to prepare my retirement. It’s something that I must do urgently. When I’m retired, I must have enough money to pay all my living expenses, installments, bills, and at the same time still able to support my parents and family. I must force myself to do some financial rearrangements and set my financial goals for my retirement period. And I must do it right now!

First thing first, these are my financial goals for 2008:
1) By the end of Mar. 2008, no more bills on my credit card
2) By 13-Nov. 2008, I pay Rp10 million for my mortgage & restructure it to a shorter installment period (5 years)
3) By the end of Dec. 2008, I have Rp31 million savings (PIA, PAA, and savings)

These are my financial rearrangements in 2008:
1) Apply for PRUsyariah (PIA) with single premium of Rp15 million (31-Mar)
2) Apply for PRUsyariah (PAA) with monthly premium of Rp600,000 (31-Mar)
3) Use my BCA account for all travel allowance money (5-Feb)
4) Shopping fund is limited to Rp500.000,- for 3 months (starting January)
5) Dine-out fund is limited to Rp400.000,- for 3 months (starting January)
6) House renovation is limited to Rp20 million (first of March)
7) Total monthly expenses is limited to Rp3.655.000,- (incl. transport, meals, Astro, HP, PLN & PAM)
8) No travelling plan in 2008

Off course, along the way my financial goals and arrangements will be reviewed and revised accordingly in order to suit my needs and conditions at the time. However, I will try my very best to achieve all those goals and commit 100% to all my financial arrangements this year. May Allah guide and bless me. Amin ya Robbal alamin...

Just One Hour...

2008-01-02T22:26:00.000-08:00

A person can not become a good moslem just because they were born from moslem parents nor raised in a moslem family. A person can only become a good moslem by having a knowledge about Islam. It is because Islam can only be achieved through knowledge. Without knowledge, we will walk in ignorance along the way and be fooled by dajjal (evil). By having knowledge of Islam, we will discover that Islam is the only true path in our lives. If we see thru and live in Islam in every step of our life, only then will we be able to acknowledge and avoid the path of the kufr, syirk, bid’ah and immorality that are standing in our way.

If we realise that, then why don’t we act seriously and work hard in finding the true knowledge of Islam where we depend ourselves to be called a good moslem and continue to being a moslem for rest of our lives? Isn’t it true that if we are not really serious in finding the knowledge of Islam, we will end up loosing something that is utmost valuable for ourselves, our iman or faith? Isn’t it true that our iman is the utmost valuable thing for us, even than our life itself?

Let’s spare a little of our so many times that we spend to work and chase the world. Can’t we just spend one tenth of our times to protect our iman? Just one hour out of the 24-hour that we have in a day that we reserve our time for learning and studying about our diin, understanding the essence of Al-Quran and searching the real meaning of why Allah SWT reveal HIS divine revelation in the Al-Quran.

For us, our iman is the utmost precious thing compare to all the things that exist in this world. It is not hard for us to spare just one hour of our time everyday to learn, study and understand the knowledge of Islam. Just one hour a day... everyday...

And... this was, is and will be my resolution every year, including this year of 2008... insha Allah...

My Blessings in 2007...

2008-01-01T22:23:00.000-08:00

Today is the first day in January 2008. A year has changed. It’s 2008 now! 2007 has already passed. And sometimes we didn’t even realize that it was over. What we have now is only the memories of great 2007. Well, at least we have to always think that 2007 was a great year for all of us, despite of all the challenges we had, we must always be thankful to Allah SWT for all of HIS love and guidance all the time.

As for me, year 2007 was a blessing year. I’ve got so many things realized that year and I can’t stop praying and thanking Allah SWT for giving me such blessings. I would have not done, nor achieved anything without HIS blessings and guidance. It was all because of HIS love and HIS merciful that I’ve got all the blessings and achievements in 2007. Alhamdulillahi Robbil alamin…

Here are some of those:

In January, I went through a surgery for my tumor in the wrist, and syukur alhamdulillah, it all went well.
In February, I’ve had a new challenge in my work and I’ve done it prettywell and everybody recognized it. Lately, I even had to refuse some of the requests to come to many cities because my schedules did not fit me anymore. I’m really sorry, friends… I hope this year is gonna get better.
In March, I had a chance to see my lovely niece, Nadia. She was in Jakarta. I always love to see her. I love you so much, Nadia. You know that, don’t you?
In April, travelling to Singapore with Rita. It was like old time… Now Rita is very busy, don’t know if we will have a chance to travel together again…
In May, I’ve got a very valuable lesson in my love life. I didn’t mean to hurt anybody. It’s just that I have chosen not to go on with the relationship. It was too complicated and I didn’t think I could do it.
In June, it's holiday time. I went to Singapore and KL visiting my niece, Nadia. I spent two weeks in KL. My schedules were: playing with Nadia, shopping, shopping, shopping, and shopping… ;p
In July, went to Balikpapan for the first time. Met someone. Unfortunately, it didn’t work. The busiest month at work.
In August, went to Aceh for the first time. It was a great experience. No more tsunami marks there, the life of Acehness is back to normal again.
In September, started new side business and it went pretty well actually, but I just did it to fill my free time. I felt Allah answered my prayer… I’ve had a very good lesson here. Allah really listens to my prayer. I’m trying to get closer to Allah everyday and in every step of the way. I bought a new house at Legenda Wisata. I love it!
In October, my feeling for him was getting stronger. With Allah’s help and guidance, I will do what it takes to make it happen…
In November, went to Bali for work… ;p It was really enjoyable being around with my dearest friends… We laughed a lot… ;p
In December, continued my praying to Allah for HIS love and blessing. HE realized my prayers…

It's My New House...!

2007-12-22T06:11:00.000-08:00

Cibubur, Dec. 22, 2007 – Today, I went to Cibubur. This is the fifth time I went there. I went there to see my house. Yes. My new house. I bought it couple of months ago, end of Sept, exactly. It’s a great feeling to finally have a house of my own. It’s a small house, but I love it! It’s exactly what I liked and wanted to have. The first time I saw this house, I knew exactly that that was the house that I wanted to have. I like the way it was built, I like the quality of the building and the materials, I love the way it was properly and nicely designed, how they divided each rooms, I love the location, and the most important thing was that the price suited to my budget! (well, after a bit of struggling here and there to get the down payment ready in time… ;p). And now, I finally got it! Nothing I can say except syukur alhamdulillah, ya Allah…

My new house is located at Legenda Wisata. It’s quite far actually from Jakarta. It takes about 45 minutes if I go there on Saturdays or Sundays. But if I go on weekdays, it may take about 1.5 to 2 hours considering the bad traffic along Jagorawi and Cawang highways. Well, where else can you find a housing complex at the outskirt of Jakarta that are traffic-free nowadays, right? Anywhere you choose, it’s the same problem, traffic…, traffic…, and traffic… But I’ve done my research on the location, the facilities, the area, the environment, the transportation, etc. etc. and I’m pretty happy with what I found about Legenda Wisata (thank to Sari who introduced me to this location, and thank to Agnes for so much info, soon we'll be neighbours...;p) So, I guess every choices that we made have their own consequences, don’t they? We’ll just have to live with it and accept it.

The activities of going and checking my house every two weeks really excite me. Now, I have something to look forward to every two weeks ;p And this is not to mention that I still have some other plans that I want to do to my new house later on. Yes, I still have a lot of things to do. I want to renovate it, then I want to fill it with some furniture soon enough so that I can start living there, well for the start, at least I can stay there only on weekends.

There are ample of empty spaces at the backyards which I plan to renovate. I want to add a small musholla (my father gave me the idea, actually) and move the kitchen. I also want to have a dining room and living room there, and I want to add one more bathroom complete with the service area. And to give the house a fresh air and good circulation, I want to have a small garden right in front of soon-to-be my bedroom. I’ve already had the floor plan right now. What I need to do next is to look for the right contractor to translate it into the real form, with as minimum budget as possible off course… ;p (I have limited budget for this, actually).

My plan is that, insya Allah, by the end of April 2008, I will be able to finish the renovation so by early May, I can start buying some furniture and live there on weekends (at least). It’s a lot of things to do and a lot of budget to spend too, but insya Allah, I’ll be able to realize it little by little. I just need to put aside some more money from my salary for these plans…

What's inside my bag...

2007-11-06T18:59:00.000-08:00

Have you ever wondered what's inside other people's bag? Especially woman's? We all know that women always carry bags everywhere they go. Either to office, mall, friend's or family's houses, or even to mosque or church. It's just the way they are. Women are known with their habit in putting so many things inside their bags... Despite they really actually need those things they're bringing or they're just feeling that they might need those things, just in case... And the bigger the bag the more they want to put things inside... It's funny, isn't it?

Out of the girlsfriends I know, most of them like to bring bag everywhere they go. It's just like they don't feel complete without their bag. And I'm one of them too...

For men, it's much more simpler. Men don't like carrying bag everywhere they go. The will carry bag if only they really really have to or need to. Otherwise, they'll just go with their wallet inside their pocket and a handphone. That's it! As simple as that. Then, why women can't do the same as men do? So I was wondering what is it really that make women want to bring bag and put many things inside it?

I, myself, bring at least 5 things inside my bag almost everyday, from the most-needed things to the least-needed things. Many times, I don't even use most of the things that I bring... ;p Here is my list:

1) wallet where I keep my money, credit cards, ATM, ID card, discount cards, notes, bills, etc. (even inside the wallet I tend to put everything...;p)
2) handphone & headset (basically I can say that I can live without a handphone, after all I spend most of my time in office where people can track me down there. However, I store all data inside it so I still need it)
3) make up purse where I put four lipsticks (why four? I have no idea, I just need those four ;p), lip balm, mirror, paper blotter and basic manicure set (nail clipper & emery board, just in case I broke my nail)
4) my spectacle and its case
5) umbrella (it's rainy season now so I have to be prepared)
6) 1 external hard disk (this is where I keep all my work and personal data)
7) pen (just in case)
8) tissue paper (just in case)
9) key BCA (just in case I need to do internet transaction)
10) 2 flash disks (I have no idea why I always bring those two?)

Now you can see how complicated my life is, right? Why do I need all those things? Do I really need to bring them all everyday? I don't think so..., then why I keep bringing them? I guess it shows how insecure I am. It shows that I'm not in control of myself. It's the picture of insecurity and how big my dependence upon things is. I guess what I need to do now is to reorganize my life and habit, starting by organizing what's inside my bag and purse. It may sound trivial for some people, but for me it's a big thing. I need to let go of my dependence upon things so that I don't have to worry about things that I shouldn't be worried about.

Posting Pertama

2007-11-06T01:44:00.000-08:00

Hello everybody...,

This is my first writing in my new blog... Hmmm..., what should I write? Actually, I like writing... In fact, I keep my own journal at home which I never publish, off course. For me writing is not a new thing, in fact I've done a lot of writings in my job. But writing in a blog is a new thing for me, and I think I will enjoy it, though. It's a new thing for me and it excites me too.

While creating this blog, I was wondering what should I write in my blog... About myself...? I think I'll write a bit about myself. How about my life...? Yes, I think I can write that too. How about my job? Shall I write about it? It sounds boring, doesn't it? I'm not sure... Hmmm, on the second though... I'll write that too. Many times, I experience exciting things and have fun too in my job, and I have dear friends there as well. Hey, why don't I just give it a try too. I'll also write about things that interest me, like kind of music I like to listen to, books I read, websites I browse into, cities I travel to, and maybe I'll share my best photos too. Hey, it sounds amusing..., don't you think?

Oh, I almost forgot, I also like poems... Not that I like writing a poem (I wrote some, though), I just like reading and collect it. Maybe I'll put down some poems from my collections and share with all my blog readers. Also, I'll put some of mine too.

I will also put down some of my thoughts about things or situations that are occuring. It can be about politics, economy, social, religion, or anything else that catch my attention and make me want to express my thought. It's a democratic country, isn't it?

What else should I write...? Hmmm... Oh.., I've got it. I'll share with you about healthy living as well. Not that I'm expert about it, but I will share some of my experience in trying so hard to live a healthy and balance life. It's not easy, but hey..., we've got to try it, right?

Well, I think that's all for my introduction. I will post new articles and write ups later.

And for those of you who have comments, inputs, opinions, thoughts, or anything else, please do post them here too. I hope we can shares good things here.

Take care...