Back To School!

After 14 years graduated from Environment Engineering, I finally decided to go back to school. Yes, I enrolled in a graduate program, majoring in Management. In Indonesia we call it Magister Management. There were many things to consider before I took this decision. But a short but meaningful morning chat with my ex VP (now he's moving to another company, though still in the same holding company), made the decision was easier to take.

One morning, he came to my desk and discussed a project that I was working on. It's not a subject that he was familiar with but somehow he could explain it briefly. I couldn't help myself to ask, how did he do that. He answered that it's just logical thinking that he learnt from graduate school. He took the same major years ago and what he learnt back then was applicable until now. He encouraged me to take the same major, because it will be an added value for me. He also said that he won't transferred me to fields  until I graduate.

So that week I search the program, fees, entry test, etc. I finally choose PPM School of Management. It has good reputation, great networking, reasonable fees and accessible. And since last April 2014, I started to go back to school! Funded by myself btw, not by the company... :))

At first, the main reason was only to stay in Jakarta and not being transferred to fields. But as the program running, I can't help myself feeling excited. I enjoy the classes, the new friends, the subjects, the school, etc. I love going back to school! Maybe this is the best decision I've ever made this year… :D 

Sometimes it's frustrating, trying to match your working schedule with classes schedule, but I am determined to do both. So whatever happens, I will never say "I don't have time" but I will say "I will make time".  It's just going to need extra works. I have to stay awake a little bit late or wake up earlier to do the assignments, to study and finish the program. It's been 2.5 month now and it's a good thing that I'm still excited. I enjoy each class and so far I've never missed a single class or assignments. Somehow, I'll make things works.. :)) 

Hello 2014!

Well this is actually a very late post, considering it's almost the end of January 2014. Lazy blogger... Ahahahaha...

Jakarta has so much to offer and I just can't find time (and willingness) to write on this blog. Eventhough I have a lot of ideas and stories to write.

January 2014 is almost over, and I can say it has been nice to me. It's a pretty good way to start this year.

I have 4 accomplishment this January, that I'm thankful for. First of all, my visa for the next trip is approved. It's considered as accomplishment because I apply it by myself, without any help from travel agent. Like usual, I do my research through Google first before submit the application. And now I can say, Schengenstaten visa is not a rocket science! Hahahah... Maybe I'll share the detail story later.

My second accomplishment is my cross stitch project is done, and it looks beautifuuuulll. I plan to give it to my mom as a gift, and I already buy the next project. The thing about stitching is, it is soothing and relaxing. Maybe because of its constant movement, or maybe because everything is in order and we just have to follow the pattern.

My third accomplishment is I finally finished my first book. But don't get it wrong. It's a guideline book about work thingy, in which I translated environment regulation into time frame, scope of works, etc. I've always wanted to write a book or a novel, but I've never thought my first book will be a guideline... XD

The last but not the least accomplishment is, I've finished my first 5K! Yes, I joined The Color Run on January 26th, 2014. The Color Run is knowned as The Happiest 5K on Earth. On each KM, they will throw color powder to all the runners, so in the end, the runner will be full of color. And I was happy, indeed. I enjoyed the venue, the running itself, the color splash and of course the music.

Hopefully the upcoming months will be as good as January, or maybe even better, Amiiin... :))

masih soal usaha untuk sehat

baca : masih soal usaha untuk kurus

sebulan sebelum pindah dari cepu, gw udah ga ngegym lagi, dengan alasan sibuk dan mau siap-siap packing. terus 3 bulan pindah ke jakarta, gw juga sibuk dinas dan adaptasi (alasan, red.). semua alasan itu cuma menghasilkan 1 hal : gw menggendut... --.--"

di saat makin susah menemukan kostum ke kantor, karena yang di rumah udah berasa sempit, akhirnya gw daftar juga ke tempat fitness dekat kantor. langsung daftar buat setahun, pake PT juga, hehehe... bukan karena gw segitu niatnya yaaa... tapi gw mo pasang "sense of urgency". udah bayar mahal-mahal masa ga ada hasilnya. terus dengan adanya PT juga, latihan jadi lebih terarah dan ada yang ngomelin kalo gwnya mangkir. gw tau banget lah kalo gw orangnya moody. minggu ini rajin, minggu depan bisa malas semalas-malasnya.

pas daftar ditanyain ama mas-mas tempat fitnessnya :

M (mas-mas) : Mau PT cewe atau cowo?

gw : Cowo ajah

M : iya bener mba, cowo aja. kalo cowo kan ga ada rasa ibanya...

gw : --.--"

berasa mo disiksa aja deh....

dan akhirnya gw dapet PT cowo beneran. namanya mas joey, guanteeeng, tapi galak dan penuh jebakan betmen, hahahaha... aduuuh pokoknya suka tega deh si mas itu. nampaknya di tempat fitness situ dia PT senior, karena dia koordinator PT-PT laennya. dan salah satu titelnya adalah "fat loss and weight management specialist". ohohoho pas banget lah buat gw yang mau sehat (baca : kurus).

mas PT kaga ngatur menu makanan yang boleh dan ga boleh gw makan. dia cuma nyuruh gw buat skip makan malam, diganti ama buah aja. 2 minggu pertama sih oke lah ya. minggu ke-3 bertepatan ama turunnya harga tiket KRL dan diberlakukannya tarif progressif. lah apa hubungannya? tentu saja ada! dengan adanya tarif progresif, makin padat lah itu KRL, apalagi pas pulang kantor. buntutnya, sampai apartemen gw selalu merasa berhak buat makan malam setelah berpeluh-peluh di KRL. jadilah gw makan malam pake bakso, siomay, nasi padang, de el el.

akibatnya berat badan dan kadar lemak gw malah naik. ngokk! eh, si mas PT malah lebih panik dan frustasi daripada gw, ahahaha... porsi latihan ditingkatkan dan gwnya diwanti-wanti buat ga makan malam. sekarang minggu ke-6 dan gw belom nimbang berat lagi. tapi yang pasti celana-celana kerja gw mulai longgar dan baju kerja yang dulunya sempit, sekarang pas di badan lagi. kata mas PT, emang tolok ukurnya bukan cuma berat, tapi ke badan juga, ukuran2nya harus berkurang. 

well, apa kata lo deh mas, you're the expert. gw janjiiiiiii kali ini bakal nurut. termasuk tetep latihan di bulan puasa, karena kalo latihan pas bulan puasa, udah pasti yang dibakar adalah lemak, bukan gula. coz asupan makanan terbatas, jadi kadar gulanya rendah, lemak-lah yang dibakar di sesi latihan.

ayo semangaaaat...!!

ramadhan di kota

selalu ada yang berbeda di setiap bulan ramadhan. seperti ramadhan tahun lalu atau tahun sebelumnya lagi. yang baru tahun ini adalah... merayakan bulan ramadhan di jakarta, yang tentu saja beda dengan di cepu. dulu gw pikir ramadhan di jakarta tidak berasa, tidak terdengar tadarus dari masjid, tidak ada yang berbondong-bondong tarawih di masjid, masih sibuk di kantor di saat buka puasa tiba, dsb. engga kaya kalo kita tinggal di daerah. suasana ramadhan terasa sekali...

tahun ini, gw bertekad kalo gw harus ngerasain suasana ramadhan, walo gw di jakarta. kalo di cepu dulu, gw masih bisa mengaji pagi-pagi, mulai habis subuh sampai waktu berangkat kantor. kalo di jakarta, engga mungkin, karena habis subuh langsung siap-siap dan berangkat ke kantor. tapi alhamdulillah kalo berangkat pagi, sampai kantor juga pagi, jadi bisa ngaji dulu. untuk tarawih, sempet mikir susah juga tarawih di jakarta, pulang kantor abis buka masih cape, engga bakal kekejar ke masjid buat tarawih. eh alhamdulillah ternyata ada masjid di kompleks apartemen. masjidnya lumayan gede, ramai dan ber-AC, hehehe... deket juga, cuma 10 menitan dari tower gw. jadi kalo pulang kantor, gw usahain bisa tarawih di masjid. kalo waktunya mepet, buka dulu aja pakai makanan ringan. baru abis tarawih makan beratnya. ada temen kantor juga yang ngajakin ke masjid-masjid lain, langsung berangkat sepulang kantor. insya Allah besok kami mo ke masjid sunda kelapa. so excited...

and somehow i realized... kalo merasakan dan menikmati ramadhan itu bisa di mana saja, tidak tergantung di kota apa kita tinggal, yang penting kita bisa merasakannya dan menikmati bulan penuh rahmat ini. subhanallah.... bisa bertemu kembali dengan bulan ramadhan saja sudah patut kita syukuri. so let's make the most of it... :)

yang seru, tahun ini bisa sahur dan buka ama si rhino, my dearest brother. emang ga tiap buka bareng sih, mengingat si bocah itu (sok) sibuuuuk banget. tapi tiap sahur pasti bareng, dan kami jadi lebih sering ketemu & cerita-cerita. secara biasanya jarang ketemu walo serumah. pagi-pagi gw berangkat, dia blom bangun. malem gw tidur, dia blom pulang. jadi cerita-ceritanya tetep lewat bbm, kaya waktu gw masi di cepu aja. zzzzz....

oh well... semoga bulan ramadhan ini banyak membawa berkah, rahmat dan hidayah bagi kita yaaaa... dan apabila ini ramadhan terakhir kita, semoga Allah SWT menerima semua amal ibadah kita dan mengampuni semua dosa kita. amin ya robbal alamin... 

happy fasting, you all... :))

Happy 486th Anniversary, Jakarta!

Jakarta. A big, giant and crowded city. Not everyone wants to work or live here. Well, at least that's what some people told me when I was going to move to Jakarta. They just can't stand with the traffic jam, the long hours they spent on streets, the living cost, etc. etc. etc.

But I have my own opinion. I loooovvvveeee this city. Like... a lot! What's not to love? You can find everything here. Hope, opportunity, food, lifestyle, culture, and a lot more. You just have to find your own tricks to survive. 

To survive Jakarta, you need a strategy, which consists of plans. Plan A, B, C maybe until Z. Like where you want to stay, a house or apartment, how you're going to reach your office, what job that suits you or your lifestyle. Because that's going to determine what you're gonna through everyday. 

So you already have a strategy with lots of plans. Does that mean things will go the way you've planned? Of course not! Haha. This is why, you need to be creative. You have to improvise your plan each time your plans are not working. You're late catching up your train so you have to take the different one. Should I go to Tebet or Manggarai? Should I use metro mini or just hop in a cab? It feels like being in an episode of Amazing Race. Anyhow, it keeps your brain thinking. And I love it when I made the right decision. 

Jakarta also taught you to be a quick decision maker. Because this city can't wait. Some decisions should be made in minutes maybe seconds. A wrong decision can make you stuck in traffic jam for hours. Life is a series of decision making anyway... But this city requires you to make it fast. If you see an opportunity, even the tiniest, slightest one, grab it. Grab it fast. 

But we're only human, and to err is human. Sometimes we made the wrong decisions. Then you should be brave to take the consequences. Deal with it, bear with it and be strong. This is a tough city by the way, so bravery is highly needed. 

I'm glad I have this opportunity, living in this crowded city. Jakarta has it flaws but it taught me survival skills. So... what's not to love? :)) 

Happy 486th Anniversary, Jakarta! 

bos baru

emang yaaaa... kaga ada yang pasti di dunia ini. apalagi di perusahaan ini..*tsaah* setelah maret kemarin diberlakukan organisasi baru, dimana sampai detik ini semua masih menyesuaikan diri, eh minggu lalu fungsi gw dapet bos baru karena bos lama promosi ke korporat.

trus kenapa? rotasi dan mutasi kan biasaaaa... well, yang tidak biasa adalah, bos baru ini dari fungsi laen, dan sepertinya blom pernah di fungsi gw. ini cukup bikin kaget, terutama buat temen-temen fungsi gw. ga sedikit yang merasa ragu, tapi ada juga yang merasa yakin ama bos baru ini. gw termasuk yang mana? tentu saja yang kedua. gw yakin manajemen perusahaan gw ga bego, pasti mereka udah pertimbangkan juga plus minusnya. apalagi untuk jabatan setinggi itu, yang penting kemampuan manajerialnya oke yah... untuk teknikal, semoga kami para fruit sons dan fruit daughters-nya bisa support. positive thinking aja... :))

change is frightening. but also gives us hope. hope for a better future. hope for a better leader. and i reaaalllllyyyy hope this new boss can lead us to a better future. semangat ya pak!! :D

horang jekardaaah

Walo sejak mutasi ke Jakarta gw lebih banyak di tanahnya wong kito galo a.k.a. di Prabumulih daripada di Jakarta, gw mo cerita tentang bagaimana rasanya jadi Horang Jekardaaah. Hehehe... Tentu saja dibandingkan dengan pengalaman gw sebelumnya jadi penduduk kecamatan. In case you're wondering, of course... 

1. Horang Jekardah rajin bangun dan berangkat pagi.

Yaeyalaaah, lo kesiangan 5 menit ajah, kejebak macetnya bisa nambah 1 jam. Buat gw yang tinggal di Kalibata dan ngantor di daerah Sudirman, udah harus berangkat paling telat jam 5.45 pagi, mengejar KRL jam 06.00. Kebayang ga yang tinggal di Depok, Serpong, Bogor, Bekasi? Mau naik mobil, mau naik KRL, berangkatnya mendahului matahari terbit. Padahal waktu di Cepu dulu, jam 5.45 masi ngulet-ngulet di kasur, berangkat ke kantor jam 6.50. Tepok tangan buat horang Jekardaaah.... :D

2. Commuter Line is actually a great mass transportation

Di Jekardah ini gw cuma bisa ngandelin Commuter Line, karena : 1. Engga boleh naik motor ama babeh; 2. Engga punya mobil; 3. Kalopun punya mobil engga bisa nyetir; 4. Naek taksi mahal di ongkos man...
Jadi gw budgetin Rp 20.000,-/hari buat transport dengan rincian :
      Commuter Line  PP                                = 2 X @Rp 8.000,- = Rp 16.000,-
      Angkot/Kopaja dari stasiun - kantor  PP = 2 X @ Rp 2.000,-= Rp 4.000,-

Dimulailah petualangan naek Commuter Line... Percaya atau engga, gw berani naek CommLine ini karena gw udah pernah naek MRT/MTR di Singapore, KL dan Hongkong. Bukan gw sok-sokan yah, tapi dulu gw milih bayar taksi mahal daripada naek CommLine, karena gw ga kebayang isinya dan takut ama copet dan orang-orang aneh dan usil yang mungkin ada di dalamnya. Gw jg berani naek CommLine ini karena ada gerbong khusus wanitanya, di gerbong paling depan dan paling belakang setiap rangkaian. Entah ini sesuatu yang harus disyukuri atau justru harus jadi concern bangsa ini, segitu "pervert"-nya kah para lelaki di Jakarta sampai harus disediakan gerbong khusus wanita untuk mencegah terjadinya pelecehan seksual? Anyways, detail CommLine mungkin bisa dibikin postingan khusus yak, yang pasti saat ini CommLine tuh transportasi favorit gw di Jakarta.

3. Udara segar yang susah didapat di Jakarta
Kalo berangkat pagi dari apartemen ke stasiun Kalibata, gw biasanya jalan kaki. Awalnya berniat sekalian olahraga pagi, saat udara masih sejuk dan segar. Tetapi oh tetapi..... ternyata salah sodara-sodaraaaaaa.... Walo masih pagi, tapi tetep aja susah dapet udara segar. Karena asap kendaraan bermotor atau karena asap pembakaran sampah. Kalaupun tak ada asap, maka tak ada api... eh salah... Tak ada bau asap, ada juga bau selokan.... Ngokkk!

4. Jenis makanan yang bervariasi
Ini salah satu kelebihan di Jakarta, jenis makanannya bervariasi, ihihihihik.... Mau versi kaki lima atau resto, mau masakan nusantara atau asing, mau makanan khas daerah dari Sabang sampai Merauke juga ada. Ini tantangan buat gw.... yang suka laper mata, hahaha.... Maunya semua dicoba dan semua dimakan. Makin melembung aja deh... (semoga tidaaakkkk!!).

Well, segitu dulu ya temans... yang pasti, sesusah apapun jadi Horang Jekardaaah... I'll bear with it. Gw jalanin deeeeh... Because this is what I want, really really want. :))