December Trip Colongan

Yeah. It's Christmas again!

Holiday season is here. Ini natal ke-4 yang bener-bener gue rayain.

Sendirian. Tapi saat yang tepat untuk bikin itinerary sendiri numpung cuti masih ada 3-4 hari sisa sampai akhir tahun nanti. Kalau gak diambil rugi bandar.

Karena seorang temen rela memberikan miles SQ nya untuk dipakai Oktober kemaren ke Taipei, walhasil hasil buruan tiket promo FlyScoot pun tak terpakai. Nah si tiket ini bisa dirubah tanggalnya, jadi sengaja dirubah ke 20 Desember. Sekalian bablasin Natal. Cuma kalo sudah sampai ke Taipei kok sayang ya, kenapa gak lanjut ke Jepang? Maruk.

Ternyata ada lho penerbangan murah dari Taipei ke Osaka namanya Peach airlines. Sounds weird, tapi gak papalah yang penting hemat. Karena pulang dari Jepang mau nggak mau mesti naik Garuda, dan harga termurahnya aja sudah 4-5 juta an.

Sebenarnya tahun ini gue udah ke Jepang, April, cherry blossom. Cuma Jepang ini bikin penasaran banget. Memang dari Taipei dekat ke Hong Kong daripada ke Osaka, tapi exactly Desember tahun lalu udah ke Hong Kong. So Tokyo tower, I'll be back!

#NgertiGizi

Setahun terakhir komunitas 3 Little Angels (3LA) sibuk banget mengumupulkan bantuan yang berdatangan dari kanal sosial media @3_Little_Angels di Twitter, ajakan dari founder 3LA @justsilly di kanalnya dan juga para sukarelawan 3LA sendiri. Memang banyak yang membutuhkan bantuan baik dalam bentuk dana maupun moral atau dukungan. Tapi menyalurkan dana itu juga ternyata gak segampang itu. Para sukarelawan 3LA sebelumnya sudah harus mengecek latar belakang penerima bantuan dan juga jenis penyakitnya. Jadi penerima dana pun memang benar-benar anak dan keluarga yang layak menerima.

Pada saat mendampingi anak-anak sakit ini, kita sering sekali menemukan sakit yang seperti malnutrisi, atau usus yang lengket dan lain-lain. Dan menurut para dokter dan suster yang merawat mereka, itu karena pola makan mereka yang kacrut. Siapalagi kalau bukan ibu nya yang patut bertanggung jawab atas pola makan anak mereka sendiri.

Pola makan anak-anak entah itu dari keluarga tidak mampu atau bukan, sangat sembarangan sekali. Dari konsumsi mie instan yang sangat sering, juga makanan seperti snack dalam kemasan, dan minuman-minuman manis yang mengandung pewarna buatan. Makanan-makanan tadi gampang sekali di akses oleh anak mereka sendiri karena umumnya warung, mini market macam alfa atau indomaret bertaburan di mana-mana. Rengekan anak-anak segampang diatasi dengan uang 5,000-20,000 setiap kali jajan. Okay nanti masalah keuangan kelaurga kita bahas di post lain.

Tapi serius, Ibu-ibu pada umumnya udah gak peduli dengan pola makan anaknya. Jadi gak heran kalau si anak-anak ini gampang sekali terkena sakit keras yang berhubungan dengan gizi.
Berangkat dari situ, 3LA bulan Juli nanti ingin mengadakan acara sosialsasi pola makan dan gizi yang sehat utuk warga di daerah Guntur. Di daerah ini ada sekitar 30 ibu yang akan ikut diskusi dengan ahli gizi dan satu orang dokter yang akan berbagi cerita bagaimana punya pola makan dengan gizi benar. #NgertiGizi akan jadi nama acaranya dan memang diharapkan setelah ikutan acara ini banyak Ibu yang benar-benar #NgertiGizi dan bisa menerapkan langsung ke pola makan anak mereka.

Jadi mulai Juli 2013 nanti 3LA gak cuma mendampingi dan menyalurkan bantuan ke anak-anak sakit keras tapi juga mengajarkan ke banyak orang, terutama para Ibu. Kita berharap acara #NgertiGizi ini bakal jadi semangat baru untuk orang banyak dan memilih pola hidup yang jauh lebih sehat sebagai pencegahan.

Karena walaupun sangat cliché, mencegah memang lebih baik daripada mengobati. (Dan lebih murah).

Good Deeds: Should We Think Twice?

How many times you can get second chance to help others in one day?

Seriously, this is might be a silly question. But I started wondering about this matter few months ago.

One day, around 1 am at the airport in Jakarta, I was just get back from my trip, and there was this young lady, stewardess, she was looking for a transportation to get home or something. And I was waiting for a taxi as well, and she was a little bit nervous because she's expecting to get regular taxi, not the premium one. While I was there about to put my luggage to the taxi trunk. I asked her, "where you going?". And she said Bekasi (a place that is really far from the airport). I said to her I'm going to the city.

I was so stupid I didn't offer her any ride, well at least until I arrive to the city so we can split the bill and she will pay cheaper price then she would be able to continue her trip to home. I knew I could just say it to her, but I didn't! From the airport to her place probably could cost her around Rp 230.000 something. While from airport to the city could cost around Rp 100.000. She could just pay Rp 130.000! For the whole journey to home, I felt guilty and regret because I didn't offer her any help or whatsoever.

After that moment, I wouldn't think twice If someone else around me need help. When someone needs help you can't reconsidering few minutes, because sometimes the moment just passing by in a split second.

In London, people are walking so freaking fast and not really paying attention to what happen around them. But if we slow it down little bit, probably, there are senior citizens need your help to bring their luggage when they are using a normal stairs. If you think twice to give a hand and you will miss that chance to help them.

So, what I'm trying to say here, you will probably facing this kind of situations every day. Where your help is needed at that moment. Read the whole situation in one second, and don't think twice, the chance for you to give a little help probably wouldn't come twice as well. Do it before it's too late.

I don't need to explain why we need to do good things. It's not sunday class for kids. But pushing yourself to react spontaneously to help others is shaping your character. When you expected to give support, initiatives and help, you won't have to rethink it. It's in your blood. God use you to become useful for someone else. You are probably favour or blessing to others. Or superstar. Like the old lady on the Bond Street underground stairs said to me. I'm her superstar of the day. :p

Not Just Another Campaign

I finally able to wrap up all activities that 3 Little Angels did for the whole February in one video. The amazing thing about this movement is we are able to collect more than 75mio rupiah in one month to distribute to kids with serious illness in Indonesia.

We started the campaign at the beginning of February, and now people still keep ordering the tshirt as their contribution to help others. We are not selling tshirt, this is why sometime people come to us and donate more than Rp 150.000.

Those people who amazed me are those who work behind these projects. They are volunteers with great heart. They don't expect any money, since we don't use donation money to our daily cost. They don't expect fame or to be recognised by public. They just doing it to serve others, and it comes from their heart. For me they are truly angels.

I do believe that this AngelsHeart Campaign is just the beginning. I'm sure God will be still using us in future to reach others and help those who need.

Write Down Your Aspirations

Kalau flash back ke belakang lagi, semua yang di achieve saat ini adalah aspirasi dari masa lalu. Suatu sore gue pernah nemuin buku coret2an 5 tahun lalu gue yang isinya aspirasi karir, pendidikan, traveling, rumah dll. Dan pas dilihat lagi.. wow.. amazed aja. Ternyata semuanya kesampean. Walaupun keringet darah dan basah ketek untuk ngelwatinnya.

Ternyata punya aspirasi itu bisa ngebawa kita kemana-mana ya. Mungkin tanpa sadar pikiran kita ngebawa tingkah laku kita dan aiming ke aspirasi aspirasi tadi. Nah kenapa gak coba bikin aspirasi2 kita dalam sebuah catatan, tulis di blog, print gambar nya kalau perlu tempel di samping layar komputer.

Seperti yang gue lakuin sekarang ini; writing down my goals.

1. Car:

Walaupun memang khayalan tingkat tinggi, tapi sebenarnya mobil ini cukup affordable di UK. Tinggal dipilih aja warnanya yang mana.. :p

2. Home:

Apartment at The Grove

Dua minggu lalu ke show unit nya , damn... keren banget. Walaupun harganya mencekik leher, tapi spacious dan well designed banget. Ya namanya juga show unit. Tapi daripada punya rumah yang ngurusnya ribet, mungkin apartemen lebih simple.

Hmm.. ternyata so far itu doang aspirasi gue.

Walaupun terlihat sangat superficial, tapi memang perlu punya aspirasi. Nanti coba lihat lagi 5 tahun kedepan. Pas nyadar udah tercapai jadi bisa lebih bersukur.

Location & Location

I'm talking about how difficult to find perfect place based on specific location in London. I used to stay Canary Wharf area for more than 9 months. Which it's very convenient and quiet on weekend. Lived in the CBD area, like it or not, I always surrounded by people with office suits. There's a pressure for you to dress up little bit if wandering that area. Yes I know, I'm very pretentious.

But I don't wanna live in dockland anymore. It's too modern. And it's cold and windy during March. So I figure it out, I think I could stay somewhere in Swiss Cottage. It's very nice area. Surrounded by victorian houses, wine stores and accessible through 3 stations. However, the price is not really friendly. Especially for short term letting. Arrgh.

So this Sunday, it's final day to do viewing. And I hope I can find something suitable to live. At least for 3 weeks.

A Place Called Home.

Few second after Etihad landed to Heathrow, I realised that I finally found my home. Yes. But it's not London. It's Jakarta. It's my 5th time stepping in this country for the past 12 months. The last time was mid September 2011 after my trip to Sweden, and I went out again around Europe on early November 2011 before finally arrived in Bangkok, stay there for 3 days, and moved to Jakarta. What a crazy life. I know. But the utmost life changing experience was actually between December to February 2012 in Jakarta. It's the moment where I found the value of life. Not just because I can finally contribute something to others, but the acceptance of the local society, how they appreciate talents, and also never ending possibilities in professional life.

The fact in how great is your own hometown make me realise that it takes thousand miles away to getting this kind of consciousness. If I live with my curiosity and not having a gut to get my Master degree in London, I probably wouldn't be able to understand this whole thing. You never know if you never try.

I think after this April, I'm just gonna focus on my career in Jakarta. It's the best job ever anyway. The dream job! Settle down, buy an apartment at the end of the year. Travel somewhere near, probably HongKong or Vietnam, or Samui. Maybe hire personal trainer to get more discipline in shaping out my flabby love handle. It's time to take off my adventure badge. But till April '12, I'm just going to enjoy London, submit my final research, wandering around Amsterdam and Paris and finally facing the real challenge and get down to the business.

It's a good life.