27 November 2015

Her new character

She can trigger the hate inside her easily. There are plenty of open wounds. Many of them are drying off, but the tiniest disappointment can immediately tear the skin and exert pain, hatred.

Like when someone replies with the classic sorry-too-busy via whatsaap, when another person never replies to her emails or viber messages, whenever she feels not important. There is a lot of ego and need for affirmation going on inside her. 

She used to be someone whom people look up to, someone sparkling with achievements and initiatives, someone important. 

But now, she is not important.

Someone tells her that live is a theater play. So, she tries to understand live differently. She had this sparkling and important character before and now she is assigned a different character: a common person. Someone doing her daily routines, not famous, not a sparkling star. 

Like this flower... just be a flower, as flowers supposed to be.



She is getting used to her new character. 

In this new character, she meets other people who are "playing" the famous and important character she used to play. Sometimes she feels jealous, in pain, hatred, when interacting with those people. She still craves for compliments and affirmations. 

She wonders.... how can she better perform this layman character? How to be someone with no thirst for affirmation from others? How to be happy simply by doing regular day-in day-out routines?

She starts to identify other people who are assigned with this layman character and start listening to them. Many of them say that they are not lonely even when they are alone. Every now and then, quietly and modestly they celebrate their own achievements, they teach themselves to cherish that simple celebration. Yes, one can teach oneself and get used to it, just like a non vegetarian learns to be a vegetarian. 

She starts to admire this common person character.

Maybe one day she will be assigned to a different character. Or can she choose?


Un Sabado... en mi casita.

24 January 2014

Minum jus atau ... ?


Buah segar lebih sehat (dengan asumsi buahnya masih oke, misalnya tidak busuk karena mikroorganisme/kuman). Efek kesehatan dari buah-buahan datangnya bukan dari vitamin dan mineral saja, tetapi juga dari komponen bioaktif lainnya misalnya antioksidan dan juga serat alami.


Apakah perlu tetap dipertahankan konsumsi jus?

Minum jus dalam kemasan itu “handy/praktis” untuk orang-orang yang tidak suka makan buah. Lebih baik ada konsumsi jus dibanding tidak sama sekali.

Bagaimana dengan Claim 100%?

Claim 100%-nya itu extract juice. Mereka pake juice concentrate » Buah asli dimasak sampai jadi pure/pasta, lalu konsentratnya dibekukan & harus disimpan di freezer. Misalnya, produsen salah satu juice dalam kemasan pakai juice concentrate ini sebagai salah satu bahan baku sehingga bisa claim “100%.” Cara produksinya: Juice Concentrate + Air + Gula (jika ada) lalu dimasak + premix vitamin dan mineral, lalu dikemas.

Kalau beli jus dalam kemasan itu beli apa sebenarnya?

Jadi, dari sisi kesadaran konsumen, saat membeli produk jus dalam kemasan penting untuk disadari bahwa uang yang dipakai untuk beli produk jus tersebut tidak membeli kesehatan alami yang sebenarnya bisa diperoleh kalau sejumlah uang tersebut dialihkan ke buah segar. Uang tersebut hanya membeli "Jus konsentrat (ini adalah buah yang dimasak dengan pemanasan) + Air + Gula (umumnya gula buatan) + Vitamin dan Mineral buatan (premix)."

Vitamin dan mineral dari premix (serbuk buatan yang banyak dicampurkan ke jus kemasan), buah atau darimanapun tidak bisa dibedakan oleh tubuh - yang beda adalah kompleksitas saat makanan itu masuk sistem pencernaan. Ada semacam sinergi untuk penyerapan vitamin/mineral dalam tubuh. Misalnya vitamin C bersinergi dengan sejenis bioflavonoid, nah bioflavonoid ini adanya di Jeruk. Jadi vitamin C dari jeruk lebih gampang di-serap oleh tubuh, dibanding kalau vitamin C ini datangnya dari sumber lain yang tidak punya bioflavonoid tersebut.

Selama penyimpanan dan distribusi produk, vitamin dan mineral tersebut juga dapat berkurang kandungannya, misalnya karena kesalahan penanganan seperti di suhu terlalu panas atau dingin atau terlalu terkena ekspos cahaya.

01 March 2013

Another trip to the land of dreams

The second trip to the land of dreams took place on January 28th - February 9th, 2013
Good to be back! I love the feeling of coming back to a faraway place.
Something like re-reading a book. I am able to be more relax in absorbing the surrounding, more connected to the people because I don't have to focus that much on getting to the must-see places. Also, this time it is for a structured Learning Week @headquarters and to co-lead three dissemination events.
This time, I managed to strike a professional collaboration with my lovely aunt. Journalists from Voice of America (VoA) came to one of the dissemination event, including my aunt. Here's one of the Radio interviews talking about my trip to DC and one of the output that was disseminated (bantusekolahku web portal).
http://www.voaindonesia.com/audio/audio/256593.html
Until next trip then...

18 December 2012

Dear Jakarta,

I love you... I love you not... I love you... I love you not... I love you... I love you not...
My view, Dec 18th, 06:50 am.

Heading East: Sorong Selatan

A solid wish, well said a year ago, "I want to know more of my country, especially East part of Indonesia, eventually Papua/West Papua." I've always been a big believer that dreams do come true, of course with the three must-dos: detailed it, say it, walk toward it.
I reached Ambon, Sorong, Sorong Selatan, Manokwari and Kaimana. I conducted fieldwork in Sorong Selatan and Kaimana for four days each, and a discussion session in Manokwari.
Here's a tiny bit of the trip. Hope to be able to come back here and share more with you.
Approaching Sorong Airport, Oct 28th, 2012
Sorong Selatan used to be a sub-district of Sorong District. Since 2003 it has been a new District. Many parts of the road are surrounded by lush forest/bush on the right and left side of the roads (not with buildings). Each morning there is a long queue in this one gas station in town. From our car, we can see people walking (long distance) from one village to the other.
Roads are not smooth. No regular public transportation, no local newspaper/printed mass media and no phone signal in some parts of the district. Yet, the nature is amazingly green, clear blue sky and such a wide area consisting of valleys, coasts and mountains.

15 November 2011

My Brain in the Train (1)

Her long dark hair is tight up in a ponytail style with a pink elastic hair band. The pink color matches the color of her T-shirt.

I like pink. I like it a lot so that the image of that little girl sticks on my mind. If I have to guess, I would say that she’s around 9 years old, hopefully studying in elementary school at daytime. But, who am I to hope for her, on which is best for her? I’m not her. Though it seems like that we fancy the same color. But again, how do I know that she likes pink too. Maybe it was not even her choice.


It is 5.45 pm, the train where I’m in is waiting for departure time. I am sitting with my heavy black backpack on my lap, heavy of carrying a laptop.

She is walking around the aisle of the train, approaching people with a used candy bag as a pouch to ask for money. No, not directly begging, but she is also carrying a heavy black box. It’s a mini-speaker. She sings. Then ask for money.

The train is about to depart. She steps out from the door. As the train doors close, I look down at my heavy backpack. Maybe as heavy as the weight of the black box for the little girl. Maybe it is nothing compares to the heavy weight of having to get some money in the train by singing songs and asking for money.

But again, what do I know about her? Maybe she enjoys it, because she meets friends, laughs, and sees it all like playing a game before sleeping in her family huts.

That late afternoon, what I know is what I saw. Her long dark hair is tight up in a ponytail style with a pink elastic hair band. The pink color matches the color of her T-shirt.


Picture of the Commuter Line train in Indonesia (a non-crowded situation) is taken from here

18 August 2011

The Weather Expert

Being in the Thesis phase of my social science study, I am in the mood of advancing and proposing social theories and concepts. Here in the Netherlands, we had a “moody” spring-to-summer transition times. I am proposing: when it comes down to the weather, consult the Dutch!

The Dutch weather is complex. The idea of spring and/or summer is messy between warm-dry in one week and cold-wet in the next week. Sometimes, it is windy and grey in the afternoon and yet, it can still be great barbecue time in the evening.

In order to cope with this complex weather, my Dutch friends consult www.buienradar.nl. This site gives satellite images of the weather and help them to make informed decisions—when is a good time to cycle to the supermarket, when is preferable to stay home and play board games.






















Satellite image of clouds hanging on top of the Netherlands, prediction for a Wednesday afternoon (15:35 hrs) in a summerless summer of August 2011.


One evening, on a birthday celebration, after a second plate of delicious and creamy pasta, we gathered in the kitchen. It was an international group of students. We were thinking about some things to do this weekend in Wageningen.

At once, a Colombian friend asked the only Dutch in the group: “How’s the weather tomorrow afternoon?” And of course, being the weather expert in the group, he appreciated the question and gave a thorough answer: “Well to be precise, we have to check again tomorrow. I remember the forecast says that it would be windy with some chances of shower, but there’s also a chance of sun for several hours in early afternoon if we want to go to the Rhine.”

My Colombian friend did not ask myself (Indonesian), the other friend (Bolivian), the other friend (German), nor himself--obviously... but, our lovely and reliable Dutch Weather Expert!