ISLAM IN INDONESIA

This is a story about Islam that I know. This is the truth about what actually happens in my country, in my surrounding and I am a living witness to testify it. I was born as a Moslem as both of my parents are Moslems. Nevertheless, I was given freedom to choose what I wanted to be or to believe in. By this privilege, I tried my best to know what is best for me. I read Al Qur’an and its meaning, Bible, and in my elementary school, we were given a chance to study other religion other than ours, so I got a glimpse of the core of Buddhism and Hindu also. But after those researches, I found that I fall in love with Islam and its teaching. I had some wonderful Islamic teachers in my elementary and junior high school. Both of them like to tell us stories about prophet and any Islamic stories that always made us burst in laughter then cry like little babies in the classroom. Those stories linger most in my heart up to now. From all of the stories I got from my teachers and my parents, there is no way Islam is trying to make people be radical or full of hatred. I read The Holy Qur’an and all i found in it, is the act of kindness, when I read hadits it teaches me to love all people and nature equally. This is also what i found in my surrounding. People are helping one another regardless their religion or background. I have once read that the closest relatives of someone after their family is their neighbour. So we treat our neighbour even better than our distance family. I have also heard a story that even if a man is pious enough, he could not get into heaven if he lets his neighbours suffer in hunger. In Indonesia, we have 5 different religions (Islam, Christian, Catholic, Buddhism, and Hindu) and 1 believe (Confucius). I have went to Java and Kalimantan to prove that we all can live happily in peace. I my self have plenty of friends with different religions. We respect each other, they help me and I do my best to help them and make them happy. I know best, that if there is a problem occurred, the problem itself need to be fixed, and no need to bring it along their gender, race or religion.

                Islam for me is not something that restricts me to improve myself. I often feel encouraged by some verses in The Al Qur’an and Hadits. This is a verse about studying I love most: “And Allah has extracted you from the wombs of your mothers not knowing a thing, and He made for you hearing and vision and intellect that perhaps you would be grateful.” (16:78). There are also many Hadits about the benefit of learning. Some of them say that Allah make it easier to enter heaven for people who study and for people who are on the way to study can have the same reward as those who are on the way to sacrifice for Allah. Those teachings make me have more spirit to study. And it makes me sad, that my friend from Turkey told me that in Turkey, people who wear veil are considered stupid. Some people also think that women in Islam have a very small chance to develop themselves. Not with any intention of boasting what I got, but I just want to tell the world that any women can achieve what they want and put aside any thought of others who said that she couldn’t. I graduated from my undergraduate program in 3,5 year with a cumlaude. I also managed to finish my graduate degree even though I took different major from my undergraduate program in a reputable university in 1,5 year with a satisfactory GPA. I learn three foreign languages because I enjoy it. I do what I want to improve my knowledge. This is my way to thank Allah for the brain, the health, the time and chances that Allah has given to me.

                The way I improve my self does not only stop in those studies activity. I also enjoy doing physical activities. I love exploring nature to find Allah’s greatness in every inch of them. I did rafting, snorkeling, mountain climbing and many more exciting activities. It makes me realize how close the relation between human and nature. That we as human depends much to nature and how small we are compared to all these beautiful nature that Allah has made. I live my life to the fullest.

I am a Moslem girl. I am an Indonesian. You want me to raise a voice about Islam, so please do not look away, and look how happy I can be.

So, to continue the previous story... i think it was clear then, in my country the first child has to bear a responsibility to give his/her parents grandchild... actually my father does not really mind about my decision, he likes it better if i am concentrated more on my studying or my career... he raised me that way anyway.... but my mother is just like typical of ordinary mothers who always want me to marry someone, have some kids, so that she can boast about it to her family and friends... but i somehow feel like i have been a mother in some ways.... i have a younger brother and sister, but i would tell you about my lil sister....so she was born when i was 13 yo... and that is the most joyfull moment in my life! I have ever had a lil brother, but it felt different when i see my lil baby sister for the first time! She was sooooo small, so fragile... she has beautiful eyes, tiny nose and wonderfully smooth skin and hair...she smiles a lot, and it is so rare to hear her crying voice when she was a baby.... unlike when my brother was a baby, this time me mom allowed me to lift the baby girl.... and thats what i always do every day, even days in school got boring, cz i cant wait to come home to play with my sister... i heard her first word, and it is pretty weird when other babies start their word with "ma", she started it with "nggih", i watched her first step, and it was enchanting more than anything, when she was 1  or 2 yo, she started to have a weird habit, she wont sleep unless i lifted and sang for her for 2 hours! And that habit went on until she was 3 yo. But strangely, i never felt tired of it... i love her so dearly, even when she was 4 yo, i always told her some folktale on her bed... to me having a tiny angel like her feels like having my own daughter.... i love kids, i have this dream since i was in junior high school, i want to have an orphanage, that is what i really want, instead of thinking about marriage....
Because i have witnessed the bad side of man, i know some good women that are left by their men only because they have found more attractive women... i know how hard these women face their life, taking care of their children alone, and the truth that they have sacrificed her dreams, passion in job or education, some even have to undergo their family rejection only to marry those evil men...
When their men can enjoy their life with their new women, the mothers cant even go out to look of other men, cz whenever they put on make up, it is either they felt sad of the nostalgic feeling when they wore those make up for their ex hubby or the treachery feeling to leave their children alone at home, so that they do not even try to look for new love but rather work hard to support their children....
That is so tragic i think,women were made to be protected,they were originally soft and weak, how could the stronger one ever did that to them... i perhaps will tell the true ironic story about it later on the next post...

a common thing, they say: marriage

This writing pops out of my mind during a hubbub moment in a dark night in my room... It is not a weird thing to talk about marriage in my age. 24 is not young anymore.. I even ever have a dream to marry before i turn into 25 yo. But until now, i haven't found anyone suit my type or even close to my parents' approval... It is not like i am lonely or feeling intimidated by random pictures of my friend posing with their babies in fb or bbm, not at all, i mean it! Well, I will try to pour out this matter less emotionally. So, it was a day when my grandpa got sick in the hospital and dreadfully i was away in other island. I was doing my job taking care of my students, i thought i was going to visit my grandpa in the holiday season, 2 months later.... In my mind I had a plan to buy a couple native clothes for my grandparents and show them the money i got from that job. Out of my expectation, my grandpa's condition was going worse, when they told me about it i was in the same island but different province, coaching for debate championship... It is just about 8 hours if i ever wanted to go to my grandpa's hospital, or just an hour via plane. But it was a very difficult condition, my team proceeded to final and one of our best speaker just lost her grandma a night before the final and i comforted her, and helped her to focus on the final. I have a responsibility to make sure those babies got into their home safely after the championship... And at 10 o'clock, we arrived to our boarding house and not long after, my phone rang to inform me that my grandpa passed away.... It was too close if i chose to go back to Jogja, where my grandpa lied on the hospital, at least I could have seen him for the very last time and apologized for all mistake i made, for never been around him to listen to his story of life, for never cheered him up after hardworks he did on the rice field... A lot of things i regreted that time, as a consequence of my responsibility to my previous job that put me into this dilemma. And eventually i got a ticket home 6 hours later. I tried my best not to cry, but of course that would be impossible, moreover after my grandma hugged me so tight ans cried. She told me that even in my grandpa's last moment he was thinking of me, she told me that he said he would do his best so that he can stand with her witnessing my marriage, to see their grandgrand children... My heart was broken then, they really care of me and this long i was just messing around... I actually not their 1st grand daughter, they have a grand daughter 4 months older than me, that isn't married yet either, but they always think about me, but they always care of me, and i haven't treated them well enough..... The story is still very long, let's save it for next post...

My way to UGM

Bismillah

I made this article without any intention to boast on what I have got, but merely to share my experience, because in my religion, when a person dead, he will be asked about his knowledge, how he had used it, and I want to answer that I use my knowledge to help people, may this short article can help u all...^_^

So, on early may 2013, I got info from an acquaintance about government’s scholarship to endorse one’s master degree. And I decided to give it a try, I resigned from my job in Kalimantan and go back to Java to deal with the requirements… Then I go to my university to collect the data I need to apply on this scholarship, and I submitted the data on 29^th of May, but the dateline is on 30^th of May, I use the fastest delivery in town, cross fingered hoping that all will go well, then I go back to my house in Rembang, which is 4 hours from my university. On the 2^nd of June, I have to sit on the entrance exam of UGM (Gadjah Mada University in Jogja), the university I proposed to study in. So, my father sent me to my aunt’s house to take a rest, because the next morning I will have to join the test. I planned to study at night, because I will have PAPs and AcePT, but because AcePT is just like TOEFL, I decided not to focus on it, and set my eyes on PAPs test! But the reality is, I just studied 30 minutes on PAPs and fell asleep! In the morning my father gave me a lift to the test place. There are so many applicants there and many people sold the test book to study, but I just ignored them, although my dad insisted that I buy the book, but I just won’t and leave it. The first test is PAPs test, it was so silly, the question I prepared at night and left unlearned came out in the test! The question is ‘1 kodi ada berapa biji?’ and I rolled my eyes and went on through all the test, I did the test the fastest, and pretty confident with my answer, because it all just basic maths. The test lasted for about 3 hours if I am not mistaken, then we have 15 minutes break I think, and began 2^nd test of AcePT. I was a TOEFL instructor in my previous office so I just thought that it will be easy. But out of my expectation, the test turned out to be hardest than the regular TOEFL! I regretted that I haven’t studied at night! I just believe that I answered all question in listening (15 questions) all correct, but not sure of other questions (reading, writing, structure, composing), and I managed to do it fast and after the time was up, I went out and asked my dad to give me a treat of bakso! On 6^th of June, I got a call from someone called Novi. She is the human relation of international relationship UGM (Gadjah Mada University), she called to inform me that the data I collected was just arrived and not complete -____-“, and she asked me to complete it and send it to her the next day, but then that was 11 o’clock and Wednesday! And on Thursday (the next day) is holiday, I was so messed up, I told my father and he asked me to calm down and blamed me because of my untidiness (ha! As I always do), but then I got upset and I wanted to go to Semarang and collected the data and then go to Jogja that very moment. My father just smiled on my foolish plan, but then I gave up and went along my father’s suggestion. I sent message to Mbak Novi and informed her about my difficulty and asked if I could send it on 8 of June, and surprisingly she approved my plan! I was soooooo happy, and the next day I went to Semarang to complete my data. On 8^th of June, my father accompanied me to go to Jogja and I went straight to academic office and submitted all my data proudly, and when the official checked, he told me that I was supposed to bring “materai”, but I didn’t, and it was 10 o’clock on Friday! 1 hour before the office closed! I hurried out passed some ladies, and I asked them the nearest shop, but they said I had to go out 3 kms! I was so hopeless because I wasn’t sure that there will be any ‘materai’ there. When I was about to open the door to go out, one of the lady called me and told me that she had bunch of ‘materai’! and I was about fainted of my own luck, and how much my God loves and takes care of me… that lady must be an angel! I went back to the office and handed in all my data and went back home. In my way home, I got a text from Mbak Novi again to do interview test on 12^th of June I think, for my scholarship, I was in bliss because everything happened so fast and well. Alhamdulillah. I studied about international issues, about Arab spring, Snowden, and all economic stuff. I even made some list of questions that the interviewers were going to ask, my preparation this time is quite complete, because I often got nervous in public speaking! And the time had come for the interview. I made a lot of friends, and all of them look so friendly.. And when I was called in for the interview, I was shocked that the interviewers were so friendly and welcomed me warmly, I was amazed and hoped that someday I will be one of them! I spent 30 minutes in the room, the longest time among all the interviewee, because they were interested in my story of life. I went out with a big smile. And after a looooooooong time, on August I had an info that I was accepted both in the university and the scholarship, well time to study more about politics… God please lead me tenderly and well… :)

Home "Dreamland" Town

Well, I have just faced a dilemma in my life. It was when I was practicing with my scholarship interview and I tried my self this question, “what makes you proud about your hometown?”

And I was like -____-a, I am never good at lying, T____T

I always know that I am very proud with my beloved Rembang village, it is in the high willingness of its people to work hard (like getting up early in the morning to get the sap from sugar palm trees that one has to climb for more than 400 meters high), its various believe and the act of the people that are acceptance to that difference (we live along well in spite of many backgrounds of races, economical and political levels, and religions), its peace, its beautiful terrasiring (cultivating way to preserve water)  all along the way… I am proud of our salt fields, hard wood teaks that are well grown in semi limestone soil, some beautiful beaches, old town etc. But I do not feel that is enough to convince the jury that my village is proud able (in my opinion) providing the fact that it holds the first rank of the poorest regency in central java -____-a

And then I ponder, why so? What makes other regency can advance so fast but not my beloved Rembang??? Well, if it is about the corruption and the long drought that pushes us in frugality in food consume then it can not be helped :/ And I compared it with Bali that its natural resources are likely the same with my Rembang, its beaches also has potential to be like Kuta or Sanur, or if it is too far, lets compare it to Parang tritis in Jogja. Why some tourists want to come to those beaches just to tan their body but not in my Rembang?! If we look at its cleanliness management, Rembang sure has enhanced so much! It even is better now in the hand of private company. Moreover we are located in Pantura path, the only way to connect from west to east java, we should have got more visitors if we really aim for it! So again, what is wrong with usssssssssssssss T_T

Then I come across this surprising fact, that perhaps we, Rembang citizen, are lack of promotion. We perhaps are like me, just in a grey state, we want to look modern just like international models, but we also too shy or (hopefully) has some love to our culture that we want to keep it. This grey area, makes us not really all out in conserving our local heritage! Look, the Balinese people wear kemben and jarit (native clothes) proudly and it makes them look really gorgeous, so what stop us from copying what really will help us to promote our village?! And even, Tegal and Padang have successfully endorse their region by spreading its rumah makan padang or warteg -___-, how will the world or must I say Indonesia know what rembang is, if they are not familiar with it????

Turning to the second point, I also think that one of the motives people want to go to tourism object is perhaps because they want to take photo o buy souvenir or eat its native snack from that very place. And I (dum-darra-du-dammm) have created some souvenir to gain tourist attraction to come to my Rembang :*

Well you have known kawis from my previous post, don’t you? I plan to make that into souvenir ;)

And for the food, yes Rembang has lontong tuyuhan,

 but you can not just wrap it like your souvenir, and lontong is just too common! Well I propose to make a “Corn brownies” or “corn colourful muffin”, because our village is full of corn, and corn is basically sweet and low fat, we can make healthy brownies out of it ^_^, or for heavy food lets start it with “spicy teri meatball with terasi aroma”, how it makes me drooling lol

And I am inspired to make fashion distro, but wait until I have enough fund :D

Ohhh Rembang I loveee you, love you, love youuuuuuuu soooooooo much!!! Someday I will make you proud of me, my dream from when I was in elementary school is to stand on the podium in internation conference, inventing something and I will say “I am from Rembang and I am so proud of it!” :*  Ya Allah please grant my wish ^_^

pic of kawis and lontong tuyuhan are from google 

Counter attack your sadness

Hello visitors :*

I am not in the mood of writing anything hard to understand wkwkkkkkk, so I will just write something light…. Like cotton candy or goose feather or pink balloon in the valentine or something close to that like broken hearted mwahahahhaa

So, everyone has ever got it before, and if I said broken hearted it is not merely about love to your lovemate, it can be a fail in your success, or perhaps when you are waiting to watch your fave program but then you remember you haven’t paid the electronic bill wkwkkwkkkk…. Well, it happened to me today, it is not really an important thing but it makes me cry a lot because of my unstable hormone, and I discover these things to combat “broken heart”, so the fight begins….

1. 1.       Move your body

The easiest way to run from your problem is causing another problem wkkkkwkkkk, so just turn on your laptop, with high volume, and start dance to give problem to your muscle!

What you need to note down is, NEVER LISTEN TO SAD SONG, EVERRRR! Whether you realize it or not, the mood of your surrounding will effect you also, so here are my list of songs that I adore most for my crazy dancing:

·         Better than revenge – Taylor Swift (no matter what the problem is, this song is always in my top list)

·         Heart attack – Demi Lovato (just focus on the beat not the lyric, okay?)

·         Single ladies – Beyonce

·         All maroon5 songs

·         22 – Taylor swift

·         Come and get it – Selena Gomez

·         And choose any high beat of 1D songs

Well for me, 5 songs are enough to make me bath with sweat… (eeewwwhh)

1. 2.       Next, beauty treatment (yeeaaaay!!!) So, after that, put olive oil all over your body, at first you will feel like fish ready to fry lol, but wait a little more, and voilaaaa your skin will glow just like rihanna :D amazing! Then, put on yellow scrub, well for me I use lulur kocok must*ka r***, and then wait, while waiting put on peeling on your face, scrub it a bit, and your body also, then take a bath with warm water (it would smell heavenly if you drop some perfume on it and any flower you can find around your house ;)), soak yourself in it and after that put body talk or body mist on your body and yam bean masker on your face, then take a nap, you will feel like a new born baby after you wake up ;)

1. 3.       Now that your feeling is so much better, take your time to pray…. Do not just throw all your problem to God, but kindly thank God, for everything that you have now, for every lesson you have got and for having me guiding you through my blog hohohohoooo

1. 4.       You like eating something delicious? Why don’t you cook something? Well, to make yourself busy with those things will slowly make your focus change to a new thing rather than your broken heart. Why don’t treat your self with a tasty pancake and lemon tea made by you your self, while reading some amazing article from exclusive blog like mine lol

1. 5.       And if you have done all of that, just go out, catch some fresh air and warm sun, and rearrange your life, meet new people, shop to a new shop (not recommended if you are as broke as me) or have a new hair cut, that will make you look and feel so much better :*

Take care of your heart honey, because you are the only one in full control of it :*

55 Days in Banjarmasin

55 Days  in Banjarmasin

Transferred here, first of course i feel blue for i have to be apart from my family, my friends and beloved students. But as time goes, I feel that this experience is amazing. When we hear the word of Kalimantan absolutely, the only thing that will cross our mind is wild forest, people will run here and there clotheless humming some rumble words, roasting boar, wrestling with lake monster, or giant anaconda perhaps and thousand of others eeewwh. But as I step on my feet out of the airport, I was astonished by this city; So clean, so organized and the most relieving above all is that this city is really religious; before, I thought that I have to look hard for halal food here, People said that everything here would be very expensive that really shocked me, because they say that the price ofa bowl of noodle can be $2!!! But luckily here I lived in dorm, no need to pay for anything, except for having fun with my students in game zone, that costs much, but I can save about $100 every month here, and I am satisfied enough because i can buy everything that i need. And this place reminds me most to my dear friend, Autumn. She loves adventure, and it seems like a waste being here without her. She should have seen monkeys in Kembang island that is sooooooo spoil yet cute. To get into that place you first have to do river trip, passes a floating market in where the process of trading happens on boat. And Autumn need not to worry of being lost, because the road here is really just straaaaaaiiiiight, no possibility of lost :D One way big road, and seems like everyone here has car. Ya, banjarmasin is somehow full of money, and pride, some people told me that what makes this city is dirty, because noone wants to pick garbage here, they live really in prosperity. It is like French in Indonesia. You will pass many people with their fashion statement! Even ice seller on the road, they colour their hair while listening their music on blackberry! The oldies go here and there use abaya and very hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh highheels! But it is a proof of the success of the government (except the garbage thing). What i love most to be here is the food, hmmmm super yummy, full of spices!