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SRI LANKA: Beyond My Expectations

It was another mission trip that I had to take, and at that time Colombo was my next destination. The mission was to attend and deliver presentation at the APFED Workshop on 14 - 17 October 2008.

At first I was taken aback to learn that the flight will be leaving Bangkok on the ungodly hour of almost midnight. Entering the check in lounge, my back was patted by someone, who is no other than my former supervisor at UNEP, who was at that time working in an institute in Japan. As we landed in Colombo airport at around 2 am, we were greeted by some familiar and friendly faces - of whom were our partners of the project that I was dealing with.

On our way to the hotel in Mount Lavinia - a suburb out of Colombo in which the meeting was going to be held and where we will spend the nights, we were stopped by the policemen, who were asking us questions pertaining our purpose of visit and requiring us to show identification in the form of our passport. It was cold outside that whenever the car windows were opened, we could feel the crisp air and the thin breeze. As we could show our true intentions of visiting Colombo to attend a meeting, these kind policemen let us go.

As it turned out, Sri Lanka was one of the most beautiful country that I have been to. I was also given the courtesy to have a city tour around Colombo city by my old friend, who was a former partner of a project that I dealt with when I worked at UNEP. The city preserves the old colonial buildings that are truly mesmerizing. Whereas the hotel that we stayed in, Mount Lavinia Hotel, is a very well-maintained colonial building, which used to be the home of a Governor General back in the colonial days. There was a romance story behind it as well, because the hotel is a legacy of the colonial heritage that stands as a monument to the forbidden love of the Governor with a local dancer.

The hotel is facing the beautiful view of the beach, and is merely 12 km from the Colombo city centre. During the coffee breaks of the meeting, the participants were hanging on the terrace that faced the beach and swimming pool. Here is one of the pictures taken during the breaks.

(Right to left: Ikuyo Kikusawa (IGES), Henk Verbeek (UNEP), Tomoko Noguchi (IGES), and myself).

HaLLoWeeN in Bangkok

Halloween is a holiday celebrated on October 31. Halloween activities include trick-or-treating, ghost tours, bonfires, costume parties, visiting haunted attractions, carving jack-o'-lanterns, reading scary stories, and watching horror movies (source: Wikipedia)

Akhtar's school arranged the "Trick or Treat" rounds in Sukhumvit area, in which the kids were asked to chime: "Trick or treat ... trick or treat ... give me something sweet to eat...!"
And then the people in the neighbourhood will be giving away candy or all sorts of candy to these kids, who were dressed in various kind of costumes. For Akhtar, we dressed him as a Vampire. }:)

Special thanks to my colleague from UN-ESCAP, Zhendai, whose son Jia Jia is attending the same school as Akhtar's, for taking and sending the pictures and video files, which I compiled as one video file below.

A trip to the UN Climate Change Secretariat - BONN, Germany

Amid this year in late July, I was invited by the UN Secretariat for Climate Change (UNFCCC) headquarters in Bonn, Germany. It was indeed intense 3-days, as the travel took almost one whole day, and then I spent the next day browsing around the town of Bonn with my good friend Bhava (who was also kind enough to offered me place to stay at her cozy apartment), and the following day the meeting with the UNFCCC staff members, and left Bonn a few hours after the meeting.

Nevertheless Bonn left me with the impression that it is a very nice, family-friendly town. I would not mind being there a bit longer. The people were also very kind, in fact, I made friends with a woman I met in the train on my way from Dusseldorf Airport to Bonn. Bhava had warned me, that the airport is such a hassle, and somewhat complicated. So in the station, I saw this friendly-looking woman, reading a story-telling book to her daughter. I asked her for directions, and she was concerned that she dialled Bhava's number many times (to no avail, as she had left her apartment when we called her), and even she asked the information operator about the number of Bhava's neighbours (!)

Bhava and I, on the top floor of the UNFCCC Secretariat office

So anyway, it didn't work out, and she was left concerned. She gave me her phone number, in case I am in any trouble in Bonn. And she also told me to drop by if I ever be around her hometown (which was not Bonn). I feel so grateful, and glad to know that there are "angels" out there who would be willing to give you a hand when you're lost (literally speaking!)

The zentrum of Bonn downtown, Bhava and I took a very long walk around town (I just wished that there would be massage service in town - apparently they're very expensive, of course, and by appointment only)

UNEP-Tongji Leadership Programme - SHANGHAI and SUZHOU, China

The UNEP-Tongji Asia Pacific Leadership Programme on Environment for Sustainable Development has been conducted annually since 2004, on a collaborative basis between Tongji University and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The 2008 Leadership Programme was held during the week of 15-20 September 2008, at the premises of the UNEP Tongji Institute of Environment for Sustainable Development (IESD) in Shanghai, China, followed by a series of site visits to the eco-industrial city of Suzhou municipality.

This year 28 participants from 18 countries were selected, in which Aretha and Nuki had the opportunity to be part of. The Hanns Seidel Foundation and UNEP generously sponsored our participation and stay in China for a week, to pursue the intensive Leadership Programme that aims to build network and strengthen knowledge on the emerging issues on environment, especially in the Asia and the Pacific region.

During the intense weeks, we managed to make use of the night "session" more fruitful, by going to Shanghai downtown, do some shopping, and sight-seeing. We normally would went in a group of some good new friends, and would compare prices of the stuff that we bought, sometimes followed by delight of getting cheaper price, but sometimes with disappointment for having to pay more than what the goods were worth.

Nanjing Road, Shanghai downtown at 8:00 pm.

Modern as it is, with European/American/Asian mixed-designs of the building, Shanghai is a unique city which is worth a visit.



On the third day in Shanghai, we had the chance to do some more sight-seeing just the two of us, and visited the Oriental Pearl TV Tower, located in Pudong Park, which is the world's third tallest TV and radio tower, with 468 meters high above the ground.

The view from the top of the tower was unbelievably breath taking.

Following the session of lectures that were delivered by Resource Persons from Yale University, Griffith University, AIT, etc, and from private sectors such as HSBC and Bayer, we were brought to Suzhou city, an industrial municipality located 1 hour away from Shanghai. We stayed at the hotel provided by the organizer, which was at the heart of the shopping area and night entertainment in Suzhou.

Checking-in at the hotel in Suzhou


At the Exhibition of the Ecological Park in Suzhou, there were some interesting showcase of eco-friendly technologies with which the city was developed. Above picture is us sitting on top of the sturdy glass showcase of this eco-city modelling.

Mission to Davao City, the PHILIPPINES

In July 2008, I was invited to attend the annual APFED meetings. This time the venue was in Davao city of Mindanao province, the Philippines. The plane from Manila took around an hour, and I was pleased to see the wonderful view of Davao from above, just before landing. It was indeed a beautiful afternoon, around 4 pm or so - my favourite time of the day.


The meetings were intensed 2-days, in which I had to delivered presentations on behalf of UNEP. It really was a good opportunity for me to again network with experts, people from the Ministries of Environment (and several Ministers), as well as NGO representatives from Asia and the Pacific region.

Somehow while I was there, some people mistakenly thought that I was a Philippino. Once they talk to me in Tagalog, I would respond, "sorry, I'm not a Philippino" - to their surprise. And later on they'd apologize, saying "but you look like a Philippino," which I would respond, "yes, and you yourself look like an Indonesian." That usually would break the ice. ;)

And then there was a representative from IUCN who said to me, "at first I thought that you were a Philippino," he added, "but after hearing your presentation, I knew at once that you are not. So which country are you from?"

Anyway, after the whole 2-days meeting, IGES had the courtesy to provide participants to join the field visits. That was in fact also an opportunity to talk to the person next to you on the tour bus about things that are not necessarily related with work. It made the connection more humane and personal, which I like better.

In front of the tour bus, left to right: Henk Verbeek (UNEP Senior Admin Officer), me, Ikuyo Kikusawa (IGES), Prof. Emil Salim and his wife, Mr. Hiroshi Nishimiya (used to be my boss at UNEP as Deputy Regional Director, currently holding position as IGES' Deputy Programme Management Office), and the representative of Ministry of Environment, Japan.


With Prof. Emil Salim, at the Eagles Conservation centre of Davao city. Prof. Salim is one of the APFED members, the only delegate from Indonesia, and we are pleased to have him on board.

A little observation on Prof. Emil Salim. He is considered as a world-renowned, awards-winning expert on environmental sustainable development. He is always active during the discussion sessions, with his point of emphasis on poverty reduction. He always puts forward the importance of the policy makers to take into account measures on poverty reduction, in front of the international audience before him. He is the former Minister of Environment, and is currently holding a position as member of the Advisory Council to the Indonesian President. I have only learned about him in my elementary school text books, and so grateful to have the chance to meet him in person at international fora like this.

Akhtar Avatara

Looking at the previous posts, I got the warm feeling inside by looking at baby pictures of Akhtar. It feels like only recently he was still a baby. Now he has grown a lot and turned as a boy instead of a baby :)

Playing badminton with mom, dad, and the Indobangkoknoi group

Self-portrait submitted to the pre-school he is currently attending; Early Years in Sukhumvit, Bangkok.

When asked, what does he want to be? He would reply, "an astronout!". He said that he wants to go to the moon, and stars, and drop by the sun "it's so hooott... in the suuun...", he would add.

He is also fascinated with airplanes, trains, and all sorts of transportation. But he likes airplanes best, and his face would brigthen up by the prospect of all of us going to the airport. Sometimes he'd be a bit disappointed when we went to the airport just to pick up our family members who were dropping by Bangkok, because he wants to ride on the plane.

Riding (posing) on the Thai Airways mobile cart at Bangkok Suvarnabhumi airport

The last time we went on the plane was to go back to Semarang for our sister's wedding. The plane departed from Bangkok to Jogjakarta (by MAS), unfortunately the weather wasn't favourable and there were several turbulence, which made Akhtar's face a bit dimmed. Then he said, "I don't like airplanes, mommy. I don't want to go on airplanes... no more." But we tried to encourage him that the turbulence is due to the weather, and we went inside the thick clouds, etc. After landing, it seems that he had forgotten all about the sickening turbulence, and said, "I want to ride on the plane again! Let's go, Mommy!"

Akhtar and papa, mesmerizing the replica of an airplane at Kuala Lumpur (KLIA) airport


"Funky music on my earphones, mommy! Yeah... rock on, dude!"

Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC in Bali (CoP 13)

Climate change is claimed as the defining challenge of the century. Given the importance of the topic, UNEP had put climate change on top of its agenda. I was pleased to have been given the chance to attend the conference as observer, in addition to my role to assist the UNEP Subregional Environmental Policy Dialogue, which was attended by Ministers of Environment from Asia and the Pacific (including Minister Rachmat Witoelar) and the UNEP Executive Director Mr. Achim Steiner.

The JAPAN mission - Tokyo, Yokohama, Hayama

Finally the time has come for me to be able to visit our counterpart's office based in Japan. I have mainly been working with the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES) and I was pleased to be invited to attend and delivered a presentation on behalf of UNEP at the meeting there. Their headquarters office in Hayama - Kanagawa Perfecture, is impressive. Not only that it was spacious, airy and with modern interior/exterior, the building also applied the notion of sustainable building by the installation of wind energy systems to provide electricity, solar lighting, etc.

Prior to attending the full-day meetings, at the IGES Headquarters office in Hayama, Japan.

Given that Japan is indeed an exciting place to visit, I had the courtesy to invite my mother to come with me on this mission. After a few days of back-to-back meetings, we extended our stay and had some extra days spent in Tokyo and Yokohama. As good ol'tourists, we did all the touristy things, such as visited the Tokyo Tower, all-modern Roppongi hills, Akihabara, etc, which were included in one of those full-day Tokyo tour services. It was all worth it, and we both had a blast!

Our feet on top of the Tokyo Tower

At Roppongi hills, from which Tokyo Tower can be seen from afar

A few encounters with eminent persons - CHENGDU, China

Dear friends and family,

It has been a while since the last time we post any new updates on our life. No... we haven't got a sibling for Akhtar just yet, but we have some other news that might be of your interest.

As some of you know that after a well-deserved maternity break and several temp-jobs here and there, I had finally gone back and taken up a job at the UN Environment Programme in Bangkok as Programme Specialist since November 2006 up to now. I will continue to serve while mas Nuki is completing his Doctorate programme. I had been quite busy in the past few months with missions abroad, which was exhausting but also fulfilling.

The first mission was to Chengdu (China), in which I had to deliver 2 presentations about the programme I'm dealing with, which is a grant programme for environmentally innovative projects all over Asia Pacific. Every year we select 12 projects, and up to now we already have 24 projects in 18 countries. My duty is to monitor the implementation and disburse the funds.

So anyway, in Chengdu, I had the opportunity to meet Prof. Emil Salim, who is the only eminent person from Indonesia invited in this Asia Pacific Forum for Environment & Development meeting. I was quite nervous to deliver my presentation in front of him, in addition to around 30 other former and current ministers from Asia. But I am grateful that somehow it went well, that I got compliments from Prof. Emil and the director of institute at the UN University in Tokyo, saying that my presentation was "interesting" and that I "didn't look nervous at all" - although I knew well that I was, but did a nice job covering it up ;-)

Here is a snapshot of me in between 2 prominent people: Prof. Akio Morishima (founder of the Institute of Global Environmental Strategies - Japan), and Prof. Emil Salim.

And here is the picture of the former Minister of Environment from South Korea, Dr. Kim Myung Ja. Note that she is a prominent female environmental leader, and I am amazed by the fact that everytime she speaks in the forum, she always gets the attention and follow up from other participants, as she deserves.

And of course at the end of the day we had the opportunities to do a bit of sight seeing around Chengdu, and I got to see the Panda Centre with heaps of pandas which are really chubby, fluffy, and cute...

It was just sooo good to be out and get in touch with the nature after whole days of meetings and a series of presentations.

Ibu Cemerlang (Smart Mom) 2006 - Nestle infant cereal

Source:http://www.sahabatnestle.co.id/HOMEV2/main/infant/main.asp?page=event&id=1236
Juara Ibu Cemerlang 2006: Aretha Aprilia Ibu Cemerlang 2006
Karena merasa memiliki visi yang sama dengan Nestlé, Aretha ikut pemilihan Ibu Cemerlang 2006 dan... menang! Menjadi seorang ibu adalah anugerah terindah yang dirasakan Aretha Aprilia. Untuk putera pertamanya, Akhtar Avatara yang kini berusia 11 bulan, Aretha hanya memberikan nutrisi terbaik termasuk asupan ASI untuk buah hatinya. "Saya berniat memberikan Akhtar ASI sampai dia berusia 2 tahun," begitu harapan Aretha.

Mantan Gadis Gemilang versi Majalah GADIS (1997), Miss Novotel (1998), yang juga mantan penyiar radio di Semarang ini tampaknya memang memiliki naluri sebagai seorang Ibu Cemerlang. Essay-nya tentang pengalaman makan yang edukatif membuktikan hal ini.

Untuk membuat Akhtar mau makan dengan lahap, Aretha menerapkan trik "medutainment" alias meals, education and entertainment. "Saya mengajaknya bicara, menirukan suara binatang atau bermain boneka tangan. Saya berharap, suasana penuh kasih sayang akan membuat Akhtar menyukai saat-saat makannya." Sekarang, Akhtar yang sudah semakin besar dan ganteng memang jarang sekali sulit makan. Selain asupan ASI, Akhtar menyantap Nestlé Bubur Susu rasa wortel, bayam dan labu 3 X sehari, ditambah juice dan nasi tim saring.

Ibu muda yang masih aktif menulis untuk media cetak dan di UN Bangkok ini sangat percaya bahwa nutrisi yang baik sangat dibutuhkan untuk pertumbuhan dan perkembangan anak-anak. Ia mendukung pemberian ASI eksklusif dan ingin sekali dapat bekerja sama dengan Ibu Ani SBY sebagai Duta ASI, mengkampanyekan pentingnya ASI ke berbagai lapisan masyarakat.

Selain itu, Aretha juga berencana membuat website khusus tentang nutrisi anak di internet yang bisa dijadikan sumber informasi bagi tumbuh kembang anak serta membuat milis untuk memfasilitasi informasi ini."Pasti menyenangkan bila ibu-ibu bisa sharing experience dengan sesama ibu-ibu lainnya yang memiliki anak usia 6 – 12 bulan. Saya sudah mengumpulkan bahan-bahannya lho," katanya ceria. Kita doakan saja, semoga cita-cita mulianya ini dapat terwujud dalam waktu dekat, ya!

Snapshots of the TV Commercial for Nestle Infant Cereal, broadcasted nation-wide

(courtesy of Toto Soemardjono, Director of the Nestle-TV commercial production)

And here is the VIDEO file of the Nestle TV commercial. Click "Play" to view it.

Akhtar is almost 1 year old... time flies (?)

So here we are, back on the web again. I got a message from Nina and apparently she still checks our weblog and sent a congratulatory note to welcome me back in the 'blog world'. I really think that it's time to update it, after my last post dated April 10 (wow, it's almost 8 months ago!)

Akhtar is now almost 1 year old. The past 1 year had been such a turmoil, many ups and downs. I enjoy this great (yet life-changing) opportunity to be a mom. Akhtar now can say some things, funny words like "buaya" (in Indonesian, it means "crocodile"), because whenever he sees Animal Planet on TV, and there are some kinds of crocodile shows, we always point out to him that they're called "buaya". The funny thing is, sometimes in the morning, right after he wakes up, he says none other than "buaya" ... I hope he doesn't refer that word as his mom or dad! (although, he can already point to us and say "mama" and "papa", though).

Down below you can see his latest photos. Share with us what you think of him, we'd be glad to hear from you all!

We went over to Sophie's apartment at one weekend to get Akhtar acquainted with her two sons: Meno and Pim. Sophie is Dutch, whom happily married with an Aussie. Sophie works at UNEP for the "Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction from Industry in Asia and the Pacific" project (www.geriap.org), while Andy is a P.E. teacher at an international school in Bangkok.

This is our 2nd time to visit this happy family. We enjoyed having dinner together, this time we prepared Indonesian meal for them: Soto daging, gado-gado, and perkedel daging.

Jessica, our friend from London who now works for one of the international TV network based in Malaysia, paid us a visit while she conducted her task to cover a story in Thailand. She stayed at our place for a few days and we really had a good time having her around. We went to Suan Lum night bazaar to do a bit of shopping (for her) and to have a sort of 'Goodbye Dinner'. She's quite good with babies, and she can practically be a mother herself! Akhtar also seems to like her a lot coz she'd make funny faces, so we may as well call her the "fun auntie Jessica". :-)

Family Photo - at last!

pHoTo cReDit: AnA & RoNNie (thAnX, guYs!)

Au BoN PaiN, aLL SeAsOnS

Last weekend we went out to All Seasons place and met up with our friends, Ana and Ronnie Mercado. Their son is the same age as Akhtar and here are the pic of them getting acquainted:

When he's left alone in his 'ride', he seems content, too, just like what you can see on the photo below:

Akhtar's mummy likes to take his pictures in various angles, probably she's trying to be the next Anne Geddess. :-) Here's one sample:

Cast your Vote! :-)

We were trying to take a photo of Akhtar for immigration purposes in which the Indonesian Embassy required us to have a few pictures of the baby with red background. Instead of running off to the photo studio, we came up with having a "studio" in our bedroom. As an old red t-shirt of mas Nuki's was laid down in bed, we put Akhtar on top of it and Aretha took several shots in sequence. Below are the sample of the pictures we successfully produced. Can you give us suggestion as to which one we should choose for his passport and birth certificate? Please cast your vote Now! :)

a.

b.

c.

Above: That's what Akhtar looks like when he plays and mocks around with his mum and dad

Below: He likes to grab daddy's t-shirt when bathing, probably he's worried of drowning. :-D

A piece of reminiscence from London, UK

I was browsing through our photo collections and found the one I posted here. This picture was taken at a restaurant in London right after the UNEP Advisory Board Meeting for Sustainable Consumption project was completed in September 2004. The food and even the beer served in this restaurant are all organic, in line with the idea of our project (and also my thesis research - coincidentally).

This image brought me some memories, thus I skimmed through the previous postings in this blog. Things have changed rapidly within less than 2 years time. Now our life is a bit more settled, though not completely. I miss travelling here and about, wondering when and where I can experience these feelings again.

Anyway, back to this picture again. Just for reminiscing reasons. From left to right:
Uchita (Sri Lankan, served as the director of Centre of Environment and Development)
Claus (Denmark, served as project partner, from an NGO called DCC - forgot what it stands for)
Villy (same as Claus)
Niclas (Swedish. He's one of my favourite people in the world! A terrific boss with such great attitude. He was the Project Coordinator and Officer of UNEP Bangkok and thanks to him I got to be here. Currently he's assigned to a new post at UNEP Paris).
Bjarne (forgot his nationality, but he's UK-based. He's the project partner from the NGO Consumers International, and the host for this event).
Adriana (Mexican but Paris-based, Project Officer from UNEP Paris)
Aretha (Indonesian,... don't know where to start with the tagline)
Priya (Indian, was born and raised in Canada, but also UK-based. She's a cool person and we stay in touch up to now. We even met up in a lovely Italian restaurant in Paris when she came over. Hope that one day we'll meet again).

Girls Night In !

Last weekend my good friend Sarah - the Australian Young Ambassador that works for UNEP Bangkok, visited us and stayed over at our place. It seems to be so long since we see each other, albeit her visit in the hospital right after Aretha gave birth, which was 1,5 months ago.

It was good to catch up, especially since we couldn't get our daily dose of chatting like it used to be when we worked together at UNEP (we didn't actually work together, coz she's dealing with conserving the poor turtles while I dealt with shopping... um, I meant consumption... "sustainable consumption", more like). :-)

Sarah is one of my sweetest friend, she's very independent, witty, pretty (taller than most fashion top models as she is 179 cm tall! I wonder how the wind is up there!) ;-) She is also a determined person, and I believe her to be successful in all her future endeavours.

Anyway I've just got her e-mail and here's what she says:

"Hi beautiful Aretha = D Thank you soooooo much for having me over, I slept like a (um) baby!! So good to goss with you again, and to see your amazing motherhood skills in action...I am returning to Australia on 3 March to take up ajob in sunny Queensland, yay. Will have to meet you in the next few weeks before I run away! Lots of love, Sarah"

So here comes the part which I hate the most; goodbye! But it had been great to have known her, and although there's always be a "farewell" whenever there's a "hello", it's warming to know that a friendship is established and God knows what tomorrow has in store for us. We may cross paths again, hopefully!!!

Playdate with the Mercados

Last weekend we came over to our friends' place, Ana and Ronnie Mercado. They came from the Phillipinnes, but already lived in Bangkok for quite some time now. We met the first time at the Maternity Class and apparently we have some common grounds, i.e. we have our first newborn sons, and they both were born in December. We also happen to live quite near, only about 10 minutes away, should we disregard the traffic.

So we had some nice chats, sharing of experience, etc. Kind of funny because it's the first time we (Nuki and I) had such an 'adult' conversation. You know, like the price of Pampers compared to Mami Poko, the frequency of baby's pee pee and poo poo, and also the forms of the aforementioned. :-) But seriously, we had some nice sharing of insights in regards to nursing and raising the baby.

Below are some photos taken during our playdate. In fact, it was more like a playdate for the parents rather than the kids! :-P

Ana & Aretha: the new mothers in duty

Look at Mattie with his hands as though he's doing a hip-hop dance move!

And look at Akhtar staring at his mum with his curious looks.

Bonding with Daddy

Papa Nuki and Ronnie: "Bouncy baby... bouncy baby, oooh... aren't you the cutest baby or what?"

Akhtar: "Gleeeba...goo..goo" (translation: "Can you please stop swinging me around? I'm getting a bit nausea here. Baw!!")

Matthew: "Goo...goo" (translation: "Same here, pal! And could I get back to my mum please? I think I need some drink. Baw!!")

First baby pal

Nuki: "Hey Akhtar, say 'hello' to your new friend, Matthew!"
Ronnie: "Look who's there... your first baby friend!"

Akhtar (in baby language): Gaa... gaaa.. gooo... (translation: "Geez... what are those adults up to? I'm Akhtar, by the way. What's your name?")
Matthew: Goo... goo... (translation: "I'm Matthew, but you can call me Mattie. Nice to meet you! Do you wanna shoot some hoops when we grow up?")
Akhtar: Goo...goo ("I don't see why not!")

Two plus one equals three ~ {2 + 1 = 3}

One happy little family :-)

Introducing... our son, Akhtar Avatara

We are happy to share with you that our first son had been born in Bangkok on 20 December 2005. He is a healthy baby boy, weighed 4,005 kg and 53 cm long. It was quite a journey, with 14 hours of labour and a bit of tensity in between.

Actually the birth was quite tricky. I got my water broke at 4 AM and off we went rushing to the hospital when everyone else was still snoozing. Greeted by the emergency room nurses, and within seconds we were ushered to the delivery room. At first we opted for water birth, but the baby was too big, therefore I had to give up the plan. However I got the opportunity to soak in the warm birth pool for pain relieve purpose though, it was quite a pleasant experience.

Anyway the contraction didn't get intense and painful before midday. After the fifth cm opening it got really painful, and at 6.39 in the evening the baby was delivered. I was very grateful that I didn't opt for a cesarean (C-section, as they call it), because the thrill for having the baby handed over to you for the first time - fresh from the womb - is priceless!

We named the baby Akhtar Avatara --> Akhtar is Arabic for "lucky" and "star", whereas Avatara is Hindi, which means "offspring". (In fact Avatara is the name my parents prepared for me when they thought that I would be a baby boy - the sonogram read my gender incorrectly). So by naming him that, we hope that he'll be an offspring that brings good luck and be as bright as the star (amen!).

A few seconds after Akhtar was delivered to the world... still in the delivery room. The doctor handed the baby immediately for us to start bonding. What an amazing feeling!Thank God.

Observant eyes

Sleeping soundly in the baby sling

Yawn!!!

What sweet pucker lips! :-x
Whitish lips as a result of drinking milk in vast amount
(Got Milk?) ;-)

Counting Down the Days...

It's December already, only couple of days before I'm due (Dec 15). Things are going quite slow at home, although we did quite some purchase of additional furnitures for the baby and a bit of redecorating.

We've spent Sunday afternoons attending Maternity Class at our hospital, spending some quality time with other pregnant mothers (and also the fathers) in addition to obtaining information about pregnancy, birth, and beyond. The class is conducted in English, and we happen to be able to make friends with the class attendees. There's Lori and Peter from America, who apparently gave birth to their first baby boy yesterday on Tuesday, Dec 6. There's Rony and Ana from the Philippines, who will due a week after me, and happen to live in our area. We're planning to keep in touch and probably our babies will attend the pre-school together!

It turned out to be quite a bonding between us couples, and I find it most useful to talk to the other pregnant women and talk about what we're going through. It's such a relieve to see that other people are experiencing the same things, i.e. insomnia, backaches, misery for not being able to drink coffee, even issues that may make others may frowned upon such as frequency (or lack thereof) to go to the loo. With these women, we can talk almost about Anything! I'm just glad we took this class, and would recommend others to do the same, especially if you're carrying your first baby!

Anyway, as I write this, I'm listening to some Christmas songs and carols, thanks to the info provided by my dear friend Rina about this amazing software which allows us to download MP3 songs for free! It's called LimeWire (www.limewire.com) and I've been addicted ever since, downloading (or as Rina puts it, 'pirating') songs and even my fave and fab TV show "Desperate Housewives". Anyway, I just realized that the baby might've come out as a Christmas Baby. I've always loved Christmas time! Not that I celebrate it for religious reasons, but it always give me a bit of thrill and warmth in my heart when Christmas comes or even when I think of Christmas.

Well, Christmas or no Christmas, it is indeed going to be a December to Remember!

Group of couples on the maternity class at Samitivej Hospital.

This is the room that we stayed in, at Hard Rock Hotel Pattaya. The huge Elvis poster made my Dad continuously sing Elvis' songs.

Hard Rock Hotel Pattaya - by nite

Hang out by the beach with my beloved mum.

Cuddly-cuddly - sitting cozily by the Pattaya Beach

This is our car, we call her "Jessica" - as in "(Honda) Jazz the Car". Hehehe... She had successfully took the four of us on our journey to Pattaya!

At the doctor's waiting room, prior to meeting the doctor.

Dining and breaking the fast at Cabbages & Condoms (funny name, serious stuff!) restaurant in Sukhumvit, Bangkok downtown.

Mothers' coallition to prepare our Baby Shower

Prior to the Baby Shower, our kind and beloved Mothers came to Bangkok to help us prepare all the necessary things for the Baby Shower. Amazing women, I thought to myself. They've got heaps of work to do at home but still spare some time for us. Maybe it's the wonderful nature of grandmas-to-be (?) ;-)

So we picked them up at the airport, a bit late - kind of understandable coz they're women afterall, and women can't miss the good times of window shopping at the Duty Free! After that we went straight to the Samitivej hospital for my appointment with the doctor to check on the baby.

At nearly 6 o'clock, we went dining and breaking the fast at Cabbages & Condoms (funny name, serious stuff!) restaurant in Sukhumvit, Bangkok downtown. Here's an interesting fact: instead of after-dinner mints, they served nothing but the good ol' condoms! Well too late for me! Haha... But seriously, this restaurant was built by some people who are determined to promote healthy sex habits among Thais. As it turned out, the restaurant is a huge success and the safe-sex promotion still remains hitherto. Some of you wondered why we took our mums there? Simply because they serve nice food and great atmosphere with awesome outdoor decoration. Not for the free condoms, of course!

The Wedding

In early September we went back to Semarang to attend Illa and Kemal's wedding (mas Nuki's sister). We only managed to be home during the weekend, since Aretha couldn't get time off from work and mas Nuki has classes to attend. Yet it was a nice celebration to be involved in, and we got to see our family and friends. Mas Nuki invited his friends over, while Aretha invited hers.

Being away makses us realize just how much we miss our home, family and friends. For Aretha's case, her friends Dhita and Agnes came to the hen's party (well not exactly like the western style of hen's party, but traditional the so-called "Midodareni"). It was a good timing as Agnes was about to depart to Korea for her graduate studies in the following week.

Then Shima came also at the wedding reception. It was quite a funny story, because Aretha was greedily tried to satisfy her cravings for Indonesian food with her family at the VIP room. She thought, maybe Shima won't be able to find her, but what can she do? A gal's gotta eat! :-) Then out of the blue, someone poked her shoulder from behind, and guess who it is? Yup, Shima! What a surprise!

Anyway the photos are posted below. Aretha was about 6 months preggers. It's already showing, isn't it?

One happy family! From left to right: Mas Nuki, Aretha, the bride (de' Illa), Mama, and de' Vika.

Posing in front of the flowery-decorated bride and groom's sitting area (actually supposed to be used the following morning, yet what a nice background it makes for our picture with our lovely friends; Dhita and Agnez).

Our Baby Shower!

In Sunday last weekend, October 16, we celebrated Aretha's 7th months of pregnancy by having a Baby Shower at our apartment. There were around 20 of us, and our dear friends had made the efforts to attend the Shower despite the distance of our place from theirs. The Shower turned out to be a multi-national gathering with our friends from India, Nepal, Belgium, Nigeria, and of course; Thailand, and Indonesia. Our parents also helped us prepare the baby shower with traditional Javanese ritual with equipments and an array of food brought from Indonesia.

Unlike Western-style baby shower, Javanese baby shower requires real shower. Aretha was showered by her parents, mom-in-law and husband with a bucket of water filled with 7 types of fragrant flowers (her mom brought them from Indonesia).

After that she has to wear 7 types of Javanese costumes / batik in which each costume represent the wish to the baby for having specific sorts of character, for instance intelligence, devotion, peace, happiness, prosperity, good looks, etc, but most importantly, the symbol of the last batik signifies simplicity. Everyone are expected to express their disagreements for each costume by yelling out, “No” when the MC (Aretha's mum) asks, “Does this clothes suit her?”. Not until the 7th costume, which then the answer should be “Yes”.

Some interesting ritual is the dropping of 2 eggs beneath the Javanese clothes that symbolize our good wish that the baby can be delivered without major problems. In the old days, we believe that if the eggs don’t break, the baby would be a boy. Whereas if the eggs do break, it would be a girl. (Obviously, during those old days Sonograms were not yet invented).

Interestingly enough, during this rituals what happened was that the eggs didn't break (Believe it or not?!) ;-)

The next ritual is the breaking of the golden coconut by the baby's father that symbolizes our good wish that in time and after the baby delivery, the mother and the baby will remain safe and healthy. As you see in the picture below, the golden coconuts are craved with the character of Kamajaya and Ratih Goddess, which represent our wish for the baby to have their characteristics such as loyalty, intelligence, heroism, handsomeness, etc.

The next ritual is the making of rujak procot (a sort of fruit dish with spices), which symbolically done by the mother-to-be. The fruit for the dish consists of 7 types, which represent the 7th months of pregnancy.

Last but not least is prayers by the father and mother in-law. After the ritual finished, the guests were presented with a variety of Javanese/Indonesian food, including tumpeng (yellow rice) that are usually served during baby shower.

Prior to the closure of the event, three Javanese crafts were given away in the 'game' time. Aretha is playing the Javanese music on the tape, and while she has her eyes closed, the gifts were tossed around. She decides when the music stops, and when it does, whoever carries the gift is the winner.

Changing batik clothes ritual - my mum in law behind me is fixing the batik, while my mum explain to our friends what the batik patterns represent.

The baby shower isn't complete without a "Tumpeng" (yellow rice molded into mountainous shape).

The guests listen intently to what my dad gotta say on his welcome speech (jokes and poems included, which kinda break the ice!)

Mas Nuki and his PhD supervisor Dr. Shabbir (from India), who also attended the baby shower.

The guests surrounding the Indonesian food served in the baby shower. "Enak!" (Delicious!)  

The 7th dress (kebaya) to wear. As part of the baby shower ritual, the mother-to-be is dressed up into 7 different Javanese dress. The photo shows the last dress Aretha wears for the evening. 

The golden coconuts engraved with wayang characters of Ratih goddess and Kamajaya [especially brought from Indonesia by our moms]! 

Just before the Baby Shower starts [early bird guests] 

Think your job / study stress you out? - DON'T !

I spent my day with pleasure strolling down the city of Amsterdam, doing some last minute shopping for our beloved ones back home. As I came back, I went straight to my laptop and get connected to the web. There are several e-mails from some Londoner and Parisienne friends which brought me a very satisfying smile on my face. Soon after I find myself with a series of forwarded mails sent by my good friend Yusea, and the subject of the e-mail caught my attention: "NASA predicts Worldwide Holiday on Feb 1, 2019".

The contents were in fact: "We have about 15 years more......... so enjoy today as much as you can. Coz NASA predicts worldwide holiday on Feb 1, 2019 ... as the world is scheduled to end."

As sceptical as I usually am, I turned down the information and striving to have more confirmation by google-ing. I landed to several URLs that made me so overwhelmed with the extensive coverage of this issue. For instance NASA's website http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/asteroid_scare_020729-1.html covers both pros and cons as a response of this rumour. It was written, "Asteroid 2002 NT7 was discovered on July 9 and last week was determined by NASA to have six chances in a million of hitting Earth on Feb. 1, 2019."

I glanced out from my window to search for some inspirations. No one knows whether those six chances will be the biggest chances, or the contrary. Only GOD knows.

Then I came to think, here I am, fussing every second of my life about thesis, plans, career, family, and all those superficial 'life-oriented' schemes. Little did I know that, who knows, an asteroid will whack the world tomorrow, and ... bam, that's it! I'll miss out all the good things in life which I should've enjoyed when I'm still alive.

So let us think again... you think that your job or study stress the hell out of you? Don't sweat, 'coz we'll all end up dead anyway.

Armageddon (?) 

Asteroid attacks 

"Back off!"

Journey through time: World War II in France

For mas Nuki's birthday in late 2004, I got a present for him to remember. I made a reservation for 2 days in Normandy, as he's got this huge obsession of the World War II history and always have the urge to go to that particular historical place, which is 3 hours away by train from Paris.

It was a good timing, and yet he really didn't see this coming. It was so pleasing to see his eyes sparkled as I gave him the vouchers.

Down below you can see the journey in Normandy and Bayeux. It's more than anything to see how he enjoyed it, and I'd like to share this with you all.

German bunker ruins at the D-Day landing beach. 

Move! Move! Move!!! 

"I'm ready to fight, bring it on!"

Whatever it is... a bird, a plane, a superman, ... just Attack!!! 

In the train on the way to Normandy. 

Finally in Normandy!!! Yeah, the D-Day beaches... we're finally here! *see how sparkling his eyes look?* 

Cute European house... it looks like a doll house, don't y'think? 

"Hey enemies, here I come!!!!"

"Honey, I think I'm gonna rest my feet here for a while... will you go and get the amunition?" :-D 

Powerful tank on my hand! ;-P 

mas Nuki conquers the tank! 

As I browsed through the neglected collection of my old photos, my eyes stumbled upon several pictures that are worth to be shared with you. The Indonesians would refer it as "dibuang sayang" (pity if thrown away - or so). The pictures are presented in un-organized order though. Here goes...

Indo-Dutch lady. :-P 

with Ibu Titiek - a PhD sandwich program student who lectures at IPB and becomes the "mother of all Indo-students in Wageningen". 

Enjoying the fresh and crisp scenery.  

Keukenhoff bed of flowers. 

Scene taken from my room up the 16th floor of Wageningen flat. The sunset is distracted by the 'scratched' sky of plane emissions. 

Breakfast for late-birds at our apartment facing Chao Phraya river view. 

Chill out after lunch time with other interns @ the UN. 

Green garden of UN Regional Office of Asia Pacific - Bangkok. 

Rumah Gadang (?) as the UN garden decoration with all the green plants to soothe everyone during lunch time. 

Rainbow on a drizzly afternoon: a view from our room at Juldis River Mansion apartment. 

Farewell and birthday cake for me and Josefin: a surprise by UNEP'ers and Sophie (so sweet of them).

Enjoying nice Thai farewell dinner at "Cabbages and Condoms" (weird name, d'you think?) restaurant downtown. 

Farewell with our friends: (left to right) - Louisa (Australia), Apple (Thai), Aretha, Claire (Thai). 

Rumah Susun Ramah Lingkungan

This following article was published on February 19, 2005 (Retrieved on: http://www.suaramerdeka.com/harian/0502/19/opi4.htm) By: Nuki Agya Utama PEMBANGUNAN perumahan memang menjadi dasar kebutuhan masyarakat dan tuntutan pemerintah (daerah/pusat) untuk memenuhinya. Akan tetapi apabila pembangunan perumahan hanya berdasarkan target penyelesaian tanpa memperhitungkan faktor lain, pembangunan tersebut akan lebih bernuansa pemborosan dan merusak daripada memenuhi kebutuhan masyarakat dalam jangka panjang. Pemerintah mengalokasikan dana senilai Rp 3 miliar untuk subsidi rumah sederhana sehat tahun ini. Jumlah itu dianggarkan bagi 3.000 unit rumah dari total kebutuhan 13.000 unit di Jateng. Saat ini, pemerintah provinsi telah menyediakan Rp 700 juta, dan sisanya masih menunggu kucuran dana dari pemerintah pusat (Suara Merdeka11/2, 2005). Berita yang sangat menggembirakan tentunya, masyarakat kecil bisa menikmati rumah dengan harga yang relatif terjangkau, seiring dengan semakin beratnya memenuhi kebutuhan pokok sehari-hari, serta kemungkinan harga-harga naik karena kenaikan BBM. Seperti dijelaskan lagi oleh Dinas Kimtaru Jateng, pemberian subsidi dilakukan pada pengembang yang mendirikan minimal 1.000 unit rumah. Pengembang yang akan mendirikan rumah minimal 1000 unit merupakan pengembang besar dan bukan kecil-kecilan, minimal Rp20 miliar diperlukan apabila harga satuan rumah Rp 20 juta, belum harga pembebasan tanah, bunga bank dan biaya-biaya lain. Rumah sebagai tempat tinggal dengan kapasitas standar memang diperlukan, selain harga terjangkau juga memenuhi standar tempat tinggal bagi pemilik menengah ke bawah. Penggunaan Lahan Akan banyak sekali kebutuhan akan rumah sederhana di Jawa tengah diiringi dengan penggunaan lahan bagi kebutuhan pembangunan unit rumah tersebut. Dari 13.000 unit rumah yang dibutuhkan apabila satu unit rumah (tipe 21) memerlukan tanah minimal 36 m2 akan dibutuhkan sekitar 468.000 m2 lahan rumah. Belum lagi lahan yang dipergunakan sebagai lahan penunjang/infrastruktur, sesuai standar pembangunan perumahan 40% diperuntukan sebagai lahan terbuka, sehingga dari total kebutuhan lahan baru bagi perumahan baru adalah 1.170.000 m2. Lebih lagi seperti yang kita ketahui, pembangunan rumah sederhana oleh pengembang tidak menguntungkan apabila tidak membangun rumah menengah dan mewah. Alokasi lahan bagi rumah bukan akan meningkat 3-4 kali lipat dari kebutuhan akan lahan bagi 13.000 rumah. Perubahan tata guna lahan juga berlaku bagi lahan pertanian. Seperti diungkapkan Kepala Bidang statistik BPS Jateng, diperkirakan, sekitar 2 - 3 persen lahan pertanian di Provinsi Jawa Tengah setiap tahunnya berubah fungsi menjadi lahan permukiman atau industri. Perubahan fungsi lahan pertanian ini seiring dengan perkembangan penduduk yang semakin bertambah. Disebutkan lagi bahwa pertanian menyumbang sekitar 23 persen pada pendapatan domestik bruto (PDB) Jateng. Perubahan lahan hutan dan lahan subur lainnya menjadi perumahan sudah jamak terjadi di Pulau Jawa, seiring dengan semakin padatnya penduduk yang mendiami pulau ini. Penambahan bangunan perumahan sangat diperlukan untuk memenuhi kebutuhan masyarakat. Pembangunannya harus memikirkan dampak lingkungan perubahan lahan menjadi lahan perumahan, kurangnya daya resap tanah terhadap air hujan, pengolahan limbah rumah tangga (RT), dan distribusi air bersih harus menjadi prioritas pemerintah dan pengembang. Prioritas bukan melulu target pembangunan rumah secara kuantitas, kualitas rumah sehat juga harus memperhitungkan minimal-nya kerusakan lingkungan dan daya serap sumber daya alam akibat pembangunan tersebut. Ke Atas Menguntungkan Pembangunan perumahan ke atas (vertically) lebih menguntungkan dalam banyak hal dibandingkan pembangunan perumahan kesamping (horizontally). Pengembangan perumahan secara horisontal cenderung menggunakan lahan pertanian, hutan dan lahan hijau lainya sedangkan pembangunan rumah secara vertikal lebih minim dalam hal penggunaan lahan. Sepuluh rumah tipe 21/36 memanfaatkan lahan sebanyak 360 m2, sedangkan pembangunan secara vertikal cukup 180 m2, atau bahkan kurang. Tanah terbuka secara alami membantu penyerapan air hujan ke dalam tanah, pembangunan perumahan secara vertikal, dapat meminimalisasi penggunaan lahan resapan air dari bangunan. Selain itu pengolahan air hujan untuk diolah menjadi air baku pada satu gedung lebih mudah dibandingkan pada tipikal perumahan yang ada sekarang. Dilihat dari sudut pandang ekonomi, pembangunan perumahan secara vertikal jauh lebih mudah, murah dan cepat dalam pengerjaannya. Lebih mudah dan cepat, karena bisa memanfaatkan teknologi pre-fabricate untuk dinding dan kolom-kolom non-struktural. Lebih murah karena beberapa elemen bangunan seperti rangka atap dan fondasi hanya dibuat satu per sekian rumah. Beberapa faktor lain juga mendukung pembuatan bangunan secara vertikal jauh lebih efektif dan efisien, seperti meminimalisasi biaya pembebasan lahan serta dalam beberapa kasus penggunaan tenaga kerja bisa diminimalisasi. Sistem pengomposan limbah manusia dan limbah padat RT lainnya bisa diterapkan lebih mudah dan efektif pada rumah vetikal. Penerapan teknologi pengomposan limbah sebagai pupuk lahan pertanian baru-baru ini sudah banyak dikembangkan dan mulai diterapkan pada lingkungan perumahan. Teknologi ini akan lebih mudah diterapkan apabila rumah yang dibangun berbentuk susun daripada perumahan yang ada sekarang. Penerapan pasif teknologi untuk pendingin ruangan juga menjadi lebih sederhana dan tidak memakan biaya apabila diterapkan dirumah susun. Sistem pendingin ruangan dengan ventilasi mekanik dan semi-mekanik serta penataan interior dan posisi ventilasi bangunan dengan memaksimalkan cahaya matahari sebagai sumber cahaya dan aliran udara sebagai pendingin. Solar panel, sebagai alternatif sumber energi bisa dipasang di atap-atap bangunan rumah susun. Dibandingkan dengan perumahan yang ada sekarang, solar panel tetap bisa digunakan akan tetapi pendistribusiannya akan jauh lebih mahal. Secara kultural, hidup bersosialisasi di rumah susun (vertikal) terlihat lebih sulit. Tetapi apabila kita sudah terbisa 1-2 tahun, hidup di rumah susun/vertikal akan jauh lebih mudah bersosialisasi satu keluarga dengan yang lainnya. Sampai saat ini jumlah rumah vertikal masih amat jarang, beberapa rumah susun bagi penduduk miskin memang sudah dibangun. Akan tetapi rumah susun yang layak dan ditempatkan di perumahan-perumahan belum terlihat keberadaanya secara signifikan di Jawa Tengah. Rumah susun bukan juga diorientasikan kepada ekonomi lemah, tetapi juga menengah bahkan kalangan mampu. Orientasi dan berpikir jangka panjang lebih jauh menguntungkan baik oleh masyarakat pengguna, pemerintah maupun pengembang daripada pemikiran jangka pendek. Jadikan rumah sebagai pelindung manusia dan sahabat lingkungan, bukan menjadikan rumah benalu bagi induk semangnya (bumi).(18) - Nuki Agya Utama, ST, MSc lulusan S2 dari London South Bank University UK dan HAN University, the Netherlands.

Spending the weekend with our dear friends

We spent last weekend with our friends as an informal "farewell" before we head back home next week. Firstly we met up with Anouska and Sergio at our flat (they surprised us by popping by!), then we went to Qq's room and met Hexy. Soon after we went to the 'centrum' by Anouska's car which was pretty squashy, but good way to keep warm in the -1 degrees temperature outside. ;-P As we arrived, we headed straight to "The Tijd" cafe just nearby the city hall and 'de kerk'. We had nice chats and drinks while waiting for Sadath to come. Around 11 pm he came, and right after we went walking to the Mexican pub, about 750 m away from where we were (guys, correct me when I'm wrong!) To our surprise, the Mexican pub had a special thing organized, which was an "African Night". It suited Hexy's preference alright. So he went on dancing with Anouska (whom eventually dragged me down the dance floor also!) We finished off the rendez-vous at around 3ish in the morning. It was so weird to say goodbye to Anouska as she will have to go to Brussels for her internship with IUCN. I may not be able to see her again in the near future, but I always believe that we'll meet again somewhere, somehow. Not sure when, but we will. Then again, the internet is really effective for communication, although it's still nothing compared to interfacing with people. Yet with these thoughts in mind, I managed to survive the sadness (although I feel a loss to some extent, inside). Anouska - if you read this, I'd like to say that you've been such great friend to me, you're nurturing and caring, and I even feel like you're more like a big sister to me here in Holland. Despite the un-memorable AMC 1 experiences, I get to keep a piece of memory with you. Thanks for all the kindness you brought me: bringing me the Dutch mayo to Paris (yum! hehe), lending me your scarf when we did a night-walk in Paris, helping me send the forms for internship in Paris while I was in Bangkok, helping me by phoning IND when Nuki tried to get his 'family reunification' visa, and many other kind gestures you have done. Sergio - We're glad that you liked the gift... honestly we were impressed that you could point out where we live in Indonesia. ;-) Hopefully the next time you point out Java on the map is when you're on the island itself! Wishing you all the best with the education you intend to pursue and take care of Anouska, okay? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The following day we went to Nijmegen with our friends (Tintin, Fitri, Qq - again! ;-P, and Satya). Just like the usual day-out filled with shopping! There were a huge shopping spree so we went nuts! The shopping day was topped off with a nice ride on the Rheine river while enjoying the buffet pancake. It's a good deal actually, of which for 12.5 euros you get to eat all the pancakes within one hour (as long as the boat remains on the river). But then again I think that it's just a sneaky business strategy. The thing is, the first serve of pancake was fine, but as the boat drifted to the centre of the river, it gets pretty wavy and you're already feeling sea sick enough that you no longer feel like eating. When you insist to eat, you start to feel nausea! So all of us only managed to eat 2 plates of pancakes, and that's about all. Well-thought business, eh? So anyway down below you can view the photos taken in reverse order.

QQ has no idea whatsoever that his camera will be dropped by the waiter about 30 minutes after this pic was taken. wakakakaka... *sorry Q* 

"Ober... where's our pancake??" 

At the all-you-can-eat "pannenkeuken" boat with Fitri and Tintin. 

Aretha and Anouska. Best palz forever! :-) 

Sergio tries to spice up Anouska's night met een kusje! ;-P  

Chill out at the "Tijd" down in Wageningen centrum. Left to right: Nuki, Sergio, Aretha, Hexy, Anouska, and Qq. 

Getting ready before meeting our palz.. 

ISA 2003 - 2004 Committee: a Gentle Farewell

Sometimes you laugh/ Sometimes you cry/ Life never tells us the when's or why's/ When you've got friends to wish you well/ You'll find a point when you will exhale// ::: Waiting to Exhale (Whitney Houston, 1995) ::: As I type this post, I was listening to this song on my favourite internet radio; Quiet Storm. This song was sang by Whitney Houston in 1995. Brought me just the right mood after tonight's "last supper" with the committee of the Indonesian Students' Association (ISA) in Wageningen, the Netherlands. We've finally accomplished our 'mission' to lead the organization through the various activities which are already conducted. It was a warm, familiar, yet cozy atmosphere, taken place at Asia Plaza restaurant down the corner of our Bornsesteeg flat. My personal perception towards the teamwork of ISA 2003 - 2004 is that the committee consists of unique people with their own talents and qualities. Take for instance Kang Dian, who is rather 'musical' and can be relied upon for playing the guitar in various Indonesian students' performances. Ika, with her capabilities of Malay dancing. Mas Yurdi, for his outstanding leadership and wisdom which affected greatly towards the success of ISA Wageningen as well as ISA Netherlands. Fitri, for her positive attitudes and willingness to offer a helping hand. QQ, for his multi-talents such as in website maintenance, organizational skills, and as an excellent facilitator. The remaining significant others whom I cannot mention each and everyone that truly completes the organization and bring about a solid teamwork. They've done so much for this organization, and above all their work remains voluntary, despite the jam-packed study workloads. From this day onwards, we arrive to the point when we exhale. We've given our shots, despite any imperfections that may occur along the way. Nothing remains from the experience other than memories, friendship, a state of learning of flexibility, conflict resolution and time management. It has been a life lesson for all of us and a pleasure to be involved in such good, dynamic team.

Let us propose a toast for the ISA committee, 2003 - 2004 period. 

Enjoying a glass of iced green tea as I toast (photo credits: kang Dian)

Gratitude as a New Way of Life

Recently I received an e-mail from a very good friend of mine from college; Poppy. She sent me an interesting article about the importance of being grateful, as I pasted below. Sorry for some of you who might get a bit "lost in translation". :-P But through this piece of writing, I'd like to emphasize that it is important to be grateful for what we have, not to persistently pursuing something we simply (or obviously) can't attain.

Being grateful implies to the gratitude for every 'small' happiness, because we - as humans tend to strive to achieve a 'higher level' of joy. Then again if we look back, when we get to achieve 'joy' - as interestingly outlined in the anonymously-written article below, it lasted for only a few moments.

The joy is reflected through, for example; winning a competition, buying our dream cars, attending our dream party, getting a fellowship, satisfying grades, married, dream job, and so forth. The thrill stays within us for a while and it feels jittery. We feel the 'butterflies in our stomach', glimpse of smile that consistently 'decorates' our faces with. Our heart would be pounding faster, adrenaline rushes, and some other signs of joy that just can't be described. Yet whether we like it or not, these feelings will eventually fades away through time. When it is ended, one would strive to pursue the same thrill, and when it can not be achieved, he/she would be disappointed (a.k.a. unhappy / dissatisfied).

A grateful person would have a continous sense of gratitude towards each and every small but nice things that came across our lives. Happiness is reflected through - for instance, watching the sunset, a kiss we share with our beloved, a reviving chat with a good friend, eating a well-prepared meal, getting a massage, eating fresh grapes, smelling the freshly-crisped air, and many other good examples. I personally perceive that Happiness is not the aim of our lifes; it is our way of living our lifes.

I hope that you'll enjoy the following article as much as I do, and will constantly remind us about the importance of gratitude as our new way of lives. :-)

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Syukur merupakan kualitas hati yang terpenting. Dengan bersyukur kita akan senantiasa diliputi rasa damai, tentram dan bahagia. Sebaliknya, perasaan tak bersyukur akan senantiasa membebani kita. Kita akan selalu merasa kurang dan tak bahagia. Ada dua hal yang sering membuat kita tak bersyukur: pertama, kita sering memfokuskan diri pada apa yang kita inginkan, bukan pada apa yang kita miliki.

Katakanlah anda telah memiliki sebuah rumah, kendaraan, pekerjaan tetap, dan pasangan yang terbaik.Tapi anda masih merasa kurang. Pikiran anda dipenuhi berbagai target dan keinginan. Anda begitu terobsesi oleh rumah yang besar dan indah, mobil mewah, serta pekerjaan yang mendatangkan lebih banyak uang. Kita ingin ini dan itu. Bila tak mendapatkannya kita terus memikirkannya. Tapi anehnya, walaupun sudah mendapatkannya, kita hanya menikmati kesenangan sesaat. Kita tetap tak puas, kita ingin yang lebih lagi. Jadi, betapapun banyaknya harta yang kita miliki, kita tak pernah menjadi "KAYA" dalam arti yang sesungguhnya.

Mari kita luruskan pengertian kita mengenai orang ''kaya''. Orang yang''kaya'' bukanlah orang yang memiliki banyak hal/materi, tetapi orang yang dapat menikmati apapun yang mereka miliki. Tentunya boleh2 saja kita memiliki keinginan, tapi kita perlu menyadari bahwa inilah akar perasaan ketidaktentraman. Kita dapat mengubah perasaan ini dengan berfokus pada apa yang sudah kita miliki.Cobalah lihat keadaan di sekeliling Anda, pikirkan yang Anda miliki, dan syukurilah. Anda akan merasakan nikmatnya hidup. Pusatkanlah perhatian Anda pada sifat-sifat baik atasan, pasangan, dan orang-orang di sekitar Anda. Mereka akan menjadi lebih menyenangkan.

Ada cerita menarik mengenai seorang anak yang berkeluh kesah karena tak dapat membeli sepatu, padahal sepatunya sudah lama rusak. Suatu sore ia melihat seseorang yang tak mempunyai kaki, tapi tetap ceria. Saat itu juga si anak berhenti mengeluh dan mulai bersyukur.

Hal kedua yang sering membuat kita tak bersyukur adalah kecenderungan membanding-bandingkan diri kita dengan orang lain. Kita merasa orang lain lebih beruntung. Kemanapun kita pergi, selalu ada orang yang lebih pandai, lebih tampan, lebih cantik, lebih percaya diri, dan lebih kaya dari kita.

Saya ingat, pertama kali bekerja saya senantiasa membandingkan penghasilan saya dengan rekan2 semasa kuliah. Perasaan ini membuat saya resah dangelisah. Sebagai mantan mahasiswa teladan di kampus, saya merasa gelisah setiap mengetahui ada kawan satu angkatan yang memperoleh penghasilan di atas saya. Nyatanya, selalu saja ada kawan yang penghasilannya melebihi saya. Sayamenjadi gemar bergonta-ganti pekerjaan, hanya untuk mengimbangi rekan-rekan saya.Saya bahkan tak peduli dengan jenis pekerjaannya, yang penting gajinya lebih besar. Sampai akhirnya saya sadar bahwa hal ini tak akan pernah ada habisnya. Saya berubah dan mulai mensyukuri apa yang saya dapatkan. Kini saya sangat menikmati pekerjaan saya.

Rumput tetangga memang sering kelihatan lebih hijau dari rumput dipekarangan sendiri. Hidup akan lebih bahagia kalau kita dapat menikmati apa yang kita miliki. Karena itu bersyukur merupakan kualitas hati yang tertinggi.Saya ingin mengakhiri tulisan ini dengan cerita mengenai seorang ibu yang sedang terapung di laut karena kapalnya karam, namun tetap berbahagia. Ketika ditanya kenapa demikian, ia menjawab, ''Saya mempunyai dua anak. Yang pertama sudah meninggal, yang kedua hidup di tanah seberang. Kalau berhasil selamat, saya sangat bahagia karena dapat berjumpa dengan anak kedua saya. Tetapi kalaupun mati tenggelam, saya juga akan berbahagia karena saya akan berjumpa dengan anak pertama saya di surga.''

Bersyukurlah bahwa kamu belum siap memiliki segala sesuatu yang kamu inginkan... Seandainya sudah, apalagi yang harus diinginkan ?

Bersyukurlah apabila kamu tidak tahu sesuatu ...
Karena itu memberimu kesempatan untuk belajar ...

Bersyukurlah untuk masa-masa sulit ....
Di masa itulah kamu tumbuh ...

Bersyukurlah untuk keterbatasanmu ...
Karena itu memberimu kesempatan untuk berkembang ...

Bersyukurlah untuk setiap tantangan baru ...
Karena itu akan membangun kekuatan dan karaktermu ...

Bersyukurlah untuk kesalahan yang kamu buat ...
Itu akan mengajarkan pelajaran yang berharga ...

Bersyukurlah bila kamu lelah dan letih ...
Karena itu kamu telah membuat suatu perbedaan ...

Mungkin mudah untuk kita bersyukur akan hal-hal yang baik. Hidup yang berlimpahan datang pada mereka yang juga bersyukur akan masa surut. Rasa syukur dapat mengubah hal yang negatif menjadi positif. Temukan cara bersyukur akan masalah-masalahmu dan semua itu akan menjadi berkat bagimu.
(In every clouds, there must be silver linings)

Happiness: Science or Mystery?

Yesterday I found the latest edition of Time Europe on the mailbox, together with the other mails and junks. Normally I would stare at politicians on the cover of the magz, may that be Bush, Saddam, or a bunch of significant others (yawn!) But this time, something else stared back at me... it was a big, yellow, round smily face on the cover! When mas Nuki handed it to me, I was completely ecstatic!

Yeah, finally... I could keep Time mag all for myself, and even made him promise not to take it to the loo with him in the morning :-D (yeah, yeah, marriage does entails sharing every single bits of our lifes, including... ahem, one activity not worth mentioning here... let's just skip that part).

So anyway, other than the eye-catching smiley, the headlines caught my attention: "The Science of Happiness". Well, let me tell you my friend, before I got caught up in this 'vicious circle' of school, thesis, internships, etc, I used to drag myself to the bookstore and purchase some psychologically-self-help books. Yes, I had a commitment (which now I realize to have abandoned for nearly 2 years now!) to read at least 3 pages of these motivational books a day, to keep my mind filled with encouraging, positive, happy thougts).

Then back to Time magazine again, I found several interesting articles there, including a piece of advice from researchers and happiness scientists (it's true! they do empirical research on happiness, including a professor from Erasmus Univ. Rotterdam Mr. Ruut Veenhoven ) which we can apply for our daily life. It's called the 8 Steps Towards a More Satisfying Life:
1) Count your blessings
We could do this by having a "gratitude journal" in which you write down 3 to 5 things you are thankful once a week. (I once read in a book that advised us to do so in a daily basis. I used to practice this too, each night - mentioning the trio-things I feel grateful about - just before I drift off to "dream land", also as a way to praise the Lord). I guess I'd prefer the daily praise rather than weekly.
2) Practice acts of kindness
Now it's about being kind and patient to others. I guess it's a bit dull and cliche, but then I'd like to add sincerity. Without being blatantly hypocrite, honestly sometimes I'd do something just for the sake of pleasing others, yet there's resentment inside. If we want to be happy, we should learn to say 'no' to do things that you resent of, but may please others (though not necessarily). Yet if you decide to do it, then you should do it with sincerity.
3) Savor life's joys.
This tip is good. It suggests to take "mental photographs" of pleasurable moments to review in less happy times. I realized that I may have undeliberately done this since I was young. Up to this day, I remember the time when I was in my late grandparents' house in Semarang. The rain had just stopped, and up to this day I can still picture in my mind; the smell of the crisp air, freshly damp ground, and the colour of the violet blue sky . It was a beautiful picture inside my mind. I was about 5 or 6, and it's nearly 20 years ago, but I keep this 'mental photo' with me wherever I go... Although I don't use this mental photo to uplift me when I'm sad, though. Just to remind me of the good nostalgic time with the people I loved...
4) Thank a mentor.
If there's someone whom you owe gratitude for guiding / supporting you at one of life's crossroads, don't wait to express your appreciation - in detail and, if possible, in person. Well I guess it's a good point. I guess I owe a friend of mine who had faith in me, and once told me that I'm more capable than I ever thought I am. I haven't got the chance to show my gratitude, perhaps I will someday. Then there's also what's refferred to as "gratitude visit". That means writing a testimonial thanking a teacher or anyone to whom you owe a debt of gratitude - or even better, visiting that person. Well now with Friendster, as I refer the 'Testimonial' as being in the funeral without being dead (because no one would bitch about you and everyone says all the good things about you - as if you were already dead), it helps a lot spill out your gratitude to the beloved ones.
But I think I still need to pay a gratitude visits though, maybe when I'm back in Indonesia, I'll visit my elementary school teachers... that sounds like fun! :-)
5) Learn to forgive
Let go of anger by writing a letter of forgiveness to a person who has hurt you, it will give you a peace of mind. Hmm... I gotta say, it's hard to do, isn't it? No, not the part of writing the letter, but to send it on the right time! Say, you had been hurt a week ago, and since you're mad and trying not to mention it, the next time you know it's already the next year! Well, it's just hypothetically speaking. Then when you write this letter, the person who hurt you has already got over it and when he / she read it, all the bad memories will come rushing back! Isn't that just plain mean, then?? Okay, one good solution: don't run from our problems! Face it, deal with it, and let go. Forgive and forget. Kiss and make up.
6) Invest time and energy in friends and family.
Check this out: "Where you live, how much money you make, job title, and even health have surprisingly small effects on your satisfaction with life. The biggest factor appears to be strong personal relationships". I would say I agree with that completely, no arguments shall be entertained.
7) Take care of your body
Yeah, another common advice: plenty of sleep, exercise, stretching (try yoga?), smiling and laughing to enhance mood in short term. I was thinking, how about rewarding ourselves a box of those luscious praline belgium chocolate? That'll work! Although it may will be "a minute on the lips, forever on the hips..." :-P
8) Develop strategies to cope with stress.
I like this point! It says, "There is no avoiding hard times. You have to believe that you'll get over it." And to my surprise, they wrote two of my favourite wisdom words which I used to wrote in my agenda when I was in college: "This too shall pass" and "That which doesn't kill you makes you stronger". I used those phrase to encourage me, especially dealing with the hardships of assignments, bachelor's thesis, and friendships. Phew... maybe I was mentally healthier back then than I am now. I've lost touch with all the positivity that I usually gained from those self-help books.

Now, I'd like to draw on conclusion after this exhaustive post on my weblog. There's a distinct line, to my believe, between joy and happiness. Joy is like the radiance of the last ray of the sun, in the process of disappearing. It's the feeling that dissolve inside your heart after a big accomplishment, such as the excitement when you read the letter that says the job is yours, winning a crown from a pageant, getting the first trophy on a speech contest. I think it's the icing on the cake, a 'fringe benefit' of life that we dwell in now.

Happiness is the gratitude we praise for each small, however unsignificant it may seem, such as the good-snuffly time we have with our spouses, the sound of music you hear on our headphones, the delicious food we ate for dinner, the warmth and safeness of our room when it's drizzling and stormy outside, the call we received from our mum back home that ensures us that she's healthy and well, the email we receive from our best friends that say how they missed us, the freshly-bloomed flower we bought from the market, the smell of our perfummes, the achievements we've accomplished in the past, the good plan we set tomorrow to visit other countries, all the unrevealed opportunities God bestows ahead of you.

Let's start be happy now. Let's delve in the moments of joy, happiness and be grateful of any small things that make us happy. Now that's what I call living the life as we should be. Life's too short, let's just stop sweating all the small stuff. :-)

(This piece is especially dedicated to my Dad who had taught me to pay 'gratitude visits' since I was young - despite all my prior resentments - , to be thankful to others who had taken a big role in shaping our lifes, and to remind me that it is important to make others happy with our presence. I'm learning, Dad... I hope one day I can achieve your state of wisdom).

In Loving Memory of Grandma

My grandma passed away about a week ago. She was 84 years old and was the last grandparent I have who was still alive, since my three other grandparents had already passed away long time before. When I received a text msg from my parents about this news, I suddenly remembered her face, her smile, her sparkling eyes whenever I visit her at the hospital or her home. When I was young I could chat with her for hours. But as I grew up, somehow we live in some sort of distance - I don't know what it is, maybe because I'm more occupied with other things like school and my peer groups... those you think matters the most in the world whenever you're an adolescent. Yet I remember some bits and pieces of memories that remain in my mind. One thing that's still fresh in my memory is the time when I was leaving to Bangkok for my 3 months internship. I guess it was the last time I ever see her. I remember asking her what she'd like me to bring her, and she answered, "I would love to come and visit you instead... I'd like to travel to Bangkok, Holland, Paris... But I can not do that now, can I?" I paused. I didn't know what to say or do. I felt so bad as I thought nothing in the world that I could bring her as a souvenir, because she wouldn't want all that. She wanted to travel the world... but since she got legs injury, she could no longer walk properly, and I guess that's why the sudden crave of travelling came up. One night I was unable to sleep, and I was praying inside so that I could meet grandma in my dreams. It didn't happen, and I felt so disappointed in the morning. If I ever had one last time meeting her... I would like to thank her for enabling me to have the life that I have right now. And I would apologize for not being around more often. I hope that she now rests in peace. I believe that I'll see her again someday, either in my dreams or the world beyond. I love you, Eyang. You can sleep well now and Grandpa will wake you up the next day .......

What your birthmonth says about you

The other day I received an email from my friend Arie, and interestingly it was about prediction of what your birthmonth says about our personalities. Not trying to sound all superstitious, but to us, our prediction was 95% correct. So... how about you??? Aretha -- APRIL: Active and dynamic, Decisive and hateful but tends to regret, Attractive and affectionate to oneself, Strong mentality, Loves attention, Diplomatic, Consoling, Friendly and solves people's problems, Brave and fearless, Adventurous, Loving and caring, Suave and generous, Emotional, Revengeful, Aggressive, Hasty, Good memory, Moving, Motivate oneself and the others, Sickness usually of the head and chest, Easily get too jealous Nuki -- DECEMBER: Loyal and generous, Patriotic, Active in games and interactions, Impatient and hasty, Ambitious, Influential in organizations, Fun to be with, Loves to socialize, Loves praises, Loves attention, Loves to be loved, Honest and trustworthy, Not pretending, Short tempered, Changing personality, Not egoistic, Takes high pride in oneself, Hates restrictions, Loves to joke, Good sense of humor, Logical Now, here are the rest of the months' prediction for your reference. Enjoy... and have a nice reflection time! ;-) JANUARY Ambitious and serious, Loves to teach and be taught, Always looking at people's flaws and weaknesses, Likes to criticize, Hardworking and productive, Smart, neat and organized, Sensitive and has deep thoughts, Knows how to make others happy, Quiet unless excited or tensed, Rather reserved, Highly attentive, Resistant to illnesses but prone to colds, Romantic but has difficulties expressing love, Loves children, Homely person, Loyal, Needs to improve social abilities, Easily jealous FEBRUARY Abstract thoughts, Loves reality and abstract, Intelligent and clever, Changing personality, Temperamental, Quiet, shy and humble, Low self esteem, Honest and loyal, Determined to reach goals, Loves freedom, Rebellious when restricted, Loves aggressiveness, Too sensitive and easily hurt, Showing anger easily, Dislike unnecessary things, Loves making friends but rarely shows it, Daring and stubborn, Ambitious, Realizing dreams and hopes, Sharp, Loves entertainment and leisure, Romantic on the inside not outside, Superstitious and ludicrous, Spendthrift, Learns to show emotions MARCH Attractive personality, Affectionate, Shy and reserved, Secretive, Naturally honest, generous and sympathetic, Loves peace and serenity, Sensitive to others, Loves to serve others, Not easily angered, Trustworthy, Appreciative and returns kindness, Observant and assess others, Revengeful, Loves to dream and fantasize, Loves traveling, Loves attention, Loves home decors, Musically talented, Loves special things, Moody MAY Stubborn and hard-hearted, Strong-willed and highly motivated, Sharp thoughts, Easily angered, Attracts others and loves attention, Deep feelings, Beautiful physically and mentally, Firm standpoint, Easily influenced, Needs no motivation, Easily consoled, Systematic (left brain), Loves to dream, Strong clairvoyance, Understanding, Sickness usually in the ear and neck, Good imagination, Good debating skills, Good physical, Weak breathing, Loves literature and the arts, Loves traveling, Dislike being at home, Restless, Hardworking, High spirited, Spendthrift JUNE Thinks far with vision, Easily influenced by kindness, Polite and soft-spoken, Having lots of ideas, Sensitive, Active mind, Hesitating, Tends to delay, Choosy and always wants the best, Temperamental, Funny and humorous, Loves to joke, Good debating skills, Talkative, Daydreamer, Friendly, Knows how to make friends, Abiding, Able to show character, Easily hurt, Prone to getting colds, Loves to dress up, Easily bored, Fussy, Seldom show emotions, Takes time to recover when hurt, Brand conscious, Executive, Stubborn, Those who loves me are enemies, Those who hates me are friends JULY Fun to be with, Secretive, Difficult to fathom and to be understood, Quiet unless excited or tensed, Takes pride in oneself, Has reputation, Easily consoled, Honest, Concern about people's feelings, Tactful, Friendly, Approachable, Very emotional, Temperamental and unpredictable, Moody and easily hurt, Witty and sarky, Sentimental, Not revengeful, Forgiving but never forgets, Dislike nonsensical and unnecessary things, Guides others physically and mentally, Sensitive and forms impressions carefully, Caring and loving, Treats others equally, Strong sense of sympathy, Wary and sharp, Judge people through observations, Hardworking, No difficulties AUGUST Loves to joke, Attractive, Suave and caring, Brave and fearless, Firm and has leadership qualities, Knows how to console others, Too generous and egoistic, Takes high pride of oneself, Thirsty for praises, Extraordinary spirit, Easily angered, Angry when provoked, Easily jealous, Observant, Careful and cautious, Thinks quickly, Independent thoughts, Loves to lead and to be led, Loves to dream, Talented in the arts, music and defense, Sensitive but not petty, Poor resistance against illnesses, Learns to relax, Hasty and rushy, Romantic, Loving and caring, Loves to make friends SEPTEMBER Suave and compromising; Careful, cautious and organized; Likes to point out people's mistakes; Likes to criticize; Quiet but able to talk well; Calm and cool; Kind and sympathetic; Concerned and detailed; Trustworthy, loyal and honest; Does work well; Sensitive ; Thinking ; Good memory ; Clever and knowledgeable; Loves to look for information ; Must control oneself when criticizing ; Able to motivate oneself ; Understanding ; Secretive ; Loves sports, leisure and traveling;Hardly shows emotions ; Tends to bottle up feelings ; Choosy especially in relationships ; Loves wide things ; Systematic OCTOBER Loves to chat; Loves those who loves him; Loves to takes things at the centre; Attractive and suave; Inner and physical beauty; Does not lie or pretend; Sympathetic; Treats friends importantly; Always making friends; Easily hurt but recovers easily; Bad tempered; Selfish; Seldom helps unless asked; Daydreamer; Very opinionated; Does not care of what others think; Emotional; Decisive; Strong clairvoyance; Loves to travel; the arts and literature; Soft-spoken; loving and caring; Romantic; Touchy and easily jealous; Concerned; Loves outdoors ; Just and fair; Spendthrift and easily influenced; Easily lose confidence NOVEMBER Has a lot of ideas; Difficult to fathom; Thinks forward; Unique and brilliant; Extraordinary ideas, Sharp thinking, Fine and strong clairvoyance, Can become good doctors, Careful and cautious, Dynamic in personality, Secretive, Inquisitive, Knows how to dig secrets, Always thinking, Less talkative but amiable, Brave and generous, Patient, Stubborn and hard-hearted, If there is a will, there is a way, Determined, Never give up, Hardly become angry unless provoked, Loves to be alone, Thinks differently from others, Sharp-minded, Motivates oneself, Does not appreciates praises, High-spirited, Well-built and tough, Deep love

Once Upon a Night

11.15 pm. Unlike the usual nights, we both spent the time 'til nearly midnight, preoccupied with our own laptops in silence. The background music was the soft 'Quite Storm' station on the Yahoo Launchcast, a total mood-maker!

Anyway, there we were; me with my thesis and him with his own research proposal. As the night sank in, I felt a sudden rush of gratitude inside. Then I realized, here we are living in an estranged country, dwelling in a small room, just the two of us...

This is just what I've been imagining about since I was young. Now, being married for exactly 1 year, 8 months and 1 day (yesterday was our monthly anniversary ;-) ), I realized that sometimes we take things for granted. We don't realize all the good things God had bestowed us with. Sometimes happiness lies in a concealed form, and we must dig down to reveal what's really inside.

* * *

A piece of theory

Once I read this book about human psychology (I forgot the title), but anyway it gracefully explained about the 'numbness' which we, as normal beings, normally experience over time.

The author described the numbness with practical instances, such as the feeling that you'd feel when you're in the bathtub, having a warm bath. Sometimes you no longer feel the nice feeling of warm water after soaking and laying still in the bathtub for a while. But when you move some parts of your body i.e. legs or arms, then you suddenly feel the rush of nice warm water brushing against your skin all over again.

That was just a practical way to define 'numbness'. Non-metaphorically, this is what really happen with our life, our marriage, our friendship. There are some days that you just feel so numb, and you no longer realize how much happiness you are actually in.

Every once in a while we should 'move our body parts'- or so to say - to feel again the warmth that encircled our life with. That way you'd feel that your life is renewed, and thus you'll be more grateful of what you've already had.

Friendster & the Plethora of Entities

It's past midnight, and instead of hitting the sack I decided to skip it for a bit and having some quality - leisure time with ... Friendster. As some of you might've known, it became a world-wide phenomenon as it attracts lots of attention from internet users to sign up and be part of the 'virtual community'.

As I glance at the photos of people who are branded as "my friends" that appear in the form of tiny icons in my computer screen, I started to wonder. These hundreds of people... those people I know well, those I don't know so well, and those I barely even know. Despite the difference in the sense of level of friendship, they've got one thing in common: each of them has their own (unique) story of life. Not only the stories are peculiar, but also for some cases; extraordinary.

I remember a colleague of mine said, "You don't know what a person has been up to until you get into a real conversation. Most of the people I knew have very interesting stories of their lives, and they've been doing a lot of things, visiting a lot of places in the world". It was Garred, an American woman who currently works with the UN in Paris and been living there since the past 13 years.

In a nutshell one may regard this as: "Been there, done that..."

Then I looked back, have I been in enough "real" conversation that allow me to penetrate into the soul of a person to learn about their life journeys; rise and fall?

I sometimes like to symbolize life as a "movie", and I believe that all of us are the star of our own "movie", as such. People coming and going; some become good friends, then another time turns out to be enemies, and vice versa. We can be the "best supporting actress" in someone else's "movie", yet we can merely be an "extra" in their movies. Our roles really depends on how much we have touched upon one's life.

So, the next time you see someone on the street or someone whose (im)patiently waiting for the elevator, don't assume that he/she is merely an ordinary being. If you let yourself see beyond the 'social mask' and dissolve in their story of life, I'm sure you'll be blown away!

I guess we'll never know what tomorrow's got in store for us, yet if we maintain our positivity, we'll approach our upcoming days filled with daily miracles and exhilaration. As we are now giving the gift of the 'present' by God, let's just enjoy the ride and walk in the scenario God had written for each and every one of us.

(I'd like to dedicate this piece to Anouska; a dear friend of mine who brought about another dimension of sincere friendship into my life. I've had great times with her in Wageningen, Arnhem, Leiden, and even Paris! Hopefully our friendship will endure. As so you know; she's been one of my "best supporting actress" during my life time spent in Holland!)

wedding 

The Edge of a Journey: another Journey Awaits

Time is ticking. Heart is rushing. It's nearly time to pack our bags again and go, move on to the next destination: home. It's been a crazy 6 months of our life, being nomadic and we've never yet been settled eversince we got married. Right after our wedding we went straight to honeymoon, then Jakarta as Nuki intended to built his career (and me, likewise). We didn't stay that long in Jakarta as we then moved to Holland for me to pursue my master's. We stayed for about 6 months (with Nuki once went back to Indonesia as his visa expired). After I finished my courses in June 2004, I went back to Indonesia for 2 weeks, meet up with Nuki, and then we travelled to together Bangkok and stayed there for my 3 months internship and research. After Bangkok, again we encountered another temporary separation as I headed for London to attend a Board Meeting for a UNEP project. Then I got back to Holland for a week, packed my bags, then left to Paris. There I was alone for a month, started everything from scratch. Nuki came afterwards, and we reunited in Paris for another 2 months. Amidst our stay in Paris, I had to attend a workshop in Malaysia, so there we were faced with another temporary separation; I went to Malaysia, while Nuki went to Holland. It was only for couple of days, but somehow it felt so hard to leave each other! Then after Paris, in January we went back together to Holland, hitherto. Now we're ready to leave again next month, in February. The story is yet to be finished! Our plan is that we'll be in Indonesia only until mid March as he has to commence his PhD in Thailand, on April 1. Well, another packing and unpacking, moving out and moving in to do. Sometimes I looked back and forward in disbelief. Nonetheless I feel so grateful and blessed, to be given such rewarding experiences by living in different continents and estranged places. Yet the adaptation and exhaustion all these travel entails drank up my energy. I long for settling in one place, a place that we could call home... a place I could start decorating without any hesitation as we're sure to live there in a given time. I feel so relieved, my master's is nearly completed, and we're ready to head 'home'. Wherever it is. Not necessarily our hometown, but a place that we can settle in for longer time than 6 months. It's been a rewarding experience to travel abroad, especially as we're still young and have yet any parenting responsibilities. I've lived on my mum's dreams, my late grandparents' dreams, to travel around Europe during adolescence. Adolescence that will fade soon, as we'll start our new life in routine, commencing the essence of marriage, living out our dreams in reality. The sun has set, yet the dreams may remain. There will be another day of sunshine, clouds, and rain. Yet our togetherness in our walk of life will enlighten ourselves from gravels that may stumble us along the way, turning gloominess into brightness, bringing encouragement and patience in our ups and downs. All that matter at the end of the day is love. I've found the missing piece of me through my husband, and together we are ready to face another day. Uncertainty, anxiety, hope, or opportunity? We can never predict what we've got in store for us, yet our strong bond will hopefully be able to cope with all the surprises life brings

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The Indonesian Students Association on the Donation Day (photo by aaqq)

Donation Day: an Endevour for Aceh Tsunami Victims

On January 20, the Indonesian Students Association (http://www.ppi-wageningen.org/) held a donation day to generate fund for the Aceh Tsunami victims. It was a jam-packed event, filled with a lot of cultural presentations of dances, singing, poetry, and more. I was assigned to be the presenter in that event. It was a 2-hour event, and I never imagined how heart-moving the event could be! The Mayor of wageningen, Rector of the university, and Ambassador of Indonesia came to the event, which was a major honor for us. One thing I noticed was that they were willing to attend the event, from beginning to the end; despite their busy schedule. I could see from the stage that they were indeed having a nice time with the cultural presentations we brought them. However there was a point where everyone was sanked into a deep hole of depression and sadness. It was when the visualization of Aceh disaster was presented. Not merely the sad background songs, but also the pictures presented, and the video played. The squeaky sounds of hundreds of people drowned into the rushing water. The pictures of deserted bodies. The video of crying widows and children. I saw all these misery with my very own eyes, and as I was on stage, in front of the big screen, I struggled to fight back the tears in my eyes. I had to present the next performance! How embarassing if I cried in front of hundreds of people? So after the visualization I got up from my seat, and as I started to open my mouth, I could feel that my voice was shuttering. My tears were nearly rushing down, and I still tried to fight back. "That was... the visualization... of the tsunami catastrophe in Aceh. Let's hope that..." I suddenly paused. My voice was trembling as I speak each word. I moved back from the microphone. Everyone was in silence. I felt like I was in a funeral! I couldn't stop here, I should finish what I was meaning to say! So after several seconds of pause, I stepped in again in front of the microphone. "Let's hope... that Aceh will again be able to see another day... with a glimpse of smile and a ray of hope." There. I've said it. Then I took a deep breath slightly. After that I had to present the Indonesian Ambassador to deliver his speeh. "We would now like to kindly invite His Excellency .... " I glanced at the Ambassador. Oh God... I could see his eyes were puffy, and ... oh no... I couldn't stare at him any longer! I should just finish my job and go back to my seat! So... with a bit of rush I finished my sentence and thank God, it was done as supposed to be. After the sad phase of the event, then it came the time for the auction. At first I really didn't know how I should do this technically, as I've never done any presentation on auctions. But then I remembered some scene from the movies (oh thank God I'm a movie-lover!) so there I was on stage, "seducing" people to have their bids on the items offered. At first people were shy and reluctant to bid, but then I felt that I had to cheer them with some jokes and I sometimes tease the rector / ambassador to make their highest bids. It turned out to be a success! All in all, the event was a big success! We managed to gather total donation of about 2010 Euros, which comes about to around 24 million rupiah! Thank God! I hope that this will mean something to show our support to our fellow friends in Aceh.

Auction of indonesian souvenirs (photo by aaqq)

Presenting the event (photo by: pak Wiratno)

I recently received an e-mail from my supervisor at UNEP Paris.
She wrote to me as a response after I told her about this weblog. She said, "Yes, life is a journey, life is also a gift. And we are just traveling, not only in the earth, but in the universe. ... I think, in a way we have had similar experiences, the fact that we have been traveling and moving around make us realise that life is a journey, and in seeing life as a journey, we know that all the people we met are essential part of life. Yes, it is a pity that we did not have a photo together. It was a very hectic time for me, as you well noticed. But, I am glad you enjoyed your experience in UNEP and Paris. "

My comment: It was indeed hectic times, as most of the days at UNEP Paris. Anyhow, it was part of the whole experience.

UNEP Bangkok team

Now it's time to present the UNEP Bangkok team! As I've found Adri's photo, then I'd like to add more photos of my supervisor at UNEP Regional Office of Asia and Pacific in Bangkok. You can see in this picture, my supervisor is the guy on the left.

His name is Niclas, a very, very sweet, warm-hearted Swedish man. Bangkok will misses him a lot as he's going to move and work at UNEP Paris. What a great loss of UNEP Bangkok! Then move along on to his side is Neung, the secretary of UNEP, and on her left is a Sophie - a Dutch, another nice person at UNEP. In fact, all the people pictured in this photo is the nicest people at UNEP.

Sophie helped me with my thesis research, and she gave me all the useful tips for the operational research. She didn't at all hesitant to spare two hours in any given weeks to discuss with me about my thesis, despite her jam-packed schedule at work. So I really owe her a lot!

Then on her left is Peter, a Swede and the first time we met was at the office of the Ministry of Environment (KLH) in Jakarta, Indonesia. I was there for doing several interviews with KLH officers for UNEP project of Sustainable Consumption Asia with Uchita (his photo may appear later). Peter, Niclas and Sophie are such a dynamic group. They're currently working on a project together. Nobody could doubt their quality of work whatsoever!

The pyramid landmark of de Louvre museum, Paris.
Finally! After nearly 3 months in Paris we managed to get ourselves to the well known Musee de Louvre! It was a looooong queue outside but Nuki made us entered the museum from the other entrance. It saved us 2 hours of queueing! Tricky, yet SMART! Thinking out of the box -sort of perspective. That's why I walked down the aisle with this guy. ;-)
Anyway the 3 of us went in and witnessed the most amazing art works! One other thing to highlight was that there was no entrance free (yay!) as it was the first week of the month. Lucky, huh? Thanks to Jasmin who showed our way around, too!

Inside of de Louvre: me and our kind Louvre guide (hehe... sorry, Jassie!) ;-)
She's been coming to this museum for several times before us and she definitely is a great guide! :-) Too bad her boyfriend, who happens to be our good friend as well (Marc) couldn't be there with us. Anyway they were thinking of going to Bangkok, so let's cross our fingers, hopefully it'll come true! They're such a lovely couple.

Standing in front of the great Augustus, Caesar63 B.C. - 14 who
Constructed 800 Miles of Roman Roads.

Have you ever heard of Caius Octavius? Most people have not, and wouldn’t recognize this great ruler by his birth name. Caius Octavius, adopted his great uncle’s heir name, Julius Caesar. After Julius Caesar’s death, Octavius formed an alliance with Marc Antony. Eventually Antony and Caesar parted their alliance because Antony had fallen in love with Cleopatra. A couple years later Octavius defeated Antony and Cleopatra and earned his name Augustus, which means divine. So Augustus Caesar was to known to the people as a great ruler. Caius Octavius was born in 63 B.C. in Rome. He was adopted by Julius Caesar’s heir and given the name Caesar. When Julius Caesar was killed, he set out for the Roman Empire to get revenge on those who killed Julius. So he wanted to kill in spite of those who killed Julius. He made allies with enemies who would soon turn on him, but his short relations proved helpful to him. He learned of the betrayal of Antony with Cleopatra and in 31 B.C the senate made him General to fight against Antony. After he defeated Antony in battle, the senate honored him with the title Augustus in 27 B.C.
sources,
http://www.hyperhistory.net/apwh/bios/b2caesaragustus.htm
http://www.encyclopedia.com/html/section/Augustus_Emperor.asp

Silly pose of us together.

Making a call from Paris in front of de Louvre. There is the replica of Arch de Triomph from where I'm standing.

Being silly outside de Louvre... :o)

The beautiful pictures on the ceiling of de Louvre. 

Me, Ruperto (Philipino), and Jasmin in front of an old church. 

Me and my dear German - Iranian friend Jasmin
It's a coincidence that her name is almost similar to my niece's (Jasmine - with an 'e'). They share similar personalities though... they're both funny & witty!
Anyway this pic was taken as we (and as I meant 'we' is actually 'Jasmin'!!) were a bit lost to find the shortcut to Jasmin's flat. Instead of 5 minutes walk, we were walking around and around for 20 minutes!! However we get to find this great old church. It's such a life-saver for Jasmin as she could get away from getting punched by all 3 of us. She goes, "we wouldn't see this church if we didn't get lost now, would we?!"
Well as Christine would say, "Whatever Chick..........."
;-P

Nuki Agya 

Perlunya Pemungutan Pajak Ekologi

(Published in Suara Merdeka: http://www.suaramerdeka.com/harian/0406/08/opi04.htm)
Oleh: Nuki Agya Utama

BELUM sepenuhnya masyarakat menyadari, bahwa banyak permasalahan pembangunan dan modernisasi kehidupan yang mengakibatkan kerusakan lingkungan, serta akan menuju kepada permasalahan sosial dan ekonomi dalam jangka panjang.
Seperti dijelaskan (Colby, 1990), dalam paradigma ilmu ekonomi di era sekarang, semakin disadari perlunya dipertemukannya kembali ilmu ekologi dan ilmu ekonomi. Ibarat sekeping mata uang, ekologi merupakan salah satu sisinya, dan ekonomi merupakan sisi lainnya. Keduanya bertolak belakang, tetapi saling berkaitan.
Setelah revolusi industri 1900-an, pelaku ekonomi perusahaan multinasional memberlakukan alam sebagai sumber daya yang tak terbatas, dan dimanfaatkan sepenuhnya untuk kepentingan manusia (M Baiquni, 2002).
Begitu halnya di negara kita, pengaruh ekonomi global dengan sistem kapitalis yang dianut negara-negara kreditor sangat memengaruhi pula sistem perekonomian dan investasi serta gaya hidup bangsa ini. Terjadilah pengolahan sumber daya alam yang berlebihan, perusakan hutan akibat ekploitasi sumber daya alam, dan makin banyaknya kendaraan bermotor di jalan-jalan.
Seperti yang terjadi pula baru-baru ini, yaitu kasus penyelundupan sebuah mobil mewah seharga Rp 750 juta dan masuknya puluhan jenis truk Scania yang tidak dilengkapi surat-surat lengkap di Pelabuhan Tanjung Emas Semarang. Penyelundup dan pengguna kendaraan-kendaraan tersebut, tidak pernah berpikir panjang tentang kerugian yang akan diderita negara, serta dampak jangka panjang yang secara tidak sadar akan merugikan masyarakat kota Semarang. Kerugian yang akan diderita ialah, selain tidak adanya pendapatan dari sektor pajak, juga karena turunnya kualitas udara di kota akibat gas buang yang dihasilkan oleh puluhan truk tersebut.
Beberapa hari yang lalu, juga diberitakan tentang protes beberapa LSM di Belgia terhadap pembangunan sebuah gedung yang diyakini menggunakan kayu hasil impor dari hutan tropis negara kita. Kesadaran masyarakat Belgia perlu dicontoh oleh masyarakat kita, bahwa sudah sekian puluh tahun kayu-kayu di bumi Nusantara dibabat, dan itu sangat memprihatinkan.
Menurut catatan Depertemen Kehutanan, dalam waktu tiga tahun terakhir laju kerusakan hutan mencapai hampir tiga juta hektare per tahun. Kerusakan tersebut, ditimbulkan oleh aksi penebangan resmi dan liar.
Kawasan hutan yang rusak di Indonesia, kini mencapai 57 juta hektare atau hampir separo dari luas hutan permanen di Indonesia (Gatra, 2002).
Terkena Imbasnya
Kendaraan merupakan salah satu penghasil polusi terbesar di dunia, baik kendaraan pribadi maupun kendaraan barang dan komersial. Keuntungan materi secara langsung, mungkin hanya dirasakan oleh pengguna atau pemilik kendaraan-kendaraan tersebut; tetapi di lain pihak, terjadi penurunan kualitas udara akibat dari gas emisi yang dihasilkan oleh kendaraan-kendaraan itu.
Dampak tersebut, harus dibayar dan dirasakan oleh semua masyarakat pengguna jalan, termasuk pejalan kaki, abang becak, dan pengendara sepeda yang notabene rata-rata berasal dari golongan berkemampuan ekonomi lemah. Mereka harus menanggung akibat dengan menghirup CO, C02, dan kandungan unsur kimia lain yang berbahaya bagi metabolisme tubuh. Kesemuannya dihasilkan oleh penurunan kualitas udara, akibat gas emisi yang berlimpah dari kendaraan-kendaraan tersebut.
Kita tengok besarnya pendapatan asli daetrah (PAD) pemerintah Provinsi Jawa Tengah yang mencapai Rp 1,5 triliun, atau naik sebesar Rp 102,69 miliar dari Rp 1,4 triliun. Kenaikan pendapatan daerah tersebut, sebagian besar disumbang dari sektor pajak kendaraan, baik Pajak Kendaraan Bermotor (PKB) maupun Bea Balik Nama Kendaraan Bermotor (BBNKB) (Wawasan, 12 Mei 2004).
Kenaikan pendapatan daerah dari sektor pajak kendaraan bermotor tersebut, menunjukan bahwa secara kuantitas jumlah kendaraan bermotor di provinsi ini terus meningkat. Peningkatan jumlah kendaraan bermotor, juga secara otomatis akan meningkatkan jumlah gas emisi di provinsi ini. Penurunan kualitas udara, juga akan terjadi seiring dengan peningkatan kendaraan tersebut. Tidak semua orang bisa menikmati kemewahan atau fungsi kendaraan-kendaraan tersebut; tidak semua orang bisa menikmati pajak kendaraan tersebut; akan tetapi gas emisi yang dihasilkan oleh kendaraan-kendaraan itu harus dirasakan oleh hampir semua orang di provinsi ini.
Belum lagi bentuk ekplorasi alam yang hanya menguntungkan segelintir orang, dan efek kerusakan alam yang ditanggung oleh banyak orang yang tidak pernah mencicipi keuntungan tersebut. Tanah longsor, banjir, dan pemanasan global, merupakan akibat langsung dari ekploitasi dan ekplorasi alam yang tidak mengindahkan prinsip keberlanjutan.
Dari sekian banyak jenis pajak yang diberlakukan oleh Pemerintah, tidak ada satu pun yang dikhususkan untuk mengganti kerusakan udara, air, tanah, dan hutan akibat membanjirnya kendaraan (roda empat maupun roda dua).
Seperti kajian beberapa ahli lingkungan hidup, sekarang sudah saatnya para pengguna kendaraan menyisihkan sebagian uangnya untuk secara khusus membayar pajak ekologi, atau pajak yang dikhususkan untuk membiayai kerusakan ekologi akibat dampak langsung maupun tidak langsung dari penggunaan kendaraan, ekplorasi alam, dan kerusakan hutan.
Selain pengenaan pajak ekologi bagi pengguna jalan raya (kendaraan bermotor), pajak itu juga dikenakan kepada semua jenis kegiatan -baik yang menggunakan mesin maupun yang tidak- yang secara langsung maupun tidak langsung kegiatannya menghasilkan dampak negatif terhadap lingkungan, seperti kegiatan manufacture (pabrik), ekploitasi pasir sungai, serta pemanfaatan hutan bukan hutan produksi.
Pajak Ekologi
Sudah saatnya kita mendukung Pemerintah untuk memberlakukan kebijakan yang berpihak kepada lingkungan dan masyarakat umum demi mengurangi efek negatif akibat gas emisi dan kerusakan lingkungan lainnya.
Pemberlakuan pajak ekologi atau pemungutan pajak tambahan bagi semua aspek yang memengaruhi rusaknya lingkungan, baik penurunan kualitas udara, air, tanah, maupun hutan, sudah saatnya dikaji untuk diimplementasikan.
Dengan kontrol ketat dari wakil rakyat, pajak tersebut hanya diperuntukan untuk memperbaiki kerusakan alam akibat campur tangan manusia, seperti penurunan polusi udara.
Pajak ekologi dipakai untuk pembuatan hutan kota dan biaya peningkatan kontrol emisi, serta pembuatan jalur-jalur khusus pejalan kaki dan pemakai sepeda. Terhadap penurunan kualitas air dan cadangan air, pajak ekologi dipakai untuk menambah pusat penampungan dan penjernihan air, serta subsidi bagi pembuatan sumur resapan di rumah-rumah penduduk yang kurang mampu.
Terhadap penurunan kualitas tanah akibat penambangan liar dan ekplorasi atas kandungan tanah, pajak ekologi digunakan untuk merehabilitasi kawasan yang rusak dan membuka lapangan kerja baru bagi pekerja-pekerja kasar di pertambangan tersebut.
Terhadap kerusakan hutan, pajak ekologi digunakan sebagai modal awal pembuatan hutan produksi. Sudah saatnya di setiap provinsi memiliki hutan produksi sendiri, yang bertujuan untuk memenuhi permintaan kayu bagi daerahnya dan kebutuhan ekspor.
Pajak ekologi diberlakukan seperti halnya pajak biasa, akan tetapi hanya dipungut dari sektor-sektor usaha, kegiatan, dan penggunaan yang -secara langsung atau tidak- dapat menurunkan kualitas alam; seperti pemungutan pajak ekologi bagi pengguna kendaraan bermesin, yang dimulai dari kendaraan roda dua dan seterusnya. Pemberlakuan pajak, dibebankan secara berimbang; semakin mahal kendaraan yang digunakan, semakin banyak pajak yang dibebankan. Hl itu juga harus mempertimbangkan besarnya efek gas buang dari kendaraan tersebut; semakin besar persentase gas emisi yang terbuang, semakin besar pula pajak yang harus dibayarkan kepada Pemerintah.
Pajak ekologi juga dipungut dari perusahaan penghasil limbah udara, cair, maupun padat. Jenis pajak ekologi itu, lepas dari pajak-pajak yang sudah dipungut sebelumnya. (29a)
-Nuki Agya Utama ST MSc, alumnus London South Bank University, UK dan HAN University, the Netherlands.

My sweet friend Franck et moi.
Merci beaucoup pour les boissons! ;-)

Christine teachin' how to do REAL Barbadian dance (everyone's shakin' their bootie!)
OST (Original Soundtrack): Kevin Lyttle - Turn Me On.

Party animals!

Farewell party in UNEP: one happy (international) family!!! Asians, Arabs, Europeans, Africans, squeezed in one room.
So that was it... the invitees of my farewell party. Too bad Jassie was out to pick up Marc, otherwise she'll be int he picture as well. Anyway it was such a great party as it turned out. We were having (a lot of) food - thanks to everyone who had brought such delicious food, drinks, and dancing.

Farewell Party

Aretha:
I still can't believe that this is our last week in Paris! It's been an amazing 3 months, it feels more like a dream than reality. Sure, there were some ups and downs, but that doesn't mean that we didn't delve on the breath taking and yet out-of-this-world atmosphere of Paris.

Honestly, I never came up with the idea of our own farewell party. I got shocked by a friend of mine; Franck, who insisted to have a party for me. Then Jasmin offered her place to be the venue which was great, but then later on she told me that Christine offers me her apartment to have the party! Her place is just amazing! It's a 2 bedroom with a huge living room and somehow it's unbelievably convenient that makes the party goers went nuts; dancing Latino, Barbadian, trance, you name it!

So then my friends threw the party with lots and lots of food and drinks (which left Christine happy with the left-overs of 4 unopened bottles of wine) ;-) and time just flies because without realizing it, it was already 12 o'clock midnight! Those people were just so crazy they went dancing all night from after dinner to midnight!

Anyhow, it was a great thrill. Thus it was a mixture of feelings for me to leave Paris. We've just found great friends there, but by the time we know them better, we had to go. I guess that's how life is... by the time you say 'hi', you should be prepared to say 'goodbye'...

So... I'd like to thank all my friends who had made their efforts to come at the party (and prepare really great traditional food from their home countries!) I guess I can say that I left my heart in Paris! It's one of the best city to be, great people, and great food indeed!

For Christine, Jasmin, Rupert and Franck, I really look forward to see you here in Holland! I hope you guys can make it before I leave. Mustapha, thanks for coming all the way from Nord de Paris to my party. You've been such an amazing workmate! Etienne, I'm gonna miss your (silent) jokes! And Jassie, I'll try to hold on to the '+ Energy' you gave me. I hope I can still see you again... either here or in Bangkok. It's gonna be so great if Mark can manage to come to Bangkok, we'll rock the city!!! :-D

Once and for all, thank you for your sincere friendship. I hope we can meet each other again sometime in the near future.

Me and my best buddy, Jasmin!

Nuki and Rupert - getting more and more 'cuddly', counting down the clock to 12 midnight, Jan 1, 2005.

It's 2005!!!!! Bon Annee!!!

Rupert, Jasmin, et moi.

Vibrant colours of the fireworks.
An English friend of mine (Andrew) in fact told me the story behind this amazing fireworks. He said that Paris and London are quarelling over being the host for the upcoming Paris 2012 Olympic. Apparently they held another massive fireworks in London as well. Too bad we can't witness both at the same time ;-) Well since we were in Paris, then... we go for PARIS 2012 !!!!!! Rock on, Parisienne!!!!

The worth-waiting new year's fireworks at Place de la Concorde.
Just look at this masterpiece! The golden fire looks so gorgeous, surrounding the gigantic ferris wheel just in front of Place de la Concorde monument (do you see something like a tall pen-shaped thingy in front of the wheel? Well that's the monument, baby!)
Photo credit: Rupert & Nuki

Another amazing blast

Nuki, Aretha and Jasmin, waiting for the new year's fireworks in Place de la Concorde, Paris.
We can say that we were blessed as the weather wasn't as chillin' as we expected before. In fact, it was one of the warmest night in Paris! Gettin' warmer as we squeezed in and take this picture! ;-)

Nuki, Jasmin and Aretha in front of the bright and glamorous Printemps' Xmas decoration.
Each end of the year, Printemps and Gallerie de la Fayette... two of the most classy, posh, stores ever was in Paris are 'competing' to get the acknowledgement as the 'winner' of the year's Xmas decoration. Why so? Because their stores are next to each other. Well for this year, we all agreed that... based on the judges' assessment (me, Jasmin, and Nuki - Rupert didn't get to judge, he was busy taking all the pictures. hehe), the winner of 2004 Xmas decoration... goes to....... Printemps!!!!

Girls' corner, still @ the UNEP Xmas Party...

At UNEP's Christmas Party, posing with my boss, Mr. Bas de Leeuw.

Franck, Aretha, Filip and Marion

Mrs. Wida is showing her salsa moves.
Marion and I were just ducking so that the camera and spotlight goes directly to her. :-)

From Paris with luuurrrrveee.....
Aretha & Nuki

Gedung Sebagai Sahabat Laporan World Research Institute menyebutkan, selama 50 tahun terakhir, penggunaan energi dan bahan bangunan di seluruh dunia meningkat 300%. Sepanjang peningkatan ekonomi terus berkembang, penggunaan energi dan bahan baku bangunan akan terus meningkat.AWALNYA, bangunan rumah hanya terbuat dari tanah, dedaunan, atau kayu yang disusun seadanya dengan fungsi sangat minim. Sekarang, jika berbicara ihwal rumah, imajinasi kita akan selalu menggambarkan dinding bata, atap genting, dan lantai keramik. Seperti halnya kita berbicara mengenai bangunan gedung, yang ada di pikiran pasti bangunan bertingkat tinggi menjulang, dibuat dari beton atau baja dan dikelilingi kaca. Apabila kita bisa berimajinasi lebih detail lagi, yang ada adalah pendingin ruangan, listrik yang besar, air bersih, saluran pembuangan, dan sarana lain yang mendukung gedung menjadi "sangat layak" untuk kenyamanan manusia.Laporan World Research Institute menyebutkan, selama 50 tahun terakhir, penggunaan energi dan bahan bangunan di seluruh dunia meningkat 300%. Sepanjang peningkatan ekonomi terus berkembang, penggunaan energi dan bahan baku bangunan akan terus meningkat. Sebuah gedung ibarat benalu yang menggerogoti nutrisi dari induk semangnya. Gedung menyedot air bersih atau air tanah sekitar. Bahkan di beberapa kota besar, pembuatan gedung-gedung baru (terutama apartemen dan hotel) sebagian selalu diikuti dengan pembuatan sumur air dalam (yang secara signifikan mengurangi kuantitas air dalam di kota tersebut), penggunaan listrik yang kurang terkontrol, limbah padat dan cair serta limbah manusia yang tidak diatasi dengan baik. Kesemuanya tidak didesain untuk kelangsungan hayati tanah dan keseimbangan lingkungan sekitar.Seperti diungkapkan Niklaus Kohler (profesor dari Institut for Industrial and Building Production, Jerman), sebuah gedung mengandung 60 bahan baku utama dan 2.000 produk lainnya. Semua bahan tadi memiliki usia berbeda-beda, baik produksi, perbaikan, maupun pembuangan yang unik. Selain meyedot banyak energi seperti listrik, proses produksi juga banyak menghasilkan limbah, baik cair, padat, atau pencemaran udara. Bahan baku hasil proses produksi juga membawa unsur kimia lain sebagai campuran dan juga menghasilkan sisa buangan yang cukup berbahaya. Sebut saja PVC yang sering digunakan untuk pintu, jendela, lantai, pelindung dinding, lapisan luar interior, dan insulator. Sebagian dari PVC mengandung plasticzier dan kandungan metal beracun seperti kadmium dan timbal. Plasticzier terbukti mengganggu sistem kelenjar cairan endokrin. Sedangkan kadnium sebagai penyebab kanker dan timbal adalah neurotoxin (William McDonough, 2003).Bersahabat dengan LingkunganAPAKAH gedung dapat memenuhi kebutuhannya sendiri? Banyak penelitian di negara-negara Eropa mencoba mencari solusi agar gedung dan tempat tinggal (perumahan) bisa memenuhi kebutuhan cahaya, air bersih, dan udara bersih dari alam secara maksimal. Meminimalkan kebutuhan akan energi dari minyak (dari fosil) yang tidak dapat diperbarui (non-renewable) dan meningkatkan penggunaan energi yang bisa diperbarui (renewable) menjadi perhatian serius di negara-negara maju. Menurut laporan CICA (Confederation of International Construction Association) dan UNEP (United Nations Environment Program), gedung menggunakan 30%-40% dari seluruh energi yang ada di tiap negara secara langsung dan mendekati angka 50% secara tidak langsung.Sebuah penelitian di Jerman membuktikan bahwa kualitas udara di dalam gedung di tengah kota Hamburg mendekati empat kali lebih buruk daripada berada di mobil kotor di tengah kemacetan. Kebanyakan masyarakat kita jarang menggunakan fresh air, lebih sering menggunakan AC, menutup pintu dan jendela rapat-rapat. Di Jerman, alergi yang dialami 42% anak usia 6-7 tahun sebagian besar diakibatkan rendahnya kualitas udara dalam ruangan.Baru-baru ini, Badan Pengkajian dan Penerapan Teknologi dengan Pemerintah Daerah Batam mengembangkan perumahan yang sumber listriknya berasal dari solar panel. Memang biaya investasi awalnya sedikit lebih mahal. Tapi, 10 tahun mendatang, penggunaan solar panel jauh lebih murah dibandingkan listrik biasa, ditambah lagi energi yang dipakai sangat ramah lingkungan.Ventilasi alami dan mekanik dikombinasikan dengan penggunaan AC yang lebih efektif bisa lebih menghemat energi dan menambah kualitas udara di dalam gedung jauh lebih baik. Pemanfaatan air hujan secara maksimal juga akan mengurangi jumlah kebutuhan air bersih yang digunakan gedung-gedung tersebut. Di kota Semarang, penurunan tanah disebabkan banyaknya sumur air dalam yang dipakai melebihi kapasitas.Pemanfaatan air hujan ini bisa menjadi alternatif "sehat" bagi pemenuhan kebutuhan akan air bersih. Penggunaan kembali air buangan/bilasan makin menghemat kebutuhan akan air bersih bagi kebutuhan mandi, mencuci, flushing toilet, dan sebagainya. Pengomposan limbah manusia berguna bagi penyuburan tanah. Sedangkan panas matahari yang diolah solar panel menjadi energi pengganti listrik sangat berguna bagi seluruh kebutuhan listrik di gedung-gedung tersebut.Sudah saatnya pemerintah membuat undang-undang atau peraturan pemerintah yang mendukung digalakkannya pembuatan gedung ramah lingkungan. Sehingga, saat anak-cucu kita lahir, mereka tak lagi melihat gedung sebagai benalu yang hanya bisa menyedot sari-sari nutrisi dari bumi, tapi sebagai sahabat yang bisa menjaga keseimbangan alam. * Lulusan S-2 London South Bank University, Inggris, dan HAN University the Netherlands Dimuat di majalah mingguan Gatra edisi desember 2004.

In front of the Magic Kingdom - Euro Disneyland, Paris.
At last! This is one of my dream as a kid, although I've been to Disneyland in the US before I got married. Nuki had the time of his life riding the Space Mountain.

Anyway we had a great day full of fun here despite some horrifying experience on the rides. I had the time of my life during the closing of the Euro Disney, where in this very building (the Magic Kingdom castle - where you can see in this picture) they performed several parade. We got to see Tinkerbell on the top of the castle, waving her tiny hands and wishing us a good night.

Soon after the park went pitch black, and they had the Christmas tree light decoration blinking and sparkling so beautifully. The theme song of Disneyland played and some more Disney characters appeared, singing and dancing. It then reminds me of (Walt) Disney's word of wisdom which I used to set as wallpaper on my PC at home: "If you can dream it, you can do it."

I guess he was right. I am, too, a dreamer. I live my life on a dream... and I treasure each day of my life with gratitude.

Disneyland's Magic Kingdom!
(Actually please be advised that this is only the replica of the Disney's Magic Kingdom. Nonetheless I reckon that it's worth the shot to be put here coz it just looks so cool! This replica is sold - if I'm not mistaken - for nearly 1000 euros! Anyone up for a bid?) ;-)

Haloween. Left to right: Esther (Dutch), Aretha, Lexy (English), and Gina (Mexican).
Who was I supposed to be? Well please mind me, I've just moved in and I don't have any stuff to wear (excuses, excuses). Anyway I bet for the next Halloween I'll be more creative and in fact I really want to be ..... the ghost in 'the Ring'. Whew... the thoughts already gives me the creep!!

With my thesis supervisor, Prof. Dr. Ir. Gert Spaargaren, MSc - in the Petronas garden.

Posing in front of the famous Petronas Tower after the exhausting 2 (full) days of workshop.

After the workshop... it's time to chill out!!!

The two Dutch professors dining out enjoying Malaysian cuisine.

Journal from the workshop in Malaysia

Meeting the Professors
I arrived in Malaysia today at 6ish AM. My first impression of KL… very advanced technology, and I’m so sad to think just how left behind my beloved country Indonesia is compared to Malaysia. I derived on this conclusion as soon as I enter the international airport, which is so western-like, non-other Asian-like airports.

My favorite part was that I didn’t have to queue as much for the immigration. You know, when you enter a country usually you end up in a loooong queue, endlessly waiting for the next person before you to step on that yellow line. Here, we don’t see it happening. It’s a good sign, especially after the 15 hours trip, truly exhausting and on top of that I only slept for about an hour or so in between.

Anyway, the next best thing is when I decided that I would take the train to the hotel. At first I intended to take a cab (as I am not familiar with KL just yet, and the fact that I’m traveling alone worried me a bit). BUT… as soon as I enter the airport, I was convinced that they have a good transport system on board. Well, it wasn’t a bad decision after all! When I get on the train, I was pretty amused… and I got to think, “am I in Japan or Singapore?” because the interior as well as exterior of the train is just so modern! I can’t believe this is happening to Malaysia, who once looked up to Indonesia. I guess the world is spinning all right; we’re the ones who get to ‘wow’ them now.

The train took approx. 30 minutes to get to the KL Centre station. When I was going to go out of the train, I recognized a faint figure of my professor. But I wasn’t sure, because he seemed different, perhaps because of the long trip and jet lag may have crept in. Therefore I was hesitant to approach him in the first place. However I put on my glasses and when we were entering the escalator, I called his name in a dubious tone. “Prof. Spaargaren…..?” and I was right! It was him! I saw a grin on his face and with a surprised look, he greeted me. So and so, we got on the sky train, and this time I was relieved that I took the right decision; using public transport! Not only it is more sustainable, but also you get to have to spend some quality time with your thesis supervisor and discuss about the project you’re doing together!

* * *

The appointment at noon.

I couldn’t remember what I was doing before, but I remember my head was spinning when I realized my phone rings so loudly in front of me. I was supposed to meet Prof. Spaargaren for lunch at 12 sharp, and there he was, calling me in the room at 12.15, and asking me if I was coming! I got to rush and changed my clothes and within minutes off I went. Anyhow, we went out to lunch and having discussions along the way.

A bit of exploration

At 8 PM, Prof. Spaargaren, Dr. Oosteerveer and I went out for dinner. There’s this nice eating place, more like a ‘pujasera’ (food court) in Indonesia, just two doors away from the hotel. There, we got to eat ‘nasi lemak’, and surprisingly these Dutch professors were in favor of it! It was quite spicy, but really delicious. Afterwards they stated their satisfaction and said that they love to eat foreign food rather than Dutch food, go figure.

During dinner, we got into (heavy) discussion, mainly about the project we’re doing, EU politics, international, environmental and Dutch politics, the vicious circle of corruption in Indonesia, and other things. After a nice meal, it was already 10 PM, and I saw Dr. Oosterveer was ready to head back to the hotel. But since Prof. Spaargaren was still ‘awake’ and fully recharged, he wanted to walk around the block, so the three of us decided to go together and see KL at night. There was nothing much to comment on as it was already quite late and not much were happening. Nevertheless, it was a nice walk.

* * *

First day of the Workshop: Gert addressed his welcome speech and emphasized that since we are ‘project partners’, we should call each other on a first-name basis. Interestingly, he was glancing at me when he mentioned that preference of his. Fair enough, I was the only one who called him “Mr. Spaargaren”….

* * *

Tuesday, November 30. Bright sunshine above the Malaysian soil in the morning, but heavy pours in the afternoon. It was the second day of the workshop. Everything went well and I was in fact did a presentation about the results of my research in Thailand. Gert – my supervisor but at this time a ‘project partner’ – was quite happy with the findings, and he appreciated with everything I’ve done. This presentation and discussion was actually quite good. I received heaps of inputs from the participants, and most importantly is the inputs from Gert and Peter.

Rahim's farewell party. From left: Jasmin, Aretha, Nuki, Mustapha, Etienne (French), Marc (German - Jasmin's boyf), Rupert. Down: Rahim.

My UNEP office mates in Paris, during lunch hour, posing in front of the office with the great view of Eiffel tower.

Me, Mustapha (born in Paris but originally Morrocon), and Rahim (born in Nairobi, originally Indian, grew up in Canada). All three are Moslems and we do fasting during Ramadhan together. We're such great buddies!!!

My working room at UNEP Paris.

Jasmine, me, and my sister (mba Holy) in Malaysia, still in front of Petronas tower.

Jasmine (my cutest, sweetest niece) and us

Posing in front of the beautiful (tropical) garden inside the UN building. This is our place to hang out, next to the cafe where we usually enjoy a sip of coffee or tea.
Left to right: Louisa, Apple (Thai), Josefin, Mook, and me.

At UN Bangkok during lunch. Having a decent cup of cappuccino from our office's outdoor cafe.
From left: Josefin (Swedish), Aretha, Louisa (Australian), and Mook (Thai).

In front of the UN Regional Office of Asia and Pacific in Bangkok, Thailand. I worked here for 3 months.

A little piece of my mind...

Glancing at the world surrounds me/
The world is so painfully bright
Everyone strive for the perfect life,
perfect career, perfect belongings/
Sometimes I wonder, are these what truly matters?//

Then I realize that the sky goes gloomy without you/
The sun only shines because...
I always have you in my mind to think about/
I have you in my heart to worry about, to dream about/
I can't imagine my life without you/
who always cheer me up/
who always make me feel like the luckiest woman in the whole world//

You are such a wonderful soul/
When I'm with you/
Everything else seems unsignificant/
All my praise to God that it's been a terrific 1,5 years of our marriage.../
and I hope it will go stronger/ as we grow old together//

Bangkok,warm midnight on Oct 5, 2004.
====================
I walked on each phases of my life/
Walking slowly though I want to run/
Making mistakes and stumble on the wall/
My feet bleed as I stepped on the sharp gravels/
I stopped... caught my breath/
Staring at the next level of my life... what has it got to offer?/
We learn, rise, and fall, again and again... what for?/
I see my next final destination... I foresee the after life/
That's what I aim for; to serve God/
I continue my journey with the remaining energy/
Panting, moaning, but I get stronger/
Nothing else in the world seem to matter..../
As long as we have God in mind and beloved ones to lift us when we fall/
treat our wounds, put us back on our feet again/
Thanks to God, my husband, family, and best friends/
I can get up and ready to proceed my journey.

Wageningen, 31 May 2004
Aretha.