Shoes and Sandals

Shoes and sandals... Oh... I can't say No to them... And here are my 3 beloved footwears:

all are made in Indonesia :)

1. Alex Sandal from UP

This is my first footwear which I bought at online store. Little bit worried about online shopping for footwear since my foot is quite huge. Finally I ordered size 39, and when she comes right at my door... she fits me very nice, yiihaaa... I love UP bcoz it's designs are unique yet simple.

UP = My favorite shoe-online store :)

Oh... I am also impressed by the mastermind behind UP: Diana Rikasari

2. Stella Rainbow Stripes Wedges from UP

Agaiin... One is never enough, hehehe... After the gorgeous Alex, can't resist my desire for the higher one. So I saved my money to get this 9 cm-wedges. Never thought that 9-cm wedges could be this comfy before, yippiee... This one very suits for semi-formal events, hangouts, or just walking around department store.

3. Solany Progetty Sandal

This is the cutest one. So light and easy-to-wear. Love the color and flowers. This sandal is suitable to walk around market, go for picnic, long distance travel, roaming the town, informal events, and even running, hehehe. Just got this at a department store, and accidentally in love at the first sight :)

Dance Pe Chance

2 blogposts in a row... hehehe...
Just so much into Shahrukh Khan a.k.a SRK since his Temptation Reloaded concert here in Indonesia last December, 8 2012. I can't stop myself watching SRK performance both in TV and youtube. And here is one of my fav. Can't stop repeating this lately....

No More Regret

Been so long not updating my blog as lots of bus(y)ness in college, fiuh....
One or few thoughts just came up in mind, but don't really know how to write it, hmmmm....
Yeah, let me try.
Well, relating to my previous post which quotes:

"Twenty years from now you will be more by the things you didn't do than one you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sail. Explore. Dream. Discover." - Mark Twain

... I'd like to deliver some that sometimes turn my mood down. I won't be a Miss Complain nor Miss Regreter, but here are several things I found out that meet the quote above: all decisions that I didn't take, actions that I didn't do, truth that I denied, and deepest passions that I didn't strive to follow yet let it flew away (whoosssh):

• I was reaally much into student exchange program. When I was in Junior High, I applied for a student exchange program to the US. I got into 1st test out of 3 stages of test, which was writing test that tested about general knowledge whatsoever. I did it very well that I was so confident to pass it. 2 weeks later was the result's announcement, in which every participants who passed would continue to 2nd stage of test. And what did I do...? I did't even check the announcement. My excuse was... I was too busy with my mid exam in school. My up-down mood drag my passion in student exchange vanished. Something that I really disappointed every time I think about it. Very dumb!
• I like cooking, and I have such talent in kitchen (yes, my family[rarely]admit that). One day my aunty advice me to take vocational school after completing Junior High, taking catering courses. I was so high that she really support me. But what happened after Junior High graduation...? I enroll to fav Public Senior High following my brother taking science department and went into the most prestigious Mathematics course in town, wohoooo.... Why did I am here?
• I found that I am in love with English Literature. I do love to be fluent in English conversation, reading, and article writing. But where did I go after completing Senior High...? Public Health. Why? Because I was too lazy to study a little bit more about social science and take English Lit. as my selection list on SNMPTN (national exam entering public university). I was an opportunist to take Public Health as my option since I could only afford the score for only this (Public Health) level without increasing my vigor to gain more score to get English Lit. That's all? No.
• I also hadn't enough guts to declare that "this is my passion". I only followed what my surroundings say to go for this and that, this one have good career opportunity and bla.. bla... bla... whatsoever. It's all about guts. I had no guts that time.

Now... Here I am...

Pursuing my bachelor degree in Public Health. Something that I had no idea previously, but now I am getting my self enjoy more by... getting myself heathier... yippiieee....

Well, studying Public Health is not that really gloomy. Here I meet great people in this field which are so inspiring in increasing my spirit to live life healthier. I also meet such smart friends and also resentful people, read good books and tiresome journal, perform dull yet fun field study, and do some part-time jobs then earn money (yeaay).

Well, life journey is still long ahead, for me and you too. No matter where do I now, I will always do my best and give my heart to everything I do. Now that I know what is my passion, I have to declare it loud, and pursue it powerfully. It's not about in which college you study nor how good is your mark that bring successful, it's about where your heart belong and the sweat you squeeze to reach it.

So, find out your passion, declare it loud, pursue anywhere it goes, and no more regret!

58 Days to Go....!!!

Thank you so much to this blog for encouraging me to not give up on my travel plan .

If you questioned why do I decide to have a trip to India? This blogpost and amazing video are more than enough to depict my answer.

As at they stated on their blogpost:

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” – Mark Twain

Ada Harga Ada Mutu

Suatu hari aku pergi belanja ke department store untuk beli.... celana dalam a.k.a CD. Saat itu persediaan CD ku sudah menipis, bukan dalam hal jumlah, tapi dalam hal kualitas. Sebenarnya jumlahnya masih sangat cukup, tapi sebagian besar sudah nggak layak pakai karena sudah pada bolong-bolong dan melar. Saat pilah-pilih, aku berpikir sendiri: beli yang mahal tapi sedikit atau beli yang murah tapi dapat banyak...?

Hmmm....

Sejak jadi anak kosan dan tinggal sendiri, aku dituntut untuk lebih jeli dalam mengurus diri, terlebih untuk hal-hal dasar yang kelihatannya remeh temeh yang sering aku lakukan bersama Ibu, salah satunya adalah urusan membeli pakaian dalam. Selama 19 tahun hidup bersama orangtua, segala bentuk urusan "dalam negeri" tersebut selalu aku lakukan dengan Ibu. Tidak hanya aku tapi juga Ayah dan seluruh saudara-saudaraku, kami menyerahkan semuanya pada Ibu. Karena biasa didampingi, pertama kali merasa kekurangan CD aku jadi panik. Pertama, aku tidak tahu harus pergi ke mana untuk membeli CD yang serupa dengan punyaku sekarang, dan yang kedua aku tidak paham memilih CD yang baik itu seperti apa, karena biasanya sudah nyaman dan default dengan apa yang selama ini Ibu pilihkan. Jadilah pertama kali membeli CD sendiri, aku membeli yang bentuknya sama persis dengan yang aku punya selama ini. Harganya murah meriah, namun sayangnya 2 bulan kemudian sudah melar dan menipis. Oh... Tidak...

Perlahan-lahan aku research ke tempat-tempat di mana kira-kira aku bisa membeli CD. Beruntungnya ada seorang teman di kostan dengan selera berpakaian yang OK mengajak untuk menemani membeli CD. Dari dia aku belajar (walaupun tanpa didikte secara langsung) cara memilih CD yang baik. Bukannya apa-apa, sebagai perempuan kita harus sangat jeli dan teliti dalam membeli CD karena tugasnya CD itu adalah melindungi daerah paling sensitif. Jadi harus terbuat dari bahan yang menyerap keringat, tidak berkaret ketat, dan nyaman.

Akhirnya...

Aku temukan juga CD yang sesuai dengan kriteria yang baik, tapi... harganya memang lebih tinggi. Sebagai perbandingan, 4 lembar CD yang kubeli setara dengan 1 lusin CD "2 bulan habis". Hampir 3 kali lipatnya. Tapi ya itu tadi, kalau mengutip dari Mba Trinity Traveler; quality comes with the price (ada harga ada mutu). Dengan harga 3 kali lipat, CD yang kali ini berusia hampir 1 tahun masih layak pakai.

Selain itu juga yang tidak kalah penting, dengan membeli barang-barang dengan kualitas bagus kita juga ikut berperan mengurangi sampah. Kenapa? Ya itu tadi, dengan membeli barang "2 bulan habis", mau tidak mau kita harus buang lagi dan beli lagi, buang lagi dan beli lagi, dan begitu seterusnya. Sialnya kalau masih membeli barang yang sama, ya siklusnya akan terus berputar. Coba deh kalau kita rela membayar sedikit lebih di awal, tentu "siklus 2 bulan" itu tidak perlu terjadi. Dan jika dihitung secara ekonomi, pasti "beli mahal sedikit diawal" akan jauh lebih hemat daripada "mengeluarkan duit berulang kali untuk membeli barang yang sama".

Jadi readers, untuk mendapatkan sesuatu dengan kualitas yang baik tentu ada harganya. Selama harganya masih wajar dan kualitas yang ditawarkan memang baik, why not? Tapi... Ada saatnya dimana kita tidak punya pilihan untuk membeli, dan juga tidak semua barang murah itu tidak berkualitas lho. It all depends on your circumstances and your preference.

For me, I would rather save my money for qualified stuff than waste my money for disposable one ~

Style Your Scarf

I think it's quite impossible for woman not to talk about fashion and style on her blog. Soo... Here it is...

Just found this pretty lady with her inspiring ways in wearing scarf. 

Well, since I am wearing headscarf in my daily activities, I just modify those a little bit by covering all my hair with the scarf. And it looks gorgeous, really...

Happy styling :D :D !!!

Kalau Anak Disuruh Ngantri Beli Roti...

Suatu hari aku lagi jalan-jalan di sebuah mall di Jakarta. Hari sudah beranjak sore dan sudah saatnya untuk pulang. Mengingat waktu tempuh pulang yang unpredictable dikarenakan macet cet cet-nya Jakarta di sore hari, aku memutuskan untuk mampir dulu ke toko roti untuk bekal di jalan nanti. Eh, setibanya di toko roti, ternyata antri pula. Ya sudahlah, aku langsung masuk ke dalam antrian.

Sekitar jarak 3 orang di depanku ada seorang anak perempuan bertubuh tambun, kutaksir sendiri anak ini kira-kira kelas 4 SD. Aku nggak tau apa yang terjadi saat anak ini berhadapan dengan pramuniaga, tapi yang jelas ia keluar antrian tanpa membawa roti melainkan selembar struk pembelian dan beberapa lembar uang ribuan kembalian dari kasir pramuniaga.

Si anak berjalan menuju sebuah meja dimana duduk seorang ibu bertubuh subur yang kemudian aku tahu adalah ibunya. Entah apa yang digumamkan si anak kepada si ibu, tidak ada hujan tidak ada geledek suara si ibu tiba-tiba meninggi, "Gimana sih dek? Harusnya tanya dong ke Ibuk! Nunggu satu jam gini kita nggak ada waktu!"

Tanpa aba-aba, semua kepala di barisan pengantri langsung menoleh ke si ibu. Tidak berselang 5 detik, kami semua langsung tau duduk permasalahannya setelah si ibu berteriak kepada pramuniaga yang tadi melayani anaknya, "Gimana sih mbak, kita nggak ada waktu buat nunggu satu jam nih". Ternyata si anak baru saja memesan roti, tapi karena belum di oven jadi harus menunggu dulu selama satu jam.

Pramuniaga (dengan muka masam sambil melayani pengantri lain) balas menjawab, "Tadi saya sudah tanya sama si adek, nunggu satu jam nggak apa-apa buk"

Si ibu, "Ya nggak bisa gitu dong mbak, ini anak kecil dia nggak ngerti. Udah gitu pesan 3 lagi"

Pramuniaga, "Kan tadi bilangnya dia mau nunggu"

Si ibu kepada si anak, "Kamu gimana sih dek? Mbok tanya mama dulu dong!"

Si anak, ".........." dengan ekspresi datar (sepertinya sedang menahan lapar)

Si ibu, "Gini deh mbak, kalau ditukar yang lain aja gimana? Saya tambahin nih uangnya"

Pramuniaga, "Nggak bisa ibuk. Ini sudah tercatat di mesin, jadi nggak bisa ditambahin gitu uangnya"

Si ibu semakin geram, "Hiiiiih... Gimana sih ini? Kamu juga! Ditanya dulu dong, ini main pesan aja!"

Setelah ngomel-ngomel sebentar tanpa tanggapan dari pramuniaga, si ibu dan si anak akhirnya meninggalkan toko roti diiringi tatapan seisi toko.

Fiuh...

Our Next Generation Is Getting Fat (?)

In this past few month, I have been observing kids around my place. It's very easy for me to find kids wearing school uniform which walk in groups since I live in a neighborhood which is near by the kids community like elementary school, kindergarten, small masjid, and local's housing. Luckily, the elementary school itself is located behind my flat. Kid's yelling, teacher's voice, school's bell, national anthem which is sounded every Monday morning in flag ceremony, and every kind of school's noises are my daily playlist. And thankfully, I love them for they always remind me of my sweet childhood memories :)

But... What I have found from my fad observation is quite unpleasant. I have found that most of elementary students today are fat. I did't mean to say obese, but it's crystal clear that from it's appearance that most of them are overweight. Every time I see them walking in group of 4 or 5, at least 2 of them are fat. That's probably nice for some people to see and pinch kid's chubby-fluffy cheeks, but that is not a good indication actually. I am pretty sure that is also happen in another schools out there, particularly in urban area.

In a certain degree, I learn about nutrition, even not the details. What I can say about this is malnutrition, sort of imbalance of nutrition's  intake. Elementary kids are still on their growth age, so they need extra calories for double tasks: for their growth and their daily activities. But growing is not all about calories, growing needs balance intake of calories, vitamins, minerals, water, and also physical activities. What happen today with our elementary kids are excess of calories which come from full-carbo foods, lack of useful vitamins and minerals, lack of drinking pure water since it's been replaced by colored-sweet beverage and soda, and lack of physical activities.

I still remember when I was in elementary, the most favorite games are rubber-rope jumping, kasti (something like baseball), hide and seek, and bola bekel (another Indonesian traditional games using tennis ball). Even all of them are physical games that stimulate our sweat, there's no burden when we play. All we know is that we are having fun. It's so different if we compare with children today which have no more safe space to play those kind of games. Most of them are busy with supplementary course outside school and are not used to play traditional games because the new kind of game has invaded: the screen game. Starts from game-bot, play station game (PS), computer game, cell-phone game, tab-screen game, and every kind of games which only require 2 things: brain and finger.

So pity to see all that have impacted to kid's healthy. Unbalanced intake and unbalanced activities have already made the world is getting fat, day by day. Isn't it?

Mind's Changing

When I was child, I used to get excellent mark on elementary school. The "1st rank" was my very best friend that always appears in my rapor at the end of semester. I started to think about the future of my education planning. I still remember that once I told my parents, I want to get bachelor degree in Indonesia, then continue for master degree in Japan, and get doctoral degree in USA, just when I was 9 or 10 years old. Become a scientist, who wears white coat and works in smoky labs like Albert Einstein, was my biggest dream.

But now...

They all have gone away...

Yes, thanks God, now I am on my way pursuing my bachelor degree in a university here in Indonesia. What that I really missed is my passion for Japan, US, and another things about continuing my plan for education. It's like nothing left from my innocent childhood soul in pursuing them anymore.

Now, here I am:
Last year in university, busy for doing my practical project, super bored being in classroom for finishing my 6 credits left, still have no idea about what my thesis would be, and... no more interest in scientific objects (like chemists' practice, physics' experiment, and so on)

It's now feeling like I want to run passing trough this time, get my bachelor title, start working, earn money for my own pocket and saving, and travel away to see the world. I would say NO to go straight for master degree because I feel super bored (and my ass pain) sitting in class room. I feel stress being under tension of scientific writing, arranging meeting with my lecturer which is not easy to be caught, attending artificial activities just for fulfilling my CV, and doing things that my heart is not belong to it.

Yeah... That's all for today's thought. But later who knows, since the world stands still.

Movie Review: Udaan

Berhubung hampir semua review film ini berbahasa asing, kali ini aku review dengan bahasa Indonesia ya :)

Udaan, film India berdurasi 2 jam 17 menit ini bercerita tentang kehidupan seorang remaja tanggung bernama Rohan Singh. Ia dan 3 orang temannya dikeluarkan dari boarding school ternama di kota Shimla, India, karena kedapatan menonton film dewasa di sebuah bioskop pada malam hari. Cerita kerasnya kehidupan Rohan dimulai setelah ia keluar dari sekolah dan kembali pulang ke rumah ayahnya di kota Jamshedpur.

Ayah Rohan, Bhairav Singh merupakan sosok sentral antagonis dalam film ini. Ia adalah orang yang sangat keras (lebih kepada kasar) dan menakutkan. Sesampainya di rumah, Rohan sangat terkejut dengan hadirnya seorang anak laki-laki berusia sekitar 6 tahun yang menempati kamar tidurnya. Ternyata, bocah bernama Arjun Singh itu merupakan adik tirinya, yang bahkan ia baru mengetahui keberadaannya saat itu. Saat Rohan bertanya, ayahnya hanya menjawab: "Ia adalah adik tirimu. Setelah kematian ibumu aku menikah lagi tapi tidak berhasil."

Rohan kemudian dipaksa untuk melanjutkan kuliah teknik dan bekerja di pabrik besi milik ayahnya. Saat Rohan mengatakan ingin meneruskan sekolah sastra agar bisa menjadi penulis, ayahnya naik pitam dan berkata "kubur dalam-dalam mimpimu untuk jadi penulis". Segala bentuk siksaan mulai dari siksaan verbal, batin, dan fisik diberikan oleh ayahnya. Segala bentuk emosi dan kemarahan selalu ditimpakan kepada Rohan dan juga Arjun, adiknya.

Kehidupan yang keras dan sangat tidak nyaman seperti itu membuat jiwa Rohan berontak, namun ia tidak berani membantah ayahnya secara langsung. Ia melampiaskannya dengan menulis puisi saat berada di kelas dan setelah pulang bekerja dari pabrik, serta merokok dan minum minuman keras. Hal yang membuatnya sedikit ceria adalah saat ia menelepon sahabat-sahabatnya yang sama-sama dikeluarkan saat di boarding school dulu. Mereka tinggal di kota Bombay (Mumbai) dan menjalani kehidupan masing-masing dengan ceria dan bahagia. Selain itu Rohan juga memiliki seorang paman yang sangat baik, Jimmy Singh, namun tidak bisa berbuat banyak dalam menghadapi ayahnya yang kasar.

Konflik batin Rohan mencapai puncak saat Arjun masuk Rumah Sakit akibat siksaan ayahnya. Ia meminta bantuan pamannya, namun apa daya sang paman tidak bisa melakukan banyak hal untuk menyelamatkanya dan Arjun dari kekejaman sang ayah. Hingga pada akhirnya, Rohan berhasil kabur dari rumah dengan membawa Arjun bersamanya. Ia akan  menuju Bombay (Mumbay), tempat dimana teman-temannya berada.  Ada kalimat yang sangat menyentuh saat Rohan berkata kepada pamannya, yang menggambarkan betapa ia ingin sekali meninggalkan kehidupan bersama ayahnya, "Aku akan ke Bombay. Aku akan bekerja di restoran Vikram. Aku akan menulis. Aku akan membersihkan toilet. Namun aku berjanji aku tidak akan datang kembali"

Saat awal menontonnya, memang sedikit membosankan. Hingga muncul sosok sang ayah yang kejam dan jahat, film ini baru terasa mendebarkan dan mengaduk emosi. Mulai dari kasarnya sang ayah sampai lari berkejar-kejaran dengan Rohan, membuat aku ingin sekali melayangkan bogem mentah kepada sang ayah yang tidak manusiawi ini, hehehe. Kalau dibandingkan dengan film-film India kebanyakan, Udaan memang film yang cukup berbeda karena tidak ada yang namanya lagu, tarian, dan kisah cinta-cintaan. Alur ceritanya membuat penonton jadi mikir, dan kalau sedang tidak mood untuk berpikir sepertinya kurang pas untuk nonton film ini.

Sosok Rohan yang sedikit bicara diperankan dengan sangat brilliant oleh Rajat Barmecha. Dan yang tidak kalah menarik bagiku adalah Arjun, adik tiri Rohan yang sangat lucu dan memainkan peranya dengan sangat sangat natural. Samenjak scene pertama kemunculannya, aku langsung jatuh hati, "...ini bocah Indihe lucu sekali....". Selain itu, background music-nya juga sangat menyentuh.

Film yang mendapatkan penghargaan dengan terpilih untuk berkompetisi dalam Cannes Film Festival 2010 kategori Un Certain Regard (A Certain Glance) ini merupakan film India pertama yang berpartisipasi dalam festival film paling bergengsi tersebut selama hampir sepuluh tahun terakhir. Film ini juga mendapat rating yang tinggi pada IMDB.com dengan perolehan skor 8,1/10.

Here are some sneak peek's from the movie

Really worth to watch!!

Borobudur Buddhist Temple

Here are some pictures I have taken when I visited Borobudur Temple on February 2012

Whooaa....
What a huge temple with very beautiful scenery.
It was one of 7 wonders of the world, located in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. But sadly it's not anymore :(

My next destination is....
Probably Taj Mahal, India :)

Wish me a good fortune to visit and take pictures of Taj Mahal, readers.
By the way, wanna give me a ride toward Incredible India ?

One (out of thousands) Message from Hiromi Shinya 2

Rest In Peace, Aunty

My aunty, whose once I wrote about on my post, passed away. She got problem in breathing since (based on medical check up) the cancerous cells have spread to her lungs. 3 days before she left us, she couldn't breath normally. At first day, she got home-respiratory tools. But the next day, she got hospitalized to get advance treatments to help her in breathing.

We (families member) were told that her condition is getting worse and is more complicated than just a breathing problem. All procedures of chemotherapy and x-ray were stopped because they brought no use anymore.

Finally, at the morning of third day in hospital, she gone sleep forever.

I was speechless. No words could ever come that time. All memories with her from my childhood, teenage, until I am getting mature today splashed in my mind like a flash-back movie clip. She is the most generous person I have ever know in this earth, yes, she is. I couldn't arrange the right words to describe how kind she is.

All families love her, and this time we are in a deep condolence.

But...
Life goes on.

I remember one quote from Dumbledore in Harry Potter saga,
"Don't pity for the dead, Harry. Pity the living, and above all, those who live without love"

That is very true. Life goes on for the living: me, her husband, her sweet 6 y.o daughter, her parents, and we all that are still breathing.

We, as a solid family, have to take care of her daughter. She is now under our responsibility, starts from her financial needs, security, and education. We would try our best to give what's in our hands for her better future.

Last but but not least, there are lots of lesson learn from her case that we could take to have a better and healthy life in future.

Keep learning, readers.

Prambanan Temple

I just tried to upload a huge-size picture on blogspot via photobucket.
I hope it's working :)

A Little Tree

Our love is like a little tree
Growing each day
Placed above the trust
Watered by yearning
Growing as far as distance between us
It will become a shady one
Which will guard us beneath

The Human's Best Friend

I just realized that I love dog so much!

Not only dog actually, but also any kind of animals and another living creatures. Few days ago, when I was jogging around my campus, I met Boy. Who is Boy?

Boy is a dog who lives in my campus area. His master works as a street worker also in the campus area. First time I met boy was when I walked to my faculty in the morning. I still remember that I walked some 5-7 meters behind Boy's master. I was surprised that time because suddenly Boy came from behind me and then ran following his master in cute way. Oh My God! I taught it only happens in movie, or with rich people who can afford to buy a faithful dog.

I was wrong.

Faithful is not a matter about money.

Then they walked to another side of the road, Boy ran towards his master loyally and ah... they had a joking each another like a lovely scene I watched in Hachiko movie. I can only followed them with the side of my eyes, and whispered into my heart: I hope I can meet them again and touch that cute Boy.

First time I saw Boy and his master from behind

Some 3 weeks after my first shocking meeting with Boy from behind, I met him again. This time, I was very lucky because Boy was not on walk. Without any doubt, I came and greet the Boy's master. I asked about who is Boy, what does he usually do in this campus, and can I take him home?

"Well, Boy is actually a common dog who used to roam around this campus area. He has an official owner, but he only wants to follow me (the master, ah.. I forgot to ask his name). He always follows me wherever I go to work, just like in this canal today. Sometimes he teases me to ask for some play, but sometimes he is just keep calm being next to me, and all that. Every streets workers here know him well, and we are looking after one each another."

Ah... So sweet..

Boy is a calm dog, I can touch him without any scared feeling of being bite. Heheheh...

My 3rd lucky meeting with Boy was some 4 days ago.  I was jogging around campus, then voila... Here they are!!!

It seems that Boy didn't recognize me :(

Only the master actually remember that I ever met them once. This time, I took picture of Boy (again) and interviewed his master (again) about Boy and his life. Hehehe

Sadly, Boy was feeling asleep that time. I gave my sweet hand to make him looking towards the camera, but ah.... It didn't happen :(

Well, it's Ok. Seeing that Boy and his master in healthy and happy condition is moore than enough for me.

One (out of thousands) Message from Hiromi Shinya 1

Following my previous post which talked about breast cancer, now I am gonna share about breast cancer from what I've read from a book entitled The Enzyme Factor. This book is written by Hiromi Shinya, a Japanese born general surgeon which has practiced in Japan and USA. He is actually a gastroenterology, specialist of gastrointestinal and abdominal surgery. What makes him become widely known than any other specialists (besides writing The Enzyme Factor) is that he looks up at his patient health problem as a whole picture, not only as a part.

Hiromi Shinya (pict taken from Google)

For instance, when a woman patient come with a complaint on her stomach, Hiromi Shinya will examine her not only at the stomach, but also ask her about her eating habit, life style, and surprisingly offer her to have breast examination and pap smear too. He does it because he believes that health status is widely influenced by what we eat. It is implied that if there is something wrong with your digestive system, it could lead problems to another part of your body. And if you have problems with your health, then you should check your digestive system and evaluate your eating habit immediately. We can clearly see that our health is about what and how we eat. 

Although he is not a gynecologist, Hiromi Shinya puts serious attention to woman's health issue. Like I stated before, when a woman patient comes to him, he mostly examines her more than what she complaints for. Based on his experience in examining woman patients, he concludes that women with breast cancer usually have poor digestive condition and are coffee drinker. (Well, I myself didn't mean to say that coffee is a kind of bad beverage, but I can see it clearly in my auty's case that she drinks coffee routinely)

Beside promoting healthy eating habit in order to prevent breast cancer, Hiromi Shinya also suggests us to recognize our breasts very well by massaging them regularly. Even if there's no scientific fact about it (yet), but I completely agree with this idea. It makes us know structure of our breasts very well, so that we could notice if there's any minor change of them.

Along with his controversial idea in The Enzyme Factor (yes, his book is a bit controversy in practice of modern medicine), I personally give thanks to him for his suggestion about how to be healthier as a whole individual and for sharing his knowledge and personal experiences as an experienced medical practitioner.

As there are so many valuable ideas in his book, I suggest you to read it by yourself so that you can really understand his messages about healthy life.

The Enzyme Factor, borrowed from college's library

Get Well Soon, Aunty

My aunty just got her second breast surgery. Yeah.. It was her second surgery. The first surgery was a masectomy, in which she lost one of her breasts. After experiencing a set of chemotherapy procedure, the cancer seems to grow again at the same place where the masectomy has taken place.
Since I am studying Public Health, in a certain degree I learn about cancer; starts from it's causes, development, symptoms (which is usually asymptomatic), and the prevention. Until today, the main cause of cancer itself is still unknown. Research have shown that there are some risk factors that contribute in leading abnormal division of cells which later called as cancer.

I know my aunty very very well, even actually she is not my straight aunty. What makes us close is that we lived nearby. When I was kid, she often took me roaming around the town, brought me to market, gave me foods,  and bought me cute clothes.
Since she announced us that she feel a bump on her breast (then after some medical checks we know it was a cancer), I don't know why, my breast also feel an ache (aww.. it's kind a shocking effect). I am really close to her, and that news made me really sad.

Soon after, I was starting to check my breast. Rub here, rub there, and I begun to examine my breast thoroughly every time I am naked and, off course, alone (particularly before showering). You know, breast feel a bit pain before period, and I also feel it in each of my period time. That time is a very uncomfortable time to me (and I guess so for other girls), and I am getting more concern of my breast.

Back to the causes of cancer which is remain unknown, I want to share some of my opinion based on my own observation and retrospective memories.
Studies have shown that there are risk factors that leads someone to get cancer. Starts from it's genetic heredity, smoking habit, drinking alcohols, bad foods and beverages which contains carcinogen materials and preservatives, less moving, and life's stressful.

What makes me more concern about my self are genetic heredity and bad foods. For your information, before giving birth to me, my mom underwent a surgery to take a small lump on her breast. I haven't ask her further if it was a tumor or a cancer yet (I will soon), but it already gives me a warning sign. It's about heredity that my face, eyes, nose, physical figure, and (oh..) characters are my mom's alike. If it's alike outside, so does the inside.

And bad food, ohh...
I was a creature who eats everything I could take into my mouth. I was not think about it's ingredients, amounts, and I didn't even think about if I was hungry, full, whatsoever. I was also a fanatic of fried and full-carbo food; chicken, soy cake, potatoes, empek-empek, bakwan, risol, cassava, potatoes, noodles, bread, cakes, cookies, you named it!

Now I realize...
I have to be much more aware of every single thing I take into my mouth, because they will determine "who I am" tomorrow and for the next 10 years. What I learn from my aunty case are:

• Her mom also underwent a surgery to take a lump on her breast.
• Based on my personal closeness to her, I can say that she tends to eat full-carbo foods and is an instant-sachet coffee drinker.

I didn't mean to blame her for anything that has already happened, I only want to learn from everything I could for a better health in future. Yes, we shared a same story that our mom underwent a breast surgery in the past. It's one significant point that widely open my eyes for my own health. I do realize that the risks are getting higher if I am still continuing bad habit in eating foods and living sedentary lifestyles. It has been irritating my mind for this several weeks, that's why I try to write it down here in my blog.

All I hope is that she is going to get well soon now, road to recovery with all supports of family and start to live a healthier lifestyle with good foods. Ameen.

To all my readers, if you also have a relatives with the same circumstances, it's time to start changing your eat habit and live a healthier lifestyle from now on.

Thanks God, today I have knowledge (much likely to be called as a story) to be shared to my blog reader.
Thanks God for the air I breath freely and freshly in every second of my life.

Keep healthy, everyone!

I Was Strong

I was a strong one

I could climb the highest mountain by myself

I could walk the desert by my feet

I could swim across the ocean by my own

I hardly shed my tears 

But now...

Look

I am in tears

Tears of missing you

Someone Who Loves You

Someone who loves you, can never give reasons why he loves you. All he knows is, that you are the only one for him 

Someone who loves you, gives you compliment very rarely. But deeply inside his heart, you are always the best for him

Someone who loves you, will be mad or giving complaint if you didn't pick up his phone-call or didn't reply his SMS. It's because he cares and don't want something bad happen to you 

Someone who loves you, will always remember every single word you said, even if you said it unconsciously

Someone who loves you, can never easily make a promise because he don't want to break that promise. He only wants you to trust him and gives you a secure life forever 

Someone who loves you, might can't remember any special or memorable events such as your birthday celebration. But he knows that every second he passed, he always loves you regardless what day is today

Someone who loves you, will not say "I love you" easily because everything he do is showing how much he love you. He will say "I love you" only at the special time because he wants you to know that he LOVES you more than words

Someone who loves you, will never need to say something for many time. He only need to say it once because he knows that you are already understand him very well 

Someone who loves you, will always keep small things you gave, even if it's only a piece of small paper which says "I love you" 

Someone who loves you, will sincerely let you go if you are not happy with him. He will be happy to see you being happy even if you are with another person

*compiled from various sources on net

Ke Pulau Tidung Yuukk...!!

Tulisan ini dibuat untuk mengikuti #TravelAsyik dari http://anakasyik.com berhadiah jalan-jalan bareng @TrinityTraveler. Tulisan adalah hasil karya sendiri dan bukan jiplakan.

Beberapa minggu yang lalu, aku dan teman-teman sekelas di kampus mengunjungi Pulau Tidung dalam rangka praktikum lapangan (a.k.a plesiran terselubung) di akhir pekan. Praktikum yang kami laksanakan ini merupakan bagian dari mata kuliah Kesehatan Lingkungan di Tempat-Tempat Umum, Transportasi, dan Pariwisata yang beken dengan singkatan KLTTUP.

Trus praktikumnya ngapain aja?
Overall kami menganalisa manajemen kebersihan di Pulau Tidung sebagai salah satu destinasi wisata yang mulai beken diantara pulau-pulau lain di Kepulauan Seribu, seperti Pulau Rambut, Pulau Pramuka, dsb. Tapi ya kembali lagi, namanya juga liburan terselubung, semuanya jadi have fun abis!

So... Let's cekidot!

Perjalanan dimulai pada suatu subuh di hari Jum'at. Kami, 20-an mahasiswa beserta 1 orang dosen pembimbing (plus istri dan 3 anaknya), berkumpul di suatu titik yang sudah disepakati dimana sudah menunggu 1 Kopaja carteran untuk mengangkut kami dari Jl Margonda Raya, Depok menuju pelabuhan Muara Angke, Jakarta Utara.

Sesampainya di Muara Angke jam 07.30, matahari sudah bersinar cerah dan untungnya kami tidak terlambat. Kami naik kapal berukuran sedang yang mulai meninggalkan pelabuhan pada 09.30. Perjalanan menuju Pulau Tidung sendiri memakan waktu sekitar 2,5 jam dan karena pagi ini bangun terlalu dini, maka sebagian besar perjalanan di kapal kami habiskan dengan...tidur.

Pelabuhan Muara Angke di pagi hari

Kapal yang kami naiki (nama salah satu personel boyband favorit)

Antri mau naik kapal

2,5 jam kemudian kapal sudah mulai melambat dan sudah tampak pemandangan samudera yang bening-biru kehijauan. Tidak lama kemudian kapal berlabuh, dan mendaratlah kami di Pulau Tidung. Yeeaaayyy...!!

Mungkin karena hari Jum'at, Pulau Tidung tampak ramai dipenuhi pengunjung. Sepanjang pengamatan kami, rata-rata pengunjung hari itu adalah kaum muda-mudi ibukota yang menghabiskan akhir pekan bersama. Perjalanan kami kali ini sudah dirancang oleh Event Organizer (EO) lokal, bukan karena ingin enak-enakan atau apapun, tapi lebih karena tujuan awal (proposal) nya adalah untuk penelitian dan membawa nama kampus, serta untuk keamanan dan keselamatan bersama. Tapi setalah kami cari tahu, untuk wisata ke Pulau Tidung memang jaaauh lebih hemat jika dilakukan bersama-sama dan menggunakan jasa EO lokal. Untuk perjalanan kali ini, kami ambil paket disini. All set dan dijamin nggak rugi deh...!!

Day 1
Pada siang di hari pertama ini, belum ada agenda penelitian. Jadi kami sudah tidak sabar untuk mengeksplorasi pulau seluas 109 hektar ini menggunakan...sepeda. Ya, sepeda merupakan sarana transportasi paling populer di Pulau Tidung. Selain karena tidak ada jalan beraspal lebar yang bisa dilalui oleh kendaraan roda 4, bersepeda merupakan cara yang paling afdol untuk menjelajahi pulau yang kalau dikitari sekali putar ini akan finish hanya dalam waktu 30 menit. Tempat wisata yang paling tersohor di Pulau Tidung adalah Jembatan Cinta, yang menghubungkan Pulau Tidung dengan Pulau Tidung Kecil yang tidak berpenghuni. Selain itu di bagian laut sepanjang jembatan cinta juga bisa banana boat, snorkeling, loncat indah dari atas jembatan, dan tentu saja, foto-foto dengan latar belakang lautan bening dan langit biru yang luaar biaaaaasa cantiknya.

         

         

Banana Boat

               

Saking beningnya, kumpulan bulu babi ini sampai kelihatan jelas sekali

Jembatan Cinta yang membentang panjaaaang sekali

Setelah puas (capek dan gosong) mengeksplorasi jembatan cinta, kami pulang untuk beristirahat dan mempersiapkan bahan untuk penelitian yang akan mulai dilaksanakan pada sore ini.


Day 2
Agenda di hari kedua ini adalah penelitian (dan jalan-jalan lagi). Kami mewawancarai otoritas berwenang di daerah setempat yang mengurusi sampah, sanitasi, dan kebersihan di Pulau Tidung. Selain itu kami juga melakukan observasi ke tempat pembuangan sampah akhir (TPSA) di pulau ini. Tidak butuh waktu lama untuk melakukan wawancara dan observasi ini. Siangnya kami lanjut ke agenda berikut, yaitu snorkeling. Spot snorkeling kali ini bernama Pulau Beras, terletak sekitar 1 jam naik boat mini dari Pulau Tidung. Karena di perjalanan ombak cukup besar, banyak diantara kami yang mabuk laut dan diakhiri dengan menumpahkan isi perutnya ke laut alias muntah. Hoeekk...!!

Sesampainya di spot snorkeling, tanpa ba-bi-bu kami langsung menceburkan diri ke laut. Waah... Indahnya alam bawah laut ciptaan Tuhan. Air laut yang hijau bening, terumbu karang, dan ikan-ikan cantik yang malu-malu melintas kini ada di depan mata.

Setelah bersih-bersih dan beristirahat sehabis snorkeling, sore harinya kami melanjutkan observasi, mengunjungi rumah warga, dan menikmati sunset.

Day 3
Hari ini merupakan hari terakhir kami di Pulau Tidung. Kapal menuju Muara Angke akan berangkat jam tepat jam 12 siang, jadi pagi harinya kami berdiskusi mengenai hasil wawancara dan observasi. Secara umum, pengelolaan sampah dan kebersihan di Pulau Tidung masih sangat sederhana. Hal ini dikarenakan jumlah tenaga petugas kebersihan yang kurang, alat-alat yang minim, dan yang paling penting adalah jumlah pengunjung yang terus bertambah setiap minggunya, yang sangat berkontribusi dalam peningkatan volume sampah. Bapak-bapak petugas kebersihan yang kami wawancarai berpesan, sebagai pendatang hendaknya kami juga turut menjaga kebersihan dan kelestarian alam di pulau ini. Tidak membuang sampah sembarangan merupakan cara paling sederhana untuk menjaga Pulau Tidung tetap indah, bersih, dan nyaman.

Pukul 11.00 kami sudah check out dan berjalan menuju pelabuhan. Ternyata kapal yang akan mengangkut kami sudah bersiap-siap dan diserbu oleh banyak pengunjung lain yang akan kembali ke darat. Transportasi untuk kembali ke darat tidak banyak, hanya 2-3 kali keberangkatan setiap harinya. Kapal yang kami naiki kali ini berbeda dengan yang kami naiki saat berangkat, kapal ini memiliki dua tingkat sehingga mengangkut lebih banyak penumpang. Sepanjang perjalanan pun kami habiskan dengan tidur dan melihat-lihat pemandangan laut yang tidak ada batasnya.

Suasana di dalam kapal, semua tertidur dengan khidmad

Ssstt... Pak Dosen lagi tidur

Pemandangan dari jendela kapal

Berpapasan dengan kapal yang berlawanan arah

Horee... Jakarta sudah kelihatan...

Berakhir sudah petualangan kami di Pulau Tidung, pulau yang tenang dan cantik. Disini kami belajar banyak tentang menjaga kelestarian alam, terutama di tempat-tempat pariwisata. Mudah saja, hanya dengan tidak membuang sampah sembarangan, kita sudah ikut dalam melestarikan alam ciptaan Tuhan yang luar biasa indah ini.

See you on the next trip ~~~