BANGSAR, Kuala Lumpur

Jalan-jalan cari makan sangatlah menyenangkan apalagi untuk peminat makanan spicy seperti saya ini. Dengan arahan dari teman2 Malay akhirnya kami bersama teman2 yg “gila” makanan sampai di kawasan Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur.

Kawasan ini menawarkan berbagai variasi makanan yang mempunyai cita rasa enak banget deh- seefood, curry, mie, martabak dll dan juga berbagai macam minuman sehat lainnya. Dengan mencari tempat duduk di tengah, kami memesan seafood dan masakan yg mempunyai rasa kari yg lezat sekali. Ditemani oleh udara malam yg tidak begitu panas dan dengan seruput teh tarik serta suara keras yg didapat dari musik sekitar ..rasanya mantap banget man …. (klo mo ngomong harus keras juga lo, klo nggak bisa kelibas sama suara musik yg keras itu tadi)

Restoran2 ini dibuka setiap harinya (siang sampai malam). Untuk masakan seafood, pengunjung dapat memilih sendiri makanan yg disukai lalu kita tinggal menunggu beberapa menit kenudian karena Chef andal telah memasaknya ….

Ok deh …..

SHINKANSEN & YAMAGATA

That word became familiar to us, Indonesian. Since we reached Tokyo we r wondering whether we will be ok “exploring” the high tech and big city using a train. We found difficulties in facing the reality – all written in Hiragana N Katakana ….pusing gue jadinya.

With a small booklet we always brought everywhere, finally we came to the station where we have to go, Yamagata Prefecture using Shinkansen ..what else then. Shinkansen is a network of high speed railway lines in Japan operated by Japan Railways.

We came in time and entranced at Yamagata Shinkansen , asked by the ticket inspector to show the traveling ticket from Tokyo to Yamagata. The “bullet train”, is clean, on time and had very firm rules and he “brought” us to the destination, Shinjo Station at Yamagata. Each reserved seat express ticket is given its exact time of departure and the seat place.

Yamagata is a castle town that has developed since the middle of the 15th century. And Yamagata is an apple producing district. High quality apples are produced around Yonezawa.

A Good Year at Program

The Canada World Youth Exchange Program has been ‘away” for more than 20 years from where we were in it. But all the things we made /dealt with had many more memoirs than misses.

“The Program has been a nice and a great one for us” said participants. Led by Rini and Cyntia, we were paired with Canadians who came from Prince Edward Island, Toronto, Vancouver, New Brunswick and Quebec and we came from Nusa Tenggara Timur, East Java, Yogyakarta, Sulawesi , Sumatra and Jakarta. The Program itself took almost 9 months , both in Ontario, Canada and in South Sumatra, Indonesia (including preparation and re-entry).

Activities always on from morning to evening (5 days a week). One of our projects was EAD, Educational Activity Days. During the EAD, we develop our abilities to guide and facilitate our own and our team's learning.Helped by our host families and community we invited local people to talk in front of us. With little English at that time we had to lead that day – thanks God everything went smoothly. The best EAD which I like most was “Indian Reservation -OJIBWAY” at Thunder Bay area (Ontario). The program brought us into knowing 2 different cultures, with all aspects inside. I am getting to be familiar with Canada now.

With a high technology we have now, we still keep in touch with everybody - emails, phone calls what else then ..ha ha ha ha

Dryden
The City of Dryden is centrally located in Northwestern Ontario, along the Trans Canada Highway (17). Dryden is near the centre of Canada, half-way between Thunder Bay, Ontario and Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Thanked to all communities in Dryden. There were so much helpful and well informed to us. The greetings from Mayor was a step for us in getting into Dryden region. We could only “paid” them with some program songs- praised and applaud were echoed that night and we assumed that they have a great kindness. The seven host families also on the crowd. That night, everybody went to their new home with their host families. ( Isabelle and I stayed at the Nielsens).

hello to Meynar N Nancy, Isabelle, Zabou and Thomas, Rini and Cyntia, Bunazim and Mike, Syarifuddin and Kevin, Supriyono and Ouvry, Dorien and Wenoah. Last but not least the Nielsens in Dryden and my host families in Palembang (South Sumatra).

HONEST OR BIG LIAR

Susah untuk bisa dibedakan – apakah seseorang itu dapat dikatakan jujur atau seorang pembohong besar. Dari setiap perkataannya yang dilontarkan selalu terselip petuah2 indah dan meyakinkan. Penuh dengan contoh2 yang baik yang disertai dengan senyum tersungging apabila sedang ber “pidato”

Ini yang dilihat dan dirasakan adalah tidak benar adanya. Berbalik dari apa yang dibicarakan sebelumnya ….. Kebohongan-kebohongan dari mulai janji muluk sampai angka dapat dibuatnya dengan sekejap mata dan dengan paksaaan kalau memang itu yang diinginkan. Bisa jadi juga seseorang berubah menjadi “two faces” on one body.

Nauzubilah min dzalik ……

Struggling when all looks bleak

Today is Wednesday, which is we used to have a happiness – coz it’s a middle day on the weekdays. But not today, friends and I are focusing on their PC with so many thoughts (but not concentrating on the works I guess) All mixed together like fried rice on the wok.

“The Monster” looks terrible since steps to office, the “aroma” of the unmerciful directly spread out to whole rooms. And our fingers more easily in playing on the keyboard, describing own feelings with colorful words and sentences. Some are changing notes with others and some are sending SMS ..well well well--- all asking what’s going on with unconditional situation lately happens at work.

We dunno when we r having a nice communication again with others, without all prejudice and bias things. We really want the Management support our work and appreciate it, Think that we work in a group not individually. (There is a sense of frustration in our office life now ….....)

Ahad Pertama Setiap Bulan

Jarum jam baru saja menunjukkan pukul 07.00 pagi. Udara pagi itu cerah, sejuk dan masih dingin terasa. Di suatu perumahan di Depok II, Bogor, berkumpul ribuan jemaah.

Dengan pakaian serba putih, anak-anak hingga orang dewasa dengan segala macam usia mempunyai tujuan yang sama yaitu berdzikir. Mereka datang dari segala penjuru kota baik dari Jakarta dan sekitarnya. Ada pula yang datang secara berkelompok dengan bis besar dari Bandung, Kalimantan dan Jawa Tengah.

Panitia telah mempersiapkan lapangan luas yang dipayungi oleh terpal dan sound system yang baik juga tersediannya tempat wudlu untuk memfasilitasi jamaah yang "batal:. Terlihat ada pula sekelompok keluarga yang membawa alas sholatnya karena kawatir tidak mendapatkan tempat. Sementara ada banyak pedagang yang menjual dagangannya mulai dari perangkat sholat, makanan kecil, air mineral hingga kaset-kaset2 pengajian/murotal.

Begitu sampai pukul 09.00, Ust. Arifin Ilham yang berwajah sejuk mulai memimpin dzikir yang diawali dengan tausiahnya. Dengan suara santun dan penuh kasih sayang mengajak semua orang untuk tetap pada keinginannya yang telah dititipkan oleh Allah swt.
Sekitar 1 jam kemudian, lautan putih-putih tersebut bergerak dan berbaur dengan para jamaah lainnya untuk bertukar informasi atau bersilaturahmi dan membelanjakan rizkinya begitu acara selesai. Keberadaan kegiatan ini jelas membuat hati menjadi lebih tawadlu dan memperkecil untuk berbuat zolim pada semua mahluk yang memang ada pada kami ini. Dan langkah akan diayunkan kembali begitu datang minggu pertama setiap bulannya.


(Doa: Rabb, putuskanlah qalbu kami dengan segala sesuatu yang tidak Engkau kehendaki)