Meine Glückwünsche vom Herzen!

Trail to Kawah Ratu

Perjalanan ke Kawah Ratu merupakan trip terakhirku di tahun 2014. Berangkat pukul 07.30 dari titik kumpul Tugu Kujang, aku beserta 30 teman IndoRunners Bogor menyewa angkot hingga ke Pasir Reungit, tempat acara kami "Fun Trail" akan berlangsung. Perjalanan dengan angkot terasa sangaaattt panjang, dua jam lamanya kami baru sampai di lokasi. Menjelang pintu masuk jalur pendakian, kami berkumpul membentuk lingkaran, berhitung sekaligus mengenalkan diri, melakukan pemanasan, briefing singkat tentang rute, berdoa, dan berfoto. Tiket masuk kawasan Kawah Ratu Rp 10.000,-/orang. Pada kilometer pertama, kaki kami langsung disambut dengan batu-batu berbagai ukuran yang tajam dan licin. Rutenya sempit dan terpencil, agak sulit menelusuri jalur pendakian di antara batu-batu besar dan semak belukar, yang kadang diselingi dengan jalur air, dirintangi akar-akar dan pohon tumbang, dan dihambat lumpur kental yang siap melahap sepatu kita. Awal niat ingin berlari tapi begitu merasakan sendiri sulitnya medan perjalanan, aku menyusuri track dengan kecepatan penyu. Walaupun begitu, sensasi berlari di hutan terasa sangat nikmat, bisa melihat pemandangan hijau rimbun dan mendengar gemericik arus air.

Track yang berbatu dan berlumpur

Dua jam menelusuri hutan, kami tiba di Kawah Mati, semacam area luas yang dihuni batu-batu besar, pohon mati, dan lumpur bekas sapuan lava gunung Salak. Mungkin dahulunya area ini merupakan kawah aktif namun sekarang sudah mati dan tertutup.

Kawah Mati

Perjalanan selanjutnya menuju kawah yang sesungguhnya. Track semakin berat dengan banyaknya rintangan batu, akar, dan lumpur yang licin. Bau belerang semakin tercium ketika kami semakin dekat menuju kawah. Belum sampai ke puncak kawah, tiba-tiba hujan turun. Baru sebentar memakai jas hujan, matahari kembali terik, hmmm... Sayang kabut asap masih begitu tebal, aku tidak bisa melihat seperti apa wujud dasar kawah.

Full team

Setelah puas berfoto-foto, kami melanjutkan perjalanan ke sungai/kolam/sendang (?) yang sepertinya perpaduan antara mata air dari gunung dan dari kawah. Warna airnya putih susu, agak berbau sulfur, arusnya deras, terasa panas sekaligus dingin. Aku mencari spot-spot duduk yang airnya hangat. Tergoda juga pingin nyemplung seperti teman-teman lain yang sudah dalam posisi berendam seperti kuda nil, tapi aku menahan diri hanya mencelupkan setengah badan. Aku nggak bawa baju ganti, khawatir masuk angin nanti malah repot huhu...

Mandi-mandi

Setelah puas bermandi-mandi, kami pun pulang melalu jalur yang sama seperti berangkat. Karena sudah mengenal kondisi track, kami berlari lebih kencang. Nasi liwet menjadi motivasiku berlari lebih ngacir. Kami sudah memesan nasi liwet di warung tenda sebelum pintu masuk, satu-satunya warung terdekat yang ada di kawasan itu. Dalam waktu satu jam saja aku tiba kembali di pintu gerbang, langsung pesan teh manis hangat di warung dan menguyah mendoan sebelum menu utama. Setelah makan, hujan kembali turun. Kami menunggu sejenak di warung sambil menunggu angkot pulang. Karena hujan tak kunjung reda, kami pun berlari hujan-hujanan ke tempat parkir angkot, lalu pulang kembali ke Bogor. One day trail yang menyenangkan. Semoga di tahun 2015 bakal lebih seru lagi! J

Blessings in Disguise Trip: Bromo

Tiket pesawat sudah di tangan, booking hotel sudah siap, perlengkapan lari juga sudah ready, tinggal packing dan aku siap berangkat ke Bromo. Gunung Bromo, awalnya terdengar begitu asing di benakku, nggak pernah terbayang sebelumnya aku bakal keluyuran di tempat ini, demi race 21 km pertamaku, Bromo Marathon.

Petualangan dimulai begitu tiba di terminal bus Damri, aku berangkat bareng mbak Ratna & mbak Wulan, duo travel buddy yang selalu sukses bikin aku ngakak guling-guling berkat celotehan mereka. Flight berangkat menjelang makan siang. Walaupun satu pesawat tapi nomor kursiku terpisah dari duo ladies tersebut karena kita berbeda nomor booking. Untungnya di sebelahku duduk mbak Dessy, sesama runner yang ternyata juga berangkat untuk Bromo Marathon. Walaupun baru kenal tapi kita langsung klik cerita ngalor-ngidul tentang dunia pelarian. Nggak terasa jam 1 siang pesawat sudah landing di Surabaya, kita bersiap langsung berangkat ke Bromo dengan mobil sewa. Mbak Dessy yang tadinya berencana menunggu shuttle bus jam 6 sore akhirnya ikut kita. Isi mobil pun heboh dengan 4 ladies dan 1 driver yang ramah sekali berbagi info tempat-tempat makan enak di sepanjang perjalanan.

Begitu memasuki Sidoarjo, kita pingin mampir melihat lumpur Porong yang terkenal itu. Mobil pun berhenti di dekat kawasan lumpur. Papan besar bertuliskan 'Wisata Lumpur' terlihat aneh bagiku, apalagi ada banyak laki-laki berbadan gempal yang menjaga kawasan itu. Perasaanku mulai tak enak. Benar saja begitu keluar dari mobil kita langsung ditodong dua orang lelaki bertampang semrawut yang meminta uang parkir Rp 20,000. Kita menawar tapi mereka memaksa, setengah hati kita pun membayar dan melangkah menuju bukit lumpur, tapi di tengah jalan kita dicegat lagi sama preman-preman berkumis pelintir, tanpa basa-basi mereka minta duit Rp 80,000 sebagai karcis masuk! Kita coba tawar tapi mereka malah mengepung kita depan-belakang, bak kawanan burung bangkai bersiap menyantap mangsanya. Daripada kepala benjol kita pun mundur perlahan sambil menahan hati dongkol. Kembali ke mobil ternyata driver kita tidak putus asa membawa kita ke bagian lain dari kawasan lumpur yang lebih longgar penjagaannya. Dikatakan juga jika ada penjaga yang bertanya, bilang saja 'mahasiswa ITS'. Setelah celingak-celinguk nggak terlihat ada yang jaga, kita pun masuk kawasan voorboden. Baru sekian meter berjalan, dari kejauhan terlihat gerombolan motor menghampiri kita. Kita sudah bersiap lahir-batin kalau ditanya macem-macem nanti jawabnya sedang ada penelitian dari ITS. Ternyata alibi itu ampuh membuat bapak-bapak kuncen mengurungkan niat minta duit. Kita pun pura-pura sibuk memfoto kawasan tersebut, sumber lumpurnya jauh dipandang mata jadi yang terlihat hanya seperti telaga besar saja dikelilingi padang rumput luas.

Wisata Lumpur

Kita melanjutkan perjalanan, mampir sebentar beli klepon dan krupuk upil. Enak banget kleponnya baru diangkat dari kompor jadi masi anget, taburan kelapanya juga gurih, isian gulanya juga nggak terlalu manis, pokoknya yummy! Kalau krupuk upil itu wujudnya semacam krupuk pasir, yang gorengnya nggak pake minyak tapi disangrai dengan pasir, entah kenapa orang sana nyebutnya krupuk upil, jadilah kita ramai-ramai ngupil (=nyemil krupuk upil) di mobil.

Fresh klepon dari panci

Perjalanan ke hotel masih sangat jauuhhh, rencananya kita mau bermalam di Hotel Cemara Indah yang katanya view-nya ciamik langsung menghadap ke Gunung Bromo. Driver pun menyetir mobil ke arah Probolinggo tempat hotel tersebut berada. Lalu kita teringat mesti ngambil racepack dulu di Wonokitri sehingga driver putar balik padahal posisi sudah setengah jalan ke hotel. Yang kita nggak pahami adalah lokasi race letaknya di Desa Wonokitri Pasuruan sementara hotel berada di Desa Ngadisari Probolinggo. Jarak kedua tempat tersebut sekitar 40 km karena mesti ngitarin gunung, ada jalan pintas tapi hanya mobil jeep yang boleh masuk karena jalurnya melewati padang pasir. 

Enam jam kita berkendara melewati desa pemukiman orang-orang bersarung, serta jalan-jalan hutan yang gelap dan sepiiiii...akhirnya kita sampai juga di Wonokitri jam 10 malam. Setelah mengambil racepack, kita bingung mau bermalam dimana karena hotel yang sudah kita bayar full itu masih sangat jauh, nggak mungkin kita balik lagi ke Probolinggo. Untungnya mbak Dessy yang ikut mobil kita sudah booking homestay di Wonokitri bersama temannya. Untungnya lagi mereka berbaik hati mau sharing homestay dengan kita. Akhirnya kita pun numpang bermalam di Wonokitri, langsung membersihkan badan, nyobain mandi dengan air yang alamak dinginnya luar biasa! 

Esoknya jam 3 pagi kita mulai tour keliling Bromo, dimulai dari melihat sunrise, padang savanna, pasir berbisik, diakhiri dengan mendaki kawah gunung. Pemandangannya udah nggak bisa dideskripsikan dengan kata-kata, semuanya terlihat cantik dan menakjubkan. Rasanya ingin berlama-lama di sana tapi matahari semakin tinggi dan debu pasir beterbangan membuat sulit bernafas. Jam 10 pagi kita udah balik lagi ke homestay dan beristirahat. Tips: sebelum melihat sunrise di Pananjakan, jangan lupa cobain pisang gorengnya, pisangnya panjang-panjang dan licin, langsung digoreng begitu dipesan, top banget apalagi kalau sambil minum teh/kopi hangat.

Di homestay kita tinggal ber-6, selain kita bertiga dan mbak Dessy, ada mbak Reti dan Ajeng. Kita semua sama-sama ngambil race Half Marathon (HM). Senang rasanya bisa kenalan banyak teman baru, banyak cerita dan sharing pengalaman. Nggak nyangka di balik musibah kemarin gagal nginap di hotel, hikmahnya bisa ketemu orang-orang baik hati yang walaupun baru kenal tapi terasa sudah seperti saudara sendiri. Kita menikmati waktu sore dengan jalan-jalan santai di Wonokitri, makan bakso yang cepet banget dinginnya karena udara gunung, kemudian lekas tidur menghadapi race day besok.

Yeay, race day! Beruntung karena lokasi homestay yang dekat dari garis start, kita nggak terburu-buru menyiapkan diri, masih sempat sarapan dan memasang printilan running gears. Race HM dimulai jam 07.30, masih banyak waktu buat foto-foto.

Para ladies IR Bogor :)

Nggak lama setelah gun time untuk Full Marathon ditembakkan, HM runners mulai berlari. Karena nggak ngejar target personal di event ini, aku berlari super santai. Baru masuk kilometer 2 jalanan mulai menanjak sementara nafas udah ngos-ngosan karena tubuh masih berusaha menyesuaikan diri. Walau baru beberapa kilometer tapi pemandangannya cukup bikin wow. Track yang tadinya beraspal mulai masuk ke track berpasir. Pasirnya berganti-ganti mulai dari pasir coklat, pasir abu-abu, pasir merah, pasir hitam, pasir abu-abu lagi, begitu seterusnya sampai kira-kira kilometer 14. Udah mana tanjakannya gak abis-abis, berpasir pula, benar-benar menguji iman. Tiap kali melangkah, kaki langsung blesek masuk pasir jadi berat dibawa lari, belum lagi debu pasir halus yang beterbangan bikin sesak nafas dan mata perih. Kepalaku sempat pusing di tanjakan maut (entah kilometer berapa), untung aku bawa kurma dan hydropack, sambil minum+ngunyah sambil jalan cepat, efeknya langsung terasa badan jadi seger lagi.

Paling heboh itu di kilometer berapa ya (lupa) yang ngelewatin kampung, lari disambut para penduduk, high-five sama anak-anak kecil, seru banget! Sayang karena keasyikan berlari, aku malah lupa minta foto bareng sama mereka. Paling wow waktu lari menyusuri punggung gunung dan bisa melihat summit Gunung Semeru dari jauh, berkat cuaca cerah & langit yang jernih pemandangannya jadi terlihat sempurna.

Puncak Gunung Semeru di kejauhan

View yang selalu bikin kangen

Nggak terasa udah kilometer 17 aja

Kurang dari 5 kilometer lagi menuju finish, kondisi track berganti menjadi aspal teduh yang dinaungi pohon-pohon rindang sepanjang jalan. Elevasi yang tadinya nanjak tak berkesudahan sekarang berganti menjadi turunan curam. Hasrat lari ngebut begitu menggebu tapi mesti menahan diri karena kalau tidak dengkul bisa-bisa copot. Menjelang garis finish, aku nggak menyangka ternyata ada banyak sekali orang yang menyambut. Para volunteer bule dengan sangat antusias berteriak menyemangati para pelari. Begitu finish, medali langsung dikalungkan ke leherku. Setengah tak percaya aku berhasil melampaui keraguan dan bisa finish strong & happy di race HM perdanaku.

My first HM medal

My timing record

Usai race, kita pun membersihkan diri dan bersiap check out dari homestay. Satu lagi blessings bertemu dengan orang baik seperti mbak Reti adalah kita boleh ikut mobilnya balik ke Surabaya. Beruntung sekali sekaligus merasa sangat berutang budi sama mbak Reti yang sudah banyak menolong kita (terimakasih J). Bermalam di Surabaya, akhirnya kita nggak perlu takut lagi mandi sama air. Trauma mandi di Bromo yang dinginnya sedingin es, perlu mental baja buat nyiramin air ke badan apalagi ke bagian kepala. 

Esoknya kita berangkat jalan-jalan ke Madura, melintasi jembatan Suramadu dan makan bebek Sinjay. Setelah itu balik lagi ke Surabaya dan makan lagi di restoran Bu Rudy. Gimana pipi nggak gembil kita selama naik gunung makan terus, pas turun gunung juga makan melulu. Beres mencari oleh-oleh, kita makan lagi di warung tahu campur dan tahu tek, hehe...

Foodism

Benar-benar puas liburan kali ini, acaranya lengkap mulai dari lari, foto-foto, hingga wisata kuliner. Merasa bersyukur punya teman-teman baik, ketemu dengan orang-orang yang baik juga, sehingga berbagai hambatan dapat dimudahkan jalannya. Flight jam 5 sore, pulang ke Bogor pun jalanan lancar nggak begitu macet. Semoga petualangan berikutnya bisa lebih asyik lagi. Bye, Bromo~

Weekend Getaway: Ranca Upas

Di bulan Agustus kalenderku penuh sama jadwal lari. Weekend yang lalu aku ikut ASEAN Fun Run dengan berbagai keseruannya. Lalu weekend kemarin aku ikut Eiger Trail Running Race di Ranca Upas Bandung. Awalnya ikut acara ini juga modal nekat, gara-gara virus lari yang terasa semakin mengganas. Tapi bener nggak nyesel jauh-jauh dari Bogor ke Bandung karena ternyata acaranya seru banget! Begitu sampai di lokasi, semuanya sudah siap, ada panggung besar, tenda-tenda kemah, mobile toilet, track dan garis start/finish, nggak nyangka acaranya bakal sebesar itu. Acaranya berlangsung 2 hari, hari pertama diisi dengan lomba, lalu hari kedua ada upacara bendera dan seremoni launching logo baru Eiger yang bersamaan dengan HUT Eiger ke-25.

Day 1

Flag-off lari dimulai jam 8.15. Ini kali pertama aku ikut lomba trail run, rasanya deg-degan juga. Sebelumnya udah pernah 2x nge-trail bareng temen-temen IndoRunners Bogor tapi itu hanya sekedar fun run, bukan lomba yang ada cut-off time-nya. Udaranya dingin banget! Buset deh ujung-ujung kuku sampe mati rasa. Selain itu udara yang dingin emang paling cepet bikin perut lapar. Walaupun dapet nasi kotak buat sarapan tapi nggak sempet kumakan, khawatir nanti perutnya koclak-koclak. Jadinya aku makan roti, oatmeal bar, coklat sama pisang. Menit-menit menjelang lari pun aku masih sibuk ngunyah hehe...sepertinya pemanasanku waktu itu lebih banyak di otot mulut daripada otot kaki.

Daaannnn lari pun dimulai, track-nya udah langsung blusukan aja di hutan. Tanah hutannya gembur, begitu dipijak empuk dingin-dingin gitu tapi nggak basah. Rute menanjak, banyak hambatan akar pohon dan semak-semak berduri. Karena jalannya cuman satu lajur jadinya macet luar biasa. Belum ada dua kilometer tapi banyak pelari yang udah ngos-ngosan, termasuk aku. Tapi begitu liat ada fotografer, langsung seger lagi. Awalnya aku heran kenapa fotografernya banyak sekali, bertebaran dimana-mana, bahkan ada yang gegoleran di tanah segala. Aku sampai kaget waktu lari pas belokan lho kok ada fotografer di balik semak-semak. Selesai lari baru aku sadar ternyata nggak cuman trail run yang dilombakan, tapi ada lomba MTB, climbing, orienteering, dan juga fotografi! Pantes aja banyak fotografer tersebar dimana-mana.

Setelah sukses bablas keluar hutan, langsung disambut pemandangan yang menakjubkan, yaitu bentangan kebun teh dengan langit biru yang jernih. Hanya saja track-nya penuh batu-batu kerikil besar. Yang kayak gini nih yang bikin kaki pedes! Track-nya mengular terus, naik dan turun, dan setiap belokan menyajikan pemandangan yang berbeda. Mataku udah siwer aja kepengen liat pemandangan di kiri-kanan jalan, tapi karena sempat beberapa kali tersandung batu dan hampir terjerembab, jadi mata harus selalu fokus ke jalan. Gak terasa kilometer 5 terlewati, rute semakin menanjak, tapi badanku terasa semakin nyaman berlari. Di jalan turunan kakiku tetap berlari, begitu tanjakan langsung switched jadi power walk. Tapi kadang di rute datar aku terpaksa jalan kaki juga, karena udara yang semakin tipis di ketinggian hingga rasanya sulit mengatur nafas. Nafas kembali lega begitu melihat breathtaking view kayak gini:

Di kilometer 8, mulai deh blusukan di kebun teh. Walaupun pemandangannya luar biasa tapi kaki perih tergores-gores ranting pohon teh yang baru dipotong. Sampai di satu bagian jalan yang masya Allah nanjak bangetttt... Track-nya sempit dan curam (kemiringan 85 derajat), nggak mungkin bisa lari di jalan tikus seperti ini, jadinya aku ngesot. Tangan harus selalu mencari batang pohon teh buat jadi pegangan, dan nggak boleh malas ngangkat pantat karena pelari lain udah banyak yang ngantri di belakang. Begitu selesai mendaki, masih harus berlari lagi di jalan yang penuh batang dan ranting kering. Di sinilah momen terjadinya insiden celana sobek. Tanpa kusadari celanaku terkena sesuatu yang sangat tajam hingga robek di bagian paha (RIP celana!). Untung sobeknya kecil jadi aku nggak ambil pusing dan terus berlari.

Ada banyak water station tersedia di sepanjang track. Tapi karena aku sudah membawa Hydrapak, yang ternyata berjasa sekali buat long run, aku tidak banyak berhenti di water station. Sesekalinya berhenti waktu hampir tersesat pilih jalan. Ada banyak pelari lain yang sama-sama kebingungan karena petunjuk jalan yang tersedia kurang jelas. Untung ada bapak-bapak petani menjelaskan rute yang benar, yang ternyata memang harus berbelok-belok, mesti ngelewatin (lagi) tanjakan ngesot yang persis seperti sebelumnya tapi kali ini lebih panjang dan curam. Kemudian melewati kebun sayur, aku heran kenapa harus lewat sini, kan sayang kalau wortel dan kubis-kubis tanaman petani itu jadi rusak terinjak-injak pelari. Rute terakhir kembali masuk hutan dan begitu finish langsung dikalungi medali yang ternyata berat beneerrr..ada kali setengah kilo beratnya dan sepertinya dicetak manual. Seneng banget rasanya bisa finish strong.

Tapi begitu cek Endomondo ternyata jarak yang ditempuh hanya 11.81 km, seharusnya kan 17.5 km, jadinya kepotong +/- 5.5 km. Cari-cari info katanya panitia terpaksa memotong jarak karena waktunya nggak cukup, mepet dengan start race kategori kids dash. Karena merasa belum puas nge-trail akhirnya aku dan temen-temen ngikut lari lagi di belakang anak-anak pas lomba kids dash. Jarak semula untuk kategori ini 2.5 km tapi ternyata dipotong juga menjadi 1 km. Lucu banget liat anak-anak kecil usia SD nge-trail, mereka larinya kenceng juga lho! Padahal kan ada banyak hambatan di track, tapi mereka tetap ceria dan semangat.

Beres lari dan makan siang, selanjutnya acara bebas sampai malam. Kita bingung mau ngapain akhirnya beristirahat di tenda. Tenda kemahnya besar-besar, kayak punya militer gitu. Ada banyak velbed berjejer, kita bebas mau pilih ranjang yang mana selama belum ada orang yang nge-tag. Tiap tenda isinya campur cewek-cowok. Walaupun siang hari tapi udaranya dingin! Aku buka sleeping bag anyar yang kemaren susah-payah kucari seseantero Bogor, yang ternyata enak banget, angeeettttt...berasa kayak jadi kepompong. Sayang kenikmatan ini nggak berlangsung lama karena kepala suku (Pak Aam) ngajakin jalan-jalan ke Kawah Putih. Dengan berat hati kulipat kembali sleeping bag-ku, semoga suatu hari nanti bisa travelling lagi ke gunung jadi bisa tidur di sleeping bag.

Masih di hari yang sama, kita berangkat ke Kawah Putih. Ini kali ke-3 aku kesini jadi rasanya nggak ada yang istimewa, hehe... Di kawasan ini entah kenapa naluri setiap orang tergerak untuk menjadi fotografer dan foto model. Dengan kamera ala kadarnya (kamera hengpon), kita yang awalnya berfoto kalem lama-kelamaan jadi norak, wkwkwkwk... Apalagi ada Mbak Icha yang dengan ide-ide cemerlangnya membantu mengarahkan gaya jadi bisa foto-foto nekat kayak gini:

Day 2

Demi bisa berpartisipasi di #MerdekaRUN, kita bela-belain bangun pagi supaya bisa lari di Ranca Upas. Pilihan targetnya 8K, 17K, 45K, atau 69K, dan tentu saja kita milih yang terkecil, hehehe... Track-nya bikin sendiri tapi karena naik-naik lagi ke kebun teh jadi judulnya sama aja nge-trail. Kali ini Mbak Lis ikut kita lari karena kemaren bertugas jadi panitia, sementara Mbak Ulan gak ikut karena kakinya sakit. Cuacanya bersahabat dan pemandangannya gak kalah cantik dari yang kemaren. Bedanya hanya terasa lebih sepiiiii... Berlari pun lebih santai karena gak dikejar waktu. Saking enjoy-nya berlari, kita malah jadi tersesat kesana-kemari, bahkan sampai nembus ke kampung yang kebetulan lagi ada pawai 17-Agustusan, kita pun lupa berlari dan sibuk berfoto-foto.

Balik ke basecamp Ranca Upas, ngecek Endomondo, target yang mulanya hanya 8 km ternyata kelebihan malah jadi 12 km, walaupun gak sesuai tanggal cantik kemerdekaan, yaudah lah ya hehe... Kemudian jam 10 pagi dimulailah upacara bendera yang diikuti dengan acara launching logo baru Eiger. Pas makan siang, kita duduk-duduk di depan panggung, sambil makan sambil nonton band yang asik mainnya groovy banget. Siap-siap pulang eh dikasi kaos finishers sama panitia, yeay! Puas banget ikut acara trail run kali ini, capek tapi menyenangkan, udah mana bayarnya cuman 100 ribu tapi dapetnya macem-macem. Alhamdulillah pulangnya sampai di Bogor jam 8 malam dengan selamat dan udah berasa kangen nge-trail lagi aja hihi...

Lunch With CEO

It's been three years I've been working at Mercedes-Benz Indonesia, a working place in the suburbs, far away from busy traffic. I never dreamed to work at this company before, but as soon as I discovered how green and spacious the plant is, that I could hear birds singing every morning, I began to enjoy the place. Despite all common obstacles and challenges a company could have, this one stays providing the employees shuttle bus and buffet canteen, so I don't have to worry about delay transport or late lunch. I could manage after hours workout in timely manner. I could spend me-time or quality time with family, and other personal activities. 

Recently the company has been working more onto employee's benefit, including to strengthen relationship between employee and management. On April 16, there was an event called "Table Twelve", a casual lunch meeting with the new CEO. The place was taken at VIP section of the canteen. Anyone could join the event: workers, staffs and managers. The participants could address any questions or tell any stories to the CEO, and directly hear his responds. I was impressed how he managed to answer the revolving questions diplomatically. A calm and cordial leader, that despite of language barrier and totally different cultural mindset, his efforts to connect with the people deserved thumbs up. If I were the CEO, I would learn his manners too. To me it is very interesting to meet a good leader and learn new perspectives.

Running on Motor Racing Track

I love running. I used to run since twelve grader with my dad around the neighborhood. And ever since the invention of sports tracker, like Endomondo, I run regularly. I used to solo run with 4-6 kilometers average distance then straightly went home. Solo running got me bored, until my brother told me to join Indo Runners, a community club whose members are passionate in running. The first time I join in, I ran for 7.5 kilometers, the longest track I ever achieved in January 2014.

Then there was event announcement about MINI Sunday Morning Run at Sentul International Circuit. It was not the kind of competition, but a fun run instead. I was excited because it was my very first time going to motor racing track and the fact that I was going to run on it!

A selfie won't hurt :)

The run started at 7, I ran along with Emmy, my running buddy. The track is relatively simple, smooth, broad with large runoff areas. It was designed to meet the Formula One motor racing standard, but then it was built shortened by 40 percent compared to the original design. Sentul was completed in 1993, however it has been overshadowed by Sepang International Circuit completed in 1999 with larger track layout and superior facilities. Sentul was intended to be Indonesia's Formula One showcase to the world, but its shortened length and tight corners made it unsuitable for the fast and furious Formula One motor racing, and now it serves as a safe course for drivers competing in local events [Wikipedia].

Quick shot after 1 lap running

The track is said to have 4.02 kilometers length. I ran two laps but only get 7.7 kilometers in total. What went wrong? Lol...

My track record

Finished running, we took pictures with MINI cars, the event sponsor. The display cars were many, but the served breakfast were not, we only got mineral water and one banana for light breakfast (sigh). There were long queue of runners waiting for breakfast but eventually they got nothing. Well, at least we got some nice pictures! J

My running buddy and me

Melancong ke Singapur

Alhamdulilah, satu resolusi di tahun ini tercapai sudah, yaitu melancong ke Singapura. Mengapa Singapur? Karena ini negeri yang paling dekat, paling terjangkau, dan paling tepat bagi pelancong awam seperti saya. Yang membuat perjalanan ini bahagia & tak terlupakan adalah karena saya berpergian bersama teman-teman dekat, yang sama-sama gagap sekaligus terpukau dengan keindahan negeri orang. Tiket sudah di tangan sejak 2013, reservasi hostel sudah dibuat, rupiah sudah ditukar, rencana perjalanan pun sudah dicatat rapi, maka berangkatlah kami di pagi Jumat yang cerah, 21 Maret 2014. Rasanya tak perlu lah dibahas rinci kemana saja saya pergi selama di Singapur, tak perlu ditanyakan pula dimana penginapan/tempat makan enak serta murah, karena informasi tentang semua itu sudah sangat berlimpah di internet. Saya lebih suka bercerita tentang apa yang saya rasa dan pikir, serta kesan yang tersimpan di hati hingga hari terakhir saat melambaikan tangan pada Singapura.

Negeri ini tidak bisa dipungkiri merupakan negeri para pendatang. Berbagai etnis dengan keanekaragaman bahasa-agama-citarasa hidup rukun guyub di pulau mungil ini. Semuanya bekerja keras, semua bekerja lekas, melangkahkan kakinya panjang-panjang, mengikuti detik perkembangan baru dari layar gadget terkini. Sepuluh menit pertama saya masih terkagum-kagum dengan cepatnya kereta MRT meluncur, serta terheran-heran melihat warga lansia yang menyapu jalan, mengelap meja, dan membersihkan toilet. Namun demikian, negeri ini memang terbukti ramah, tidak hanya orang-orangnya, tetapi semua fasilitas publik pun friendly. Petunjuk-petunjuk jalan terpampang jelas terbaca, baik di MRT maupun stasiun pemberhentian, begitu pula di halte bus dan jalan umum. Lift tersedia dimana-mana, memudahkan akses bagi penyandang disabilitas serta orang yang membawa anak kecil atau banyak barang.

Mau kemana saja mudah

Pintu MRT = Pintu Kemana Saja

Satu dari sekian ribu eskalator curam

Singapur negeri yang tertib aturan. Saya belajar lebih banyak tentang negeri ini setelah berkenalan dengan Sue, seorang kawan baru warga asli Singapur, yang dengan senang hati mengajak kami berkeliling tempat-tempat cantik. Diceritakannya bagaimana kehidupan warga Singapur yang serba diatur oleh pemerintah, yang bagaimanapun juga ditujukan untuk kemaslahatan bersama. Misalnya, orang tidak bisa sembarang beli mobil, selain harus membayar pajak kendaraan, juga harus membayar pajak bensin setiap kali isi tangki serta retribusi parkir yang harus dibayar sewanya tiap bulan. Oleh karena Singapur minim sumber daya alam, air bersih dan api masak pun mesti didatangkan dari Malaysia sehingga biaya rumah tangga cukup tinggi. Jangan harap bisa hidup enak di Singapur jika pendapatan kurang dari SGD 2,500 per bulan. Biaya hidup yang tinggi juga membuat warga Singapur putar otak untuk bisa hidup hemat, misalnya banyak sekali warga yang menyeberang ke Pulau Batam untuk berbelanja kebutuhan rumah tangga karena harga yang lebih murah. Sedari muda pun warga Singapur terbiasa hidup mandiri, tanpa pembantu rumah tangga ataupun baby sitter, mereka ringkas menyelesaikan urusan domestik, serta pintar membagi waktu sehingga energi & pikiran bisa difokuskan untuk hal-hal yang produktif.

Sue, gadis manis berambut pirang

Berjalan kaki di Singapur sangat menyenangkan. Bagaimana tidak enjoy, jalan-jalannya bersih, tidak ada polisi tidur, tak ada jalan berlubang/berkubang, nggak ada becek maka sepatu pun awet bersih, trotorarnya juga lebar dan teduh. Menghirup nafas tidak khawatir bau kendaraan bermotor, sepeda motor pun langka, which is good. Berjalan-jalan di malam hari pun aman, tak khawatir orang usil ataupun gerombolan lelaki bersuit-suit tiap kali ada perempuan melintas. Tidur malam juga nyenyak, tak ada suara bising adzan atau pengajian. Semuanya saling respek.

Terdapat banyak peraturan tak tertulis di tempat umum, misalnya jika ingin berjalan lambat ambilah jalur sebelah kiri agar membuka jalan bagi orang lain yang sedang bergegas. Begitu pula etika menggunakan eskalator, jangan berdiri santai di jalur kanan, berdirilah di bagian kiri sehingga orang lain pun nyaman untuk mendahului. Tidak heran sebagian besar warga Singapur langsing-langsing badannya, mereka terbiasa jalan kaki jauh-jauh, naik turun tangga/eskalator, dan sepertinya tidak suka ngemil (mungkin selain untuk berhemat, juga dilarang keras makan/minum di transportasi umum). Merokok pun tidak boleh di sembarang tempat. Saya sempat mampir ke kios kecil di area hawker center dan melihat ngeri pada gambar-gambar yang ditempel di setiap kemasan rokok. Jika tidak ditempeli gambar, terdapat peringatan "SMOKING KILLS" yang ditulis besar-besar dan menutupi separuh bungkus rokok, tentu membuat orang berpikir 2x sebelum membeli.

Peringatan keras bagi penikmat rokok

Nikmatnya berjalan-jalan di Singapur membuat betah siapapun yang berkunjung, membuat iri warga negara lain yang belum semaju Singapura, serta membangkitkan mimpi bagi individu yang ingin mengadu nasib di negeri ini. Kami menghabiskan waktu malam terbaik di Singapur memandang cantiknya pertunjukan sinar laser di area Marina Bay Sands, menangkap momen indah dalam jepret kamera, dan menikmati tiap detik tawa bersama kawan-kawan baik. Sampai jumpa lagi, Singapura~

Pemandangan cantik kota malam

Cheesecake

I have a friend. I met her on Instagram. We never met one another in real life because she lives on the other side of the globe but we have the same interest. You know that 25 percent of women think about food every 30 minutes, me and my friend are woman, so our common interest is nothing but food J

One day, she posted a picture of cheesecake she just made. I commented her, "How lovely is that! Mind to share your secret recipe?" She replied, "Why yes, dear, in fact it's so easy baking cheesecake! All you need is butter, eggs, milk, flour, cheese and sugar!" Then she described the cooking instructions briefly.

Ah! If that as easy as it sounds, I can make that one too! Shortly after, I went to the kitchen preparing all ingredients and started cooking. I stroke ten eggs, melted one block of butter, shredded one block of cheese, took one full spoon of ovalet (cooking emulsifier), a cup of milk and a saucer of sugar. I blended all of them in one large bowl using a mixer. While mixing the batter, my wild imagination went picturing how beautiful my cheesecake would be. I would upload the picture on Instagram and everybody would love and envy.

I mixed the batter for half an hour, then I poured it into the baking pan and set the timer for half an hour. After 30 minutes, I peeked inside the oven, nothing's change, okay let's set the timer again for another 30 minutes. After the long wait, I put it off the oven. I saw the cheesecake turned yellowish, it was so beautiful (on the surface!). I flipped the baking pan upside down but the cake was stuck, apparently the bottom of the cake was burnt...

Ah never mind! Although the cake is burnt, the taste must be really good!

Ewh, what kind of cheesecake is this?! The flavor is kinda… abstract!

For the first 15 minutes, the cake was thick and spongy, but after that, it collapsed and the cake became soggy. I found that my cheesecake was a huge mistake.

Then I put the cheesecake in the fridge. I hope my brothers or anyone at home who was hungry would dare to eat it. In the following week, I checked the fridge again. Apparently nobody touched the cake L

I took the poor cake out of the fridge.

"Oh I am sorry, cheesecake, but you're too abstract. I cannot let you stay forever in the fridge! I have to let you go."

Eventually the cake was dumped in the trash bin.

I felt sorry for the cheesecake, but from the experience I learned that sometimes I might be overconfidence in making something and underestimate the circumstances at the same time. I didn’t measure the ingredients. I put all of it based on my ‘feelings’.

Although my Instagram friend said how easy it is to bake cheesecake, but I shouldn’t have taken it for granted. I should have Googled other cheesecake recipes, made comparisons, not solely depending to my friend’s recipe, so I wouldn’t had wasted my time and energy, and won’t had shipwrecked my mom’s kitchen.

Also I learned that there’s no such thing as an instant success. Baking cheesecake is not the same like cooking Indomie.  We live in a world that wants everything right now. People just want the result without having to do the hard work. But life simply does not work that way. We have to embrace the process.

My cheesecake may not be perfect, but in the time being, I learn from the failure to make better choices, better decisions and better me J

My imaginary cheesecake

Durian Tree

So here's the story. My family has a durian tree. If you come to my house, you will find it fruiting a lot. The fruits come in big sizes. They’re yellowish, redolent, and yummy!

My durian is special, more than any durian you ever saw, because my durian tree has its own long story J

Twenty years ago, back then in 1994, my dad came home from office carrying a poly bag of durian seedling. He got it from his friend who had nursery business.

The seller said, "The seed is very good! It’s a kind of Durian Petruk."

My dad put the seedling in our little garden. The garden itself is only 30 meters square, not really spacious, but my mom and dad love gardening very much, they planted kinds of tree, vegetable, flowers, fern and shrubs, made it now look more like rain forest than a garden.

However, the durian seedling got its special spot. At the corner of garden it was kept in poly bag for ten years. It grew very slow.

Then my dad decided to pluck the tree out from its poly bag, he changed it into a large drum barrel to make more space for the tree to grow. The tree eventually grew faster, it become thick and tall, but produced zero fruits (sigh).

Then my mom became very anxious about the tree’s fertility, she bought many kinds of fertilizer. The tree was under her attention. It received royal treatment, daily watering and given the best nutrition a tree can get, until our neighbor told my mom to give the tree some cuts, to make the tree fruiting real soon. In no time, my mom came back to the tree with a sharp knife. She cut the trunk several times, left it smeared with resin.

Six years passed by, still no fruits appeared, and the tree seemed like had stopped growing (!)

"Perhaps the root has grown too big for its tiny barrel", said my dad.

Then we decided to move the tree from its drum barrel to the ground. The tree had grown so big and heavy, it took 3 men to relocate it. We moved it to the ground so the root can grow more freely and hopefully will soon bear fruits. The durian tree is now placed next to our mango tree.

Another three years passed by, we thought the tree must be fruiting now. But apparently, the tree became thinner. Its branches had lost more leaves than before.

We had no idea what happened at that time. Perhaps the tree didn't like its new place.

One night, there was heavy storm in Bogor, ravaging our garden. The next morning, we found our poor durian tree was hit by the mango tree. It seemed like the storm broke some of mango tree branches, it fell upon the durian tree.

The durian tree was severely injured because of the storm. We tried to fix it but it didn't work, the three became thinner and scrawny.

My dad said, "Well, it’s only a matter time. Our poor durian tree might not survive."

My dream to enjoy delicious durian flesh was over.

But after a year, surprisingly, our durian tree survived! It recovered itself and started to grow flowers! When durian season comes, the tree showed its fertility. Baby durians came out from its branches, so many of them, around 6-7 durians. They were coming out like 'plup-plup-plup' everywhere!

Soon after, durians became trending topic in our neighborhood. Neighbors began to talk about our durian. Every time they walked pass by our house, they would stopped for a while, looking up, observing our durian tree, guessing which one of the fruits that would ripe perfectly.

The first ripe durian was successfully landed on our garden. My mom cooked sticky rice, served with durian sauce and we shared it with our neighbors.

Lessons learned I got from the durian tree is that we cannot stay forever in comfort zone. The tree has experienced relocation twice, from poly bag to the drum barrel and to the ground. It has to compete with other plants to get enough sunshine, soil, and water. It had gone through dry and rainy seasons, wind and storms. It took 20 years to finally produce fruits.

I think it's similar to human being, we cannot stay in comfort zone forever. We had to compete to survive. We had experienced series of bad situation that actually helping us to grow. We have potentials that perhaps we haven’t figured it out yet. But if we keep learning, patiently and persistently (like the durian tree), we will sow our hard work in the future.

Our first ever prime durian was perfectly ripped off right after it's fallen from the tree J

First Time Experience Being First Place

I joined Toastmasters since 2008 but never made my way to International Speech Contest until three days ago (Feb 07, 2014). I never expected winning the first place, I dared myself in the competition just to measure how much I have progressed in speaking before large audience. I also wanted to see my club fellows' speech performances.

It was not easy for me to compose speech topic, had several trials and errors. I got contest fever, the butterfly effect in my stomach that made want to give up. I was about to call contest chairman to cancel my participation, but then I reassured myself, I had nothing to lose, why not giving a try?

Once I got a very good topic, but then I changed my mind just a day before contest. I thought it's better to deliver a personal story to appeal more of audience attention rather than a serious lecturing one. The composing was done in one night, followed by occasional practices in the office. I was worried about exceeding the 5-7 minutes allotted time, so I put high concerns at the stopwatch.

On contest day, I was excited to see my friends's speech but apparently they cancelled theirs in last minute!! There were 5 cancellations, leaving only me and Rendra competing one another. We shook hands, wishing each other's good luck.

I got the first turn to speech, I had no worries, all I wanted to was just finishing this speech and going home! The audience seemed quite entertained with my speech (I hope so), they laughed at my jokes! I know I should have put more pauses to let audience finish their laughs but I saw the time light device was more terrifying, I finished my speech few seconds right after the red light was turned on.

After speeches done, all contestants were invited to the stage for interview. We had the craziest interview ever!! Arief, the contest chairman, dropped intriguing questions to contestants, we laughed so hard hearing the jokes thrown in the air. The winner announcement was eventually started. Since Sandoz TMC only had 2 participantsm, me and Rendra can proceed to area level contest. I'm relieved to know that I'm not alone going to area contest, yet so excited to see more great speeches from other clubs' fellows.

So much excitement!

Double 'R's rocking with Area Governor, Ms. SSS

My first certificate and shopping voucher as the reward

Bali Weekend Getaway

So here's the thing. Me and my girls came up with the idea of going to Bali as weekend getaway. I've never been to Bali before, and I'm so excited I finally made it. Carrying only one backpack and tote bag, I met my friends at the airport. We arrived way too early, the flight was supposed to be on 7.30 pm (got delayed for 40 mins) but we had already checked in at 4.30. No problem. Girls always had a way to kill the time, some selfies and exposure of what-shoes-we-wear-today would do just great :)

At 11 pm we arrived at Ngurah Rai airport, we took a rental car and headed to Sanur to stay in friend's house. On the next day, we headed to Klungkung, a small regency famous for its classic Balinese paintings. One of my friends had already planned to visit the art market to buy wholesale local fabrics for re-selling purposes. Klungkung market has hundreds of traditional stalls selling hand-woven fabrics, religious paraphernalia, ceremonial umbrellas, and lots of golden colored items for shrines. My friends got busy in price bargaining with merchants, jumped in and out from one stall to another, looking for exquisite fabrics with good price deals. As I don't understand that kind of business, I went on to another place in Klungkung.

Adjacent to the market, there's a beautiful palace called Puri Semarapura. It was built during dynasty of Gelgel kingdom in 17th century. During the Dutch colonial, the palace was largely destroyed in 1908 conquest, leaving the basic remains of the palace which called "Kertagosa", the court of justice. The palace was built in square form and divided in several blocks with various ritual and practical functions. The most interesting thing is some of the finest examples of classic Balinese mural painting depicted on the ceilings of each pavilions. The paintings took the story from the sacred book of Sutasoma, depict journey of human life from birth to death, not to mention karma and reincarnation. I was a bit terrified looking at the paintings, they're mostly dominated with red color, presenting dreadful characters, illustrating kinds of punishment in the hell. In one pavilion, there are antique chairs and table set where trials used to be conducted. There is also a museum of history and culture of Klungkung.

The following day was beach time! We had so much fun at Balangan beach. The sands felt a bit coarse, every steps become saggy and heavy. I learned that every beach could have different types of white sands even though they are in the same island. After Balangan, we continued to Padang-padang, a more secluded but crowded with coral reef and tourists. The reef looks pretty from distance but if you take a closer view, it has pungent surface. If you fall accidentally over it, you might get serious injuries, always be careful with your steps. In Padang-padang, we saw plenty of seaweed living widespread behind the reef.

 

The next beach would be Jimbaran, but we planned to stop for a while at Garuda Wisnu Kencana (GWK) to watch Kecak dance, which unfortunately didn't perform on that day. We couldn't find helpful information about the show until one receptionist gave us a small piece of paper, evidently Kecak dance is scheduled only on every Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday evening. The entrance fee is quite expensive for just seeing giant sculptures, so we ended up with mini photo session before the abandoned cut cliffs. Rumor has it that GWK will be the largest statue in the world (150 meters tall & 64 meters wide) but has been going nowhere in the development since 1998. I hope it would be resurrected real soon!

We then rushed to Jimbaran beach to catch up the sunset. We had a very nice seafood dinner, thanks to Ndee's parents. We waited for sunset but again unfortunately thick clouds masked the sun we barely see any twilight over the horizon. However, the mood was on set seeing the beautiful landscape; low tide and soft sand. When it was getting dark we could see all restaurants lit candles on each tables. Since we came in group, not in couples, the romantic mood was left aside and selfies taken over the night.

After having dinner, we continued driving to the city craving for ice cream. Someone said that there's a famous homemade ice cream vendor in Bali called Gourmet Garage. We searched the address thoroughly from Jimbaran to Sanur but couldn't find it. The reviews we got from internet said the place is secluded and kinda difficult to see it from the main road. Not giving up in ice cream hunting, we strolled to Seminyak. Apparently Seminyak has more new cool places than Legian, the sidewalks are also less crowded with pedestrians. We jumped excitedly when we discovered Lello Lello Gelato, a very comfy bar to hang out and enjoy gelato! It's located across from Samaya Resort, offers 24 selections of organic ice cream and sorbets. The place is homey, liquors and coffee are also available, hand towels are provided replacing tissues for practical cleaning. A must visit place to stop by after dinner!

On last day, we expected nothing but seeing sunrise in Sanur beach. We set alarm before dawn, woke up from bed with blurry face, skipped shower and drove to the beach right away. Blame to rainy weather, all we could see was giant dark clouds covering the sun (why oh why). Short after, we browsed Sanur looking for breakfast. Local restaurants were still closed in that morning, we ran out of options to eat, so we then stranded at 24-hours McDonalds.

After breakfast, we got busy packing luggage for our flight home in the afternoon. Before arriving at the airport, we stopped by at Discovery beach for lunch. Discovery has calm waves and sea breeze but no white sands, only hundreds of limestone stacked along the shorelines. The time seemed like frozen at that moment, the sea sounds like calling us to stay forever in Bali, pleading to not ever going back to Jakarta.

I heart you, Bali ❤