beautiful places in Hawai'i: Diamond Head Mountain

many many apologies for not posting anything for a long time. been quite busy (or most of it just being lazy). so I will continue to post incredible places that I got to visit while I was in Hawai'i. this one is Diamond Head mountain. if you go to Waikiki and even look at the postcard that were being sold in supermarkets, you'll definitely see Diamond Head in the background. this mountain is quite unique because it has a crater in the middle of it. so at first when a friend invited me to hike the mountain, my first thought was: "how could you do that? are we going into the crater? is the trail quite safe?" well this is me when i thought the crater filled with lava or something (haha). but theen.. just like you can see on the last picture, there were just some buildings and trees down there.

hiking is not my forte at all. i don't like the feeling of steep trail and how i couldn't breathe after conquering those trails. this was not an exception. i join because i simply curious and it was the last days in Hawai'i so i was thinking why not? and it WAS very tiring. there are a lot of stairs and lots of steep trails. but the views totally worth it! and because i was with a bunch of groups, so it wasn't that bad i guess. after all, after you get down, you can go to farmer's market. it was very near with the Diamond Head entrance. in there, you can buy homemade ice cream, loco moco, and takoyaki! just think about those wonderful food when you're hiking those trail and believe me, you'll be more energize ;p

dining in D.C.

D.C. kept surprising me. First of all, the weather. they told us that D.C would be hot and dry, not like the weather in Colorado. well it was, on the first day we went to The White House. but the next day.. cold as hell! i don't know what happen, but we ended up bundled with jackets and coats every time we have to go outside because the temperature dropped. besides the dreadful weather, D.C surprises me with a range of good restaurants!

Jyoti

it's an Indian food restaurant located in Adam's Morgam neighborhood. all the food are sooo good. i normally don't pick Indian food for lunch, but this place is an exception. if you're a small portion eater, the rice and the naan is quite big. it's better if you share it with a friend. for the price range, it's from 8-16 usd. not bad right?

Shophouse Kitchen

i love the idea of Southeast Asian food fusion! the spices are perfect for our tongue, and the portion is just right for my tummy! this one is located in Georgetown, and ranging from 6-8 usd.

Thomas Sweet

craving for something cold and sweet? this place is the best place to go! they have a range of ice cream flavors. i personally love the mint choco chip one. they're not green like the ones they sold in Indonesia, but just plain white. but when you taste it, the mint is so rich! you can pair your scoop of ice cream with cones or cups. located in Georgetown.

Bangkok Palace

i remember that day when me and several of my Indonesian friends went to visit The Embassy of Indonesia. we craved asian food so much, the embassy people picked this spot! the owner was so nice, and he speaks Indonesian quite fluently! it is located behind the embassy's office. the stir fry chicken was excellent, but the tom yum, not so much.

Ankara

we had a dinner date with one of embassy employee. this was actually a new restaurant when we came there. the food is good, but a bit pricey. ranging from 10-30 usd. lamb chop was sooo yummy! Jacob, the owner, can speak Indonesian language! located only a few blocks from The Indonesian Embassy.

Las Canteras

another dinner date with embassy employees. but now it's getting bigger! this place is in Adam' s Morgan neighborhood, close to Jyoti. this was actually my first time trying a Peruvian cuisine. i made a mistake ordering a seafood platter because they were all deep fried and it makes me a bit nauseous afterwards.

Goa Rangko

Airnya jernih, tempatnya pas banget kalo mau main air tapi ga mau panas2an kena sinar matahari, dan jaraknya cukup deket dari Labuan Bajo! anywaaay.. gw ngomongin tentang Goa Rangko. kalo mau kesana dari Labuan Bajo, ga usah berangkat pagi2 banget soalnya cuman butuh 1 jam kesana. bisa sewa mobil apalagi kalo berangkatnya banyakan (tapi keep in mind disini mereka ngasih harga turis asing, harus nego kalo mau dikasih murah). trus make sure supirnya tau Goa Rangko dimana. kayak gw kemaren supirnya taunya bisa kesana cuman naik mobil padahal harus nyambung pake ojek laut. jadilah harganya dimahalin ;(

kalo cuman berdua atau bertiga gw sewa motor karena lebih murah dan convenient. tapi harus pake masker ya kesana soalnya jalanannya berdebu banget. kalo gatau jalan, tanya2 aja ke orang lokal ke arah Desa Rangko kemana. nyampe di Desa Rangko, cari ojek laut. biasanya mereka minta sekitar 250rb. kalo lebih mahal nawar aja soalnya emang cuman 10 menit darisana. goanya ga bakal keliatan dari pantai, so jangan bingung kalo sampe pantainya. kita harus jalan bentar dulu baru ketemu goanya. 

the inside is totally mysterious and beautiful! tapi airnya air asin lho. dan keep in mind kalo mau berenang-renang cantik, disana ga ada tempat ganti baju. saran gw sih pake aja baju renang dari labuan bajo. atau enggak kalo emang udah kepepet ganti di bagian gelap goanya (kayak gw ;p).

yuk jalan2 kesini! belom banyak yang tau lho tempat ini.

Explore Lombok: Pantai Tunak

bulan lalu gw berkesempatan untuk pergi lagi ke Lombok setelah beberapa tahun lalu sempet ke Gili bareng bokap. Tapi sekarang, gw pergi kesini untuk suatu project dan ditempatin di Selong, Lombok Timur. Suatu hari kita harus nyewa mobil buat jemput salah satu tim di bandara. Otak maunya jalan-jalan terus, jadilah kita searching di instagram tempat yang bagus buat foto-foto dan nemuuu... Bukit Tunak! Karena Bukit Tunak terletak di Lombok Tengah, dari tempat kita tinggal di Selong memakan waktu kira kira 3 jam. kalo dari bandara, tinggal belok kiri. kalo mau nanya arah ke orang tanya aja arah Pantai Kuta kemana soalnya ga banyak yang tau Bukit Tunak. sampe di gerbang biasanya suruh bayar 5rb per orang, tapi karena kita udah sampe terlalu sore jadilah gratis hehe.

jalanan masuk sampe ke pantainya masih dibilang jelek dan kayak masuk semak2 hutan belantara. kalo bisa sih pulangnya jangan abis maghrib soalnya takut ada binatang atau apapun itu (banyak juga masyarakat sekitar yg bilang begitu). kita aja karena udah kesorean jadinya ga sampe bukit, tapi cuman sampe pantai. foto foto bentar, langsung cabut!

perks of reading a book

I just merely writing from a page in Michael Crichton's book: Congo. Always the brilliant in making a storyline (you all seen Jurassic Park), he always struck in the best of way.

Over the years, scientists had evolved a standard defense acceptable to the courts. Researches claimed that their experiments had the goal of bettering the health and welfare of mankind, a higher priority than animal welfare. They pointed out that no one objected to animals being used as beasts of burden or for agricultural work--a life of drudgery to which animals had been subjected for thousands of years. Using animals in scientific experiments simply extended the idea that animals were the servants of human enterprises.

In addition, animals were literally brutes. They had no self-awareness, no recognition of their existence in nature. This meant, in the words of philosopher George H. Mead, that "animals have no rights. We are at liberty to cut off their lives, there is no wrong committed when an animal's life is taken away. He has not lost anything..."

Many people were troubled by these views, but attempts to establish guidelines quickly ran into logical problems. The most obvious concerned the perceptions of animals further down the phylogenetic scale. Few researchers operated on dogs, cats, and other mammals without anesthesia, but what about annelid worms, crayfish, leeches, and squid? Ignoring these creatures was a form of "taxonomic discrimination". Yet if these animals deserved consideration, shouldn't it also be illegal to throw a live lobster into a pot of boiling water?

Doesn't it makes you wonder? Over the years, what change? Why do people started to care about animals? What else do you have in mind about this paragraph?

beautiful places in Hawai'i: Protohub Honolulu

i know that this place is not outdoor and probably not a usual tourist site. but if you're an entrepreneur and you need a place to consolidate or merely a place to meet other people who has the same passion as you do, than Protohub Honolulu is the perfect place for you! even if you want to do an event and have a hard time finding a place, you can book it here.

Protohub Honolulu is a co working space that specializes in events and programs that foster a supportive community, develop professional network, connect investors and entrepreneurs, provide entrepreneurial training, and implement funding/investment programs. for more info on this amazing space, check out their website: http://www.protohubhonolulu.net/en/about

with amazing decorations and comfy couches, i wouldn't mind staying long for brainstorming with a cup of hot coffee ;)

22 Jump Street

it's been so so long since i wrote my last movie review. because i looove movies, i will keep the tradition alive. and i will start with 22 Jump Street! honestly, the first movie wasn't that memorable and not that funny. beside, the jokes mostly are dirty jokes instead of pure jokes (if you know what i mean). but this one is definitely funny! i even laugh my ass off! but still.. some of the jokes are not really my taste. but overall was damn funny and a good plot. it's too refreshing seeing Channing Tatum ;p (i think one of the reason i watched this movie)

photo op with POTUS

YSEALI Academic & Professional Fellows 2015 with Barack Obama

There I am, so close to Obama. Up until now I could never describe the feeling how I felt that day when I saw him walk into the room with a big smile and greet us. Excited? Happy? Nausea? I would probably say yes to all of that. 

In a photo, position is super important. The story why I end up being so close to Obama on this shot goes way back before I came to the US. I was considering bringing heels for this program, but then my suitcase already so bulky and I was afraid it will be overweight. Then in Hawai'i, the good news came on the last few days before we're going to Colorado. So Ines and I (like any other girls would), planning on buying heels to go to the White House. I guess i'm a bit cheapo for this, but also thinking I wanted to buy affordable heels because let's face it, I rarely use them on a daily basis. So long story short, I bought a pair in Goodwill. God knows how old those shoes were, but it's only 10 dollars! The day we went to The White House, I carried the heels on my purse because I know I will suffer if I have to use them all day long. I changed into them on the bus, but we still have 10 minutes to grab a quick lunch. Mistake or a blessing in disguise, I took a few stride with that heels, and the sole came off! Thankfully I still have my flat shoes and doesn't want to carry a broken shoes to The White House, I throw it on the trash can without a second thought.

I know you're still wondering why all this got to do with my position on the photo above. Well, this is just my thought, but when we're arranging position, they asked for the short ones goes in the middle and the tall ones goes in the outer part. If I wore the heels, I would stick out quite tall and have to stand way out there. Soo.. believe me or not, that is my unfortunate fortunate story.

beautiful places in Hawai'i: Kualoa Ranch

this is actually the place where so many movies got filmed including Tears of The Sun and the ever famous Jurassic Park! that's why I chose this place at the very beginning for my team's learning journey in Hawai'i (others are Pearl Harbor, Hanauma Bay, H Power, Hawai'i Food Bank, and Iolani Palace). 

Kualoa ranch is actually a very unique place where they have a sustainable land management system called Ahupua'a. let me tell you a bit of history behind this magical place. over 1500 years ago, the first voyaging Polynesian landed in Hawai'i, in Hakipu'u valley (foothill of Kualoa). the original owner of the land was King Kamehameha III, but he sold it to Gerritt P. Judd in 1850. A few years later, Kualoa's adjacent land (Hakipu'u and Ka'a'awa) were brought by his son, Charles Hasting Judd. from sugar mill to becoming an auxiliary army airstrip, Kualoa went to so many process to become what it is today. 

i could go on and on with the picture here haha! place as beautiful as this is definitely worth to conserve for the future.

beautiful places in Hawai'i: Japanese Garden

In the upcoming days (or maybe weeks if i'm totally lazy to open my laptop), I will post all the beautiful places that I got to visit while I was in Hawai'i for three weeks. and believe me, there are a lot! first up, it's in the backyard of IMIN International Conference Center, the Japanase Garden. If you're selected to be the participant for YSEALI Institute on Environment 2016, you'll be likely to stay in Hale Manoa. the place is just walking distance! in fact, the photo session for your participants profile in susieastwestcenter.com will be taking place there. beautiful and serene, the place is definitely worth for a photo op!

the picture above is the final product from the photo session :)

YSEALI Self Introduction Video

 

 my very first YouTube upload (the official one that is), is for my YSEALI self introduction video assignment! a bit hasty to make, but i think it's pretty good.

(really) good news

"an arrow can only be shot by pulling it backward. when life is dragging you back with difficulties, it means it's going to launch you into something great. so just focus, and keep aiming."

I know it sounds cheesy, but dreams do come true. Hidup memang adalah sebuah roda dimana kita ga bisa selalu ada diatas maupun kita bakalan selalu ada dibawah. beberapa bulan setelah kontrak kerja gw habis di labuan bajo, gw otomatis jadi pengangguran (atau gw lebih seneng menyebutnya sebagai freelancer hehe). ga ada penghasilan lagi dan cuma bisa di rumah membuat gw cukup sedih. tapi itu ga membiarkan gw cuman bisanya nonton makan tidur nonton makan tidur aja. gw menyiapkan seluruh dokumen yang diperlukan untuk universitas S2 yang gw tuju, juga dokumen untuk beasiswa, serta cari-cari opportunity lain biar gw ada kerjaan. nah salah satunya ya gw apply YSEALI program ini yang mengusung tema Environment. kalo mau tau lebih lanjut ttg program ini, silahkan ke web http://jakarta.usembassy.gov/yseali/academic-fellows.html atau ke http://www.susieastwestcenter.com/.

tentunya hasil harus gw tunggu beberapa minggu bahkan ada yg sampe lebih dari satu bulan. waiting game emang ga enak banget. ga bakalan tau gimana hasilnya. tapi pas gw dapet email ini dari salah satu orang di US Embassy, kayaknya waktu penungguan ga berarti apa-apa. yang ada cuman bisa bersyukur dan seperti hal bagus yang terjadi di hidup gw, kadang ga percaya aja ini beneran terjadi. tapii.. gw dapet satu impian, harus melepas impian satu lagi. yaitu pekerjaan baru di salah satu tempat yang dari dulu gw pengenin. karena waktunya tabrakan sama acara ini dan manta tagging expedition yang bakal gw lakuin di labuan bajo, jadilah gw harus rela melepasnya. sedih sih, tapi emang gw udah tau kalo gw emang ga bakalan bisa menang banyak. 

have faith in life. believe in the power of prayer.

new addition

another latepost: welcome to the family, kak Dimas :D

cunca cunca cunca... wulang!

ini judulnya latepost sih. sayang aja tempat yang sangat indah ini ga gw share ke kalian. saking indahnya gw sampe tiga kali kesana! haha. sebenernya sih bukan semuanya kemauan gw. yang pertama karena salah satu temen kontrak udah pengen pergi dari labuan bajo dan minta jalan-jalan, kita memutuskan ke cunca wulang ini dengan 2 orang lainnya. FYI, kalo mau ke cunca wulang, dari pintu masuk (yang ada pos pembayaran) ada dua opsi yaitu jalan kaki yang akan menghabiskan waktu kira-kira 20 menit atau naik motor sampe pinggir trayek hutan. karena gw udah 3 kali kesana dan sudah mencoba kedua opsi tersebut, gw saranin mending naik motor aja karena bakal PR banget baliknya. bayangin aja balik dari cunca wulangnya tanjakan kira-kira 20 menitan dan harus jalan kaki lagi menuju pos. fiuh! ga deh. 

karena dateng pertama kali ga loncat dari tebingnya, mungkin gw masih penasaran jadilah dateng untuk kedua kalinya dengan grup yang berbeda yaitu temen temen MW internship 2014. nah, di kesempatan dateng kedua kalinya akhirnya punya banyak temen yang pengen loncat. berbekal baju ganti dan kemauan yang nekat, lompatlah saya dari tebing yang tingginya gatau seberapa. yang pasti pas loncat rasanya kayak ga bakal sampe2 dibawah. tenang aja, airnya cukup dalem kok. seenggaknya 5 meteran. kalo udah sampe bawah, berenang ke bagian tebing sempit yang di dalemnya adalah air terjun. pas masuk ke lingkaran air terjun, berenang dari belakang menuju ke depan air terjun: rasanya kayak dipijitin dan terbawa arus. dijamin seru banget! 

dateng ketiga kalinya tentunya dengan grup yang berbeda lagi (kali ini bertiga), gw saranin mereka untuk lompat karena rasanya tiada duanya (saelah). tapi karena untuk lompat yang pertama kali aja jantung gw mau copot, gw memutuskan untuk tidak loncat lagi, cuman berenang-renang saja di air yang cukup dingin itu. tapi pastinya kalau kalian cuman punya satu kesempatan kesana, DIWAJIBKAN untuk loncat dari tebing dan berenang masuk ke air terjunnya! bakal jadi one of your unforgettable experience di daerah Flores :)

 PS: untuk masuk ke sini, harus bayar 10rb per orang dan 60rb untuk guide. bisa minta kelapa (fresh from the tree) juga sama orang2 lokalnya setelah kalian balik dari pendakian yang cukup melelahkan secara gra-tis!

different kind of new year

 please do ignore the picture. i know it's hideous. and yes, if I have to go to Mekah i have to cover my head. 

aside from that, i am super thrilled to finally go to the house of Allah, to be praying so close to Ka'bah. my family and I actually went there in the end of 2014. we arrived in Soeta airport on December 30th and had to wait for several hours until we actually get on the plane. thankfully the travel gave us a good waiting room with food on it (yes, food is always a good idea ;p) around 12 am December 31st we get on the plane to Dubai for about 7 long hours. arrived in Dubai, we continue a two hour flight to Jeddah.

rather than the sound of a booming fireworks, all i can hear is the sound of adzan from Masjid Al-Haram. rather than people shouting happy new year and blowing their trumpets, all i see are Muslims from around the world shouting their prayers to Allah while surrounding the Ka'Bah. it felt so content to know that many of the earth population were there to celebrate their religion and their love for Allah.

I hope someday i got another chance to go again. AMIINNN...

 after four days in Mekah, we went to Madinah. my favorite part of the trip was seeing the Masjid Al-Nabawi architecture especially the famous big umbrellas that can close and open so majestically. always a photo op whenever i'm there.