One fine afternoon at the East River, seen from the UN HQ in NYC
Hi, everyone.
Hope you all safe and sound, wherever you are.
I have been enjoying my days at home as much as I could. Mostly doing some packing, I focus on fulfilling all the requirements needed for my next assignment while at the same time overseeing some works at the office.
one of the murals in UNHQ.. Love it!
The 76th session of the UNGA will be starting soon, while the 48th session of UN Human Rights is ongoing. With two heavy - loaded meetings happening at the same time, you can imagine how crazy the workloads are. We have been working extra hard with the team and fingers crossed, hope things will work well as scheduled. As always, UNGA session always has many surprises. This year, similar to last year, the discussion will be focused on our fight against COVID - 19. How we can recover together and stronger from all these rampant damages caused by the pandemic.
My Minister, as well as some small team, has dispatched to New York City. We didn't send big group although my President will be joining the session through pre-recorded messages. Well, this time of the year, I usually go to NYC for all these meetings. This year will definitely be different as we have to avoid unnecessary traveling and only for the most important one. Well, I have to admit I really miss NYC. Its vibrant vibe and even never ending noise of the sirens proves to be something I crave LOL. Well, hopefully I can go back here one day and reunite with the Big Apple.
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Any particular things or activites that you are expecting this April? Well for sure I will go back to the office work more regularly as the first part of my national leadership training is completed. I have made probably more than 15 presentations, papers, and countless discussions and deliberations on various issues and theories, online and offline, during the course of 2 months. I have taken some initiatives to work on the issues of refugees and asylum seekers in Indonesia, particularly on the issues of data sharing and collaboration with international organisations dealing with this. Wish me luck!
We will then be given the time to implement the proposal we have put forward and learn more about leadership in action. I have set up my team, work with many different stakeholders and hopefully we can achieve the goals and make some changes needed on the ground. I have to say I am excited indeed.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, we are now preparing for the holy month of Ramadhan. Alhamdulillah.. Allah the Almighty still gives us the chance to repent and share all the good things we have to those who need them the most. I am blessed to have the opportunity to share it with my lovely family. My mom is still here in Jakarta, together with my niece, so we will celebrate the solemn Ramadhan together. It might start in the midst April and beforehand, I have some work-related visits to do. Hopefully all is well for that as well.
Now we will have our usual Wonderful Wednesday with My Purple World, Oh My Heartsie Girls and Friends. Have fun!
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perfect DIY treat favor to make with your kids and grandkids.
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The International Woman’s Day is here and allow me to extend my warmest greetings to all of you!
Time to celebrate... to reflect on the progress as well as the remaining challenges we all, women, face!
The pandemic that has just recently marked its first year of presence among us does not make things better for us. Sometimes, in many occasions, things are even harder for us women. Even recently, United Nations or UN WOMEN, one of the UN bodies mandated to address the issues of gender equality and empowerment of women, has released a report, The Shadow Pandemic - Violence against women during COVID-19.
The Shadow Pandemic - report of UN Women. Photo was taken from www.unwomen.org
We all know that even before the pandemic, statistic shows that 243 million women and girls in the range of 15 - 49 years old, have experienced sexual and/or physical violence by her intimate partner in the past year. I got that data from the UN Women report mentioned above. Violence against women is one of the biggest problems women face until now. Since the pandemic, the situation is getting worst because the pandemic forces us to stay at home at most if not all time and it has created a stressful environment for all of us. Those who are already facing the challenges with their partners before the pandemic now have to even fight and endure more unfortunate circumstances at home. Moreover, the existing services such us shelters and helplines now have to be adjusted if not reduced due to the pandemic. Well, here the UN Women reminds us that we all have the role in addressing this issue and I guess I will have to go back on this on more dedicated post.
Nevertheless, in this occasion, I always believe that remarkable achievements and valuable contributions of women, wherever you are, should be cherished. Many progress have definitley been achieved, as more and more women across the globe are much more empowered and have enjoyed many things. We can say that women and girls nowadays have enjoyed better education, more decent works, more fulfillment of civil and political rights, and much better health as well, among others. Of course the list is not exhaustive and I am so heartened to note that women's rights are becoming important parts, if not the center, of many policies and initiatives in Indonesia. Even at regional and international level, many mechanisms and initiatives have focused on issues related to women's rights.
As a woman myself, I have been going through various phases in my life that give me the chance to prove that I am strong. That I am worthy of equal treatment and fair chance in work. That I can do things that I have set my heart on. That I am capable of realizing my dreams.
The spirit and perseverance that I have are obviously supported by my dearest family and friends as well as people around me. And that, my friend, is the beauty of LIFE when we now how to cherish all the blessings bestowed upon us.
So again, here's to our more meaningful existence and contribution to the world. I believe being a women is a bless and we should continue to feel that way!
REMEMBER, YOU ARE AS BRILLIANT AS YOU WANT IT TO BE!
Here's a little more reflection I have on my YouTube channel:
So stay strong, support one another, keep fighting and let's make our dreams come true!
Traveling during the Pandemic and Being Google Local Guides - Interview with SEA Morning Show
Hi everyone...
How's February so far? It has been a wonderful month full of readjustments, surprises and of course hard works. Office is as demanding as always while on my personal side, I have some self-development activities that I have committed to do, joining the national leadership training program.
Meanwhile, one day, one of my friends from the social media groups contacted me and requested me to be one of the hosts in SEA Morning Show, as part of SEA Today. SEA Today or South East Asia Today is a web-based streaming television broadcasted in South East Asia region. Owned by Telkom Indonesia, this TV show displays and broadcasts news and information relevant to the public in SEA region. Launched in 28 October 2020 by the Minister of State Enterprise of Indonesia, H.E. Mr. Erick Tohir. SEA Morning Show is a daily program that broadcasts from 6 - 9 AM and distributed in 10 ASEAN Countries.
Getting ready for the Interview with SEA Morning Show
So on February 16, I got a chance to have the interview with SEA Morning Show hosts and discussed about being a travel blogger as well as Google Local Guides. It was fun indeed! We started the conversation with how fun it is to be travel blogger and how, in the first place, I become one. Frankly speaking, I have been traveling around with my parents since I was a kid and we even had trips with the big family for certain occasions. The fact that later on I join the MoFA and become a diplomat makes me get even more opportunity to travel around the world.
As it apparently runs in my blood, my hubby and I started traveling with my family even since my kids were babies! My son, Bo, travelled and flew from Melbourne to Jakarta since he was 40 days old! Of course considering that he and I were in great condition and fit to fly. Then my daughter Obi has similar experience, too. Since early days, I have taken her to go places. She was born in Geneva, Switzerland, traveling around Europe has been one of our cups of tea. I remember we went on a 7-day trip around Cinque Terre and Tuscany , including Pisa as well as Firenze area, in Italy with 4-year-old Bo and 5-month-old baby Obi. It took a lot of preparation but we love the trip. The kids have been super wonderful along the way!
My love for underwater world..
I also shared some places I have visited, those that have captured my heart and forever fondly remembered. Of the 57 countries (and counting!) I have traveled so far, every place is of course unique. It has been my dream to travel around my beloved INDONESIA. I have only explored 21 provinces in Indonesia, out of 34 provinces. Some of the provinces have cities which are incredible. My favorite is of course LAMPUNG, my homey hometown. This place never ceases to amaze me, as we have discovered more and more beautiful landscapes. For sure, more diving sites and snorkeling areas are there waiting for you to discover it. I sincerely hope I can get some times to add more ticked lists in my go-to map of Indonesia.
While abroad, I love visiting national parks as well as UNESCO World Heritage Lists. I also love landmarks which offer unique, one-of-a-kind experience. Places like Liberty Statue in New York City, Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Yosemite National Park, Grand Canyon National Park, Quebec City, Old Havana, Vatican City, Antigua Naval Dockyard, Venice, Cairo, Marrakesh and way more have been visited as well. In Indonesia, Borobudur and Prambanan temples, as well as Bukit Barisan National Park, which is part of the tropical rainforest heritage in Sumatera, and
More importantly, I shared a lot about being Google Local Guides. How excited I am to be joining the this global network of local guides from different corners of the world. Although I have just joined Local Guides in New York City since 2017, I have learned and enjoyed a lot of benefits from joining it. I have expanded my networks obviously, learning more about Google maps and how to contribute to it properly and meaningfully, as well as more on AI and some beneficial technicalities. Even when the pandemic hit us, we even get more united as we use virtual platforms to stay connected and even share more. Through Google Local Guides, I learn how wonderful it is to contribute meaningfully to the communities as well, as we contribute there in voluntary basis. No wonder while Google Local Guides was established in 2015, it has so many people joining this platform.
Moreover, I am so blessed that I was chosen as one of the Google Guiding Stars in December 2020. Of all the Google Local Guides around the world, there are 50 Local Guides who were chosen in 5 different categories,- Helpful Hero, Inclusive Mapper, Creative Contributor, Community Builder, and Local Business Champion. I was part of the Creative Contributor here. Thank you, Google.
Thank you, Google ...
Finally, we were also discussing about staycation, one of the possible and relatively safe ways of traveling during the pandemic. Now that we have 5 M, which is the abbreviation of 5 things we need to do during the pandemic in bahasa Indonesia. 5M comprises of wearing mask, washing hands properly and frequently, keeping the physical distance, reducing mobility, and avoiding crowds. Staycation will give us the opportunity to see and explore our surroundings in a safer way as it does not involve lots of traveling or meeting many people. As long as we can ensure that the place we are heading to are applying the strict health protocol and CHSE principles,- Clean, Healthy, Safety and Environmentally Friendly. I believe many of the hotels in Indonesia have gotten CHSE certificate so that they can operate safely during this pandemic.
Here's the video I compiled, with the help of my brother Ajay, for the whole segment of my interview. You can watch the complete video in my YouTube channel HERE. Hope you enjoy it and tell me what you think!
I really enjoyed the conversation and I sincerely hope what I have shared with be beneficial to others. I also hope you managed to watch the complete video and tell me what you think about traveling during the pandemic and being Google Local Guides if you have joined it!
