WW: Mudik - Going Back Home for Lebaran Day

Going back home to Lampung

M.U.D.I.K
Mudik.

There is no single word can be directly translated to this particular term of heading back home for Lebaran Day. 

In Indonesia, country with the biggest moslem population in the world, Lebaran Day or Idul Fitr, the end of the holy month of Ramadan, is truly celebrated. People are taking their days off to go home to their family, mudik. 

Wherever you live, you will try your best to go home to meet your parents and families, pay homage to your loved ones' graves, sharing joyous moments over delicious special food, cookies and cakes, as well as THR, a term we use for special allowance given to celebrate these momentous days. Kids lining up and get some money in colourful envelopes from their parents, aunts and uncles, and whoever would like to share some fortune. Zakat are paid and distributed to those who need it, holy Quran are read on daily basis along with taraweh and all the sholat jamaah.  Kitchen will suddenly become the center of the universe, with pots and cooking pans are packed with rich-and-long-cooking staple such as rendang, opor, semur, sambel goreng ati, sayur ketupat and more, sending aromatic herbs and spices aroma all over the house. A lovely tradition that my family still hold dearly.

Such an addictive ambience I won't trade with anything else, whenever I can.

But before we can enjoy this embracing moments with family, first we have to mudik.
Go home.
Either by land, by air, by the sea, or the combination of those.

As everyone is doing the same time, you really have to get the time right.
Otherwise, you will be trapped in the middle of mudik inferno, where lines of lines of cars, buses, trucks and motorcycles are waiting for the ferry to take them to the other islands, or tons of passenger roaming around the air terminal, waiting for their mostly-delayed flights. This can be ugly.

It will be our first Lebaran day in Indonesia after almost 5 years.
Excited? For sure!
But of course, we don't want to be trapped in the chaotic mudik tradition which, no matter how good the Government is trying to manage, will always take place. 

The road was clear..

This time, I took my days off earlier and went back to Lampung with my family at the earliest time. We were privileged to have one holiday before the peak season of mudik started. 
And we were lucky indeed.

Lampung, here we come..

Bridge the nations..

The line is manageable

The roads were relatively clear, we got lovely ferry (it means it's clean, not too crowded and smells good :)), and no traffic jam. 

Port Link, the ferry taking us to Lampung

We left Jakarta on Saturday, May 29th at 1.30 PM and touched down in Lampung at 6 PM. Not bad at all!
If we decided to go home on day later, we will spend at least 15 - 24 hours on the road, for the same destination!

And we got ferry with the view :)

So, that's a little story about our mudik.
Will certainly share more stories on our Lebaran day and the in-betweens.

What's your story?
Are you heading back home?
How do you go back home?

Join us on (almost) Wordless Wednesday and have fun with the Link party.

Wonderful Wednesday with My Purple World, Oh My Heartsie Girls and Friends

Ramadan Kareem

Ramadan is entering its final phase.

I'm sad that it's almost over and I feel like I haven't done my bit optimally but I sincerely hope I can keep it up on the last 10 days of this holy month. 

We had so many sad news in the last couple of weeks. 

The father of one of my best friends, my senior in Pramuka or boy scout, as well as my dearest friend Mba Carolina Septerita, - Wardah MUA and the lady behind Wardah great contribution to New York Fashion Week, just passed away. I'm so sad as I didn't get a chance to say goodbye. Most of them passed away suddenly, without any warning whatsoever. Reminding us that death can come anytime and we have to be ready. I keep them in my prayer and may we all be blessed by God's mercy.

Ready to cross Sunda Strait, heading to Lampung

Moreover, I am still fighting back the jetlag from my last trip to Tokyo and New York City. But hey, I'll nail it. Soon.

Now we are already in Lampung, enjoying mudik or our traditional custom of going back home to celebrate Idul Fitri with big family. Super excited and let the long holiday begin!

The big ferry..

Now, it's time to party!

Come and join us..you know you only need to add your link at the bottom at this post, right :). See you at the party!

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Relax and Refresh with GO-MASSAGE

rest and relax. Pic: Pixabay

"Mba, hari ini kita ada 2 rapat ya. Satu di kantor, satu di Kemenko Polhukam.

Untuk besok lita juga ada rapat koordinat dengan Kemkumham.

Selain itu deadline untuk story line pameran foto di Dewan HAM PBB Jenewa Jumat ini.

Oh ya.. Koordinator Politik Kedutaan Rusia konfirmasi datang jam 1 nanti ya, Sementara yang Timor-Leste belum dapat waktu yang pas.

Dokumen untuk pertemuan di Dewan Keamanan PBB sedang difinalisasi juga ya mba. Tiket sudah confirmed untuk minggu ketiga Mei. Untuk Geneva di minggu ketiga Juni kami akan kabari secepatnya."

Pagi itu, aku  bersama 3 orang kolegaku di kantor, berkumpul di tengah ruangan.
Kolegaku di kantor mengingatkan kembali jadwal yang harus kami penuhi minggu ini di kantor maupun di Kementerian dan lembaga lain.
Rapat, rapat, dan rapat lagi.
Setiap pagi, di awal minggu, kami biasanya lakukan briefing untuk tahu kegiatan apa saja yang harus dilakukan, termasuk berbagai pertemuan yang harus dipimpin atau dihadiri.

In a week, we just simply had all days filled with activities.

Meskipun saat ini kita tengah menjalani ibadah puasa Ramadhan, kesibukan di kantor tidak mereda, malah justru makin banyak karena jam kerja di kantor menjadi lebih pendek. 

Tahun ini tidak terasa sudah 17 tahun aku menjadi ASN di Kementerian Luar Negeri. 
Saat ini, aku mendapat tanggung jawab untuk menangani isu HAM dan Kemanusiaan di Direktorat Jenderal Kerja Sama Multilateral. I love my job but I have to admit that it's challenging. I cannot literally share the details of my job here but for sure there are times when I feel so phased away. 
Drained.
Capek! 

Karena memang tekanan pekerjaan dan sensitivitas isu yang dipegang membuat kami harus selalu waspada dan alert setiap saat, aku tuh jadi gampang capek dan stress deh.
Belum lagi tugas dan tanggung jawab di rumah sebagai Ibu dari 2 anak lucu yang tengah membutuhkan perhatian penuh dari mamanya plus istri suamiku tercinta yang pastinya juga butuh kasih sayang kaaan. Not that I'm complaining ya, karena aku menjalaninya dengan semangat juga and for me, family comes first! Tapi aku kan manusia biasa yang juga suka dimanjaaa lho!
#catatya.

Apalagi dengan riwayatku sebagai penyintas kanker payudara.
Kondisi fisikku pasca kemoterapi yang aku jalani tahun 2014 banyak berubah. 
I am no longer as fit a s bull as I was before. 

Well, again...meskipun di atas rasanya aku menderita banget (#lebaymodeon), tapi jangan sedih. Aku punya cara jitu untuk bisa kembali segar dan rileks setiap minggunya dari segala pekerjaan yang tidak ada habis-habisnya itu.

INTRODUCING...GO-LIFE!

Well, sepertinya tidak perlu diperkenalkan lagi karena layanan online yang satu ini pasti sudah menjadi kecintaan banyak orang, termasuk aku, suami dan anak-anakku!

Mungkin lebih tepatnya mari kita kenalan lebih dekat dengan GO-LIFE.
Aplikasi berbasis online yang mengedepankan on-demand lifestyle ini merupakan bagian penting dari layanan GOJEK yang sudah sangat membantu begitu banyak penduduk Indonesia di seantero negeri. Saat ini, GO-LIFE telah menghubungkan 60 ribu penyedia jasa dengan 500 ribu konsumen di 70 kota. Yang pasti, semua layanan yang ditawarkan oleh GO-LIFE telah melewati serangkaian seleksi dan test untuk memastikan layanan terbaik bagi seluruh pelanggan.

layanan yang sangaat membantu

GO-LIFE sendiri menawarkan beberapa layanan, antara lain GO-MASSAGE, GO-CLEAN, GO-AUTO, GO-GLAM, GO-DAILY, GO-FIX, dan GO-LAUNDRY. 
You see...ada begitu banyak layanan penting yang bisa membuat mama-mama sibuk macam aku bahagia! Ya kan, ya kan, ya kan :).

Salah satu layanan yang paling sering aku nikmati dari GO-LIFE adalah GO-MASSAGE.
Pasti tau dong kenapa ini jadi layanan favoritku!
Aku dan keluargaku memang sangat menikmati pijat.
Kalau sudah capai dan letih, instead of minum vitamin or suplemen, aku lebih suka rileks dan santai dengan pijat.

GO-MASSAGE sendiri rasanya seperti jawaban dari surga untuk mama Bo et Obi yang (sok) sibuk. Layanan pijat panggilan ini benar-benar handy, karena bisa dipanggil ke rumah dan juga ke kantor! Dan kalau di rumah, kita bisa pijat sambil tetap di rumah dan menjaga anak atau menemani anak belajar misalnya. Nyaman sekali kan! Aku yang penggila pijat panggilan ke rumah jadi benar-benar beruntung bisa menikmati GO-MASSAGE 

Serunya lagi, pilihan GO-MASSAGE tuh lengkap banget lho. Ada body massage, body massage + scrub, body massage + totok wajah, dan refleksiologi bisa dinikmati di sini. Dan aku sudah hampir mencoba semua layanan ini, with pleasure!

pilihannya lengkap kaaan!

Harga pun sangat bersaing. Mulai dari Rp50.000,- di beberapa daerah tertentu dan so far, sepertinya untuk Wilayah Jakarta dan sekitarnya, harga dimulai dari Rp70.000,- untuk layanan pijat refleksi satu jam. 

Yang aku suka juga semua terapis sudah dilatih secara profesional dan untuk memastikan kualitas layanan pelayanan serta kenyamanan pelanggan, semua terapis sudah melalui serangkaian tes, wawancara, dan seleksi serta pelatihan. Oh ya, kita pun bisa memilih gender terapis juga lho..seperti aku yang selalu memilih terapis perempuan supaya nyaman.

Karena sering menggunakan jasa ini, aku juga sering memberikan review GO-MASSAGE plus bintang 5 untuk para terapis favoritku. Tapi I have to say meskipun aku kerap berganti terapis, semuanya enak!

So, tunggu apalagi!
Ayo pesan GO-MASSAGE dan dapatkan layanan pijat panggilan terbaik untukmu.
Enjoy yaaaa..

Indonesia's s Presidency for United Nations Security Council - Open Debate on Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflicts

New York City was summery that day.
After having my shaum at 3 AM in the morning, we were getting ready for the D-Day.
Yes, Thursday, May 23rd, Indonesia was once again chairing the Open Debate at the UN Security Council. 
I put on one of my favorite batik outer from Sekar Kedaton.
It was red, white and blue.
How perfect as it reflects the colors of Indonesian flags,- red and white,- and blue representing the United Nations. What a coincidence!
Then we did the final check on draft statements, Chair's notes, possible scenarios, draft summaries and reports, and media materials.
All checked and done!
9 AM we were heading to the UN Headquarters and made the final preparation in the meeting room.
Then 9.50 AM, the Ministed for Foreign Affairs of Indonesia, H.E. Mrs. Retno Marsudi, and the UN Secretary-General, H.E. Mr. Antonio Gutteres joined us in the meeting room.
After a few courtesy talks and photo sessions, including with Ambassadors of Russia, Poland, and South Africa who were wearing their beautiful batik shirts and stolla, we all were ready to start.
Let the meeting begin..

***

Indonesia, the UN Security Council President for May 2019

Here's the first note on Indonesia's s Presidency at United Nations Security Council for the month of May 2019.

As I have mentioned in my previous post before and shared it at WW: Indonesia's Presidency for United Nations Security Council, Indonesia is continuing its presidency through Open Debate on Protection of Civilians during armed conflict. the debate was taken place in May 23rd, 2019, in UN Headquarters in New York City. Beside that, we have series of side event and other meetings as well during this month, including consultation on Middle East issue.

Some of NYC and Jakarta team for this Open Debate

This Open Debate was an integrated part of main events under the Council Presidency of Indonesia in May 2019 with a particular theme of “Investing in Peace”. As you can see, we had our signature event on Peacekeeping in the beginning of May. We also had photo exhibition on Investing in Peace during our signature event.

The meeting was also convened to mark the 20th anniversary of the UN Security Council seizing the Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict as an item on its agenda and the 70th anniversary of the 1949 Geneva Conventions on international humanitarian law. It is indeed on of the important issues being discussed in the august Hall.

After the meeting..

The Open Debate was chaired by Minister Marsudi as the President of the Council in May 2019 and attended by around [80 UN member countries]. Among the prominent briefers are the UN Secretary-General who presented the annual report on PoC. President of ICRC, Peter Maurer, as well as CIVIC’s Executive Director, Federico Borello.

before the meeting..

The Report of the Secretary-General has identified numerous achievements during the last 20 years. Nevertheless, a lot of challenges in the protection of civilians recently are quite daunting. Numbers of civilian casualties from numerous conflicts in many corners of the world are steadily increasing. This is obviously a bleak picture for all of us.

In that context, Minister Marsudi urged international community to intensify their efforts in protecting civilians. “[We] must identify ways and means to make further progress in saving life. …We should focus on the people”, explained Minister Marsudi further.

Batik beautifully worn by my Minister and Ambassadors. Left to right: Permanent Representatives  of Indonesia, Poland, Indonesian Foreign Minister, and the Permanent Representatives of Russian Federation and South Africa.

This Open Debate reaffirms Indonesia’s support to strengthen international partnership in advancing the promotion of human rights, in particular civilians in armed conflict. Indonesia has been contributed through its active role in various international forum and technical assistance to various countries in the promotion of good governance issue.

During her speech in national capacity,  Minister Marsudi stressed the importance of community empowerment as the key element to strengthen national capacity in protecting civilians. It is important as members of the community are the first to  Participation from local community in the design and implementation of the civilians protection programs is needed to ensure that the tailor-made programs meet the needs of the affected communities.

In conclusions, the issue of protection of civilians in armed conflict is multidimensional in nature. In this regard, Minister Marsudi strongly suggested what further actions to take in countering those challenges. First, the need to strengthen national capacity of the State concerned. Second, the importance of ensuring effective implementation and compliance. And third, the importance of affirming women’s role and contribution as the agent of peace and security.

Again I was indeed very privileged  to be part of the team for the preparation and the conduct of this Open Debate. And may we all live in a better and more peaceful world. Amen.