After being majorly renovated in 2018 to welcome the participants of ASIAN GAMES 2018, I just managed to visit this velodrome. This facility has been revamped and now can accommodate way more athletes as well as providing more facilities. Walaupun ASIAN GAMES sudah selesai di tahun 2018, tapi aku baru sempat mampir ke sini belum lama ini. Kemana aja, Ndah, hehehe. Tapi tetap better late than never, right!
However, now the velodrome is closed unless for special event or occasion, but we can still enjoy its huge park and jogging track around the velodrome. So last weekend, my hubby and I went here to have our Sunday jogging and brisk walk. We walked from home and it took us around 20 minutes walking around and arriving here.
giant, colorful bike chain :)
When we arrived, there was a security officer who checked our temperature in the gate. Then he asked us to wash our hands in the designated areas. Happy to see that the health protocol is fully observed here. so I feel safe to be here and enjoy a little outdoorsy moment.
So, here are some photos I took in the surrounding areas. Enjoy!
Keep the distance...
The LRT station is right in front of the Velodrome
cheeers...
The lovely park you can use for jogging place
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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!
Allow me to extend my warmest greetings to all of you and I sincerely hope you all are well.
I am entering the third week of my national leadership program or PKN II, Pelatihan Kepemimpinan Nasional tingkat II and it has been quite rigorous yet enriching at the same time. I found some materials on personal mastery and strategic management interesting and pretty much applicable, especially during this unprecedented time of the pandemic. I learn more about taking control of my own self and lead others in friendlier, more effective and efficient way. I jotted down my weaknesses and my doubts, while at the same time noting my strength. We were reintroduced with many analytical tools that we are very much familiar with, like SWOT, SOAR, SCOPE, SCORE and Business Canvas as well as design thinking and try to implement them in various simulations in the class.
As we have offline class with strict health protocol, I have done 3 rapid test in the course of 10 day. Well, it was a lot but it is for the benefit of us all. And I am glad to know that none of the participants in the class were contracted with COVID - 19. Hopefully we will always be safe and sound.
Let's do the test..
I met many new friends as well, coming from different ministries and institutions, including provincial governments. They are fun to be with indeed, online and offline LOL. Of 60 participants, only 9 of them are women, so we are very proud to be part of the program and I believe we will have more and more women joining the program.
So, in the next 3 months, I will have the melange of office works and this training, I will have to work on the final project and wish me luck! Now, let's join me on Wonderful Wednesday with My Purple World, Oh My Heartsie Girls, and Friends. All those cool links are waiting for you!
Welcome back..
Welcome to OMHGWW
Cheers
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Although many of us have probably gone and visited Bali several times, there will always be new places and hidden beauty that we will discover.
The last visit to Bali we had was in December 2020. At that time, we also visited the area of Karangasem. One of the places I love to visit in this area is the Taman Ujung Palace in Karangasem.
I might have shared a few photos of this amazing palace of the Karangasem Kingdom, but I still have some more. Here they are...
How do you like the palace? Do you find it mesmerizing? Will you visit this palace as well?
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February is almost over and I am again embarking on a new journey and learning experience as I join the national leadership training here in Jakarta. We have this blended learning method, as the classical way offline classes was introduced, of course with the strict health protocol. Well, I have to admit I was excited but at the same time was cautious as well. Good thing that we have to check things out and with the antigen being conducted to each and everyone of us. Without this, we are not allowed to join the class. And looking at the agenda, I think we will be super busy studying and learning more, while at the same time expanding our network. Again, wish me luck!
On the other side, I have been visiting Lampung on our break. The four of us once again visit our beloved hometown and this time, we came back to Kota Agung, the city in Tanggamus regent where my hubby's family is originally from. Sadly, one of our older relatives passed away and we went there for his burial with health protocol. At one point, it is good to touch base with the big family from my hubby's side but then again is sad to see Datuk Loh, the last line from my hubby's grandma, passed away. Innalillahi wainnalillah rojiuun. Rest in peace, Datuk.
Well, life is indeed so full of surprises and we just need to embrace all those changes.
Anyway, join us on Wonderful Wednesday with My Purple World, Oh My Heartsie Girls and Friends. Ready to have fun with all those great links? Jump in!
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