Sky Earth Sea

Buffalo.. Buffalo.. Where are you??

2011-12-14T14:22:00.001+07:00

I can't remember the first time I saw the buffalo family, but I remember two things about them:

1. They were so close to home
2. The baby was still small (I mean 'small' in terms of a buffalo, of course)..

Well, I kept seeing them every now and then, and whenever the opportunities presented themselves to me, I tried to take pictures of them. The pictures never came out quite as expected, though.. :-(

Until the other day, when I was waiting for the public transport, and I saw the buffaloes were bathing in the river below the walking path. I decided to take pictures of them, and I was happy to find out that the pictures came out nice.

This time, the 'baby' buffalo was not small anymore, but I still love the sight of a buffalo family grazing and bathing so close to my home and I actually get to see them often! This is really something rare, for someone who is not living in a village around a paddy field..

It is really a nice feeling to know that a little piece of nature still exists around me.. :-)

Maybe.. just maybe.. next time, I can walk past the buffalo family while walking with my sons, and I can take their pictures together (my sons with the buffalo family).. :-)

I can't wait to take pictures of the buffalo family again.. :-P

WWF Indonesia Supporter Gathering

2011-11-15T13:52:00.000+07:00

"Great! Supporter Gathering!"

That was my thought when I received the email from WWF Indonesia last month. I missed last year's gathering because I just gave birth to my daughter. I didn't want to miss this year's gathering!

I knew straight away who I would like to ask to come with me to the gathering.. Mother and Mita (my husband's cousin who also loves nature and works in a conservation institution). As anyone can guess, they said 'YES' to my invitation without thinking twice.

To cut the long story short.. we left home at 5.30 in the morning, on that Sunday (13th of November 2011) to Ancol, the beach to the North of Jakarta. In normal time, it would take us 2 hours at the least to reach the place from where we live, which is in Depok (a city, further south from the Southern part of Jakarta).

We arrived at the Eco Park, Ancol, at 6.30, which we were very happy with. My husband and Aza came with us, although they didn't register for the gathering. They just wanted to spend the morning at the beach (and of course, help us taking pictures!)

Mother had warned us, "I love going to nature conservation events, but I don't think I can last to the end of the event. I'm not that young anymore, you know.."

I said to Mother, "Don't worry, Mother.. I'm sure the main part of it, which is the walk, will finish at around 8.30 and then, we can decide what we want to do after that."

Mother was relieved, but she made sure of one thing, "We have to make sure that we take great pictures, though!"

I looked at Mother with wide-opened eyes.. Mother and pictures.. and blogs.. .. then I burst into laughter, "Of course, Mother.. The pictures are first priority.."

Anyway..

As soon as we found the starting point of the walk, there were two hosts who were interviewing participants. The hosts quickly caught us while taking pictures near the Panda Mobile (the WWF educational minivan).

The hosts approached Mother to ask her what she liked the most about the event. Mita and I quickly stepped aside.. We perfectly knew what would happen next..

Mother, in a completely professional manner, answered the question, sincerely expressing her concerns about our environment and the nature world.

Then... she continued with introduction to her elderly group, 'Dahlia Senja' which is very active in promoting elderly care and clean-and-healthy environment..

After the welcoming speeches, the walk started. We had to go to four posts; Eco Art, Eco Energy, Eco Nature and Farm Learning. We had to complete challenges at each post to be awarded stamps, so that we can have our prize at the end of the walk.

We read the map to see where we were going. Another participant, a girl named Rahma, who came alone, joined us so that she would have friends with her during the walk.

Mita also met some friends of hers. As she works for a nature conservation institution, she knew people in WWF.

It is really nice that events like WWF Supporter Gathering, can bring people to know each other..

Our first destination was the Eco-Art post. We had to do challenges to receive six stamps at this post. There are WWF paper art and plastic recycle stands.

At the WWF paper art stand, we learned to make paper bracelet which we could take with us.

At the WWF plastic recycle stand, we had the bracelet throwing challenge. We had three chances. If we managed to throw one bracelet to hang on the photo hanger (a tree-looking one, without any photo frames on it), we would receive one plastic recycle bag..

Mita successfully won the challenge and received a bag.. Yay!

The rest of the stands were the guests participants invited by WWF; a recycle paper workshop, a tin art workshop and a recycle wood workshop.

Mother took her chance in painting a recycled tin, and she did a great job at it..

From the Eco-Art post, we continued to the Eco-Energy post. At this post, we were reminded about the importance of energy saving at home. We also learned about the Geo-Thermal energy in Indonesia, which we didn't know much about before.

Then, we had our special picture taken. This picture is special, because we were supposed to use it for the purpose of wide-spreading the idea of energy and nature conservation and clean environment. We were asked to upload this picture to tweeter or facebook with a note about WWF and environment.

From the Eco-Energy post, we kept walking to the Eco-Nature post. At this post, we visited the mini-gallery of pictures of Sentarum Natural Park, Kalimantan (Borneo), Indonesia. There were pictures and posters about the natural environment of the park and WWF programs undertaken there.

The following are the posters of the two WWF programs; the endangered species protection and the elephant flying squad and a picture of the Sentarum National Park, where the water is like a perfect mirror, when it projects the image of the environment on top of it.

At the Eco-Nature post, we had to do three challenges; the tiger walk (camera trap), the whisper and the tiger tail game.

The tiger tail game was no difference with the game we usually play at a child's birthday, it was mostly fun, because, we don't get to play it much once we are no longer a child..

I had lots of fun, trying to put the tiger tail on the right spot..

The whisper was also a game that we often play. The difference was, in this particular game, we learned that there are two types of orangutan in Indonesia; The Sumatran and The Bornean orangutans. Rahma, Mita and I played in this game, while Mother took pictures of us..

The unique game at this post, was the tiger walk game. In this game, the participant had to walk on two knees and two hands, like a tiger. The participant also wore a tiger hat. When the participant reached the point across the particular tree where a hidden camera is placed, he/she must look at the camera. This game gave us knowledge and an experience of working with a hidden camera for wild animals. This was so cool! (So cool that I kept forgetting that I wasn't supposed to be walking around the camera shooting range! Silly me!)

This time, Mita played as a tiger..

During the walk, I managed to take a picture of the pelicans inhabiting the lake at the Eco Park. They are just beautiful.

We also managed to take a picture with a giant Komodo statue. The komodo looked like a very smart elderly one. So, we thought, he should be admitted as a newest member of 'Dahlia Senja', and I think Mother approved..

The last post was the Farm Learning, which we honestly missed..

I didn't see the stamp spot on the map, and I didn't recognise the post when we walked past it. Our attention was distracted by the stage across from the post, which was going to be the final attraction of the event. The stage was still empty then, but it still caught our sights.

Mother was tired, so was Aza, who was back from his walk with his dad around the beach. We headed straight to the Panda Mobile. The WWF staff there didn't realise that we missed one stamp either. Therefore, we received our prizes, a foldable shopping bag for each of us..

Then, Mita offered to get our lunch (our tickets included lunches and we were allowed to have them, although it was only 9 a.m.)

I finally realised the missing stamp once we were already in the car going home. However, it was much too late to do anything about it.. I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to cheat..

We had our lunch in the car, on our way home. After that, we all felt really tired. Aza soon fell asleep. The rest of us, went straight to our beds as soon as we arrived home..

WWF Indonesia Supporter Gathering was a great event. We are definitely joining again next year..

See you next time..

Kaki Baru untuk Laba-Labaku..

2011-02-11T23:23:00.001+07:00

The same article with some adjustments in English - New Legs for My Spider

Sejak awal tahun 2011 ini, ada seekor laba-laba kecil yang membuat sarang di pilar teras depan rumah. Entah apa jenis laba-laba ini (kalau ada yang tahu, tolong dimuat di 'comment form' di bawah), tapi sarangnya sangat unik karena benang-benang di sebelah luar berbentuk jaring panjang ke atas, menempel pada pilar, sementara bagian tengahnya berbentuk kubah.

Laba-labanya sendiri juga terlihat unik. Delapan kakinya, sering terlihat seakan-akan hanya ada empat! Dua kaki depan kanan dalam posisi sejajar berdekatan, begitu juga dua kaki depan kiri, dua kaki belakang kanan dan dua kaki belakang kiri.

Karena cantiknya si laba-laba dan uniknya bentuk sarangnya, saya jadi tertarik untuk mengamatinya setiap hari. Anak-anak saya mulai menyebutnya 'laba-laba ibu' dan saya sendiri mulai merasa seperti memiliki hewan peliharaan, meskipun tentu saja, saya tidak pernah memberi makan laba-laba ini.. :-)

Suatu hari, waktu saya sedang memotret laba-laba itu, tiba-tiba saja ada serangga kecil tersangkut di sarangnya. Saya melompat terkejut karena gerakan laba-laba itu sangat cepat saat ia menangkap serangga kecil tadi. Saat itu, saya bisa melihat dengan jelas taringnya dan bagaimana ia menggunakan kaki-kakinya untuk menggulung si serangga di dalam benang yang ia keluarkan dari mulutnya.

Menakjubkan! Tapi, itu belum cerita selengkapnya..

Beberapa hari kemudian, setelah hujan deras semalaman, saya menemukan laba-laba saya hanya memiliki lima kaki! Awalnya saya tidak percaya pada apa yang saya lihat. Saya perhatikan selama beberapa menit untuk memastikan bahwa ketiga kaki yang tidak terlihat itu memang tidak ada, bukan hanya tersembunyi dari pandangan saya. Saya juga ingin memastikan bahwa laba-laba saya masih hidup.

Ah, dia memang masih hidup!

Tapi, bagaimana seekor laba-laba yang harus menggulung mangsanya dalam benang menggunakan kaki-kakinya bisa bertahan hidup tanpa tiga kaki? Saya juga tidak bisa membantunya menggulungkan mangsanya..

Sedihnya..

Suami saya dengan ringan berkata, "Ah, tenang saja! Kaki laba-laba kalau lepas, akan tumbuh kembali!"
Saya tidak menanggapi dengan serius. Mana mungkin bisa?! Tapi, niat suami saya ingin menghibur saya, jadi, yah sudahlah.. :-)

Keesokan harinya, saya merasa lega sekali, karena laba-laba saya yang hanya memiliki lima kaki, saya temukan sedang menggulung seekor lalat dengan kaki-kakinya yang masih ada. Gulungan benangnya memang tidak serapat waktu ia masih memiliki delapan kaki, tapi ia masih tetap berhasil melakukan pekerjaannya dengan baik!

Mengagumkan! Seekor laba-laba kecil tidak kehilangan semangat hidup meskipun telah kehilangan lima kaki!

Tiga hari sesudahnya, saya mendapatkan kejutan yang lebih mencengangkan lagi! Laba-laba saya memiliki delapan kaki! Ada tiga kaki berwarna putih hampir transparan di tempat ketiga kaki yang hilang. Kaki yang berwarna putih itu berukuran sedikit lebih kecil daripada kelima kaki yang lain. Di waktu yang bersamaan, ada seekor laba-laba (sepertinya laba-laba jantan) tergantung mati di sarang laba-laba saya, dengan hanya memiliki lima kaki!

Apakah laba-laba saya mengambil kaki laba-laba yang mati itu?

Suami saya berkata lagi, "Ya, mungkin saja dia mengambil kaki laba-laba lain, kalau dia punya cara untuk transplantasi! Tapi, kemungkinan yang lebih besar itu ya, kakinya tumbuh lagi!"

Saya tertawa, "Yang benar saja?!"

Suami saya menghela nafas sambil mengetikkan alamat wikianswer di komputer, "Nih baca sendiri!"

Dan sayapun tercengang.. suami saya tidak bercanda!

'Kaki laba-laba yang lepas dari badannya memang bisa tumbuh lagi selama si laba-laba tidak kehilangan terlalu banyak cairan. Kalaupun kakinya tidak tumbuh lagi, laba-laba masih punya kemungkinan hidup yang memadai dengan hanya empat atau lima kaki, paling tidak untuk sementara waktu.' (diterjemahkan dari wikianswer)

Saya merasa sangat lega...

Tiga hari kemudian, hujan kembali mengguyur semalaman. Pagi harinya, saya melihat laba-laba saya tidak ada di sarangnya. Hanya ada seekor laba-laba jantan dan bayi laba-laba yang sudah mulai agak besar.

Saat kaki laba-laba saya mulai tumbuh, memang saya merasa bahwa laba-laba saya terlihat lebih besar dari sebelumnya. Puncak kubah sarangnya seolah penuh dengan badan dan kakinya. Untuk hal yang satu ini, saya sudah tahu sejak lama, bahwa laba-laba akan meninggalkan sarangnya kalau sarang itu sudah terlalu kecil untuknya. Ia akan mencari lokasi lain untuk membuat sarang yang lebih besar.

Saya sedikit bertanya-tanya, apakah mungkin laba-laba saya tersapu hujan angin yang deras malam itu? Tapi, saya rasa tidak, karena laba-laba jantan muda dan bayi laba-laba saya (yang ukurannya jauh lebih kecil daripada laba-laba saya), masih bertahan dengan baik di sarang itu. Saya juga melihat di tanah di sekitar sarang laba-laba saya dan tidak terlihat ia dimanapun juga. Sayapun menyimpulkan, laba-laba saya masih ada dan baik-baik saja. Ia hanya sudah bertambah besar dan harus membangun sarang baru yang lebih besar di tempat lain.

Ah, hidup seekor laba-labapun penuh perjuangan..

Selamat jalan laba-labaku.. semoga kita bertemu lagi lain hari, tapi, jangan buat saya terkejut ya.. saya masih tetap takut pada keluargamu.. ;-)

Do This Right

2010-10-16T22:52:00.001+07:00

-16 October 2010-

Lomba Blog Depok - Top 10 -

2010-10-12T23:32:00.001+07:00

The same post in English

Saya gak sukses masuk TOP 10! Tapi, saya tidak kecewa, karena melalui lomba ini, saya telah bertemu banyak blogger hebat. Buat saya, ini lebih berarti daripada memenangkan lomba blog.. :-)

Tapi.. Ibu berhasil masuk ke TOP 10! Dan Ibu sedang mengumpulkan keluarga dan teman-teman untuk memberi 'vote' untuk artikel beliau yang dilombakan.. Tepatnya, SAYA mengumpulkan keluarga dan teman-teman untuk memberi 'vote' untuk Ibu.. ;-)

Jangan memberi 'vote' secara asal.. Intip dulu BLOG Ibu

lalu baca ARTIKEL yang masuk ke deretan TOP 10..

Kemudian, baru silakan VOTE untuk Ibu di website lomba.

Artikel Ibu dilombakan dalam kategori 'IBU RUMAH TANGGA' dan judul artikelnya adalah "B.H. Yess." Di daftar 'vote' tertulis seperti di bawah ini:

http://binmas.blogspot.com/2010/02/blog-post.html

Dengan memberi 'vote' pada artikel Ibu, kita tidak saja mendukung beliau untuk memenangkan lomba blog ini, tapi kita juga telah memberikan dukungan terhadap Posbindu (Pos Binaan Terpadu) 'Dahlia Senja.' Ibu selalu memposting kegiatan kelompok lansia ini di blog beliau.

Sejauh ini, blog Ibu telah mengundang perhatian dari pemerintah setempat dan organisasi yang berkaitan dengan program kesejahteraan warga lansia. Kunjungan kita di blog Ibu akan lebih meluaskan lagi minat masyarakat terhadap program kesejahteraan lansia dan diharapkan nantinya akan membawa masa depan baru dan lebih cerah bagi program kesejahteraan lansia di tanah air.

Selamat mem-voting!

Working with Junior High School Students (SMP)

2010-08-30T01:18:00.002+07:00

In my last post, I wrote about my experience in Junior High School (SMP -Sekolah Menengah Pertama-). The post was in Indonesian, but I believe anyone can guess the content of the post, which was about the difficulty in adjusting from child life in primary school to adolescent life in junior high school.

In this post, I would like to write a little about my experience working with Junior High School students, after I left school -in fact, after I graduated from the university.
Initially, I was back in my Junior High School because my sister had been sending me letters throughout my university study about how the Scouts and Guides Brigade in our school was going down the hill because of its lack of proficient instructors. Later, a girl who was one year below my sister -whom I had never met- was also telling me about how bad things were.

As soon as I graduated from the university and came home to Jakarta, a good friend of mine, and I decided to have a look for ourselves what all the fuss was about. It turned out that the school could not find an instructor to set out a good program for the Scouts and Guides Brigade. So, we decided to ask around.

In a couple of months, we finally found someone we thought we could work with. We decided to give it a try and the result was really good. My friend and I stayed on for a few years as a senior member of the club. Our main role was to accompany the students, especially when none of the teachers were available. The club instructors could ask us to be involved in the program as they saw fit.

Even though our role was never really formalized, it seemed that the students -club members- had the right idea of our presence in the club. They did not see us as authority, but they felt that they could tell us their viewpoints freely. In most cases, we successfully bridged the communication between the teachers/school, the instructors and the students.

My friend and I were only 24 years old at that time. The students saw us young enough to be their older brother and sister. They often told us what they felt was a worry for them, and we tried to discuss it with them.

The first person who often had discussions with us was the girl who told me about the club problems, Niken. She liked the club, but she felt that it was not enough for her curiosity and enthusiasm. She was a smart person, and she had her priorities in the right order. We decided that we should let her find the place she felt belong, and wow, she did try!

Niken started off joining various social communities concerned in youth problems, until finally, she found the one that she liked best, a young readers community which main goal was to gather used books to be donated to localities that lacks the presence of a library.

Niken finally decided to leave the Scouts and Guides Brigade. At first she felt guilty about it, and she was not sure why her parents were fine about it. We told her that she did not need to feel guilty. There are many ways to participate in increasing community welfare, and Scouts and Guides Brigade is not the only way. Everyone should look for a way that best suits them.

The next year, we had two girls who were very enthusiastic, Vie and Tricia. When they were both present, they could invite many others' curiosity to join the club. Other members always looked more eager and enthusiastic whenever these two girls were around.

After a few weeks, Vie and Tricia told us that they started to feel that their academic results were going down, and they were worried that their parents would ask them to leave the club. We cautiously asked them what they thought was the problem and what their parents thought so far.

Vie admitted that she often felt uninterested when it came to studying, while Tricia said that she didn't know how to approach some subjects. After talking to the girls for a bit, we decided that these girls were in the stage when they were feeling burdened by their study. Both Vie's and Tricia's parents wanted them to join a sports club, but the girls were worried sports club would make them more tired.

We encouraged Vie and Tricia to join a sports club before they decided to join an extra study class out of school. We told them that sports would balance their body and mind. We suggested them to try it for one semester. If it didn't work, they could quit it. They agreed to give it a try. Vie joined a self defense class, while Tricia joined a tennis club, both were out of school clubs.

In six months, there was a significant change in both Vie's and Tricia's development. They were both more confident. The best thing was, as they were physically fitter, they studied better too. Later, they started deciding which subjects, they needed to take extra classes on and what other side activities they wanted to do so that they could use their time effectively.

By the time they were in grade 9, Vie and Tricia did what my friend and I didn't think of doing during our years in Junior High School. They refused to leave the Scouts and Guides Brigades and their sports clubs. They simply explained to their teachers that it was the side activities that kept them functioning well and balanced. Then, when one time I could go on a camping trip, both girls said to me, "Don't you worry. We'll go in your place. We'll make sure these new kids are well taken care of on the trip."

These three girls I met, Niken, Vie and Tricia was clear proofs that Junior High School students CAN and DO grow faster than anyone could expect. Before you know it, they have transformed from a little primary school kid to a young responsible adult with just a little encouragement.

The best lesson I learned during my time working with Junior High School students was that I should always put the parents' advice under consideration. After all, parents are the people who know their children best. If the adolescents feel differently about their parents' choices for them, try to find the right time to talk to the parents about what their children think they want to do. Never try to come between parents and children because it will only create a problem we can never solve!

*Note: the names have been changed to protect confidentiality, but the story was true. The three girls, whose stories I wrote here are welcome to read this post and write comments anytime.. :-)

SMP.. Sebuah Awal..

2010-08-30T00:06:00.001+07:00

Yess.. lulus SD.. masuk SMP.. seragam putih-hijau.. (maklum aku sekolah di sekolah Islam, jadi seragam SMP-nya putih-hijau, bukan putih-biru).. Ciee, bukan anak kecil lagi nih, ceritanya..

Eits, minggu pertama masuk, langsung ketemu Penataran P4 dan Masa Orientasi, berkenalan dengan kakak-kakak kelas... Lohhh?? Kok kakak-kakak kelas ini pada galak-galak amat ya? Ortu di rumah aja kayaknya kalah galak deh??!!

Di akhir bulan pertama sekolah, memilih eks-kul sendiri.. wets, gaya! Kalo dulu pas SD pilihannya cuma antara Pramuka dan beberapa cabang olah raga, sekarang banyak pilihan lain.. hmm.. berhubung aku pengen banget ngerasain kemping.. yaaa, akhirnya pilih Pramuka lagi juga sih, hihihi...

Itu bagian yang 'agak' serunya..

Nah yang bikin puyengnya ada juga..

Soal pelajaran, mulai 'berkenalan' sama yang namanya SKS! Duh, amit-amit.. kenapa Matematika harus termasuk pelajaran yang SKS-nya gede sih?? Trus.. tiap pelajaran ada PR, ada ulangan dadakan, ada formatif, ada ulangan umum/semesteran, ada ulangan perbaikan, dll.. Ditambah lagi, percobaan di lab yang diambil nilainya..

Cangkok pohon gagal, nilai jelek.. Percobaan di lab gagal, nilai jelek.. Aduh mak! Perasaan udah ngikutin petunjuk di LKS (Lembar Kerja dan Soal), kok ya masih gagal juga? Nanya sama teman di kelas.. lah, pada ikut bingung.. kenapa hasilnya beda-beda, 'kan LKS-nya sama??!! Nah loh?

Waktu SD dulu, kayaknya tiap topik bisa dibahas sebulan penuh. Setelah di SMP, pertemuan pertama guru menerangkan, pertemuan kedua percobaan, pertemuan ketiga ulangan dadakan atau formatif. Kemudian, nilainya dicatat. Baca dari buku cetak dan catatan kadang-kadang rasanya masih tetap gak ngerti tapi udah harus siap untuk ulangan dadakan!

Untungnya, seminggu sekali ada eks-kul.. ketemu sama teman-teman yang tidak sekelas, ditambah kakak-kakak kelas yang punya hobi sama. Sambil latihan Pramuka, iseng-iseng tanya kanan-kiri, soal cangkok pohon, soal percobaan di lab.. ternyata, ada juga yang 'ngerti' dan bisa nerangin.. Eh, ada kakak kelas yang bersedia berbaik hati menemani waktu mengulang percobaan mencangkok.. Ah, lega juga..

Akhirnya, tiba juga waktunya kemping.. biasanya sekitar 2 minggu sebelum ulangan umum semesteran. Sibuklah seluruh anggota eks-kul mempersiapkan bawaan kemping. Apalagi pesan dari para pembina bunyinya, "Di perjalanan nanti, ada jalan yang tidak bisa dilalui bis/truk, jadi semua bawaan harus bisa kalian bawa sendiri!"

Sampai di lokasi kemping, bangun tenda rame-rame, gali parit dan mindahin barang-barang dari truk ke tenda. Setelah selesai masak dan makan malam, ngobrol-ngobrol dengan teman satu regu di dalam tenda. Ada yang panik nilai Matematika-nya jeblok, ada yang bingung sama Bahasa Inggris, ada yang pusing sama Fisika.. wah, ternyata aku bukan satu-satunya yang lagi panik menjelang ulangan umum!

Akhirnya, kita sepakat, setelah kemping mau ngumpul lagi dan belajar sama-sama..

Awalnya, bingung juga mau minta ijin sama ortu di rumah. Biasanya pergi kemana-mana selalu diantar, ini pergi sama teman-teman naik kendaraan umum. Tapi, ternyata dikasih ijin! Wow! Beda ternyata kalau sudah SMP! Pesan ortu di rumah cuma, "Kalau ternyata teman-teman batal, jangan paksakan pergi sendiri ya!"

Emang juga gak berani deh, pergi jauh-jauh sendiri.. hihihi...

Dua minggu penuh, kita belajar sama-sama, sekalian keliling dari rumah satu anggota regu ke yang lain. Seru juga. Belajar selesai, sekaligus lulus materi mengenal alam sekitar dari pembina Pramuka, karena 'berkelana' ke rumah-rumah teman membuat kita jadi mengerti rute bis kota ke berbagai area di Jakarta.

Setelah ulangan umum selesai, eh, ternyata jadi kangen main rame-rame lagi. Akhirnya, janjian ke rumah salah seorang teman, untuk mengisi liburan. Di sana, kita rame-rame dengerin musik, baca majalah dan.. masak rame-rame.. coba-coba menu sederhana untuk kemping berikut..

Ternyata seru. Apalagi, setelah itu, diakui lulus materi memasak sehat dari pembina Pramuka! Waktu itu rasanya keren banget!

Tidak terasa, tiba-tiba saja, sudah masuk semester 2 kelas 3 SMP. Eks-kul sudah harus ditinggalkan. Masing-masing siswa mulai mencari-cari les pelajaran untuk latihan soal-soal EBTA dan EBTANAS. Aku dan teman-teman satu regu Pramuka tidak bisa masuk les yang sama karena lokasi rumahnya berbeda-beda dan lumayan berjauhan, juga pelajaran yang harus 'diasah' berbeda-beda.

Mulailah 'memaksakan' diri untuk bergerak sendiri sesuai dengan kebutuhan pelajaran masing-masing dan lokasi les yang dekat dari rumah.

Itulah masa SMP yang aku ingat.. belajar untuk masuk ke lingkungan baru, mengenal orang-orang baru, membawa diri di hadapan orang-orang lain. Selain itu juga belajar untuk bisa meminta bantuan dari orang lain dan mencari penyelesaian untuk masalah yang kita hadapi.

Dalam tulisan ini, mungkin terasa sederhana, tapi, seluruh perasaan, emosi dan pikiran yang kalut pada saat itu, adalah sesuatu yang terasa berat dan menakutkan! Sedikit saja ekspresi atau kata-kata dari guru atau orang tua yang kurang mengena di hati kita, bisa membuat semangat jadi buyar gak karuan..

Perubahan dari masa kanak-kanak di SD, menjadi seorang remaja di SMP bukanlah sesuatu yang bisa dilalui dengan mudah. Ada yang sukses di akademis tapi harus 'berjuang' di urusan sosial. Ada juga yang sukses di bidang sosial, tapi akademisnya mengalami penurunan dibandingkan waktu SD.

Salah 'terapi' dari pihak guru atau orang tua bisa-bisa membuat si remaja, bukannya merasa lebih nyaman, tapi malah merasa tambah terbebani. Begitu nilai akademisnya jeblok, orang tua langsung mendaftarkan si remaja ke les pelajaran dari sejak kelas 1 SMP. Trus, demi mengejar hobi, si remaja harus juga ikut kursus ini dan itu. Hari-hari penuh perjuangan dan hampir tanpa istirahat..

Sesungguhnya, dinamika perkembangan remaja saat memasuki masa SMP hanyalah suatu proses. Guru dan orang tua sebaiknya jangan panik menghadapi tantangan remaja SMP. Perhatikan dulu apa yang sebenarnya yang jadi masalah dan diskusikan pilihan solusinya dengan si remaja. Fisik, pikiran dan emosi remaja SMP berkembang secara unik untuk masing-masing orang. Ada yang emosinya lebih cepat stabil dibanding fisik dan pikirannya, ada yang pikirannya lebih cepat, ada yang fisiknya lebih cepat. Penurunan nilai akademis bisa jadi hanyalah sesuatu yang sementara sifatnya, begitu juga sifat minder di pergaulan.

Memaksa remaja SMP untuk langsung mengejar akademis sejak dari semester 1 kelas 1 SMP kemungkinan besar tidak akan membantu banyak perkembangannya secara keseluruhan karena mungkin akar permasalahannya bukan di situ. Tapi, terlalu lama mengobservasi dan menunggu juga bisa-bisa membuat masalah jadi berlarut-larut.

Masa SMP adalah awal dari proses menuju dewasa. Perubahan yang terbesar adalah kalau waktu SD seorang anak masih senang diatur orang tuanya, setelah masuk SMP, dia mulai merasa 'tersinggung' kalau apa-apa selalu diatur. Yang paling diperlukan oleh remaja SMP adalah kemampuan untuk mengenali diri sendiri dan konsep prioritas. Saat si remaja sudah bisa melihat kelebihan dan kekurangan dirinya, dia akan bisa menentukan skala prioritas pribadinya dengan lebih tepat. Setelah itu, barulah si remaja bisa diperkenalkan dengan pilihan-pilihan untuk membantunya mencari solusi bagi hal-hal yang dianggapnya sebagai masalah atau tantangan.

Pendekatan yang tepat dari pihak keluarga dan sekolah bisa membuat remaja SMP merasa lebih nyaman dalam melalui proses pendewasaan dirinya dan lebih menghargai dirinya. Pada akhirnya, rasa nyaman dan menghargai diri sendiri akan membuat seorang remaja terpacu untuk maju dan segan untuk melakukan hal-hal yang bisa merusak dirinya sendiri.

Indri Lemur

2010-08-28T10:54:00.002+07:00

Years ago, I learned that there was a species of lemur that was called 'indri' .. I just remember again and I decided to look for it in youtube..

I FOUND IT!! And it looks so cute..

I showed this video to Ariq. He said that the lemur is cute, but the singing was scary.. :-)

What do you think?

Nature's Teaching

2010-03-10T12:47:00.001+07:00

The wind blows..
Waking the world of nature..
It is time to spread the seeds of new life..
Mundane.. simple.. yet important..

The bee buzzes..
Calling its kind..
It is time to nurture the seeds of new life..
Natural.. unnoticed.. yet real..

The rain falls..
Paying a visit to earth ground..
It is time to grow the seeds of new life..
Repetitious.. basic.. yet strong..

The way the world speaks to us and teaches us is..
Mundane.. natural.. repetitious..
Simple.. unnoticed.. basic..
That we often take them for granted..

When we search behind the modesty..
We will find meanings that are..
Important.. real.. and strong..
Lessons that we can never live without..

-10 March 2010-

Human Senses

2009-09-10T10:03:00.000+07:00

Human senses are really amazing..

The first time I realised this was the first time I went on a night-time hiking as a part of beginner Search and Rescue training. I was still in junior high school at that time.

I think I have once wrote about my first hiking experience when I slipped down a hill. That happened during the day. The next hike, the instructor planned the trip so that we did the uphill walk during night time.

At first we were a little scared (of course), but after a while, somehow we became much calmer. The cool temperature was obviously a good thing, but the biggest help was something that we did not expect before we started the hike, less eye-sight!

The morning after the hike, the instructor showed us the path that we had walked on during the night, and we all gasped! It was much narrower than the path where I fell down about half a year ago from that day.. We could not see the path clearly during the night, so our measurement of the path size was mainly based on the grass grew along its sides.. the rest of our concentration was put to watching where our friends were, and what we could hear around us.

Our eyes provides us with such high clarity of vision that often our eye-sight override our other senses, and our brain reacts primarily on the images and impressions created by our vision. When we see something that looks uncomfortable, our eyes will send warning that the thing that we see is dangerous and we get scared.

When we use less of our eye-sight, our other senses work harder to compensate. The result is better mix of judgment as a result of a complete mix of senses work. Every thing (including fear) becomes more balanced.

I experienced this again last night, after an event in Ariq's school (Fast Breaking) from 4 pm to 7 pm. We decided to ride to school so that we didn't have to walk back home.

The road from our home to Ariq's school is always very bad with a lot of loose stones, much like mountain paths. I'm always a little tensed riding around the area, afraid I will lose balance and get thrown off the bike.

Last night, it was different. While I was riding in the dark, I could only see clearly the width of the road and rough glimpses of the holes on it. Ariq was leading and trying to find the most comfortable route (less uphill road) and he did well.

I was a little tensed starting from Ariq's school, thinking it would be very challenging to ride in the dark, while I often worried during the day.. However, it turned out that not being able to see the holes on the road in full was a great advantage. I concentrated fully on balancing myself on the bike and I could hear approaching motorbikes and cars (from behind) so much better. So, I found myself riding more comfortably.

My ride last night turned out to be the least bumpy I ever had, despite the fact the road was the one I often travelled on (and worried about) during the day.. :-)

Our eye-sight is probably the strongest sense out of all human senses, but when we use a little less of it, the teamwork of other senses can give us a better and more balanced approach in achieving our objectives..

Rela berkorban..

2009-09-03T11:41:00.009+07:00

Kata-kata yang sering kita dengar tapi kedalaman maknanya tidak bisa disamakan untuk tiap manusia.

Berkorban gak pake mobil demi adik yang mau pergi? Berkorban jarang ketemu teman-teman demi mengurus anak dan rumah? Berkorban mengalah pada keinginan teman?

Di bawah ini, ada sebuah cerita tentang sebuah pengorbanan yang tidak direncanakan, bahkan tidak pernah dibayangkan oleh si pahlawan bahwa yang ia lakukan itu akan pernah ia lakukan dalam hidupnya dengan begitu ringannya.

Seorang siswa SMP yang juga pemain basket sekolah (calon pemain klub dan nasional), suatu hari dihadapkan pada situasi di mana ada seorang siswi bersenjata api naik ke bus yang sedang siswa tadi bersama adik-adiknya.

Tanpa ragu, siswa pemain basket tadi, mengalihkan perhatian siswi bersenjata itu agar tetap mengarahkan senjatanya ke arahnya, agar tidak sampai terarah ke penumpang lain. Siswa itu juga berharap, kalau sampai senjata itu ditembakkan, maka biarlah senjata itu tertembak ke dia saja, tidak ke orang lain.

Pada akhirnya, saat perhatian si siswi bersenjata itu terpecah, siswa tadi berhasil menubruk dan menjatuhkan siswi itu ke lantai bus dan merebut senjatanya. Kemudian siswa itu keluar dari bus dan menyerahkan senjata pada polisi yang sudah bersiaga di luar bus.

Saat diwawancara, siswa itu hanya berkata bahwa dia melakukan semua itu hanya karena khawatir akan ada penumpang lain atau adik-adiknya yang terluka.

Inilah satu bentuk dari sikap rela berkorban yang tidak mudah kita temui di sekitar kita sekarang ini, dan perlu kita tanyakan pada diri kita sendiri, seandainya situasi yang mirip seperti ini terjadi pada kita atau di depan kita, sudahkah jiwa kita tergetar untuk melakukan sesuatu untuk rela mengorbankan diri dengan cara yang serupa demi keselamatan orang-orang di sekeliling kita?

(sumber dalam Bahasa Inggris/source in English)

--

Hujan..

2009-08-27T16:22:00.004+07:00

Hujan selalu memberikan kesan tersendiri yang istimewa.. mungkin karena hampir setiap kali aku kemping, selalu ada hujan deras..

Hujan deras memang bikin semua yang sedang kemping basah kuyup, tapi di saat yang sama, hujan deras juga memberi rasa segar dan ceria (bayangin aja anak-anak kecil yang pada main hujan)..

Banyak kenanganku tentang hujan di waktu kemping, tapi yang paling aku ingat itu waktu pertama kali kemping jauh dari rumah, ke kaki Gunung Salak, waktu kelas 1 SMP.

Dari tempat berhenti kendaraan, masih harus melewati turunan yang terjalnya hampir 90 derajat! (tidak ada yang mengukur, tapi rasanya seperti itu).. dan berhubung hujan, licinnya minta ampun..

Truk (seperti angkutan tentara) yang aku naiki sempat nyasar, jadi teman-teman yang di truk pertama sudah tiba lebih dulu.. dan waktu aku dan teman-teman yang di truk kedua tiba di lokasi, hujan sudah sangat deras dan kami tidak bisa langsung turun ke area perkemahan. Selama menunggu, kami berteduh di dua bedeng yang ada di dekat jalan setapak terjal menuju ke area perkemahan.

Saat menunggu dan berteduh, salah satu temanku sempat berkata, "Kompor dan alat masak kita ada di truk 1. Mudah-mudahan, yang sudah tiba di bawah kepikiran kita basah kehujanan dan sudah masak air panas.."

Aku dan teman-teman yang lain mengangguk-angguk, karena kita juga berpikiran sama.

Akhirnya, hujan pun reda dan kami bisa mulai bergerak turun. Satu persatu kami berjalan menuruni jalan setapak terjal, sambil membawa barang bawaan yang cukup berat (ransel, sebagian dus makanan, dst.). Dan akhirnya, kami sampai di area perkemahan.

Saat kami mendekati lokasi tenda regu kami, kami disambut teman-teman yang sudah lebih dulu tiba. Lalu, temanku yang di atas tadi berharap mereka sudah masak air bertanya, "Sudah sempat masak air belum? Basah kuyup nih! Dingin.."

Teman-teman yang menyambut kami pun menghela nafas, "Jangankan masak air! Kalian masih beruntung, waktu hujan masih di atas ada bedeng untuk berteduh.. Yang sudah terlanjur turun ke bawah waktu hujan masih deras, tidak bisa berteduh dan tidak bisa mendirikan tenda juga, karena angin sangat kencang!"

Akhirnya kami tertawa bersama-sama karena tenda yang hangat dan nyaman ternyata masih tetap hanya dalam bayangan kami semua..

Lalu, kami pun membagi tugas seperti biasa, sebagian mendirikan tenda, dan sebagian lagi memasak air dan mie instan..

Indahnya hujan..
Indahnya alam..
Indahnya persahabatan..

New Posters (Penulis Baru)

2009-05-19T22:00:00.002+07:00

Hi Everyone..

I have sent two more invites to people who are very knowledgeable and highly skilled in scouting and outdoor activities. I hope they will join me in writing for this blog. Most likely, the new authors will post in Indonesian and I will translate their posts to English. That way, we can all benefit from the contents of this blog.

Go Nature!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Salam..

Saya sudah mengirimkan dua undangan lagi kepada orang-orang yang berpengetahuan luas dan sangat terlatih dalam bidang kegiatan luar ruang. Saya sangat berharap orang-orang ini dapat bergabung bersama saya dalam menyumbangkan tulisan di blog ini. Kemungkinan besar, kedua penulis baru ini, akan menulis dalam bahasa Indonesia dan saya akan menerjemahkan tulisan mereka ke dalam bahasa Inggris. Dengan demikian, semua pembaca dapat mengambil manfaat dari isi blog ini.

Hidup Alam!

Throughout The Night

2009-03-25T00:56:00.000+07:00

The softly blowing wind..

Whispers quiet lullaby into my ears

The fast-rhythm cricket sound..

Drowns me into images of the untouched corner of the forest

The sudden noises from passing by nocturnes..

Alerts me that living beings are alive out there

Then the wind stops whispering..

And the crickets stop singing..

And the nocturnes conclude their hunting episode..

The bright twinkle of the stars..

Send me greetings through the clear night sky

The silvery light of the moon..

Reminds me of fairy tales, knights and princesses

The silence of the night..

Hypnotises me into a pleasant dream

Then the stars are hiding..

And the moon is setting..

And the dream finally comes to an end..

-25 March 2009-

Adventure in Bali..

2009-03-18T21:02:00.001+07:00

For anyone who wants to try unique adventures in Bali.. you might try this one..

http://www.balioutboundandfarmstay.com/

Don't miss out on Bali's unique experience.. :-)

Jadi.. Tadi Malam Itu Siapa???

2008-11-13T14:54:00.001+07:00

Di antara bunyi jangkrik dan burung hantu, Dewo mengerutkan kening, berusaha menajamkan pendengarannya. Untuk sejenak pemuda itu menengok kanan-kiri berusaha untuk memastikan arah suara yang baru saja didengarnya.

Setelah beberapa saat berlalu, dan tidak terdengar apapun selain suara satwa malam, Dewo-pun menghela nafas sambil menggelengkan kepala. Ia berbisik pada dirinya sendiri, “Gak mungkinlah Riska keluyuran malam-malam begini!”

Dewo-pun kembali berkonsentrasi pada kegiatan yang sebelumnya sedang ia kerjakan di tengah semak, di balik batu besar ini.. melegakan perutnya setelah makan malam tadi.

Baru saja Dewo bangun dari berjongkok, ia langsung beradu tatap dengan seraut wajah di hadapannya, Riska.

“WAA!! RISKA!! Ngapain sih lo?! Mau bikin gue pingsan?!” Dewo mengomel, antara terkejut dan sedikit jengah karena ia belum sepenuhnya merapikan celana jeansnya. Bergegas ia menarik retsleting dan beranjak keluar dari semak.

Riska hanya terdiam memperhatikan Dewo yang panik dan salah tingkah.

“Ris! Lo ngapain di sini? Mana Echa? Orang kemping, apalagi cewek, gak boleh keluyuran sendirian! Buang air juga harus ada temennya! Lo kan tau itu, Ris!”

Riska menjawab tenang, “Kan elo juga lagi di sini..”

Dewo mengerutkan kening, “Lo gak sakit kan, Ris? Masa’ lo buang air, gue yang nemenin?”

Lagi-lagi Riska menjawab tenang dan datar, “Yang lain lagi pules banget. Kasihan kalo dibangunin.”

Dewo menghela nafas. Penjelasan Riska ada benarnya juga. Dewo-pun mengalah, toh ia bukan cowok iseng, “Ya udah sana! Gue tungguin di sini. Kalo perlu gue, panggil aja!”

Riska mengangguk pelan, “Thanks.”

Dewo memperhatikan Riska yang melangkah memasuki semak. Ada sesuatu yang aneh, tapi Dewo tak mengerti apa tepatnya. Dewo merasa Riska terlihat sangat tenang, jauh berbeda dari keseharian gadis itu yang selalu lincah dan ceriwis, terlebih lagi, Riska tidak terlihat seperti orang yang menahan sakit perut karena ingin buang air.

“Ris.. Riska! Udah belum? Udah ¼ jam.. Lo gak kenapa-kenapa kan?”

“Sebentar.. udah mau selesai..” Kembali suara Riska terdengar tenang menjawab.

Tak sampai 3 detik kemudian, Dewo kembali tersentak mendengar suara Riska, tepat di hadapannya, “Udah, Wo. Ayo balik!”

Dewo memicingkan matanya menatap semak-semak di belakang Riska. Tadi ia bisa melihat dengan jelas Riska melangkah memasuki semak, tapi kenapa ia sama sekali tidak melihat Riska melangkah keluar dari semak dan berjalan ke arahnya? Begitu bertambah gelapnyakah malam, hingga suasana tak lagi tertangkap jelas oleh matanya?

Dewo menggelengkan kepalanya dengan cepat, berusaha mengusir berbagai kelebat teori aneh yang melintas di kepalanya. Ia menatap Riska selintas lalu memberi isyarat pada Riska untuk mulai berjalan menuju area perkemahan.

Tiba di perkemahan, Riska langsung duduk di dekat api unggun.

Dewo sedikit heran melihat Riska, “Gak balik ke tenda? Masih jauh ke pagi, Ris! Mendingan tidur lagi!”

Riska menggeleng, “Pengen duduk di sini.”

Dewo tak sampai hati membiarkan Riska duduk sendirian di luar tenda pada tengah malam seperti ini. Mungkin saja apa pikiran yang mengganggu gadis itu, “Kenapa lo, Ris? Cerita, Ris.. Siapa tau gue bisa bantu.”

Riska tersenyum, “Besok lo balik kan?”

Dewo menggaruk kepalanya yang tidak gatal, “Lo nanya seperti gue doang yang balik! Lo kan juga besok balik, Ris!”

Riska tersenyum, “Setiap kali di sini rame, gue seneng.. Biarpun cuma 1-2 hari, tapi, gue gak ngerasa kesepian.”

Dewo menatap Riska bingung, “Setiap?? Emangnya udah berapa kali lo ke sini, Ris? Perasaan gue, sebelum berangkat kemarin, lo tanya-tanya ke gue arah jalan ke sini! Gue kira ini pertama kalinya lo ke sini.”

Riska hanya terdiam menatap api unggun sambil tersenyum tipis. Wajahnya tampak menerawang.

Dewo ikut menatap api unggun untuk sejenak, lalu menoleh pada Riska, “Ris, lo bener gak sakit kan? Gak demam? Gak kedinginan?”

Riska menggeleng sambil terus menatap api unggun. Kemudian gadis itu mulai bertutur, “Banyak sebenarnya orang yang sering datang ke sini. Tapi, gak semuanya punya niat baik. Kalo lo dan teman-teman lo, sejak pertama kali ke sini selalu rajin ngumpulin sampah, nanam bibit pohon, bikin bazaar amal untuk penduduk sekitar.. tempat ini jadi rapi.. gue senang.”

Dewo menghela nafas, “Ah, lo kebanyakan dengerin omongan anak-anak, Ris! Ini kan pertama kalinya lo ke sini, baru kali ini lo lihat kegiatan kita-kita di sini.. Dulu-dulu suka ada juga yang bandel-bandel kok, tapi mereka langsung kena penalti dari Echa dan Lukman!”

Riska tersenyum, “Kelakuan anak-anak yang dihukum sama Echa dan Lukman itu gak seberapa. Gue bahkan gak terlalu tertarik untuk menghukum mereka. Nebang ranting pohon untuk kayu bakar, ngebendung sungai selama perkemahan biar bisa makan ikan.. itu gak terlalu bikin masalah. Kelompok lain banyak yang bikin masalah lebih besar, tapi bukan Echa dan Lukman yang menghukum mereka!”

Lagi-lagi Dewo menatap Riska dengan kening berkerut. Omongan gadis ini benar-benar aneh, walaupun ia tidak terlihat sakit. Entah siapa yang dimaksud oleh Riska sebagai orang-orang yang membuat masalah besar di tempat ini, dan siapa yang menghukum mereka, Dewo benar-benar tidak mengerti. Dari mana Riska tau tentang semua ini, Dewo lebih tidak mengerti. Pemuda itu tak tau harus menjawab apa pada Riska, atas kata-kata gadis itu tadi, maka ia hanya terdiam saja menatap api unggun.

Dalam keheningan itu, tiba-tiba saja ada yang menepuk bahunya dari belakang. Saat Dewo menoleh untuk melihat, wajahnya langsung berubah pucat pasi, menyadari siapa yang berdiri menatapnya, Riska dan Echa!

Dewo langsung menatap ke arah dimana Riska tadi duduk saat berbincang dengannya sambil menatap api unggun, tidak ada siapa-siapa di situ. Dewo langsung kembali menatap Riska dan Echa dengan mata terbelalak dan hati berdebar kencang yang membuat pemuda itu tak dapat berkata-kata untuk beberapa saat.

Riska dan Echa menatap Dewo keheranan. Riska meringis tipis sambil memegangi perutnya.

“Lo kenapa, Wo? Ngapain lo malam-malam begini duduk di depan api unggun sendirian?” Echa bertanya dengan kening berkerut.

Tergagap Dewo menjawab, “Lo berdua ngapain keluyuran di luar tenda?”

Echa menunjuk Riska yang masih meringis, “Nih, si Riska sakit perut! Untung juga lo belum tidur. Temenin gue nungguin Riska ya, Wo!”

Dewo mengangguk sedikit kaku. Kemudian, pemuda itu berjalan mengikuti langkah Echa dan Riska ke arah semak-semak tak jauh dari situ.

Keesokan paginya, Dewo duduk bersama Echa, Riska dan Lukman saat menyantap sarapan. Echa dan Riska terkekeh setelah Dewo selesa bercerita.

“Jadi, lo semalam diajak kenalan sama cewek asli sini yang wajahnya persis sama Riska?” Echa bertanya di antara tawanya.

Dewo sedikit bergidik mengingat alur kejadian yang dialaminya semalam. Dengan segan ia mengangguk-angguk.

“Trus, gue.. eh cewek itu, cerita apa aja sama lo, Wo? Dia tau rahasia gue gak?” Riska bertanya sambil cengar-cengir.

Dewo segera menelan makanan yang sedang berada di mulutnya, “Nggak, Ris.. Nggak! Dia cuma bilang kalo kelompok kita ini gak bikin masalah di sini dan malah bikin area sekitar sini lebih rapi.”

Echa dan Riska mengangguk-angguk, “Oooo... gitu. Kalo begitu, mungkin dia pengen kenalan aja kali, Wo.”

Dewo mengangkat bahu, “Iya, kali..”

Riska bertanya lagi, untuk mengganggu Dewo, “Trus, kalo lain kali dia ngajak lo ngobrol lagi gimana, Wo? Lo kan hobi banget ke sini.”

Dewo menghela nafas panjang, “Kalo di antara lo nemuin gue pingsan di tengah semak, bawa gue balik ke tenda aja deh!”

Lukman terkekeh melihat ekspresi pasrah Dewo, “Dewo.. Dewo! Ada-ada aja lo! Bertahun-tahun naik gunung, kemping.. baru sekarang diajak kenalan sama warga lokal.”

Dewo hanya bisa melengos salah tingkah sambil berjalan ke arah tendanya untuk membereskan barang-barangnya dan bersiap-siap untuk pulang siang hari itu.

Siangnya, setelah seluruh anggota perkemahan dan barang-barang mereka sudah berada di bis, Dewo menebarkan pandangannya ke sekeliling area perkemahan yang sudah kembali bersih dan rapi seperti pada saat mereka tiba di tempat itu tiga hari yang lalu.

Dalam keheningan suasana, Dewo merasakan angin semilir melintas menerpanya dan ia seolah merasakan ada seseorang berdiri di dekatnya, diikuti dengan bulu kuduk Dewo yang sedikit meremang.

Sesaat kemudian, terdengar kembali suara tenang dan datar yang ia dengar semalam, suara gadis yang wajahnya persis dengan Riska, “Terima kasih, Dewo, kamu sudah mau menemani aku tadi malam. Jangan takut kalau lain kali kamu ke sini, kamu ketemu aku lagi. Aku hanya ingin ngobrol dan aku senang ngobrol dengan kamu.”

Dewo tak tau mau menjawab apa, ia hanya dapat memberanikan diri untuk menoleh ke sampingnya, tapi tak ada siapa-siapa di situ. Kemudian ia membalikkan badan dan mulai berjalan ke arah bis.

Sambil berjalan, Dewo menyempatkan menoleh sejenak ke belakang, ke arah pepohonan dan semak-semak yang rimbun berada. Bulu kuduk Dewo kembali meremang saat ia menangkap sesosok gadis seperti bayangan hampir transparan berdiri di antara semak-semak sambil tersenyum menatapnya.

Jantung Dewo seolah berhenti berdetak untuk sedetik, namun ia segera tersadar dan balas tersenyum sambil melambai singkat pada sesosok bayangan transparan itu. Dalam hatinya ia berbisik pada dirinya sendiri, “Dia hanya ingin berkomunikasi dan ini rumahnya. Gue harus sopan.”

Setelah itu, rasa dingin dan merinding di tengkuk Dewo-pun perlahan menghilang dan Dewo-pun masuk ke dalam bis dengan tenang. Hanya tinggal satu pertanyaan tersisa di dalam hatinya yang entah kapan bisa ia dapatkan jawabannya, “Jadi, siapa sebenarnya gadis yang mirip dengan Riska tadi malam itu?”...

-08 Nov 2008-

With The Rain

2008-11-05T12:41:00.001+07:00

I want to fall from the sky with the rain..

To cleanse the air

To refresh the leaves

To soften the soil

I want to flow on earth with the rain..

To give hope to drying rivers

To renew diminishing forests

To preserve the survivals of the oceans

I want to be strong with the rain..

To balance the dryness of hardships

To withstand the thunders of life

To cool down the heat of the world

I want to be one with the rain..

To accompany fallen tears

To soothe aching wounds

To cast a rainbow to a cloudy hope

-05 November 2008-

Listen to The Wind

2008-10-23T22:40:00.000+07:00

Listen to the wind..
It will tell you what I feel
It will whisper to you my story
The journey of my heart learning to feel

Listen to the wind..
You will hear it brushing the leaves on the trees
You will hear it blowing musical tune around the rocks
A song about all changes in this world that are not in history books

Listen to the wind..
Soft as it touches the gentle leaves
Firm as it creates sea waves
Strong as it throws storms in protest to human for lack of care

Listen to the wind..
It will tell you how it feels
It will whisper to you its story
A lifetime journey of blowing senses into humans' heart and mind

-22 October 2008-

From Sunset to Sunrise

2008-09-21T20:59:00.008+07:00

Pheewww... Can’t believe I made it!! The 6-hour hike to the top of this mountain was a real challenge, especially because I decided to hang out with the guys after work last night, before departing. For a moment back there, I thought I was about to give up and just walk back down.

It was drizzling, at dawn, when I started my walk, which made the ground very, very wet, and in many places, were covered with fresh leaves and small tree branches that fell during the rain.

I kind of wishing that I had postponed this hike, but I knew very well that I had to do it now. Rainy season is already starting, and in a few weeks, rain will fall more often and harder. By then, the sun will surely set and rise behind a veil of cloud and mist, which means, I will lose my chance of recording the sunset and sunrise for my short film project.

My determination was paid off, though, I arrived around lunch time. I’ll quickly set up my tent now and then, start cooking a big meal. I am exhausted. I will eat a big meal now, and have a few hours sleep before sunset. Later in the evening, I can just have some snack or light meal while recording.

Hmmm.. Nice! I’m full and I can feel my eyes are getting heavier. It’s 2 o’clock in the afternoon, I can have a few hours sleep before the sun actually sets. Should I get my equipment ready? Yes, I think I should.

Alright.. my recording equipment is ready. My eyes are really, really heavy now.. My tent feels really, really warm and comfy.. It’s really time tooo.. Zzzzz..zzzz...

The big cricket: What is that giant, strange turtle doing here?

The owl: Ow, cricket! That is not a strange turtle. That is a dome-tent. It’s a human’s nest.

The big cricket: It’s a funny-looking nest. Hey! What is the little monkey doing? He just came out of the dome-tent!

The little monkey: The human inside the dome-tent has a thing that can make a moving picture of us. I saw other humans using it before.

The big cricket: Is he planning on making a moving picture of us?

The little monkey: He must be! Humans like to watch monkeys play, owl catching a prey and crickets rubbing their legs to make sounds. They make the moving picture and then they watch it again, and again, and again. I don’t know why they don’t just live here with us, if they like watching us so much??

The big cricket: If he is going to make a moving picture of us, then, why don’t we save him the trouble? Why don’t we just gather here, so that he can watch us all at the same time? Owl, why don’t you call the others! I’m sure all of us want to be in the moving picture!

The owl: Coockeroo.. Coockeroo.. To all night creatures of this forest mountain.. Let us all gather around for this rare opportunity. A human has come to make a moving picture of us.

The frog: Alright, Owl! I’ve come to answer to your call, but where is the human? I don’t want to be away from the water too long..

The snake: Same here.. I want to go back into my hiding as soon as possible, before the Eagle sees me.

The eagle: What is happening? I’m hungry! If the human doesn’t show up soon, I will have to continue hunting before the sun rises. I don’t have much luck hunting in the broad daylight!

The Leopard: Same here! And I’m starving!

The big cricket: Maybe we should try to wake him up? I can try to make louder sounds with my legs..

The owl: I’ll help.. I can sing louder too..

The frog: I’ll help too..

The snake: I can help tickle his feet, but if he sees me and panics, he can hit me and kill me!

The leopard: Same here! If I, as much as, go inside his tent and try to wake him up, he will think I want to eat him! He will turn me into his meal instead!

The little monkey: Human never hits or kills any monkey who comes into their tents. I will go inside again, and see if I can wake him up and get him to take the moving picture..

Hoooaaaahhhmmmm... What a nice sleep.. I feel refreshed now. I should be ready to wait for the sunset tonight. What time is is? Where is my watch? .. Ahh.. here it is.. let me see..

WHAAATTTT????? 7 O’CLOCK IN THE MORNING???? I SLEPT THROUGH THE NIGHT??? HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN???

The little monkey: screeching fast (I tried to tell you all night, you silly thing! I tried to wake you up!)

I don’t know what you are talking about, Little Monkey.. I don’t speak your language! I think I’ll get out of my tent for a second to get fresh air.

Heeeyyy???? What was going on here? What happened last night? Why are there footsteps of a leopard near my tent?

The little monkey: screeching noisily with arms moving around (We were all here, waiting for you to make the moving picture! Not only the leopard, also the owl, the cricket, the frog, the snake and me.)

Yeah, yeah.. you can finish the biscuits if you like them. I’m packing up to go home. I guess, next time, I shouldn’t hang out with the guys the night before a hike.. Ah well.. I guess I will just have to come back here another day, and in the meantime, I have to find another topic for my project!

-12 December 2007-

Dasa Dharma (Ten Services)

2008-09-19T18:09:00.004+07:00

Indonesian Scouts and Guides Society is bound by the 'Ten Services' (Dasa Dharma). Sometimes, these services are only familiar in the ear, but not in the heart. However, if the young people (scouts/guides or not), if they want to seriously learn and try to implement it in every day life, it can actually help nurture the 'good' in our society.

Follow God
This is the service offered by the scouts and guides to God, The Owner and Keeper of our universe.

Love Nature and Caring Towards Other Human Beings
Preserving natural environment, promoting 'Save The Earth' viewpoint, and always trying to help other human beings in need with kind and caring approaches.

A Polite and Sport Patriot
Carrying the love to the country with a politeness in all actions while being firm in keeping one's stand in guarding the country's honor.

Obedient and Love to Discuss Things Through
Always follow the set rules and whenever problems arise, always happy to be involved in discussions to find the best solution.

Willing to Help and Approachable
Always show gestures that one is approachable and ready/knowledgeable to help anyone in need.

Diligent, Skillful and Happy
Always learning to improve one self, always try to gain further knowledge that may be used to assist other people and always happy in doing everything one does.

Careful in Spending, Careful with Details, and Modest
Always being careful in doing everything associated with money and details in every day life, and does not overdo in one's actions.

Disciplined, Courageous and Loyal
Has a high discipline in living life, which leads to having courage to separate right from wrong to help others in need. Also, has a high loyalty towards the country, the team and the society.

Responsible and Trustworthy
Ready to take ownership of one's actions and outcomes, and never break the trust that is placed on one.

Pure in Thoughts, Words and Actions
Always keep the mind the mouth and the limbs to think of good things, say good things to motivate and calm other people and do useful things for the betterment of life for everyone around.

Maybe one day.. these services aimed by Indonesian Scouts and Guides Society will actually be grasped well by the members and then lead to start of a better 'chain-reaction' in our society.

Go Scouts and Guides!

My First Blood Donation

2008-08-27T21:58:00.003+07:00

12 August 2008.. My First Trip to The Red Cross Building..

Two days before the anniversary of Indonesia Scout and Guide, I finally arrived at the Jakarta Red Cross Building, after a day earlier I decided to go with a few work colleagues.

This decision was finally reached after I got tired of being teased by my scout and guide friends.. "How can someone who has been instructing the scouts and the guides for years, haven't even once donated blood?"

I have also always remembered how I desperately needed blood donation when my son was hospitalised with a low trombocyte without any known reason (it was not dengue fever or paratyphoa..)

Not too long ago, I read an issue of the Indonesian Red Cross periodicals and I was really surprised to find out that a very low percentage of Indonesians have become blood donors. I cannot confidently quote the figure here, but I'm pretty sure that it was below 40%, while in many developed countries, the percentage of blood donor is usually above 80%!!

No wonder in Indonesia, the Red Cross is almost always out of blood stock for all types and the price of blood for transfusion is expensive (especially the treated/separated blood cells).

Anyway.. that day, I found out that donating blood was really easy, and not scary at all (after doing it myself). I actually felt like being treated like an exceptionally honoured guest!

I went to the Red Cross Building with three other colleagues. First we were shown the admission area, where we had to fill in a pretty straight forward form asking about our health condition, then we had our blood pressure and blood type checked.

If our blood pressure is below normal, we would not be allowed to donate blood for that particular time.

Once we were cleared by the admission staff, we were directed to the doctor, to confirm everything we wrote on the form earlier, and once it was done, we were shown the donor waiting room.

When it was my turn, one of the staff in the donor room asked me to wash my upper arm (the one where the needle would be stick into) and to lay down on one of the beds provided.

Then, she started the process. She stick the needle into my right arm and my blood started filling the bag which was already put on a machine which looked like a small rocking table.

While feeling the tiny tingling feeling in my arm, I kept looking at the big fridge where the donated blood was stored. Right there and then I felt sad.. The shelves were big but only a few bags of blood were sitting on them. Then I thought about people who were injured and desperately needed blood transfusion..

I had only been lying down for about 10 minutes, when the staff came again to take the needle off my arm and put the bag full of my blood into the blood fridge. Shen then let me lay down longer since I felt a little dizzy.

Once I felt better, she directed me to a table behind the donor room, where I could get my blood donor schedule card and lunch! WOW!

We were served rice with soup, a glass of milk and vitamin... and the staff who served the food did not stop smiling while moving from table to table delivering the food and urging everyone to eat.

After finishing our lunch.. we finally had to leave the building, carrying our schedule card. I was hoping that I will never miss any appointment in the future...

America's Scouts Magazine

2008-03-15T01:00:00.003+07:00

Hi Guys..

Today, I came across a magazine that is published in the US. It was the magazine about US Scouting.

You might want to have a look and see what scouting in another country is like. The website is..
http://www.scoutingmagazine.org/

I hope you can learn from the site.

Go Teens!

Wednesday, 27 Feb 2008

2008-02-25T16:01:00.002+07:00

Hi Guys!!

I know that all of you want to do something different for your training.. so.. I suggested to K' Indra to do something different next Wednesday (if you think it's OK..)

We're organising a trip to have a look at several community projects in Cipete Utara area. The projects are:
1. Family Medicine Garden (taman obat keluarga)
2. Family Health Centre (posyandu) and,
3. Rubbish Separation Program (pemisahan dan pengolahan sampah rumah tangga).

All of these programs are run and managed by the local family welfare social group (PKK).

Don't worry about lunch and snack, because we will have it ready for you when you arrive. Just remember to come on time, so that the food will be warm when you have them.

We can also do some camping techniques if the weather permits. You don't need to bring any equipment. We will use K' Indra's and mine.

For your information (and your parents), here is the address of the site:

Lapangan Villa Sawo
Jl. Sawo, Cipete Utara
Kebayoran Baru, Jakarta Selatan

Your parents/drivers will be able to come and park the cars conveniently if they would like to come to see you or pick you up.

Should your parents need to contact me, here are my address and phone numbers that they can contact me at:

Indria Ekawati Hutapea (Indri)
Jl. Damai 2 no. 4, Cipete Utara
Kebayoran Baru, Jakarta Selatan

Telp. 021-724 6580
or 021-6857 6553 (flexi)
or 0818 48 7712 (pro-xl)

K' Indra and myself really hope that this can be a very good opportunity for you to have a good feel of doing activities in real social environment and experience a great teamwork, although for a really short period of time.

So... I guess, I'll see you all on Wednesday.. :-)

My First Hike & The Fear of Height

2008-02-25T15:40:00.001+07:00

People say that when we do outdoor activities, we can learn more about ourselves and people around us. To certain extent, I believe it is true, as some of my experience proved it.

When we do outdoor activities, we often come across situations that are different from situations we face in our normal day-to-day routines at home or workplace. During these different situations, we will most likely react according to our natural instict, since we are not trained to react towards them. This is how we can learn further about ourselves and others around us.

I joined the scouts & guides when I was 6 years old as a brownie. As a brownie, I was taught survival skills one thing at a time. I went on short-term camps and other things, until I was 12.

I went on my first hike when I was 13. The whole group consisted of 10 patrols (5 boy patrols and 5 girl patrols), each patrol consisted of 6-10 members. We camped in a real mountainside for three days. On the second day, we were scheduled to do a 4-hour hike. My patrol was the second girl patrol to leave the camp site (the order was girls-boys-girls-boys, and so on). There were 6 of us in my patrol and I was second-in-command so I walked last.

Since we left the camp, I was shaking the whole way. I felt that everything around me spinned around every time I had to walk a down-sloping land or rock. The boy patrol behind us finally went passed us and so did the girl patrol behind them.

Every time we reached a post, where we had to do a skill test, I always felt very happy because I could breathe freely. We successfully completed the tests in the first and second posts, which were first aid and ties and knots.

When we left the second post, we tried to move faster in order to catch up with our overall time. At the same time, the path that we walked on was getting smaller and smaller, until at a certain spot, we had to place our feet one after another because there was no space for them to be side by side at all..

At first, the focus on the speed got me occupied and I managed to get over most of my fear, although I still wasn’t walking as fast as my friends. However, after seeing the down-sloping cliff underneath my feet for a while, I started to shake again and this time it was really bad because the pathway was slippery from the mud and wet grass.

I could feel my steps were not grasping the ground very well and I slipped a few times. My friends would wait for me everytime they could find a spot where they could stand comfortably but, it wasn’t something that was easy to do in such ground.

Then, it happened when we almost reached the 3^rd post..

We were pacing ourselves to the post when we could hear others talking and we knew that the post was near. Right then, I was trying to focus on the speed and staying steady. I could hear the next boy patrol approaching behind me and I didn’t want them to go pass us because I couldn’t find anywhere to stand while they walk pass me. For a while, I managed to keep my pace and walk steady enough to stay with my patrol but suddenly, I realised that I was sliding down the cliff!

Instantly, I reached for the small tree that grew on the edge of the pathway, but the tree was actually farther than I thought. Then, I reached the closest thing I could see, the wild weeds. The action was useless though.. the weeds were pulled by my weight and went with me..

Right there and then I thought, that would be the end of me!

Then, all in a sudden I heard a voice, “Quick! Throw your sticks!”

After that I heard another voice, “Reach! Quick! Right above you!”

I don’t remember whether my eyes saw it first or my hands caught it first. The boy patrol behind me caught up with me at the perfect second. They crossed their bamboo walking stick right above me, and I caught the sticks right where they made the cross.

Then the boys pulled me up to the pathway. There I saw that the exact spot where I slipped was a piece of broken path, where it was impossible to position my feet well and I didn’t see it.

At that time, I also realised that the boy patrol who rescued me was the senior patrol (grade 8) and some of them were my friends’ brothers, whom I knew quite well. They decided to walk with me to the 3^rd post, and talked to the teachers and rangers supervising the post.

My friends had informed the teachers and rangers in 1^st and 2^nd posts that I wasn’t feeling very well, but as the hike was the first time for all of us, we really wanted to do it as a team. Despite my condition, I kept saying to myself and my friends in my patrol that I would keep going with them as long as they would have me.

After receiving the report from the grade 8 boy patrol, the teachers and rangers suggested me to stay behind and go back to the campsite with them. This time, I decided to take the wise suggestion. I imagine that the path could get worst as we move up the mountain and things could be worse if we were in trouble and nobody was nearby. I didn’t want to get hurt and I certainly didn’t want any of my friends to get hurt trying to help me.

I stayed with my patrol at the post to take the skill test, which was a treasure hunt, and then waved goodbye as they left to finish the hike.

After that, I followed the rangers on a different route heading back to the campsite. Along the way, the rangers taught me hiking skills, so that I could handle various kinds of grounds with safety.

Finally, I reached the campsite. Another member of my patrol, Diah, greeted me. She didn’t go with us on the hike because she got her parents’ permission for the camp but not the hike. Not long after, some of the patrols arrived too. Then, we waited and waited for the rest of our patrol to arrive, but there was still no sign of them.

My patrol arrived last and quite a while after the one arriving before them. They looked exhausted and shaken. At that time, we had boiled some water to prepare hot drink and instant noodles.

I asked them what happened and they were in tears..

Ditta told the story in shaky voice, “We were walking at a rough spot, where we couldn’t really stay close to each other much. Suddenly, Lulu fell off like you did. I saw her falling and ran to her to reach her while calling the others at the same time. I did reach Lulu, but since she is bigger than me, instead of halting her fall, I ended up falling with her. After that, Farah tried to pull us up, but she could barely hold us both by herself, and almost fell too. At last, Ade arrived at the spot and managed to pull all of us back up to the path.”

They showed me their arms that were full of scratches. Their clothes were also very dirty with mud. We quickly brought them the drink and noodles which they accepted gladly.

After a while we finally could talk normallyagain. We agreed that all of us wished that in everything that happened we were together as we planned before we went on the camp.

On the other hand, we felt that we had made a wise decision to let the friends that weren’t in the best condition to head back early. By making the decision, apart from avoiding worse scenario, we were glad that the two of us at the campsite managed to prepare dinner and clean up the tent for the rest of us that night.

That hike made me aware that I was afraid of height. It also made me learn that it is human’s instict to save others, whether we know how or not.

Our every day routines might make us competitive against other human beings in studies or at work. It is the life we know and are trained to live as our ‘default’. However, when we are away from all of it, we can see that there is another side of human being that doesn’t come out often because it is often not needed in our ‘default’ lives. It is the need to be together and help each other. I really believe it, and I believe that many others do too.

Are You Ready for The Camp?

2007-12-14T10:05:00.003+07:00

HI ALL...

I know that you have been waiting for this to happen!!

Are you ready for the camp??? Do you really want it to happen??

We are still looking for the dates between 28-30 December 2007. However, there is a part where YOU have to put in to make sure this is going to HAPPEN!!

Make sure you 'drill' yourself into mastering everything you have learned so far, in:

Codes: Morse Code, Semaphore, Signs (sandi)
Knots: all the knots you have learned (simpul dan tali-temali)
Survival: Tracking Skills, Cooking, Weather-Reading, Distance and Mass Calculation

Also.. re-read all your notes about the THEORY! Organisational Structure of Indonesian Scout & Guide .. and .. Indonesian Red Cross.

Last but not least.. keep yourself fit, during and after the exam!

Change those coffees to hot chocolates!
Change those light snacks into light healthy meals to support your brain for your study.
Don't forget to do light exercise to balance your body and your mind!

Our best wishes for your exams.. and.. see you at the camp!

Learning & Share to Make A Difference

2007-12-01T02:06:00.001+07:00

You never know when your assistance is needed by others.

You never know either how you would react in a life-threatening situation.

It is alright if you are speechless or stiffled.

It is not to be ashamed of if you cry out of desperation or fear.

However, it might mean the difference between life and death to others if you have the chance to help and you know the right way to do it.

So, let's learn together and share.. :-)

Al-Azhar GAPURA

2007-11-30T11:39:00.002+07:00

Al-Azhar GAPURA

Pretty much all my life has been taught in the way of Sir Baden Powell. I would like to share some of it (some that really left a trace in me) to all the teenagers who work, learn and play with me.

The things taught in Scouts & Guides life is not only theory. They are real and can be utilised in our lives to give a deeper meaning in each action that we make towards our better future in becoming a better human being.

In trying to be a better person, putting ourselves in other peoples's shoes is very important. Therefore, I tried to join other groups and activities to understand their existence and purposes better.

For the time being, this blog (or a part of it), will be dedicated to the purpose of information flow of the Al-Azhar GAPURA, which consists of the Scouts & Guide Brigade and the Youth Red Cross Team.

I hope we can grow something good from all the things we learn together.

-Go Teens!-

Testing dulu aaahhh....

2006-12-16T21:42:00.000+07:00

testing.. testing.. testing.. 1..2..3..