Lia Golledge's Blog, page 10

The Spirit of Kartini: Make Your Dreams Come True

“I have longed to make the acquaintance of a “modern girl,” that proud, independent girl who has all my sympathy! She who, happy and self-reliant, lightly and alertly steps on her way through life, full of enthusiasm and warm feeling; working not only for her own well-being and happiness, but for the greater good of humanity as a whole.” — Kartini, 1899

That was the first mail Kartini sent to Stella more than 100 years ago. This young Javanese Princess already can mention how ‘modern girl’ in her vision, should be: happy, self-reliant, full of enthusiasm and working not only for herself but also for her community. Think about other people well-being as well.

When Director of Education, Service and Industry, and his wife from Batavia, visited her father to seek advice about making school for native girls, Kartini take that opportunity to speak her mind to the ‘mevrouw’. She wanted a vocational school as well for the native girls. The school wasn’t there yet and she already giving input on how it should be done to give more skills for girls.

As a letters lover, I’ve been enjoying reading Kartini’s letters and each time I got different insights from her (Download Qbaca apps and read Kartini letters there for free, also you can download a book by Armijn Pane about Kartini ‘Habis Gelap, Terbitlah Terang’). It’s amazing to me, a 20 years old girl, living in a strict Javanese culture in the year 1900s, to have a critical thinking like that. Excessive reading and the love of writing, I believe has build her mindset.

Speaking at Kartini Day event by UseeTV & Qbaca with Dian Nitami, Ainun Chomsun & Vivian Wijaya

What I’ve learned from her letters, she knows exactly what she want, she recognize her dreams: freedom for women to have equal education, she plan on what she wants to do when her dream’s come true and she speak to people about her dreams.

Right now in 2013, women no longer have issues in having the same level of education as men, girls can freely answer the question that once Kartini asked to her father, ‘What am I going to be when I grow up?’ -and now everything is up to us: do we want to sabotage ourselves and hold back from unleashing our greatest potential, or do we want to realize our dreams, move forward and live a meaningful life?

For all the things Kartini has fought for, I hope you choose your answer wisely.

Dreams are splendid, but what would become of us if we dreamed for ever?

We must make ourselves nobler, by trying to make our dreams real. -Kartini, 1902

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Winners: Ulas Buku Cerita di Balik Noda

Saya teringat kembali perjalanan backpacking saya ke Mesir bulan lalu. Saat itu kami jalan dalam satu grup dan rute perjalanan kami terhitung ‘mission impossible’ karena melewati banyak kota, mulai dari Cairo, Luxor, Aswan, Alexandria hingga hiking ke gunung Sinai. Cuaca di Mesir yang sangat panas di siang hari dan sangat dingin di malam hari, perjalanan kereta yang hingga 21 jam, mendaki gunung Sinai kala dini hari selama berjam-jam untuk mengejar sunset yang dilakukan teman-teman saya, cukup melengkapi pengalaman mengesankan kami selama di Mesir.

Di antara group kami Muslimah Backpacker yang rata-rata perempuan dewasa, ada satu anak perempuan yang diajak orang tuanya untuk berpetualang bersama kami. Namanya Syifa, umur 8 tahun. Selama perjalanan, tidak pernah saya mendengar Syifa mengeluh. Ia mengikuti semua itinerary kami dengan hepi. Bahkan dia sudah berencana akan bercerita banyak pada teman-teman dan gurunya soal Mesir.

Keputusan orang tua Syifa untuk mengajaknya backpacking banyak mendapat pujian. Di usia yang sangat muda, Syifa mendapat kesempatan untuk belajar banyak hal tentang kekayaan sejarah masa lalu dan menghadapi tantangan di kehidupan nyata sehingga diharapkan ia akan tumbuh menjadi manusia yang bijak dan terbuka pikirannya dalam mengatasi masalah saat ia dewasa.

Ternyata banyak cerita-cerita yang terinspirasi dari buku ‘Cerita di Balik Noda’ karya Fira Basuki yang ikutan di kompetisi #UlasBukuRinso bulan lalu. Dari cerita-cerita yang saya baca, terbukti bahwa ‘berani kotor’ itu baik.

Terima kasih untuk teman-teman yang sudah sharing review dan pengalamannya sendiri tentang ‘berani kotor’. Berikut 2 orang pemenang yang berhak mendapatkan voucher Sodexo senilai Rp 1.000.000:

Putri Andina dengan tulisannya Hari-hari tanpa Ibu
Tomi purba dengan tulisannya Di Balik Noda ada Cerita

Selamat untuk pemenang! Hadiah akan dikirim langsung oleh Rinso kepada kalian berdua ya ^_^

Sampai ketemu di kompetisi selanjutnya!

 

 

 

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I’ve been wanting to do a single column blog and I’ve found a suitable Theme for that. I tweak a little bit, making my new logo, choosing slim web font as I like, fix menus, widgets and all the details. And I’m done.

It is important for me to make a progress in my life, that would give a positive impact for my next plan. After completing a book of 80 poetry with Hanny @beradadisini for 5 hours on Saturday, as silly as it might sound, this new blog look, is how productivity looks like to me.

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Indonesia: The Pivot State of SouthEast Asia

I was interviewed by Marie, a student at the French university “Sciences Po” in Paris who’s been very interested in SouthEast Asia. She read an article about me in the French newspaper “Le Monde” and she decided to contact me and ask questions about my career, my perception of innovation in Indonesia, my ideas about Indonesia within the SouthEast Asia region, as an emerging power, the position of women in Indonesia, and my ideas about the democracy and the so-called economic awakening of the “Indonesian dragon”.

I have very limited knowledge of all questions that Marie asks, but I try to answer them. I thought I want to share it with you.

Please introduce yourself



I’m the Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of NulisBuku.com, the first online self publishing in Indonesia and co-founder of Kutukutubuku.com, one of top online bookstores in Indonesia.

I’m also a writer of 25 books, varied from novels to how-to books. My passion in books, writing, and technology make me selected as one of 10 women in Indonesia IT world 2011 by Infokomputer Magazine, and recently picked as one of 25 inspiring women by Tabloid Nova.

I’m actively organized #StartupLokal, the biggest startup community in Indonesia and Girls in Tech Indonesia, to encourage more women to use technology to improve lives.

Economy & entrepreneurship

You launched several businesses in Indonesia, such as StartupLokal or Project Eden. How was it for you, as a young Indonesian woman, to create your own business? Is it a common thing in Indonesia?

Actually Startuplokal is a non-profit organization. Project Eden is an incubator supported by StartupLokal. My business activities listed in my LinkedIn http://www.linkedin.com/in/salsabeela

Entrepreneurship is not a common thing at first but it’s more and more getting a positive promotion by the government and private sector. When I started my own business, when I was  23, I have to ask for my father’s permission to quit my job and focus to my business. Because basically when you’re single you still going to live with your family until you’re married. But now I’m living on my own and I do my own business. Not much Indonesian women are like me. But entrepreneurship soul started to grow, basically Indonesian women are very creative in creating opportunities.

Is StartupLokal an answer to a lack? How is entrepreneurship in your country?

With Startuplokal, we make monthly meetup with entrepreneurial topics to help young entrepreneurs solve their problems, meet people, meet investor and media. So we’re trying to promote entrepreneurship, more specifically in IT industry.

What do you think entrepreneurship and innovation can bring to Indonesia?

We’re a big country of 240 million people with a wide area that is similar to London – Istanbul, govern by 1 president. So we can’t hope our government to solve our problem. Entrepreneurship allow us to help ourselves and eventually help our community.

So, what are for you the main economic assets for Indonesia?

I must say human resources. We’re a young country with median age of 28 years old. More than 60% of our population are young people under 35 years old and they’re full of potential.

Diplomacy

Let’s talk about one other field: we know that Indonesia is a great player inside the ASEAN. How is its role perceived in Indonesia?

Personally I think we should have played the role better, but current government don’t seem to decide where we should stand

On a bigger scale: 15 years ago, Indonesia was described as a failed State, regarding its political instability and the crisis it went through. How are this current boom and this great integration within the international system seen in Indonesia? And how do you explain it?

After 1998, gradually everything’s getting better. Middle class and consumer market is expected to boost in Indonesia due to better economy, we’re now politically stable and freedom of speech is one of things we’re proud of, we’re now among the 1 trillion dollar economy so the world start seeing us as a valuable market and also partner. In IT sector more and more investors coming to check our potential. So, it’s a very favorable time for us now.

Democracy

It brings us to one other point, democracy. In occidental minds, it is often an important criterion. In your opinion, is Indonesia an achieved model of coexistence of Islam and democracy?

I think by far we’re a country with biggest Muslim population in the world and keep being very democratic in freedom of speech and many other things compared to any other Muslim countries. So I’m proud of my country on this

Do you feel democracy is well anchored in the minds of people? Or is there still work to do?

Yes, things are very different after 1998, and now democracy is a part of our life

Indonesia is made up of a multitude of islands. Some people say this diversity and characteristic geography is a factor of instability. Do you think it really is?

I disagree. There are thousands of languages, cultures and more than 5 religions in the country and we’ve been living side by side, using national Indonesian language and national clothes. Jakarta is a melting pot and a good example of this harmony.

Society

You are active on Twitter, Facebook, and blogging. There is a growing importance of social medias in Indonesia, because more and more people are connected and use them: do you think it helps to federate people or not? Which role do these networks play within the civil society?

Social media plays a very important role that is now already can ‘control’ the headlines of biggest newspapers in Indonesia. So what we voice in online can goes offline easily. We’ve been using our social media accounts to make social campaign and promote good stuff.

Moreover, you are involved in many fields, including for instance culture, with your online self-publishing, or fashion, with your SalsabeelaShop.com. Do you feel there is an Indonesian “soft power”?

There’s plenty of them in form of culture like our traditional dance, and fashion like traditional fabric (batik, songket, etc) and hijab/muslim fashion.

Conclusion

So, would you gamble on Indonesia as a “pivot-State”? If not, which country in South-East Asia do you feel is the most fitted?

Yes, we’re definitely one of the best pivot-states in SouthEast Asia (Well, at least after some little upgrades on infrastructures, services and supportive government regulations :D)

***

Anything you might want to add for the interview you can put on comment box below so Marie can read. Have a nice weekend!
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Backpacking Trip to Egypt – Behind the Scene Photos

My backpacking trip to Egypt has so much stories that I can’t contain in one blog post. So, I thought, I want to share some of the ‘behind the scene’ photos of my trip thru Cairo, Luxor, Aswan and Alexandria, all taken with iPhone. Enjoy!

Eating burger and fries, Egyptian way

My Ollie shoes by http://mamamiew.blogspot.com - you can order your own shoes to her ;)

Syifa, 8 years old, the youngest in our group

I was tired after long walks and the heat, quick nap solved everything

We were too tired to walk and no bus or anything seen around Bab Zuwayla, then we decided to rent a pickup from the local :))

On my way to Luxor by train, I woke up to this view of sunrise

We must thank Risyan, Shohib, Linggha and Furqon, to be our male bestfriends for the whole trip who's been protecting us, taking our pictures and help us bargain in Arabic :))

At a small crowded toilet, in a Mosque in Luxor, I managed to spread my makeup brushes and put on full makeup. Victory!

The cleaning girls in the restroom had been watching me put on my makeup and when it's done, they cheer and give out their thumbs to show their support :D

At McDonald's behind Luxor Temple; This must be McDonald's with the best view ever

One of our best hotels while in Egypt

Our group always been the center of attention wherever we go

Inside the busy commuter train in Alexandria where I carry a 20kg luggage and another 8 kgs bag

Some parts of Egypt are surreal like in 1970 movie set

Bibliotheca Alexandrina, one of the biggest library in the world, my heaven on earth

Egypt has the best mango juice in the world!!

Playing board games at Farouk Cafe in Alexandria

The grave of Hussein ibn Ali, the grandson of Prophet Muhammad at Al-Hussein Mosque, Cairo. It was really packed on Friday.

Bought black abaya at Khan el-Khalili market, and asked Rahmah to take my photos around the neighbourhood :D

He recited Quran for us at Sultan Hassan Mosque, Cairo, Masha Allah beautiful recitation

Yes we went to the Mall like a true Jakartan :)) I went to get a book by Naguib Mahfouz, a Literary Nobel winner from Egypt

Finally witness this heartwarming moment with my own eyes

People may argue about definition of backpacking, but let's agree to disagree and let me just travel in style like the way I've always been ;)

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Backpacking Trip to Egypt

I woke up this morning to the scent of Lotus flower and I thought I was still in Egypt. I bought Lotus perfume at Khan El-Khalili Market, from a persistent seller who start the conversation by showing his family pictures. I love the lingering soft scents and my memory immediately pulled back to Egypt, the um ad-Dunya (Mother of the world).

Nobody took me seriously when I said I’m going to go for a backpacking trip to Egypt. My friend Matthew thought I will go backpacking in high heels (Of course not! I got my flat shoes done just days before the trip). Peter doubt me, because he said I don’t even walk (In my defence, I walk from home to car, car to office, and sometimes hours in shopping  malls). My assistant worried, because she said I’m a princess. (That means I’m lazy, because I don’t have to move and everything will be done for me, she’s right about this one).

But I managed to survive the 9 days budget trip to Cairo, Luxor, Aswan and Alexandria with 18 friends from Muslimah Backpacker group. That means while in Egypt, along with others: I carry my own luggage, I use public transportations, I eat street food, and I stayed in budget flats. Not only surviving, I also find Egypt as one of the most impressive destination of my life!

I used to do backpacking trip once in 2007 to KL – Phuket – Bangkok with 2 of my bestfriends. It was fun and of course I intend to redo the fun. It was more a spiritual journey for me, because Egypt is full of stunning historical sites full of stories of the past that I’m willing to discover.

When I saw The Great Pyramid of Giza for the first time, I thought it looked small from afar, but when I walked closer, turned out the rocks are bigger than my body! Of course there are a lot of questions and theories on where they got the rocks and how did they build it, and it remained a mystery that attract thousands of people coming to witness one of the seven wonder of the world.

There are not too many tourists since the revolution in Egypt. It’s been said that Egypt has not safe enough for tourists to visit. But I had no problem at all while I was there, so, I must say that Egypt is safe (well, at least in most area) and this is the best time to visit Egypt- when it’s not overcrowded with tourists.

At Karnak Temple, in Luxor – around 3 hours from Cairo, I’m in awe with the grandness of this Pharaoh’s temple. When I was walking between the giant pillars, I can imagine how posh all these must looked like thousands years ago.

Furqon, our Indonesian friend who’s study in Al-Azhar university, said, Allah preserved the Pharaoh’s Palaces and Pharaoh’s body (as mentioned in Quran 10:92), as a warning that we, human, won’t last forever in this world, no matter how much power we have and how much money we collected. We will, soon or later, be back to God and we must remember not to be arrogant and also think about the afterlife.

It was blaring hot when we walked to Hatshepsut Temple. At first, I didn’t pay too much attention to the Temple because I still strucked with the awesomeness of Karnak Temple. I was about to leave when Nongky said to me, “Hatshepsut is a woman Pharaoh! But she wore a beard.” I look back and saw Pharaoh-like giant statue carved in the thick red rocks mountain. Wow! Women struggle for a recognition since thousands of years ago. Even a Woman Pharaoh need to prove herself under ‘a male mask’. She’s proven an ‘effective’ Pharaoh at her time before her cousin replace her.

Though dusty buildings in Cairo reminds me of James Bond’s movie set, thanks to Nile river, other part of Egypt are shockingly green, just like in Indonesia (I found that out on a long train trips from Cairo – Luxor – Aswan – Alexandria).

I had a lot of contemplative moments in this trip, like inside the car to Abu Simbel, where we go thru the desert, and while on 21 hours train journey from Aswan to Alexandria. I wrote some poetry in my phone. Egypt has been a very inspiring country for a writer like me.

After enjoying the beauty of Alexandria, with Mediterranean beach view and nourished my mind with Egyptian Literature at Bibiliotheca Alexandrina, one of the biggest library in the world, I decided to stay in Cairo. Some of my friends continue their journey to hike Mount Sinai, I felt I have had my limit of ‘body’ fulfillment, and now it’s time for a soul searching journey.

A visit to the magnificent ‘twin Mosques’ Sultan Hassan Mosque – Al-Rifa’i Mosque, and The Prophet Muhammad’s grandson Hussein’s grave at Al-Hussein Mosque, has completed my journey to other holy Mosques in Cairo like the legendary Al-Azhar Mosque and the Ottoman-influenced Mohammed Ali Mosque inside Citadel. The artistic and sophisticated architecture from the past never ceased to amaze me.

After climbing Bab Zuwayla and watching Cairo from the tower, I almost can hear the vibrant city buzzing in my ear, under the echoing sounds of Adzan from ‘thousands’ Minarets in the city.

The city is so loud and alive, everybody wants to be heard, they horn, shout, and persistently ask for your attention. As a ‘timid’ Indonesian, I feel intimidated at first, but then I understand the key.

When I bargain a souvenir in Khan El-Khalili market with a considered cruel price, I expect the young Egyptian seller would shout in my ear, or click his tongue twice as a sign of disapproval. But instead he shrugged and said, “Ok.”

He must have seen my surprised-face, because he continued, “You know why I give you (with that price)? Because you smile!”

Check out behind the scene photos of my backpacking trip to Egypt.
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Ada Cerita di Balik Noda

Ternyata banyak kesempatan tak terduga datang saat kita ‘berani kotor’. Itu lah kesan dari buku ‘Cerita di Balik Noda‘ by @FiraBasuki yang saya baca tadi malam. Buku ini berisi kumpulan cerita pendek yang inspiratif yang dikumpulkan oleh Rinso, beberapa di antaranya adalah karya penulis idola saya mbak Fira Basuki.

Membacanya, saya jadi teringat teman saya Lenore Skenazy @FreeRangeKids, kolumnis dari New York. Pada saat anaknya berusia 9 tahun, ia membekali anaknya peta dan uang $20, dan membiarkan anaknya pulang sendiri naik Subway (kereta bawah tanah di Amerika). Anaknya berhasil tiba di rumah dengan gembira dan memiliki kepercayaan diri baru terpancar dari dalam dirinya. Lenore  menulis pengalamannya tersebut di sebuah kolom, dan seluruh Amerika menjadi heboh mendengarnya.

“If you Google ‘America’s worst mom’ and you will get my name,” kata Lenore sambil tertawa.

Lenore bilang, di Amerika, orang tua kebanyakan overprotective kepada anaknya. Mereka ketakutan jika anaknya dibiarkan ‘main’ di luar begitu saja, mereka bisa diculik, kena serangga, terluka, atau ketularan virus. Saya tertawa melihat mimik wajahnya yang serius. “Aku serius, Ollie. Kamu tahu sekarang lagi ada wabah flu di Amerika, dan bisa kamu bayangkan anak-anak itu akan cuci tangan berapa kali sehari! Hanya karena orang tuanya ketakutan! This is not fair for them, kids deserve a chance to stretch and grow.”

Lenore benar, kita tidak bisa memproteksi anak-anak kita secara berlebihan, kita tidak ingin menciptakan generasi muda yang manja, kan? Saya yakin Lenore sudah memperhitungkan segala hal saat membiarkan anaknya pulang sendiri dengan Subway. Anaknya dapat membaca peta, sudah cukup dewasa untuk bertanya jika tersesat, dan ada uang darurat sebesar $20 yang bisa ia gunakan saat diperlukan. Lenore pun memilih lokasi Subway yang aman untuk anaknya di Bloomingdale. Lenore telah membiarkan anaknya untuk bereksperimen dan ‘tumbuh’ secara mental.

‘Berani kotor’ bagi saya bisa berarti banyak hal. Berani kotor artinya berani salah, berani mengambil resiko, berani berkreasi. Sesuatu yang kotor karena dipakai itu lebih baik dari yang putih bersih tapi tidak bermanfaat bagi siapapun. Seperti di cerita ‘This is it! Kue Lumpur ala Chef Annisa Queen! Haha’ karya Ummi Fadhilah. Sang ibu membiarkan anaknya bereksperimen di dapur, terekspos ke segala hal yang beresiko seperti api dan benda tajam, ditambah kemungkinan bajunya akan banyak  terkena noda saat memasak, namun hasilnya sangat rewarding. Dengan pengawasan dan sedikit bantuan, anaknya berhasil membuat kue-kue yang lezat yang kemudian dijadikan bisnis bernama ‘Kue Nisa’. Very inspiring!

Good news for Salsabeela.com readers! Rinso memberikan pembaca Salsabeela.com 2 voucher dari Sodexo masing-masing sebesar Rp 1.000.000 untuk berbelanja di network-nya Sodexo seperti di Carrefour, Alfa Mart, Pasaraya, Gramedia, dan lainnya, untuk teman-teman yang dapat menulis review buku ‘Cerita di Balik Noda‘ dan karyanya berhasil dipilih sebagai yang terbaik oleh dewan juri.

Informasi lengkapnya sebagai berikut:

Persayarat Umum

Kompetisi ini hanya dapat diikuti oleh WNI yang berdomisili di Indonesia, Pria/Wanita, berusia 17 tahun atau lebih.
Buku yang diulas dalam kompetisi ini hanya buku dengan judul “CERITA DI BALIK NODA” karya Fira Basuki.
Peserta harus mengklik LIKE pada akun Facebook Page Rinso Indonesia dan follow akun Twitter @MissResik untuk bisa mengikuti kompetisi.
Peserta harus menjadi follower dari akun @Salsabeela dan pembaca Salsabeela.com
Kompetisi ini  akan berlangsung selama periode: 15 Maret 2013 pada pukul 12 siang – 10 April 2013 pukul 18.00.
Pemenang akan diumumkan di blog Salsabeela.com & akun twitter @Salsabeela, akun Facebook page resmi Rinso Indonesia dan di akun twitter resmi Rinso Indonesia (@missResik) tepat pada tanggal 15 April 2013.
Promo ini tidak berlaku bagi karyawan serta keluarga dari PT.Unilever Indonesia dan pihak-pihak yang turut terlibat dalam menyelenggarakan Promo termasuk pihak agensi dan keluarga.
Peserta wajib memberikan dan/atau mengisi data-data sebagaimana diminta oleh penyelenggara dengan benar dan lengkap. Penyelenggara berhak melakukan verifikasi atas kebenaran data-data yang peserta isi dan/atau berikan, Pemenang yang melanggar ketentuan ini didiskualifikasikan dan pihak penyelenggara berhak untuk memberikan hadiah kepada peserta lainnya.
Pihak Penyelenggara berhak untuk mengubah dan/atau memodifikasi syarat dan ketentuan Promo dari waktu ke waktu dengan atau tanpa pemberitahuan terlebih dahulu.
Setiap jawaban dan materi (termasuk namun tidak terbatas pada foto, dan cerita) yang diikutsertakan dalam Promo ini akan menjadi hak PT. Unilever Indonesia, dan PT. Unilever Indonesia berhak untuk mempergunakannya sesuai dengan kepentingan PT. Unilever Indonesia.
Setiap jawaban dan materi (termasuk namun tidak terbatas pada foto dan cerita) yang diikutsertakan tidak boleh melanggar hukum yang berlaku di Republik Indonesia dan tidak boleh melanggar hak kekayaan intelektual milik pihak manapun juga;
Pihak penyelenggara berhak mendiskualifikasi peserta dan/atau pemenang yang menurut PT. Unilever Indonesia tidak memenuhi dan/atau melanggar syarat dan ketentuan Promo (termasuk namun tidak terbatas pada pendaftaran, karya, foto, materi).
Hasil akhir pemenang kompetisi dan Keputusan juri adalah mutlak dan final serta tidak dapat diganggu gugat.

Syarat Cerita

Cerita harus merupakan karya asli dari peserta lomba, bukan merupakan saduran, salinan atau adaptasi dari karya orang lain.
Cerita bukan merupakan atau mengandung ulasan teknis buku Cerita Di Balik Noda dari sudut pandang editorial dalam karyanya.
Cerita yang diperlombakan harus dengan jelas mencerminkan inspirasi yang didapat setelah membaca buku dan pengaruhnya terhadap kehidupan sehari-hari.

Kriteria Penilaian

Orisinalitas Karya
Kesesuaian isi dengan tema
Cerita yang terinspirasi dari buku
Alur Cerita

Persyaratan Teknis

Cerita yang diperlombakan harus diunggah terlebih dahulu di blog milik peserta, lalu peserta juga harus mengirimkan cerita dalam bentuk doc ke beranikotoritubaik@rinso.co.id
Alamat tautan yang dipendekkan (shortened link) halaman situs cerita yang telah diunggah juga harus diposting dalam akun twitter mereka dengan menyebutkan (mention) akun Blogger yang di-follow dan Akun twitter resmi Rinso dengan menggunakan tagar #UlasBukuRinso. Contoh : bit.ly/ceritaRinso @salsabeela@MissResik#UlasBukuRinso
Cerita yang diunggah ke blog peserta, tautan yang ditulis di twitter, dan yang dikirimkan ke email panitia harus merupakan satu cerita yang sama dengan tanpa perbedaan sedikitpun.
Cerita yang dikirim juga harus memenuhi persyaratan teknis seperti berikut: Font: Times News Roman, ukuran font: 12, spasi :1,5, format file :.doc (untuk dikirim via email)
Cerita yang dikirimkan melalui Email harus dikirim dengan format subject/Judul email: UBR-Nama Blogger–Judul Cerita-Penulis. Contoh: UBR-Salsabeela-Berani Kotor itu Baik-Elfrida Simamora
Cerita yang dikirim tidak dengan subyek email seperti ini tidak akan lolos kualifikasi
dan di dalam isi email untuk menyertakan data pribadi secara lengkap dengan seperti: nama, alamat, no. Telpon, tempat & tanggal lahir, judul blog dan alamat URL cerita

Selamat berkreasi!
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The Power of Being Quiet

On my Discover Bahrain trip, I was one of 20 delegates from 20 different countries around the world. So it was a very dynamic group. As soon as we met as a group, it is clear that I become more quiet. In contrary to my usually cheerful & chatty blog posts and tweets, it has been my nature to be more quiet as soon as the group is growing more than 5 people. I prefer observing with my own thoughts. Dr Hala, one of Discover Bahrain committee said, “Indonesians are quiet!” – and it got me thinking.

At first, I thought, Indonesian are more quiet because they think they can’t speak the language properly and they’re afraid to make a sound stupid opinion. But when this happen to me, I speak English quite well and I’m confident enough to say what I want to say, turn out, I still talk less.

Then I realized, maybe it’s true that our social and culture habit teach us to stay humble and don’t question things (check here to learn how to nurture your critical thinking). We also usually don’t brag, but clearly, on one on one conversation, people can identify that we’re sincere and can be trusted. I think that’s the strong point that we must acknowledge. So, even when in group setting you’re quiet, make sure you make that personal connection that will make you be equally remembered as the active one.

I asked some of my delegates friends about what they think about me while in Bahrain, at first it’s for research purpose to find out about what they think about Indonesian in general, but their answers are interesting for me as my personal evaluation that I wanted to quote them fully without changing their original voice.

Lindsey Nussbaum (Houston, USA). Lindsey is the first delegate I talk to (beside my room mate Kubra). Everybody already mingling with each other, and he’s there quietly alone. So I started a conversation with him. He has a very interesting life, he knows his passion, he knows what’s important in this life is not money. That’s why he quit his job, sell everything and travel around the world. And this is what Lindsey says about me.

When I met you in Bahrain, you seemed like a strong independent woman. You seem to be in charge of your own life, not restricted by your society, religion, or men. You have a calm and quiet personality. You seem to observe and think about things. You are not worried about how others see you, but from a business point of view you do wan them to notice you so you will do some self-promotion when the opportunity arises. Not greedily or egotistically, but out of hard work in trying to make your life better for yourself and to have success.

Mira Green (New York, USA). Me and Mira never really talk while in Bahrain, we exchange some small conversations only, part of it because I think she doesn’t like to talk too much, so I don’t want to interrupt her serenity. She observed and she’s an excellent writer. I’m quite surprised with how she describes me.

Before I met you, I saw your picture, and I thought you seemed like a successful, graceful, and friendly woman. I noticed that you seemed confident in your picture, and had amazing clothes and fashion. I definitely noticed your clothes – beautiful!

Upon meeting you, I learned that I was correct! In comparison to some other delegates, you were more quiet in group settings, I think, (like me!) but I noticed you talked a lot to people in one-on-one settings, and seemed to take a genuine interest in talking to people and getting to know them.

Now that the program is over, I think all of the same things: you strike me as successful, graceful, friendly, genuine, and take the time to get to know people. I’m glad to have met you!

Kübra Gümüsay (Turkish-German journalist living in Oxford, UK). Kubra is my room mate that locked me off the door and slept away for few hours and make everybody (from receptionist, security guy, technician and hotel manager) busy, on the first day we met LOL. She’s a sweet, extremely creative young woman with opinion. And when she has her opinion, she has to say it or do something about it. Compared to my Javanese ‘non-complaining sufferer’ root, of course we’re so different. I know sometimes she’s frustrated with me and always say, “Ollie, you’re too kind.” – and like Dexter said, it is how it is :))

I wasn’t surprised by your nature – also because I don’t expect people of certain nations to be a certain way, they all vary. Although I would agree, that there are tendencies. In American culture it is more acceptable to praise and “sell” yourself than in Japanese culture e.g.

I thought you were a very confident and experienced woman with clear aims, values and dreams in life. You didn’t seem to be bothered too much what people think of you, but to me it seemed you strongly believed in what you do. All in all, very inspiring and unique lady!
But also, I first got to know you as a speaker because we presented our stories together to the Discover Islam group. So, my impression might be very different from the others who had to “discover” your talents and inspirational stories.




Farah Souames (Algerian lady living in Egypt). I love Farah because she has a strong voice, literally. She can speak French as well and that makes her even sexier She’s a happy person and always try to keep her mood positive. I’m glad I met her and hopefully to meet her again soon in Cairo.

Well before I had the great pleasure to meet you, I had already a lot friends from Indonesia, and they have exactly the same temper as yours!! And it was actually my same comment to them, I told them you are so quiet and peaceful , like Indians somehow… after knowing , I can say frankly and its not over complimenting… you are quiet but very strong in the same time. We had the chance to share our personal stories , and I remember I told I am very proud of the way you ignored your problems and went forward in your life this was really touchy!

Aurés Kabir Ákos Moussong (Mexico). Kabir is an interesting friend with personality. He grab attention with his Arabic headpiece and thobe. We called him Sheikh Kabir. He’s a great friend, funny, and also very serious composer that constantly seek opportunities to grow.

I think you are social but quiet. 
I thought that maybe you were not really interested in meeting so many people, you just choose the people you wanted to talk to. So I feel honoured! hahaha.
 But neither I felt you being shy, just reserved.

Shaikha showaiter (Bahrain). Shaikha is one of volunteers in Discover Bahrain team, and I value her help and support, also sweet smile, during my stay in Bahrain.

Well before I met you I was reading about all the delegates, and as I told you before, you were definitely a person I wanted to meet and get to know. I met u the first time on lunch at dohat arad. I felt that you have so much confidence but still very humble and sweet. As soon as we started to talk you answered all my questions plus much more. I felt I wanted to know more about you and read your books but the program doesn’t allow us to take it slow as we wanted and the books were not written in english or arabic.
I really wish that you write your story of success and achievements in english so that the youth and future entrepreneurs can benefit from you.
When it comes to “Indonesians” sadly I only meet the one’s that are here working as home maids – like the lady you met in dr. amal’s house. When you meet a lady like her at first when they come they are very scared because they hear that the gulf region are very harsh on them, and in some regions they actually are. They would not talk and have huge walls built around them. I really wish that these ladies would show how really smart they are and maybe try to be more than just house maids. I have met so many Indonesian house maids but I never learn about Indonesia. My understanding is they need to have more self esteem and need to KNOW that the work that they are doing is very respectful and honorable because they only do it to provide for themselves and their families.

Jaime Raúl Sotomayor Barrios (Peru). I love having conversation with Jaime because he’s such an easy going, talkative and funny guy. We speak about startups and entrepreneurship, and I get a lot of insight from Jaime. Hope we’ll meet again to continue the conversation!



My first impression (about you) was of a very reserved and conservative woman. This is what I felt because of my occidental mindset of a person that comes from Asia and is wearing a veil.

After the program was over, I had most of it wrong. You are not a reserved person, you just don’t over talk like me hahaha. You are openly to talk of all sort of topics. And the veil thing is a life choice. So I had some concepts wrong.

Valisa Highman (Alaska). She’s a very friendly lady from Alaska. I love sunset, so I ask a lot about how to get to Alaska. Valisa said she will drive me to Alaska from Canada if I really want to visit her. Yay!

I don’t think I had any stereotype in my mind of Indonesian people. My brother has traveled in Indonesia, but I guess when I thought of going there, I though mostly of the landscape and art. Now that I have met you, I am much more intrigued by the culture too.

My view of quiet verses assertive may be a bit skewed. You may have noticed that I am kind of quiet in large groups. I felt that you displayed an ability to be engaged without being a show off. You showed interest and though you were not always the first to speak, the things you said were intelligent.

You are right that there are other ways to communicate. Our group had an interesting mix I think. We had some very outspoken, loud, goofy folks, and some quiet note takers, and some people looking for things to hate and some looking for things to love. I was really impressed with your ability to connect with everyone. You are obviously not shy, but do not feel the need to bring attention to yourself. Very refreshing.

Thank you very much friends. I miss you all, already.
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What to Ask to Mentors: How to Nurture Critical Thinking

At the ‘Empowering Women through Entrepreneurship’ seminar by US Embassy, one of 3 inspiring speakers, Svida Alisjahbana @svidss said, Indonesia has no mentoring culture, we’re not used to asking questions, the thing that is really needed when you’re meeting face to face with the important people that could be the mentor for your success.

And I thought, wow… why I haven’t think of that.

I just back from 9 days trip to Discover Bahrain, and I met a lot of important Bahraini people from a lot of sectors that can give me useful knowledge and insights to bring home. But when it’s time to ask questions, I rarely have anything to ask. It was usually my friend Kubra, a Turkish-German journalist, or Xolile an activist from South Africa, or Daniel an entrepreneur from Costa Rica, that always have something to ask.

Then it struck me. Is this cultural thing or is it just because we’re not used to think critical?

A lot of young men and women come to me, asking me to be their mentor, but only a little of them could ask me specific questions that they need to build their dreams. One of them that has been successfully ‘utilize’ me as her mentor is @AngieMarsha and Jasa Pembantu is the prove of her hardwork and critical thinking.

On early months of entrepreneurship, I have a mentor, Mr. Nukman Luthfie. But with him, I also felt like I never fully maximized my opportunity and never asked him questions of things I need to know. Simply because I don’t know what to ask.

Quoted from Lesley Jane Seymour’s article, during one post-speech Q&A session, Sheryl Sandberg writes, “I realized that searching for a mentor has become the professional equivalent of waiting for Prince Charming.”

When having a mentor is compared to waiting for a prince charming, then on the day we meet them, we should really be prepared (with our questions). And that means we must change the way we think, to train our brain to be more critical.

Critical thinking doesn’t neccessarily mean to be negative thinking, it rather define as evaluative thinking. And maybe because we’re not trained since we were children to think critical (remember that silent scary moments when teachers ask, ‘Any questions?’), now it’s time for us to trained ourselves.

From my research, here are ways to be more ‘critical’:

Be curious & courageous, practice your courage by participating in any Q&A opportunities, no questions are stupid questions
Learn to see problem from a different point of view, check as many angles as possible
Read or watch the news and offer your own opinion about the subject
Take time to really listen. Write inspirational stories about people you meet, every day
Have a little dose of skepticism, ask the what ifs
Create a habit to make small projects (at least on weekly basis) and finished it, analyze problems and give solutions
Debate your bestfriends, you’re not always have to be on the same page, it’s not personal
Try to discover, practice to pay attention and getting what’s not said with words from a person
Practice to use six types of Socratic questions on your daily life

Also read this useful resource on how to ‘make the most of’ your mentors

The discipline in practicing critical thinking on daily basis will improve the quality of our communication and problem-solving abilities, help us learning more from our mentors and hopefully will make our dreams come true.

Ladies, happy International Women’s Day!
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