2020 Was A Year Of Life In The Time Of Corona

Here we are in the end of the year to look back on what have we done in the past 366 days of our life. I hope 2020 has been kind to you. Because it did not for many people.

2020 started with news on Coronavirus outbreak, which shook many industries from travel to livestock. China and Indonesia are quite close, and we have heard about the previous pandemic, SARS, in 2003. However, little did we know that Covid-19 would change everything we thought we have known.

January kicked off in a rather normal pace. A cousin asked me to accompany her to a wedding reception of her colleague. The wedding was held in Nias tradition, and it was the first time I saw it. The guests danced together to close the wedding, it was quite fun! I had scaling at RSGM FKG UI in Salemba and donated blood to Indonesian Red Cross in Kramat. Then there was a dine-in event to celebrate the birthdays of former bosses (yeah, we still keep in touch, LOL).

In February, I started working with an ex boss on the topic that I love: environment! It was a daily job, with one report to be submitted before 11.45 am. I also got another work contract for a corporate newsletter, which would focus on construction and infrastructure (my past love!). After signing the one-year contract, I began to build a schedule for my daily work. It would soon dawn on me that I could not juggle three reports in my morning schedule.

By mid-March, the pandemic has arrived in Indonesia. The government started to implement various policies, from social distancing to social restriction. Many people took the pandemic lightly, because the news said that the virus that causes Covid-19 was a relative of the virus that causes SARS. Nevertheless, the panic buying happened. Disinfectant, face mask, and wet wipes went missing from the shelves of supermarkets. Unlike other people, I decided to pile up books to accompany me on the social distancing period through the last public event I attended this month, the 2020 Big Bad Wolf 2020. I went to this event with my friend Ebf, and we went a bit wild with our purchase, because we sort of predicted that we might not be able to leave our homes for book shopping in a near future.

April saw Good Friday and Ramadhan, with both religious events being observed in quiet and calm manners. To be honest, I enjoyed this year's Ramadhan because there was no obligatory breakfasting event. I could spend the whole month just focusing on work and fasting.

This May marked the first Idul Fitri at home. I also decided to quit one of my daily jobs (I had three, and the deadlines were only one hour apart from each other. My replacement turns out to be my former colleague at TJaP, Reynette. My manager asked me to give her some tips on the job, so we got reconnected again. We have a soft spot for stray cats and now our daily chat would include tips on cats.

June and July were a bit quiet. Nothing of importance had happened. 

In August, a friend invited me to take a staycation at Sultan Hotel. I asked her about the safety level, and she said that everything had been ensured to meet the health protocol. I decided to take her offer. I went to the Red Cross to donate blood before joining her at the hotel. But I was rather shocked to see the Red Cross office was swarmed with people queueing for blood donors. One of them even boldly asked if my bloodtype was A. Dude, even if it were, I would not say it. Anyway, the staycation was okay. I did several laps at the hotel's swimming pool.

September was a bit gloomy for me. A client asked for fee reduction, while another decided to terminate the contract due to budget restriction. I still have other jobs and the fee is enough to get by, but my concern is what will I do with the leisure time in this pandemic? I prefer working at home than exposing myself to the virus. I took one day off anyway to clear my head up.

October was the month of demonstration. On Oct. 5, Job Creation Law, or omnibus law, was passed, and a lot of the people raised their disagreement against the law. The demo did not affect me physically, because I worked from home anyway, but it affected my workload. One of the things discussed in the law was telecommunications, which is a key word for one of my daily jobs. So I got more than 5,000 news links to check everyday. My manager thankfully supported me this month, she even taught me a new tips to speed up my work pace. I also had a soft launching of another business venture with my Master friends.

Early November, a friend asked if I would be interested to work on a story gathering project in Sumba. I had a long thought process for the request and finally agreed to go. I sent in a proposal and after several discussions, I departed to Sumba on the last day of November. For this trip, I took leave from two daily jobs and a weekly job.

After coming back from Sumba, I had to catch up with all the reports and other obligations that I put on hold due to the trip. Then I closed the year by renewing my driving license at a Mobile Driving License place. It was the first time for me to renew my driving license at such place, and it was impressively quick. I would definitely come to this place again five years from now.

Whoa, I thought 2020 was pretty bland. But when I looked back at the highlights, while it was indeed bad, it was actually not that bad. How was your 2020, by the way?

2021 may not come any easier than 2020. However, if we survived 2020, then there is a chance we will make it in 2021.

Sumba Story Gathering Project And #TravelInTheTimeOfCorona - Part 3

Enough with the work talk, this post will have photos on East Sumba.

Before the pandemic, I would be irritated if things did not go as planned. Now that the whole world are well into the ninth month of the pandemic, I have learned to improvise, prepare several back-up plans and accept if things could not go as the initial plans.

I must admit that this latest trip to Sumba has given me a lot of last-minute surprises. I've told you about the quick process of the project. But that was just the beginning of many surprises. Another surprises was the videographer could not make it to check in to the airplane on the departure date *insert horror music*.

When I turned on my cellphone in Ngurah Rai Airport, Denpasar during the transit, waves of messages were barging in to the inbox. The most shocking one was:"Mbak, I could not check in to the flight." I did not need to check the sender to figure out who sent it. I quickly replied with a short sentence:"Wait a minute, I need to go to a restroom now."

It was a 4.30 am flight. I left home at 1.30 am, arrived at SHIA at 3 am and had to catch my breath to run to the departure gate. And all my videographer could say was that ambiguous apology? This is unacceptable. I was angry, but also, I needed to think carefully on how to approach this problem. After all, we still had to work for a week in Sumba.

So I sat down at a cafe, sipping a very strong black coffee and laying out my backup plan. I contacted the people in Sumba to delay the schedule by one day, asked the driver to find a hotel (although, I would not worry about this part, because all hotels would be vacant in this pandemic) and decided that I would go to the beach in the afternoon.

 

This is in Walakiri Beach

It was the first time I ever went to all the tourism sites in East Sumba. I just realized that had it not for the videographer's mishap, we might be going straight to the villages, and I would not be able to go to the beach.

 

In Walakiri Beach, a stargirl will find herself surrounded by the stars

 

The driver, Jack, kindly asked me where I'd like to go. I said,"Jack, this is my fourth visit to East Sumba, and I have never been anywhere touristy. You can just take me to any place and I would bet that it would be my first time going there." Jack just stared in disbelief,"But what did you do on your previous visits?" I raised my eyebrows,"I worked, obviously." He just sighed and said,"Ok."

Fortunately, Jack likes photography and he offers to take my pictures. I have a driver and a personal photographer. It's like hitting two birds with a stone or one paddling that takes you past two or three islands (do I even get the last proverb correctly translated? LOL). 

 

This is in Hiliwuku Hill. Sumba has several spots of such hills, with Wairinding as the most famous (you can borrow a piece of Sumba weave fabric as photo prop or ride a horse there).  

As we waited for the videographer to land, Jack had unconventional ideas on places to take photos. The following is an example :D.

 

This would be the first and last time I ever pose on an asphalt road in the middle of the day in Sumba. It was scorching hot, and I believed a part of my butts (if not all) got toasted. Man, being a model is tough.

 

 

Sumba is known for its savanna, so seeing the lush paddy field like this is also a surprise. This might look like a regular view in Java island. But if you notice the house on the background, that is not a Javanese traditional house. Also, the picture does not show, but there are sandalwood horses behind me, just outside of the frame.

 

A closer view of the traditional roof in Kampung Raja Prailiu.

 

 This one is too close, though :D 

 

The videographer and I had different flight schedules as he would leave one day before I did. I asked Ridkey about this, because I thought it would be useless for me to go to field when the videographer had left Sumba and it was Sunday, the day when everyone go to church and had family time. My photography skill is also below the acceptable, and I don't think it's fair to ask Jack to take the photos/videos. He should be hired professionally by the institution. 

 

At first, I thought of leaving on the same day as the videographer. But then, the cost to change the schedule was more expensive than one-day car rental and one-night hotel room, so I stuck to the schedule, but Ridkey allowed me to have day off. Yay!

I decided to go to Waimarang waterfall on that last day.

 

It was not the smoothest journey, especially with the pandemic situation still running at full steam here. Nevertheless, it was a memorable one.

Sumba Story Gathering Project and #TravelInTheTimeOfCorona - Part 2

The project is about meeting the people and listening to their stories, especially about energy usage, renewable energy and their hopes for the future. It's often difficult to get photos of myself working, but here are some still images from the  previous trip.

This is how people work during the pandemic: online and video conference. While we were in Waingapu, we reported our progress to our bosses and a collague via WhatsApp call, with one boss in Sawangan, Depok, one in Larantuka, Flores island and our colleague in Bandung. We had the call at a cafe in the city center called Cetroo Cafe because the WiFi was quite decent. After worrying about the signal in Waingapu, it turned out that it was our boss in Sawangan who had a bad signal reception.

We visited a community health center (Puskesmas) to check if they are ready to welcome the vaccine. They do have a freezer to keep the vaccine, and it is powered by Mbakuhau micro hydro power plant.

 The WiFi system is also powered by the renewable energy.

We had a short discussion before the shooting process. Video shooting is indeed a meticulous process.

One of the SOPs is to ask consent from all sources. After a shooting session, I asked this Puskesmas nurse for his consent.

I will close the post with a YouTube video on our visit to an elementary school that uses solar power plant to supply for the electricity.

Sumba Story Gathering Project And #TravelInTheTImeOfCorona - Part 1

Photo was taken when I was flying above East Java

A surprising opportunity knocked on my door a few months ago when Ridkey asked me to work on a Story Gathering project about renewable energy in Sumba island. I was hesitant at first, but Ridkey managed to convince me that Sumba was in a relatively safe zone. Ridkey was a colleague at the off-grid solar power plant project back in 2017-2018, so he knew I could survive in Sumba island. The project needs a videographer, so Ridkey paired me up with his junior who owns a production house, let's call him Bombom.

Long story short, Bombom and I got the project. We went to Sumba between Nov. 30 and 7 Dec. Here are some steps to take when flying domestically:

1. Check which test you should take in order to board the plane. During my travel period, the government required passengers to take rapid test.

2. If you take public transportation, such as airport bus, be sure to check the schedule because during the pandemic, all modes of public transportation limit their operational hours. For example, the airport bus now only runs between 2 am and 7 pm, previously it ran from 2.30 am to around 11 pm.

There is an empty seat to give space between bus passengers, but extra protection is never too much. I wore a surgical mask, a fabric mask and a face shield.

3. Get to the airport 2-3 hours earlier than your boarding time, because passengers should show the test result upon arriving at the airport. I arrived at the airport at 3 am, and the queue line was already more than 10 meters!

4. When traveling with a transit, always maintain social distance at the transit airport. Check the capacity of the eatery before ordering food/drink.

Kedai Kopi Sigli in I Gusti Ngurah Rai airport, Bali

 

5.  Basically, just follow all health protocols. Wear mask, wash hands regularly and practice social distancing.

Upon arrival at Umbu Mehang Kunda airport in Waingapu, all passengers are advised to wash hands. The airport staffs welcome us in hazmat suits, checked the test result and asked for our cellphone number and other informations.

6. Check on the requirement in each region. For example, in East Sumba, the rapid test is valid for 10 days and I should take a new test if I stay for more than 10 days. Otherwise, we could fly back using the test result we used for departing.

Stay tune for Part 2.

A New Obsession Called Webtoon

I forgot how I got to know Webtoon, it could have started as a way to escape from boredom or because the Korean drama series are just too long to keep up with. I am also more of the reading type, instead of the watching type. 

Whatever the reason for this obsession, now I remember that I should check everyday if the comics I am following are already updated. The web basically features comics from various comic artists worldwide. Each comic gets updated once a week, and some even get updated twice or thrice a week. 

Here are my recent Webtoon recommendations, in daily order:

Monday

Subzero by Junepurr (Instagram/Twitter)

The story follows the arranged marriage of Clove and Kyro to establish peace between their nations. The cool part of the story is that both Clove and Kyro are the descendants of dragon and they can turn into the mythical beast, if they want to. 

Tuesday

Let's Play by Mongie (Instagram/Twitter)

Twenty-something Samara Young's dreams to become an indie game developer has been crushed after she received a bad review from a ViewTuber called Marshall Law. Said ViewTuber turns out moving to the apartment next door.

LUFF by Arechanga (Instagram/Twitter)

Beatriz Torres has always dreamed of space and Mars colony since she was a child. But a system called LUFF (Law of Union, Family and Finance) that is implemented in Toloa has forced her to choose between two men that share matched fingerprints with her, in order for her to win a scholarship to UAE. 

Scorching Romance by Hongchi (unfortunately, this artist did not share the socmed account)

Ember Kim, who always feels hot, and Aspen Cha, who always feels cold, break the curse that mess up with their temperature with a kiss. Now that they are a couple, some people are trying to separate them.

Wednesday

True Beauty by Yaongyi (unfortunately, this artist did not share the socmed account)

Ju-gyeong Lim learns to put on make up to cover her acnes, but her love for make up later brings her to become a beauty influencer and a make-up artist in the making. The comic follows the daily life of Ju-gyeong and her two love interests: Seo-jun Han (her boyfriend) and Su-ho Lee (her former classmate, who was also her first love).

Age Matters by Enjelicious (Instagram/Twitter)

Rose Choi becomes the stand-in chef for CEO Daniel Yoon after her room mate suddenly leaves for holiday, but she soon gains his trust and becomes his secretary. Their relationship grows slowly as Rose also catches the interest of the men in the office.

Phase by Jouki (Instagram/Twitter)

Poor girl Min gets a chance to receive a lot of money if she is willing to live with crazy rich billionaire Shuu for a certain period. But she needs to hide her secret to keep everyone safe.

Thursday

I have yet to find anything that caught my interest on this day. I will update this should I find anything interesting.

Friday

I Love Yoo by Quimchee

The comic follows Yoo Shin-ae, a high schooler who has a hard life, but she has good friends who help her along the way. Unfortunately the artist is currently taking a break, without giving any clear information on when the comic will recommence.

Saturday

Midnight Poppy Land by Lilydusk (Instagram)

Poppylane Wilkes, a book editor, has caught the eyes of Tora, a bodyguard of a mafia lord, when she appears near an allegedly crime scene. The story is currently reaching the sad part when Tora knows Poppy is not related to the case and bids farewell. But we know this will soon get corrected. 

How To Become A Dragon by Eon (unfortunately, this artist did not share the socmed account)

A 1,000-year-old imoogi named Bari asks Yoo to help him pass the test to become the dragon of Nakdong river. By helping Bari to pass the test, Yoo can break the curse of his ancestors.

Miss Abbott and The Doctor by Maripaz Villar

Doctor Andreas Marino is a strict person, while Cati Abbot is a woman of action who seems to always cause trouble. What happens when these two people of different worlds fall in love and get married? Seeing the interaction between Andreas and Cati always gives a warm feeling in my heart.

Sunday

Lore Olympus by Rachel Smythe (Instagram/Twitter)

Taking the story of Hades and Persephone, this comic changes the period to present-day, with the gods doing their work in offices. Since I like Greek mythology, this one goes right up my alley.

Wow, the list turns out to be quite long. I may be doing a dedicated post for the comics once they end. Besides the ongoing comics, Webtoon also features comics that have ended and I found some that are interesting. But this will be for another post, ha!

Things People Do During Quarantine Or Why Can't I Be Like Those People

Hello, world!

Now that we in Jakarta and surrounding areas are in quarantine for three months, I begin to see a pattern on what people do when they are at home through their social media. I understand that social media in only 1 percent of a person's real life, but still it gives some ideas on what to do when we are in quarantine.

1. Baking or cooking

I am amazed to see so many photos of homemade cakes/bread/cooking that emerge on social media during the quarantine period. I mean, I am definitely sure we all have cooked something in the past, we just didn't post those. But now, all kinds of foods are posted. Until now, the most baked goods I've seen are brownies and donuts, most likely because those are easy. I think I will try to make one of those, once I got the ingredients.

2. Reading books

I do this, because I still have a pile of books that I haven't read from BBW 2020. Definitely guilty for 'tsundoku'. But I have also found other people reading books and recommending the titles, just look for hashtag #quarantinereading. All the recommended books seem so tempting, however, I refrain myself to buy more books, at least until I've finished the ones I have at the moment. I simply write down the book titles and have wishful dreaming on the time when I can have my own place with wall-to-wall bookshelves.

3. Making arts

A colleague loves to do coloring, with pencil, crayon or watercolor. Another friend does sketching. Some play musical instruments, and some other just ooze their cool as they belt a song cover. Also, the artists are still making their arts and posting on social media. I am so grateful that Internet has allowed me to follow talented people on social media, at least I know where to find entertainment when I am bored.

4. Sewing or knitting

This is a skill that comes to use in the quarantine period. Need a face mask? Just sew it. Running out of new clothes? Just sew it. My sewing skill is pretty basic, only fastening buttons and darning the socks. But even if we are new to this skill, there are so many YouTube videos to look out for.

5. Gardening

The good thing about gardening as a hobby is it provides your meal, depending on which plant is in harvest period. So far I grow bitter gourd, papaya, spinach and chili. I would love to have more vegetables, but there is a kingdom of thermite underneath my home and they eat whatever they like. I am just surprised they leave out those four vegetables for us. Definitely should try hydroponic, but perhaps will do this a bit later, because...ummm...budget priority.

6. Doing indoor sport

With all gyms being closed right now, indoor sport like yoga has been on the rise. I think the best way to do exercise  at home is by having a smartwatch/smartband that can track how many calories you have burned. Motivation is key, though, so smartwatch or no smartwatch, you can always do exercise in any form. I do plank while I clean the floor beneath my bed, and that is all, folks. So much for motivation, yeah.

7. Tidying up

I see a lot of this activity in the first weeks of quarantine. I am still on the slow pace of tidying up a la Mari Kondo, so I am still sorting my stuffs even as I type this down. Perhaps because I could guess this pandemic would stay for a long time, that is why I try to do this activity slowly. Otherwise, I would not have anything to do, lol.

8. Reposting old travel photos

This is definitely me, lol. I really miss traveling. It's the only consolation for a home-based freelancer. Please don't hate me when I post old travel photos.

Anyway, a journo friend interviewed me for an article, asked me what I do during quarantine and whether I have taken a new hobby in the past few months. I told her that nothing has changed, because I have been working from home since 2018. When I hear people complaining that they feel bored at home, well, I've been through that phase. The difference between now and then is I can't go out easily now.

To tell you the truth, I feel that working at home during the pandemic more exhausting than during the normal days. Therefore, I decided to let go one of my freelance jobs. I know it sounds crazy to let a job slip by you when other people are being laid off. But I need more time to sleep and to do calming activities, such as blogging, lol. I hope I can write more about life and activity during the pandemic, although I really can't promise you that.

I think it is alright if we don't take up any new hobby. I mean, the pandemic itself is a whole new situation that we need to adjust to. There is no obligation to learn something new. Simply surviving is already an achievement at the moment. Now is the moment to have more empathy. You may have the time and opportunity to take up new hobby, other people may only be able to focus on having food on the table. Everyone has their own battle. I am sure we will get through this, just as we have done with things in the past.

So, have you taken any hobby during the quarantine period? 

Ramadhan During The Covid-19 Pandemic

For many people, Ramadhan is the time to connect with the Muslim community in the mosques, to reach out to the poor and needy, and to hold sahur or iftar gatherings with friends. And many have lamented on missing out so many things in this Ramadhan. 

While I do miss doing tarawih prayer in the mosque, for me, Ramadhan is the time to reflect and improve, all of which could be done alone during quarantine. I am sure I would get protests from a lot of people to say this, but I really enjoy this year's Ramadhan. 

Here are some things I am grateful about experiencing Ramadhan during the pandemic:

1. No need to attend iftar gatherings at the shopping malls

Many friends and colleagues always hold iftar gatherings at the shopping malls, and I have been skirting around this issue for more than a decade, but the pandemic solves this in a second. I never liked like doing it because malls are always full during iftar time, we have to queue for quite some time to do Maghrib prayer in the mall's tiny praying room, and in the end, we can't have a proper discussion with said friends, because other patrons also want to have iftar.

2. It is more relaxing to do tarawih prayer at home

Since we are staying at home, we can do tarawih as many rakaat as we want. But I'm still doing the 8 tarawih-3 witir, though, lol. Staying at home means I can take breaks in-between the 2 rakaat. I usually spend the breaks to memorize short surah, so I have more surahs option to recite. I love Al Ikhlas, but sometime I feel guilty for using it excessively.

3. You focus on the basics of Ramadhan 

The basics are sahur, iftar, and tarawih. No need to go find new clothes for Idulfitri, because judging from the current situation, this pandemic will still definitely be around on 1 Syawal. No need to make too many cookies or food, because there would not be any family gathering on Idulfitri anyway.

4. More opportunity to do good 

I have heard many news about people losing jobs, not getting THR (annual bonus) or salary, and the struggle of essential workers working around the clock on the frontline. We can help them anytime, not just in Ramadhan, but of course any kinds of help given in this holy month would not only benefit the recipients, but also the giving persons.

5. The pandemic paints a different perspective in life 

With the pandemic going strong worldwide, I always have the feeling to finish my obligations as soon as possible because I may not have the opportunity later. This may seem like negative thinking to some, but the pandemic really gives an awareness that time waits for no one.

What are you grateful for this Ramadhan?