Our local food is delicious for sure,,,

I have to write. That what comes up in my mind. I didn’t remember how many times my friend already asked me when I am going update this blog. Now look, I update my blog.
I realize that I will never have time if I always wait to find the right time to write. Because actually, the right time to write is when there is something is in your mind, that’s the right time for you to write. Based on my experience, something that comes up in your mind, if you don’t write it down, you’ll forget it immediately. Really!
Now I am going to talk about food. It is not about recipe, it’s not about how to cook and so on, but it is about how we appreciate our local food. How many kinds of traditional or local food that we know? Can you mention it at least 10? Well, I cannot, to be honest.
Guys, you know what, I am crazy about burger. I like pizza badly. I love coke very much. And I am sure, you love it too. But I realize I should not. Why? Because when you are crazy about something, you will not notice the other things. That’s also applied in this case. When you are crazy about pizza for instance, you will always want to eat pizza; you will not eat putu (such kind of traditional food which is made by rice powder and coconut). When you are crazy about coke, you will always buy coke; you will not buy wedang jahe (such a warm drink made from ginger).
I wonder how if all the body buys pizza and coke, who will by the putu? Who will buy the wedang jahe? Old people? What’s going to happen if they’ve passed way? Our traditional food will pass away too. Who is going to keep our traditional food exists then? Who else if it’s not us?
We realize that sometimes or maybe often, we do not pay attention to our traditional food? We also do not pay attention to the body who sell the traditional food. If we see, most of the seller of traditional food is not the people who live in the middle up level of society. Most of them are living below the poverty line. Let’s try together to love our local food. Because when we eat local food, we help the seller, we help the traditional food exist as well. Nice things to do, right?

(Mega Aisyah Nirmala)

For the First Time, I Cried,,,

A couple months ago, I joined a work camp as a volunteer in Karimun Jawa Island. It is a small and beautiful island in the north of Java Island in Indonesia. I spent two weeks there with some friends from different countries. Two people came from Japan and the other nine came from European countries. There are also two Indonesian as the camp and co-camp leader. Many things I got and I learned there, that is for sure. I learned how to work in a team with sometimes extremely different point of view. I learned how to communicate with people in the island. I learned how to manage the garbage in other countries from my foreign friends. And the most valuable lesson I learned is how to appreciate the difference between us, European and Asia.
Many activities we’ve done there. Educate the people about garbage management, cleaning the harbor, cleaning the school, painting the garbage bean, playing with children, planting the mangrove, and so on. That’s all amazing. And I hope the advantages for the society will be amazing too. There is one activity that I bet I’ll never forget, that is playing with children of the island. Mostly they are students in kindergarten and elementary school while some others are student in junior high. We played traditional games together; we sang together, we made bracelets together, and so on. I loved the way the children speak, I loved the way they laugh, and I lover the way they smile. I loved every single behavior they did. They are human without sin. I was really having fun at that time, and the children too.
Until the day of farewell party came I just realized that two weeks were passed already. I had to leave the people there, I had to leave the children, and I had to leave all the things I loved in that island. I didn’t want to say goodbye. I didn’t want to leave all the body there. I’d really want to stay longer, but I knew I had to go. When we almost depart, some children gave me souvenirs. That’s surprised me. I was very happy and sad as well. I didn’t know what to do. I couldn’t give anything to them. I just wonder why they were so lovely. I said thank you and I promised them that I would come again in this island someday. I smiled, but they suddenly cried. I said to them, “Don’t cry, kids,”. But they even cried louder. Hey! Come on! Stop crying, kids! I talked to myself, “Don’t cry Mega, please. If you want to cry, not in here, not in front of the people, and not in front the children,”. I didn’t want to cry. But my tears just fall.

(Mega Aisyah Nirmala)

I love my country, Indonesia

It’s been a long time I didn’t write anything. University tasks and part time jobs make me extremely busy. I think I need to learn again about time management that I’ve ever learned before. Huff…
Well, my country, Indonesia, is a very rich country. I am sure about that. And the world knows that. But I will not deny the fact that poverty is everywhere. Just take a look in every single corner of the city, beggar is everywhere. Even though there is a new regulation about prohibition of giving money to the beggar, they are still there. After the regulation, all I can do is just looking at them while saying “Poor them,” always like that, again and again. I hate myself because what I can do is nothing at this moment. I want to do something. Really! But, I will not lie myself that I cannot appreciate them. Wait, I appreciate the people, but I cannot appreciate their way to look for the money. It’s difficult for me. It’s like a dilemma. Please stop begging like that. I sometimes think that what a bad country of mine is.
But after looking around again, after surfing the life of many people here, I change my opinion; my country is a very good country. There are many other poor people out there. But they are still struggling and holding on. Look at the bus driver, he is still doing his job even it’s hard. Look at the milk seller; he is still coming to one house to another house to offer the milk even it’s very tiring. Look at that old lady, she still walking around to offer the rice and the dishes for the breakfast even she has no much left energy. They are still struggling. They are still holding on in a very hard condition.
I am disappointed toward few people, but I am proud toward many people. However, I love my country, Indonesia.

(Mega Aisyah Nirmala)

I need some rest,,,

I do not know how to start. There are too many things inside my head that I want to write here.
Well, one year ago I joined a social networking. At the first time, it is okay. But as the time goes by, everything is changed. My world is changed. I spend my time in front of my laptop (online) much more than I use it to read the books.
What did I get from joining that? Find my old friends? Yes. Keep in touch with new friends? Sure. Get new information quickly? Exactly yes. Addicted? Yes. Wasting time? Yes. No privacy? Yes. Yeah, all of them are true, at least for me.
Look, somebody updates her status, she said, “I’ve just bought a new t-shirt”. What does she want with telling this to everyone? Somebody else upload many photos of himself. I do not want to see it. Really! But you know what? I did what they did. I update my unimportant status. I upload my unimportant pictures. Now I feel ridiculous.
Another case, when unknown people ask me to make friends, it is like a dilemma. If I refuse them, they will judge me as an arrogant. But if I accept them, I do not even know who they are. They will ask me many questions that actually the answer is already in my profile. It is very annoying me.
I do not want to open my social networking, but still, I open it. It is like I am being controlled by that. I know it is stupid. I know it is ridiculous. Now I am thinking to deactivate my account until I get strength to control myself. I really really tired with all of these. I need some rest.
I don’t blame the social networking. I don’t blame anyone. I blame myself. But I do not want you blame yourself like me. So use the social networking wisely.
Last, I want to write a letter by this hand. I want to send a letter by post. I want to meet people, not in a laptop screen.

Written by Mega Aisyah Nirmala

I have a perfect family

I have a perfect family…
I have a brilliant father. He is not a professor, doctor, master, or even a bachelor. He never finished his study. He stopped studying after he decided to marry a beautiful lady, my mother. He has no title in his name, at all. But I don’t think it’s important. He never finished his study in university, but he never stops to learn. He read newspaper every day. He watches news in television. He reads so many good books. One thing that he likes most is history. He always said to me, “Look back to the history and see what happen now, you will be able to predict the future,”. And I believe he’s right. He never makes an argument without any proof. He proves it through many ways.
I have a pretty mother. Not only pretty, she is a beautiful mother. She is also a genius. She could do many things that I cannot do. She could do everything I guess. She always teaches me to be strong, as strong as her. She also teaches me about patience, persistence, independence, brave, and many others. She always said to me, “Just hold on, no matter what the condition, God will be with you, always,”. I do believe in her. She is more than everything for me. She is my hero. I often wondering, could I be like my mother? I don’t know, but I wish I could.
I am proud to be my father and mother’s child.
***
I have a very tall and beautiful sister. She is my only sister and my only best friend. The best I have ever had in this world. I do many things with her. We share every joy, we share every sorrow. We share everything. I never think what will happen if we have to be separated. I don’t think I can hold on. So far, I think that I have to be with her forever. My younger sister is a smart girl. She is studying in a medical faculty. She is going to be a doctor, a good doctor for everyone. She doesn’t talk much. She always stays calm and silent. She’s different. She’s a very good body. I am proud to have a sister like her.
I have an older brother and I have a little brother. Let me talk about my little brother first. He’s a very cute and handsome boy. Sometimes, he looks so cool but sometimes he also can be so funny. He often makes me happy through of his jokes. Sometimes, he looks very childish like the other boys in his age. But sometimes, he looks so mature in certain cases. One thing that I really like from my little brother am is his sensitiveness. He gives high attention toward the environment, especially people who close to him. In my opinion, his sensitiveness is not a common for a boy in 10 years old. It’s amazing having a little brother like him.
Now it’s about my older brother. He is just two years above me. He is a handsome man. He’s not that smart like the other family. I think it just because he is lazy to study. J. But he is very diligent to help my parent’s business. That’s a very good thing from him. Well, I don’t have a close relationship with him. I mean, not as close as with the other family. I sometimes think that my older brother has his own world. I don’t know what that is. I don’t know much about him. But what I know for sure is he is my brother and my affection toward him is just like my affection toward the other family.
I am proud to be their family.
***
It’s a gift from God for being a part of this family. (Mega Aisyah)

What happen in the funeral really disturbs my mind,,,

I am gonna have a long long holiday after this even semester. I wanna spend my holiday with many useful activities. Firstly, to greet the holiday, I decide to clean my room and tidy up all the things inside. When I was cleaning the cupboard, I saw several photo albums that had been a long time untouched. I opened up one by one. The last photo album is my primary school album. It reminded me that after primary school graduation, I and all my classmates also teacher went to “Makam Raja Mataram” (Mataram Kings funeral) and “Makam Seniman dan Budayawan” (Artist funeral) in Imogiri, Yogyakarta.
After seeing the photos, I really wanna go there again, yeah, for the second time. I immediately called my friend to accompany me to go there. The day after I called my friend, I went there with her.
The first place was “Makam Raja Mataram”. Not much that I remembered about this funeral. So I decided to go around the funeral. And unluckily, the funeral is closed. I can’t go inside the funeral to visit Sultan Agung funeral and others. But, the environment in the funeral is good to see. Overall, the funeral is clean and tidy (if I could use that word). It seemed that the funeral is maintained well.
Alright, now let’s move to “Makam Seniman dan Budayawan”. It’s about 400 meters from “Makam Raja Mataram”. It’s a little bit surprising when I arrived there. I saw many grass grew wildly in the surrounding of the funeral. Not only grass, the environment is a little bit dirty. It’s totally different with the funeral of the Mataram Kings. It seemed that this funeral is not maintainted really well. Is it because the King is different with the artist? I don’t know. Well, that’s could be make sense. Even in my opinion, the artist funeral should be maintained well also. However, it is also the heritage of the area.
There is one more thing that really disturbs my mind about the artist funeral. Because I think it’s embarrassing enough. I and my friend is not the only visitor there. There are another three couples and two of them were using High School uniform. You know what they’re doing? Exactly, they’re having a date in a funeral. Och my God!!! (Mega Aisyah)