Ini Mungkin Yang Terakhir

Ini mungkin tulisan blogku yang terakhir. Mungkin, karena aku tidak tahu kalo aku akan nulis2x lagi, atau tidak. Tapi kalo seandainya ini yang terakhir, aku mau mengucapkan banyak terima kasih karena kalian sudah membaca blogku ini.

Aku berharap kalian akan selalu hidup aman, damai, sentosa, dan nggak diganggu siapa pun juga. Kedamaian dan ketenangan hidup selalu bersama kalian semuanya.

Terima kasih atas waktu dan perhatian yang kalian curahkan saat membaca blogku ini. Terima kasih banyak!

Selamat berhari Minggu, Senin, Selasa, Rabu, Kamis, Jumat, Sabtu, dan Minggu lagi! :)

Sampai jumpa lagi! :)

Penting, nggak? (Is It Important?)

Masalah besar, jadikan kecil.
Masalah kecil, jadikan habis.

Kalo nggak penting, nggak usah tetap dipikirin.
Cuekkin aza, nanti juga masalahnya hilang.

Kalo penting, pikirkan dengan jernih.
Lepaskan emosi atau perasaan yang enggak enak.
Hadapi persoalan dengan kepala dingin.

Pikirkan, apa aku bisa hidup tanpa hal ini hari kemarin?
Kalo aku bisa, ya berarti hari ini aku tidak butuh hal ini.

Fokuskan pikiran dan hati untuk kepentingan masa depan.
Pengorbanan hari ini akan terasa manis saat kemenangan tiba di hari esok.

Hadapi setiap hari dengan semangat baru.
Jangan patah semangat, ini pun akan berlalu.

Hidup sesederhana mungkin.
Jauhkan diri dari segala komplikasi hal2x yang tidak penting.
Semakin sederhana, semakin bahagia.

Isilah hidup dengan orang-orang penting yang mencintaimu.
Jangan mikirin orang-orang tidak penting yang berlagak seolah-olah penting, padahal tidak sama sekali, apalagi jika mereka tidak mencintai dan tidak peduli pada dirimu sama sekali.

Waktulah yang akan membuktikan.
Bahwa dunia ini masih indah.
Dan masih penuh dengan orang-orang baik yang peduli dan sayang pada dirimu.
Walaupun engkau tidak menyangkanya.

Teman-teman yang baik dan tidak berharap apa2x daripadamu, jauh lebih berharga dari barang apapun juga di dunia ini.
Teman-teman yang penuh pengertian dan selalu mendukungmu, rangkullah mereka dan jangan lupakan ulang tahun mereka.

Hidup ini bukan hanya untuk hari ini saja.
Besok engkau masih hidup, dan lusa pun juga.
Berarti kau masih bisa berusaha untuk bahagia, jika hari ini penuh dengan perjuangan dan air mata.
Besok akan lebih baik.

Buat masalah besar jadi kecil.
Dan buat masalah kecil jadi hilang.

Senyum dan penuhi hidupmu dengan kebahagiaan.

============================================================

Big problem, make it smaller.
Small problem, make it disappear.

If not important, don't keep thinking about it.
Just let it go, the problems will eventually be gone.

If important, think clearly.
Let go of emotions or negative feelings.
Face the problem with clear head.

Think, can I live without this yesterday?
If yes, then I don't need it today.

Focus mind and heart for the future.
Sacrifice of today will taste sweet when you have tomorrow's victory.

Face each day with new spirit.
Don't be broken-hearted, this too will pass.

Live as simple as you can.
Distance yourself from all complications that are not necessary.
The simpler, the happier.

Fulfill your life with important people who love you.
Don't ever think of unimportant people who act like they important, but not at all, especially if they don't love you and don't care about you.

Time will prove.
That this world is still beautiful.
And still full with good people who care and love you.
Although you don't expect it.

Good friends who never hope to get anything from you, are way more valuable than anything in this world.
Understanding friends who always support you, hug them and never forget their birthdays.

Life is not only for today.
Tomorrow you'll still live, and the day after tomorrow.
That means you can still try to be happy, if today full of struggle and tears.
Tomorrow will be better.

Make big problems smaller.
And make small problems disappear.

Smile and fulfill your life with happiness.

The Third Christmas

This year is going to be the third Christmas of us keeping our commitment that we've made since July 2014. My husband and I have been in this journey called "Total Money Makeover" from Dave Ramsey, and we're still on to it. This is the third Christmas that we won't buy each other gifts until we reached our common goal: a paid off house.

No, Dave didn't say that we couldn't buy each other Christmas's gift. He said to budget it.

But both my husband and I know that if we continue keep buying each other's gifts, from the same source of money that should be put more toward paying house, then we won't reach our finish line sooner. We both want this so badly. So very very badly that we are willing to sacrifice Christmas gifts, birthday gifts, valentine's gifts, any day gifts. Simply put, no gifts until the house paid off!

On the bright side, these journey had made me more discipline in budgeting and I do see the result. I'm in control now towards our money and how we spend it, and not the other way around. Managing our finances is easy when we have common goals and only have to say no to ourselves.

But, sometimes there was a trying times. The hardest part is when there are others outside our family that giving us an awkward look with my attitude towards my money (my money, not their money.) A stare. A look that make me feel like I'm doing something wrong, although it was right in my book. Like when some friends are trying to pool some funds to buy somebody else something for whatever reason you can name it. It's probably only a ten or fifteen dollars, which is nothing to that person. But for me, that means a lot. While I'm sacrificing to not buy my fave snacks, skipping my fave Starbucks drinks that I used to drink everyday, omitting the chance of hubby buying me precious birthday and anniversary gifts, giving up my fave channel which is the Disney Channel when we had to cut down our cable to the most basic package that's basically just news and other channels I don't care for, letting go dining in restaurants for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, saying goodbye to vacation for the next 15 years; all these sacrifices so we can pay house faster and sooner, ...  then why in the world I should give them ten or fifteen dollars that I don't even have? It doesn't make sense.

I did get that hard-stare look. I did get the "are you crazy?" look. I probably get the "she's cheap" talk behind my back. I don't care. I said no. Because I know these are only distractions. Will I suddenly gain any popularity and raise up my social status if I volunteer to join the pool fund? I don't think so. The hardest part is keeping your face straight and not feel guilty about it. And I didn't feel guilty. Why? It's my money, not theirs. Whatever I do with my money is my 100% rights and responsibility. I don't answer to them. I answer to my family. I do have a responsibility to my family. And right now, paying house asap is a priority for us. If nobody wants to understand or respect that, that's not our problem.

And this is why this year's Christmas won't be so different than the last two. It's getting easier actually. Christmas without gifts, why not? We have each other anyway and that's all I need.

Daylight Saving Time

I've lived in Asia for the first 26 years of my life. I've lived in a beautiful country called Indonesia, where there are only 2 seasons: dry and rain, for 6 months each. The sun always rise in the east at 6 am, and sunset always happen at 6 pm in daily basis. We never change our time back and forth, except when the battery runs out.

So............ imagine my surprise when I found out about the Daylight Savings Time concept!

Before I move to America and get married with my lovely husband, we had a long distance relationship. Me being in Indo and him being in US, that means time difference between the two of us. Long story short, we decided to call each other after my work at night, which means in morning for him before he go to his work.

One time, I call him after my work done, probably about 7 or 8 pm, don't remember the exact time. All I know is that it was night at my place, which will be early morning at his place. I thought it will be 5 am in US, but it was 4 am! I thought, hm, did I calculate it wrong?

It turns out that in US, there is such a thing called daylight savings time. When everyone has to change their clocks to one hour ahead or later. Odd concept isn't it? But it is true. It's the time when you might get an extra hour of sleep. Or be shorted an hour. Depends on the timing. My husband's grandma made it easy for me to remember:

Spring forward (March) = adjust your clock to be 1 hour later. 
*Aargh! Lose 1 hour sleep!*

Fall back (November) = adjust your clock to be 1 hour before. 
*Yay, gain 1 hour to sleep!*

I'm sure there is a history of why and how the daylight savings time was born. But for me, this is another reason why I no longer wear a watch anymore. Don't want to be bothered to adjust one more clock.

Have I still live in Indonesia, or if I never meet my husband from yahoo chess, I would probably don't know and don't realize that there are people on the other side of the planet adjusting their clocks every November and March, and that's not because they ran out of battery.

Interesting isn't it?

Detox

de·tox

informal

noun

ˈdētäks/

1. 1.

   a process or period of time in which one abstains from or rids the body of toxic or unhealthy substances; detoxification.

   "he ended up in detox for three months"

We've heard of this term... a lot. The point is, to get rid of toxins by doing certain things. This article outline a very good example of a detox process and benefits. And in today's digital world, there is a such thing called digital detox!

In my opinion, there are 3 areas that we should always do when we detox:

1.  Mind detox
Cleanse your mind. Detach your mind from negativity. Whatever that is. Either in the form of clouded judgement, sarcasm, and profanity. Keep having positive thinking. For more information, check out this post. A very good practice of this, is to close your eyes, take a deep breath, empty your mind, and invite serenity. Every time you're going to overthink, stop it. Only allow good things come to your mind. Sometimes you can't control what happen to you in life, but you surely can control your mind.

2. Heart detox
Sometimes I don't know if I'm thinking or feeling. There's a subtle line between the two, and most often, it's ended up of my feeling this or that. From mind, flow to the heart. That's why it's so important to keep a positive mind. Because whatever you think could eventually follow to your heart. And heart is fragile. Too often we sacrifice a good relationship because our ego took over, and we say or do things that we didn't intend to do, and regret it later. So be careful on how you feel. Don't get carried away. Detox your heart, detox your feeling. Invite the calmness. Be the master of your heart.

3. Body detox
There are probably hundreds articles out there written about body detox. This is definitely important! Why? Because ... you live in your body! You still will need to take care your body until the day you no longer need it anymore. Cleanse your body from toxins, virus, glutton, and aim to be healthier. Watch your sodium intake, eat more fruits and veggies, and avoid bacon. Okay, you can probably eat bacon once in a while, but ensure you maintain a healthy diet. If your budget allows you, pamper yourself to spa, get a massage, and just relax. If it's not within your budget, no problem. Just pour liquid bath soap to your tub, and enjoy a nice bubbly bubble bath! I personally made it mandatory to myself to have a bubble bath once a week, with a yogurt mask. And ... drink tea. Hot green tea or chamomile tea. Tea soothes our feeling and refreshing our vitality.

And in the end of the day, after all these detoxing process are done, you found yourself more relax, calm, and ready to take more in life.

The Road to Blog

3 things I like to do, both consciously and unconsciously: to ponder, to write, to type. The first one, I can do it anytime. Well, anytime I don't require full concentration obviously, like when working or when cramming in an examination. One time when I was in Indonesia, I remember stepping into an escalator going down in Gajah Mada Plaza (a humble mall near my house; humble, because it was one of the earliest mall in Jakarta, simple and so 80's). My mind was somehow preoccupied with something deep like the meaning of life or something like that. That habit made me reflect on my surroundings, my current situation, what I want in life, gratitude, etc etc. I truly enjoy pondering.

Next, is to write. This is maybe because I like to read too. When I was 13, I wrote several stories. One my of friend in school, Dewi (I forgot her last name, sorry Wi!), but I remember she's very tall, dark skin, and pretty! She could be a model, but instead she chose to be a stewardess later on in life. Back to our junior high school time, Dewi borrowed my "novel" that I wrote, and read it during class. But unfortunately, a teacher found out about it and made her destroy my novel. Sniff!!!!!

Somehow I don't let that setback stop me though. I keep writing and sometimes I sent my stories to Perduki's team that handle bulletin and publication. Perduki is a religious organization group for businessman & woman. My parents belong to that organization and I grew up with them. They uploaded my stories and that challenged me to write and write more stories!


When I was in high school, I joined the journalism club. We had 2 choice: to be cartoonist or to be journalist. I chose the later because I enjoy interviewing, digging facts, and writing. I had the opportunity to interview several important public figures and upload our interview. Learn lots of things too. I really enjoyed it!

Third hobby: to type. I know it's weird, but I really do enjoy typing since I was firstly being taught to type in junior high school. It's a class, and yes we have "typing" examination too! It was probably around 1991 or 1992, I don't remember the exact year, but what I do remember though, we all learned to type using the original typewriter.

Our classroom examination is like this: the teacher put a sheet of paper covering our fingers while our fingers typing using that big clunky typewriter (imagine my difficulties pressing "Q" using my pinky! It was literally hard, you had to press that Q with your full energy with a pinky!). And our eyes, we can't see what we type on the paper, because we have to read the instruction paper that was put to our left. This practice basically making us to be able to type without even have to see the keyboard. I have to thank my typing teacher, because now, twenty something years later, I can type without looking at the keyboard at all. As if my fingers know which button to press and which fingers to do which letter. Very cool, huh?

There's also a warmth feeling listening to that original typewriter sound when you type something. And obviously there's no undo button on it. If you made a mistake, you have to scratch that paper and start from the beginning again... or you can use a white-out. But if you typing an important document, you can't use the white-out method.

Few years later, my dad bought us an electric typewriter, the brand is Brother. This was one of a very cool invention that I've ever had! I guess this is the "birth" of today's keyboard ancestor. I like how sleek it looks and how quiet the machine type when I type anything with it. It's just feel so modern, and yet this is the things of the 90s. Well, way back then, it was one of the best tool to use, before finally personal computer became common and available for everyone.

So all of these 3 hobbies combined, lead me into a new journey called blogging. The road to blog!

My friend Ignatia introduced me to a web called blogspot.com. She mentioned to me that I can blog anything I want using that web. It's pretty fascinating. I can ponder any thoughts or feelings or any topic I'd like to discuss, write it, and publish it! I get to do the things I like to do like typing! I can channel my ideas, or even some silly random things, and ... publish it! For me, it's not really matter if I have an audience of 1000 readers, or an audience of 1. For me, what important is, the matter not lost. The matter is retained, and can be passed on to everyone who like to read it.

I guess, as an introvert, this is one of my way showing how you can get to know me from a different side that you've never seen before. Even I sometimes surprised myself when I read my previous blogposts! And laugh at it too sometimes. :)

That's why my blog motto is : ... and everything in between. I'd like to be able to type about anything, but not just anything, but anything that worth pondering about. And motivating us. And cheering us up!

And that's how I ended up blogging these days. :)

WorkPlace: Bank of America (Banker)

Tanggal 28 Desember 2015, 3 hari sebelum akhir tahun, gue resmi jadi karyawan baru untuk Bank Of America, sebagai Personal Banker. Ini betul2x posisi impian sejak gue pindah dari Indo ke Amrik, semenjak dari tahun 2005. Setelah satu dekade, berhasil juga gue meraih posisi ini! Kalian kan tau, untuk menjadi bankir adalah sesuatu yang selalu gue impikan sejak dari jamannya gue jadi direct sales di Jakarta dulu. Seneng deh!

Berbulan-bulan sebelumnya, gue diinterview oleh calon bos gue, yang namanya Bapak Gautam, di cabang Camas, Washington. Gue agak deg2an juga lho pas interview, soalnya gue udah lama banget tidak berkiprah di dunia perbankan lagi. Maksudnya, pengalaman sembilan tahun terakhir kan di dunia call center, apakah dia akan memberi gue kesempatan?

Tapi untungnya, setelah berminggu2 kemudian, gue denger jawaban dari recruiter yang nelpon gue pada tanggal 11 Desember 2015 (dimana itu bertepatan dengan hari terakhir gue kerja di Capital One pula!), bahwa gue diterima! Hore!

Jadilah hari Senin, 28 Desember 2015, gue training sama komputer dulu di cabang downtown Vancouver, Washington. Manajer cabang di sini namanya Natalie, cewek tinggi berambut cepak, yang nggak segan2 membantu gue kalo gue ada pertanyaan2x sebagai anak baru, hehe. Gue juga kenalan sama relationship banker yang namanya Rachel, doi sudah 3 minggu gabung di bank kita, dan juga lagi menjalani masa2x training komputer.

Setelah satu minggu training di downtown Vancouver, training berikut berlanjut di cabang Fisher's Landing. Manajer cabang di sini namanya Paula, wanita berdarah Brasil dan berambut hitam sebahu. Doi juga tinggi sekali seperti Natalie! Sukanya ngegym jam 6 pagi sebelum ngantor. Makanya bodynya bagus sekali deh, kayak model aza! Banker yang ikutan mentraining gue namanya Michael, cowok berumur 27 tahun yang humoris dan suka bercanda. Asisten manajernya namanya Brittany, terus teller2 di sini namanya Brianne, Brianna, dan Vera. Terus, gue juga kenalan sama Brent, yang menjabat sebagai penasihat keuangan dari Merrill Edge (perusahaan partneran bank kita dengan perusahaan investasi Merryl Lynch).

Ada cerita lucu tentang Michael dan pacarnya. Jadi fast forward dua bulan kemudian, it's Valentine's Day. Michael order bunga untuk pacarnya sebagai kejutan. Tapi sayangnya bunganya tidak terkirim!! Jadilah dia marah2x sama toko bunga, kok bunganya nggak dikirim... kasian deh kau, Mike!

Nah, kebetulan boss gue Gautam itu bakalan pindah ke Michigan karena ibunya sakit keras. Jadinya gue kenalan sama boss baru yang namanya Brent. Orangnya stylish, modis, dan rambutnya selalu rapi. Brent ini betul2 tipe orang korporat, tapi sebagai manajer dia itu bagus sekali. Dia selalu percaya akan kemampuan gue dan mendorong gue untuk sukses. Dia selalu bilang,"I never worry about you." Gue merasa beruntung sekali bisa kerja di bawah pimpinan dia. Dan gue masih harus banyak belajar dari Brent ini. Mudah2an dia jadi boss gue untuk masa waktu yang lama, ya!

Setelah masa2x training itu selesai, akhirnya gue ditempatkan di cabang Orchards di awal bulan Maret 2015. Seneng banget deh pas gue tau kalo gua akan ditempatkan di cabang yang satu ini. Soalnya ini cabang paling deket dari rumah (what a dream come true!), cuma 7 menit kalo ngebut, dan 10 menit kalo lampu merahnya nyala. Hihihi, asik kan?!

Pimpinan cabangnya namanya Angie. Orangnya betul2x sanguin-koleris abis! Tegas, lugas, dan selalu ceria. Enerjik banget biarpun umur sudah 46. Doi punya pengalaman banyak di dunia perhiasan, secara 15 tahunan lebih dia kerja di bidang itu. Akhirnya suatu hari dia memutuskan untuk nyoba2x bank, dan dia dipromosi secara cepat dari banker ke branch manager. Pemimpin yang kuat dan jarang salah. Dan yang gua suka banget dari dia tuh, dia selalu melemparkan apresiasi yang banyak untuk anak buahnya, termasuk gua! Hampir tiap hari dia ngomong sama gue kalo dia bersyukur punya karyawan kayak gua! Nah lho... apa gak kebalik? Soalnya sejujurnya nih, gue merasa (dan juga bilang ke doi) kalo dia ini adalah salah satu bos terbaik yang pernah gue miliki! Beneran deh! Gue juga sangat terbuka sama Angie, dan dia juga kalo ngomong blak2an. Apa yang dipikirkan langsung dilontarkan. Di bawah pimpinan beliau, cabang kita termasuk cabang yang berkembang pesat, terutama dari segi nilai pelayanan nasabah.

Asisten manajer di sini namanya Scott. Pria berumur 32 ini kelihatannya kaku dan formil, tapi kalo sudah kenal deket, kita bisa dibecandain abis2an! Doi sudah kerja di bank kita selama sebelas tahun terakhir. Jadi kalo soal urusan prosedur dan jalur2 formal bank, dia ahlinya deh. Dia banyak memberi masukan pada gua dan banker2 baru di Orchards, terutama kalo kita membuat kesalahan dalam mengisi formulir2x atau aplikasi di komputer bank. Gue sangat bersyukur punya asisten manajer yang teliti dan mendetail seperti Scott, karena hal2x ini sangat penting bagi operasional cabang. Apalagi kalo sudah menghadapi audit kwartalan, wah, kalo nggak ada Scott, bisa kena audit deh kita!

Scott punya rencana untuk pindah ke perusahaan tempat kakaknya bekerja, jadi kita punya tambahan anggota baru beberapa minggu terakhir ini, yaitu Kimlyn. Nantinya Kimlyn ini akan menggantikan posisi Scott sebagai asisten manajer. Cewek berdarah Asia ini pintar, kalo ngomong cepet banget, dan modis banget penampilannya. Yang gue suka dari dia itu, dia selalu responsif sama pertanyaan2x gue, dan selalu menyapa gue kalo ketemu gue! Baik ya? :)

Banker2 di sini juga "anak2x baru", selain gue tentunya. Oh iya, nantinya nama titel Personal Banker ini akan berubah menjadi Relationship Manager. Giliran gue "dipromosi" adalah bulan Agustus 2015. Tapi itu berarti target bulanan juga meningkat. Nah, para RM kita adalah sebagai berikut:
- Dylan (Mar - Apr 2015) : anak muda berumur 22 ini kalo nyetir cepet dan suka kebut2an. Rambutnya disisir ke samping seperti Justin Bieber. Eh beneran deh, kalo ngeliat Dylan, gue jadi inget Justin Bieber. Lucu ya? Hehehe. Yang lebih lucu lagi, kata Angie, semenjak gue ditempatkan di Orchards, Dylan suka nggak masuk kerja. Entah kenapa. Akhirnya dia resign dan kerja di bank lain.
- Andrew (May - Aug 2015) : cowok tinggi berumur 25 ini masih single lho, ladies and gentleman! Orangnya sabar, baik, nggak pernah marah, lucu dan humoris pula. Sayang dia suka nggak masuk kalau ada sesuatu yang terjadi dengan keluarganya (ayahnya kena sakit jantung, Andrew sendiri pernah kena kecelakaan mobil di kurun waktu ini, dsb). Andrew memutuskan untuk pindah tinggal di Redmond, Washington, untuk tinggal bersama kakaknya. Jadinya dia pindah ke bank kita cabang Redmond.
- Eddie (Aug 2015 - sekarang) : bapak berumur 33 ini punya anak perempuan satu umur tujuh tahun yang manis sekali. Eddie juga orangnya kalem dan sabar. Dia ini dulunya adalah pimpinan cabang Verizon lho! Kayak Angie gitu! Tapi dia memutuskan untuk pindah jalur perbankan, soalnya kalo bank jam kerjanya kan 8pagi - 5sore, nggak kayak toko Verizon (jualan servis selular/handphone) yang bisa sampe jam 10 malem. Yang gue salut dari Eddie adalah semangatnya untuk mencoba dan terus belajar. Gue jadi inget, pas hari2 pertama dia masuk, dia dateng ke meja gue, duduk, dan konsultasi sama gue!! Dia tanya gue, udah berapa lama gue kerja di dunia perbankan. Dia juga minta tips2 supaya sukses jadi banker. Wah, angkat topi deh gue sama dia. Karena dia mengingatkan gue pada... diri gua sendiri! Gue juga orangnya mau belajar dari orang2 yang sudah lebih banyak pengalaman dari gue!! Gue ngerasa kita berdua bakalan cocok nih!

Selain RMs, cabang kita juga punya Relationship Banker (fifty2x gitu, setengah banker, setengah teller), yang namanya Aurora. Cewek muda berdarah Meksiko ini masih muda, deh. Umurnya baru 21 tahun! Hebat ya... udah kerja di bank! Dia ini kadang kerja sebagai banker, bareng2 gue dan Eddie, kadang kerja sebagai teller, tergantung dimana kebutuhan cabang pada hari2x tertentu. Sekarang ini Aurora lagi hamil anak pertama. Yah, kudoakan semoga lahirannya sukses deh!!

Beberapa bulan kemudian, kita punya tambahan rekan kerja baru: Caitlin sebagai Relationship Banker menggantikan Aurora dan Cyndy sebagai asisten manager menggantikan Scott yang akhirnya ditempatkan di cabang lain. Caitlin ini orangnya cantik luar biasa! Pantes deh jadi model atau aktris beken!! Orangnya juga baik dan pintar! Dia selalu kasih komplimen gratis pada kita2x dan gue slalu demen mendengarkan cerita2nya dengan pacarnya Joseph.

Cyndy, cewek humoris berdarah Filipina ini... ck ck ck, kocak abis!! Doi doyan bercanda dan bikin suasana jadi gak terlalu serius. Rambutnya hitam legam dan panjang sepinggang. Kalo perlu serius ya dia serius, tapi rata2x Cyndy selalu nyelipin joke2x lucu! :)

Para teller di cabang kita:
- Yasi : Wanita berdarah Persia ini umurnya baru 26 tahun, anak lelakinya satu baru umur dua tahun. Yasi ini punya satu kesamaan hobby sama gue. Kita berdua doyan banget nonton serial TV Psych. Kadang gue nonton bareng Yasi pas lagi lunch lewat cell phonenya dia. Thank you ya, Yasi!
- Jess : Ibu anak tiga ini juga masih muda, umur 26 tahun, dan berasal dari keluarga Meksiko. Kalo udah ngomong bahasa Spanyol sama Aurora, dunia jadi milik mereka deh. Hehe. Jess ampir mirip sama Yasi, sama2x suka nonton TV shows di cell phonenya. Dia lagi doyan nonton Nurse Jackie tuh.
- Alex (alias Alexandra) : Sekarang ini Alex lagi cuti hamil, karena dia baru lahiran anak keduanya. Alex punya inspirasi untuk suatu hari nanti jadi asisten manajer seperti Scott, makanya dia suka dikirim ke cabang2 lain untuk membantu operasional cabang2x yang bersangkutan. Wanita berdarah Irlandia ini punya suami yang namanya juga sama, Alex!
- Sofia : cewek berdarah Ukraina ini masih umur 18 tahun lho! Masih "hijau", hehehe. Dia suka ngobrol dan enak kalo diajak bercanda. Dia adalah tambahan terbaru untuk team teller kita. Pintar bicara bahasa Russia. Kebetulan! Soalnya cabang Orchards ini banyak nasabah2 dari Eropa Timur, dimana mereka semua bicara bahasa Rusia!
- Karen : ibu berumur 60 tahun ke atas ini sudah lama sekali kerja di bank kita. Sudah lebih dari 30 tahun kali! Suaranya berat serak2x basah. Badannya kurus sekali! Karen ini kerja part-time, jadi nggak masuk tiap hari. Dan akhirnya dia pensiun beberapa bulan yang lalu.
- Colin : cowok modis yang satu ini paling suka makan sushi! Jadi mengingatkan gue bahwa gue harus pergi ke restoran Sushi sebulan sekali paling enggak! Rambutnya tertata rapi, dan dia suka pake syal. Pokoknya keren deh. Sayangnya Colin akhirnya pindah ke cabang lain di luar kota, dimana dia akan tinggal bersama neneknya.
- Vildana : Cewek cantik berdarah Albania berumur 19 tahun ini sudah persis deh kayak modelnya Instagram. Doi orangnya baik, suaranya halus, rambutnya panjang sepinggang, pokoknya kalem manis cute abis deh!
- Sara : Teller yang satu ini tadinya pindahan dari IQ Credit union, dimana dulunya dia adalah vault teller di sana. Alasan dia pindah ke sini? Soalnya ibu mertuanya adalah pimpinan cabang kita, untuk cabang Fourth Plain. Ya koneksi dikit2 lah. Hehehe. Sara udah married, punya anak satu umur 5 tahun yang namanya Ryder kalo nggak salah.

Gue juga punya partner2x bisnis di sini :
- Yang ngurusin pinjaman rumah: Frank, Marcy, Jenny
- Yang ngurusin bidang perusahaan2x bisnis skala kecil & menengah : Joe, Nick, Sheila
- Yang ngurusin mesin untuk menerima kartu kredit, debit : Kim, Roberto
- Yang ngurusin investasi keuangan dari Merril Edge: Brent, Nadya

Hari2 di Bank of America ini sangat menyenangkan deh. Setiap hari selalu sibuk. Ada aja yang dikerjain. Untungnya gue rata2 masuk target kwartalan (yang penting target kwartalan, bukan bulanan). Dan setelah berbulan2x kerja di bank ini, gue merasa "hidup" lagi. Aneh! Gue merasa bahagia, terpenuhi, dan punya feeling kalo masa depan gue akan terus cerah! Mungkin itulah perasaan dimana kita kerja di bidang yang kita gemari. Kerja jadi terasa ringan. I love my work here!

Mungkin saking kesenengan kerja di dunia banking lagi, hasil kerja gue ternyata membuahkan prestasi yang membanggakan tiap bulannya. Sejak bulan Oktober 2016 sampai saat blog ini diedit (hari ini tanggal 26 Oktober 2017), gua selalu masuk target bulanan dan kwartalan. Dan ajaibnya, hasil prestasi kwartalan ini juga selalu tambah meningkat, dari 102%, 110%, 141%, dan bahkan kwartal terakhir (kwartal ketiga tahun 2017), malah melesat jadi 154%!!! Padahal gak gampang loh untuk masuk target! Puji Tuhan deh!!!

Para petinggi2x di sini sungguh menghargai kerja keras gue, dan mereka menganugerahi beberapa penghargaan seperti berikut:

Relationship Manager (2016 - Present)
Achievement:
- Q3-2017 Top Performers Luncheon with Nathan Nguyen, SVP Consumer Banking and Merrill Edge Region Executive
- Southern Washington August 2017 Associate of the Month
- Leadership Development Program
- Q2-2017 Top Performers Winner
- Top Performer Luncheon with Aron Levine, Head of Consumer Banking and Merrill Edge and Gioia McCarthy, Managing Director, Consumer Banking and Merrill Edge Division Executive
- Q2-2017 Top Performer Luncheon with Nathan Nguyen, SVP Consumer Banking and Merrill Edge Region Executive
- Q2-2017 Corporate Title Promotion (to AVP - Assistant Vice President)
- Southern Washington July 2017 MVP/Banker of the Month
- Q2-2017 Rank#2 RM (Relationship Manager) out of 138 for Greater Washington and Oregon Division
- Southern Washington April 2017 Associate of the Month
- Southern Washington April 2017 MVP/Banker of the Month
- Q1-2017 Top Performers Winner
- Q1-2017 Financial Center Spotlight Award
- Q4-2016 Corporate Title Promotion (to Officer)
- Southern Washington November 2016 Banker of the Month
- Southern Washington August 2016 Associate of the Month

Personal Banker (2015-2016) 
Achievement:
- Q1-2016 Rising Star Winner

Tanggal 17 Agustus 2017 adalah hari yang sangat bersejarah dalam hidup gue. Kenapa? Karena pada hari ini, boss-nya boss gue, Nathan Nguyen, mempromosi gue untuk jadi Assistant Vice President! OMG!!!!!!! Seumur-umur nggak pernah gue membayangkan gue bisa dapet posisi bergengsi ini. Gak pernah terlintas dalam pikiran! Apalagi kalian kan tau perjalanan karir gue yang kadang melesat kayak meteor ke atas (DSR-PFC-CRM-Sales Manager), terus belok lagi ke bawah (Teller-Debt Collector), and mencuat lagi ke atas dikit (Ops Desk - IMC Analyst), dan mentok lagi ke bawah (laid off), and mulai dari awal lagi (Personal Banker terus Relationship Manager).  AVP ini adalah corporate title, jadi job group gue tetep sama yaitu RM, tapi sekarang ibaratnya gue RM tingkat 3 gitu lho. Tingkat 1 gak ada titelnya apa2x, tingkat 2 titelnya Officer, tingkat 3 AVP.

Gak cuma itu, Brent, boss gue yang bener2x menaruh perhatian pada gue atas hasil kerja keras gue selama ini, dia bilang dia akan mempersiapkan posisi gue berikutnya dengan mengusulkan pada Christine untuk mencalonkan gue sebagai Financial Center Operational Manager. Christine ini bossnya Angie, dimana Angie itu branch manager di cabang yang gue tempati saat ini. Dan Brent menempatkan gue untuk bergabung dengan kelas pertama Leadership Development program, yaitu program 6 bulan bagi para top RM mempersiapkan mereka untuk posisi berikutnya. Keren banget ya?

Nah, segitu dulu cerita tentang dunia kerja gue di Bank of America. I really love working at this company, this branch, and sekarang gue menjalani impian gua!! Living my dream! :)

Staycation

A: I'm going to vacation next week. One week off from work! Yay!
B: That's great! Where are you going to?
A: No where. Just stay at home and relax to the max.
B: Ah you're going staycation.
A: Staycation?
B: Yep. Staycation. It's where you suppose to go on vacation, but you stay at home.

That was the conversation I had before I leave my office last week. Or similar conversation like that. I'm not sure when the term "staycation" became official. But in 2009, they did add this made-up word to the dictionary. It even has its own Wikipedia version!

This year I already have 3 staycations. And all of them feel great! And I'm planning to have more staycations in the future, rather than vacations. Why?

Because... I hate air travel.

As I grow older (not sure since when), I grew more and more disliking air travel. I  don't like waiting to check my bags in the counter. Then that long walk to the gate. Then waiting to board. It's just drive me nuts! Yes I can shop around, but usually there are no arcade in airplane, so after window shopping, then what to do? Just waiting. Sure there's facebook and multi-media stuff, but then what?

And then, waiting for the lines to form up when they call out your seat number. And the fact that I get nervous when I'm board on an airplane. I hate that claustrophobic feeling when I had to put my small luggage below the chairs. And then I heard someone coughing. Great, virus spread in a small space. Then some baby crying. Oh where's the peace and happiness? Where's the serenity when I need it? Definitely not in a plane. And don't forget that uneasy feeling when someone lurching over you to get his bag stored at the top baggage space.

And the take off time. That funky funny feeling when you clutch to the front of your armrest. Praying, hoping, and wishing that the pilot will not make any error in the attempt to fly this iron bird to the sky. You close your eyes and your hands holding your loved ones. You feel gravitated towards the clouds. And the fact that soon you have to pop your ear. Aarrgh!

Finally you have few peaceful moments to watch a movie, or listen to the music, but suddenly there's that urge to go to the restroom. Great! Because now there is a line. You gotta wait again. And when it's your turn... what's that smell? Omigosh! That cramped space and that distinct odor that you can't wait to escape from! It's probably the quickest time to number one!

You get back to your seat and checking how many times this flight had left. Still 4 more hours to go. Great, just great! The person sitting in front of you recline her seat, and now you have less leg room. Wonderful isn't it? You swear that next time you'll choose a first class flight. As you always do whenever you fly in an airplane. But then you realize that money doesn't grow on trees and there are always better use of money rather than upgrading to the business or first class. You dismissed that idea.

Then it's the time to enjoy lunch. Food always makes me happy, and airplane food is one of them. It's not great or anything, but I rarely have any complains for the airplane food, which is the only thing that make me happy when I'm 35,000 feet above the land. And the good news is, you can have refill on your drinks and snacks. But at this time I gotta be wary for the drinks, because I don't want to make a second trip to that horrible little room labeled rest room...

20 minutes before your flight ends, the pilot made an announcement that we are so close to our destination spot, and you cheer at your seat! Well, not literally, but that feeling of freedom that you've been longing for so long... so excited! The airplane soon makes it descent, and you just can't wait to get this flight over and done with.

You see the small cities from above. Your eyes leap with joy to see the small cars become bigger and bigger as your plane gracefully going closer to the land. You finally felt the wheel touching the ground. It's that moment where you want to unbuckle your seat belt, but you know you can't. Not until the plane reach its final resting place, gate A67. You think it's over, but technically it's not yet. It's now the time to............ wait again. Although you see other passengers already unbuckle their seatbelt and start standing up. Some of them standing up funny, with some shoulders and head bit bowing down because they're too tall to fully standing up. Otherwise their head will bump into the top baggage space. Some other people start turning off their cell and texting around. The waiting game.

After what it seems to be forever, finally the lines start to move. You're walking away from your seat, towards the exit, and of course the person in front of you have to stop you from getting there because she's getting her bags out from the top baggage space, with difficulty. You wait patiently and wonder if you ever going to make it out from this plane. 30 seconds later, she finally able to get it out and suddenly the world is in harmony again. You say thank you and smile at the nice stewardess who had served your beverages and stepping out from the plane.

The happy moment is here again, now that you can breathe fresh air, and have lots of space to roam around! But wait! You still have to get your other bags, right? The big one that won't fit in as carry-out bags? That moment when you feel you're free but you're not free yet? Sigh. You dutifully go to baggage counter area. Scouting which counter that will deliver your luggage. It's baggage counter number 10. And where the heck is that?

You finally found the baggage area, and here we go again. Waiting for the bags. The rubber belt start moving and you start scanning each bag one by one. Eventually your bags arrived and the moment where you saw your bags, you feel like,"That's the one! That's my bags!". You wait impatiently until the bags arrived at your spot, and grab it like there's no time like now.

Next, you find a cab and he take you and your family to your hotel. Then the check-in time. Since you endure that long flights and the whole ordeals, this another waiting period is nothing. Soon enough you get your keys, and finally you can relax on that big king Californian bed. Phew!

And that's why I choose staycations.  No fuss, no drama, no waiting. Don't want to fly anymore unless I absolutely necessary have to. Although I've detailed how excruciating it is for me to fly, but I know I'll fly again one day. Just not in any near future (I hope).

Maybe I should try cruise next time. :)

The Story of 2 Farmers

Once upon a time, there were 2  farmers live side by side. Farmer Bob and Farmer Joe are their names. Bob and Joe have same size of barns, yards, and stocks. They have many chickens, cows, pigs, and other animal farms. They also have plenty fruits and vegetables growing in their lands.

One day, a wizard with a white tall hat visit their farms. The 2 farmers extend their hospitality to the wizard by opening their houses to eat, relax, and be merry. The wizard stays at Bob's house for 3 days, and at Joe's house for another 3 days. Before the wizard leave the farmers's place, he gave them each, 3 onyx apples, as a token of his gratitude.

Onyx apple may looks like a regular apple, but the value is a lot higher than a diamond or any jewel in the world. Its color is between blue and purple. If you eat it, it'll give you power for 2 hours. If you sell it, it'll give you a lot of money. The value of onyx apples fluctuates, but usually always appreciates.

Both farmers were very happy to receive the rare 3 onyx apples. Both farmers are wondering how they can get more onyx apples. The Saturday Market normally doesn't sell these things, because it's very rare to get it.

Farmer Bob decided to keep the 3 onyx apples in a basket, hidden in his pantry shelf. Because this apple is magical, it will never go bad, no matter how long this apple is stored. Farmer Bob thought that if he just keep it and never use it, then he will never ran out of his onyx apples. And once in a while, Farmer Bob will check the market to see if there's any onyx apples in stock, that he could buy, so he can increase his onyx apples supply.

Farmer Joe decided a different approach. He thought,"This is still an apple, no matter the name. I will treat it as an apple and will plant for it." He cut his first onyx apple to obtain the seed from it. He ate the apple and plant the seed. For 2 hours he get the super power from it : to do everything faster, stronger, smarter, better. He cut his second onyx apples, feed the fruits to his animals, and plant the seed. And finally, he cut his third onyx apples, make an onyx juice that he'll blend to his fruits and vegetable fertilizers, and plant the seeds.

Farmer Bob look at his neighbor, and thinks his neighbor is crazy. He laughed at Joe and said,"Look! Now you don't have any onyx apples anymore!" Farmer Bob then invited all his friends, so they can get a look of his precious 3 onyx apples. Farmer Bob put a glass case for each of his onyx apples, really treasure it, and protect it as something precious.

Days become nights. Nights become days. Days become months and months become years. Farmer Bob keep laughing at Farmer Joe for his "stupidity", for losing those 3 onyx apples so quick. Farmer Joe just shrug his shoulders and continue with his life. Farmer Bob keep inviting his friends once a week to see how beautiful his 3 onyx apples were, and thinking he now must be the most luckiest person in the world.

3 months later...

Farmer Joe's chickens are fluffier, healthier, and laid eggs faster than Farmer Bob's. Farmer Joe's cows generates more milk, faster, and tasted better, compared to Farmer Bob's. Farmer Joe's pigs are extremely healthy, does look happier, and they produce more piglets rather than Farmer Bob's. Farmer Joe's fruits and vegetables are better, bigger, and more than the normal amount. Everything in the farms seems better and brighter at Farmer Joe's.  This situation somehow attract more customers to Farmer Joe's farm, although Farmer Bob is displaying his 3 onyx apples in a glass case to get customers's attention.

Soon enough, Farmer Joe has more money than Farmer Bob, where he finally need to buy bigger barn to be able to contain all the produce he harvested. Farmer Joe now has more chicken, cows, and pigs. And now Farmer Joe need to expand his customer's list to reach out more stores and individuals, so he can be able to sell all the leftovers!

Farmer Bob still think that he's better off than Farmer Joe, because Farmer Joe has no onyx apples, and Farmer Bob still have 3 onyx apples that he can sell at anytime, if he need money for anything.

5 years later...

An onyx apple tree sprouted at Farmer Joe's land. It finally mature and ready to be harvested. And another one. And another one! Each tree bears about 20 or more onyx apples, and Farmer Joe can't be more happier! Finally his persistence paid off! Now, he has more than 60 onyx apples at his barn.

Farmer Joe decided to repeat what he did 5 years ago. He cut 3 apples, and plant 3 seeds for his new 3 apple trees. So now, instead of having just 3 onyx apple trees, he'll have 6 onyx apples trees.

Farmer Joe decided to do a new thing. He grabbed 10 of his new and ripe onyx apples, and take it to the market. He sold his 10 onyx apple and decided to open a new bed and breakfast with the proceed of his sales. He hire a manager to run his bed and breakfast and pay generous salary to him. Now instead of having just a farm, he's a new businessman in town! With a profit from the bed and breakfast, he was able to finance any repairs needed, provide great meals with the fruits, veggies, eggs, and meats from his farms, and run the inn smoothly.

Now Farmer Joe are ten times richer, happier, and busier than ever. His onyx apples keep growing in his fertile soil. He enjoys the fruits of his labor. And Farmer Bob can only see his neighbor's fortune in his sad little farm.

The End.

C = Ctrl-M + Ctrl-F

Few days ago I had an outburst with my friend. We disagreed on a petty topic. It's funny how little things could be escalated into a bigger incident.  Several hours later, we made up and be friends again. I calmed down and revisited the situation with a clearer head. We laughed about it and decided to move on.

That's when I realized that I need to work on my "C" skill. The "Calm" skill. The skill where you have total control of your mind and your emotion. The skill where when it's mastered, it will be your biggest defense against anything that tried to rob your peace. The skill that I need to practice in each and every day.

My father once told me,"It's all in the mind". In Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian language) : Semua itu ada di pikiranmu. He taught me to control my mind, and not let my mind wander around and be uncontrollable.

And now I look at my husband. He's one of the calmest person I've ever known. Nothing really provokes him or make him stress. I see him living a happier life than me (because I always stress about something, and sometimes for temporary things not worth stressing!). I also see how my dad lived a happy stress-free life too. It's all because both men were able to control their minds perfectly.

The second aspect of control is our emotion. Control our feeling. Crazy isn't it? How does one control feeling? This by far, is the most difficult thing for me to do. How can I be happy when I'm sad? How I can be peaceful when I'm concerned about something? (again, most of the times, it's for something silly that I shouldn't worry about! but alas!).

The good news is, I can always practice it. When there are things bugging me, I just said to myself,"Is this important in the next 5 years?". If it's not (and mostly is not, really), then I'll just dismiss it. I train myself hard for this part. I used to not control my feelings and let my feelings dictate my behavior, but not anymore. This time, I disciplined myself. If let's say someone said something insulting to me, instead of being influence on what he or she says, I'll just "discard" what they say and let it pass by. In Indonesian, we have a phrase,"Masuk kuping kiri, keluar kuping kanan". It means goes to the left ear, and out from the right ear. Just let it pass.

Conclusion:
C = Ctrl-M + Ctrl-F.
Calm is controlling your mind and feeling.

5 Balls

I don't know if this concept is true or not.

Work is treated as if it's a separate life. "If you drop it, it'll bounce back."

No, it doesn't.

Work is part of life. What happens at work, will eventually affect your personal life. Whatever happens at work, you'll carry that to your home as well. Probably not the work itself, but the effect the work caused.

For example. Let's say you have a very successful day at work. You feel happy, productive, energized, and accomplished. You go home feeling great, and when you feel great, you'll treat your family member better at home.

Vice versa, let's say you have a bad day at work. That grumpiness and whatever negative feeling you have, you'll bring it home too. Or probably to the bar (if you that type of person who likes to drown the sorrow of life in many bottles of drinks). And when you're at home, you probably will get irritated with a slight disturbance caused by your kids, spouse, or even your dog.

And if you do work in a job that you hate, you'll never feel fulfilled. You'll live a miserable life. And if you happen to be one of those lucky people who work in a job you love, you'll live life to the fullest. You even can create grand masterpiece in your work, which that accomplishment will be carried long into the future, long after the work itself done.

I truly wish work is a rubber ball. That it can bounced back easily. But the reality is... it's not. It's also a glass ball too. With probably too many stitches and patches here and there.

The truth is, all of these 5 balls are glass balls. But the good news is, these are the kind of balls that can be fixed (unless if you're diagnosed with terminal illness that has no cure - that is different). But if let's say you have a differences with your families, or friends, you can always make up, say sorry, and move on from that experience. If your spirit is broken, you can always attempt to soothe your feelings, and calm yourselves (for me this is so hard, but I keep trying though).

Life itself is not easy, and not hard. Instead of juggling with everything, I'm just going to take it easy. Know what my priorities are. Try to eliminate distractions on things that are not going to help me get to my goals. Relax more. I don't want to be caught up in a matter too seriously --- which could cost me my health. It's not worth it.

It's only a temporary life anyway. I'm not carrying those balls to my grave.

Enjoy Life

*** Posted with the permission of the author, my friend Kumala Dewi. ***

Many have asked me, "How come you look so relaxed, Wi? As if you have no burden, really enjoy life."

To be honest, I'm an ordinary human. Still give up if I'm in traffic jam for hours due to rain, still want to explode if I meet a super dumb person, still struggling to beat my own ego, still stress if there's a personal matter, still doubt with what I'm fighting now, still crying and devastated when I broke up, and there's still a lot of other "still". Same like the other people too, right?

The difference, in my opinion, is the way I look at and address these problems. Perhaps so. I tried to make my life as simple as possible. Attempted! Sometimes I fail anyway. But the essence of minimal importance here is "I'm trying." By trying, does not mean to always succeed. But if they fail, the failure will be more elegant. Hahaha .. That's what I thought anyway.

I personally believe to always focus on the same thing as the solution than to lament and reflect on a problem or situation. By doing so, in my opinion, we will be more elevated mentally, and it doesn't feel too heavy to live. More fun. More motivated. It was as though the heart screaming, but lips still smiling. Not that I pretended to be happy or cheerful or relaxed. But in doing so, I automatically calm myself and my positive aura will radiate, so my thoughts become clearer and my body will become more energetic to focus the search for a solution.

If I complain a lot, prolonged miserable, then the aura that comes out directly or indirectly will have a negative impact on the people around, and also to ourselves. It's called energy sucker. I do not like feeling that way. Not resolving the issue as well, right? It seems that this principle forms my opinion.

Life is short, they say. So enjoy it while there is still time. Blessed. Be thankful. Let difficulties for the one day be only for today (wise words). All is just temporary. You can because you used to do it. Life itself is the result of the decisions we make, which consists of a series of options we've made until now. The philosophy to enjoy life no matter what happens is a choice which become my decision, which truly strengthens me.  

Maybe for some people, this looks like a mere theory. But that's what I do. For those who know me, this true story is indisputable.

Enjoy the rest of your Sunday!

#pieceofmind

#secondedition

Kumala Dewi

###

*** Dikisahkan seijin pengarangnya, temanku Kumala Dewi. ***

Banyak yang suka nanya, "Kok lo santai banget sih, Wi? Kayak ga punya beban, enjoy life banget."

Sejujurnya ya, saya juga masih manusia biasa sih. Masih suka putus asa rasanya kalau ngadepin macet berjam-jam di jalan gara-gara hujan, masih pengen marah tingkat dewa kalau ketemu orang yang dungunya setengah mati, masih berjuang untuk mengalahkan ego sendiri, masih mumet kalau ada masalah pribadi, masih punya keraguan dengan apa yang saya perjuangkan saat ini, masih nangis dan patah hati juga kalau putus cinta, dan "masih" yang lainnya. Sama kan dengan orang-orang pada umumnya?

Yang membedakan, menurut saya, adalah cara saya memandang dan menyikapi masalah-masalah itu. Mungkin gitu ya. Saya berusaha bikin hidup saya sesimpel mungkin. Berusaha! Kadang gagal kok. Tapi minimal esensi pentingnya di sini adalah "Saya berusaha". Dengan berusaha, bukan berarti harus selalu berhasil. Tapi kalau pun gagal, gagalnya akan lebih elegan. Hahaha.. Ini bisa-bisaan saya aja sih.

Saya pribadi berprinsip untuk selalu fokus sama yang namanya solusi dibandingkan harus meratapi dan merenungi sebuah masalah atau keadaan. Dengan begitu, menurut saya, mental kita akan lebih terangkat dan hidup rasanya ga terlalu berat. Lebih seru. Lebih termotivasi. Ibaratnya bibir tersenyum walau hati menjerit. Bukan berarti saya pura-pura bahagia atau ceria atau santai. Tapi dengan berlaku demikian, otomatis saya menghibur diri sendiri dan aura positif akan memancar, sehingga pikiran saya jadi lebih jernih dan tubuh lebih berenergi rasanya untuk fokus mencari solusi tersebut.

Kalau saya banyak mengeluh misalnya, nelangsa berkepanjangan, tentunya aura yang keluar secara langsung atau tidak langsung akan berdampak negatif pada orang sekitar juga selain diri sendiri. Itu yang disebut energy sucker. Saya ga suka punya perasaan seperti itu. Ga menyelesaikan masalah juga kan? Prinsip ini yang membentuk saya kelihatannya ya.

Hidup ini cuma sebentar, katanya. Jadi nikmatilah selagi masih ada waktu. Berbahagialah. Bersyukurlah. Kesusahan hari ini biarlah untuk hari ini saja, kata orang bijak. Semua hanya sementara. Bisa karena terbiasa. Hidup sendiri adalah hasil dari keputusan yang kita buat, yang terdiri dari rangkaian pilihan yang kita jalankan hingga seperti sekarang ini. Prinsip untuk menikmati hidup itu sendiri apa pun yang terjadi adalah satu pilihan yang jadi keputusan saya, yang justru menguatkan saya.

Mungkin buat beberapa orang, ini terlihat seperti teori semata. Tapi inilah yang saya lakukan. Bagi yang kenal saya, ini kisah nyata yang tak terbantahkan. 😊

Selamat menikmati sisa hari Minggu kalian ya!

#sekelumitpemikiran
#edisidua

Kumala Dewi

Reminiscence

"60 years from now, when I'm 97, I'll look back at this photo and remember the happy times I share with this wonderful man, my lovely husband. ♥♥♥""

That was my newest post in my Facebook status. I can't help it. Sometimes I dwell too much in the "future". I'm imagining how my life will be in the future, even though often times, I found, the future is different that what I envisioned before. But still, I can't help to not daydream about it.

Normally, the older generations will "go" first. That's the circle of life, isn't it? The old goes first, then the young become old, and so on. So, being the youngest in my family, I can't help thinking what my life will be when I become very old.

I imagine, when I'm 97. 60 years from now. The year of 2076.

Mama probably will be gone by then. My husband, which is only 5 years older than me, maybe still alive and kicking, or maybe joining my mom and dad in heaven. Me? I probably have few years left, or maybe already gone with the wind too.

But if I still alive by then, I probably will be alone, looking at old pictures, reminiscence on the good times of the past, counting my blessings, that once upon a time, I was given this good lifetime to enjoy with people I love and those same people who love me back.

A little tears show up in the corner of my eye.

I don't want the good times to be gone. I want the moments to stay. I want to freeze the time. Although I know, time will still move slowly from here to 2076.

So I'm thinking, and feeling, that I should always enjoy the good moments that we shared together in this short life. I should always cherished every moment. I always should make more room to love and to really live in the moment. I should let go every regret and never allow negative thinking to steal the precious moment of life. I always have to be happy and spread that happiness to everyone who are still in my life.

Because we all are given this one lifetime. The only lifetime. To love, to live, and to be happy. And to really spend the time with those people we love, who we called family and friends.

And now I have to go back to the kitchen and prepare our afternoon snacks. Going to bake some Red Lobster biscuits! ^_^