Healthy Tasty Fruits & Veggies Juice Recipes

This morning I made my all time favourite mixed vegetable-fruit juice and the funny thing is, my dad asked whether I've put any sugar or added a little bit of honey to do the trick because of how sweet it is. I've been drinking these combination for years. I love to drink it in the morning right before I start my day. The sweet refreshing taste that goes through my body surely help freshen up my morning. Of course you can drink it at any time, it doesn't have to be in the morning. Many people prefer to drink their juice in the afternoon and it helps fill their stomach and prevents them from eating a big portion of meal. 

It is a simple and easy homemade juice made with Apple, Pear, Carrot and Celery (you can add pineapple or lemon if you'd like some sourness and it would still tastes as great). To make this, just put one of each ingredients (the apple, pear and carrot), a handful of celery and blend it all together. If you use blender instead of a juicer like me, cut it in small pieces first then don't forget to add a bit of water. I love this combination, the sweetness from apple and pear, the spice from the celery, and the rich vitamin A in carrot which is good for my blurred vision. Highly recommended for those who wear corrected eyeglasses.

Why I've been away & how I feel about writing

It's been a while since I last updated this blog and I probably said something like this: "Hi, it's been a while or Hi, I'm back bla bla bla" countless time already here. I wish I could be more consistent in updating posts on this blog, I really do. I've done a lot of journaling throughout the years but never really post it here. Some days I would just grab a piece of paper and start writing with my pen instead of typing it and post it on my blog cause it's easier that way. For me, writing is a healing process. I write when I'm happy, I write when I'm sad, and I write even when I'm angry. Sometimes when I had an argument with my parents, when I couldn't be able to talk back to them, I write. I channel my emotions through writings a lot. I found this really helpful to fully understand myself and control my feelings. I get to say a lot without even worrying about how others might feel. I would let it all out and leave behind whatever resentment I have as I throw away those piece of papers. I guess this is why I always been good in expressing myself to other people, writings just helped me filtered out what needed to be said and what needed to stay on the paper (or left unsaid).

Now, this is something that I'm struggling with the most, I always have a problem with inconsistency. I'm trying to overcome it now by fixing up my routines (believe me when I said so, I've been reading and watching a lot of tips. I'm very determined!). I'm a person with a lot of great ideas and ambitions, but that's actually the problem, it's too much, and I'm drowning. Sometimes I would be super excited in the beginning but then ended up leaving it behind. I have this weird habit of obsession over something when I'm done obsessing, I would just go and never touch it again. I just realised it recently, whether they be game, song, food, you name it. In spite of the fact that I get easily distracted or bored with a lot of things, thank God, it never happened to how I feel about people. I would never get bored with people, maybe because people have emotions and they continually change. Anyway, this year resolution is just gonna be one thing and one thing only: be consistent with whatever it is I'm chasing! 

However, with a lot of things going on with my life from the past few years, it's just so hard to write in a proper manner because I know that it should be all about quality, not quantity. So why all of a sudden I'm here? Well, during this isolation time, world chaos with a deadly uninvited virus known as COVID-19 or coronavirus, it inspired me to write and update this blog again even though nobody really cares or visit my blog (hahaha). It's not that I have a lot of free time though, I'm just trying to find a way to keep me entertained still other than cooking and spending numerous amount of time with cleaning the house. I miss that sort of a relieving feeling I got when I'm able to put my thoughts in writings. Besides, I found myself tweeting a lot these days and started to feel that it's kind of unhealthy. So, rather than letting some unimportant rants out, I prefer to write some quality rants over here, I supposed. The current situations have been stressful enough, and today I wouldn't want to give in so many details to it. I'm sure that everyone had enough already with the news every day only to get updated on how things get worse day by day. The bottom line is, I'm just gonna sit here in front of my laptop, enjoy my quarantine, start writing more, and never take things for granted again. May the forces be with all of us during this outbreak of a pandemic disease. Amen.

KKN (Student Study Service) in Bank Indonesia Story

          I just finished my Student Study Service or also known as KKN in Indonesia and I could tell you a lot of things about it. For your information, KKN is a concept of linking academic study with the practical experience of community service. Since 1973, KKN has been integrated into the higher education curriculum for Indonesian universities, and it became one of higher education's threefold responsibilities besides teaching and conducting researches. Through the KKN program, the students are expected to share their knowledge and help local people to improve their lives and motivate them toward self-development. It usually runs between the 6th and 7th semester during the holiday. The length of KKN may vary depending on the universities' policy. In my university (Mulawarman University) this year we were required to complete the KKN program within two months.
          I feel so relieved that I have gone through all the troubles but I also have this feeling of sadness at the same time. Do you know that feeling when things are about to end and you've finally accept it? At first you were against it but as you get used to it, it is becoming a part of you. Don't get me wrong though, I chose to be where I was. But what happened after wasn't all that pretty. Well, here I am trying to sum up all the crazy things that happened during my KKN but 2 months is a long story to tell so I'm sorry if I might need to cut a lot of details in my story.
         I was doing my KKN at East Kalimantan province representative office of Bank Indonesia (The Central Bank of Indonesia). Unlike most other KKN that was supposed to be done somewhere in unknown village, mine was actually 70% spent in the office (with at least one program that are still in touch with the community through the office) and the rest of 30% spent in a community service. This story focuses on KKN in Bank Indonesia only. 

         It was no easy peasy to get accepted in Bank Indonesia. Out of thirteen groups, my group was the chosen one. The pressure was real, drama was all over the place. It was a really long process to get through. Thirteen groups submitted proposals but only 9 groups who made it. These 9 groups including us were given a task of creating a video about the Central Bank or the main function of Bank Indonesia in one week time, then we were gathered in one place to make an hour craft and gave a presentation using the craft as a media tool. Although the results ended up to be a life changing experience, this is also where all the drama began. We were all up to the phase where our friends treated us as enemies, haters using fake accounts commented on our Instagram pictures, been underestimated and talked about. Yeah, believe me, these were all happened to my group. Yet, I don't see why it's all necessary. I mean dude, can y'all relax? this is just KKN. Everyday in life we are competing with each other. Although I strongly believe that win or loose doesn't really matter, what matter the most is what we have learned from it. Unfortunately, not all people get that.
        My group itself is quite extraordinary. We had our differences, some of us are loud, some of us are quit, some of us are really sensitive and some are really like to play it safe. During 2 months of our KKN,  we argue almost every single day. Luckily, we made it until the end. Life lessons learned. We can't change people but we can always change ourselves, and if we all decide to do so, to change, then this world can become a beautiful, peaceful place. So guys, avoid as much conflicts as you can with your fellow friends for your own sake. In situation like this, you will know who your real friends are or at least get to know their real personality.

      Meet my group members! They seem nice. Believe me, they are actually nice. But imagine bringing 8 different people together with each different character and personalities to work together as a team in such an intense period of time. In business case, it might not be a bigger problem because they do already have a clear vision and ways on how to do it, besides they also get paid. The opposite goes to KKN. When this group was created, we didn't know each other very well. In fact, I only knew few of them very well, we had no idea about the program and everything was planned along the way. Everyone in my team has their own ambitions on how to do it and we went through a hell lot of things before we finally agreed on one thing.

Left to right: Bayu, Ridwan, Wahyu, Adnan

Left to right: Ratna, Bella, Putri (Me), Dwi

        Bank Indonesia has a really good reputation and as I told you earlier, it was no easy peasy to get accepted in here. I admit they have the best work ethic as far as I have seen when comparing it to the government office in Indonesia. People work 10 times harder here and they seemed to have a bunch of endless work. As KKN students we were actually treated as if we were an intern. Lucky for me and my team, we get to experienced KKN and internship at the same time. We were put in divisions (one to two of us for each division) to help and we had our own desks. Jobs may vary from each division. In some divisions, there was not much that we can do other than inputting data on the system but in other divisions we would make a call, deal with customer and analyse some economic issues.

Great experience in joining the International Conference. The unforgettable moments

          Hello guys, it's been a while. This time I am going to tell you a story about my experience while joining the International Conference on Biodiversity 2016. I did not attend it as the participant since conservation of nature isn't my field of study. I was there as the committee, one of the people who completed the mission of succeeding the ICB 2016. Precisely, I was invited to be a master of ceremony using a full english with Bang Lucas as my partner. Apparently I was good enough on my previous performance on Mulwarman International Students Festival 2015 (MUISF) so both lecturers and buddy program friends thought that I must try to do MC-ing again and take the opportunity. At first it was irritating for me because I had to think about the script all by myself even though it turned out fine at the end. What's the most enjoyable about this trip was I get to sleep on a nice 3-star hotel, eating lots of food, experienced new things, met people from outside of the country, also bring home a pretty descent certificate and money as the bonus.

 

          On Thursday 13th of January 2016, we meant to go to Balikpapan from the Mulwarman University International office at 8 AM. However, we faced the Indonesian casual problems, so we delayed our departure to 9 AM. I was in the same car with Dinda, Mbak Sari, Rijal and Bang Rojo. They were pretty awesome, none of them were attempted to vomit and we had a pretty good laugh in the car. As we arrived in Hakaya Plaza Hotel around 12 PM, there was a little confusion on the check in system, we waited for a while and ended up having lunch in the lobby. I think we finally got our rooms around 2 PM. The unique part of this hotel was having a backyard of an airport as you can see the pictures on the upper left side. My roommates were Mbak Sari and Mbak Anis as you can see the pictures on the upper right side. As we enter the room, we all go straight to bed just to lay down and take a rest. We were pretty tired and exhausted since we only had like an hour and half nap before we continue to arrange things in the mini ballroom. I was busy with my script, and the other buddy program friends were busy preparing their performances like dancing and singing. 

 

Me editing the script of master ceremony and dividing it to the parts which the red ones was Bang Lucas' and the blue ones was mine. The before and after pictures. Nailed it in just 2 hours. As the Indonesian would say, it's the power of kepepet. 

          I think I slept at 2 AM on that day and woke up at 5. I didn't have enough sleep but I wasn't really worried. The bags under my eyes can be covered with make up and it won't be a matter but the most important thing was I need to be prepared so I did. All I can think about was on how to give my best shot at the time being. Giving the best performance was really a big deal for me. Surprisingly, unlike the rehearsal, me and Bang Lucas went along pretty well on the opening ceremony. No major mistakes that being done by me so it kind of boost my confidence a little bit. All the hard work and the sleepless paid off. Like they say, no pain no gain.

Left to right: Kak Azizah, Bang Lucas, Me, and Mbak Nia

          At night we had a gala dinner accompanied by entertainments and a little of message and impression from the special guests which some of the special guests were the keynote speakers. They all gave nice impressions, of course. It did not take much time. The gala dinner closed with the karaoke. Everyone (both participants and the committee) was having fun and I was surprised to me to see the other side of serious lecturers. 

          On the next day pretty much same thing happened. Except this time I took most part in the afternoon which was the closing ceremony. Things got better and more arranged. I had more sleep than before. The buddy program friends wore match clothes on this day. Not exactly the same motif but we all looked pretty commensurate together, I guess. The matching clothes were bought to indicate that we are a team. Though they are not just an ordinary team but they are more like a family to me. Every hard task seems so much easier when I work with them. At night we had dinner at Torani Restaurant using angkot (one of the official public transport in Indonesia) to get there with Bang Lucas acting as the kernet. Hahaha. Again, it was a wonderful night.

 

          Last day: Excursion to Bukit Bangkirai (Bangkirai Hill). Here is a further explanation on Bangkirai Hill in general, in case if anyone interested to go there.

          Bukit Bangkirai (Bangkirai Hill) is nature tourism located at Kecamatan Samboja, Kabupaten Kutai Kartanegara, Kalimantan Timur. This hill can be reached in 1,5 hours from Balikpapan city. ​If you are looking for nature, this place is really for you. You can enjoy the beauty of natural tropical forest. There are also facilities like restaurant, pool, cottage, jungle cabin, etc.

          There is a 64 m canopy bridge which connect 5 Bangkirai trees in 30 m. This is the first canopy bridge in Indonesia (2nd in Asia – 8th in the world). It was inaugurated as a tourism area in 1998 and is currently managed by state-owned forestry company PT Inhutani I.

 

          It takes around one-and-a-half hours to get to this area from Balikpapan if you are using a private car. The first hour is a smooth ride, but the next half hour before actually entering the forest area calls for extra patience as the road conditions are substandard; potholes and all. Try to distract yourself by enjoying the wild surroundings. The 1,500 hectares of tropical rainforest offer fresh air and the lively sounds of birds as well as other forest animals.

          The Bangkirai tree, which can be as old as 150 years, as tall as 50 meters and as wide as 2.3 meters in diameter, dominates the forest. The tree is often used as material for bridges, wooden boats and for other construction needs. Here you can find 45 species of orchids, with one of them being the stunning black orchid, as well as a variety of forest animals including over 113 species of birds, long tailed monkey wild boars, miller’s bornean gibbons, pig-tailed macaques, flying squirrels and sambar deers.

          Getting on the bridge requires another uphill effort climbing up the stairs to the tower and the whole affair is not suggested for those with an acute fear of heights. Those whose fear of heights merely involves a slight fluttering of the heart, however, can overcome the tingling feeling by taking it easy once they are at the top of the tower. Inhale the fresh air deeply, soak up the scenery and try to spot the forest’s inhabitants, who might be hanging around, literally.

          Well, I think that was pretty much my story. To end this post, I would like to express my gratitude. All praises to Allah for giving me a chance to meet these awesome people. To meet people around the world. To meet the very genius and kind lecturers. And to meet the humble, easy going, and super talented students. It's so nice to get to know more about them. Surrounded with all the positivity. It's really sad in believing that some of the students have graduated already and soon gonna leave me as the youngest member of buddy 2015. This is my first time being a master of ceremony in an International Conference. Such an honour to be one of the people who completed the mission of succeeding the ICB 2016. Couldn't do this without the great teamwork and any support from them. Surely I've learned a lot. I'm gonna miss these people and the moments so much.

8 years and still counting

Everyone has their own definition of a best friend. But the universal meaning applies to majority of the friendships out there. Whether a male or a female, your best friend should be the human you have the most fun with. The one you trust your secrets with & pour out all your problems to, the shoulder to cry on. The one you grow up with by your side & easily connect with. The one that can make you laugh when you're feeling down. The one that understands your decisions even when you seem unreasonable. The one that can't stay mad at you for more than 5 minutes. The one that would drop anything for you in order to help you from a sticky situation. The one that you can be yourself with & all of that applies regardless of how much you spend time with your best friend. Numerous people have more than 1 best friend & then there are those who only have that 1. But either or, they are family & being best friends is not a label or title. It is meaningful and should not be taking granted of, because true friendships are hard to find & hold. That is why if your best friend has other best friends, you shouldn't worry or be jealous when they're not spending time with you. Don't become upset because you believe that "they don't make time for you". I've gone through this scenario multiple times & trust me, distance does not mean that your relationship with your best friend is falling apart. Because whether you spend the night at their house for a week straight or don't see them for a month, the memories & love you carry for the other person does not change your relationship. Do not give up on someone after months or years of being their "best friend". Do not get angry with them. Do not forget about them. Do not ignore them. Because a best friend wouldn't do that. After all, I would know that my friendship with my best friends never changes even after reuniting. Cherish that special friend. Cherish life. Be thankful.

Thank you for the incredible 8 years. We weren't always together, we didn't even meet everyday but I know that we'd always be there for each other.

A year ago

13th of March 2014, the day i travelled more than 10 hours ALONE from Melbourne to Balikpapan. It's been exactly a year!

Living in such a beautiful city of Melbourne for 4 years really means a lot to me. I've learned so much and I'm sure I've grown more as a person. The day I leave Melbourne was unforgettable.

Melbourne City views from Eureka Skydeck 88 Tower

Here is my little story about the journey...

A year a go at 6.00 AM. When the day was still dark I went to the airport. I brought 2 luggages with each luggage weights about 20kg, one backpack that weights about 7kg and one carry bag that contains food (I brought pizza and kebab with me the whole time and it's still eatable for the next 2 days. Haha). Honestly I was really scarred, because I had to travel alone. As I arrived in the airport, I quickly weighs my belongings again just to make sure (cause if weight is over than it should be, i have to pay a fine). Me and my dad waited about an hour or 2 before I checked in. After that, I had to say goodbye and go through some checking (bags, passport, etc). It was a long queue line. I had no idea what to do. I watched and I learned. I threw all the drinks that I had in my bag. I got thru, then a guy checked my passport, asked me to take off my beanies. Everything went okay. Done with the checking, I claimed the 10% tax from some gadgets that I bought. Finished with everything, I walked around, there was like a shopping centre inside the airport. I looked around the store since I've got nothing to do and still had 2 hours more time before the flights. Bored, I decided to wait in the waiting room playing with my phone using a wifi. I spent some times to call my dad and friends too. When it's finally 10:50 AM I heard someone was talking over a microphone saying that my flights from Melbourne to Jakarta would be delayed. Wasn't a good start. I think it was about 1 or 2 hours delayed. When I finally got in to the plane, I accidentally slept within a journey (I swear I wasn't planning to sleep while traveling 7 hours alone in a plane). I probably wake up 30 mins before the plane landed. On my way out from the plane, I could feel a very contrast and different atmosphere. It was stinking hot and the air was weird, I could barely breath for 30 seconds. Adjusting myself with the condition travelling from country to country. And the worst part is, I had to walk a lot not knowing where to go, asking a lot of securities along the way, went ups and downs a lot of stairs. Luckily, I didn't have to bring my 2 luggages with me. I checked in not long after. Again, my flight was delayed another hour. I was very lost. I can't even contact my mom about the delayed, because my Vodafone card doesn't work in Indonesia and there is no any wifi in the airport (not surprised, really). I only have the "When Dogs Cry" book by Markus Zusak (also the writer of The Book Thief) as my friend throughout the journey. All I can do is read, read and read. Around 6:30 PM I got into another plane that took me to Balikpapan. I sat beside the window as always. I didn't sleep this time. The weather wasn't really good at that night. The cloud was very thick and I saw thunder. I was scarred, really scarred. The seatbelt lights on the top of my head was never off. The plane kept shaking. I stopped reading for a while and pray to God for my safety. Two hours later, the plane landed nicely, smoother than I expected. I was very happy but confused at the same time. "Where is my family?!" "Are they waiting for me?!" I wondered. But before I had time to look for them, they found me right after I got my luggages with me. So, that's the end of my journey. From that day, my life has changed. Again.

I hope one day I'll go back to Melbourne. And surely will find the way to be back no matter how.

Back again.

Hi fellas. Here I am back from the long break. I was busy doing VCE last year till December and preparing myself for uni this year till the last two months. As the years passed, I realised how much responsibilities that I have. I'm an university student now. It's my first year in Accounting at Mulawarman University. Honestly, I have no idea how I ended up in economics as I was more into science and technology. Maybe this is just another God's plan, the good one I hope. Uni has started about a month a go. I have lots of assignments already. Starting to enjoy but also wonder, is this really what I wanna do in the future? becoming an accountant? All I want is to travel the world. Receiving scholarships and study overseas. I see that being an accountant open so much opportunities for me. Again, I questioned myself, Can I do it? 

This year has been tough. Such a drastic change for me. Moving back to Indonesia after staying 4 years in Australia wasn't easy. I have to start almost everything from zero again in which case sometimes it's a good thing, sometimes not. Having to leave after finally feels like I belong to Australian society in few years of adjustments, is just so so sad. A lot of judgemnets comes from two faces people in Indonesia who's hardly known me. They said some unfriendly comments about me, judging my looks that apparently not match to be overseas bla bla. Honestly, I got a lil bit annoyed but I am too glam to give a damn. On the other sides, I'm happy to be reunited with families and friends. I really am. It's only there is a part of me wish that I could just stay in Australia forever, starting a new beautiful life with God knows who. Well, we all something that we can't have, don't we? 

Wow so much catching up to do. I would go on and on but I'm so sleepy, really need to get some rest. I've got lecture tomorrow morning on basic science. Fresh mind is what I need. Anyways, I'm writting this at night so I'm gonna say Good night everyone! Have a nice drem~

So many people excited for Christmas, they took many photos of pine trees with the lights all over the trees then posting it on instagram, tweeting everyone "Merry Christmas" on twitter or for tumblr users they leave some on ask box and i’m just like, oh. Apparently I cant talk about Christmas because I do not celebrate it. Happy December 25th. What a lovely Tuesday, very inconspicuous.

 Bye October, hello November! Please give me something to remember.

Hello there. It’s November, which is strange, because it feels like December to me. The weather in Melbourne is so hot right now. I guess global warming has done their job too well these days. I wonder how this climate change going to keep changing 'til it eventually breaks. Anyways, did you guys have a good Halloween? Well, sadly I didn't. I just had a pretty lame Halloween Day at school where I dressed up as Mario in Mario Bros (No pictures needed. I wasn't really wearing a costume). But to be honest, October has been the best month of 2012 so far. It has always been the best month for me because of the birthdays, my birthday! Although I still have no special plans for November, the one thing I know for sure is that I'm going to be focusing on study since I have exams coming up next week. I really have to work hard, disappointing my parents is the last thing I want. I’m looking forward to new things this November. Just wishing for the best.