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Hi everyone! If you are happen to come across this page, I’d like to inform you that I am moving to http://mayasusanti.com/. I used to have this page for a niche post but now I decide to move entirely thus I can be more focus on writing. Thank you for visiting!

#mayasusantitvri mayasusantiputripariwisata mayasusanti.com maya mayasusanti

The kaleidoscope of 2016: a postgrad life, travel-stories, and new experiences. #grateful

Nadhif. He made my day during the Eid celebration here in Glasgow.

This year, I am away from home. Though I still can feel the joy of Eid, it’s not the same as what I usually had back home. Unfortunately, the one I truly miss is away. I somehow feel so sad.

But Nadhif brings back the smile on my face. We used to be a very good friend since the first time we met earlier this year. Then distance puts us a part. We did not talk since our last vacation in April (we went to Manchester and York at that time). I need to admit I miss him very much since then. He is an impressive and an adorable kiddo.

Yesterday, on the second day of Eid celebration, we both reestablish our connection. I said to him if we are a best friend, he nodded and we did a hi-five. He waited for me when I did a pray. Then We played the cards, ate some chocolates, and have a lil conversation. He promised to not eating more sweets because otherwise his teeth will fall down easily. We had a good time, until his parents told him to leave.

He approached me and asked if I could come to his place. I did apology because I am occupied by my dissertation. He looked sad and then talked sincerely: “I hope you are a part of my family, so we can play whole the day.” Omg, I was speechless.

I smiled and we hugged.

I miss him. I promise to pay him a visit in Fife before I fly home to Jakarta for good.

Thank you Nadhif. You made my day. I miss you already .

#eidcelebration #lebaran2016

M. Ramdhan Abdurasyid

By this year, he is approaching 27 yo, born in Bandung, raised in Yogyakarta-Jakarta, studied in Glasgow.

Has a good sense of humor, speaks the words of affirmation, possess a huge stock of patience. Lovable in his surroundings.

He is a lover. But lately, I found he can also act as a good son, a reliable brother, a very supported buddy.

If you meet him for the very first time, you will not get much impression. He doesn't show up. But, once you become his best friend, he can swear to you a lot, changing irony into something funny. He is that kind of man who doesn't really care about other people but put much attention to those he loves the most. Be it his friends or relatives. So humankind. He is ordinary young man, however meeting him will make you believe that those kindhearted people still exist.

Unfortunately, I can not describe much about our first meeting, it just happened. I get to know him more a month after that, in a good time. I don't really know what's going on until I found that we have something in common. We love to be engaged in random conversation. The story seems never out of stock, we talk about almost everything. He is that kind of young man who throws smile easily to whom he loves, who put compliments to whom he adores. He is that kind of man who make his lady feel so comfortable and grateful to have him. He is that kind of young man who can make his lady could fall for him every single day.

Our meeting, seems to be arranged—by the owner of an invisible hand. We both meet after our hard times. If only I can use the verb ‘broken’ here, I am pretty sure we both are trying to mend the pieces of our heart aftermath. Good thing is that we both know exactly the feeling of being loved gives courage, erode the doubts.

Happy Graduation, aa sayang!

Never do this kind of post in the first couple of months in such a relationship. But this man has it all, I cant help but post this here.

Twelve Hours

What would you do if you only have twelve hours of togetherness? [answers may vary].

Within twelve hours, you probably would do much. An attitude of what you have in daily, a glimpse of what you have in weekly, a habit of what you have in month, an illustration of what you have in a whole year, a character of you yourself. That's what probably your twelve hours be like.

I don't have much the-twelve-hours-of togetherness, just have some. But in every of each, I know that they leave me a memory. Some to be remembered, some to be learned--if not to be forgotten.

It was in 2012 when I had my the-twelve-hours-of togetherness, being picked up at Griya Senayan, driving all the way to Depok in weekday (you know it means traffic jam), sitting at the library--both dealing with deadline, driving all the way back to Senayan because I need to deal with on-air schedule (again with never pleasant traffic of Jakarta), and dinner. Most important thing: quality talks during the traffic jam.

It was in 2013 when I had my the-twelve-hours-of togetherness, got an impromptu visit in Batam in the middle of my duty as a TV journalist. Being waited for hours during the rehearsal, dinner, sat in silence while enjoying the night view of Singapore. Most important thing: quality talks we had during our seafood-time.

It was in 2014 when I had my the-twelve-hours-of togetherness, being waited for hours during my duty in Gorontalo, lunch, dinner, sitting in a different world as one is dealing with the deadline of script-writing and the other one is facing hard times regarding the barrack thingy. In spite of the hecticness, both are supporting each other, giving a quick glance to each other and throwing a smile that indicate: we will be all fine. The highlight was the quality talks during dinner at warung-tenda.

Now it's 2015 when my the-twelve-hours-of togetherness is like doing almost all the times of daily praying. Lunch, dinner, horoscope-proof-reading, youtubing, opening some stories from the past, discussing, waiting for a sleeping time. Most important thing, still, a quality talks in the middle of unproductive yet engaging time.

So, most of the-twelve-hours-of togetherness of me means nothing but quality talks. We might fall for gestures, appearance, title, status, or whatever it is, but sometimes the best part of falling happen in the middle of quality talks (Afutami, 2014).

Spending it wisely, they said. Spending it with quality talks, me want.

Give people a good memory, so they can feel good.

Prof. Janan Sulaiman, on last session of Marketing Management course.

The rule is simple: be thankful and you'll end up by having more.

Ayah, on his 'speech', a moment before we are apart thousand miles away.

Vera Damayanti.

“It feels like nobody ever knew me until you knew me.” - Until You by Shayne Ward.

Really I don’t have the word to describe her presence and role to my life. She is a superwoman, 30 something. Dedicated sister to her siblings, devoted daughter to her parent, gifted friend for whoever had ever met her.

I was just lucky to meet her in 2009. I adore her since then. You know, oftentimes in my life, I got a chance to get to know my idol and share some viewpoints to them. Nothing, nothing more precious than this opportunity. Sure I exercise this chance as much as I could. She sits as my mentor, in education life, in career life, in love life.

Been six year and still counting, but it is a love-hate relationship for me (to her). Sometimes she becomes a pushy sister that you don’t want to even meet. But oftentimes, she is reliable more than you could ask. Most important, she appears in most of my hard times. She doesn’t care if I throw harsh things in our conversation, she knew that people in my age do that common things.

Now that we are apart by more than seven thousands miles, I realized I miss her. She is the one who can trust me when nobody seems would never do that in their life. I don’t really take this serious until I know, she is happier every time I share my stories. Isn’t that important to us, making others be happy?

See you very soon, Uni Vera.

Zubaidah.

She is a mother of a son, late 20s. Beautiful. Malaysian. A postgraduate student in University of Glasgow. I bumped into her for several times on bus 4A, Anniesland-University Avenue-Anniesland's route. She's so lively, always has something to say in our not-so-long trip to/from Uni. Yesterday, 23 October, she told me that she had been two months in the city. "Waktu berlalu pantas--how time flies." She said. She looked so far away while gazing on the traffic out of the bus. I smiled, exactly know she would continued. "Recently, I am lil bit late to Uni. You know, cooked and prepared all the things for my son. He's in P-1 now. I actually love being at school earlier, because I can read and do the assignment at library. I dont have time to do Uni things at home. My son needs me." She smiled, so close to cry. I smiled, have nothing to say but stare on her eyes, aimed to transfer the positive energy. Just like I could do that. But seriously, what I was supposed to do but sending a pray that she will be doing great for her master's year? I nodded, arbitrarily thinking that it could be my condition if I decided to pursue my master degree in the upcoming years. I dont need to prepare morning breakfast nor manage such a complicated finance thing, then what makes me so lazy to compile and start writing? Get up, self.

Beauty is constructible (?)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5n3Db6pMQ-8

The link above breaks the silence of our WhatsApp group tonight (midnight, I mean). If you have time to open it, you will directly get into this random writing.

It’s actually an ad of a make-up product, showing that their product can make you look beautiful, flawless, even if you are a man.

“A beautiful man” is now common. Easily found. I need time to take this into account and make them part of my life. I am so conservative that informed and educated by my surroundings that the term beautiful is used for a girl, woman. Meanwhile, I am taught that boy and man are called as handsome or else if you know what I mean. But now, boys and men can be beautiful also. No, we are not talking about feminism nor masculine word. We are also not talking about gender and discrimination because it is debatable and need further discussion. I just want to make it clear that I respect all the choice, I see it’s a part of the human rights, you free to choose what you want to be, what you want to be recognized with. It’s just the matter of my background where I raised. What I have today is, of course, different of what my culture teach me, but still, it take a part in building the foundation the way I think, somehow.

So, allow me to extract the title. Regardless the academic tradition, Wikipedia will help us to discuss. According to this site, “beauty is he quality of being pleasing, especially to look at, or someone or something that gives great pleasure, especially when looking at it.” I emphasize the word “look at” here. It directs us to understand the aim of the ad we discussed before if it’s all about the look. It’s debatable for sure, but this definition is what we have in daily. But we have another definition from Urban dictionary saying that “Beautiful is a woman who has a distinctive personality, one who can laugh at anything, including themselves, who is especially kind and caring to others.” I personally love this definition as I bold the word “distinctive personality”. So for me, beauty or beautiful is not merely about the look. It comes beyond. It’s the way you act and interact with others, the way you think of a particular concept, the way you bring yourself in this cruel world and the way you deal with your crisis. Beauty is about yourself in a package, but at the same time, it is all about multi-million dollar business, relating with the link above.

Firstly, I have no idea why did the company make that particular ad promote their product. As it’s my right to interpret that, I come to think that maybe the idea or the imagination purposely helps us to consider that beauty can be made, it is constructible. The grand idea is that makeup product can help you seen beautifully, attractive. It’s the power of makeup. The main purpose after all is crystal clear, buy their product. But whatever it is, does it make us think that what is the definition of beauty (or beautiful) if the process in achieving it also constructed?

It is a part of multi-million dollar business because it raised a lot of creative ideas to construct the beauty itself. The idea is all the root of revenue, the grand foundation that shape our perspective of beauty. You can be called beautiful if you are..... (fill by yourself).

The word you fill is actually your definition of beauty. It can be no longer about the look, so you won’t care about makeup. It can be no longer for woman only, so you support the idea of gender equality in very large point of view. But, It can be about brain or behavior so you are able to look beyond it. Emma Watson herself -- one of my favorite artist that somehow fit my criteria of beauty -- relates beauty with something that comes from within and display as something visible from appearance, “beauty is letting yourself live.” For me myself, beauty is something to do with your mind, if you think that you are beautiful then you are. If you want to start being beautiful tomorrow, then you will be. It’s the same as if you want to be looked beauty today, you do. It’s all about you and how you deal with your mind. You are the want who can construct it. Not only you construct the definition, you can also construct the implementation. It’s all up to you. If you are joining beauty pageant contest, you might take beauty as something appears on your face, you want to be the center of attention. Because, the only thing you can do to mesmerize the judges and audience on stage is looked beauty, they don’t have time to talk look beyond your personality to finally decide if you are beautiful or not. However, if you want to be beautiful by having a brain, you need more time to make up your thoughts by what so called reading list, so you can build arguments, showing an example and produce a good essay.

Me?

Now I choose the last one, I have been dealing with the previous one but not really feel the comfort of all the thought that might construct me, construct the significance of the beauty itself. Better be back with my essay, because nowadays beauty could be linked to those strong women with a brain. Again, construction.

See you!

Sisakan sedikit ruang untuk ibadah dalam bekerja, supaya lebih tahan banting.

Pak Sifak, Principal of TVRI SULUT, Former GM News Department TVRI Nasional.

So it was his advise to me today, almost at the end of our conversation via whatsapp call. Yes, he called me and we discussed a lot, talking about current issue in our public-broadcast-service (if it’s not so-called company). Just when I thought that he might be very busy, he managed a time to called me, to reply my text two days ago when I intentionally say hi to him via inbox message (as I see he’s online). He is one of my dad’s favorite anchor and apparently became my boss at office. I will never forget the time he called me last year and pointed me as anchor leader for TVRI Morning Show (now Selamat Pagi Indonesia-SPI). It was such an honor for me, to work with him. He is also the one who gave me a recommendation to join a prestigious fellowship program for journalist in the States last August. I just cant imagine that today I talk to him just like a friend, share a lot of things. Pak Sifak, Pak Arie PA, Mbak Yani, Bunda Endah, Pak Tribowo, Pak Iwan, and Teh Wiwin are my bosses that probably become the reasons why do I love TVRI. Thank you in advance for all the opportunities for me, would not make it this far without all your presence. May the force be with you, boss.

quoteessential

If she’s too good for you, my God, don’t leave her. Make an effort to be good enough instead.

(via bl-ossomed)

nah.

Happy (belated) birthday, Kak Okky.

It was October 3rd when she celebrated her very first birthday in Glasgow. Glad that I could be a part of not-so-big-surprise we threw for her. Kak Tika (her flatmate), Ucha (our friend), and I planned a lil surprise. We met at library and woke her up around 12 am, loudly sang a happy birthday song. Seriously not really good voices, but who cares, it’s a surprise!

Okky Irmanita, a-talented-and-dedicated-journalist. She worked for 3 years in one of national-scale TV back in Indonesia. She is now my classmate in MSc Media Management, University of Glasgow -- that apparently become the person I see and interact with for most of my time here.

Since the first day I came here in Glasgow, we manage to stay in touch almost everyday, 24/7. You know, that kind of relations that appear even most frequent than you have with your boyfriend/girlfriend, even family. By that, it’s clear that an extrovert person like me had thrown all personal stories to her. Family, college-work life, and love life as the bonus. Everything just voluntarily spoken in front of her. The sharing is reciprocal between us, so it’s all alright. I need to admit that she is so lovely, warm as your coat you love the most for winter. So you feel comfortable even to say harsh thing. Not need to filter your words. Have a problem? Just sit and verbalize all things fly in your head. She will first lend her ears, wisely enunciate her viewpoint, and finally join you to mock your problem. Oftentimes, she also lets you to fool yourself and laugh altogether with you. Pretty much a person you would love to be with. A sister and a friend at the same time. What would you ask for more when you are being away from home and dying to need someone’s presence?

By all that she gives you in the first month of friendship, I know that I should have prepared a proper both birthday celebration and gift. But screw me that in fact I perfectly had nothing for her special day. The surprise party was almost effortless, but I hope she knows that she is now my VIP here. Kerabat (part of family), as what she wrote on a form given by Indonesian embassy--as a database.

As I am not good in sewing the words into beautiful passage, I just want to shout a happy birthday for her. I hardly imagine what my daily will be without her here. Of course it will be just the way most master student have in abroad, but it wont be like what I have now. A day full of laugh, sarcasm, and, happiness.

Happy birthday, Kak.

May your birthday grants you all the wishes that you hoped for this year and the upcoming years. Never, never ever give up on me.

Cheers,

ps: I know you forgot bring your holy Koran, so yes, please make it as your best friend, when you have a hard time. But for sure, you have me as well.

Fake it till you become it.

Amy Cuddy on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ks-_Mh1QhMc

Oban Trip.

1. Loch Ill

2. Oban Harbor, Capital Seafood of Scotland

Definitely a-must-visit place if you happen flying to Scotland. Driving by your own seems to be the best choice as you can stop by and take a pose at Loch Lomond. Order a grand plate seafood for 25 pounds (for 2-3 people), grab your possible-best-camera, climbing a lil bit to its colosseum (by car), capture the landscape as much as you want. Travelling with friends is advised.

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