Ramadan 1441H: An Unusual Experience

Today muslims in the world welcoming special month, it is Ramadan 1441H. We are fasting for a month, keep our thought, heart, eyes and act to do only good things. Ramadan this year will be a very different and challenging experience due to COVID-19 pandemic. Fasting won't feel the same like previous. No pasar takjil, no bukber, no taraweeh together and more. This is going to be an extremely unusual Ramadan. At my age, I have never seen Ramadan with no taraweeh prayers in mosques or without iftar gatherings. I even started to miss the taraweeh prayer at the Istiqlal mosque. We are in difficult times right now. We all feel sad. We do. But, we have to be very patient. There can be no greater service than doing our part to protect our communities by staying home. We can still do a virtual iftars and nightly taraweeh prayers at home.

Ramadan has never been about iftar/suhoor parties with lavish displays of food and ironically, more food wastage in this blessed month. During fasting think of the millions of Muslims who won't be able to break their fast because of the miseries of pandemic. This crisis may actually help us get a better perspective on what Ramadan really means.  It seems remind us of the importance of shared compassion and support. We can do something to help such as Donate whatever you can: food, money, sympathy, or even good words. We have to stand shoulder to shoulder fighting this pandemic.

Taraweeh prayer at the Istiqlal Mosque in 2019 

Ramadan 1441H will be a month of simplicity. It is an opportunity to gain closeness to Allah and our Holy Qur’an with no distractions. Let us channel the spirit of Ramadan this year by being indulgent, wasting less food and consider those in need by lending a helping hand. Let us make this our best Ramadan ever. May Allah lift this pandemic from us, forgive us, wash our sins and make us pure in this holy month of Ramadan. 

Happy Ramadan...

Stay healthy!
Stay sane!
Stay alive!

Succulove (Succulent-Love)

Succulents are popping up everywhere these days. Succulents are easier to look after during #wfh since we have more free time to take care of them. I had never really taken an interest in caring for plants because I have killed almost every plant I have ever owned hahaha... But this time it's different. Look at this cute succulent. My succulent's name is Succulove (taken from Succulent-Love). This is a small and adorable succulents plant. There is something special about taking care of these tiny plant. I have been working hard to support and raise my succulent, as I am an over waterer. They are very low maintenance. They just need a lil' water once a week. They're also need some sun and warmth. If we put way too much water, the leaves would start crumbling.

It is such nice, hot weather today. My room doesn’t get a lot of direct light, so during my lunch break, I have been taking my succulents to the balcony to get sun and having lunch with them. My succulents are what’s keeping me sane this quarantine period. They comforts me by showing me the little things that can give me joy. Since I have them, I feel happier. They bring me peace and make me feel a little less lonely these days. Succulents are like aloe vera. They also have a lot of benefits for skin and hair. I am trying to grow a few more succulents as well during #wfh. 

So, how is everyone’s quarantine going? Succulove wants everyone to be safe and happy...

Itaewon Class: Business Management with Mas Roy

Itaewon Class might not be everyone’s cup of tea but it is such a good spirit lifting drama to watch. This is not a typical romantic drama, but a heart warming drama that talks about the issues we are experiencing today: Power, Transgender and Age-gap. I like "Crash Landing on You" but I think "Itaewon Class" is still way better since I can learn many things from the drama. I learn economy, marketing, business and politic in Itaewon class. But the most important thing is  I learn how to have goal in life and determination to achieve them. Itaewon Class is adapted from popular webtoon in Korea. It's not everytime you see a drama that raises awareness on sensitive issues that are often neglected or forgotten. The whole story tells more about the reality of life that usually occurs around us (slice of life).

Mas Roy (aka Park Sae-Ro-Yi) who has ambition to establish a restaurant franchise called DanBam. He is assisted by several people, one of whom was Jo Yi Seo (Kim Da Mi) who served as DanBam's manager. Building a business based on revenge, of course it's not as easy as his thought. Despite having dreamed of building DanBam for seven years, in fact Mas Roy didn't really understand how to do business. This makes him often experience failure in his business. Mas Roy and his staff often faced many problems. However, they always respond to all problems positively. They are always looking for ways on how to solve the problem. Loyalty, friendship, trust, and mutual support are the keys to their success in running DanBam.

It's so damn good and very inspiring quotes of Itaewon Class: "Starting from now, my dream is to become a rich person". Why be rich? It's because money has strong influence in his (even our) life decisions. Mas Roy promised to become rich to pay for his father's death by building a restaurant that would later become a competitor of the Jangga Group. Jang Dae-hee, the CEO of Jangga is very rich and powerful. But, he uses his strength and wealth to achieve his goals in wrong way. No one dares to defy him, except Mas Roy. Another favorite character is Lee Ho Jin, a financial manager. He was helping Mas Roy to invested when Jangga's stock was falling. If  Mas Roy doesn't have him, Mas Roy doesn't own 1% of the stake (1.9 billion won) and buying a store to runs his business. 

My favorite scene in Itaewon Class

It's not a real-life story. But, this drama hits me a lot. Every character was so well written and seems they all taught us something. Itaewon class tells us how financial planning and managing is important. They give practical lessons to start a business and beat the big corporation instead of being a rat. I learn that business isn’t just about money, business is about people. Stick to your morals no matter what, even if you doing something that you don’t believe in might help you to get your goal. This is highly recommended drama that covers all the aspects of life.

Working from Home (5)

I have Love-Hate-Relationship with Jakarta. Everyday they keeps torturing me with their traffic and air pollution. But still, I keep missing them.. I missed their tortures... An inner peace comes from a 4-weeks of social distancing and self-quarantine. I never see a beautiful clouds since I move here. It is such a bliss to have clear skies in Jakarta right now. It is a calm, quiet and sunny day across the street. It is unusual situation in Jakarta. It seems like this city wants to remind us how much we destroy our environment and planet. Last time I went to Jakarta, the air pollution just that bad. But Today, the Air Quality Index (AQI) of Jakarta shows Moderate score. It's a rare moment for the most polluted city in Indonesia. It’s takes a pandemic for Jakarta to achieve this. 

God, I miss open space so much... Staying inside for days at a time is bad for my health. I have become a bit pale over the last few days from staying home. Social distancing and self-quarantine does not mean to lock up inside and never see the sun. It means be responsible and avoid large groups of people. WFA is the new WFH. Work from anywhere and enjoy nature and zero commute time... An hour walking is good relief from the current self-isolation. It feels great to go for a walk and breathe in fresh air. 

 

It is a nice day to do some re-rooting and getting back into alignment. I only go outside for essential trips: food, health or work reasons. Fresh air, sunlight, and some-sort-of social interaction keep me sane. But sadly, this isn't followed by the end of pandemic. We're all going through this together. Stay strong and load up on vitamin-D to strengthen our immune system. Still, don't forget to wear mask and keep the distance whenever you go out in public area. 

Hope the warm sun and the better air quality slows the transmission of Covid 19...
Stay healthy!
Stay sane!
Stay alive!

Working from Home (4)

What's scarier than being alone? Isolation and Insanity. As a fan of the Stephen King (Book and Movie), I watched 'The Shining' again last night. 'The Shining' is a 1980 Pyschological horror film about a family staying at a hotel where the man (Jack Torrence) slowly becomes insane and psychotic. Living in isolation, he begins to lose his sanity which affects his family members. Watching 'The Shining' while in self-isolation sounds not good idea. 'The shining' perfectly exibits how closely related solitude is to mental illness. 'The Shining' taught me everything I need to know about the effects of isolation.

 

In this time of weirdness, 'The Shining’ is starting to make a lot of sense. It just occurred to me that my working-from-home life is basically like Jack except: I don’t own an axe, I don't have cabin fever and I am totally sure I am not insane while I am TRYING TO WRITE MY BLOG. I guess I am just stuck in my house. Social distancing and isolation is not easy on the mental health. Maybe sitting in your house doing whatever you want sounds easy at the first place, but that's forgetting all the psychological factors. Being stuck inside for almost a damn month, it makes you go stir crazy. It is also increased risk of depression and anxiety. Think Jack in 'The Shining'. Mental health is a thing, people. This film makes us aware that health must be maintained both physically and mentally. 

Working from home is wild. I either spend 6-8 hours sitting in front of my computer to appear online, or I fall so deep into work that the next thing I know, it’s 9 pm and I still haven’t eaten lunch. How Not to End Up like Jack from 'The Shining'? If you're new to working remotely you're going to need some strategies to not go stir crazy. For the sake of sanity, I need to go to outside to stay sane. I later realized how bad I need sunlight, fresh air, and exercise. The only places I can have any kind of social interaction is at the coffee shop, McDonald’s, and the grocery store. It is nice to be back in an area where I meet people and don’t depend on online social interaction to stay sane. 

If you're someone who needs social interaction to stay sane, go outside with mask at all the time. Wipe everything with alcohol before putting away and wash clothes and shower after.

Stay healthy!
Stay sane!
Stay alive!

Working from Home (3)

Working from home and trying to stay sane? Entering 3rd week of #WFH, I really need to go to the office for the social interaction. It is so hard to keep up physical activity to stay healthy (and sane!) while we are cooped up at home. For people like me who are used to working in an office, making the shift to #WFH can get hectic. Things can get messy as the lines between your personal life and working hours start blurring. I believe there are many who doesn't have the kinds of jobs where #WFH is possible. Seriously, how do people who work in some kind of public service (doctor, police, banker, etc) do jobs when they have to sit in front of a screen all day. It is obviously a weird situation. Corona is bothering the mental health of people. This #WFH thing slowly driving me insane too. I have no idea what I am doing during this difficult period. I started to do such random things like making funny makeup looks or just read a dry humor books. I gotta do silly things just because I am totally bored. By making myself laugh, helps me remember not to take myself too serious.

Drilling Engineering Class (virtual)

Today's work "interactive" Teams chat of the day: "What are you guys doing to stay sane in the time of WFH?" My senior is very concerned about what we are doing to help our teams stay sane. We are aware that these times can be tough for some people that are alone or struggling with the quarantine. Yes, we need to pull through together and help each other out. Sometimes as humans we need each other to keep sane. How can we stay SANE during this crisis? We try to find an unique ways to stay connected. We don't always talk about work during virtual meetings. We take a 30 minutes for mental management break. We do virtual coffee breaks  with our work pals. We joined a Drilling Engineering Class (virtual) to refresh our mind while adding new insight. We even do a Netflix party where we can watch movie on Netflix with a friend at a distance and use a group text to comment via messenger. This is the best thing ever for movie time with our teams during quarantine. Totally synced playback, can pause for the entire group and chat together at the same time. It's lovely! Nice to have movie party with them. We hope we can do a drakor marathon together hahaha....

In this strange time, I hope you are also managing to stay safe, stay sane, and get some work done! Together we are stronger than COVID-19. 

Stay healthy!
Stay sane!
Stay alive!