Saturday, November 17, 2012

Umroh: Part 1 (Jeddah - Medina)

Ola amigo! Rainy season has come! Have you prepared your own raincoat? The weather here in Jakarta has been so lovely, I think. The city has been shrouded in black clouds lately. But it makes you miss the sunshine a bit, don't you think? Speaking of sunshine, I wanna tell you about my visit to several cities that always exposed by sun throughout the year (according to some sources: rain only pour 2 times during one year in those cities). Yup, it's Umroh Trip! And the cities I mentioned before were Medina, Mecca, and Jeddah. So, back in may, me and my family (dad, mom, 2 younger brothers) including my grandma, my uncle, and lil bro's friend went to Saudi Arabia for approximately 1 week for Umroh. That was a very precious moment because we finally found a chance to gather over our packed schedule and to be honest, this was my first trip abroad. So the excitement went rising to the highest level.




The flight schedule supposed to be at 2 pm but we went straight to the airport at 11 am because of some regulations that requires the participants to arrive early and gather 3 hours before boarding time. So we waited for about 2 hours at the airport. But to be honest, there's no boring moment at all because all I can feel is only the excitement!! And finally here it comes the boarding time. Off we went to depart to Jeddah! Bismillah. :)



So after 9 hours flight, we finally arrived at King Abdul Aziz airport at 12am (if I'm not mistaken). We had to wait for about 1,5 hours until the immigration officers are ready. I find it a lil bit boring to wait because my body already in a tired state, so I tried to distract myself with snacking and playing with my cellphone after Isha prayer. Actually, besides all the excitement that makes my heart beating so fast, honestly I also feel a lil bit anxious because of arabia's myth and stories that I heard from people who already went for Umroh. But alhamdulillah, everything's well because I keep praying I won't do any harm here. After the immigration thingy had finally finished, we directly went to bus to head to Medina (approx 5 hours from Jeddah). In the bus we got our dinner and surprisingly our dinner menu was none other than rendang!! Hahaha. We flew hundred miles away from Indonesia and got rendang inside our box meal! I found it a bit funny but it turns out that it's a common menu because so many Indonesian go to Saudi Arabia along the year.


Arrived at 4am in the morning, we had to wait (again) to get our rooms prepared. Because the trip was at peak season, so the visitor quite a lot and the hotel's employees were extremely busy. Our group wasn't the only group that had to wait until we get our room. But before us, there were 1 or 2 groups that already waited in lobby. So after waiting for 30mins, we got the key and went straight to our room and when we entered the room, it surprised me because it much more looks like an apartement than a hotel room. Got no enough time to rest, we then went straight to Al-Masjid An-Nabawi to do subuh prayer. The distance between hotel and Nabawi is really close. Only takes 5 minutes walk. By the way, looking at so many people walking to the Mosque to pray is just too breath-taking to be honest. Feels different when I'm in Indonesia. In Medina, I feel that I'm really nothing. Just a body filled with stack of sin. And I'm so thankful that I've got a chance to feel that feeling. It makes me realized that life isn't only about how we live now, but how we live the life after the death.

The first time I stepped my feet on Nabawi's floor was absolutely thrilling. I am completely in awe by how well the architecture is. High ceiling with many stripes ornaments on the wall that sometimes resemble Egypt's. Along the corridor there're tons gallons of zamzam water and you are able to choose whether you want to drink it cold or warm. And it's all free. The mosque is divided into several sections and each section is big. Each entrances are guarded by Askar. No cellphone and camera allowed inside the mosque. So, sadly, I didn't get to take any photos inside the mosque. But I think it's fair enough because I don't want to spoil you too much. You have to experience it yourself! :p

pardon their sleepy faces, pals! :p

So many merchants on the way back to the hotel. They sell various things from meals until jewellery. The unique things is when I went to the mosque there're no merchants at all alongside the street. But when the prayer had finally done, you could find them in every step. After doing little investigation, I got the fact that there is city's regulation that prohibiting the merchant to sell when it comes to prayer time. They will be forfeit if they still doing trading activities in the time of prayer. So here they were selling this and that after the prayer had finally finished. The mosque's courtyard was completely packed and crowded. You can hear the merchant shouts "10ribu rupiah! 10 ribu rupiah!" from every corner of the street.









And the city tour had finally begun after we finished our breakfast at 9. The first destination was Quba Mosque. It took about 30 mins to go there from the hotel. Quba Mosque is actually the oldest mosque in the world. For more information about this mosque, you can read it here. We didn't get enough time to enjoy the scenery because the schedule was packed so the tour leader said we gotta hurry move to the next destination. We spent approx 1 hour to enjoy the view, take some photos, and do sunnah prayer. And then, off we went to the next destination!







The tour continued to Jabal Uhud. During the trip from Quba Mosque to Jabal Uhud, I've seen cluster of rocks along the way. Another awesomeness to enjoy because I haven't seen that kind of view in Indonesia. We finally arrived at Jabal Uhud in no time. Completely forgot about the length of travel time but all I can remember is when we arrived there, the sun was at its peak. It was so hot. And as far as the eyes could see, I've only seen rock mountain, sand hill, and hundreds of people trying to reach its peak to pray and enjoy the scenery.






My youngest brother with his friend. Kinda Swag, aren't they? :p

Time went so fast when you're in happy mode, indeed. The schedule for day 1 is finally over. We went back to hotel to get some rest and we also went to Nabawi Mosque. On the way back from mosque, me and my mom decided to take a different path to reach the hotel for sight-seeing. Neighborhood around the mosque is full with so many hotels. The sun is always shining so bright in Medina, but surprisingly it's always fresh, either the air or the atmosphere. Speaking of fresh, I think I'm going to divide the story into several posts to keep the mood 'fresh'. Hehehe. So, to stop my finger and to cover up the story, here is a glimpse of Nabawi Mosque. All photos taken by my brother, Ilham.











P.S: Actually there are few destinations more that I visited during the tour in day 1. But pardon my lame brain, pals. I can't seem to remember the details of each places. But one thing for sure, I also visited palm groves and another place on day 1. So, I'll see you on the next post with more interesting story to tell. Adios!!



Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Choice



Life is all about choices, that's what I know. To keep the faith when choosing and to overcome the fear, that's the point. And what I hate about choosing is: one hour ago I'm extremely sure about choosing one choice, and one hour later it's all gone. The faith has gone. The things left are only anxiety and uncertainty. And everything in front of my eyes slowly turns vague... : |

Thursday, August 30, 2012

The Journey

So, yes, finally the journey come to an end. I'm no longer uni student now and I've graduated as Bachelor of Communication. So relieved that I can fulfill my task and now I am so ready to enter the next phase of life. :)


Maybe I've told you a bit in my previous post that I read so many racism and representation e-books. Actually, my final assignment was about the representation of toddler in television advertisement. The research was about how toddler appeared in tv ad and it discussed from a to z. Umm, toddler and racism? I know maybe few of this post's reader will think "Do toddlers and racism connect? Do toddler suffering racism too? Not just adults?" So I gotta say yes. They do. And to be honest that's a miserable fact. How can a cute creature (angel in disguise to be exact) suffering cruel problem like that? But it happened. And it was showed globally through television. Okay, stop. I think that's enough. Actually this time I'm gonna tell you about what happened on my final defense. So, let's get it started!!

The final defense actually was going to be held on Tuesday, July 19th at 8 o'clock in the morning. Unfortunately the schedule moved to the next day because the 3 lecturers had another schedule on Tuesday. So the final defense rescheduled to Wednesday, July 20th at 10 o'clock in the morning. I knew the schedule about a week before the due date, thank God I still have plenty of time to study and also check re-check my final task. To be honest, my heart was beating so fast when I read the announcement. I can't control it and nervousness level went high. Up to the highest level I think. But I was very lucky at that time because my guardian angel, my mom, generously came to Semarang 1 day before d-day to support me in final defense. Lucky me!

Time rolled on and finally the final defense was only about 12 hours to go. The nervousness level went high again (fyi I finally managed to control the nervousness level 2 days after the announcement). I tried to distract it with praying and chatting with my mom but when I continued to study, my heart was beating fast again. Huftness ;p

So the day finally came. I woke up at 5 and did shubuh prayer. I took a bath and put clothes and some make up on. I also managed to iron my hair for the sake of appearance. Hahaha. At 8.30, Ison came home to pick me and my mother up (yes, I hadn't have any breakfast yet) and we arrived at 8.50 in campus. Oh well, here it comes the nervousness monster again! When I stepped my feet on the building, that feeling I had on the night before d-day came again. For sure, it never get bored to haunt me. Making me afraid and anxious.

I sat in front of lecturer's office room because the 2 lecturers and 1 examiner hadn't come yet. Lucky me I still had plenty of time to re-read my final assignment and thought about what answer would be the best for this and that questions. And lalalaa, one by one my lecturer came to campus and luckily I didn't have to wait any longer because the they were on time. At 10.05 I entered the assembly room. Surprisingly, I could walk lightly and enjoy because the silly nervousness monster suddenly gone! Alhamdulillahirobbilalamin I just thanked God for giving me too many luck at that time. So I began my presentation and it was only about 15 mins and continued with Q&A session that more like discussion I think. Hehehe. The questions were beyond my expectation and I could answer all the questions. I thought that the questions would be really complex and difficult. But it happened contrary. It was easy and smooth. Once again I have to say alhamdulillah because Allah SWT is so kind by showering me tons of luck! The final defense lasted for only 45 minutes and I walked out from assembly room with big smile on my face because lecturers told me that I'VE FINALLY GRADUATED. YES, I'M A BACHELOR OF COMMUNICATION. EDWINA NUROCTAVIANI S.I.KOM :)


More surprise to come, few of my friends already waited outside to support me. Yay! That day was definitely my lucky day. Oh yea, I didn't forget to call my mom, telling her that I've managed to do it successfully and she sounded so happy knowing that her eldest child will be back to her arm, lol. FYI, my mother was waiting in library because she promised to meet her old friend there. It's time to celebrate the day! And we won't forget to take some pics.. :)



So happy and sad at the same time. Happy because of the title behind my name, and sad because of the fact that sooner or later I will be leaving Semarang. I think I've fallen in love with Semarang. It feels so funny how I hate Semarang at the beginning and finally be in love at the end. I guess that famous quote is definitely true. Tak kenal maka tak sayang! LOLest.


Along with this post I want to say thank you to Mas Hedi and Mas TL for being a very nice adviser for me. I also want to thank Mas Adi for being a kind and helpful examiner on the day. You guys were awesome!! The best lecturers I've ever met! Rock on, Mas! \m/

I won't forget to thank my mother too for giving me unstoppable support. You're truly an angel in disguise for me. I can't thank you enough. Thanks for showering me too much love. :)

I also want to thank my brother and his camera, my friend Moci, Mba Sha, Dhifa, Ayu, and Rizka. You guys were too kind, spare some time among the tight schedule just for come and support me. Thank you.

Last but not least I want to say thank you to the best boyfriend in the world (for me), the one and only, Muhammad Ihsan. I love you I love you I love you :*


FYI, when I write about this post, I already sit in my room in Jakarta. I moved 3 weeks ago and currently applying to few companies. So, my activities now are sending email, printing documents, being interviewed, and so on. Hopefully I can be accepted sooner because too many dreams that I want to chase! I want to be student (again) right away and for that dream, I have to take few courses and those courses need money definitely. Hehehe. Well I think I'm gonna stop blabbering now and I'll write about my graduation party on my next post. Oh yea, I'll also write about my umroh trip. So, stay tune pals!



Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Identity As Face.

 
I read that title above from one of e-books that my lecturer gave me a week ago. But no, thanks, I'm not gonna write something-that-need-full-concentration-to-read like that. I had enough of that. Hahahaha. By the way I've been reading a pile of e-books which contains various topics like Representation, Identity, Racism, etc since yesterday. I've been doing that for the sake of bachelor degree. Some people may think those topics are cheesy. But my head won't stop turning upside down after I read those e-books. You can read it if you want. ;)

One thing that make me curious is, why I always got excited everytime I browse into internet or watch some videos but it turns out I suddenly feel sleepy and can't stop yawning everytime I read those e-books? In fact, I spent 1 hour reading and 3 hours browsing today. That's why I need longer time to finish my work..
 

FYI, next week will  be a busy week but I can't hide my excitement. I'll be on Jakarta on weekend and will be having a holy-day trip for approximately 2 weeks. I hope everything's going out well and under control. Kyaa definitely can't wait!




Sunday, February 5, 2012

Obstacle Overdose.

Been ages since my last post. I do miss writings, and it seems I'm gonna blabbering a bit more in this post. Actually, I have few unfinished writings in my draft box. But once again, it left unfinished. Until now. I still find a chance to work on those writings, but I think it won't be finish in short time. Blame on my mood, which has been extremely fluctuating this period. Honestly, not doing writing for a long time really affect my ability in writings. It seems like I have so many ideas to put on. But on the next 3 seconds, those ideas has lost. Furthermore, I also find it hard to use various words because my brain keeps thinking about the same word again and again. It's so hard to be a good writer, isn't it?

So fellas, have you ever been beaten by a thing so called life? I bet you have. I wonder why life has to be filled with so many ugly realities. Maybe you know the answer and care to explain?

I've been living in a drama. Where people seemed exaggerating little problems and forgetting things that should be discussed. Where people only concern about their own happiness. Where people act harsh to other. And so, what's the point of being friendly with the other and in the end all the thing you've got is only disappointment?

I've been living an unhealthy life with extremely boring daily routine. My body grows weaker. My face seems paler. My hair looks uglier. My skin turns darker. Wake up at night. Sleep when the sun start to shine. Neglecting the most important job as human and student. I didn't do what I supposed to do. I didn't act the way I supposed to act. I didn't talk the way I supposed to talk. I didn't think the way I supposed to think. Somehow I feel fake and not functioning properly.
 
I've been living in a malicious concept. No matter how hard I try to escape from it, in the end I'll be trapped in it again. I can't stand with my ego. I start to see things negatively. My heart began to filled by envious and jealous looking at others with their great achievement. I keep forcing my brain to think and visualize about all the good things, while on the other side I wasn't able to force my heart. I keep questioning "what's the point of being positive and you only got heartache in the end?". I came to the conclusion that "being positive sometimes feels torturing". Someone said to me that being positive is great. I admit that's right, but sometimes it sounds bullshit. I start to think that negative thoughts keeps me conscious, because being positive sometimes make me deeply captivated by dreaming and imagining, whereas on the other side realities keep slapped my face over and over again. Oh dear, what a life!


I've been living a hard life. But can I use that as an excuse to give up? I don't think so.





P.S: Those ups and downs, those negative thoughts, those badass people, they do leave me tons of bruises. But as a human I have to be thankful for what I have and what I got. This may be sound cheesy but at least I try to be honest. Pardon me for writings so much negative point of view in this post. I can't be positive forever, right?

Maybe you know the reason?

  
I hate the word "I don't know why", I hate hearing people said "I don't know why", I hate reading "I don't know why" sentence, and I don't know why! Oh dear, please save me...



Friday, January 6, 2012

Greetings







Though it's a bit late, but
HAPPY NEW YEAR 2012!

Have a successful year, sunshine! :)


Delighted


I am growing old and older and haven't done anything precious. What a life! :)






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