"Cuma"

".. biarkan keyakinanmu, 5 centimeter menggantung mengambang di depan kening kamu. dan sehabis itu yang diperlukan cuma...

...cuma kaki yang akan berjalan lebih jauh dari biasanya, tangan yang akan berbuat lebih banyak dari biasanya, mata yang akan menatap lebih lama dari biasanya, leher yang akan lebih sering melihat ke atas...serta mulut yang selalu akan berdoa.."

- 5cm, donny dhirgantoro-

ternyata "cuma" itu aja ya modal yang dibutuhin untuk memperjuangin keyakinan yang kita punya...

ayoo kejaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrr.....

Tons of Books Came by (1)

Reading might be a less favorite activity for Indonesian in general. It seems really hard finding reading as an answer when you pick up a question to local people what their hobbies are. Well, it just really describes me indeed. I would love to prefer playing game or even watching How I Met Your Mother (again and again back to back) rather than reading in any kind of spare time I have.

I believe there are thousands of making-sense answers besides reading for your hobbies. But sometimes I could find myself enjoying reading itself. It comes when I have to get stuck in waiting for something, trapped on airplane or bus while traveling out of town, or even right before go to bed. I believe that reading is the main instrument to give enlightenment for your soul, guidance to your mind, or even able to drop some stones to make your eyes heavier (then go to sleep).

Several months ago, I restarted this forgettable habit by buying several books. Amazingly most of books I bought were kind related with the spiritual or religion talks, while the rest of them were talking about investment, novel, and traveling note. Here were my last 6-month-buying carts of books:

1. Timeline; Michael Crichton

What’s the book talks about:
A man found in middle of nowhere, Arizona desert. He is miles from any human habitation and has no memory of how he came to be there, or who he is. The only clue to his identity is the plan of medieval monastery in his pocket. (p.s.: Since I was totally forget about the main idea of what I’ve read, so I just made the previous writing copied from the background cover of this book hehe.. )

Progress in reading:
This book should be great! But I felt terribly sorry; my laziness finishing the whole book appeared when it meets the English-literature novel. Thanks god I’ve finished my first 73 pages. I believed another 400 pages could wait!

2. Oksimoron; Isman H.Suryaman
What’s the book talks about:
(Another) Sorry, I’ve just got blank how come I can desperately forget the main stories of this book. All I can remember is Oksimoron may tell us the story about how a recently-married couple runs their own life after the marriage.

Progress in reading:
This book might be written in my own history of reading. It seems like miracle when I completely reading a whole book in one single night!

3. Dari Puncak Baghdad: Sejarah Dunia Versi Islam; Tamim Ansary
What’s the book talks about:
When we studied about History lesson since elementary till senior high school, the history of Islam might be less popular than the Ancient Greece, Europe, or even World War History. I undoubtedly believe that Islam has brought a significant development which shaped a better world we living in than anyone could predict. Ironically, the acknowledgment of Islam civilization influence is not world-wide highly appreciated, but sometimes it's also being forgotten even by us, a Moslem-majority Nation.
This book brings us complete a comprehension of the exact condition how prospers and well-developed the society were when Islam rule the ancient-world. It captured every significant moment when Islam had born, struggling to achieve it glory, and then gradually being weaken at the present. It took us from the birth-era of Moslem, The rise of Muhammad SAW, The rule of Khalafaur Rasyidin, The great Dynasty of Ummayah, Moghul and Ustmani until the endless conflict between Palestine and Israel nowadays.

Progress in reading:
It’s really a long long long story when I have started my journey in 5500 A.D. Unfortunately, in the beginning of the 18th Centuries, I just got really exhausted to continue the journey. There are 3 centuries left before I arrive in into the present time. It means more than 130 pages left to be finished. Perhaps I can make it skip for a while.

4. Tirulah Solat Nabi; Syaikh Mutawalli Al-Sya'rawi
What’s the book talks about:
Judge the book by its title! Perhaps by reading the title, you can conclude what the book had in it. Ooops sorry, The book not only comprises neither list nor description how Muhammad SAW conduct his Shalat, but also several guidance related to any kind of Shalat preparation and completed by several tips how to create a shalat in a Khusyuk manner.

Progress in reading:
Actually I read the book not in the proper order. I prefer to make either a skimming reading or jump into particular pages which contain information I like to know further. It’s a big yes if I mention are there any hundred pages left waited to be read.

5. Think Dinar; Endy J. Kurniawan
What’s the book talks about:
The book has a strong argued that gold is kind of Superman who unbeatable by a kryptonite named inflation. Gold (dinar) has become standard for Moslem in their any economical transaction. Dinar is a coin of 22 carat gold in mass of 4.25 gram. A famous quotation says that the value of dinar was never changed, it equals with a fine quality of goat, since the era of Muhammad until present.
Think Dinar introduced me how making dinar as best investment for those who eager starting investment but not-equipped with a well knowledge of financial sector. For further information about the book, you may check my previous writing about it, Think Dinar.

Progress in reading:
This book attracts me really good. Since learning to start an investment really interested me, no wonder if completing reading from the first page until background cover is truly a must for me. And finally I gladly say,” It’s done!”.

6. Jihad Julia; Julia Suryakusuma
What’s the book talks about:
Julia Suryakusuma, a feminist columnist in Tempo and Jakarta Post, earned her latest book this late of 2010. The book contained with 32 selected columns which posted by Tempo and Jakarta Post. Every chapter in this book talks in the same idea which describes her point of view in the idea of Nationalism and Religious of the nation.
You might find thousands of critics from her upon the Indonesia’s present and previous government. Besides that please discover how she comparing the adorable Mrs. Mulyani with the England Iron-Lady Margaret Thatcher in the way they run their policies.

Progress in reading:
32 great articles were just too bad to be missed. There’s no doubt if there has been a lot of fun while enjoying the whole article. Perhaps she would launch another book in the future contained more hilarious article in it. Let’s see!



to be continued...
(there're still 6 books in progress of reading, hiuuffhh..)

The (un)Think Dinar

Tergerak oleh ucapan seorang teman “ Udah ga jamannya lagi pepatah yang bilang kalo menabung itu pangkal kaya, kalo sekarang menabung itu malah pangkalnya miskin ”, membuat saya cukup sedikit kehilangan selera untuk menabung. Saya yakin sebenarnya tidak ada salahnya dengan menabung. Karena dengan menjalin persahabatan dengan si mr.piggy bank ini, saya dapat belajar untuk hidup teratur sekaligus belajar untuk membuat perencanaan keuangan untuk masa depan saya. Setidaknya mampu menghentikan saya untuk berperilaku konsumtif berlebihan.

Namun sejumlah dana yang tersimpan tersebut akan sangat disayangkan jika hanya sekedar dininabobokan di bank. Selain hanya akan selalu terpotong oleh biaya administrasi, namun adanya juga ancaman serius berupa penurunan nilai tukar uang jika akan digunakan kelak di kemudian hari. Oleh karena itu dibutuhkan sebuah solusi yang setidaknya mampu menjagai nilai tukar uang tabungan dari bahaya inflasi atau kalau bisa malah mampu untuk mengembangkan nilainya yang telah ada sekarang.

“harga 1 kambing dengan kualitas terbaik pada jaman Rasulullah selalu memiliki harga yang sama hingga sekarang, yaitu 1 dinar ”

Mungkin sebagian dari kita telah cukup familiar dengan kutipan tersebut. Pernyataan tersebut mengisyaratkan bahwa ada suatu solusi dimana kita dapat menjaga nilai aset kita konstan dari waktu ke waktu. Akhirnya pernyataan tersebutlah yang menggiring saya untuk berkenalan dengan sebuah investasi. Investasi Dinar.

Dinar merupakan koin emas yang ditetapkan oleh Umar bin Khattab sebagai alat tukar resmi pada perdagangan. 1 Dinar telah terstandarisasi dengan unsur intrinsik 4,25 gram emas 22 karat. Oleh karena itu, dengan unsur instrinsiknya yang berupa emas, dinar merupakan salah satu opsi yang sangat baik untuk berinvestasi. Tidak hanya dikarenakan nilai emas yang stabil atau bahkan cenderung meningkat, investasi ini sendiri cukup mudah dipelajari dan sarat dengan nilai dakwah.

Uang kertas yang umum kita gunakan sekarang seharusnya memiliki tiga fungsi utama store of value, medium of exchange, dan unit of account. Inflasi menjadi faktor utama dalam menggagalkan fungsi uang sebagai store of value. Nilai mata uang kertas kerap mengalami penurunan hampir di tiap tahunnya. Dengan sejumlah uang tertentu pada 10 tahun yang lalu, tentu uang tersebut tidak akan memiliki daya beli yang sama dengan sekarang.

Investasi yang baik tentunya harus mampu membawa keuntungan bagi subjek yang menanamnya. Tabungan ataupun deposito merupakan sebuah contoh investasi pasif yang umum dipilih oleh masyarakat. Namun tingkat suku bunga tabungan dan deposito masih berada dibawah tingkat inflasi umum yang berkisar 6,5% pertahunnya (bahkan bisa mencapai 12% untuk inflasi bahan pangan). Dengan kondisi seperti ini tabungan/depositio berbasis uang kertas sudah tidak mampu lagi menjamin keuntungan dalam berinvestasi.

Emas dikenal memilki ketahanan inflasi yang cukup baik. Emas merupakan unsur alam yang sangat unik. Ketersedian emas di dunia yang sangat terbatas serta sifatnya yang tidak dapat rusak menjadikannya sebagai alat tukar yang paling konsisten yang pernah ada. Namun pada dasarnya, dalam kurun waktu yang relatif singkat, nilai emas tidak akan selalu berada dalam posisi yang stabil. Oleh karena itu beriventasi emas hanya dalam kurun waktu pendek sangatlah tidak disarankan. Tetapi kabar baiknya adalah nilai tukar emas terhadap uang kertas memiliki kenaikan rata-rata 20% pertahunnya.

Kutipan klasik diatas tampaknya cukup menampilkan kesaktian dinar bila dibandingkan dengan uang kertas. Bila uang kertas mengalami penurunan daya beli hingga 10% tahun, maka Dinar mampu menjaga menjaga nilai tukarnya sejak dahulu, sekarang, dan InsyaAllah hingga nanti. Tak salah jika dinar kerap disebut sebagai mata uang yang sesungguhnya.

Memutuskan untuk memulai investasi atau menabung emas adalah hal yang cukup menarik. Beragamnya pilihan variasi emas dan turunannya membuat kita semakin leluasa untuk memilih investasi sesuai dengan kebutuhan dan kemampuan. Tiap-tiap pilihan memiliki keuntungan dan kelemahannya masing-masing sehingga menjadikan satu pilihan dengan yang lainnya menjadi unik.

Secara garis besar investasi emas dapat dibagi menjadi tiga: dinar, emas batangan dan perhiasan.

a. Dinar

*Keuntungan

- Mudah dijumlahkan dan dibagi

- Mudah diuangkan

- Nilai jual kembali tinggi

- Bernilai dakwah

*Kelemahan

- PPN 10%

- Ongkos cetak tinggi

b. Emas Batangan

*Keuntungan

- Tidak terkena PPN

- Bila pembelian dalam unit 1kg tidak akan terkena biaya cetak

- Nilai jual kembali tinggi

*Kelemahan

- Tidak fleksibel

- Bila pembelian unit kecil biaya cetak tinggi

- Tidak mudah diperjualbelikan

c. Emas Perhiasan

*Keuntungan

- Memiliki bentuk yang indah

*Kelemahan

- Ongkos pembuatan tinggi

- Model berpengaruh terhadap harga

Menimbang segala perencanaan yang ada dimasa depan, kegiatan menabung memiliki nilai urgensi yang semakin tinggi. Menabung dengan uang kertas, dengan berbagai kelemahannya, haruslah tetap bisa untuk berjalan disiplin dan berkelanjutan. Walaupun bukan menjadi tabungan yang diprioritaskan, untuk sementara waktu tabungan jenis ini belum mampu tergantikan. Dengan segala kemudahan berupa tingkat likuiditasnya yang tinggi, kebebasan bertransaksi, serta fasilitas-fasilitas menarik yang tersedia belum mampu untuk disaingi tabungan berbasis selain uang kertas. Namun prioritas menabung dengan uang kertas sudah seharusnya bergeser atau malah ditinggalkan. Sudah saatnya sebuah tabungan harus mampu menjaga nilainya secara terus menerus atau bahkan naik harganya jika ditakar dengan uang kertas. Primadona dalam menabung saat ini sudah sepantasnya menjadi milik tabungan berbasis dinar.

-----------------------

sumber:

1. Think Dinar!, Endy J. Kurniawan

2. http://www.geraidinar.com/

3. http://geraidinarsby.blogspot.com/

Kembali Berjalan: The 1st-timer Backpacker

I’ve got 5 days of travelling in Thailand on 3-7 Nov. Me and Doli, my sister’s boyfriend, started this trip from LCC Airport in Kuala Lumpur. We leaving Malaysia for Chiang Mai using Air Asia in its morning flight.

a. Chiang Mai

This beautiful city known as the second biggest city in Thailand after Bangkok. Chiang Mai, means the rose from north, might be not a quite familiar as a tourism destination comparing to Bangkok, Phuket, or even Pattaya. If the last two cities I mentioned are famous with beaches and night life euphoria, Chiang Mai might offer a different kind of sensation. Elephant conservations, beautiful temples, or several outdoor activities like mountain hiking and downhill biking are the main invitation for attracting tourist to enjoy this beautiful rose.

I had Chiang Mai only for 2 days from overall 5 days trip inThailand. On the first day, soon after arrived in Chiang Mai International Airpot, we chose Doi Suthep Temple and Chiang Mai Zoo as our first destination. Prior to go to Doi Suthep Temple, we dropped in for a while in Chiang Mai Train Station buying ticket to Bangkok for the next days. Spending almost 2 hours in the Doi Suthep, then we went to Chiang Mai Zoo where Panda was really famous as its main attraction.

For lodging issue, finally we chose Green Tulip hostel for a 1 night stayed in Chiang Mai. Beautiful houses, complete facilities, reasonable price (400 B) and a great hospitality from the owner made us feel really sorry only spent 1 night there. Honestly, I highly recommended for this hostel, it just totally awesome!!

Chiang Mai own thousands variety of tourism tours, but with all budget I had prepared, there would be less option to be chosen. Luckily, the hostel recommended us a low budget tour. Comparing to another tour written in any kind of brochure, this one-day-tour price is really surprising us. It only cost us 1000 B while the others took 2000 B.

Just like the old people said, the price just describes the quality itself. The tour package consisted of Elephant riding, buffalo cart riding, bamboo rafting, and visiting the long necked tribe village. The elephant conservation were quite fun. Not only riding the elephant itself, but we also saw the baby elephant and watched the elephant show. It’s really funny when their playing football or even drawing a t-shirt. Ok finish with elephant things, the rest of our tour package was too lame. Buffalo cart riding for example, in Indonesia we call it as “delman”. And believe me, our delman are a lot better than it. Bamboo rafting??? You might quite familiar with “rakit bambu” right! The attraction just sitting on the rakit and enjoying the cruise sailing on river which it seems had just devastated by pathetic hurricane. I wished long-necked village might be a better attraction than the previous ones. And just like your guess, it’s just getting worse. I thought the village was located in such rural places, perhaps there might be a little “adventure” in discovering it. And oh my God, it just located not far outside the city, still close to the main road. Furthermore it’s not real “village” actually, it’s just small space of field which filled by two traditional houses and several traditional kiosks selling hand craft whose owned by the long-necked their self. Ironically, I saw there are no daily activities villagers always do except only taking care of their traditional shop. I wish the Kampung Naga - Badui village in Banten is far far far far far better than this "unique" show.

b. Bangkok

13 Hours-entrain took us from Chiang Mai to Bangkok.

Yes, I have 3 days left for my holiday in Bangkok. But the last two days of it, I would spend it alone by myself because Doli only spent 1 day in Bangkok. And just like before, money still became my serious issue for travelling in Bangkok. Spending 3 days and 2 nights in one of the best city tourism destination in the world with really tight budget and being left alone, I don’t think that’s a good option for holiday. But there’s always drama behind it.

Bangkok seems quite similar with Jakarta. Both cities are central of everything in their own country. But Bangkok equipped itself with much better-organized mass transportation and public facilities. Moreover they also have nice sidewalk for the pedestrian. I surely feel amaze if there are any city in Indonesia able providing this proper and humanized sidewalk for its resident.

Bangkok realizes that it has huge potential in tourism sector, that’s why it is not hard to find tourism information box which located separately in each corner of the town. These boxes provide any kind of information like maps, buses or MRT route, or even the tour package. Tourism destination map completed with the transportation map which I bought from the central station are the main guide for me to explore the city. Another thing that makes Bangkok so adorable is it makes you easily moving from one place to another without worrying the traffic jam, pollution, uncomforted facilities, or even the cost for the public transportation.

The tourist map showed us that Bangkok have several mode of public transportion. City buses and Tuk-Tuk seem to be an “old-fashioned” mode of transportation among others. Bangkok also has the modern kind of transportation like BTS Skytrain, MRT Subway, and SRT Suvarnabhumi Airport Rail. Finally Bangkok also provide river cruise with Chao Phraya Express Boat. And from all of that, the best part is all you have to do just sit relax in the MRT and see thousands of beautiful girls from around the globe walk accros in front of you (I wished they are “really” a girl).

I had 2 nights in Bangkok. Since I could not find a suitable hostel for my first night in Bangkok, so I took my choice to prefer Suvarnabhumi Airport as my for-free-one-night lodging. It might be one of my best decision though! Enough with my first experience just like Tom Hanks in “The Terminal”, then I stayed in a hostel located near the Hua Lamphong Train Station for my second night. Spending one night in Backpacker hostel was a great experience. I had three roommates from England, US, and Canada. Interestingly each person had their own reason why they backpacking overseas. The most unique one, a Moslem US Afro-American, Rosi Turner had backpacked around globe for almost one year. He started from US then jumped to Central America, Europe, Africa, India, and then we finally met in Bangkok. He said that there might be few countries after Thailand, it were Taiwan, Japan and finally returned to America.

Its sight-seeing time ! ! ! Some tourism destination that I succesfully visit are Grand Palace, Wat Pho – The Reclining Buddha, Gold Mount, Vimanmek Throne Hall, Anantasamakhom Throne Hall and Chatuchak Market. Unfortunately there still few interesting place left, but the thing I regret most was I missed the thai boxing match or perhaps some sexy queer show.

Ok folks, that all my stories of my first-time-backpacking experience! I do realize that I make several horrible mistakes in planning the whole trip. Believe me, the devil is in the detail. From the day I leaving KL for starting my trip, I just equipped myself with several general information, not even touched the specific one. I didn’t booking any room for hostel or arranging the fix itinerary for each day. Furthermore, the worst mistake was how come I didn’t count precisely the budget whether it would be enough or not with the whole expenditure prediction due travelling. Perhaps it may become a serious evaluation for me in arranging another trip plan ahead.

7th November 2010, Gate B Suvarnabhumi International Airport

I realized that we have thousand of world class tourism destination here, in Indonesia. Ironically with lack of support of better facilities and promotion, those beautiful jewels just lay down hidden under the pile of nightmare story of our bureaucracy.

A few minutes before takeoff to Indonesia, I browsed some news about Indonesia in the internet. The news were horrible. Volcano’s eruption, tsunami, devastated flood, and the corrupt government lethally strike my country. It might be a really tough week for the Nation. Somehow I felt useless and terribly sad. All I did just nothing but Condolence.

God, please bestow all Your mercy for all mistakes, we need Your divine guidance to strengthen Indonesia with Your bless.

In the corner of nowhere, i just got my tears fell down through my face...

INI KANDANG KITA, BUNG!!

Akhirnya pesta ini pun selesai sudah.

Tidak kurang selama 3 minggu belakangan ini, emosi kita dibawa melayang tinggi, terbang jauh melayang dari permukaan. Terbang untuk merebut mimpi di yang telah terbuang tiga kali di masa lampau. Namun tanpa sadar, kita pun kembali terjatuh ke jurang terdalam yang selalu akrab dengan kita sebelumnya, kekalahan.

Tenang kawan, cerita ini berakhir happy ending. Benar kita mampu kembali merangkak, tapi tidak setinggi yang pernah kita capai. Tapi itu cukup, biarlah mereka yang terbaik yang mampu untuk kembali mencium tingginya batas langit. Kita telah kembali diatas permukaan. Sedikit lebih tinggi memang. Tapi itu telah lebih dari cukup bagi kita untuk kembali belajar terbang dengan kepala tegak dan dada terbusung. Garuda kita masih belajar terbang rupanya.

Timnas memang tidak memenangkan apa-apa disini. Bukan piala berlapis emas, atau uang bernilai miliaran yang didapat kali ini. Timnas telah memenangkan trofi yang jauh lebih bergengsi dariapada semua hal tersebut, hati dan kebanggaan atas nama rakyat lah yang sesungguhnya supremasi tertinggi bagi para punggawa timnas.

Selamat untuk Tim Nasional Indonesia..

Kalian telah mengajak kami untuk berjalan-jalan jauh. Perjalanan dengan destinasi sebuah Piala bernama kebanggan dan kehormatan. Dan di tanggal ini kami yakini bahwa kami hampir sampai ke destinasi tersebut.

Selamat merayakan nasionalisme, Indonesia