Here Today, There Tomorrow: Office

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Friday, July 10, 2020

Waiting On The Light

Vincencia Dian July 10, 2020 0 Comments

I've been watching Say Yes to The Dress Show on Youtube a little too much to the point that I started contemplating it. I love the show for the show, not because I'm dreaming of getting myself into one of the dresses. Apart from the fact that I DO dream of being in one, I love how this dress shopping thingy can reflect the way life operates.

At the beginning of each episode, the brides come with the ideas of the dresses they wanted, but end up falling in love with other dresses that are the opposite of their early preferences. They don't even look good in the dresses they've been dreaming of. They didn't expect if they will love other dresses.

On the other hand, the brides' entourage can be a safe haven or a pain in the neck. They are the families, best friends, bridesmaids and even the fiancees. For those with the best attitudes, they can be so supportive of the brides. But some people forget that the whole dress shopping thing is not about them but the brides. The lines may be scripted, but I'm pretty sure that the drama can happen in real life, too.

I've been thinking that maybe that's what happens to us most of the time. Just like the brides coming with the ideas of a perfect dress, we're so opinionated on what's best for us and it's throwing us off when the reality doesn't approve to our aspiration. We just can't see it now, we will only understand it till everything is done and all the puzzles are put together.

I have realized that I can't be more disappointed with anybody than to the ones closest to me. This also means that I might have hurt my beloved ones without realizing it. The fact that I care for them and want only the best for them can turn out to be an insensitive deed toward the receiver. Being a people pleaser myself, I often found myself on the receiving end.

Earlier this year, I had ideas of how my 2020 will be. I had plans, I was so excited about it. But then pandemic happened and everything shifted. It's funny that during the lockdown, everything is in a pause but ever-changing at the same time. Everything is adrift without certainty when to anchor. I was a little thrown off when the reality didn't fit into my imagination, and I'm still thrown off sometimes. But this Say Yes to The Dress Show somehow opened my mind. I might have pictures of my ideal future, but that might not what suits me the best. Maybe all the shifts, everything that's been holding me up from what I thought is ideal, is actually what's perfect for me. I just don't know it yet.

To be honest, it's hard to stay positive when the situation surrounding me now is not so encouraging, but I'm taking one step at a time. I'm so pushing myself not to be responsive and take as much time as I need to process everything. These days may be the darkest of the dark, but I close my eyes every night believing that help will come before the dawn. And how do I tell if it's dawn? The Light! I wait on The Light; I hope you do, too 🙂.

Photo by Christine Tutunjian on Unsplash

Tuesday, May 30, 2017

Itinerary untuk 2 Hari 1 Malam di Teluk Dalam (Girls and Budget Friendly)

Vincencia Dian May 30, 2017 0 Comments

Seperti yang aku ceritain di postingan aku sebelumnya (baca: Kaki Kami Panjang, Katanya!), aku, Peggy dan Raisa baru aja jalan-jalan seru ke Teluk Dalam, girls only👩👯👢!!!

Buat yang penasaran kami kemana aja, penginapan, transportasi dan budgetnya, berikut infonya!

Day 1

Kami berangkat dari Gunungsitoli pukul 09.00 WIB dengan menumpang travel trayek Gunungsitoli-Teluk Dalam. Ongkos per orangnya Rp 70.000,- dan waktu tempuhnya sekitar 2,5 jam.

Begitu sampai di pasar Teluk Dalam, kami makan siang dan kemudian merental 2 motor bebek di Toko Roti Helena, biayanya Rp 120.000,-/motor/24 jam. Kami masih perlu merental motor untuk memudahkan pergerakan dan karena jarak antara pasar Teluk Dalam dan tempat kami menginap di Sorake masih sekitar 12 km lagi.

Kami check in di Hotel Barriga Feliz sekitar pukul 15.00 WIB dan memesan 1 kamar untuk kami bertiga. Sewa kamar kami pada saat itu Rp 450.000,-/malam dengan fasilitas, 3 ranjang, ac, kipas angin, tv dan kamar mandi dalem.

Setelah check in dan unpack barang-barang, kami langsung motoran ke Pantai Lagundri (Harus Damai). Kami memilih buat mainnya ke pantai ini karena pantainya luas dan lebih friendly buat pengunjung yang sekedar mau main-main di pantai dan belajar surfing (baca juga: Surfing for First Timers and Where to Stay in Nias Island)

Malemnya kami makan di hotel dan memesan makanan dengan harga Rp 80.000,- untuk 3 orang. Makanannya lumayan enaklah, berasa masakan rumah.

Day 2

Paginya kami nyantai-nyantai dulu di terasnya kamar hotel. Terasnya langsung ngadep taman dan laut. Cantik...😘😚

Setelah mataharinya udah agak naik, kami motoran trus mendaki ke Desa Hiliamaeta. Sambil motoran, kita liat pemandangan yang cantik banget, pantai, pohon-pohon kelapa, jalanan yang sepi, rumah-rumah kecil yang tersusun rapi dan angin semilir. Syahdu bangeeeettt 🏖🌴🌴!!!

Pemandangan dari halaman Desa Hiliamaeta. Langsung ngadep ke laut loohh...

Halaman Desa Hiliamaeta, rumah adat berjejer rapi dari ujung ke ujung.

Menjelang makan siang kami kembali ke hotel, packing trus foto-foto dulu di taman hotel. Pemandangan di hotel tuh terlalu cantik untuk dilewatkan haha...

Pukul 14.00 WIB kami check out, balikin motor, trus naik travel lagi ke Gunungsitoli..

Rincian biaya di atas bisa nambah bisa berkurang juga yaa..tergantung kebutuhan. Aku share pengalaman aja dan mudah-mudahan membantu.

Cheers,
Dian

# Beach # Culture

Monday, May 22, 2017

Kaki Kami Panjang, Katanya!

Vincencia Dian May 22, 2017 0 Comments

Beberapa hari yang lalu seorang teman a.k.a salah satu bendahara satuan kerja di wilayah kantorku datang. Saat itu aku dan Peggy, teman sekantorku, sedang berada di front office ketika si bendahara mendadak nyeletuk, “Iiih...aku barusan kepo facebook kalian. Kalian cewek tapi kaki kalian panjang yaa..”. Aku dan Peggy sempat berpandang-pandangan ga ngerti maksud si bendahara sampai akhirnya dia nyeletuk lagi, “Itu loohh...foto kalian bertiga jalan-jalan ke Teluk Dalam”. Sontak kami tertawa terbahak-bahak setelah paham maksudnya si bendahara apa.

Jadii...April lalu aku, Peggy dan Raisa memutuskan untuk ber-weekend di luar kota Gunungsitoli, saat itu kita bener-bener lagi jenuh banget dengan kerjaan dan butuh refreshing. Disini tuh ga ada bioskop dan mall seperti di kota-kota besar. Adanya karaoke ala-ala yang begitu kita masuk kesana, luntur sudah segala image dan nama baik yang telah dibangun selama ini wkwkwk... Kami pun sepakat untuk piknik ke Teluk Dalam (lagi) selama 2 hari 1 malam, girls only!

(from left to right) Peggy-Me-Raisa

Untuk itinerary, transport dan penginapannya aku ceritain disini yaaa..

Seperti kata orang-orang, “there’s always the first time for everything”, dan setiap pengalaman pertama itu biasanya memberi kesan tersendiri. Maka demikianlah perjalanan kami kali ini. Ini memang bukan pertama kalinya kami ke Teluk Dalam. Ini juga bukan pertama kalinya kami piknik ke tempat yang cukup jauh hingga ke luar pulau. Tapi yang membuat trip kali ini berkesan adalah baru kali ini kami jalan (walaupun ga jauh-jauh banget) ngeteng pake transportasi umum trus eksplor kampung dan pantai pake motor, trus leyeh-leyeh di hotel tanpa “perlindungan” cowok. Cewek-cewek doang. No man, no guide at all. Bener-bener berasa kayak petualang-petualang cantik atau anak motor (atau emak-emak naik matic).

Di taman hotel Bariga Feliz

Selain bisa rilex sejenak setelah liat yang ijo-ijo, biru-biru dan babang bule, ada perasaan puas yang terselip. Puas karena ternyata ada hal-hal yang tidak terpikirkan bisa kami lakukan sebelumnya, ternyata berhasil kami lakukan dan kami menikmatinya. Sebelumnya aku ga pernah mikir akan berani motoran di jalanan Teluk Dalam karena jarak antara kota dan hotel yang cukup jauh dan kebiasaan orang-orang disana yang suka ngebut, tapi ternyata aku bisa juga memberanikan diri buat motoran sendiri. Dan ternyata asik bangeeettt... Sore-sore motoran di jalanan yang sepi sambil nyusurin pantai diiringin suara ombak dan gemerisik daun kelapa. Rumah yang berjejer di pinggir jalan juga sederhana tapi cantik. Tiap ada spot yang oke, kami berhenti buat sekedar melihat-melihat pemandangan atau nonton orang-orang lagi surfing. Ooohh.. I love living a slow life like this.

Peggy dan Raisa juga belum pernah hiking sebelumnya. Jalan santai bareng orang-orang kantor tiap Jumat pagi aja hampir bikin Raisa pingsan dan Peggy, walaupun masih bisa keep-up, tetep aja suka pegel-pegel setelahnya. Tapi ternyata mereka bisa juga menaklukkan terjalnya bukit di Hiliamaeta yang kemiringannya hampir 45 derajat itu. Aku sendiri tidak terlalu kesulitan mendaki bukit ini karena sudah terbiasa kesini sejak kecil. Meskipun harus berhenti berulang-ulang kali, wajah mereka sampe pucat pasi karena lelah dan haus, tapi akhirnya mereka sampai juga ke puncak dan justru paling getol foto-foto di tengah desa. Perjalanan turun juga perjuangan banget karena kaki kami harus kuat menahan berat badan kami (iyaaa...kami berat!). Tapi begitu sudah sampai di kaki bukit, mereka dengan puas ngomong gini, “Gila, bisa juga ya kami mendaki kampungmu, Cen. Untung kami ga pingsan”. Walaupun sebenarnya mereka jera juga diajak mendaki bukit lagi wkwk..

Fyi, kampung asli keluarga mamaku adalah Hiliamaeta. Kakek, nenek, paman dan keluarga besarku masing tinggal di desa ini. Desa Hiliamaeta ini berjarak sekitar 1 km dari Pantai Sorake dan Pantai Lagundri yang terkenal dengan ombaknya yang diidolakan para peselancar itu. Sama seperti Bawomataluo dan desa-desa lain di Teluk Dalam, desa kami ini terletak di atas bukit, makanya namanya hili =bukit. Di tengah-tengah desa, ada sebuah halaman yang berlantaikan batu dan semua rumah adat berjejer dari ujung ke ujung. Di tengah-tengah halaman tersebut ada rumah adat besar dan batu setinggi 2,1 meter yang terkenal dengan atraksi Lompat Batu. Untuk masuk ke desa ini ada 2 jalur, jalur yang bisa pake motor dan jalur buat pejalan kaki aja.

The struggle 😫😫

Salah satu dari 2 patung naga yang terdapat di tangga teratas menuju halaman desa.

Peggy di halaman desa Hiliamaeta

Aku sih taunya jalur buat pejalan kaki doang. Disitu kami harus mendaki bukit dulu sekitar 30 menit (kalo orang lokal paling lama 10 menit), jalannya ga jauh sih...tapi curam banget, hampir 45 derajat. Kemudian kita naik tangga yang cukup banyak dan juga curam. Di sepanjang tangga ada rumah warga dan beberapa gereja. Jadi jangan heran kalo sambil mendaki, banyak mata yang memperhatikan dan bahkan mereka tidak segan-segan menyapa. Karena setiap orang di desa ini saling kenal dan mereka tau ketika ada orang asing dan pengunjung yang masuk ke desa mereka.

We stayed here at Barriga Feliz Surf Camp, Sorake

Sekembalinya dari short gateaway kami, aku jadi sadar bahwa terkadang kita tidak tau sejauh apa kemampuan kita hingga suatu saat kita dipaksa untuk melakukannya. Kita perlu sesekali menantang diri dan mencoba hal baru untuk dapat menemukan diri sendiri. Tantangannya ga harus berjalan di atas bara api atau berenang di laut penuh hiu kok, cukup hal-hal sederhana yang selama ini ga pernah kita lakuin entah karena ga berani, males ataupun karena ga kepikiran.

Selain itu, keluar dari rutinitas sehari-hari itu juga penting untuk menjaga keseimbangan jiwa. Memaksakan diri untuk tetap produktif disaat otak sudah mentok dan jenuh juga sama aja bohong, yang ada malah jadi bad mood, males-malesan yang akhirnya mempengaruhi kinerja dan hubungan baik kita dengan rekan kerja.

Dan yang tak kalah pentingnya adalah sesekali mencoba untuk slow down dalam hidup memberi kesempatan bagi kita untuk menghitung berkat dan kemudian bersyukur akan setiap hal yang diberikan secara cuma-cuma bagi kita oleh Sang Empunya kehidupan.

One of our favourite spots at the hotel. A hut at the corner of the garden, overlooking the sea 😍🏩

Untuk hari-hari selanjutnya, selagi aku masih bisa, aku akan mencoba menerapkan ini:

Challenge myself

Embrace every moment

Live my life to the fullest

and (try to) Be gratefull all the time

Semoga 🙂

# Beach # Friends

Sunday, April 9, 2017

Streetlights and Lemons

Vincencia Dian April 09, 2017 0 Comments

It was 9 p.m in the evening and I was still busy with the report that is due that day. There’s only me in the room, I could hear my mouse ticking. I didn’t realize how long I had been sitting there without even lifted my a*s from the chair. It had been dark couple hours ago and I thought it’s already time to go home. I hit the sent button on email, turned off my computer and grabbed my stuff. I started my motorbike, exit my office gate and made my way to Jalan Pancasila. Just like my office, the street was almost empty and I was exposed to the romantic ambience the streetlights make. In small town like Gunungsitoli, anytime after 9 p.m is already midnight and there shouldn’t be any good girl being outside. People should have labelled me“naughty” ever since I moved here 1,5 year ago. My boyfriend always knows that I love lights as much as the moths do. It always brings a tingling feeling in my heart everytime I pass a full of lights road, it’s like transporting me back to the highways of Bintaro, the square of Kota Tua, Jatinegara at night.

The night wind blew on my face and I shivered a bit. I should turn left if I wanted to get home immediately but no, I still wanted to see the streetlights so I decided to go straight and went for a little walk (with my motorbike). Whilst driving, my thought wandered. I wasbrought back to the time when I was still in Jakarta. Time does fly, it goes by before I even realize. It has been almost two years for me being here, in my beloved hometown. So far away from the crowd of the city, so humble yet quiet. Unlike my friends who were “forced” to leave their families for work, I was so lucky that work sent me back here, to my family, to my beloved ones.

Oh I love it here, words fail me. Anything I need, my mom would provide it for me. All I need to think is work, work and work. But then, I thought that maybe comfort is not healthy for me. I got bored with work and office quite instant lately. I needed something new and challenging to freshen up. I didn’t know but maybe I need campus, lecturers, classmates, books and assignments. I knew it was crazy. Being bored with work and office, I should take a furlough, cut me some slack and go on a holiday instead of wanting to go back to school.

I was not sure where this urge of coming back to school came. But I thought what triggerred it wasthis letter from work I got from whatsapp group this afternoon. It said that there was a chance of enrolling for schollarship for us but there was a certain condition that I and some of us couldn’t enroll while all my colleagues could. Fyi, I’m so into getting back to school and I’m fully aware from the beginning that there’s this rulethat I might be one year behind my colleagues. This shouldn’t make me feel down anymore but in fact, it kinda hurt. The fact that we were “banned” from this opportunity made me wanting more.I inhaled deeply and a car’s horn surprised me and I once again realised that I’d been daydreaming while driving and the car had been honking on me for quite sometime.

I took a glimpse of my watch and it was almost 9.45 p.m. It was time to go home, I meant really go home this time. I turned right and made my way to Jalan Pasar Yaahowu. Jalan Pasar Yaahowu is always my favourite area and it is the most beautiful at night. It is located in a seashore, so people could witness the fishermen boats sailing from afar. The ocean breeze and streetlights showered me with such a peacefull feeling and my thought wandered again. I imagined myself being trapped in a long dark tunnel in the middle of the night. I had been screaming all night long, asking for help but nobody listened and my throat started to sore. So I decided to use my instinct and kept walking. I could always choose to wait till somebody finds me here. In the meantime, I could cry my eyes out, moan, complain for my life. But what if nobody really caresabout my absence, what if nobody bothers to look for me? So ya, the “ifs” kept me walking. I might not sure of what could cross my path ahead but i always believe that there’s always a light in the end of a tunnel.

Maybe that’s what I should do with my life right now, just keep going. Not able to do something I really want to do doesn’t mean that I can’t do it later. Anything in life including luck has its own time. I could always feel jealous for my friends’ luck, for the opportunity offered to them, but I would never let the jealousy eat my soul. I am a true believer that comparing is the thief of joy. Patience is the virtue. My time will come and I should prepare from now on. All I need to do for now is being gratefull and always take only the best thing from every condition. What do people always say about it? Mmm..wait, “when life hands you a lemon, make lemonade” that’s the saying. Well, apparently I’m pretty good at making a damn good lemonade. And as life goes on, I’m never gonna stop being better and better at making the lemonade yet I am never gonna be rewarded with a certificate nor graduated from the “lemonade making school”. I’m gonna keep squeezing those sour savoury lemons till my hands can’t hold anything anymore, that’s when people call me dead.

I could finally see my house, the lamps of the living room were still on. The door was still opened, my mom was still waiting for me. I parked my motorbike and entered the house. I yawned as soon as I got into my bedroom. I made a quick change, didn't bother to shower anymore. Ooohh..I was so tired, I should get some rest. Random thoughts must take a lot of energy. I grabbed my cellphone and turned off the lamp. I checked out my inbox and then texted my boyfriend.

Nighty night, dear :*

# Nias Island # Office

Monday, September 26, 2016

Surfing for First Timers and Where to Stay in Nias Island

Vincencia Dian September 26, 2016 1 Comments

I have talked enough about the beauty of the beaches in Teluk Dalam. But for now, I am beyond excited to share my very first experience surfing. Ya I know, this is a little unbelievable. Growing up and living in Nias Island doesn’t automatically make me an expert in water. I can only swim in steady and calm water like in swimming pool and only once snorkeled before, and it’s not even in Nias waters. Moreover my first experience dragging a surfboard and riding it was last weekend. This is a little embarassing since Nias Island especially Sorake Beach in Teluk Dalam is well known for its big wave so that people from all over the world would travel almost half the globe just to surf and conquer the wave. Based on my first time surfing experience, I’d like to say that it’s so addictive and it made you feel so small and powerfull at the same time when we could make it through the big waves. Now I understand why people are so crazily into surfing.

Well for first timers, I don’t suggest you to try surfing at Sorake Beach. The wave is too big and so many coral at the beach. They’re dangerous combination for amateur. Try learning to surf at Lagundri Beach, instead. The wave is much tamer and the beach is also vast and free from coral. You can easily find a place to rent the surfboards from the locals. They have the boards for the pro ones and the first timers. I don’t really understand the difference but from what I see, the boards for the amateurs are slightly wider and it’s not entirely flat like for the pro one. The rent cost is Rp 30.000,- for the pro one and Rp 50.000,- for the amateur. If you need coaching, you can ask for a coach and the fare is Rp 150.000,- per hour including the surfboard.

The last time I came to Teluk Dalam was with my officemates and we decided to spend 2 days and one night in Sorake Beach. We stayed in a nice homestay named Home@Nias Accomodation. This two-stories homestay consists of two bedrooms at the second floor and one kitchen at the first floor. The bedrooms have twin beds and one bathroom for each room.. The room rate is Rp 300.000,- per room per night excluding meals. Meals are prepared by order, the menu and the price is also negotiable. Well I must admit that the price is a bit too expensive compared with the amenities we could get with the same rate from hotels in the big cities. But since this is touristry area and mostly who stay in the homestays are foreigners, the price is understandable. There are 20 of us so clearly the beds are not enough for us so we asked for extrabeds. They charged us Rp 50.000,- per bed .