My best trait is: My consideration for others and observation of my surroundings.

-Desiree Elyda Villalobos

Manhattan, NY, USA

Total Area: 59 sq km
Total Day Time Population: 3 millions

DKI Jakarta, Indonesia

Total Area: 660 sq km
Total Day Time Population: 12 millions

Lets do some math…
Manhattan’s total area is only of 1/11 of Jakarta’s.
But it can hold up to 1/4 of Jakarta’s day time populations (populations + commuters), with so much less congested traffic.

So, contrary to popular belief, I dont think that Jakarta is already that hopeless to be further developed for the better. I dont think that Jakarta should stop developing buildings for offices and apartments. I used to hate seeing skyscrappers being constructed in Jakarta. But now I realise that stopping the development is not the answer. Jakarta being the central of economy is only natural, we should stop hating Jakarta on that.

I do believe, though, it will be better if the governmental central is moved out of Jakarta (case: Washington, DC). Jakarta surely still needs more parks and better drainage system. For malls, yes we all hate the fact that malls are everywhere. It absorbs so many workers but it only gives chance for the upper class capitalists. What about giving more chance to UMKM? Malls should just stop, I guess. Last but not least, Jakarta most definitely needs a mass rapid transit system, both for the city and for commuting. (Transjakarta is not one. And it is still lacking quantitiy of buses, sterilized busways, and commuter feeder bus.)

This is a short post. Please bear with me and keep reading.

Financial planning knowledge is as important to human being as the knowledge to…breathe. I now wonder why they dont teach us this basic knowledge at schools. I used to think that it was just about getting monthly salary, use some of it, save some of it in the bank, so later we can use it in case of medical emergency or for holidays maybe. It turns out to be a lot more than that. It mostly is about investments.

So, we are now working (or in schools, then we will work). Getting decent monthly salary. We try to save 20% of our monthly salary in the bank. The bank will multiply our money by a little interest rate. We do that for 35 years of our working life. We think it will be enough to support our future life (future kids’ education fund, future holidays, future medical/hospital/labour fund) and also to support us when we are retired (maybe for 10 – 15 years?).

The fact is it will not be enough. Because of what? Because of INFLATION.

The value of our money now (+ interest) will decrease in the future. What we have now (+ interest) will not be enough in the future. Some might say, “oh maybe in our future there will be no inflation like in the past (or maybe there will only be a liiiitle inflation) because the future economy looks like it’s going to be awesome”. No. The fact is inflation always happens, ruthlessly.

But we can deal with this inflation things. By learning about financial planning!

To learn more about financial planning, we can:

- read the book Untuk Indonesia yang Kuat by Ligwina Hananto for starters
- listen to Financial Survival talkshow on Cosmopolitan FM every Tuesday or Financial Clinic talkshow on HardRock Fm every Thursday
- read more about gold investments (Kebun Emas pdf maybe) ,or
- property investments (but we can’t afford it yet), or
- insurance (not really an investment, just a protection),
- or do businesses (many have done these. I’m not good at this),
- or saham/reksadana/etc (I dont understand these as well).

Like Mrs Hananto implied in her book, we have to master financial planning not only because we have to save merely ourselves from future bankruptcy, but also to save our kids and our relatives, and the rest of the social community. Because we are the middle class (Im asuming that I dont really have many billionaire friends), and a strong middle class is the key to get a nation’s economy moving. I mean, if we are unable to support ourselves in the future, then we might become a burden for our kids or relatives right? They dont have to carry our problems. They should have all chance to become the most of their own. By being the most of their own, they are most likely to be at best in holding up their welfare. And hopefully the cycle continues.  No one falls again below the poverty lines, instead, we are able to help them.

A deist believes in the existence of an all-powerful creator but not necessarily the religions and religious experience humans have regarding it, i.e. prophets, miracles, etc. A deist thinks of religions as media that are only corrupting the essence of divinity with human’s self-centered greed.

Not really sure if he still remembers me or not, but if he is, I’d like to ask some questions about his converting. Must be a very interesting and an eye-opening discussion since he is now living and working in New York.

Well, New York…
Gotta go there sometime somehow.

Ingin punya usaha di bidang ekowisata.

Penginapan sederhana yang nyaman dan eksotis, menonjolkan kekayaan budaya lokal, dengan sarana rafting di sungai jernih atau diving di paparan karbonat atau hot spring di pegunungan sejuk atau sekadar trekking ke puncak gunung api mengejar terbit matahari. Tergantung apa yang alam sediakan.

Atau gabungan ekowisata dan eduwisata. Seperti di Taman Safari atau Jatim Park.

Kalau nabung 1 juta/bulan dari sekarang, kira-kira berapa tahun lagi ya bisa mulai urus pembebasan lahannya? #fail

Kini, pandangan saya terbuka.
(Terutama setelah membaca buku Untuk Indonesia yang Kuat karya Ligwina Hananto)

Bahwa menjadi kaya di antara yang miskin bukanlah sesuatu yang harus dianggap tak manusiawi.
Bahwa mempunyai modal bukan lantas menjadikan kita mandor jahat yang tertawa di atas penderitaan orang lemah.
Bahwa memiliki penghasilan yang tinggi bukanlah aib.

Tentu saja dengan catatan: kekayaan, penghasilan, dan modal yang diperoleh tersebut adalah atas hasil jerih payah kita dan bukannya dengan memakan hak-hak negara atau rakyat. Tentu saja. 

Bahwa dengan kekayaan kita, kita dapat menyumbang lebih banyak untuk kaum dhuafa.
Bahwa dengan modal kita, kita dapat berinvestasi di dalam negeri, di sektor usaha kecil/menengah, sehingga dapat turut memutar roda ekonomi rakyat kecil.
Bahwa dengan penghasilan kita, kita turut menyumbang pajak yang besar untuk pembangunan.
Membantu subsidi bahan bakar untuk rakyat kecil.
Membantu subsidi pendidikan untuk yang tak mampu.
Membantu asuransi kesehatan bagi yang lemah.

Jika bekerja jujur, hidup sederhana, dan fokus pada investasi dalam negeri,
janganlah malu jadi orang kaya.

***

Tentu saja ini bukan pembelaan terhadap koruptor.
Tentu saja ini bukan pembenaran untuk mereka yang konsumtif akan komoditi asing.
Tentu saja ini bukan berarti saya orang kaya, kerja tetap saja saya belum.

Per a preserved information at Sinai’s St. Catherine’s Monastery, a Patent (see above image) from Prophet Mohammed (pbuh) was given to a Christian delegation who visited him in Medina in 628 AD. The Patent was sealed with an imprint representing Muhammad’s hand.

The Prophet personally granted by the charter the rights and privileges to the monastery, including freedom of worship and movement, freedom to appoint their own judges and to own and maintain their property. Here is an English translation of the charter.

This is a message from Muhammad ibn Abdullah, as a covenant to those who adopt Christianity, near and far, we are with them. Verily I, the servants, the helpers, and my followers defend them, because Christians are my citizens; and by Allah! I hold out against anything that displeases them.

No compulsion is to be on them. Neither are their judges to be removed from their jobs nor their monks from their monasteries. No one is to destroy a house of their religion, to damage it, or to carry anything from it to the Muslims’ houses. Should anyone take any of these, he would spoil God’s covenant and disobey His Prophet. Verily, they are my allies and have my secure charter against all that they hate. No one is to force them to travel or to oblige them to fight. The Muslims are to fight for them.

If a female Christian is married to a Muslim, it is not to take place without her approval. She is not to be prevented from visiting her church to pray. Their churches are to be respected. They are neither to be prevented from repairing them nor the sacredness of their covenants. No one of the nation (Muslims) is to disobey the covenant till the Last Day (end of the world).

Lebih baik dikucilkan daripada menyerah pada kemunafikan. – Soe Hok Gie

Lebih baik lagi kita mencari teman-teman yang bervisi sama, membentuk asosiasi, dan balik mengucilkan orang-orang yang munafik itu.

Visi kolektif, dengan misi yang realistis, satu persatu akan bisa dicapai.

Saya bantu sundul, gan:

www.indonesiamengajar.org
www.indonesianyouthconference.org
www.indonesianchangemakers.org
dan lainnya.

Semoga berhasil.

How are you? You having a ridiculously bad time of your life yourself? Please hold on. I had mine. It’s gonna be OK. Simple tip: look down below. It will present yourself some constructing perspective. Just keep the faith, gather yourself, and move on.

Other tips: wake early, jog and joke around, and read short stories from Bobo magazine.