My Personal Oasis

I am more than lucky to have a life the way I have right now.

I have a family who will always be there,
I have friends in good and bad,
I have a roof above my head,
I'm financially secure,
my brain doesn't fail me most of the times,
and I'm just grateful.

People around me are also almost always nice to me. I don't know whether it's because I'm nice to them, or they're just that kind of people who don't show their dislike.
I live in my personal oasis where it's inhabited by those I love and love me back.
I used to think there's nothing wrong with this, but as I'm getting older, I start to think about it.

I have just graduated, and the real world is waiting out there to be conquered,
and I'm scared.

The world is starting to show their fangs and suddenly I have to come out from my oasis and face the storm to pursue my dreams.
As much as I want to continue my studies abroad, the thought of living all alone in a place completely new and with people whose first language is different than mine makes me scared.
I was scared when I got a job interview in an international NGO and found out that the interviewers are expats. I'm scared that I won't fulfill their expectations because I don't have much to offer, being a 21 year old fresh-graduate with lack of experience.
Seeing people die, also made me scared if I have to lose someone I truly love in my life.

Then I started to realize,
it's okay to lose someone,
it's okay to fail,
it's okay to live alone,
it's okay to experience storm in your life,

because it makes you stronger, and less things will scare you.

I guess it is important for your personal growth to come out from your oasis once in a while, and experience how brutal the desert can be. Once you get past the storm, there will be another bigger and better oasis out there waiting to be inhabited.

Tomorrow is my first day of work. My first real job.
I must admit that I'm scared.
Good bye oasis.
I'll be seeing you soon, yes?
Bismillah..

Taken from environmentalgraffiti.com

Concert With a Cause

I have been a concert enthusiast since I was still in Senior High School. My first concert was Craig David in 2003. After watching him live, I became obsessed with concerts and festivals. My heart beats faster and I can be caught smiling to myself everytime I find out an International musician I like will come to Indonesia. I can say that Adrie Subono and Peter Gontha are my heroes in music. Kidding.

In 2005, I heard about the Live 8 concerts. There were ten concerts held in industrial countries with performances from more than 1000 top-notch musicians, including Mariah Carey and Madonna. I was really excited to see the show on TV since it was impossible for me to see it live.

I looked for more information on the internet about the artist line-up when I stumbled upon the official Live 8 website. The concert was organized in the intention to support UK's Make Poverty History campaign and watched by approximately 3 billion people worldwide. It succeeded in raising awareness about poverty issues in Africa. Not only that, the concert also accomplished it's goal to make G8 leaders give more money to poor countries.

Growing up in a country where many of it's people live under US$2 a day makes me extremely concerned with poverty issues. I sometimes feel helpless because I couldn't do much when I see people eating from trash cans or children selling newspapers on a school hour. The concept of organizing a huge concert in different parts of the earth for a noble cause amazes me. Live 8 would certainly not exist if the British didn't establish the Make Poverty History campaign. This event is an inspiration for me to apply to UK universities for my master's degree and experience firsthand how it's education can create people who are concerned with humanity issues, and are actually doing something about it. I believe we need more people with qualities like that.

Check out this video of Live 8 concert in London