my thoughts on the environment, travel and life reflections

TOWARDS A SLOWER LIFE

April 28th, 2025

I really admire young people who, at the age of less than 30, have finished their doctorate programs or earned 1 billion rupiah. That is truly a reflection of extraordinary productivity.

Not all young people can achieve that. Most are still lazing around in their rooms, playing games. Some hang out at night entertainment venues and come home drunk.

Becoming a productive person requires determination, sacrifice of rest, and intelligence.

At my age now, am I still productive? Yes, I am. But frankly, I am much slower than 10 or 20 years ago. That is a natural cycle that I must accept sincerely.

However, I may be proud of myself. I can still work and give positive thoughts to my family and the people around me.

I don’t know for sure when my most productive time is. It often comes randomly. When the movement to make something arises instinctively from within me, I will immediately do it. Usually, the results are very satisfying.
THUMBS-UP AND BIG-LAUGH

April 27th, 2025
The emojis I use most often are the thumbs-up and big-laugh emojis. Both help me express my feelings about messages on WhatsApp or other social media.

However, emojis are not just symbols. This is an instrument that really helps me to:
1. represent my opinion on information conveyed by others or praise/input simply and quickly. If I were to respond to comments on social media individually, how long would it take?
2. show my appreciation for the ongoing discussion. In the WA group, for example, there are often debates or jokes that I am actually too lazy to follow. But I do not want to be labeled arrogant. By sending a laughing or thumbs-up emoji, I state that I am listening to my friends’ conversations.
3. The emoji is my sincere expression to my discussion partner. On many occasions, I use them as a sign that I want to say goodbye or end the conversation.
Thanks to the experts who have created numerous emojis, although I only use a few. They have helped people express themselves simply and effectively.
TALK LESS, READ MORE

April 26th, 2025

May I consider to be a good person? I say this because I am open to listening to anyone who wants to engage in conversation with me. I enjoy discussing a wide range of topics, from environmental issues and waste management to comfortable clothing and shoes, as well as easy and delicious side dishes that you can make yourself.

It might seem random, but I find that these conversations can often inspire me to write.

For a discussion about flowers, I prefer to invite my next-door neighbor. She also likes flowers like me.

However, I am now getting bored discussing serious matters with anyone. In my opinion, it is better to read books or watch YouTube. All the answers are there. Agree?
A MASTER CON ARTIST

April 25th, 2025

About 8 months ago, I invested tens of millions of my money in a laundry business managed by our acquaintance. He persuaded my husband by saying that the laundry business was developing well and that he wanted to open a new business unit in another part of the city.

My husband asked me to invest our money in that business. I was hesitant at first. I prefer stock and precious metal investments, which are much safer than the laundry business. However, my husband was tempted. The money that had been invested previously in the man was returned smoothly.

Indeed we received the profits from the business, but only for two months. One day, my husband went to his place of business because his WA messages were not replied to. He was shocked to find the place in disarray. It turned out that other investors were furious because their money was not returned on time. They broke the place.

We had been deceived. I could only helplessly reprimand my husband. I can still imagine the gentle face and soft-spokenness of the man (I met him when he picked up the money at our house). A face that looked very kind turned out to be a master con artist and had no shame.

People like that hang around us a lot. Unfortunately, we recognize him after he has succeeded in doing his evil deeds.
NO REGRETS

April 24th, 2025

Throughout my life, I’ve come to understand that every decision comes with its own risks. Not all of these choices have led to happy or successful outcomes. Some have resulted in bitterness, causing me to lose valuable opportunities and even become disliked or cursed by people who once cared for me.

But I don’t regret it for a long time. Remember that everything happened because of God’s will. I would console and talk to myself: nobody is perfect and knows everything.

I also believe there must be ease after hardship. After going through one or two weeks of disappointment, let’s get up again. That is the philosophy that I have lived by so far.

فَإِنَّ مَعَ ٱلْعُسْرِ يُسْرًا
So, surely with hardship comes ease.
SURAH ash-sharh 5
TOUGH ECONOMY. HOW ARE YOU ADAPT?

April 23rd, 2025

Hello, my blog friends. Is the current economic situation in your country okay, especially after President Trump imposed high tariffs on goods entering The US?

My country is not doing well right now. Actually, it started before Trump announced this tariff war. My president launched several development programs that absorbed a lot of the budget. One of them is to serve free nutritious food for school children in remote areas. The president wants the young generation of Indonesia to grow better (no malnutrition) and become clever.

I agree with his good intentions. However, Trump issued a policy that hampered exporters’ competition in the international market. As a result, many companies have been reducing their production scale. Of course, they must reduce the number of workers.

I have felt the impact of recent changes, including the increase in income tax, and the cut of budget for government service activities. As a result, my team and I are limited to performing only routine tasks, and we rarely get the opportunity to go into the field anymore.

This certainly weakens my team’s spirit. Everyone should reset all expenses, bank loans (if any), and the lifestyle. It’s not as simple as that, right? If you were in my situation, what would you do to make your lifestyle more efficient?

I am eager to hear your story. How do you adapt to the sudden worsening economic situation?
A VERY SHORT MESSAGE

April 22nd, 2025

All issues related to my children’s condition can successfully make me nervous. A simple example. When one of them sent a short message.

“Mom …” (short, without connecting other sentences)

I immediately answered. “Yes, what’s up?”

But he didn’t respond immediately. Well, the waiting conditions were enough to make me uncertain. I had thought about all sorts of unpleasant things that had happened to him. He finally answered and tarraa…, my guess was actually wrong. Only then did my heart and mind calm down.

My life seems to revolve around the two of them now. It gets stronger every day. Hopefully, they understand how much I love them both.
WISE IN SOCIAL MEDIA

April 21st, 2025

Being wise in using social media.

The government continues to intensify this campaign. The excitement of using social media still exists among teenagers and adults, but it has a negative impact on society.

There are many bad experiences due to excessive use of social media. Once, a teenager was taken and raped. She didn’t realize the man he chatted on FB was a criminal.

Another case was a potential employee candidate who failed to be accepted at a government office. It was revealed from his digital footprint that he was a government hater. He often shared hoax news.

I certainly learned from this incident. Parents must be able to control and guide their children so they do not get lost in the jungle of cyberspace.

Not all social media is negative; it can be enjoyable if used wisely. The platform I actively engage with is my blog, which enhances my writing skills and provides a healing outlet for my soul.
JIWA YANG TENANG

April 20th, 2025

Jangan kejar apa yang diinginkan orang banyak; kejar apa yang benar bagi jiwamu

Aku terganggu oleh ucapan Socrates ini. Yang diinginkan oleh diriku adalah juga yang diinginkan orang banyak. Mereka mengikut di belakangku, bukan aku yang mengikut di belakang mereka. Benarkah?

Sejatinya tidak demikian. Aku terganggu karena ucapan Socrates tersebut meninju dadaku dengan lembut. Sudahkah aku mengenal jiwaku dengan baik sehingga dapat mengetahui apa yang diinginkannya? Belum! Aku masih menginginkan apa yang diincar oleh orang banyak, tanpa memedulikan keinginan jiwaku.

Tentu aku bohong ketika mengklaim, orang banyak mengikut di belakangku, meniru keinginan-keinginanku. Siapalah aku ini?! Aku bukan trend-setter. Aku bukan idola siapapun. Akulah yang mengikuti, terpengaruh, dan terintimidasi oleh arus utama hedonisme. Hingga jiwaku gelisah dan meronta ingin memiliki semuanya.

Setiap jiwa merindukan ketenangan. Dia tak akan menuntut bintang di angkasa, atau emas di perut bumi. Semua itu tak mengenyangkan jiwa. Nafsulah yang mengipas-ngipasnya, seolah-olah semua itu permintaan jiwa. Jiwa hanya ingin diberi iman, ilmu, hiburan, buku, film dan perihal lain yang bernilai spritualitas tinggi.

Terima kasih Socrates. Engkau mengingatkanku tentang jiwa yang tenang. Jiwa yang meminta tak muluk-muluk.
BECOME A HOYA SPECIALIST

April 19th, 2025

After praying this morning, the first thing that crossed my mind was the hoya flowers. I shortly went to the yard and checked their condition.

They are my favorites. I will focus on them now and in the future. I used to like collecting all kinds of flowers. But I thought, why did I have so many types if I was not an expert in caring for them? I should choose only one or two types to grow, but I understand the ins and outs of it.

My choice is the Hoya. Hoya has many variants and is spread throughout the tropical forests of Indonesia. Each has its uniqueness. Currently, there are about 30 pots of hoya flowers in my garden. I just ordered 4 hoya seedlings of the Papua variety to add to my collection.

For those of you who are not familiar with Hoya, please see the article below. I have written about this flower several times.

https://asnellyrd.com/?s=hoya