Are You That Amazing, 2020?

 "It is never be easy, but it is gonna be worth it"

That is a perfect quote if I need to describe 2020 in a short sentence. Let me flash back a bit about this whole year that I've highlighted:

1. This year opened by me hospitalized in the new year caused Typhoid, yeaaaa I've been eating so dirty by damn heaven delicious WARTEG close to my new place. LOL.
2. I missed my flight to Penang, it was only 2 minutes late to the check in counter.
3. Freak out and confused in a whole damn month, because I need to decide to go for business trip in Singapore while at that time SG was orange zone for covid-19 while Indo hasn't.
4. All my traveling plan canceled. While tickets was purchased. Visas been approved. Trips has settled.
5. Covid-19 finally arrived in Indonesia.
6. Life feels fucked up. WFH isn't that fun.
7. Being stuck feels not creative.
8. Mostly my investment goes down almost to the ground.

I though this year so awful year I've ever had! Until I reflect my myself and it is such a plot twist! This year is the nice year of 'GROWING LYSA'. Let me share you how this year such an amazing roller coaster year for me.

DIMSUM LUNCH.

So after hospitalized. I flew to Penang to have some dim sum because I am craving for it. And It was nice and I don't even expect to meet a cool friends who bring me such an amazing experience that I am pretty sure I will never have here in Indo.

RE-UNITE WITH SEA DECATHLON MOUNTAIN TEAM.

After being confused to go or not to the meeting because of the covid-19 situation. Here I am, meet these amazing human being with amazing passion and such a nice sense of humor. We had nice meeting and of course sport day. We had fast hiking in MacRitchie. I am enjoyed every moment here.

BEING MORE ACTIVE THAN USUAL.

Everything is indoor. Work from home is something happening this year. People barely go outside especially during the lockdown. But on the other hand I am so glad that I am rarely met people outside which is it is an opportunity to enjoy outdoor without crowd. What an amazing moment to be grateful that life so much better with less people around :p

Yes, I do intensively sport such as cycling or trail running during this pandemic because I can freely moving anywhere with no traffic. It is AMAZING!

CLOSER WITH FAMILY.

I was pending my plan to go back home, since I am not sure that I am 'clean' from the virus. I am afraid to meet my parents because I dont want them affected by the virus. But after doing the test and my parents convince me to back home, finally I made it. I am so happy to see them, jogging with my mom, lunch with my parents, talk with my bro. I really home sick and I am glad that I even getting closer with them because of this situation.

HAVING LALE (ROAD BIKE).

Well, pardon my excuse hahaha. So, I am thinking that I didn't spent a lot of money this year because I can't go anywhere tho, so to be kind to myself I bought this bike to enjoy the 'urban sport', and I am so glad to had him around.

CYCLING FURTHER.

A perks of having a sport enthusiast friends is I can do the sport out of my expectation. I went to amazing places with Lale (my bike). From city to city, hill to hill, mountain, village, all possible place to go. Hundred of kilometers is something amazing that I never thinking of before. What a pleasure experience. 

NEW ROLE OF JOB.

How can I am not being grateful? When a lot of people losing the job, while I am expand my career and spread my wings and fly higher in Decathlon. I did not even expect that I will get this new role in a country level during this pandemic. I am so thrilled with all the responsibilities, connections, and new posture of myself. This is teaching me how to be a new Lysa in another level.

SWEET ESCAPE.

Another IMPORTANT thing that I am so happy for is BE CONNECTED with the GENUINE one. Nothing I would ask more than a genuine people around me. Connect with amazing people like Ote, Fuad, Bike system gangs, Emanuel, and ofc my family intensively, and talk with them regularly. 

Have a day off to be with them, talking, enjoying nice place, having work out, nice convo. Oh jeez! If there is no covid-19 for sure I completely being alone walking traveling around the world without even notice how amazing and important they are. 

UNDERSTAND MYSELF AND MY BODY.

So this year I got a shit hormonal problem without don't even know what is going on. So I went to the doctor to check everything on my body to know what is going on with me. And I am so glad that I am take care of my body and learn about my body. This is a picture when my I am not being good to my body, my hormonal get crazy, but at least if there is not this kind of thing, I will never understand and learn myself and my body.

MORE GIRLS TALK WITH MAMA.

Had another escape with my mom because why not. I am so happy that this year I can be closer with her. I am so happy, I am aware that I loveeeee her so much and I really wanna spend my life even longer with her. With her passion, patient, wise, lovely, and her good cooking. I really wanna be with her as long as we can.

27 YEARS OLD AND HAPPY.

No surprise, its just a regular birthday this year, but the special one, because I had dinner with my family and blessed with so many loves and care as an important gift that I need in my life. Nothing I will ask that that.

A NEW PATH OF NEXT LIFE.

I KNOW! 2021 will be another amazing journey for me. But I am sure now I am mentally and physically ready for all the challenge ahead. I am thrilled to face em all! I am promise to myself in 2021 I definitely being stronger Lysa!

I really can't wait to see a year a head!

Bless all of people with passion and patient.

And be grateful is a simple exercise to live your life better.

How The Pandemic Change Me

I feel amazed to myself. Seeing how my life constantly changes during this pandemic. No! Not only you! I even laughed to myself when I said "I think I've become an introvert now". Like for real!!

Its been 7 months since I can't go anywhere. Staying home wasn't something fun for me. I feel the up and down of life even detail and have so much time to dig more in within. I wonder and talk to myself "Hei Lysa, is it really you? But, Hei! I am enjoying this feeling tho''.

During this pandemic I feel being alone is not that bad, I thought not meet people is gonna bore me until there is a point when I start to meet fake peoples around me, a peoples that most of them are simply bored. When peoples around me are just easy to come and go, but only the genuine one who stay.

Those experiences made me simply aware to value myself and my time even more. I am being very picky with whom I give my time, energy, and effort to. I prefer to reserve my time, intensity and spirit exclusively to those who reflect sincerity. Really, meeting people, especially new people would be a tricky situation for me, because there will be a thought like "Is my time well spent? Are they gonna drown my energy?". I just think if the encounter isn't meaningful or at least fun with an interesting topic especially something that I never knew before, I would prefer to stay home alone. Well, that's really OK for me, even better. I call it self time worthiness.

So what happened to me?  To be fair, there is still a great deal of extroverts lurking there within me. Introversion and extroversion aren’t categorical, they are on a continuum.  Maybe I’m just visiting the introvert side for a bit?  Some theories suggest that introversion tends to express itself more as we age (like wrinkles weren’t enough to worry about).  Previously I derived my energy from 'social' activities. And now I derive energy from a day-ful of 'serve' the entire company, but need a Spotify chilling or 3 hours of obsessive reading of a book (that I bought but rarely touched) in order to recharge.

After years of interrupting some people to tell them about my story, I’m much happier listening to theirs and silently judging them (JUST KIDDING!! HAHAHA). Maybe I’m starting to get old. Maybe I’m tired. Maybe I’m “on'' at work and need to be “off” the rest of the time.  Whatever the cause, I’m embracing the current me.  And embracing all those creepy quiet introverts I interrupted for the last 27 years. Sorry guys. I get you now.

Again, since I can not go anywhere this time seems a best time to reflect and build strategies to be executed once all start to be normal. Better, than be with someone who doesn't worth my time. 😜

Refuel An Empty Soul

So there we go! Another month of boredom that drive us being an asshole and cold blood human. Ehmmm!! Chill chill! Thats only me. LOL.

This past two months is the hardest one for me so far. Why? I start to feel so empty, I have no idea if I need a people around me or simply I need to escape to a daily routine this past six months.

For some reason I feel like I don't need people around, I enjoy being alone at room spending much time with my books, strolling around while cycling, watching sunset in a summer hot damn breezy Tangerang. But, on the other hand I miss people, I miss when I tolerate or engage in small talk, but can get very engaged in intimate conversations.

So, Am I lonely or simply get bored?

BACK HOME

I am kind of person who always think that Home is a comfort zone that I will touch as rare as possible. And this time I decide to go back home for straight 10 days, just to finding a balance of life. Give myself time to get the levels right, and give myself time to figure out what I actually need. It takes experimentation to get it right, and it takes listening to my authentic self like I have — perhaps — never listened before. Back home maybe is a point where I can found a balance or flexibility (?).

COMMUTING WITH NATURE AND ITS PEOPLE

I do believe that my body is more connected to the earth than I think. I breathe the air around me. The sun warms me. The elements, weather and environment effect me. I share a primal and spiritual connection with nature. So, why not go into nature to re-energize my soul? Listen to the rippling stream, the wind in the trees, and bird chirping in a forest. Connected with the love one to having a low key convo.

I go to a mountain, away from a hectic city. To escape, engage well with the nature and its people. I am so happy and blessed to be surrounded by people who always happy to see me smile and excited to take a breath in a nature. So here are the stories of how a commute with a nature and its people.

Gravel Road for A 'Road Bike'.

Back home means, old friends meet up. I met Akbar (@en.journal) my junior while we were in high school and ask him to have a riding trip to a green-y place while I'm in Bandung. And at the weekend a day after I arrived home, he text me to join him to have a trip to Gambung. Since I know that he is a gravel cyclist so I just make sure to him that I can pass the gravel safely. And yes, that was kind of journey with Lale and 4 man who always be boys on the saddle. That was the best and gonna be memorable 100K riding with them and definitely Lale which super tough to deal with a gravel road and a 'little' crash on the way back home to Bandung because of motorbike rider who absolutely have no idea how to drive properly in a main road.

Breakfast Hike

I am happy to have her in my life since day one. She is the one who always down to my unrealistic opinion and idea. I am luckiest girl on earth who had an experience to become her daughter. This time I tell her that I will make her a sourdough sandwich for breakfast, but We have to eat it in Jayagiri. That idea just came up from my head when I went to KHAS ROTI SELAI and tried nice food and warm ambiance there. And yes! She's down for the breakfast! Wooohooo!!! So in early morning, I made her a sandwich and drove to Jayagiri, than hike for 6 km. I am so proud of her since she still can survive with the elevation with her 60 years old body! Je t'aime mama! <3

Recovery Ride

After tiring and hurt ride to Gambung, I ask my friend (@fuadhamidan) to have a recovery ride to Puntang. Because I still remember Puntang is one of the nice place to escape since it has a nice rivers and fresh water ever. The road is really nice for Lale and yea of course I did not put Lale in a hard place after his crash. Unfortunately we can't get inside the area because it is closed due to pandemic situation. But, I am being so super excited and curious in a same time with every corner that possibly to be explored. So I jump to the small river with a chill water and NO! I did not rode Lale for sure! I feel so recharge by simply touch the water and wash my face with the spring water.

Stay a Night And Eat a Lot.

Ote is one of most important woman in my life after my mom. She is the one who always pick up my call and answer every single shitty question that I've asked. It was a tiring night and she texted me and asked me to stay overnight. And she told me "I have a lot of food here". Since she is living away from her parents and I said "Damn you! OK! I'm on my way". Ate so much cookies, chocolate, carbs, and sugary thing. Well, yes night well spent with tummy full loaded by unhealthy stuff and had a BATAGOR! for breakfast hahahaha. 

A 'Casual' Ride

After a day being a pig by having a batagor for breakfast, so this day I decide to having a casual riding to a chilly place. I text Fuad to go to a chilly place in east Bandung. And yea! He is down for it. But, nope nope! It wasn't a casual riding, it was turned out to damn short yet tiring ride. We were bonked and definitely me because I hold the hurt of my wound in my back leg. Casual ride is not really a casual but we are happy because we had such a nice sunset and summer breeze with an 'akamsi' around the corner of the mountain.

CONTROL AN ENVIRONMENT

While we can’t control the people around us, we can (to an extent) learn how to manage and control the environments in which we find ourselves. The easiest way to do this is by always making sure you are in the environment you need to thrive. This could come down to something as simple as always shutting your office door, or removing yourself from the office entirely — in order to get the quiet you need to focus. Just away from the boredom for a while and BE SANE! You can't force yourself when you realized you are full of toxic and negativity around you. Just escape! Treat yourself to have a better sanity. 

THE BLESSED ONE

I do aware that I was being crap during this pandemic. Life is not always easy to live, but the opportunity to do so is a blessing beyond comprehension. Nothing is better than find a thing that makes you feel grateful. Reminding myself of my everyday blessings is a great way to practice gratitude. It helps me remember all the good things in my lives and keep me moving forward. I am the blessed one to having a genuine yet caring people around me. Had a low key convo in short-long low key tiny holiday. Share a laugh, experience, meal, coffee, or even a new knowledge to wake our brain up while having a lunch.

BE GRATEFUL

Happiness is coming from our self not the other one. They can help you, but the vibes must be triggered by you. I am grateful to have a time to recharge my soul in the middle of the emptiness and pressure in a same time.

SPECIAL THANKS TO;

• One and only Mama who always welcome me warmly and feed me with my favorite meals everyday.
• Papa who always wake up to open the door in an early morning to cycling and share a snacks together.
• Akbar, Adit, Bani, and Arab who being such a cool cycling squad on gravel road.
• Fuad, the one who always down for every gabut things and for sure a cycling activities in Tangerang and Bandung. 
• Ote who always feed me with carbs and sugar.
• Achop who accompany me explore a coffee shop in Bandung.
• Alif, for his experimental coffee and other beverages. I do enjoy for all caffeine rush that has been made by him.
• Emon who spend an hours to check Lale and share his experience that inspire me to do more cycling and get further.

I Never Want A Car Even More

LIVING ON THE VAN

When I was kid I always want to have a big car where I can living in. People call it "Living on Van", yea! That something that mostly adventurous person who love to be jumper want it so badly.

Until there is a time when I start to be called "ADULT" and my mom asked me if I want to buy a house or a car?

Then I said NO... I want to spend my money for an experience not a thing. She knows that I travel a lot like crazy, I could spend my whole life to leave a comfort zone and am OK to stay in a place far from home, meet new people, have a lot of life stories.

Growing up in Indonesia, mostly people depending on a car or motorbike to go anywhere even for a 5 km distance. You could get a license at 17, and most of us did it. If you don’t have your driver’s license, you’ll find yourself left out of events, asking your parents for rides, or navigating a near non-existent public transit infrastructure which are sometime is 'inconvenience' for most of Indonesian. So, no wonder all of peoples need (or wants) a car(s).

Source: Nick and Val Wheatley

TWO WHEELS, NO MATTER WHAT

When I lived in Bandung, I love to do cycling occasionally because Bandung has a lovely weather to do it and those hilly and the mountain are worth the sweat to be deal with. Until three years ago when I moved to Jakarta, I never thought that I will deal with a big city life and even commuting with bike because the weather and the people feels so crazy for me at that time. I knew the cycling culture would be intense going in, but what I wasn’t prepared for is how it would redefine my view of 'commuting' by bike until 2 years ago I move to Alam Sutera Tangerang.

Q

When the first time I moved there, all the signage says "BEST TOWN FOR WALK AND CYCLING", and I was wonder "Seriously???". Because of the weather I don't think that this town is best to do so. LOL.

Most of time I commute by grab, there is no convenience public transportation in Alam Sutera. It is pretty hard to get place to place especially in Alam Sutera. So last year I impulsively decided to buy one mountain bike in Decathlon because I consider want to go anywhere because I'm kind of a girl who love to say "You can go fast, but I can go everywhere". I named him 'TeeBee". I love him so freaking much because its so comfortable to ride and I can go anywhere with him. I promise to myself to commute anywhere I go with him.  Yes, I committed to my self and TeeBee at least I decrease intensity of using Grab/ Gojek/ Taxi, unless its urgent and I have no choice.

Hey! Its him TeeBee!

TO PROTECT AND PRESERVE THE PLANET

Most of people do a lot of campaign to save the earth or preserve the planet BUT they are so lazy to walk, cycling, or using mass public transportation because it is so hot and takes time to do so especially for urban people in a big Cities in Indonesia.

Cities around the world are grappling with ever-increasing amounts of traffic, and traditionally the solution to this problem was always build more roads. I believe it’s time to change that mindset: cars are a luxury, not a right. We should treat them as such. People, and the planet, need that to happen.

Riding did such an amazing thing, it is reduces air pollutants (walking and biking emit no greenhouse gases). Reduces noise pollution and congestion. Reduces the need for new parking lots and roadways. Saves valuable green space from development. So can you imagine if 50% of people inside the city cycling to AT LEAST COMMUTE to work or for groceries?

Are you guys still wanna show to your grand children this kind of view?

I NEVER WANT A CAR EVEN MORE

Since I living here, I realize that I love to enjoy the sunshine more often, commute everywhere, aware to my surrounding because I didn't go too fast yet too slow, move my body, sweating, get tan line, and produce endorphin a lot which definitely makes my mentality better and happy everyday.

I never believe that just because of a bicycle, I feel so much better than before, physically yet mentally. Realized that cycling is not only fun and a great way to lead a healthy lifestyle, it can also be a key of social change, it can be shaping the future of humanity.

I seriously in love again with cycling. Exactly a same feeling when I was elementary school, my dad bough me a nice cute yellow pastel bike with a basket. Start from it I said to my dad to stop sent me to school because I want to ride my bike (FYI, my parents decided to move my school that closer to our house, to make them easier to sent/pick me up or manage the time, so no issues to riding, right? LOL) and yes I rode the bike almost everyday and I still remember I am happiest girl on earth once I riding my bike, even at that time my parents kind of worry to the only one (and naughtiest) daughter ever so sometimes they let me rode my bike but they are behind me to stalk LOL.

I know TeeBee is not my first bike but TeeBee is a starter of my happy machine after so long, the things that I regret is I completely stopped riding 7 years ago. And I promise to myself that will never happen again.

“Ride as much or as little, as long or as short as you feel. But ride”

- Eddy Merckx, Belgian road cycling legend

A year to be aware WHERE WE ACTUALLY ARE.

2020. A year that people tend to be so high expectation, ambitious, greedy, antipathy, whatever you named it.
But too bad, 2020 is opened with such a crazy situation.
Devastating floods in Jakarta.
Australian bush fire.
Ukrainian jetliner crash in Iran.
Death of Kobe Bryant in helicopter crash.
Communal riots in Delhi.
Taal volcano eruption.
Now, Corona virus, a pandemic that ruined every single plan and expectation.
Are we ready to face everything ahead? Not sure if we are so.

2020. Its a joke said some peoples around me.
A year of a negative growth.
A year of disappointment.
A year of a stressful.
A year of cruel world.
A year of a hopeless.
A year full of desperation.

Are we reflect on the roller coaster we’ve been riding for the past 3 months? There have been dips, peaks, and some seriously rattling loops, am I right?

Me? Yes I do what people doing in 2020, travel plan, expectation. working plan, everything!
All suddenly gone. All gone.

At some point I wonder maybe this year is a year of REFLECT our ambition and expectation.
To value our self-awareness. It’s enlightening to know why we do things, to recognize our triggers, to have clarity about what’s going on in our head and heart. Our willingness to believe we’re already ENOUGH. To be not greedy that make our wants become needs.
Be aware, where we are, what we are, why we are.....

2020 taught me so much, how to be patient, to accept a purely life when everything start out of expectation, to get in touch with myself thru myself. To remind myself that I can't be fail at being myself. I know, self-awareness sucks. BUT hopefully, we now see how we are sabotaging ourselves, how we are limiting our life with our mindsets about time and abilities, and how we need to have more respect for the resources that allow us to live our life.

We are frantically to earn enough (a lot) money but a things we are too busy too enjoy. Balance come, when you are stop, look at your life, and assess the things you genuinely want for yourself and your family. Be intentional. Work less. Live more.


2020 for me is a year of
Learning
Acceptance
Patient
Brave
Love
and aware where I actually am.

Wineglass bay, Tasmania