Tidak satupun hal di dunia ini membuat kita sedih dan menderita, melainkan kita yang menghidupi kekhawatiran akan masa depan dan menyuburkan sakit masa lalu yang sebenarnya hanya ada di pikiran. Tidak satupun hal di dunia membuat sedih selama fokus kita adalah hal nyata yang kita hadapi dilandasi keyakinan terhadap Allah SWT. Sebanyak apapun yang memenuhi pikiran, sebesar apapun yang menyesakki dada, tetaplah dunia berputar seperti biasa. Tidak ada yang perlu dirisaukan dari pikiran yang putus asa, selain hiduplah di dunia nyata. Manusia tidak didesain untuk selalu bahagia, namun ikhlas dan percaya bahwa Allah ada. 

Saya kira pikiran saya yang berantakan, ternyata hubungan saya dan Allah SWT yang berantakan. Hati yang gundah adalah pertanda perlunya menilik kualitas ibadah. Tiada ketentraman dan kedamaian yang dapat diperoleh kecuali kembali padaNya. 

Membumikan Hati

Beberapa hari ini saya dan teman saya membahas tentang suatu hadist yang menyatakan bahwa tidak akan masuk surga seseorang yang memiliki kesombongan di dalam hatinya meski seberat biji sawi. Setelah saya merenung, memang Islam selalu mengajarkan kita untuk mempunyai hati dan pikiran yang murni, tidak bersedih hingga berlarut, bahagia tanpa berlebih, dan bereaksi sewajarnya. Karena kemudian semua hal dikembalikkan pada Sang Pencipta. Saya mengamati sekeliling saya, teman-teman saya, keluarga saya, dan setiap perubahan pada diri saya sendiri. Seseorang yang terlihat berjaya, tidak selamanya akan berjaya atas izin Allah SWT. Seseorang yang terlihat biasa kemudian akan luar biasa pada saatnya atas izin Allah SWT (dengan perantara usaha yang dilakukan orang tersebut). Seseorang yang bersedih dan ditimpa musibah, suatu hari diberikan kasih sayangNya melalui kebahagiaan dan ketenangan hati. Seseorang yang terlihat biasa, ternyata memiliki hal yang luar biasa pada dirinya. Seseorang yang terlihat sempurna, ternyata memiliki ketidaksempurnaan yang menjadikannya "memang manusia". Lalu kemudian, jika Allah SWT Maha Kuasa untuk membolak-balikkan keadaan serta hati, apa yang menjadikan kita merasa lebih baik dari orang lain? Apa yang bisa melandasi kita untuk meremehkan orang lain? Tidak ada.

Dibalik setiap usaha yang kita lakukan, adalah Allah SWT yang memberikan izin kita untuk berhasil. Dibalik setiap kegagalan yang kita peroleh, adalah Allah SWT yang telah berkehendak untuk terjadinya hal tersebut, dan jika kita berdoa serta meminta rahmatNya, insyaAllah akan dibukakan jalan. Karena pun sebenarnya, apa yang kita anggap sebagai kegagalan tidak selalu bermuara pada keburukan. Belajar tawadhu  dapat dimulai dari mendoakan setiap orang yang terkena musibah untuk segera dikuatkan hati dalam menghadapi ketentuan Allah, memaafkan kesalahan orang lain, khusnudzon atas perlakuan orang lain, mendoakan kesadaran dan kebaikan atas tindakan orang lain (yang mungkin kurang berkenan bagi kita), bersyukur atas semua nikmat yang Allah berikan, mendoakan kebahagiaan orang lain serta turut berbahagia ketika orang lain diberi nikmat oleh Allah SWT. 

Dari siapakah semua nikmat yang ada di muka bumi ini? Allah SWT.

Atas kehendak siapakah semua hal yang terjadi di muka bumi ini? Allah SWT.

Selamat hari memulai hari dengan indah semuanya <3

animal illustration

I wonder how if I turn my art in to wearable things like pouch, bag, or anything. Can't wait!

(unfinished bird)

paint on canson aquarelle paper

using winsor and newton cotman watercolor

Infobesity and Social Media

Mc Keown said on his book that nowadays technology has lowered the barrier for others to share their opinion about what we should be focusing on. It’s not just information overload, it’s opinion overload. The preponderance of opinions has overwhelmed our ability to manage it. For some cases, it’s no need to look for what’s going on. Information just jump to us through our gadget, like a morning message from Line Today, a text through whatsapp group, a notification from Twitter or Instagram, an email about sale from some online shops, a pop up from our browser, etc.

Now it’s very easy to dig any information we want to know, about health, film review, new hype places, food, someone we like, etc. It’s good a news, it makes us easier to find anything we want to know. But in other side, it’s a bad news. The side effect of infobesity can lead us to have attention disorder trait, a lack of productivity, lack of confidence, poor decision making, other. And something which is really close with us now is social media, where information are very easy to exchange and drive people assumption.

Some of us now easily share everything without feeling guilty. Ago, we would be angry everytime our friend/sister took our diary. Ago, it felt so shy to ask someone give her/his photograph. But today, we don’t need to be their inner circle  to have their photographs. Several people won’t be angry if people read their status knowing them having some big problems in life. In a day, we would be overwhelmed by a lot of information, from news about divorce, marriage of your ex, what your friends do, where your friend travel and sometimes those information aren’t urgent/important to follow.

Social Media has changed many people not only on how they interact each other, but also their habit on how they use the platform itself. How much time wasted on kepo-ing ex, girlfriend’s ex, or someone else? How much time wasted on browsing something (in fact) we don’t need? Scrolling timeline? Scrolling explore? We now can ‘adore’ someone just because their digital image. And we now can ‘hate’ someone based on what we see through their image on internet.

Through her book, Lagom, Akerstorm said “we are now living in times of undue pressure that demand we constantly remain unplugged in and connected with the rest of the world, stay on top of breaking news by the second, and keep up with dizzying speed of technological advancements, lifestyle changes and pop culture norms.” For what? But technology has made us to do so. We are now moving to unnatural pace, trying to keep up with everything. Once we heard about a viral news, we will try to stay relevant. Or when there is new hype stores open, we will try to avoid getting metaphorically left behind. It feels like there is internal push to stay up-to-date and relevant with surroundings. While sometimes we forget about the essence why we are doing so.

Being left behind to your girls’s instastories  wouldn’t decrease your wealth. Knowing the first about people’s life, apple stock price or HBR new articles won’t add significant value to your life, unless you work for that. So, why are you doing so? We are now afraid of being left behind, not up-to-date about other’s life, about the most-recent-viral news. Is that really mean to our life?

Beside being overwhelmed by the preponderance of opinion/information,  I’m just bored reading many hatred, hoax through social media. It’s just scary when people nowadays can easily conclude, judge based on opinions without pretending it’s credibility. How hoax is really easy to spread, and sadly some people now easily believe too. Once government announce some new regulations, there will be some (oh no- but - many) people become ‘expert’ or ‘guru’ just in several days. Some of them are shaped by 24-hours news cycle and driven by emotional also personal belief. Once gossip account exposed a new post, many people will comment with hate like they know and close enough with the artist. In fact, what's the impact to our life when we comment with hate? How if you are on the bullied people side. Even in other hand, I should thank to social media. Because of them, I can promote my online shop, sell my product, and ask people to join some movements.

Sometimes we need to shut our world out in order to relax, rejuvenate our bodies, emotionally, mentally.  Use social media wisely and filter what you read before you believe. Be kind, share love, not hatred J

Sleep tight baby Al.

I’ve heard many stories about soon-to-be mom strugling for her maternity. It’s quite sucessful making me worry about my self in the future. But everytime I see their sincere smile and how grateful they are having their baby healthy, I realize all the strugle are worth to pass. I can’t wait to have my own photo session with my baby. But first, here several photos I took for my friend's baby.

And for baby Alesha, thanks for your coming in this world. I hope you grow to be a happy kind-hearted girl.