Begitu pesan seorang teman di what’s app, kebetulan dari kemarin sebenernya juga pengen share, tapi belum tergerak, baru sekarang deh!

Okay, jadi berikut ini adalah pengalaman saya sebagai seorang FTM (first time mom) yang baru punya baby 3 bulan lalu, ngerawat bayi berdua suami aja di Amerika. Ini semua totally personal yah. Dan ini saya tulis bukan sesuai prioritas yah, tapi seinget saya sambil ngetik hehe…

1. BAJU NEWBORN
Resep pertama buat beli baju newborn adalah: mudah dipakai. Berdasarkan pengalaman, makein baju model jersey atau kaos ke newborn itu susah bangeeettt. Bayinya jumpalitan lah, nangis lah… duuhhh. jadi model yang paling bener adalah: piyama atau jumper dengan kancing/retsleting depan. Dijamin gampang!

2. KAIN BEDONG/SWADDLE
Kalo ini sih personal banget. Some parents ga suka ngebedong bayinya, but for me it works like a charm. Babyku kalo lagi nangis bisa tenang begitu di-swaddle. Ohya, beli ukuran segede mungkin yang ada, krn kalo kecil, si baby gampang lolos

3. POPOK/DIAPER
Nyetok popok emang tempting banget, tapi jangan banyak2. Saya dulu nyetok 4 dus popok newborn, akhirnya sisa banyak karena eh karenaaa newborn itu cepeeet banget gedenya. Jadi cepet ‘naik kelas’ ukuran popok juga. Kalo mau, cukup 1-2 dus popok ukuran newborn aja, trus beli size yang lebih gede. Tanda2 popok kekecilan: sempit (bekas popok keliatan jelas) sama kotoran beleber keman2 hahaha

4. DIAPER PAIL
Barang iniiii best buy banget buat kita! Ini adalah tong sampah khusus popok, didesain sedemikian rupa supaya aroma dari kumpulan popok itu ngga keluar, jadi rumah bebas dari bau tak sedap. Untung banget saya belinya di consignment sale, tong sampah gitu loooh ngapain mahal2… I got it for only $8, padahal harga aslinya $35

5. SNOT SUCKER
Iniii jugaaa penting banget! Ini adalah alat untuk menyedot kotoran hidung bayi. Sering denger cerita orang dulu yang nyedot langsung hidung bayi buat bersihin? Ga perlu lagi deeehhhh… alat ini kaya ada pipanya dimasukkin ke hidung bayi, trus tersambung sama selang. selang ini yang kita hisap. Ini lebih efektif dibanding pakai saline drop dan bulb syringe. Saya pakai ini.

6. BREAST PUMP
Penting juga nih buat working moms yang tetap pengen kasih yang terbaik: ASI. Saran saya beli yang elektrik, bisa double pumping (kanan kiri secara bersamaan), dan hands free. Kalo buat breastpump jangan ragu deh, pilih yang terbaik! Saya sendiri pakai Medele Freestyle dan puas banget! Mesinnya kecil, ga perlu dicolok, baterenya bisa dicas, cepat mompanya. Beli juga bra khusus buat breast pump, jadi tangan ga perlu megangin.

7. NURSING COVER
Buat ibunya nih, biar nyaman kalo mau menyusuin di tempat umum. kalo ga ada nursing room, bisa cari pojokan yang nyaman trus tutupan deh pake nursing cover. Dan buat saya ini kepake banget ga hanya buat nyusuin bayi, tapi juga buat mompa. Siapa tau di ruang mompa ada emak2 lain, ga nyaman exposing breasts yang dipompa, tutupan deh pake nursing cover.

8. SERBA-SERBI BRA (NURSING BRA / SLEEP BRA / BRA EXTENSION / BRA PADS)
Mulai dari Nursing Bra… mungkin bisa beli pas sebelum melahirkan, tapi jangan banyak banyaaak, 1-2 aja. Nanti setelah melahirkan baru beli lagi setelah size PD ajeg. Pengalaman sayaaa pas hamil kan ukuran PD berubah tuh, naik 1 size dan 1 cup, trus saya beli nursing bra cukup banyak lah. Eeeeh ternyata habis melahirkan ukuran beda lagiii tambah cup dan lingkarnya ckckckc… jadilah beli lagiii. Ohya, jangan beli yang ada kawatnya yah, very uncomfortable

Sebenarnya ada solusi lain kalo yang naik cuma lingkarnya aja; pakai bra extension, jadi ngga perlu beli bra baru, cukup bra lama pakai extension. tapi kalo cup-nya mekar jugaaa, lain cerita yaaa

Sleep nursing bra. It’s going to make u feel comfortable when sleeping and nursing, trust me! Tidur pake bra yang kaku kan ngga enak, tapi kalo busui ngga pakai bra juga ngga enak, krn kadang2 suka ‘leak’. jasi solusinya adalah sleep nursing bra. Pilih yang modelnya gampang dibuka utk menyusui

Bra pads. Like i mentioned earlier, PD busui suka ‘leak’, jadi pakailah bra pad untuk menyerap teteasn itu. Bra pads ada 2 macem: yang disposable sama reusable. Saya pernah pakai 22-nya dan pilih yang reusable krn lebih ekonomis. Bisa dicuci dan dipakai lagi. beli beberapa pasang buat stok. Saya punya yang Medela sama Jolly, tapi lebih prefer yang Jolly.

9. LANOLIN CREAM
Pertama kali nyusuin pasti PD sore dan lecet deh, jadi sering2 dioles krim lanolin. Ini oks banget, krn ngebantu penyembuhan dan ga perlu di-lap sebelum nyusuin.

10. CHANGING PAD
Buat dibawa2 kalo travelling, kalo ngga ada changing room. Bisa cari pojokan mana aja trus gelar changing pad deh buat ganti popok bayi.

11. BABY STROLLER
Ini juga personal, sesuai kebutuhan. Ada yang stroller aja, ada yang travel system (stroller + infant car seat). Kalo saya pilih yg travel system krn di AS, wajib pake infant car seat utk bawa plg bayi dr RS. Tapi kekurangannya, bulky banget, itu satu bagasi isinya stroller doang kaliii…
Saran saya pilih stroller yang bisa dipakai selama mungkin sampe babynya gede dan ngga terlalu bulky

12. BABY BOTTLE
Buat working mom lagi yang mau kasih ASI perah atau formula, beli botol jangan byk2. Saran saya masing2 satu dari 2 merk berbeda dengan nipple yang berbeda. Krn ngasih botol ke bayi, PR juga tuh, bayi preferensnya beda2. Bayiku pake botol medela ga mau, breast flow ga mau, cocoknya sama Avent.

13. TEMPAT TIDUR BAYI?
Bayi tidur dimana?? Again, ini preferens masing2 ortu. Pilihannya banyak bisa di crib, bassinet, co-sleeper, dll. pengalaman saya, pertama2 taroh baby di crib… meski satu kamar tapi cuapek juga bolak balik ke crib angkat bayi yang nangis melulu, susah ditidurin… trus kita coba ajak bayi bobo di kasur bareng dan wah enak banget! Bisa susuin langsung sambil tiduran, bayi langsung tidur, mamanya juga tidur. Jadi, baby and mom get to sleep more. Sampai sekarang lana masih bobo bareng saya. Yang hrs jd perhatian klo bobo bareng bayi apalagi newborn adalah safety. sekarang ada tempat tidur co-sleeper yang dijual. I wish I knew this earlier… sekarang Lana udh terlalu besar buat bobo di co-sleeper mattress

14. Wah udah lebih dari 10 yaaa… mungkin segini dulu, kalo ada kepikiran lagi nanti ditulis lagi deh… sekian dulu yaaa temans, semoga sharing saya bermanfaat. Again, ini personal ya. What best for me might not best for you

VINA MUBTADI
Mamanya Lana

So, in a nutshell, my first child; Lana Mikayla Basri, lahir 12 September 2011 di Sibley Memorial Hospital Washington DC, berat 6,9 lbs dan panjang 19 inches.

Saya lagi belajar cara ngebedong bayi pake boneka

Beberapa minggu sebelum Lana lahir, saya dan suami rajin mengikuti berbagai child birth classes di RS Holy Cross di Silver Spring, Maryland. Mulai dari Becoming a Father, Yoga, Make Way for Babies, It’s a Baby Now What?!, sampai Breastfeeding Class. Karena kita tinggal di luar negeri sendirian, tanpa orang tua atau helper, jadi kita harus mempersiapkan diri semaksimal mungkin. Insya Allah siaaap.

Due date Lana adalah 7 September 2011. Sejak beberapa hari sebelumnya, saya sudah sering merasakan kontraksi, tapi irregular, jadi hany Braxton Hicks aja. Sudah lewat due date, dia ngga nongol juga. Jadilah OB/GYN ku Dr. Bandhana Bajaj yang praktik di Capital Women’s Care, nentuin supaya saya diinduksi. Dan tanggal yang disepakati adalah Senin 12 September 2011.

Labor and Delivery Room

Semalam sebelumnya saya sudah harus check in di RS Sibley. Meski jauh dari rumah (sekitar 20 miles), kita pilih RS itu karena disitulah dokter saya praktek. Saya dan suami bawa tas buanyak banget, ada kali 4 tas isi baju & makanan plus 2 bantal dan 1 birth ball. Lol mudik lebaran aja kalah. Masuk RS tepat jam 7 malam, langsung diinfus kanan kiri sama suster, dan menyerahkan birth plan. Di US common banget untuk bumil punya birth plan; proses melahirkan yang ideal baginya dan diusahakan dipenuhi oleh pihak RS. Birth plan saya sederhana: berusaha melahirkan senormal dan natural mungkin, tapi kalau ngga kuat sakit, mohon sediakan epidural.

Sekitar jam 20.30, dokter jaga kasih saya Cervidil. Ini adalah obat yang bentuknya kaya tali sepatu, dimasukkan ke vagina. Gunanya untuk melunakkan cerviks untuk memudahkan proses induksi. Jadi ini belom induksi…

Harusnya saya tidur semalaman dengan cervidil itu, dan diinduksi Senin paginya. Tapi entah kenapa beberapa jam kemudian kontraksi saya semakin regular. Mulai dari 5 minutes apart sampai 2 minutes apart. Yang tadinya bukaan 1, tiba2 udah bukaan 3 aja. Susternya juga heran, karena jarang banget bumil jadi kontraksi reguler gara2 cervidil. Sepertinya memang due date saya adalah sekarang. Dan akhirnya suster bilang “Sepertinya kamu bisa melahirkan malam ini juga. Saya akan telpon dokter sekarang juga.”

Sebelum pakai epidural

Kontraksi semakin dekaaat, semakin sakit. Kata dokter, I can have epidural anytime tanpa harus menunggu bukaan 4 atau 5. Saya masih coba tahaaan. Praktik breathing technique yang diajarin di birth class didampingin suami. Tapi kadang loss juga sih karena the pain was unbearable sampai gemeteran. Sekitar tengah malam, I decided to get an epidural. And that was the best decision I made!

Setelah pakai epiduralmade!

Yah meskipun proses epiduralnya juga sakit (tulang punggung disuntik) dan harus pake kateter (cos you can’t feel your lower body), tapi sepadan banget. Ngga lama setelah itu, rasa sakit kontraksinya berkurang perlahan. Dari yang HORRIBLE sampai MILD. Sampai akhirnya saya bisa istirahat dan tertidur. Ngga nyenyak, but at least bisa save energy. Suster bolak balik ngecek. Saya sudah bukaan 5. Dokter Newman datang, just in case saya melahirkan malam itu juga.

KEESOKAN HARINYA…

Jam 7 pagi dokter Bajaj datang dan memeriksa. Dia memastikan saya ngga perlu diinduksi krn labornya was progressingvery well. Haha jadi plan B (induksi) gagal total dan malah back to plan A. And this is even better! Semua prosesnya terjadi di RS dan ngga ngerasain panik di rumah hehe.

Beberapa jam kemudian, bukaan 8. Karena air ketuban belum pecah juga, jadi dokter mecahin pakai amnio hook. I didnt feel anything, thanks to epidural. Fast forward… jam 11 saya bukaan 10 and ready to push, dibantu suami dan suster Lil (dokternya keluar masuk). She was awesome btw. Dia ngajak saya dan suami ngobrol asik banget supaya kita rileks. Ternyata pushing dengan epidural itu challenging ya. Krn tubuh bagian bawah saya mati rasa, saya mengandalkan arahan suster. But I did great (kata nurse dan hubby sih), babynya maju 2 langkah, mundur 1 langkah. Dan I kept on pushing and pushing and pushing for…. 2 hours!! Sampai pada titik dimana kepala babynya nongol!! And I could feel the hair!

Begitu kepala Lana nongol, nurse panggil dokter. And after that hanya 2x pushing, Lana pun keluaaar. Alhamdulillah Lana lahir jam 13.05. Setelah itu rasanya luar biasa banget, sulit deh dijelasin deh. Lana langsung dilap, ditaruh di dada skin to skin selama beberapa menit, terus Lana dibersihin lagi, dites APGAR, dikasih eye ointment, vitamin K, dikasih tag, terus diadzanin suami. Sementara dokter mengeluarkan plasenta dan menjahit. Semua terjadi di ruang yang sama, begitu cepat. Setelah itu Lana dikasih ke saya lagi dan menyusui pun dimulai. Wow she drank like a champ!!

Dan… petualangan mengurus bayi pun dimulai. Waktunya kita mempraktikkan apa yang sudah kita pelajari di child birth classes

Did you know? Di US ngga common untuk membawa pulang plasenta, tidak seperti di Indonesia. Saya sendiri harus request ke dokter, ke RS dan mencantumkannya secara khusus ke dalam birth plan supaya bisa membawa pulang plasenta.

Just like most of you, saya juga mengawalinya dengan ‘kepengen’ dan ‘niat’. So, that’s a start! Tapi sebelum hijrah ke luar negeri, ada baiknya membekali diri di tanah air dulu dengan pengalaman seeebanyak2nyaaa. Nah, kalo emang kepengen jadi penyiar/presenter/reporter juga… cari deh pelung di kota kamu dan bekerja dan belajar disana.

Saya sendiri KEPENGEN jadi penyiar radio sejak remaja. Setelah menerima berbagai penolakan hiks… akhirnya dpt juga di salah satu radio swasta di Jakarta. Wkt itu tahun 2001, saya masih kuliah. Jadiii, jng patah semangat kalo blm berhasil nembus, saya juga koq hehe. Nah, berhubung langsung jatuh cinta, ngga pernah lepas dari dunia siaran. Dari satu radio ke radio lain (total 3 radio – dari radio ABG sampai dewasa). Habis itu saya KEPENGEN deh jadi presenter TV J Begitu saya ngerasa skill voice sudah cukup, saya  memberanikan diri untuk merambah ke TV. Bukannya mengecilkan radio yah, menurut saya radio dan TV punya uniqueness sendiri2, but kalo mulai dari radio sepertinya lebih mantap. Paling ngga, skill audio nya udah ada, jd tinggal belajar visualnya aja. Lihat deh banyak presenter2 TV yg handal, mengawalinya dr radio, seperti Farhan, Indy Barenz, Indra Herlambang, Lucy Wiryono, Iwet Ramadhan… those are great ppl! Dan sepertinya nembus ke TV juga jd lebih mudah kalo kita pny background radio hehe…

So, sejak usia tahun 2005 daku jadi reporter & presenter berita TV dan tetap menjadi penyiar radio juga. Lumayan loooh, banyak dpt job ngemsi hehe. Eniwei double job itu saya jalanin selama 2 tahun, sampai suatu hari saya nonton TV ttg program dari Amerika. It was fresh, fun, ttg serba serbi kehidupan di Amerika dan reporternya org Indo. Hbs nonton langsung KEPENGEN deh! Hehe. So what did I do next? RESEARCH! Riset tuh harus banget… apalagi dengan adanya mbah google skrg ini, riset jd mudah. Kita bisa cari tau ttg perusahaan yang kita incar, lowongan pekerjaan, persyaratan, dll. Cut the story short… saya nemu nih peluang untuk bekerja sbg reporter Indonesia di Amerika, trus sama pseperti kebanyakan pelamar pekerjaan lainnya, apply, trus nunggu deh.

Saran saya KEPENGEN boleh tapi jangan terlalu banyak berharap. Tetep harus pny plan B, just in case ngga dapet. Saya sendiri plan B-nya waktu itu adalah jadi reporter di Singapore. Kebetulan dpt info dr temen kalo ada peluang disana… (naaah, networking jd penting nih, biar kita dpt informasi). Dan proses rekrutmen utk posisi di Singapore ini lumayan cepet, setelah melalui proses seleksi, kira2 dr 30 orang, Alhamdulillah saya yang terpilih. Waktu itu pikirannya, ga dapet Amerika, Singapore juga ngga apa2… krn saya KEPENGEN banget ngerasain jdi jurnalis dengan perspektif negara lain. So, tahun 2007 akhir saya hijrah ke Singapore. Oh iya, modal lain yang harus kalo mau bekerja di luar negeri, tentunya kuasain bahasa Inggris yah… ga perlu cas cis cus banget lah, yang penting bisa bicara dan nulis dimengerti. Sangat disarankan ambil tes TOEFL atau IELTS untuk menunjukkan kemampuan bahasa Inggris kamu.

Saya bekerja di Singapura selama dua tahun sampai suatu ketika ada panggilan wawancara dari perusahaan di Amerika.. you know what panggilan itu datang setelah dua tahun apply ckckck… honestly udah lupa sih,,, ternyata perusahaan broadcast di Amerika ini put my resume on waiting list, dan baru memproses begitu ada lowongan. Kebetulan… dengan adanya modal kerja dan pengalaman sbg jurnalis di negeri sendiri dan di negara asing Singapore, saya merasa lebih pede dan lebih punya banyak bekal, yg saya harap tdk dimiliki pesaing2 lain. Dan singkat cerita saya diterima, dan sejak Mei 2010 menjadi International Broadcaster di perusahaan broadcast di Amerika.

Begitulah pengalaman pribadi sayaaa… semoga bermanfaat. Mmmm menjawab pertanyaan tmn2 ngga? J Next, kalo ada yg pny pertanyaan atau komentar? Silahkaaan, saya coba jawab sebisanya yahhhhhh

Salam,

Vina Mubtadi

OK, without further ado… I’d like to sum up or rather shorten my Japan trip experience.

Day 3, Monday 1 December 2008

It’s Disney time!!! Three of us — Me, Awan & Iwet — decided to explore the Disney Sea for the whole day! Actually, we also wanted to visit the Disneyland, but we decided to stick to the first attraction due to limited time and money hehe. For one park cost 5,800 Yen, two parks cost 10,000 Yen. Visiting both parks is recommended for those who have more time, cos let me tell ya, one park is sooo HUGE already… make sure you have a strong pair legs if you want to visit both parks.

As for us, we decided to go with the DisneySea instead of the Disneyland, cos Awan said that Disneyland is more to family and children… but DisneySea is more to couples and adults. If you’re looking for family and slow-paced attractions, you should go to Disneyland. But if you’re into thrilling experience, then DisneySea is the right choice!!! Moreover, as far as I’m understand, there’s only one DisneySea in the world and that’s in Japan. But there are so many Disneylands other than Japan. Hmm I think I’ll go to HongKong’s Disneyland one day.

It was quite a long and tiring journey to reach the DisneySea which located outside Tokyo. We took 1,5 hour to reach there. But once we reached the resort getaway station, suddenly all the stress feeling I had dissappear! Disney characters appeared here in there in various forms; poster, sticker, etc. But the most interesting to me was the Disney Train! Yup, we had to take the Disney Train to reach the DisneySea. The train is actually a monorail train but with a touch of Disney. It has mickey-mouse-head-shaped-windows and hand rails.

My mouth dropped when we enter the DisneySea complex. It was lovely… cos I’ve never seen anything like it before hehe. And it was sooo big! We were confused, where to start… what to explore… what rides to take… Again, it was so huge we couldn’t try all the rides. So we had to choose. Of course we chose only the signature attractions. Don’t forget to ask for a brochure. It contains information, performance schedule as well as map of DisneySea.

My favorite attractions at DisneySea were… the carnival and the Tower of Terror!

Pictures of me at DisneySea can be found here.

More info on DisneySea click here.

Yippy! Sunday! From what I read in travel books, Sunday is the best day to explore Tokyo with its uniqueness.

Ws start our day quite early that Sunday cos we had to attend a breakfast feast with the Indonesian Ambassador to Japan, Mr. Jusuf Anwar. Apparently he was quite thrilled with the Javarizm event the night before, so he invited some of the Javarizm ppl for breakfast at the ambassador residence. The Wisma Negara is located behind the embassy. This is how we got to the embassy: take a train on Yamanote line, alight at Meguro station (the nearest station to the embassy). From there we took a cab! Taxi in Japan is an expensive mode of transport. But we didn’t have a choice cos we were already late (blame on us: I was fast asleep, and Iwet and Awan was busy chatting. Voila! We missed the station). Oh ya, the cab fare from Meguro station to the ambassador residence is approximately 6000 Yen.

Sorry Mr. Ambassador, we were late…
Anyway, the foods were sooo good! They have bubur Manado, ikan asin, perkedel… hmmm it’s always good to experience Indonesian cuisine when you’re abroad.

And we chat, mostly about the Javarizm event. He said that Harajutik (Harajuku with Batik) is an effective tool to send a message about the unity and collaboration of Indonesia and Japan. Well, let’s give a round of applause to the mastermind, Tiarma Sirait.
After the breakfast in the dining room, we proceeded to the backyard to enjoy the warmth of the sun. It was lovely, really… I must say I was quite proud to be able to visit the Indonesian Embassy in Japan and welcomed by the Ambassador himself. Do you know that Mr. Anwar has a good sense of humour? Well, that morning he told us that everytime he holds an outdoor event in Japan, he would still ask the help of a rain-stopper aka “pawang hujan” from Bogor. And the guy does the prayer on the phone haha… well, believe it or not, it works!!! Well done, Mr. Ambassdor hehe.

From the embassy, we were heading to NHK, Japan’s biggest broadcast company, for a radio interview. How to get there: take a train and alight at Shibuya station. Finally I got to cross the famous Shibuya crossing, one of the biggest and busiest intersections in the world. After 10 minutes of walking and 20 minutes of stop-over shopping, we reached NHK building. Ms Lily from NHK interviewed some of the artists performed in Javarizm like Tiarma, Anton & Adit from Agrikulture, and the MC Iwet Ramadhan. I made myself useful by taking their pictures haha. I’ve been wanting to visit NHK, the studios and all that, and there I was. After the short interview, we had a stroll around NHK to see how they work. Yes, we can see how they work. Because NHK provides the so-called tour area where visitors can read so many posters, watch a short movie in a mini-cinema, see how they work in a studio through an aquarium-like studios, and all that. And we can just visit everyday for free! When I wen there, I saw so many school-children and their parents. More of NHK visit http://www.nhk.or.jp/

Time to explore the trendy Tokyo!

7 of us (me, Iwet, Awan, Tiarma, Marintan, Anton & Adit) walked from NHK to Harajuku via Yoyogi Park. I was curious about one thing in Harajuku. I wanted to see the Harajuku teenagers who like to show unusual fashion. And some say that Sunday is the best day to visit Harajuku. But I only saw a few of them. Then we walked further, to Takeshita street, still in Harajuku. There were sooo many shops along the street selling trendy items. But I didn’t really enjoy it cos it was packed with hundreds of ppl. We could hardly walk, then how are we suppose to shop??? Moreover, we have different interest, so we decided to split up. Tiarma and marintan, Adit and Anton, while me together with Awan and Iwet.

The over-crowded Takehita Street in Harajuku

Our next destination is Ginza street! How to get there: Just take a train and alight at Ginza station. Ginza street is the high-end shopping haven. All branded items, u name it, are camped here. Every Sunday on certain times, the roads along Ginza are closed for motorists. This surely gives more space for shoppers to enjoy their shopping experiences. It was crowded, but not as packed as the one in Harajuku. In Ginza u can still breath normally… but the prices here are wayyy more expensive. We went inside Muji, H&M, Mango, Uniqlo, Itoya, ramen restaurant (yeah, tell me bout it), zara, and other retail stores along Ginza. I swear I nearly broke my leg! It was sooo tiring!

That’s what I called Shop ‘Till U Drop!

DAY 1 (Saturday, 29 November 2008)

My All Nippon Airways flight arrived at Terminal 1 Narita Airport at 7am local time. Please note that Narita Airport is divided into two separate terminals, 1 and 2, with a North and South wing at each terminal. Different airlines use different terminals. To know your destination terminal, please check the official Narita Airport website. To me, this information is important as my other travel companion, Iwet Ramadhan, arrived at different terminal. He flew from Jakarta by Garuda Indonesia, therefore his plane landed at Terminal 2.

Between Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 Narita Airport is quite a distance. But not to worry, travelling to and from each terminal is quite easy. However at that time I couldn’t find a sign or direction to Terminal 2. So what I approached an airport officer (the nearest person I could find) and asked her. She didn’t speak much english but was very eager in helping me. So I asked in a very simple way;
“Terminal 2?” at the same time I raised my right hand and showed my index and middle fingers.
She understand and said “Ah… Exit… bus… six.”
“Arigatou.”

She was saying, to go to Terminal 2, you have to exit from terminal 1 first, then you board the shuttle bus from lane 6. Very easy, right? So I board the shuttle bus (free of charge) and it took me to Terminal 2 in less than 10-minutes (by the way, the bus is english friendly).

After meeting my friend at Terminal 2 Narita Airport, the next question would be “How to go to Tokyo from Narita airport?”. Luckily, I’ve googled about this so many times before I went to the Japan’s capital. So it was time to practise what I’ve learned.

First, we must found the Japan Railway (JR) Office. The office was located at the basement of Terminal 2 Narita Airport (note: you can also find JR office at Terminal 1).

Second, we exchanged our JR Pass vouchers. About JR Pass, terms & conditions, how to get it and other informations, you can find it on the Japan Rail Pass website. All I can say is that JR Pass is highly recommended for those who will likely to travel throughout Japan quite frequent during the temporary stay. The price for 7-days pass ordinary-type is 28.300 Yen. I myself bought the JR Pass at Tangs Plaza, Orchard Road, Singapore for SGD 448. Whereas my friend, Iwet, bought it at Wisma Kyoei Prince, Sudirman, Jakarta for Rp 3.5 million.

Third,  after we had the JR Passes, we asked the officer to reserve us seats on the Narita Express or NEX to take us to Tokyo. We also reserved seats for our way back from Tokyo to Narita Airport on our departure date from Japan. (Note: with a JR Pass, you can board the NEX as well as make reservation on NEX for free. If you don’t make a reservation, you may still board the train but can only sit in a non-reserved car. I ‘d recommend you to make a reservation, to make sure you can sit on the train comfortably. It’s free anyway! Oh yeah, the reservation can be made in any JR Offices which available in any major stations.)

Tips: Put the JR Pass in a easy access spot so that you can take it out and show to JR officers everytime you travel. Bring the pass everyday and don’t lose it!

Getting to Tokyo from Narita was like a first task for me and Iwet. Luckily we managed to pass the challenge without fail hehe. After spending 1-hour in a NEX train, finally we reached Tokyo station. Our friend, Andy Laver, was already waiting for us at the Marunouchi Central Exit.

From there we took a cab to Ville Fountain Hotel Roppongi to put our bags and luggages, then proceed to 57 @Roppongi. 57 is a New York style restaurant and lounge in one of Tokyo’s hot spots.

While Iwet was busy doing rehearsal for the Javarizm event that night (fyi Iwet was the MC of the show), me and a friend, Ana Muto, strolled around Roppongi area and visited the Roppongi hills with its landmarks.

This huge sculpture of spider is a popular place to meet and wait for people at Roppongi Hills

Roppongi Hills is ready for christmast

At night, I went back to 57 @Roppongi and had a blast party at Javarizm event with the Indonesian Community in Japan. Thanks guys!

Left to right: Iwet Ramadhan, Me, Ariawan

Memang benar kata mutiara, “Manusia bisa berencana, namun Tuhan yang menentukan.” Itu juga yang menimpa liburan saya. Padahal rencana itu sudah tersusun dengan manis di agenda: tur dan shopping di Bangkok, lanjut Tokyo. Ibarat pepatah ‘Sekali dayung dua pulau terlampaui’, Jepang dan Thailand adalah dua negara yang ingin sekali saya kunjungi. Tiket pesawat sudah di tangan sejak tiga minggu sebelum keberangkatan yang dijadwalkan tanggal 28 November 2008. Thai Airways International dengan rute Singapore-Bangkok lalu Bangkok-Tokyo.

25 November 2008, pengunjuk rasa Thailand mulai menduduki bandara Suvarnabhumi, Bangkok sampai beberapa hari ke depan. Ribuan pelancong pun terkena dampaknya, termasuk saya.  Maskapai penerbangan Thai Airways dan agen perjalanan Zuji dibombardir dengan keluhan saya yang meminta kepastian;

“Saya tetap bisa berangkat atau tidak?”

Jawaban mereka sama;

“Sampai saat ini kami belum bisa memastikan karena situasi yang serba tidak menentu.”

Saya hanya diberikan dua pilihan;
1. Tunda jadwal keberangkatan, atau
2. Batalkan tiket, uang kembali, -lupakan Bangkok- cari penerbangan lain ke Tokyo (yang tentunya lebih mahal dan belum tentu ada)

Pasrah. Mungkin memang belum ditakdirkan untuk liburan. Segera saya ceritakan keadaan saya ke partner liburan saya, Ari Awan dan Iwet Ramadhan. Saya minta maaf karena kecil kemungkinan saya bisa bergabung bersama mereka. Bahkan saya juga lapor ke atasan agar cuti saya bisa dibatalkan.

27 November 2008, Thailand memutuskan menutup dua bandara di Bangkok sampai tanggal 29 November 2008.

“That’s it” kata saya dalam hati. There goes my holiday. Sepasang sepatu boot, jaket tebal, sepasang sarung tangan, dan baju-baju hangat yang sudah saya siapkan untuk liburan musim dingin jadi sia-sia.

Sampai 27 November 2008, kurang 24 jam dari jadwal keberangkatan, saya menerima telepon dari Thai Airways International yang isinya kira-kira begini:

“Nurviana, we’ve managed to book you a seat on All Nippon Airways, our alliance partner. So, instead of transitting in Bangkok, you’ll be flying directly to Tokyo.”

YES!!!

Saya ikhlas koq kalau harus merelakan trip ke Bangkok, selama tujuan utama saya, Jepang, terlaksana. Kalau dihitung-hitung saya malah untung, karena dapat penerbangan direct yang notabene lebih mahal, tanpa tambahan biaya sepeser pun! Ah, saya jadi nge-fans sama Star Alliance.

Jadilah malam itu tanggal 28 November 2008 saya berangkat menuju Jepang! Oleh-oleh cerita soal perjalanan saya akan saya muat di tulisan-tulisan saya berikutnya!

Sigh… Looks like my holiday plan is getting out of sight (fyi I was scheduled to fly to Bangkok and then Japan in the next 36 hours).

And the holiday picture is even blurer after I spoke to a Thai analyst regarding the unpleasant situation.

She said there is no light at the end of the tunnel right now.

The interview was aired on 938LIVE MediaCorp radio in Singapore at 4pm today. Here is the highlight:

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And an analyst says the chaos in Thailand will not be over soon.

938Live’s Vina Mubtadi spoke to Dr. Busarin Dusadeeisariyawong , Programme Manager of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation in Bangkok.

She first asked Dr. Busarin to analyse the ongoing political turmoil.

Click here to listen to the interview.

Dr. Richard Johnston, Professor of Political Science, University of Pennsylvania

Once CNN projected Obama as the US President-elect, I called Dr. Richard Johnston of Pennsylvania University to find the answers to this question: What has made Obama win? The interview was aired on Singapore’s 938LIVE on 5 November 2008 at 2pm.

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Americans have elected Democrat Barack Obama as their first black president, in a historical US election.

What are the factors that helped Mr. Obama to win the election?

938LIVE’s Vina Mubtadi spoke with Dr. Richard Johnston, a professor of Political Science from the University of Pennsylvania, to find out.

Please visit 938LIVE’s page to listen to the interview.

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The eastern US state of Pennsylvania, with its 21 electoral votes, has voted for Democrats in the last four presidential elections.

Analysts predict the state will go to the Democrats again this time.

938LIVE’s Vina Mubtadi speaks with David Thornburgh, Director of the Fels Institute of Government at the University of Pennsylvania who is a long time observer of Pennsylvania politics.

She begins by asking if Pennsylvania is still considered a battleground state in the 2008 US election.

David: “I think Pennsylvania is still a battleground state, and the evidence for that is the amount of time and money the both candidates have spent here just in the last few weeks. I think Pennsylvania is particularly important for Senator McCain. Many suggest that he will have difficulties in winning the election if he doesn’t carry Pennsylvania. So it’s a very important state with its 21 electoral votes for both candidates.”

Vina: Will the ‘Bradley Effect‘ decide the outcome of the vote?

David: “I don’t think that the so-called Bradley Effect will have much impact here. I think that Pennsylvania voters have always been very sensitive to economic issues which cuts across race and class than they are by the so called Bradley Effect or other intangibles”

Vina: Beside economy, what are other key election issues in Pennsylvania?

Daivd: “I think the number two issue, healthcare is important again as this is an older state, the people are worried about how they going to afford their healthcare and education and taxes will be important. Pennsylvania has a long history of being physically prudent and not being a free spending state.”

Vina: Looking at the Pennsylvania demographics factor, will it give an impact on the election?

David: “The demographics in Pennsylvania are complicated. Pennsylvania has one of the largest world populations in the country that doesn’t have a significant percentage of African-American voters. And that’s what makes the race here so interesting that Pennsylvania is in someway several states wrapped up in one so depending on forecasts of how those different state within a state vote and how much they turn out. The answer to that question will predict who’s going to win here.”

Vina: So, who will likely win Pennsylvania?

David: “My guess is if you put me on the spot, my guess is Senator Obama will win Pennsylvania maybe in the 3-5 percentage points. So it will be close but I think the polls will be correct and he will win Pennsylvania.”
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To listen to the interview, click here.