A Complete Diary of Egypt Trip

        Who is unfamiliar with Egypt, one of the countries with the oldest history in the world? When I was a high school student, my history teacher once taught about Egypt and its ancient civilization. However, I just knew the country from the textbook and then soon forgot about the great civilization. Thank God, my memory was then refreshed by a rewarded trip to Egypt in August 2010. The knowledge I once only knew from readings has now become a lifetime memory.

        Who ever thought that an ordinary girl like me would be able to go to Egypt for free? Nobody, but God did it. It all started from my joining a Modernisator writing competition. At first, I did not expect too much to win the contest as I was just an amateur writer who never won any national writing competition. However, I prayed to God that He would give me a chance to glorify Him through winning the prize. I could feel that God spoke to me to keep praying for that. On a short visit to Times bookstore, I saw Egypt Insight Guides book. Something inside me compelled me to buy that three-hundred-something book as if I would win the competition. As I waited for the announcement, Fika from Modernisator called and told I won the contest and would go to Egypt to attend an International Youth Forum there. My heart leaped that I could not express my happiness and surprise. I held off the call and thanked God for answering my prayer.

Day 1

 

        Despite all the obstacles, I finally set off for Egypt with three friends who were all friendly and interesting. Our flight was economic Garuda at 8 p.m. However, when we did the check in, the officer surprisingly asked us if we wanted to move to the business class. Wow..!!Amazing.. Without hesitation, we immediately said YES SIR!! That was a miracle. God was with us. Happily I boarded into the plane, enjoying my first time being in the business class. Heading to Dubai, I was sitting next to Zul, a new acquaintance and a humble man.

Day 2

 

        After enduring almost eight-hour tiring but fun flight, we landed on Dubai International Airport at 2 a.m.. Dubai’s view at dawn taken from above was very beautiful with thousands of lamps shining as they welcomed our arrival. Dubai airport is very large because it is an international airport and the hub of all international flights. As a newcomer in the Arabian country, I was puzzled encountering signage board written in Arabian language.

我爱旅行

        假如你突然变成一位很富有的人，在你的头脑里你第一个冒出要做的事情是什么？如果是我，肯定的答案是：“去全世界旅行”。我之所以爱旅行是因为通过它我不仅能了解不同的文化、历史、习俗、和语言，而且能欣赏各地的美丽风景。这样一来，我能具备丰富的经验和知识。旅行时，我也能体会上天给予人类宏伟的万物， 闭上眼睛去感受一下上帝的伟大，真的能放松自己。带着知识和充满喜悦的心情回家，我会告诉别人其实我们的生活是挺有意思的，不像有些人想的那么单调。

        只要有空，我就会自己或是跟着团去旅行。有一个地方给我很深的印象，那就是印尼的Lombok岛。去年十二月我叫上妈妈和弟弟一起去Lombok岛。Lombok 是一个离Bali岛很近的地方。在Lombok有一个很著名的沙滩，叫做Kuta 海滩。Lombok的 Kuta 比Bali的 Kuta 冷静得多因为游客还不多。因此，这个地方适合要给自己带来轻松气氛的人。那儿的自然风景非常漂亮，我一下车就被它吸引了，真是一个很有诱惑力的海滩。蓝色的天空，闪闪亮亮的蓝海水，圆圆白白的沙子让我感觉到在另一个天堂。我踩到它的沙，发现那儿的沙子和一般海滩的沙子不一样。那儿的沙子被称为“胡椒粉”沙子。 为什么呢？这是因为它的样子好像胡椒粉那样圆圆的。踩着它是很舒服的，而且对你的血液循环有好处。我抓紧时间拍很多照片。对我来说，最宝贵的东西是我的记忆，因为时间一飞过就不能再回来了。但是，我可以用照片来纪念关键时刻。

International Youth Forum in Egypt – Unforgettable moments exploring Egypt

        Initially I never realized I had a writing talent, but thanks to God Almighty who has opened my eyes to see the writing potential within me through the Modernisator essay writing competition. A close friend of mine informed me about the competition, and that was my first attempt joining a national writing competition. I submitted my article without much expectation to be the winner. One afternoon, a call brought a very surprising news informing that I won the competition and would go to attend the International Youth Forum in Egypt on August 5 to August 12 2010.
        Since I have a keen interest in traveling, winning the Modernisator competition has become one of the most unforgettable moments in my life. My sincere gratitude to my family and friends for their constant prayers, and to Modernisator and Indonesian government for giving me the special honor to represent Indonesia to attend the International Youth Forum in Egypt. Special thanks to Garuda, Ancora and Indonesian Minister of Youth and Sports for their supports, Egyptian government for their cordiality and kindness in showing their beautiful country, and my friends in the International Youth Forum for their friendliness, laughter and togetherness. On August 4, my friends and I stepped our feet in Cairo and here the journey started.

Triple “C”s to compete in the 21st century

        Honestly, there are actually no exact formulas to be adaptive and responsive to the big challenges and vast changes of the 21st century. This is not something like the “one+one=two” principle. As time goes by, changes will soon take place and we must adapt and change. If we do not, we will be swept away just like Darwin's theory of evolution. Wealth solely is not a guarantee to survive in this era for it is temporary; rather we should cling to long-lasting and priceless qualities that can be applied by people of all ages and backgrounds, the principles of 3 C's (Curiosity, Creativity and Character).

Resensi buku "Retail Rules" by Novi Lina

Judul : Retail Rules

Penulis : Meshvara Kanjaya dan Yongky Susilo

Penerbit : Esensi

Cetakan : 2010

Jenis: Non-fiksi

Tebal : 183 halaman

Jika anda orang yang berambisi untuk sukses dengan berbisnis, maka Retail Rules adalah buku yang wajib anda baca. Buku ini menyuguhkan informasi yang anda perlukan untuk membangun bisnis ritel yang sukses di Indonesia. Pepatah mengatakan pengalaman adalah guru yang paling berharga. Banyak hal yang kita tidak bisa pelajari hanya dari perkuliahan atau textbook, namun sang penulis Meshvara Kanjaya dan Yongky Susilo yang telah lama berkecimpung di bidang marketing dan analisa strategi bisnis ritel berkolaborasi membagikan pengetahuan dan pengalaman mereka. Keduanya merangkum hal-hal yang harus diperhatikan untuk sukses di bisnis ritel di tengah persaingan yang begitu ketat.