This writing was written on 31 December 2020. At the end of 2019, I feel so blessed and feel like the luckiest human being on earth. Completing all of the major milestones and surpassing beyond the target I planned. A lot of surprises happen to me, thankfully.

But what is the point of mourning and bragging about what I have been through in 2019. When I was ready to face the next surprise of 2020, it turns out 180 degrees the opposite way what I have planned and expected.

In early 2020, at the end of my fall semester on spring semester break. Three of my classmates were participating in Qatar Debates Competition in Malaysia held by Qatar. And good for them that they are participating in the International competition representing International Islamic University Islamabad. In another way, they are representing Pakistan in the held competition. I am proud of them because one of them has won the best speakers on the Debate, Athar Mehmood. Congrats!

The other two were my Indonesian classmates Havilah Azaria and Imam Akbar which join the competition as well. Later on, both of them plan to visit India on their way back to Pakistan. And I join them by crossing the border on Lahore to Amritsar and start my first journey and set foot in this neighboring country.

India Trip

The first experience of crossing the border by taking a train from Amritsar to New Delhi all alone for the first time was insane!

The India trip was amazing. The picture I saw years ago since I was a kid, the Taj Mahal was before my eyes and beautiful as it is. We three planned on backpacking all over India for about two weeks, including visiting our friends at Aligarh Muslim University. Thanks to Adib and Nino for welcoming us warmly and could meet other Indonesian students in Aligarh.

Unfortunately, both of my friends have to go back earlier to Pakistan, so I have to continue the Journey all alone visiting the next stop at Jaipur, Jodhpur, and the final city Jaisalmer. Here is the real backpacking story begun. I have made a lot of new friends when I was doing the next solo-backpacking trip.

I met Phai in Jaipur. He is a student at Bangalore University, and he is the one who helps me to take a couple of photos in front of Hawa Mahal.

I thought I should write the detail about my India trip on the separate writing in detail about how it was going if I would.

But yep, in early March, I went back to Pakistan. Two weeks later, in the third week of March, a global lockdown started. Corona Virus Disease was declared as a global pandemic since then. And there you go, till the time I write this, we are still on the same condition on lockdown.

All of us have been, and still going through this hard time. The global market crashed, and so the global economy was. Lots of countries declared a recession and still struggling. And we are all on this together whatever your job is, and we are doing our best.

If you are a student, keep going on learning on online mode, or maybe if you are a teacher or lecturer, I really appreciate how you adapt this new method of teaching and struggle with it.

If you are being cut from your work due to the pandemic, stay strong! there is a lot of opportunity ahead and new things to learn from. We have a lot of time to read, study, joining webinars, online workshops, or whatever it is during the quarantine, and if we are still the same as before the pandemic started, who’s to blame then?

Degree Completion

I am delighted to hear when I know that my father and my mom was completed their master’s degree in Islamic State Institute Samarinda together! I am contended to be part of a well-educated family even in these late ages, my parents yet still continuing their education was outstanding. Congrats to your master mom, and dad!

And I want to say, Congratulation to Aldilla for completing your medical degree too! even you expect that your graduation would be held on a regular basis, yet due to the Covid pandemic, it was held online. The next step is awaiting you good luck with your co-assistant program and can’t wait to see you become a doctor soon.

Investing 101

I do not have lots of achievements to appraise for, this year as I did previously. I have only read 8 books this year. Not a surprising number but that’s okay.

But I learn a lot that in order to survive in any kind of condition, you have to adapt and learn continuously. I did not gain high profit from the sales, as I made last year. Yet I learned how to survive from the investment I made, in which I almost lost 10 grand USD to thin air due to my negligence and lack of survey and observation I made.

When they say that, the company I invested in was in blockchain and cryptocurrency sort of a thing. But apparently it is not at all. Lately, I found that it was merely a sort of money game and using cryptocurrency in disguise.

I learned not too hasty and reckless to put our money on an investment. Observing carefully which business we are doing. Remember the Warren Buffet rule, that investing is how not to lose our money rather than multiplying it quickly on fragile high return investment.

I learn not to forget the basic rule, which said that the return we get is equal to the risk we take. In the year fintech grows rapidly, do not forget that we should check their legality on financial services authority. Damn! How could I forget that one?

But Alhamdulillah, luckily, I did not lose any of them. The money we made will burn to dust if we neglect all those fundamental principles and become nothing. Last year I thought everything was easy and turns out it is just only the beginning.

I learned how to build a brand and making sales from a scratch was tricky and challenging. And I just starting it. Well, if you ask why don’t you just focus on your degree and mastering it? I have done my best to complete it with a decent result, so my parent would know that their son was doing good. So I could explore more new things to do and experimenting with them.

We do not know what we are facing next year, or what would be the next surprise for us. All we have to do is being prepared for whatever it is. We cannot control the rain or the coming storm. What we could do is preparing the ark instead. Bumpy road ahead, hope for the best, and prepare for the worst in 2021!