That Instagram Viral Thingy

So, there is this viral thingy everyone's been doing on Instagram in which you have to post your coolest selfie along with 20 facts people should know about you. I joined the fun today and I'm posting it here so that those of you who are not on Instagram might enjoy it, too! (yeah right what an excuse from an attention seeker).

The selfie that I used was this one: 

And the 20 facts you should know about me are:

1) For a total extrovert, I personally think I'm a lil bit too observant and analytical.

2) Many people easily think that the talent I'm so proud to have is my singing ability. Well, that's inaccurate. It's actually my handwriting!

3) I daily spend almost 25% of my day in the bathroom. It's always been my all-time favorite reading spot.

4) I talk to myself a lot.

5) I'm so very ambitious and perfectionist it scares the hell out of me sometimes.

6) Most of the time, I find intelligent people to be a lot sexier than the ones who are physically attractive. Guess I am a sapiosexual.

7) I'm such a mainstreamed-head when it comes to music, books, and movies. I like what most people like. Those who claim themselves anti-mainstream, go around telling how cool their taste is and it's so lame to be mainstream, disgust me. You don't exist without us, weirdos!

8) I'm such an insensitive douchebag, on so many levels. Forgive me if my insensitivity ever hurt you, it runs in the family, you know.

9) Those who don't write with proper punctuation and grammar annoy me. But I don't like correcting them as I think the best way to educate them is by showing examples (Shoutout to fellow pedantic grammar nazis out there though! People hate you but you rock!).

10) I used to be a disturbingly religious person.

11) I'm 23 at the moment yet I'm still *wholeheartedly* expecting the official invitation letter from Hogwarts up to this very day.

12) I occasionally wear glasses as an illusion of intelligence and maturity.

13) I (obviously) enjoy being in charge and the center of attention.

14) I'm still grieving over the death of my beloved mother until now.

15) I have recently kinda stopped believing in LDR. Physical proximity matters so much in a relationship. Period.

16) I have received an official recognition from an international community for having an impressive sense of humor lately. I warn you, my lame jokes and idiotic behavior are the secret weapons I might use to bring you down.

17) I *secretly* like being all naked when I'm home alone.

18) My biggest insecurities are my overweighted body and my seemingly permanent inability to become such an athletic person. Seriously, my life would be much more delightful if I'm ever good at sport, I guess.

19) I suck at packing and can never travel light.

20) I'm addicted to spicy food and can't live without sambal cabe (typical Asian pffft)

Oh one more lah..

21) I like making fun of those overly conservative narrow-minded people behind their back. It's a guilty pleasure :))

That's about it! Let me know when you decided to join the fun as well! 

Bye!

“A Pretentious Post about Myself “

DISCLAIMER: This post is solely written as one of the requirements to participate as an Indonesian delegate in the upcoming Australia-Indonesia Youth Exchange Program (AIYEP 2014-2015). Any financial necessity due to the potential health and/or mental deficiency which might be caused by reading this post should be borne by the readers themselves. As an alternative, the readers may also directly channel their complaints to the party (a.k.a my dear senior, Kak Afif) which has kindly requested this post to be constructed.

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G’day, mate! (greeting cheerfully with failed Australian accent)

The name is Najmul Fajri Usman.

I have so many nicknames, but these days (for some nonsensical reasons) I’d always prefer to be called ‘Fajri’ or simply ‘Faj’. Please kindly avoid to call me ‘Usman’ as that is my father’s and back in my hometown it is kinda impolite to call people using their fathers’ names (What a lame joke. Pffft ).

I was born 20-something years ago and raised in Pangkalpinang, the capital of Bangka Belitung, one of the youngest and smallest provinces in Indonesia. The island where I grew up is also known by my foreign friends as an ‘in-the-middle-of-nowhere’ Sumatran island, yet I swear to God its beaches are ten times more beautiful than those they have in *cough* Bali *cough*.

To give you a glance about my physical appearance, here is a recent photograph of myself:

                           

Fine, that’s clearly not me. This is me (in a very awkward pose):

                             

Just so you know, that picture was taken a few months back and truth be told, I've grown A LOT fatter now. Not to mention my above-average photogenic skill; I don't know man I just happen to always know my angles and look better in photos. So yeah, keep your expectation low, because pictures do lie *chuckles*.

In 2010, I moved to Kuala Lumpur as I got full scholarship to pursue my undergraduate study in Malaysia’s number one higher institution, University of Malaya. I have finished my study there earlier this year and am holding Bachelor of Science Degree in Environmental Science and Management. Spending almost four years in such a metropolitan and vibrant city I have been highly exposed more into international environment which has provided me with a better perspective to see differences existing in our society.

All in all, I am very grateful to be given a chance to spend my life both in a small, less-developed yet beautiful town like Pangkalpinang and a big city whose a lot of modernization element to offer, like Kuala Lumpur. The experiences have successfully made me a very adaptable person at my young age.

I was the youngest of three children. My father was a local politician and entrepreneur whilst my late mother was a teacher in a local primary school. Frankly speaking, I must admit that I have never had that so-called perfect family. Nevertheless, they are and will always be my biggest motivation to give the best out of me, at everything I do in life. I once wrote a story about my family here.

*stretching* *went to the bathroom for 30 minutes*

Moving on, both of my parents have always taught me to always put education on the top of my priority list. Nevertheless, they have always encouraged me to balance my academic achievement with the non-academic ones, too. It is indeed very fortunate that I was surrounded by people who would fight really hard to achieve their dreams. I was always taught that if my dreams do not scare me, they are not big enough.

I always dreamed to travel the world to become a humble and compassionate human being, then I must never get tired of putting my hardest efforts to make that particular dream of mine into reality. I dreamed to become a future leader who can create an imperative difference for my nation, then I must never give up to find my way to be one, regardless of circumstances and difficulties I might face. I was raised to become a fighter, who believes that luckiness only happens when opportunity meets a constant hardworking mentality.

Moreover, in the current state of my life, I have five major personal interests:

1. Youth Empowerment: This particular passion and my involvement in various youth-empowering activities have brought me to be granted golden opportunities to represent the country and the home island in quite a lot of prestigious programs, at both international and national levels.

2. Environmental Management and Sustainable Development

3. Education: I really want to work as a lecturer in a local university in the future, because I believe this job would highlight my interpersonal skills more. I like interacting with people and enjoy sharing information and knowledge with the public (students, in this case). I also like the idea that being an educator means that we have to constantly keep enthusiastic at learning deeper about our discipline, one step earlier than those to be educated.

4. Social Development and Voluntarism.

5. Performing Arts: I love all kind of performing arts, but singing and public speaking are always the special ones. Singing for one, sorta has that stress-relieving medical effect on me. When I'm in pain, I sing. I sing my heart out and I'd feel better right away.

*having a break* *making a cup of tea*

Next, I’m supposed to list down my strengths in this post. Honestly, I’d rather telling people my weaknesses instead, as I think I have a lot more of it than them strengths and I’m kinda tired with people having such high expectation on me. So please keep in mind that I’m quite uncomfortable writing this part:

“I see myself as a highly confident individual who sometimes has difficulty to lower my expectation and ends up being over-confident. I’m a perfect example of an open-minded and outspoken person who might be too dominant and obnoxiously brutal honest at some points. My creativity and hardworking mentality often surprise me (in a good way), yet my ambitious and insensitive nature bring me no good every now and then.”

That’s about it.

Oh one more thing, according to Hippocrates, I'm a Sanguine-Choleric person. Meanwhile, Myers-Briggs agreed that I'm having the ENFP personality. In a nutshell, I’m a total extrovert.

Therefore, please feel free to stalk me if you found this post insufficient to satisfy your desire to know me better. I’m practically everywhere on the net. I’m on Facebook, Ask.fm, Twitter, Youtube, Instagram, Path, Soundcloud.

E V E R Y W H E R E.

Seriously, stalking me would be as easy as one, two, three.

Ciao!

The 25th International Youth Forum

It was really such a great honor to be the representative of my country as well as the elected Vice-President in the 25th International Youth Forum happened recently in South Korea. The event was hosted by the Korean Ministry of Gender and Equality (MOGEF) and was organized by National Council of Youth Organizations in Korea (NCYOK). I have personally met tens of amazing young people coming from over 40 different countries and we had discussed a lot of things on how we could contribute to the realization of sustainable world peace. It was indeed a fantastic learning experience and here I present you the "Youth Declaration" as the main outcome of the forum :)

Youth Declaration

The 25^th International Youth Forum

“Youth and World Peace”

August, 20-27, 2014, Seoul and Muju, Republic of Korea

Preamble

77 youth participants from 42 countries gathered in Seoul and Muju, Korea from August 20^th to 27^th, 2014 to discuss ideas on how youth can contribute to the realization of sustainable world peace.

World peace is the condition when individuals in all states, nations and regions are free from the fear of violence or conflict. It is antonymous with war and conflict that endanger the safety of people and societies.

According to the UN Declaration on the Promotion among Youth of the Ideals of Peace, Mutual Respect and Understanding between Peoples 1965, young people should be raised in the spirit of peace, justice, freedom, mutual respect and understanding. The promotion of equal rights for all human beings and all nations, economic and social progress, disarmament and the maintenance of international peace and security are crucial elements towards this end. 

Declaration

The participants of this forum affirm that the above definition remains relevant to the youth of their respective nations. The realization of world peace can be undertaken from local to international levels as there are various activities that are classified as peace-building. While there are clear personal benefits of peace-building in the present, the participants recognize that the future impact on society is of greater importance. 

The Youth are the greatest asset to a country as the youthful period is a time of passion and emotion, which when directed, can catalyze new mindsets, new movements and ultimately new societies. Due to the unique position of youth within society, their input in development programs is crucial to achieving desired objectives. It is undeniable there is an imminent need to create a conflict-free environment and a culture of peace. 

The participants of this forum have identified the relevant denominations involved in the universal peace making process. These groups are International Organizations, Governance, Society and Acts of Individuals. Due to the breadth of these groups, the participants have further subdivided them into the categories of: Youth, Education, Government, Local Communities, Private Enterprise, the Media, International Governmental Organizations and International Nongovernmental Organizations. These smaller, more specific groups, allowed for a more candid debate between participants.

To affirm their beliefs in these ideals and to make an active contribution to the peace-building effort, the participants of this forum present the following recommendations:

Youth

Youth, as the future of the world, has an indispensable role in achieving world peace. Youth should aim to not only change their attitude towards people, traditions, religion and belief in order to accomplish a global harmony, but also feel the responsibility to defend the frontiers of peace and non-violence.

We recommend that youth should:

a.  Play an active role in raising awareness in local and international communities through social media, education, culture, technology and sports activities.

b. Volunteer in organizations that work for community service, in order to contribute a vital role in developing the future of the society as well as themselves.

c. Participate in political activities to raise awareness and encourage reforms that ensure good governance, accountability, and transparency.

d.  Opine on current conflicts in the world in public assemblies and governments, both IGOs and NGOs.

e.   Flourish the ideas of internationalism and multiculturalism.

f.  Build cooperation and have collaboration among youths from different countries in order to form strong bonds.

Education

Education ought to not only correct perception and belief of world peace but also promote activities that can prepare them for future contribution. We believe, both formal and non-formal education play a major role in promoting world peace.

Therefore, we suggest:

a. Approach to History education that not only gives room for open interpretation but also holistic view of the world.

b. Endorse further of Peace and Conflict studies in order to develop fundamental and professional knowledge of world peace.

c. Grant ample governmental financial aid to both native and foreign students, who will benefit from their experiences of diverse cultures in exchange programs. 

d. Invest in foreign language education, especially that of language in developing countries, so that students can open new points of perspective of the world.

e. Invite experts and guest speakers, as well as running workshops on various issues in order to enhance students’ comprehension of world peace.

f. Stimulate students to organize campaigns and sessions via social networks (Youth development websites, social media, etc.) to increase and spread the awareness of world peace.

g. Encourage students’ involvement in community services and volunteering programs so that they can recognize the global wealth gap.

Government

Nation-States remain the main unit of governance despite the growing importance of international organizations. Governments, as the primary decision-making bodies at the head of States, possess the authority within their own legal systems to wage war against other nations, direct diplomatic action, set the priorities during budget negotiations, among other responsibilities. Therefore, the participation of governments is vital to foster world peace while integrating youths as agents in this cause.

To this end, we propose the following recommendations:

a.  Governments should legislate to make sure youth is formally educated in the values of non-discrimination, peaceful conflict resolution and mediation, intercultural appreciation, and any and every other value which amounts to peace.

b.  Government should allocate resources to public programs, private individuals, and private organizations with the objectives of bringing together youth from the homeland or abroad, or both.  Such resources should be allocated on the basis of a competitive application process.  Therefore, the aim is that these youth may establish enduring relationships, social and professional connections, and engender mutual understanding and peace.

             These programs may constitute one of these or a mixture of several:

1.        Education seminars;

2.        Cultural and artistic events;

3.        Sports competitions and exhibitions;

4.        Intercultural and interreligious experiences;

5.        Civic engagement programs;

6.        Sessions of mutual understanding between youths of conflicting regions or States;

7.        And others.

             Governments should not fund programs of the following nature:

1.        Partisan;

2.        Insensitive to ethnical, national, religious or social groups.

c.    Governments should allocate resources to the promotion of the role of youth, to both highlight its position in society among its fellow citizens, and inspire youth to be more engaged in its local, regional, national and international community. By promotion we suggest:

1.        TV, radio, newspaper, magazine and Internet ads;

2.        Public speeches;

3.        Street signs and banners;

4.        And others.

d.   State institutions should be inclusive of youth by ensuring their representation. These institutions should also designate new avenues exclusively for youth to voice their needs and ideas, thus influencing public policy; engage and cooperate with their peers in various geographical magnitudes, and create further opportunities for other members of their cohort.

Local Community

Local community plays an integral part in achieving sustainable world peace as it affects those involved at a personal level and facilitates connections across different socio-economic groups.

We therefore recommend that local communities:

a.    Create a program to promote self-sufficiency to address the gap on existing policies to gradually eradicate community issues such as disease, poverty and unemployment.

b.        Raise awareness of cultures and beliefs through peace-related programs at the grass-root levels.

c.        Improve the efficiency of gathering feedback and encouraging discussion when lobbying for support of the needs of the community and its people to the government.

d.    Recognize and reward the contributions of youth in local communities to increase involvement in volunteerism.

e.   Collaborate with other local communities when organizing events to foster better understanding across social groups.

f.         Introduce local leadership training for youth.

Private Enterprise

Private Enterprise, whether presented as a for-profit or not-for-profit model, must engage in the promotion of peace and youth involvement. We recognize the necessity of the proliferation of corporate social responsibility and its importance in contributing to social stability, integrity, and world peace. It is imperative that the private sectors foster a positive relationship with society and to achieve a form of mutual respect.

We recommend that the private enterprises act upon the following:

a. Support the youth with training and educational opportunities which empower them with practical and competitive skills to employ a more global understanding and perspective of social dynamics.

b. Provide resources to promote youth peace-keeping and training activities such as international conferences, seminars and leadership workshops.

c. Recognize the advantages of corporate social responsibility not only in society, but also in business.

d. Encourage business models with regard to social issues and production of goods or services that contribute to their solution and well-being of the society

e. Cooperate with INGOs to empower youths to create cross-cultural connections.

f. Fostering the value of global citizenship by developing a multicultural work environment through youth training programs and employment

g. Facilitate exchange programs for young employees among business partners to stimulate networking through intercultural experiences.     

h. Create a platform for youth social entrepreneurship to spread goodwill both within and out of the enterprise.

Media

The media is a powerful tool able to disseminate information quickly to a wide audience while simultaneously educating the public about important social issues. Nowadays, we can observe that media, and especially new media, are playing a vital role in shaping the identity of today’s societies. Thus, the media can have a great impact on the role of youth and its contribution to achieving world peace.

We recommend that the media:

a.        Portray organizations, companies, and projects that present positive youth initiatives throughout the world. Media can inspire youth to take more proactive actions to change the current situation by showing an alternative and more positive side of the world news. In addition, media outlets can create specific sections dedicated to youth initiatives.

b.      Give more space to peace journalism, portraying peace building efforts, in addition to war journalism with the goal of having more balanced information.

c.     Establish their own charter that bans hate speech and promotes diversity whether it is diversity of opinions, ethnic groups, religions, sexes or ages, etc. This charter applies to both the company and produced content. By diversifying their workforce and giving voices to various groups, media companies can fairly represent the current multicultural society and can increase mutual understanding.

d.     Develop social media outlets and systems to connect youth and build interactive global citizenship through networking. This can be achieved by encouraging young people to use new media as a way to interact, express themselves, and expand their knowledge on different subjects.

e.   Increase visibility within the traditional media of alternative information sources such as citizen-journalism and social media.

International Governmental Organizations (IGOs)

IGOs play both the role of director and facilitator in issues affecting youth and world peace. They are expected to strengthen current initiatives, implement new policies, establish beneficial partnerships with other IGOs and to connect individuals and groups with higher institutions.

In order to effectively progress these roles, we recommend:

a.        Promote existing organizations already facilitating food, shelter, clothes and education for those who need it, with a special focus on youth, keeping in mind that many conflicts can arise because of the economic polarization within a country or region.

b.     Create a mobile space, either physical or digital, where individuals and groups can communicate with another, become involved with current projects, create new initiatives and prevent overlap with an ultimate goal of increased dialogue, mutual understanding and global activism.

c.        Raise awareness of peace through IGO outreach and encouraging the implementation of curriculum by means of unbiased peace and human rights education in schools.

d.   Enforce individuals and groups to become more connected to their respective IGOs through encouraging transparent IGO activity, IGO outreach, consultative bodies and accountability. This includes accessibility to information regarding individual rights in the legal system.

International Non-Governmental Organizations (INGOs)

International Non-Governmental Organizations, due to their apolitical nature, are able to work across political boundaries to directly interact with individuals, making them a crucial component of world peace.  Their key roles in the peace effort primarily include creating a platform for dialogue and promoting conflict resolution through the use of soft power.

To better connect INGOs with youth, we recommend that they:

a.     Create a repository of INGOs working in peace initiatives to better align common goals by providing access to information about ongoing and future projects to reduce overlap, promote transparency and accountability.

b.        Encourage better feasibility studies to promote effective implementation, maximization of resources, and project longevity.

c.   Increase visibility of peace initiatives through public agendas by furthering cooperation between INGOs and governments.

d.    Allocate specific leadership positions within INGO departments for youth to create more youth-friendly projects and a more inclusive dialogue.

e.      Hold more youth gatherings to address current world peace issues, develop youth-focused solutions, and better inform youth through volunteerism about INGO roles.

f.         Enhance collaboration with educational institutions to encourage dialogue, constructive debates, and cultivate a culture of peace.